The council took the initial step toward creating the first purpose-built pickleball courts in the community.

The council voted unanimously to hire Snyder & Associates, of Ankeny, to design the courts at a cost of $35,000. The tentative plan is to design and build four courts at Schmoker Family Park, which is near the aquatic center at 32nd Street and 10th Avenue North.

“It really means a lot to a lot of people that you’ve made the commitment to get the ball rolling on that,” Roxanne Kuhlman, of Fort Dodge, told the council members after they awarded the contract.

She plays pickleball and has addressed the council previously about the need for dedicated courts.

Pickleball is a bit like tennis, except it is played with solid paddles and a wiffle ball. A pickleball court is similar to a tennis court, but is smaller, measuring 22-by-44-feet.

Fort Dodge does not have a true pickleball court. The game is now played on the basketball courts at Dodger Courts.

In another parks-related item, the council voted unanimously to add Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex to the Center City and Industrial Park Urban Renewal Area. Doing so was the first step toward borrowing money to pay for some upgrades there.

The plan is to borrow an estimated $1.9 million, and City Manager David Fierke said the site must be in an urban renewal area in order to borrow that much money. He said that is a quirk of state law.

Fierke said revenue from the city’s hotel/motel tax will be used to pay off the debt.

Planned projects at the sports complex include installing lights at the Mini Majors, which are youth baseball fields that are modeled after Major League Baseball stadiums. Upgrades to bleachers, press boxes, fencing and turf are also planned.