A group of local enthusiasts is lobbying city officials to turn half of the City Park tennis court into three pickleball courts.

Former Mayor Burrell Stein said there is a proposal set before City Manager Josh Eggleston to have tennis enthusiasts use the 12 new tennis courts at the facility recently completed at the high school. He said few people have been playing tennis courts in the park.

Meanwhile, local pickleball mavens are permitted to play every Thursday evening.

The group is advocating splitting the current court layout to continue to allow pick-up basketball games, but reserve the other half for pickleball, which uses a much smaller amount of space.

Pickleball is a lot like tennis, but it emphasizes volleying rather than spiking. In fact, the first shot for either player of doubles team must come off a ball that has bounced.

The ball itself is similar to a whiffle ball and the playing surface is very similar to badminton. The first player or team to score 11 points while being ahead by two is the winner of the match.

It is expected that the City Council will receive a request to change the layout of the park tennis courts later this month.