Dalton opens 15-court pickleball complex to ease local crowding

A 15-court pickleball complex at James Brown Park gave Dalton a much bigger answer to a problem that had been building for years: too many players and not enough places to play. The city’s new facility, dedicated after more than two years of work, was designed to ease congestion on existing courts and give local amateurs more room for open play, league action, practice sessions and beginner access.

The project grew out of clear demand. Pickleball enthusiasts first approached the Dalton City Council in 2023 asking for more facilities, and city leaders had already tried to keep pace by converting the tennis courts at Brookwood Park for pickleball in 2020 and adding pickleball use at the Lakeshore Park Tennis Complex. Even with those sites, plus private courts around town, the city still was not meeting demand.

Mitchell Boggs, chairman of the Dalton Recreation Commission, underscored how deeply the sport had taken hold in Dalton, while Parks and Recreation Director Steve Roberts said it was gratifying to see city leaders listen and respond. The practical payoff is immediate: more courts should mean fewer wait times, more consistent access for casual players, and a sturdier home for organized leagues as pickleball keeps spreading across age groups and skill levels.

Dalton locked in the build on May 5, 2025, when the City Council approved a $2,206,042 construction contract with Integrated Builders, LLC, including a $60,000 contingency fund. By December 2025, officials said the complex was 80% complete, with 15 lighted courts planned, three of them covered, and the final acrylic finish scheduled for the following spring. The complex also includes shade structures for player benches and spectators, plus a concession stand, adding the kind of amenities that turn a court cluster into a true destination.

The opening also signaled how Dalton is treating pickleball inside its broader parks system. The Dalton Parks and Recreation Department says it maintains more than 1,400 acres, 16 parks, 26 athletic fields, 24 tennis courts and 12 playgrounds, and officials described the pickleball build as part of a busy capital-improvements cycle across the city. For Dalton, the new complex looked less like a novelty add-on than a permanent piece of city infrastructure, built to keep pace with a sport that has clearly outgrown its temporary spaces.