The Petersburg Racquet Club, located at The Pass, will be under new ownership, effective May 1.
Owners, Craig and Gail Jones announced on the club’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/prctennis) that PRC will become part of the Columbia County Parks and Recreation system at the beginning of the month.
A separate news release from the county said commissioners voted to purchase the facility during their April 18 regular meeting.
“Petersburg Racquet Club has a long, rich history of tennis in Columbia County, and the county is excited about the future of this purchase,” said County Manager, Scott Johnson. “PRC will become part of the county’s Community Services Division under Parks, Recreation, and Events and will be open for public play.”
Currently, PRC operates with paid memberships for families, individuals, juniors, and seniors. The county’s news release said staff are still working on purchasing the property, including how memberships will be handled.
“Once this has been determined, the public will be notified of any potential membership opportunities,” said the release.
The club has been operated by Craig and Gail Jones for 25 years. “Words will never adequately thank you for being our family and support system for this 1/4 of a century,” the Facebook post said. However, the couple added the county will be able to provide opportunities that they could not as small business owners.
There is contradictory information between the owners’ statement and the county’s news release. The owners say the pool and pool memberships are not part of the plan. However, the county said the pool area will be closed due to the cost of repairing, maintaining, and operating the pool. The area will be converted to pickleball courts.
Augusta Business Daily has asked Columbia County about the discrepancy.
“Due to the rise in popularity and growing demand of pickleball in the county, it has been determined that the pool area is best suited for new pickleball courts to make this a true racquet club that services both tennis and pickle ball,” the county release explained.
The county’s release did not include the purchase price. ABD has requested that information and how the purchase was funded.
When the information is received, this story will be updated.