Another twist: Tucker pickleball complex contract will not be considered with existing bids
Even as residents lined up at the May 12 Tucker City Council meeting to either protest or support the construction of a controversial pickleball complex at Tucker Recreation Center, the Tucker city manager released a statement that said the city will reject all current bids.
A statement released at 7:04 p.m., minutes after the council meeting began, its city manager John McHenry said, after conducting due diligence, “decided that the City of Tucker will reject all proposals and not award a contract in response to solicitation ITB 2024-017, titled TRC Pickleball Courts Construction at this time.”
The statement said the original bids for the project “are now over six months old and questions remain concerning the proposed contractor’s license. Should the City decide to move forward, the project will be rebid,” the statement said.
The agenda item originally scheduled to be considered at the meeting was abruptly pulled on Friday, May 9 around 5 p.m. after a citizen made allegations that Complete Site LLC, the low bidder, did not have the proper qualifications.
A Facebook posted on May 9 from the City of Tucker said the decision “follows a resident’s inquiry, prompting the City to undertake additional due diligence regarding the qualifications of the proposed contractor for court construction. “
“Additionally, this allows for further exploration of alternative sound mitigation solutions and funding strategies to ensure successful project completion within the Fiscal Year 26 budget,” the post said.
According to a staff memo, published in advance of the May 12 meeting prior to it being pulled, the revised $3 million plan would be built on a multi-purpose field at the Tucker Recreation Center, and calls for six pickleball courts, six other multi-use courts, additional parking, and other amenities. It had recommended the contract be awarded to Complete Site, which was the low bidder when the council was considering the construction last year.
The six-court option plan came as a surprise to pickleball opponents, since McHenry told the council in April that funds for the complex were no longer included in the 2026 capital improvements budget since the council hadn’t made a decision on whether to move forward.
The proposed 2026 budget that was considered on first read at the May 12 meeting did include an $2.2 million expenditure for the courts, but the council did not address the issue during discussions about the budget.
A city spokesperson confirmed that the moneies “previously allocated has not been changed.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is known.
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