Kiwanis Club of Madison has donated a sign that will be installed at Madison Township’s pickleball courts, which opened last June. Doug Ferguson, who is president of Madison Kiwanis, presented the sign to trustees at a workshop session that preceded their regular meeting on April 8. That sign says “Pickleball Courts — A cooperative project between Madison Township and Kiwanis of Madison.” “I noticed people playing already this year on the courts,” Ferguson said. The two pickleball courts are located at Veterans Park, 1747 Hubbard Road. Trustees authorized the courts to be built on the site of a former skate park that was removed about 10 years ago. Madison Kiwanis contributed $2,500 toward the overall $20,000 cost of constructing the courts. It was Ferguson who approached trustees in early 2023 and suggested the idea of adding pickleball courts to one of the community’s parks. He said last year that he and his wife, Cheryl, enjoy going to Veterans Park to walk their dogs. During one of those strolls in 2023, the couple looked over at the former skate park and envisioned a new use for the site. “And both of us at the same time said, ‘That would be a great place for pickleball,’ ” Ferguson recalled. “So I took it back to Kiwanis and I talked to our members, and they were supportive.” He then pitched the idea for pickleball courts to trustees at one of the panel’s meetings. He said they would be a nice way to revitalize the former skate park area. The skate park opened in 2003, but trustees shut it down in 2014 because the site sustained a lot of vandalism. At the April 8 workshop session, Ferguson said he and township Administrator Tim Brown discussed the wording to place on the sign before it was ordered. After the sign presentation, Ferguson said the Kiwanis strives to help make Madison a better community by making a positive impact on its residents and children. Township Trustee Peter Wayman commended the civic group for its many charitable efforts. “Thank you for what you do,” he said. ...read more read less