Pickleball fans, you may soon have more places to play this fall.
And that goes for lovers of different sports of all ages as well.
The Rockbridge Area Recreation Organization has come to an agreement with the Buena Vista City School Board that will allow them to use gyms, fields and other sports facilities in the city to provide more programming.
The School Board unanimously approved RARO’s proposal at the July meeting.
RARO has a long-standing agreement with Rockbridge County Public Schools and Lexington City Schools on facility use, but hasn’t had one with Buena Vista since the city joined RARO in 2016.
RARO Executive Director Chad Coffey said the agreement will open up lots of new opportunities for programming, both for adults and youth sports.
The main facility RARO is eying is the now-shuttered Parry McCluer Middle School, which will allow the rec organization to have access to more indoor athletic space.
Parry McCluer Middle School moves into the Parry McCluer High School building this fall, leaving both the gym and an outdoor baseball field largely empty.
“It’s a small opening for us to be able to provide some programming during the day in an indoor facility, which we currently had zero,” Coffey said. “It’s huge on our side, because it opens a whole new window for us to expand our adult offerings.”
RARO currently offers year-round adult pickleball indoors at Maury River Middle School and Rivermont School in Fairfield, but only at night and on limited days during the summer.
Access to facilities in Buena Vista will give the organization indoor space for adults when kids are at school.
Coffey said he hopes to have the new adult programming up and running in early fall. He said RARO also plans to offer more youth programming at a baseball field inside the inner courtyard of the middle school. RARO also plans to work with BVCPS to expand their programming to other school athletic facilities in Buena Vista when the schools are not using them.
Coffey said he hopes the agreement will help strengthen RARO’s ties with Buena Vista.
“We just (want) to try to provide as many experiences as we can for Buena Vista residents within the city limits as we can,” Coffey said.
