Butler Center Weighs in on Columbus' New Pickleball Complex

The City of Columbus is preparing for a new pickleball complex, and while local pickle ball enthusiasts await its construction the Turner College's Butler Center for Research and Economic Development, headed by Fady Mansour, has released an economic impact study concerning the forthcoming complex. According to the study, the construction and operation of a proposed 28-court pickleball facility at 1641 3rd Avenue in downtown Columbus, Georgia, is projected to generate significant economic benefits for the community. Construction of the facility, which will include 28 courts, 16 of which will be covered and four will be placed underneath 2nd Avenue, along with a central gathering hub, is expected to generate $11.3 million to the local economy, including a value-added impact (equivalent to GDP) of $5.4 million, $3 million in labor income, and 63 jobs. The study, which utilized input-output models to assess the facility’s impact, highlights the facility’s potential to enhance the local economy through construction, ongoing operations, and sport tourism-driven spending from pickleball tournaments. The project is also expected to generate $986,266 in tax revenues, including $141,565 in local tax payments.

In terms of annual operations, the complex is expected to generate $775,000 in economic output with at $436,556 value-added contribution. Local tax collections from use of the complex are expected to be $109,000 each year, while use of the facility will support eight new jobs in the Columbus economy. Beyond the economic impact, the pickleball complex will serve as a hub for community engagement, promoting active lifestyles and fostering local sports development. The facility’s design includes a central gathering hub, restrooms, concessions, green space, and parking, ensuring a welcoming environment for players and spectators alike.

In terms of tourism related to pickleball tournaments, the facility is expected to host two major tournaments annually, attracting approximately 400 players and visitors per event. The total economic impact of these competitions is expected to be $402,000 per year, and total and local annual tax collections of $56,573 and $18,161, respectively, are also predicted. When combining the operations and tourism-driven spending, the complex is projected to generate $1.18 million in total economic output each year, with local tax receipts of $46,350 accompanying it.

Comments

Four Turner College Faculty Recognized for Outstanding Teaching

CSU Head Women's Soccer Coach Jay Entlich recently released a list of CSU faculty who have been chosen by a player as a member of the CSU faculty who has impacted the player in a positive way along their journey at CSU. Four Turner College faculty were included on the list, along with the player who nominated each. Management professor Phil Bryant was named by Sophia Leal , a freshman midfielder from Oxford, Georgia. Sophia attended Eastside High School and was a two-time all-region selection during her high school career. Through the first 10 games of 2024, she has scored one goal and recorded three assists. Next, management professor John Finley was named by Lizz Forshaw , a graduate student forward from Stockton, England. Lizz, who attended IMG Academy in south Florida, has scored four goals and recorded four assists this season. During her senior year in 2023, she scored three goals and recorded two assists. As a junior in 2022, Lizz scored three goals ...

Seven Turner College Management and Marketing Faculty Have Combined to Produce Eight A-Level Journal Publications Between 2021 and the Present

A number of faculty in the Turner College's Department of Management and Marketing, which includes faculty in management information systems, have produced A-level journal publications in the last few years. This report covers that activity, starting with John Finley , the chairperson of the department. Professor Finley published a paper in the Journal of Computer Information Systems in 2022. Finley is joined by Kirk Heriot , the Crowley Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship. Heriot, who earned a PhD in management from Clemson University, published in a 2021 issue of Small Business Economics . One of the study's co-authors, Andres Jauregui of Fresno State University, was previously a member of the Turner College's economics faculty. Next is Johnny Ho , a professor of management, who has a 2022 publication in the Journal of Computer Information Systems . Ho has won CSU's Excellence in Research Award on multiple occasions, while he has compiled 2...

TSYS School, Jianhua Yang, Lixin Wang Each among Top Five in the World

New research by computer scientists in the School of Information Technology at Universiti Utara Malaysia that ranks institutions and individuals on the basis of scholarship in the area of stepping-stone attacks heaps praise on the Turner College’s TSYS School of Computer Science and two of its faculty – Jianhua Yang and Lixin Wang . The article, published in the April 2023 issue of the International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science , provides a bibliometric analysis of both publication and citation data from 2000 to September of 2022 related to research on stepping-stone intrusion. Among several results, it reports that Columbus State University ranks second worldwide, trailing only the University of Houston, using total publications on the subject as the basis of comparison. A number of other U.S. institutions appear in the top 10, including third-ranked North Carolina State University, fourth-ranked University of Illinois, sixth-ranked Iowa State U...

Turner Business

Search This Blog