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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCnvrt 1 Tennis Court @ Cahuilla Hills Prk Into 4 Pcklball Crts CITY OF PALM DESERT DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT REQUEST: CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL TO PERMANENTLY CONVERT ONE TENNIS COURT AT CAHUILLA HILLS PARK INTO FOUR PICKLEBALL COURTS SUBMITTED BY: Mark Greenwood, Director of Public Works DATE: September 9, 2010 CONTENTS: Proposed Layout Parks and Recreation Commission Draft Minutes Dated July 20, 2010 Recommendation By Minute Motion: 1. Approve the permanent conversion of one tennis court at Cahuilla Hills Park into four pickleball courts at a cost not to exceed $10,000; and 2. Authorize the Finance Director to appropriate $10,000 from unobligated Fund 430 Park Funds to Account No. 430-4618-454- 4001, Citywide Park Improvements. Parks and Recreation Commission Recommendation At the regular Parks and Recreation Commission meeting on July 20, 2010, Commissioner Thomas discussed the increasing popularity of the sport of pickleball and the social dynamic of the players. The City has a total of six pickleball courts spread between Freedom Park, Civic Center Park, and Cahuilla Hills Park; however, pickleball players tend to gravitate to a single location for group play. Commissioner Thomas stated that it is typical to have more than 20 people show up for one day's play and, given the locations of our current pickleball courts, we cannot comfortably accommodate that many players at one location. The Commission agreed that having courts spread between various parks was not ideal. A motion was made and unanimously passed to recommend that the City Council permanently convert one tennis court at Cahuilla Hills Park to four pickleball courts thereby providing a single venue for a large number of players. Staff Report Pickleball Conversion—Cahuilla Hills Park September 9, 2010 Page 2 of 2 Discussion There has been a steady increase in pickleball court use particularly by larger groups of players. Each game consists of four players and one tennis court can be converted into four pickleball courts thereby accommodating 16 players at a time. Based on discussions with the Parks and Recreation Commission, the conversion of one tennis court into four pickleball courts is seen as a worthwhile investment. It was thought that one tennis court could be converted for dual use (tennis/pickleball), but after visiting a site with this layout it was decided that it would be too confusing for players to distinguish which lines are for which game. For this reason, staff is proposing the permanent conversion of one tennis court into four pickleball courts. The decision to recommend the permanent conversion at Cahuilla Hills Park came after observations by Commissioners and staff. Fiscal Analvsis During the Fiscal Year 2010/11 budget process staff, outlined a trim capital improvement budget for City parks. Both Fund 233 (Developer Impact Fees) and Fund 430 (General Fund Parks) have only enough money for projects that were proposed during the budget process. If the City Council wishes to proceed with this conversion, an additional $10,000 will need to be appropriated from unobligated Fund 430 Park Funds. If approved, staff will proceed with obtaining formal bids subject to the City's procurement ordinance. Prepar d y: Departm n e d: �� Ryan St de I Mark Gre wood Senior anagement Analyst Director Public Works � Paul S. Gibson, Director of Finance C(TY COLTNCIL�A 2'f'TON API'ROVF,D DF,NiF,D RI;CCIVED OTHER A oved By: _ _ MF,ETI G DATE ' � AYES: �� �' ' � � � NOES: J hn M. Wohlmuth, City Manager ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ' VERtFIED BY: Original on File with City erk's Office PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION �4PPRnVF1� MINl1TFS _ July 20, 2010 B. PICKLEBALL USE AT CIVIC CENTER PARK At a previous meeting, the Commission opted to convert a number of tennis courts at Civic Center Park, Freedom Park and Cahuilla Hills into temporary pickleball courts on a trial basis. The Desert Recreation District (DRD) informed the Commission that they had kept pickleball usage data for all the courts, but has inadvertently misplaced the data previous to March 1, 2010, for Civic Center Park. However, the morning usage data for the pickleball courts at Freedom Park and Cahuilla Park is available. The DRD did note that due to the high winds, users find it difficult to play pickleball at Freedom Park. According to Commissioner Thomas, the Civic Center's first'.p�ckleball drop-in clinic of January 5, 2010, was a complete success wi�h more than 20 participants. Unfortunately, the finro pickelball courts only accommodated eight players at a time. Therefore, li'e believes four pickleball courts are needed in order to ;accommodate at least 16 players. Commissioner Thomas also stateti that the Civic Center courts daily usage supports the construetion' bf four permanent pickleball courts. He presented a diagram that illustrated the easiest and most cost efficient way to con�ert a tennis court into four pickeball courts. He noted that the current angle of the corners of the temporary courts make serving difficult for the players; for that reason, the diagram suggests squaring the corners and moving the inside fence. This will open the whole area and make serving easier. The outside fence will not ne��f #o be moved and the net will remain in place as a ball catcher. Commissioner Thomas informed the Commission that, unfortunately, the actual cost for the pickleball set up has been misplaced. Due to the lack of data from the DRD, staff requested to return the item for discussibn to the November meeting when more usage data can be �resented. Cammissioner Thomas suggested that City staff obtain estimates for the conversion of tennis court number six at the Civic ' Center Park to four permanent pickleball courts and present it to the � : Commission in the September meeting. Due to the bidding, approval and' construction process, should staff opt to wait until November, he believes the courts won't be available until 2011. According to Commissioner Thomas, strong usage of the pickle ball courts begin in the month of October. He believes the Civic Center Park is the best option for the conversion because their courts are centrally located; they are already designated for pickleball, so there is no competition with the tennis players; and groups of players already use it on a daily basis. In addition, Commissioner Thomas indicated that since the Freedom Park and Cahuilla Park pickleball courts are not used very frequently, they can be converted back to tennis courts. 5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION APPROVED MINUTES July 20, 2010 Commissioner Housken recalled the Commission previously discussing the possibility of having dedicated pickleball courts for an estimated cost of $25,000. She suggested contemplating the idea again, but because of the noise that pickleball generates, especially near the tennis courts, she asked for them to be constructed at a different park. Commissioner Dawson inquired about the Cahuilla Park's pickleball usage and was informed that they are not used as often because of the tennis usage. The Commission agreed that because of Cahuilla Park's isolated location, it will the .best place to construct four permanent pickelball courts. Upon a motion by Chairman Dash and the Commission concur�ence,, staff was directed to prepare a cost estimate for the conversic�n of one Cahuilla Hills' tennis court to four permanent pickleball courts and present it to the City Council for consideration. VII. PRESENTATIONS AND UPDATES A. SKATE PARK UPGRADES ; Mr. Ryan Stendell informed the Commission that Mr. Chad Rivera, who at the previous meeting had requested the Commission's consideration to add an advance section to the Civic Center Skate Park, was unable to attend the meeting due'to a sk�teboarding competition. On June 4, 2010, Mr. Rivera and Mr. Stendell met at the skate park in order to have a better idea an what his vision for an expansion was. Mr. Rivera indicated that arvund �alifornia have been designed and built by the landscape architecture 'firm California Skate Parks. Therefore, Mr. Stende!! contacted them and they have indicated that the 15,000 square feet of area that is adjacent to the existing skate park would be rnore than enough to provide a more advanced section to the existing facility. California Skate Parks also indicated that an expansion size as small as 5,OOOsqft is viable. The advanced features such as the ones ' Mr. Rivera is requesting would be at an approximate cost of $50 per square foot, ranging from $250,000 - $750,000 depending on the size of the area. Vice Chair Guyer inquired on how will adding an advanced section to the skate park affect management and the current risk "factor. Mr. Stendell answered that it might require an additional park ambassador to oversee the skate park, but risk will increase at a minimal cost since it will still be protected under the State Law. He also added that the small skate park is frequently used, but although advance skating is a popular trend, he has still is unaware on how popular it is in the valley. Commissioner Guyer noted his concerns with the height issues and the size of the extension (15,OOOsqft). Mr. Stendell stated that the highest feature will be the ramp at approximate 12' to 15' high, but will not have the exact information until a plan is developed. The Commission suggested staff gather additional 6 � ,� � � ��� • # � � � � 1 � `� ��!k ��i • . 1 f.:r �2 4 � r { , __ -- ' �.�,, �•+ . p ��` r � "� � �, � .�{ . ;� �.� � . ��� `�, _, . �p � "��� � � � � � , ',�1, ti .� �+�►�' + � � � � � ' � � ��. *„ � � � ,�: 1 r � .} ,�r ,. _ � � f � � ���•s � 1 � �� ����` � � � � .' � a � N M �� i�F ���^ � �r� � �� � �� �, � � � ' � - .'� ' � �°� ..� �� �. � . •�Y +M1 {i f � ? � � t �,�p , y�� �- • r� '�. ..Jr� � � ; 4 - �. } xl :� �F 1 i 4 �� �- �� * M � '� M � r � ..* � _y. �� � _; � ° '� . 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