VENICE — The city’s plan to put three pickleball courts in Hecksher Park hit a snag when the County Commission rejected a request for additional funding.
What that means for the future of the project is uncertain, Assistant City Engineer Jon Kramer said.
The City Council put $200,000 in park impact fees into the project in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget under a locally funded agreement with the county. The funding was intended to cover the courts, lighting, fencing with noise suppression and a shade structure for people waiting to play.
Pickleball players have been asking for courts in the park because the only place set up there for play is on a basketball court.
The city approved a site-and development plan for the courts in October that puts them in a space designated as a playground for 5- to 12-year-olds.
It’s underutilized, Kramer told the Commission, and consists largely of a sandy open space, with chin-up bars and a piece of equipment that includes a slide.
The Public Works Department would remove those items and evaluate whether they were suitable for placement in the nearby “tot lot” playground for 2- to 5-year-olds, which is staying.
In fact, Kramer said on Tuesday, county staff, which maintains the park, has already disposed of the slide because it was considered a safety hazard. The chin-up bars could still be relocated, though.
The Planning Commission approved the plan, 7-0. The City Council doesn’t vote on site-and-development plans.
But the plan didn’t sit well with County Commissioner Joe Neunder when it considered a city request for another $200,000 in fees after bids came in much higher than budgeted.
The low bid was more than $480,000, Kramer said.
County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director Nicole Rissler told the Commission the project had been in the county’s approved capital improvement program at $200,000 for several years but is now over budget.
Staff recommended approving the city’s request, and the city was expecting it to be approved, Kramer said.
But Neunder, a former Venice City Council member, said that as a commissioner or a city taxpayer he couldn’t support an increase in funding, whether due to higher costs or the city’s failure to budget appropriately, because “it takes geographic land space away from children.”
“I’m never in favor of putting pickleball in a place where children play,” he said.
He said he’d been assured when he was on the Council that no kids park space would be taken away, “and fast forward years, it’s happening.”
Commissioner Neil Rainford, who seconded a motion by Neunder to deny the extra funding, said there’s a “tremendous need” for more pickleball courts.
“But,” he said, “we have to provide recreational assets to our children as well.”
Commissioner Mark Smith asked Rissler to confirm that the pickleball courts had been previously funded by the Commission. After she did, he seemed puzzled why his colleagues who live in Venice opposed additional funding.
He was the only vote not to deny the city’s request for more money.
Kramer said the Engineering Department has been working with Stellar Development to reduce project costs. Eliminating the shade structure and lighting — while still installing the conduit for it — is the biggest saving, he said.
Another option, he said, would be to construct fewer courts but that wouldn’t save as much. If funding becomes available, he said, the plan would still be to put in three courts.
Higher-level discussions are going on with the county, he said, and the Council could opt to put more city money into the project. The Finance Department is looking at that, he said.
Ultimately, the Council will need to weigh in on options presented by staff, Kramer said.
“At this point, it’s a matter of funding,” he said.
It would take six to eight weeks to commence construction if the project gets funded, he said, because Stellar hasn’t yet been awarded the contract due to the uncertainty.
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