PLANNING PHASE
Creating Pickleball Opportunities
Hibbard Park courts: Six pickleball court lines have been added to the Hibbard Park tennis courts (behind the Community Recreation Center), and rollaway nets are now available onsite. This bank of courts is scheduled for renovation in 2024; currently, the courts have a third set of lines (less than ideal), which cannot be removed before the end of the summer. As a result, we will use this season as our test run to evaluate the effectiveness of the new configuration. We look forward to feedback from the community regarding these “hybrid” courts at Hibbard over the summer.
Community Playfields courts: Park District staff and engineers are continuing work on finalizing plans and estimates to transform two of the tennis courts into six pickleball, which had gained Board consensus based on input about current court usage, and an agreement between a neighbor group and the pickleball community. If plans and contract bids are approved on schedule, construction could begin late summer/early fall.
For much more detail about Park District research and discussion with regard to pickleball, we encourage you to read 2023 Agenda Packets and Minutes from 2003 meetings here, and past issues of Board Brief here.**
PLANNING PHASE
Gillson Park Improvements
At the May 22 Committee-of-the-Whole meeting, Peter Lind of Gewalt Hamilton and Associates, the lead engineer on the planned infrastructure work at Gillson Park, presented a status overview, outlining timing and phasing of work, and traffic considerations while work progresses. Work includes roadway reconstruction, pathway improvements, sidewalk installation, utility rehabilitation and ADA accessibility additions. If plans and bids are approved on schedule, construction can begin right after Labor Day.
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