City Council Approves Purchase Of Shed For Pickleball Courts

The Southwest Iowa Pickleball Club will get a storage shed for its equipment afterall.

Acting on a request from Glenwood Park Board President Randy Romens,  the Glenwood City Council agreed to the purchase of a storage shed (not to exceed $3,000) for the city-owned pickleball court complex on South Walnut Street during its regular meeting last Tuesday.

The vote came four months after the city council voted down a similar request from the pickleball club.

Romens told council members that pickleball club members are currently storing equipment - ranging from windscreens, hoses, signage and a pickleball practice machine - at their private residences. The value of the items being stored is estimated at $20,000.

“A lot of people are storing things in their garage,” Romens said. “It needs to be stored in a secure location and properly maintained.”

The storage shed acquisition was first proposed by Mayor Ron Kohn at a meeting in March. At that meeting, the council voted 3-2 against the purchase.

Approval at last week’s meeting came on a 4-1 vote, with council member Laurie Smithers casting the lone “no’’ vote. Smithers has consistently voiced opposition against providing funds above and beyond the city’s original $10,000 commitment to the facility. The courts were built at a price tag of $165,000 with the funds raised by members of the pickleball club.

In March, Smithers stated, “I’m struggling with pickleball. They got theirs,” Smithers said. “We can take that money and put it towards something else, whose turn it is.”

She reiterated her opposition to the purchase before last week’s vote.

“I don’t ever remember it being in the budget,” she said. “It was shoved in with the baseball (field) shed.”

Council member Wade Rodman said he doesn’t like the idea of equipment for a city-owned facility being stored off site by private citizens.

“I don’t think it’s right that individuals are taking it home and storing it in their garage,” he said.

Romens said the pickleball club members take pride in the complex and want the courts to last as long as possible. Some of the equipment the club has purchased will help with the preservation of the courts.

“They’ll last 12-15 years if properly maintained and only 8-10 years if not,” he said.