City Council Rejects Storage Shed For Pickleball Courts

The Glenwood City Council voted down the purchase of a storage shed for the pickleball courts on south Vine Street but approved the same purchase for an adjacent softball and baseball field.

The action came after lengthy discussion during the council’s regular meeting last Tuesday, March 28.

During the meeting, mayor Ron Kohn announced that the city had an opportunity to purchase two storage sheds at a cost of $3,495 a piece that could placed at each of the city-owned facilities on south Vine Street.  Kohn added that if the sheds were ordered before the end of the week (March 31), the city would receive a discount bringing the cost down to around $3,100. The sheds could be used to store equipment.

Earlier this year, the city considered building a permanent concession stand / restroom / storage facility at the Vine Street ballfield but the construction estimate of $194,000 was considerably higher than budgeted. The bid included over $40,000 for bringing in and compacting around 6 feet of dirt that would be required to build the concession stand high enough to meet floodplain  requirements. Because the storage sheds are considered temporary buildings, they would not have to be elevated to meet floodplain  requirements.

Council member Laurie Smithers, one of three council members who voted against the storage shed for the pickleball court, said she would rather see the money spent somewhere else, noting that the city previously provided $10,000 of funding for construction of the courts.

“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. That’s where I’m struggling with doing both of them. I get it, you can say, ‘It’s only $3,100’, but what would $3,100 do for some of these things that been sitting around and waiting a lot longer than pickleball having storage.”

During the discussion, council member Wade Rodman pointed out that currently equipment for the pickleball courts are being stored at the residences of some Southwest Iowa Pickleball Club members.

Council members Smithers, Don Kates and Holly Jackson voted “no” on the storage shed purchase for the pickleball courts with members Dan McComb and Jeremy Rodman voting “yes.”

Before the vote was taken, council members also discussed complaints that have been aired on social media and to city staff about  the courts being locked. A lock was placed on the entrance gate last fall by a member of the pickleball club, making the facility inaccessible.

Glenwood City Administrator Amber Farnan said she’s spoken with a representative of the pickleball club and the lock is scheduled to be removed this week. Farnan said because the courts are public property, she believes they should remain open year-round.

Dr. Sally Prickett, president of the pickleball club, said she is aware of the discontent some residents have voiced about the winter closure but said the club received permission to lock the courts during the winter season from former city administrator Angie Winquist.

Prickett noted that pickleball volunteers spent six years raising the approximately $165,000 needed to construct the courts.  She said club members take pride in the courts and want the facility to last as long as possible.

“They are as good of quality pickleball courts as there are in the whole country,” she said. “When we started the project, we said, ‘We’re going to do it the right way or not at all.’

“We were very fortunate to find and hire one of the finest professional companies to put the courts in, the fencing, etc. Post-tension concrete was put on the base of the old asphalt tennis courts that were there. That provides a great bottom. Then, you put on a very sophisticated two layers of the coating. That layer needs to be replaced from time to time. If we take really good care of these courts we can probably get 10 to 12 years out of them.”

Prickett said damage is caused by people walking on the surface without wearing court shoes.

Keeping the courts free of dirt, rocks and tree debris is an ongoing issue. Prickett said because there’s no access to water at the facility, volunteers have to frequently bring out blowers and brooms to remove the debris.

As a preservation measure, the nets on the courts have been “de-tensioned” for the winter months. Prickett said the preparation process for the summer season includes de-tensioning  the nets (a complicated process), cleaning the courts, placing a wind shield around the exterior fence of the facility and bringing benches back that are being stored by club members.

Prickett said a meeting between club members and city officials to iron out issues is welcomed.

“I think everyone agrees that we need a more clear understanding,” she said. “You know, we’re in our infancy and we’ve got to address these things as they come up. We will get together to work out an agreeable ‘memorandum of understanding’ so that everyone will have a clear understanding of who does what.”

As for the storage shed, Prickett said it’s certainly needed. She said several items, including blowers, brooms, benches and the wind screens would be stored in the shed.  She noted that the club intends to purchase a “pickleball machine” but has held off because of the lack of storage space. The machine is similar to a baseball pitching machine.

“You put balls into it, plug it in to an electrical outlet, which there is one there,” she said. “You can vary the height and speed, that sort of thing, so you can practice hitting the ball.”

Farnan said a meeting between city officials and pickleball club members would likely take place later this spring or over the summer.