The construction of pickleball courts at Adventure Park in Powell is set to begin this spring, but not before the city has to contribute more money to ensure the courts are done correctly.
As part of Tuesday’s meeting of the Powell City Council, a resolution was passed authorizing City Manager Andrew White to enter into an agreement with EMH&T, the design engineer for the project, to provide construction administration and inspection services for the project.
Last year, the city entered into an agreement with EMH&T to provide design services for the construction of the courts. The project, which will include eight courts, was included in the city’s 2024-28 Capital Improvement Plan at a projected cost of $700,000.
However, during the design process, it was determined that the project would be more in-depth than initially anticipated given the “numerous rules and regulations, including stormwater management, national pickleball standards, and illumination requirements,” according to the city.
EMH&T, which was recently evaluated by the city as part of the 2024 Street and Path Maintenance Program and was deemed most qualified to perform these services, will fulfill the additional agreement at a cost of $78,000 to the city.
“We follow the guidelines of the International Pickleball Federation, and they have pretty stringent guidelines in terms of how this works,” White told the council on Tuesday. “It’s not simply placing a court on a plot of grass. There are complications associated with topography, drainage, we have light installation, and there are eight of these (courts) programmed. That said, it has led to an excess of what we had budgeted for this provision of the contract.”
In a memo from White to the council regarding the request, White stated, “EMH&T has experts on staff who are familiar with all the requirements and can ensure the courts are being constructed as they have designed them.”
Powell Public Service Director Grant Crawford noted the construction project is currently out to bid, and bids will be opened on Monday with the contract being awarded shortly thereafter. Crawford said the expectation is for the courts to be completed by the end of the summer, with some time in August likely.
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.
