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Parks proposes $500,000 donation for shared Highland tennis courts with School District 25
Summary
Parks and Recreation proposed a $500,000 city donation to School District 25 to build six to eight shared tennis courts at Highland High School; courts would be reserved for school use during the academic season and open to the public in summer.
Butler, director of Parks and Recreation, presented a sponsorship proposal to the council to donate $500,000 to School District 25 for construction of shared tennis courts at Highland High School.
Tanya Wilkes, the district’s director of student services and athletics, and Jonathan Balz, business director for the district, attended the presentation. Butler said the likely outcome would be six courts (possibly eight) built on or adjacent to the Highland campus and developed by the district as its construction project; the city donation would cover roughly half the estimated construction cost and allow the district to reprioritize bond or capital funds for campus access and parking.
Under the proposed agreement the school district would control reservations and fees during the school year and the city would operate reservations and programming during the summer months when USTA and other public programs typically run. Butler said maintenance costs would be shared — for example, resurfacing and nets — and that the arrangement would leverage existing district reservation software (Facilitron) to coordinate public and school uses.
Council discussion covered access, lighting (no dedicated lights are planned), west‑side availability vs. existing Raymond Park courts (currently in poor condition and inaccessible for ADA upgrades), timeline (construction planned for fiscal year 2027, with phased openings expected within months of breaking ground) and funding source (staff suggested general‑fund reserves as a likely source for the donation). Several council members expressed support and asked staff to return with a formal donation request, an updated MOU describing reservation and maintenance obligations, and budget language to authorize the payment.
There was no formal vote at the work session; staff will bring a donation request and MOU back for council consideration at a future regular meeting.
