Members urge board to preserve Mountain View lawn bowling green while tennis courts are resurfaced

Member Jim Kepler urged the board to delay any plan to remove the lawn bowling green at Mountain View to add additional pickleball courts, arguing the community should complete known repairs first.

Kepler said he participated in earlier ad‑hoc committees and asked the board to "put a bridle on this for a while," urging completion of necessary projects such as a parking lot repair, theater work and pool deck repairs before altering the lawn bowling area. He recommended converting two underused tennis courts into six pickleball courts had been discussed previously, but warned tearing up the lawn bowling green would be irreversible without a clear need.

Facilities director Mike Whiproot responded that some adjacent property near the country club could conceivably be used for courts but noted ownership and detailed planning remain to be determined. Whiproot said those tradeoffs will be considered during Triarc's programming phase and the board's decisions after member input.

Why it matters: The choice between preserving lawn bowling, expanding pickleball, or reconfiguring other Mountain View spaces affects how members can use the center and could lock in irreversible changes to recreation uses.

Next steps: The board said Kepler's comments will be taken into account during programming; Triarc and management will continue stakeholder interviews and analysis before any final determination on court or green conversions.

Ending: Directors emphasized programming and member input will guide decisions and cautioned against making irreversible changes before the programming and design phases conclude.