Park board hears pickleball scheduling request; staff updates members on Keller Sports Park construction and KDC budget

A Keller resident requested the Park and Recreation Board reconsider start times for a net mixed pickleball league so weekend matches can begin earlier in the morning to avoid afternoon heat, and Parks and Recreation staff updated the board on the Keller Sports Park construction, trail bids, playground shade options and a multi-year KDC capital plan.

David Ahrens, a Keller resident who said he lives on Talbot Street, asked the board to “have this topic revisited” and requested Saturday match starts of about 9 a.m. for four weekend matches in the fall season to avoid high temperatures. The board could not discuss the item in detail during the public-comment portion due to the Texas Open Meetings Act, and staff said the request would be referred to staff and council for research and possible future action.

Parks staff gave a multi-part construction and capital update. Key project status items included: the Keller Sports Park is about 70% complete; synthetic turf had been installed on four new baseball infields and irrigation work and sodding were underway; the equestrian restroom, storage building and press box should be complete mid- to late July pending resinous-flooring work and ADA inspections; and playgrounds at the sports park passed inspection and are ready for use.

Staff reported two new multipurpose fields at the sports park, with the north multipurpose field expected to be ready in September and the second multipurpose field later in the year. The board and staff stressed that the park’s primary priority remains recreational youth sports, and that out-of-season rentals may be possible if they do not conflict with the fields’ intended seasonal use.

On trails, staff said 15 bids were received for the Mount Gilead–Roanoke connection; the low bid of $567,000 came in under the staff opinion of $799,000. Staff also reviewed a quote and layout for shade structures at Keller Point’s playground; board members asked staff to change the recommended blue fabric to green to blend with landscaping.

Budget and capital items presented to the Keller Development Corporation included funding allocations for the water feature and parking-lot improvements tied to the sports park project, $400,000 for trail system expansion and $100,000 for playground shade structure work (24–25 year), and a larger capital plan in 25–26 that includes vehicle and equipment replacements and future playground projects. Staff said KDC will present the proposed budget at city council in July and that council adoption of the KDC budget occurs with the city budget in September.

Operational questions raised by the board and public included goalpost procurement for the new multipurpose fields (discussed earlier in a pre-meeting presentation by Alliance Rugby Club), storage and movement of heavy posts, the possibility of centralizing irrigation controllers to reduce water usage, and the ongoing effort to rewrite user agreements and rental rules for associations and multipurpose fields. Staff said the irrigation central-control rollout will begin with Town Hall and the sports park and noted that connected controllers can save water by responding to weather or evapotranspiration data.

Minutes for the April 10 and May 8 meetings were approved by the board during the session. The board heard additional updates: the city’s recreation center membership is at a five-year high, the facility hired a new aquatics director, summer camps are active and city special events (Color Summer Nights and Keller Lights) were promoted.

Ending: Staff said they would refer the pickleball scheduling request to staff and counsel per Open Meetings rules, circulate details on upcoming events and follow up on the sport-association and arena user-agreement refinements at a later meeting.