Parks & Rec reports: Jetty tennis courts finished, children’s playground repairs done, Tom Nevers playground installation scheduled; federal permitting slows b​

Parks & Recreation staff reported multiple capital and maintenance updates, including completed surfacing work at the Jetty tennis courts, finished playground repairs at Children's Beach, an upcoming playground installation at Tom Nevers and continuing work on a multi‑field expansion project. Staff also described slow federal permitting for removing historic naval debris from a town beach.

Charlie, Parks & Recreation staff, said the Jetty tennis courts are complete and are in a curing phase; lines have been installed but staff will wait several weeks for the surface to finish curing before officially opening the courts to play. “We're now, they're gonna be in a curing phase… we went with a gray and blue color scheme,” Charlie said, adding the courts include five tennis courts and cross‑lined pickleball courts with movable nets.

Charlie reported that repairs to the children's playground at Children's Beach were finished the previous Friday after a long parts delay; the department placed orders last September and received components in January. “Some of the parts are on a shelf for these decks. Others have to be formed,” Charlie said, explaining lead times for molded plastic parts.

The Tom Nevers playground installation is scheduled to start on Monday the 28th and is expected to take two to three weeks, Charlie said. The new playground will include shade cloth rated for hurricane conditions and a fenced play area. Charlie also described an ongoing fields expansion project: soil testing has been completed and the team is awaiting final lab results to determine whether existing fields will require full reconstruction or can be rehabilitated by aeration and top dressing.

On beach debris removal at Tom Nevers, Charlie said town staff and engineers met with nine permitting agencies and have found the federal permitting process slow. The town is revising its approach and has split the work into two parts: an emergency action to remove debris visible on the beach before summer, and a longer‑term plan to address buried debris left from the former naval base. “We're kind of revising our plan. The Feds didn't quite see it as the emergency that we sought,” Charlie said, describing negotiations with federal agencies and the town’s aim to at least remove immediately hazardous items before the summer season.

Staff said they will provide updates as permitting and design work progresses. The commission thanked staff and encouraged publicity once projects are complete.