Residents and commissioners discuss pickleball-court grant; county staff to explore lease and in-kind partnership with Delta City

Teresa Thompson, a resident and volunteer organizer, urged the Millard County Commission to support a plan to place pickleball courts at the county park where the old tennis courts sit, using a $242,000 grant already awarded to Delta City and additional matching funds.

Thompson said the grant is from the Land and Water Conservation Fund program (presenter name: Division of Outdoor Recreation) and that Delta City previously received approval for a site next to the fire station but the tennis-court site is a better fit because of parking, restrooms and proximity to other amenities. She said Lehi County was not relevant; the conversation focused on Delta City and Millard County coordination.

She asked whether a long-term lease (50 or 100 years) or conveyance would satisfy the grantor’s requirement that the land be secured for long-term public use. Commissioners and staff suggested a lease would be cleaner than subdividing and conveying a parcel; they asked staff to inquire with the grant contact (Evan) whether a long-term lease or co-sponsorship would satisfy the Land and Water Conservation Fund requirements.

County staff and Delta City representatives discussed the possibility of in-kind contributions from the county (equipment and labor to remove existing asphalt and prepare the site) and whether the county would be a co-sponsor on the grant. Commissioners asked staff to draft a lease and to check whether the grantor would accept county in-kind work as a local match; staff agreed to follow up and return with recommended language and a cost/match estimate.

No formal action or funding commitment was made at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to meet with Delta City officials and the grant contact and to bring a draft lease or memorandum of understanding back to a future agenda.