Council approves design‑build contract for eight pickleball courts; staff says $1.6 million from general fund will cover construction
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Summary
Council unanimously approved a staff recommendation to proceed with construction of eight pickleball courts; staff estimated about $1,600,000 from the general fund with a modest contingency and a conservative schedule of roughly 12 weeks for construction after permitting.
The Torrance City Council approved a consent‑calendar item authorizing construction of eight pickleball courts at a city park (consent item 8G). Council voted unanimously to approve the item after questions from council members about cost and schedule.
Staff presentation and timing: Crystal Covarrubias, senior business manager with the Community Services Department, told the council the timeline in the staff report was conservative. She said her team estimated four to six weeks for design development and plan check, followed by roughly 12 weeks for construction (including inspections), assuming permits and plan review proceed without delay. Covarrubias said staff would work to accelerate the timeline where possible.
Budget and contingency: Council asked about the budget. Staff said the project cost is approximately $1,600,000 and that funding is proposed from the general fund. Covarrubias said that estimate is conservative and includes a contingency; she later confirmed a contingency amount of $138,007.38 that staff hopes not to tap but included in the budget.
Questions from council: Council members voiced a desire to expedite construction because the site is a relatively level, city‑owned parcel and they said community demand is high. Council asked whether staff could reduce the schedule padding; staff replied they intend to minimize padding while preserving allowances for unforeseen conditions during construction, utility work, soils reports and plan review. Staff also said the project is design‑build which provides clearer cost and schedule confidence once preconstruction work begins.
Outcome: Councilmember (name not specified in the record as the mover) moved and the council unanimously approved the item. Staff will proceed with the project under the approved budget and timeline assumptions and return with required construction documents and updates as the project advances.
