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Residents press for bocce-court roof, permanent pickleball striping and better park maintenance; city outlines Skypark master-plan steps
Summary
Multiple Skypark residents urged the city to fund a roof over the Skypark bocce courts, permanently stripe pickleball courts, and remedy vandalism and parking problems. City staff said a Skypark-specific master plan and a consultant RFP are upcoming and that resurfacing and pavement projects are scheduled this summer and fall.
Several Skypark residents used public comment to press the council for specific park improvements — a roof over the Skypark bocce courts, permanent pickleball striping, and more robust greenbelt and trail maintenance — while council and staff outlined near-term resurfacing and planning steps.
Paul Chapin, a founding member of the Scotts Valley Bocce Club, said the club once ran 16 teams and that weather has been "the number 1 deterrent" to year-round play; he asked the council to "please allocate funds for a roof so all may benefit." Cynthia Zenzel of the Skypark Bocce Club said the group first received a \$200,000 budgetary estimate for a roof in June 2023 and asked how to organize donations and get the project on a council agenda.
Pickleball players also asked the city to make the temporary courts into permanent pickleball courts when the surface and striping work is done. Nick Drobak urged the council to remove confusing tennis striping on temporary courts and to stripe all eight courts for permanent pickleball play. Mark Dettl, president of the Santa Cruz Pickleball Club, said the club has more than 450 members countywide and offered volunteer cooperation; he acknowledged parking is a challenge and said the club would work with staff.
Some residents reported safety and nuisance problems at the courts. Resident Matthew Hakimi reported a recent incident he described as vandalism to an electrical timer and said he provided surveillance video to police; Hakimi also said a separate incident involving an attempted molestation was reported to police. The council did not make any new enforcement findings during the meeting; the transcript records that police responded to reports.
City manager and public-works staff said the Skypark park-specific master plan is the next step after the citywide parks master plan. Staff said they are "close to releasing an RFP for a consultant" for a Skypark park-specific master plan and that meaningful public engagement on design options will follow. Staff also noted that resurfacing of basketball courts is underway and that pickleball/tennis resurfacing will follow; the citywide pavement maintenance project is scheduled to start Aug. 18 and finish in October.
Other staff updates included an \$85,000 CalRecycle grant to buy recycling bins and drinking-fountain bottle-filling stations, and a demolition/affordable-housing project at the old Seagate building starting later in the week. The city encouraged residents to watch for public notice and to participate in the Skypark master-plan process when the RFP and engagement timeline are posted in the city newsletter and on social media.
