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Council delays Golden Spike pickleball plan, agrees to smaller steering group for strategic plan
Summary
Riverdale councilors put pickleball-court construction on hold for the current budget year, citing competing priorities and concerns about permanent facilities in neighborhood parks. The council also agreed on a smaller steering group to guide city strategic planning through 2030.
Riverdale City Council meeting, April 1, 2025 — The council discussed a proposal to build pickleball courts at Golden Spike Park and reached consensus to delay committing funds this fiscal year. Councilors cited proximity to homes, competing facility needs and upcoming larger regional courts as reasons to wait.
Why it matters: Pickleball was a frequent request in a city survey, but councilors balanced community demand against limited park space, potential maintenance costs and other capital priorities such as a proposed senior-center update.
Pickleball proposal and council response
Staff described a proposal to convert the sand-volleyball area at Golden Spike Park to three pickleball courts, noting grant opportunities that could offset construction costs but not necessarily ongoing maintenance. One councilor summarized the concern: "We don't have enough information at this point as we move forward towards 2030 to know for certain what's what needs to happen," and said the timing felt premature given competing priorities.
Councilor Stevens delivered a detailed objection to permanent installations in small neighborhood parks: "I'm a hard no on this, and it's because I consider Riverdale Park and Goldsby Park as neighborhood parks, and they're not that big... If you start putting permanent structures in these neighborhood parks, you're cutting down on the open spaces." Several councilors favored delaying the project to allow more research and to monitor capacity at nearby new courts in other communities.
Strategic planning steering committee
On strategic planning, the council agreed to keep the steering committee small and to consult outside historical resources or subject-matter contributors as needed. Staff outlined a core group involving the mayor, finance staff and the city manager; councilors asked that the group be able to call on additional advisors on specific issues rather than expand the core panel.
Ending
Council consensus: do not include pickleball court construction in the current fiscal-year budget; form a smaller steering committee for strategic planning with options to consult external experts and community members when needed.
