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Clarkston council approves pickleball-court plan after months of input
Summary
After months of survey responses and debate about tennis versus pickleball and court orientation, the Clarkston Town Council voted by voice to proceed with the vendor bid for 'option 3,' which would add additional pickleball courts and a full basketball court; staff will confirm vendor feasibility and fall back to option 2 if necessary.
The Clarkston Town Council voted by voice to move forward with the vendor bid described as "option 3" for park court improvements, a configuration that the council and consultants said will yield more pickleball courts and a full basketball court.
The decision followed a lengthy discussion of three design options, survey responses and grant funding. Councilmember Stevenson presented the project's survey results and layout options; council members debated preserving a tennis court, whether courts should be oriented north–south to reduce sun glare, and whether the community had truly signaled a long-term preference for pickleball. Mayor (speaking for the council) summarized the outcome: "So what we'll do is I we'll go with option 3," and asked staff to confirm the vendor can deliver that configuration; staff was instructed to revert to option 2 if option 3 proves infeasible.
Why it matters: Council members said the grant the town applied for (described in the packet as a "wraps" tax grant) will cover the project as bid, and securing lights and fencing is part of a second grant the town hopes to obtain. Supporters said option 3 provides more play capacity and includes a full basketball court that local pickup players want. Others urged versatility and noted that anonymous online survey responses complicate interpretation of public preference.
Details and context: Councilmember Stevenson reported roughly 70 survey responses across earlier outreach; multiple council members noted earlier Google Forms responses were anonymous and could include nonresidents, limiting confidence in raw counts. The council heard that option 3 would create four pickleball courts in one layout and retain or add a full basketball court; option 2 preserves more tennis-court functionality and was described as the more versatile, lower-risk alternative. Council discussion repeatedly returned to sun-orientation (north–south vs east–west), tournament usability, and long-term demand for pickleball versus tennis. Mayor noted the vendor had already bid option 3 as submitted and staff (Holly) will confirm details and any necessary adjustments.
Quotes from the meeting: Mayor: "So what we'll do is I we'll go with option 3." Councilmembers emphasized that if vendor constraints arise, the plan will fall back to option 2.
Next steps: Staff will contact the selected vendor to verify that the option-3 layout can be implemented as bid; if not, the council directed staff to install option 2. The council also said it will pursue additional grant funding for lighting and fencing as available.
