Sandusky parks update: pickleball courts, playground replacements, temporary ice rink and summer events on the calendar

At the meeting, staff and board members reviewed a range of parks and facilities projects and the city’s special-events calendar.

Speaker 10 said Scribe will apply a permanent coating to the new Whiteman Weaver pickleball courts in early spring and that fencing will follow. "We gotta have at minimum 40 degree weather, and it's gotta be 3 consistent days in a row for them to apply the coating," Speaker 10 said, explaining the weather constraints for the surfacing work.

Playground replacements at Farwell Park and the small-children area at Central Park are scheduled for spring as well, with the existing equipment to be removed and new equipment installed in the weeks that follow. Speaker 10 confirmed portable restrooms (via a contract with Garner Sanitation) will be scheduled for summer use at Farwell Park. For Whiteman Weaver there are existing restroom accommodations, but a permanent restroom inclusion was not added to the current budget.

Speaker 1 reported staff are testing a temporary outdoor ice rink near Mills Creek (approximately 35 by 60 feet) using a liner; inconsistent cold weather has delayed solid ice formation. The board also reviewed a busy special-events calendar: the Fourth of July and Halloween fall on Saturdays this year and Stars and Stripes and other festivals are being scheduled, with staff coordinating vendor placement and logistics.

Next steps: staff will adjust court lighting timers and aiming to address neighbor concerns, proceed with surfacing and fencing for pickleball courts when weather allows, and continue coordination on summer events and playground installations.