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Bullhead City council reviews Optimum Community Center plan for indoor pickleball courts and community pool
Summary
Council and staff reviewed Phase 3/4 proposals for the Optimum Community Center on Feb. 3, 2026, including a new 80-by-200-foot building for four indoor pickleball courts and a proposed ~100-by-100 community pool; staff said $1,000,000 is budgeted this year and estimated the pool and pickleball facility would each cost in the low millions, with phasing and grant opportunities under discussion.
Bullhead City council members on Feb. 3 examined plans to expand the Optimum Community Center with indoor pickleball courts and a community pool, with staff estimating multi-million‑dollar costs and council members debating phasing and funding.
Angie Johnson, who led the site walkthrough, described a concept to convert portions of the former Mountain View School site into a new indoor facility configured to hold four pickleball courts in an 80-by-200-foot insulated building and to place a community pool in an approximately 100-by-100-foot footprint. She said the project would also repurpose a nearby 700 building into mechanical, lifeguard and first‑aid spaces and add public restrooms and circulation space. "The shell for the building would be about 600 to 700 thousand dollars, then maybe 500-ish for the slab and court finishes," Johnson said, and she put a ballpark estimate for the completed pickleball building at about $1.5 million. For the pool she said, "I'm guessing at least $2,000,000," citing mechanical and heating requirements.
Why it matters: council members said the additions respond to high local demand for indoor recreation in a city with many outdoor amenities but limited indoor hours. Council members and staff framed the improvements as a way to serve youth programming, lap swim and senior water‑aerobics, and to host tournaments that could bring visitors and economic activity.
Council reaction and funding options
Multiple council members expressed support but differed on sequencing. One council member suggested building pickleball courts first to deliver quicker community benefit and to avoid construction conflicts, while others said they would prefer pursuing both projects together if budget capacity and grants allow. Vice Mayor Alfonso and other members suggested pursuing grant partners such as Legacy and exploring sponsorship opportunities, including banners or naming rights, to offset capital costs.
Staff-level budget context
City staff said the council budgeted $1,000,000 this fiscal year toward indoor pickleball and related improvements but acknowledged that some of that has already been used on cleanup and preparatory work. A staff member described the figures as preliminary and bid‑dependent: "We budgeted 1,000,000 dollars, and...we're looking at probably a couple million bucks per unit — $2,000,000 for a pool and $2,000,000 for pickleball, give or take," the staff member said, emphasizing that final costs will depend on bids and project scope. Johnson said design and permitting for a pool could take six to nine months before bids could be issued.
Next steps and timing
Council members asked staff to continue refining plans, to consult with local pickleball organizers, and to present more detailed engineering estimates during budget deliberations. Council discussion included phasing options (install pickleball first, then pool) and pursuing grant or sponsorship matches to reduce the city share of capital costs.
The work session concluded with the council moving into an executive session; the public discussion of the Optimum Community Center improvements will be followed by budget and design work before any binding construction contract is approved.
