Parks director: new pickleball courts finished; town to seek grant for splash pad and field lights

The Parks and Recreation director told the commission at its December meeting that park use has fallen as the weather cools, and staff have completed several capital and maintenance projects, including the new pickleball courts.

“We had a lot of projects that we were working on… so, all those projects are now completed,” the Parks and Recreation director said, noting staff have winterized facilities and continued leaf collection across parks.

Why it matters: the department is preparing for spring programming while closing out work this year. The director said staff will present a grant request to the budget board for a required town match before the grant can be accepted, which means the projects could still be delayed or altered depending on budget-board action.

Pickleball and operations: the director said the new pickleball courts are finished and the town has submitted reimbursement paperwork to the grant administrator. He said staff are weighing temporary, removable fencing to reduce balls crossing between courts and are considering set hours of operation to limit disturbance to nearby apartments. The department intentionally left the courts without permanent nets so the spaces remain flexible for other activities.

Grant for splash pad and lights: the director described plans to apply for a recurring grant (referred to in the transcript as “Rhode Island DM grama”) to pay for a splash pad at Mandeville Park and four LED lights at Handel Soccer Field. He said the grant would require a 25% local match and that the town council previously approved a resolution in November to apply. “So, our next step is to present this to the budget board because it does require a 25% match,” the director said.

Programming and facilities: staff reported that youth basketball programs (second- and fifth-grade) are underway and that administrators have begun practices in one of the newly available gyms (Central). Northern and Central gyms are online for scheduling; the department expects availability to grow as other facilities come online and seasonal leagues resume after the new year.

School fields and community use: the director and commissioners discussed middle school fields used by community groups, noting scheduling must go through the school. The director said teams have been allowed to practice and expressed appreciation that the new field gives community teams an additional home location.

Safety and equipment maintenance: commissioners raised safety and maintenance items, including that one AED has remained outdoors at Mandeville Park; the director said he will speak with the fire chief about retrieving and servicing the unit. Commissioners noted replacement pads and batteries are costly and require regular servicing to remain operational.

Next steps: the department will present the matched funding request to the budget board for consideration; if the board approves the 25% match and the grant is approved by the grantor, the splash pad and LED lights would move into procurement and installation phases. No firm schedule was given at the meeting.

Minutes and procedural actions: the commission approved the meeting minutes by voice vote after a motion to accept (mover named in the transcript as Andy Broussini and seconded by Chris Comer). The meeting adjourned at the Chair’s request following a motion from Andy Broussard.