Parks committee delays court resurfacing, assigns Court 2 as primary pickleball court and calls for signage and fundraising

The Portola Valley Parks & Recreation Committee voted informally to delay resurfacing of the town’s courts and to designate Court 2 as the primary pickleball court for a trial period while the committee pursues better signage and fundraising for a larger project.

Staff presented two RFP outcomes: a low resurfacing bid from Saviano for roughly $35,000 and a separate quote (also near $35,000) for moving basketball hoops and posts as part of a more extensive realignment. Committee members said the town council reallocated available funds and prioritized a phase-one Ford Field study, leaving only about $11,000 for court resurfacing against the $35,000 estimate. "That seemed a little monumental for us," a staff member said, summarizing the budget gap.

Committee members and members of the public debated four primary options: (1) raise funds to complete resurfacing and hoop realignment (estimated up to roughly $80,000 total), (2) resurface only and keep the existing pickleball layout, (3) resurface and make Court 2 the dedicated pickleball court, or (4) delay resurfacing and seek budget authority next year. A fifth option advanced by committee members was to defer resurfacing now and reassign pickleball priority to Court 2 immediately at no capital cost to test the change.

Supporters of delay argued the pickleball community’s donor base likely could raise the $35,000 needed for resurfacing but not the larger realignment cost; others worried that fundraising to reach $80,000 would be difficult. Bob Adams, a frequent commenter on parks funding, urged clarity about who would lead any fundraising campaign: "It's a hard hard job. And I I'm interested to know who's going to take on that challenge," he said.

Technical contractor feedback explained limits of resurfacing work: sealing cracks and improving some puddling is achievable at the lower quote, but deeper drainage or foundation fixes (which would extend the surface life substantially) require more invasive—and expensive—work. Contractors also reported they could not safely reuse some existing backboards and that moving posts flush with existing fence lines would add cost because of irrigation and curb infrastructure.

After extended discussion the committee reached a working recommendation: delay the resurfacing contract award now; move pickleball priority to Court 2 (allow league matches there under agreed rules); improve signage (large, clear signage to clarify weekend/league/tennis priorities and spectator rules); and aggressively pursue budget allocation in the next council cycle and targeted fundraising. Committee members also agreed to spend the roughly $6,000 of remaining unallocated local funds before reallocating additional pools and to draft letters to council advocating for ongoing maintenance funding.