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Residents press trustees to move forward on Beckett Park West pickleball plan as trustees debate cost and noise mitigation
Summary
Residents and pickleball players urged West Chester Township trustees to approve design work and move forward on Beckett Park West, while trustees and staff debated noise mitigation, use of TIF funds and an estimated $3 million project cost.
Residents and trustees clashed over how quickly West Chester Township should move ahead with plans for Beckett Park West, a proposed park project that would include pickleball courts, additional parking and restrooms.
At the Aug. 26 Board of Trustees meeting, several residents said surveys and prior planning work show strong community demand for more pickleball courts. Irv Tymak (S13) told trustees that delaying the project was “just wrong on so many levels,” and urged officials to use the funds earmarked for parks rather than letting the matter languish.
“Stopping spending about 2 and a half million dollars to improve our parks, to me, is just wrong on so many levels,” Tymak said, arguing the community benefits and local businesses would gain from park improvements.
Other residents echoed that sentiment. Dale Finn (S9) said the township already paid for planning and hired a reputable firm and that sound abatement can be addressed by good design: “We know how to get these things done… a good architectural firm can do the sound abatement that we need,” he said. Kelly Dennison (S7) and Mike Verenger (S11) also urged trustees to move forward and criticized repeated delays.
Trustee Anne (S3) acknowledged the public interest and emphasized the board’s focus on sound mitigation. “One of the Colorado studies … went through an entire sound study,” she said, noting the trustees plan to incorporate best practices into the bid and design process. Staff said the Beckett Park West design RFPs have been received and are under review.
Miss Brown (S10), the staff presenter, said the parks master plan has been finalized and a staff work session to present the plan is scheduled for Oct. 14; the selected design contractor could appear on the Sept. 9 agenda, or possibly Sept. 23. She said the Beckett West site will also get a targeted community survey at no cost to the township.
Trustees debated the cost and trade-offs. The chair (S1) noted board estimates pegged the full park program at roughly $3,000,000 for an eight-court facility with parking and restrooms and outlined alternative uses for the money, including road repairs and public safety equipment, underscoring the fiscal choices before the board. One trustee also suggested raising the requisition threshold for board review would reduce the number of small items appearing on the agenda.
Where they stand: staff will select top vendor candidates and present options to the board; a work session is planned for Oct. 14 and the contract award is expected to return to the trustees in September. The debate is likely to continue as the design, mitigation measures and final cost estimates are refined.
