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Larksburg parks commission recommends resurfacing Piper Park courts, forwards plan to make court 4 permanent pickleball
Summary
After a lengthy public-comment session with competing tennis and pickleball users, the Larksburg Parks and Recreation Commission voted 3–0 to recommend to city council a plan to resurface Piper Park courts and designate court 4 for four permanent pickleball courts while retaining three tennis courts and pursuing leveling/resurfacing of court 3.
The Larksburg Parks and Recreation Commission voted April 16 to recommend that city council include a Piper Park court-resurfacing project in the capital improvement program and to designate court 4 as four permanent pickleball courts while keeping courts 1–3 for tennis use.
Director Nick Stone, who presented the staff proposal, said Piper Park is among the busiest in the county and that resurfacing is needed to address damage and safety concerns. "Piper Park had 400,000 visits last year," Stone said, explaining that wheeled, heavy pickleball nets and sand from nearby sandbags have caused indentations and court-surface damage. Stone said a $100,000-range resurfacing recommendation is in the department's capital improvement list for council consideration in May, but the CIP item had not yet been approved.
Stone described the staff compromise as a practical approach driven by space and budget limits: court 4 would be converted to four dedicated pickleball courts with permanent nets and a waiting/deck area, while courts 1–3 would be refurbished as tennis courts with particular attention to leveling court 3. He told commissioners that a complete tear-out and new slab would cost many millions and is not feasible in the near term.
Public comment ran more than an hour. Pickleball players stressed the sport's rapid growth at Piper Park and urged commissioners not to reduce capacity. Rebecca Harris said a week-old letter opposing a full conversion had 229 signatures and that the group's WhatsApp includes roughly 208 members. Several pickleball speakers warned that converting too many courts would "destroy the pickleball community," reduce informal drop-in play and harm a multigenerational recreation space.
Tennis players and coaches said competitive and training needs require three contiguous tennis courts. Leo Geraldi, who identified himself as a tennis contractor and coach, supported the staff compromise and emphasized that hosted matches and training sessions rely on multiple courts; he said matches typically last three to four hours and occur a few times a month.
Commissioners asked staff about enforcement and scheduling options, including reservation systems and clearer posted calendars, and about restroom and programming constraints at Centennial Park where some youth classes were temporarily moved. Stone said reservation tools exist for other facilities but enforcement is limited because parks staff do not have rangers to remove parties that refuse to vacate reserved spaces.
After discussion, Commissioner Harrison moved to approve the staff recommendation to forward the resurfacing and court-use plan to city council. The commission took a roll-call vote recorded as: Commissioner Harrison — yes; Commissioner Sunshine — yes; Chair Fidell — yes. The motion passed and staff will present the recommendation to council in May as a capital improvement item.
What happens next: The commission's action is a recommendation to council; any final funding and implementation decisions, including exact specifications for resurfacing, court layout and permanent net installations, will be made by the city council and through subsequent capital project design.
