Park board approves Lions Park master plan, asks that pickleball courts be oriented north–south

The Brainerd City Park Board voted to approve a new master plan for Lions Park and asked staff to reorient the planned pickleball courts on a north–south axis to reduce glare and improve playability.

The plan, presented after a recent site meeting with the Lions Club and Councilman Joerger, drew support from board members who said the layout was strong and ready for cost estimating. Staff said approving the plan would allow them to obtain engineer estimates and pursue grant funding for courts and other improvements.

"Yes, just so that we could move forward and get an engineer estimate on the totals for the pickleball courts and all the other improvements that we've listed there," staff member Mike said while describing the next steps. He told the board the estimate is needed to support grant applications tied to the master plan.

Board discussion focused on the single requested change to the layout: orienting pickleball courts north–south so players would not be looking into the setting sun. A board member moved to approve the plan with that orientation and the motion carried on a voice vote.

Why it matters: the approved plan gives staff authority to advance design details and pricing so Brainerd City can apply for grants and schedule construction phases. The orientation request is meant to extend court life and improve user experience at minimal design cost.

Details: the presentation referenced recent public engagement with the Lions Club and a workshop attended by Councilman Joerger. Staff and board members said many elements of the plan align with prior workshop feedback and that reorienting near‑square courts to a north–south alignment is a low‑risk technical change to be reflected in engineering estimates.

Next steps: staff will solicit engineering estimates for the overall project, including the pickleball courts, and report back as the board prepares grant applications and budget requests.