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Pickleball association asks Northland Pines to set aside land; board authorizes drafting agreement
Summary
The Eagle River Pickleball Association asked the Northland Pines School District to consider donating or leasing land for new courts and to allow the group to pursue bids and a memorandum of understanding; the board authorized staff to draft an agreement for later review.
The Eagle River Pickleball Association presented plans to locate a new, higher-quality pickleball facility on district land and asked the Northland Pines School District board for permission to develop formal proposals and bid documents. Stephanie Verde, who said she is chairing an ad hoc committee for the association, told the board the club’s Riverview courts are aging, require extensive maintenance and are constrained by tree roots and close court spacing.
"Our courts are old…they require a lot of maintenance," Verde said, noting the club now serves roughly 300 members and attracts substantial summer play. She described two candidate sites — land at the Northland Pines campus and Oldenburg Park — and said the association would fund construction and design while seeking grants and private donations for the work.
Verde asked the board to consider donating or leasing the parcel and to let district staff (Scott and Dave) coordinate on site design and drainage. She said the association would propose access rules to allow school, community and association use, and would share maintenance costs with the high school where sensible.
Board members pressed for legal clarity about ownership and long-term maintenance — asking whether the district would transfer title, grant a long-term lease or enter a partnership that leaves ultimate control with the district. Committee member (speaker 6) noted those questions could be addressed during a drafting and review process and emphasized the board was not being asked to sign final documents at this stage.
Chair (speaker 1) moved to authorize and direct the district administrator to draft an agreement between the Eagle River Pickleball Association and the Northland Pines School District for the board to consider. The motion was made to allow staff and the association to refine site plans, address drainage and retaining-wall needs, and prepare a memorandum of understanding or other formal documents for the board and its attorney’s review.
Next steps: staff will work with the association and district departments to develop a one-page concept and then a draft agreement for committee and full-board review. No final transfer of land or contract was approved at the meeting.
