New pickleball courts could be coming to Durango as early as next year if everything goes right with new design plans for the Smith Sports Complex at Fort Lewis College.
City-contracted DHM Design held an open house Tuesday at the Durango Community Recreation Center to show off two design concepts and collect community feedback about what would make the best outdoor pickleball court facility.
Lee Petty presented the concepts to more than 50 attendees, some of whom shared feedback of their own.
“They’re very passionate about their game,” Ann Christensen of DHM Design said.
The city is well aware of the pickleball players’ desire for a space to play, in addition to concerns of residents neighboring city tennis courts, where pickleball is not allowed because of the commotion it tends to cause.
So, the city and DHM Design homed in on Smith Sports Complex as a good location for dedicated pickleball courts. The location is an existing city site, so work can begin more quickly than at other prospective areas such as Three Springs, Christensen said.
Ture Nycum, Durango Parks and Recreation director, said the design process can be finished thanks to the community feedback received on Tuesday, which included the proper positioning of shade and tables, fencing in and around the proposed courts and more.
After the design stage, securing city funding and finding a successful development bid are all that is left before new pickleball courts can be created at the Smith Sports Complex.
If all goes well and the stars align, the city hopes to offer pickleball to residents in 2023, Nycum said. But the bid process may prove to be another challenge for the city.
“We’re starting to get bids coming in that were almost double what we were estimating because the market’s just – construction is crazy right now,” he said.
The two concepts were presented with their own projected costs, with Concept Plan “A” being the more expensive proposal of the two and also offering more courts than Concept Plan “B.”
Concept Plan “A’s” estimated cost is $652,326. If plans were to include additional site amenities, lighting, fencing and a 600-square-foot shade pavilion, costs would rise to an estimated total of $966,326. It would also require the removal of 72 parking spaces in the parking lot to the west in order to accommodate the courts.
Concept Plan “B’s” cost estimate is $515,607. With additional amenities, the projected cost rises to $797,000.
Both concepts propose the location of the courts to be placed at the east end of the soccer field parking lot at the Smith Sports Complex.
Concept Plan “A” includes six courts and Concept Plan “B” includes four courts aligned in a slightly different layout, although Christensen said if Concept Plan “B” adopted “A’s” layout, it could also accommodate six courts. Durango pickleball players favored having as many courts as possible, she said.
Christensen said the players also support 8-foot perimeter fencing around the courts because it would improve safety and prevent pickleballs from rolling into the adjacent parking lot or down the hill.
Pickleball players also value having shaded areas near the courts, according to suggestions Christensen recorded during the open house. Both concepts included shade, but players recommended changing the designs to feature shade in the middle area between courts as opposed to along the outer edges of the courts.
Placing shaded areas in the middle would mitigate having people cut across courts for shelter from the heat. Inner fencing 4 to 5 feet tall between courts would also prevent people from crossing over them during matches.
Residents favored picnic tables over benches for the shaded rest areas.
Although players welcomed outdoor lighting if it would fit into the project budget, that didn’t take high priority over other features because the lights would only get at best a couple hours of use each day, Christensen said.
The concepts pitched at the open house on Tuesday are not the first pickleball plans unveiled by the city and DHM Design.
Last year, the design consultant worked on a concept for the Three Springs area. That project has not been abandoned, Christensen said, although it has been placed to the side until the city can acquire the funding to complete a road connection to the project site.
The Three Springs concept included about 10 pickleball courts, she said. Because that project will take longer to be completed, focus has turned to the opportunity at the Smith Sports Complex.
Christensen said she appreciated the open house attendees’ enthusiasm for the project.
“They do give us very good input,” she said. “These meetings are very helpful for us designers because they play so much and travel to tourneys.”
The city is seeking the public’s feedback about the proposed pickleball courts at Smith Sports Complex in a survey that can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3MwqTaC.
Project plans are also available on the city’s website.
cburney@durangoherald.com
