Durango Parks and Recreation announced this week that the contractor working on the new six-court pickleball facility in Schneider Park will tentatively begin to add the finishing touches on June 10 before the courts open to the public.
“The final epoxy and painted line work can be applied only in dry conditions when the nighttime low temps are forecasted to be a minimum of 45 degrees for 72 hours,” said Rachel Hart, open space and trails design manager for Parks and Recreation.
When construction on the pickleball courts began last summer as part of the Schneider Park improvement project, they were projected to be finished sometime in late spring or early summer this year.
Consistently cold temperatures at night have pushed completion toward the latter. For weeks, the courts have been practically ready to use yet remain locked up while awaiting warmer weather.
The contractor FCI Constructors, Inc., has yet to provide a definitive date for when the courts will be opened to the public. “As is usual, they are reluctant to identify a rigid timeline for completion with several unknown factors,” Hart said.
Also included as part of the Schneider Park improvements is new lighting along the stretch of the Animas River Trail that runs through the park, as well as public art, a swing set, bike racks, benches, tables and a shade structure.
The new lighting installation has caused swimming spots along the Animas River in Schneider Park to have been blocked off by orange fencing installed to protect the river bank. Installation caused disturbance to the vegetation on the river bank making the soil more susceptible to erosion, Hart said.
“The fence will be removed when there is substantial germination,” she said. “Keeping folks off the new seed is critical to its success.”
Hart said Schneider Park was one of the last unlit stretches of the Animas River Trail.
“As we upgrade and rebuild older sections of trail, lighting is and will be included in any improvements,” she said.
nmetcalf@durangoherald.com
