ELY — The city council gave unanimous approval Monday to move forward with Phase 1 of a new pickleball facility to be built on the hill above Semer’s Park, with city staff handling initial site preparation and the local pickleball club expected to cover the majority of development costs.
City Clerk/Treasurer Harold Langowski presented the project update to the council, noting that a topographic survey paid for by the pickleball club has already been completed to measure the land’s contours and determine how much fill will be needed to level the site.
Langowski described the Phase 1 work as minimally disruptive to the city’s budget. The city plans to use suitable spoil material from an infrastructure project, which breaks ground this summer, to fill and grade the hilltop site rather than haul that material elsewhere.
“Right now it’s about eight hours with a bulldozer,” Langowski told the council. “We need to dispose of this material somewhere, anyway. That would be our plan.”
The site design calls for minor tree clearing to maintain the natural habitat and tree line, with a road, parking along the road, and then the pickleball space. Recycled materials from the road projects are expected to be available for reuse at the site.
Langowski noted that he had spoken with a member of the pickleball group the day of the meeting, and that the club is actively fundraising and already has money available for site development. The club is also pursuing other funding sources, and the expectation is that in-kind labor and materials from the city will represent Ely’s only investment in the project. Parks and Recreation meeting minutes indicate the courts are being designed so they can be converted to basketball or tennis courts if pickleball’s popularity wanes.