Aldermen have elected to put the brakes on resurfacing Galesburg’s pickleball courts, opting to take a test drive on an new modular athletic surfacing system before committing nearly $100,000 to the project.
The pause comes after some local pickleball enthusiasts voiced concerns over the plan.
City administration was asking the City Council to approve a bid of $93,857 for resurfacing of six outside pickleball courts at Bateman Park, site of the former fire station at Maple Avenue and Losey Street. Instead, aldermen voted 7-0 to table the plan until more research is completed.
Galesburg City Manager Eric Hanson said his office has received citizen feedback that the new modular athletic surfacing system may not provide a positive experience. Some questioned whether or not the surface would produce a true bounce, while others claim the modular system is slippery and does not provide traction.
“We have talked to at least one of the vendors who have agreed if we table this action, they will bring a court to town and set it up to let people play on it,” Hanson told aldermen Monday.
“That way, Council will be able to evaluate it before they have to take action, with no obligation required. So, we’ll work with the vendors to bring the product In, and (people) can scope it out. Then, we can either proceed, or vote the bid down and look at a different path.”
Hanson told WGIL after the meeting there is no definitive timetable for vendors to install a sample court.
A modular athletic surfacing system would be installed over the existing surface. The system includes an interlocking high-impact polypropylene tile with a multi-point positive locking system and a grid top design including a shock absorbing support understructure.
The system comes with a 15-year warranty with minimal maintenance requirements, and the city says the expense is significantly less than rebuilding the current courts with concrete.
The pickleball courts were converted from two tennis courts in 2021. The current court surface is a concrete base covered in asphalt and according to city officials, the concrete has started to crack — compromising the asphalt surface of the pickleball courts rendering play difficult.
Hanson told WGIL installing a new concrete base with an asphalt surface would come with a substantially higher price tag than the proposed modular system.
