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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOPD-005-20Clarftwn Staff Report If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131. Report To: General Government Committee Date of Meeting: June 22, 2020 Report Number: OPD-005-20 Submitted By: Stephen Brake, Acting Director of Operations Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#: GG-216-20, GG-217-20 File Number: By-law Number: Report Subject: Tennis Courts and other Infrastructure Enhancements Recommendations: 1. That Report OPD-005-20 be received; 2. That in 2020 staff be directed to undertake the identified contracted tennis court repairs for Avondale Park and Guildwood Park utilizing available budgetary allowances; and 3. That Council direct staff to host a public information center to receive feedback on the Stuart Park tennis courts and to also submit a Capital justification in 2021 to complete the recommended upgrades. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 Report Overview Page 2 This report addresses Council's request for a condition assessment of the public tennis courts in Clarington and also provides a recommended capital improvement plan for the identified deficiencies. The report also seeks Council's approval for staff to organize a public information center for Stuart Park and to submit a capital justification to complete the recommended upgrades in 2021. 1. Background 1.1. At the regular General Government Committee meeting held on June 1, 2020, Committee passed resolution GG-125-20, to receive Report EGD-010-20 and approve the Outdoor Recreation Needs Assessment (ORNA) as a guide for the future provision of outdoor recreation facilities. 1.2. Council also passed resolution GG-131-20 to amend resolution GG-125-20 by adding "that Staff be directed to report back before summer break on capital improvements to Stuart Park Tennis Courts, and other tennis courts in Clarington, to enhance user experience." 1.3. In addition, resolution GG-133-20 was passed to amend resolution GG-131-20 by adding "and other infrastructure projects which may be included within related budgetary allowances." 2. Discussion 2.1. As outlined on page 31 of the Outdoor Recreation Needs Assessment (ORNA), tennis courts in Clarington are currently provided at the following locations: • Avondale Park • Clarington Corners Park (Green Park) • Guildwood Park • Lions Parkette (Clarington Beech Centre) • Orono Park • Solina Park • Stuart Park Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 Page 3 2.2. All of the tennis courts are open to the public with the exception of the Lions Parkette (Clarington Beech Centre) which is operated as a private organization by the Bowmanville Tennis Club. There are two courts at each of the seven locations and all facilities are presently unlit except for the Lions Parkette (Clarington Beech Centre) location. 2.3. In response to the resolutions passed by Council a conditional review of each public tennis court has recently been completed. 2.4. The tennis courts located in Avondale Park in Courtice were found to be in very good condition. The entire asphalt surface is free of cracks, nets were relatively new, support posts were stable, and all court line markings had good contrast and were legible. At the time of inspection both courts were in use by local residents who confirmed their general satisfaction with the present condition of the facility. One patron, however, did suggest that a backboard for singles practice play would be a nice addition. Players were asked if lighting would be an asset at the location and it was indicated "that tennis is a summer time sport that can be played with natural light until approximately 9:30 p.m. There's really no need to provide lighting to play any later." Municipality of Clarington Page 4 Report OPD-005-20 2.5. Improvements that are recommended for the Avondale Park tennis courts include the following items: • Adjust the players gate • Provide general sweeping • Complete minor fence repairs • Remove tree overhang on the west court • Install a backboard for singles play 2.6. Staff of the Operations Department will complete the general maintenance items identified with the exception of the removal of the tree overhang from the adjacent woodlot. The location does not provide any access where bucket truck equipment can be utilized so specialized climbing by a contracted arborist will be necessary. The estimated cost to complete the Forestry work and to also purchase a backboard for singles play is estimated at approximately $7,000. 2.7. The tennis courts located in Clarington Corners Park (Green Park) in Bowmanville are in good condition with only some very minor isolated surface cracking present. The width of the cracking is very narrow and there are no trip ledges present that would impact the safe level of play. There is no immediate need to repair or resurface the courts, however, annual condition assessments should be conducted to properly manage the asset and schedule upgrades when deemed necessary. At the time of inspection both courts were being used by local residents who did not report any concerns or deficiencies with the facility. The provision of lighting was considered for this location but due to the close proximity of residential homes the upgrade is not recommended. 2.8. The remainder of the court infrastructure including nets, support posts, court line markings and perimeter fencing was observed to be in very good condition. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 pip Page 5 2.9. Improvements that are recommended for the Clarington Corners Park (Green Park) tennis courts include the following items. • Adjust the players gate • Complete minor fence repairs 2.10. Staff of the Operations Department will complete the general maintenance items identified without any additional cost. 2.11. The tennis courts located in Guildwood Park are in relatively good condition with the exception of a 5 m2 area that is exhibiting surface delamination and will require repair. The remainder of the court surface is crack free and all other infrastructure including nets, support posts, court markings and perimeter fencing is in good condition. At the time of the inspection both courts were in use by local residents and no concerns were expressed. Given the close proximity of residential homes to the north of these courts the provision of lighting is not recommended. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 Page 6 2.12. Improvements that are recommended for the Guildwood Park tennis courts include the following items. • Adjust the players gate • Provide general sweeping • Repair court surface • Remove dead trees in the park bordering the courts 2.13. Staff of the Operations Department will complete the general maintenance items identified with the exception of the specialized repair to the court surface. The estimated cost to contract a qualified tennis court contractor is $3,000. 2.14. The tennis courts at Orono Park have been out of service for the last couple of years due to the failure of the existing net post anchors. Capital funding has been grouped together over the last three successive years to acquire sufficient capital budget to undertake the rehabilitation of the facility. Lighting is not proposed for this facility. The proposed work as shown on the attached layout plan is scheduled to commence this month and will include the following upgrades: Removal of existing chain link fence and installation of new chain link mesh Repair and paint all existing fence support posts and hardware Complete minor asphalt surface repairs Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 Page 7 • Install new net post anchors • Tree pruning • Installation of new tennis/pickelball posts and nets • Repainting of surface and line markings for tennis/pickelball courts - --------------- :I3 2.15. The proposed improvements are expected to be completed within a few weeks after work commences. It is anticipated that there will be great interest in the three pickelball courts once the project has been completed. 2.16. The tennis courts located in the Hamlet of Solina at the rear of the Community Hall are in good condition. In 2017, a plastic tile grid system was installed over the existing court due to cracking in the original asphalt surface. The plastic tile was implemented as a cost effective solution over full surface replacement and has held up well other than the presence of some minor wear on the baseline court markings. 2.17. The remainder of the infrastructure including nets, support posts and perimeter fencing is in good condition. Due to the rural location of these courts it is expected that they are not utilized as frequently. It is for this reason that the associated cost to install lighting is not recommended. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 Page 8 2.18. Improvements that are recommended for the Solina tennis courts include the following items. Players gate in need of adjustment General sweeping required Replace worn line markings 2.19. Staff of the Operations Department will complete these general maintenance items without any additional cost. 2.20. The tennis courts located in Stuart Park in Courtice are in fair condition. In 2015, the asphalt surface was resurfaced, and reflective cracking is now evident. One larger crack is present between the courts while another exists up the middle of the surface on the east court. This present level of cracking, however, does not currently affect safety on the courts as the width of the cracks are narrow and there is no deflection or trip ledges present. The resurfacing method of rehabilitation that was used in 2015 was implemented as a cost effective solution over a full asphalt surface replacement. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 Page 9 2.21. The Stuart Park tennis courts were out of service in 2019 due to the failure of the net post anchors from vandalism. During this period of tennis inactivity, a group of local pickelball players re -marked the courts with new lines and also filled the old net post anchors with concrete without seeking approval from the Municipality. Earlier this year, the tennis net post anchors were replaced, and the facility was re -opened. Players have commented that the additional pickelball markings create confusion for tennis play. The remainder of the court infrastructure including nets, support posts, court line markings and perimeter fencing was found to be in good condition. 2.22. Improvements that are recommended for the Stuart Park tennis courts include the following items. Players gate in need of adjustment Complete minor fence repairs Repair court surface 2.23. Staff of the Operations Department will complete the general maintenance items that have been identified with the exception of the specialized repair to the court surface. The estimated cost to repair or replace the surface by a qualified tennis court contractor would range between $10,000 and $100,000. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 3. Other Infrastructure Page 10 3.1. The Operations Departments 2020 Capital Budget for Parks is comprised of two accounts. These respective budgets of $155,000 for Various Park Upgrades and $255,000 for Park Furniture/Equipment will be allocated to complete the following projects this year. • Resurfacing of sport courts and/or pickelball courts (Orono) • Installation of Sewage Holding Tank at Clarington Fields • Replacement of Soper Creek Baseball Backstop • Replacement of Playgrounds in Soper Creek Park and Walbridge Park • Various Park Upgrades in Soper Creek Park and Walbridge Park • Retrofit lighting in Parks and on walkways to LED fixtures • Re -paving of Argent Park pathways 3.2. With the amount of funding that has already been committed towards the above referenced projects any additional items or projects of significant cost cannot be accommodated within the related budgetary allowance. 4. Summary 4.1. Overall, the public tennis courts that are located throughout the Municipality are in reasonably good condition with the exception of Stuart Park. Although there are no immediate safety concerns the existing court surface is in need of future rehabilitation work to prevent conditions from worsening. 4.2. The minor contracted improvements of approximately $10,000 recommended for Avondale Park and Guildwood Park should be undertaken in 2020. The costs for the improvements can be charged against the existing Operations Departments budgetary allowance for related projects. 4.3. The larger improvement to rehabilitate the Stuart Park tennis courts should be planned and budgeted for as part of the Capital process for 2021. The details should include discussions with the local tennis and pickleball groups to determine if a similar layout to Orono Park is preferred. Completing a major rehabilitation of the Stuart Park tennis courts in 2020 would effectively take them off-line again for a good portion of the playing season. 5. Concurrence 5.1. This report has been reviewed by the Director of Finance who concurs with the recommendations. Municipality of Clarington Report OPD-005-20 6. Conclusion Page 11 It is respectfully recommended that Council approve the contracted improvements that have been identified for Avondale Park and Guildwood Park in 2020. Further, it is also recommended that Council direct staff to host a public information center to receive feedback on the Stuart Park tennis courts and to also submit a Capital justification to complete the recommended repairs or upgrades in 2021. Staff Contact: Stephen Brake, Acting Director of Operations, 905-263-2291 extension 2903 or sbrake(a)-clarington.net