KENT, Conn.—At their last meeting, the selectmen turned down a request from the Parks & Recreation Commission to pre-fund $80,000 in the capital plan to kick start fundraising for pickleball courts on South Commons.
The sum, which would fall well short of paying for the kind of construction that the commission would like to see, would be used for engineering, decibel studies and the like, while private donors would work to raise money for actual construction.
The cost of the courts, based on facilities built in neighboring towns, would be about $100,000 for asphalt and up to $400,000 for concrete.
A contingent of citizens attended a recent Parks & Recreation Commission meeting to argue for early construction of the courts, $80,000 for which is currently included in the five-year capital plan for 2031. The account will build over the next five years .
Led by Bruce Hoheb, the residents argued that pickleball is a rapidly growing sport and that about 100 Kent residents currently pursue the pastime. They do not want to wait for the capital funding to become available and have suggested that private donations might make construction possible sooner.
Currently, the recreation commission has provided painted lines for the pickleball players on the existing tennis courts, which also need refurbishment. But players find the varying boundaries for tennis and pickleball confusing and would like designated courts. There is also increasing pressure on the facility for court time as the sport grows in popularity.
“We want to prefund the capital plan item as seed money for starting the project and fundraising,” Parks & Rec Director Matt Frasher told the selectmen.
He said the commission is considering a location at the south end of South Commons park at one end of the tennis courts. Post-tensioned concrete is the desired material for construction because, Frasher explained, it is more durable. “Asphalt is a little cheaper,” but it won’t last as long,” he said. “It would need repairs every four or five years.”
Post-tensioned concrete courts, on the other hand, could cost $200,000 to $400,000. It places high-strength steel cables in plastic ducts before the pour. After the concrete cures and gains strength, hydraulic jacks pull and lock the cables to squeeze the concrete into tight compression, preventing cracks.
Frasher said, based on other towns’ experience, the cost could increase 1 percent per month until the project is complete.
Parks & Rec Chairman Rufus deRham told the selectmen, “We’ve got people really pushing us. The community wants a pickleball subcommittee to drive fundraising and the $80,000 in seed money would say, ‘Okay, we are really serious on this.’ We’re not necessarily asking for capital funding on [all of] this. We’re hoping not to come to the town.”
The commission is already looking at major expenses for the renovation of the town swimming area and more additional services at Emery Park.
But the selectmen said no. “I still have a problem with pre-funding,” said First Selectman Eric Epstein. “We have the five-year plan for a reason, and we should stick to it as best we can. I can’t support [pre-funding].
Selectman Lynn Harrington agreed.
“We don’t want to dampen their enthusiasm,” said Selectman Lynn Mellis Worthington. “I would encourage you to set up a subcommittee and give it the authority to solicit money. If there is a gap, it would be easier to come back and say, ‘We’re real close and that $80,000 would really help.’”
deRham and Frasher said they would work with the residents who want to do fundraising.
