The pickleball court plans have been put on hold in Upper Makefield.
Township officials were aiming to install pickleball courts at Brownsburg Park, a 37-acre park located on River Road.
However, on Tuesday Sept. 19 the Upper Makefield Board of Supervisors, which locally governs the municipality, rejected all the bids it had received from contractors interested in constructing the courts.
The reason? Cost.
“The bids were significantly above the budget we had for this project,” said Dave Nyman, Upper Makefield’s township manager. “About $50,000 above budget actually.”
It’s uncertain whether or not supervisors will look to move forward with a modified version of the pickleball project at a future date. “The township’s Park & Recreation Board will be re-evaluating the project,” said Nyman.
It was the Park & Recreation Board that initially recommended pickleball courts be installed at Brownsburg Park, which already features an ADA-compliant playground, tennis court, basketball court, pet stations and more.
Pickleball’s popularity has soared of late. The Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP) says that the sport has been the fastest-growing in America for three straight years, with participation accelerating by 158.6%.
In other parks-related news, supervisors on Sept. 19 approved purchasing a pavilion kit from Cedar Forest Products for $80,488.
The plan is to construct the pavilion to create a covered eating/seating area by the concession stand at Lookout Park. The township now must bid out the project and find a contractor to erect the kit into a completed pavilion.
“We’re hoping to have the work completed by late winter/early spring of next year,” said Nyman.
The township manager noted that a resident survey had indicated a desire for the pavilion.
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