Pickleball courts renovation on the way / City Briefs

By Reporter Staff • June 27, 2023 3:30 pm
Pickleball players get in some action on the morning of April 27, 2021, at Luther Burbank Park. Carolyn Starr connects with the ball while her partner Tom Krazit covers. Their opponents are Van Rex Gallard, far left, and Tom Robinson. Andy Nystrom/ staff photo
Pickleball players get in some action on the morning of April 27, 2021, at Luther Burbank Park. Carolyn Starr connects with the ball while her partner Tom Krazit covers. Their opponents are Van Rex Gallard, far left, and Tom Robinson. Andy Nystrom/ staff photo

Pickleball enthusiasts provided input in May on several layout concepts to renovate the Luther Burbank Park sport courts.

Construction for the new courts — including permanent striping for pickleball courts, reconstructing the asphalt base of the courts and installing new netting systems — is tentatively planned to begin in late summer or early fall, with completion planned for 2024. According to a city report in May, Bellevue design firm DA Hogan developed the concepts that were under review by Capital Improvement Projects, Parks Operations and Recreation staff.

According to a June 20 city report, two of the three existing courts will be converted to pickleball use and the third court may be converted to shared-use. The project is partially funded by a grant from the King County Parks Capital and Open Space Program.

The project’s estimated budget is $107,000 in 2023 and $438,000 in 2024, reads a city report.

For more information, visit www.mercerisland.gov/lbpcourts.

BIKE SKILLS AREA

On the Bike Skills Area (BSA) front, the public comment period is open through July 20 regarding the Critical Area Review 2 and SEPA applications. For information, visit https://letstalk.mercergov.org/bike-skills-area-design. To help prepare the Deane’s Children’s Park site for construction, people can lend a hand at a restoration event from 3-5 p.m. on July 6.

PEDESTRIAN CORNER IMPROVEMENTS

The city has completed a design concept for a property it purchased in 2021 at the southeast corner of Island Crest Way and Southeast 40th Street. Over the past year, crews deconstructed the house and cleared the lot — recycling and upcycling many of the materials — near the busy intersection and the city has devised a plan to improve the site with sidewalks, ramps and an access path. After putting the project out to bid, the city anticipates construction to occur in the early summer into the fall.

ARTS COUNCIL POSITION OPEN

The city has a vacant position on the Mercer Island Arts Council with applications open now through Aug. 25. Candidates must be current Island residents, unless otherwise specified by the Mercer Island City Code. Learn more about the council and how to submit an application at https://www.mercerisland.gov/bc.