O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department staying busy this summer with multiple projects

By Lynn Venhaus For the Progress

Updated June 28, 2022 8:12 PM

A new playground near the soccer fields at the Family Sports Park, improvements at the Splash Pad, and pickleball court resurfacing and new lighting are among the upgrades the O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department has been working on this summer.

Andrew Dallner, director of the parks department, said the splash pad opened the weekend of June 17-19. The streams and landscape were rebuilt to repair damage from years of use. A new lining is now in place.

“We’re so happy with the way it turned out,” he said. “We are excited to get this going.”

They ask that people be aware of some safety precautions. For instance, no rocks should be moved, piled, or relocated from the streams.

“Reducing the amount of water pooling in an area is for safety purposes. It is important to monitor your children and stop moving the rocks in the streams,” he said.

He said the fence will remain in place for at least a year to protect the new plants surrounding the area.

“Plants in general don’t tolerate foot traffic,” Dallner said.

Soccer Park Playground

Dallner said they began working on putting a new playground near the soccer fields at the Family Sports Park.

“We wanted to have something for the little kids who don’t want to watch their siblings play soccer, give them a place to go,” he said.

Pickleball Court Work

Dallner said the pickleball court work at Hesse Park — approved at the O’Fallon City Council meeting June 20 — is underway.

“It was all contractor schedule-driven, and we didn’t want to miss our window. Normally, that is not something we like to do,” he said.

McConnell & Associates will take care of the resurfacing. The project is expected to cost $33,310.

This maintenance work is needed to keep the courts in optimal condition. Cracks had developed and, left untreated, could lead to an uneven surface, which could be a trip hazard to players.

Another court will be added when the three other courts are re-oriented to a north-south direction. That is so players won’t have to play with sunlight in their eyes close to sunset.

Musco Sports Lighting will take care of the pickleball court lighting for $42,500.

Currently, the lighting is insufficient for people to play on the courts after dark.

More about Pickleball

About 61 players use the courts in O’Fallon — a club was established about five years ago and has grown ever since. Surrounding towns also have pickleball courts players travel to use.

Pickleball, created for all ages and skill levels, is played either indoors or outdoors on a level court, with short-handled paddles and a perforated plastic ball volleyed over a low net by two players or pairs of players.

Pickleball club players have shown up at city council and committee meetings seeking court expansion and more communication about projects, their costs, and changes in plans.

In speaking at the June 20 council meeting, Karen Pfeiffer of the Sweet Gherkins team urged passage of the project. She said the players hoped the resurfacing would start as soon as possible.

She noted a recent article in Sports Illustrated about how pickleball is an up-and-coming sport.

“We don’t want to get behind the curve,” she said.

The resurfacing project had been moved to June, but weather and other delays pushed it back until now.

Expansion, with courts to be sized for competition level, will be discussed in the future.

Pickleball concerns, options

At other meetings, players expressed concern turning the courts and adding a court could cause a shortening of the courts from the recommended 8 feet to 6 1/2 feet. They had requested the courts be expanded by 10 feet to provide additional playing surfacing on the ends of the courts.

“We want it to be competition level,” Pfeiffer said.

Public Works Director Jeff Taylor had reviewed the project and provided four options, with cost estimates. He recommended against lengthening the existing courts at this time, because the cost estimate for expansion increased to $103,000 more than the original resurfacing project.

The council’s finance committee had selected Option D as the most suitable and cost-effective plan, which is to phase the project twice.

Phase 1 would resurface and re-orient the existing court and add lighting this year. Phase 2 would develop a plan with six additional courts for the CIP and future budget consideration. Phase 1 cost estimate is available in the FY23 budget and allows planning for future expansion. Total cost for the two phases would be $366,000.

Lighting a possibility

Alderman Nathan Parchman, who is finance committee chair, said because there was $70,000 available from the FY22 budget to carry over into the FY23 budget, lighting could be included for $35,000-$40,000 and stay within budget.

Parchman said the idea was to develop plans to build additional courts into the Capital Improvement Plan and future funding through the budget process.

He said resurfacing would mean less chance for cracking, but after five to eight years, there would be natural wear and tear, and that would be addressed at a later time.

Hesse Park is located at 810 Madison.