Although plans are still in the very early stages, the Park City Council took the next step toward expanding the MARC in Park Meadows at its meeting on Thursday.
The council decided to move forward with issuing a request for proposal for new indoor pickleball courts and other improvements to MARC facilities like tennis and swimming. The RFP will also explore developing a 16-acre parcel of land near the Park City Ice Arena for more outdoor facilities. The city will now take a deep dive into the project’s scope, cost, and construction timeline before deciding whether to advance the project further.
Pickleball has been the central topic of discussion for recreational improvements in Park City over the last several months. A dramatic increase in its popularity over the last two years has led to a shortage of court space.
Councilors Ryan Dickey and Jeremy Rubell said on Thursday that although pickleball seems to be the biggest need right now, the city should look at where other improvements are needed as well.
Councilor Max Doilney agreed that the city should keep an eye on other needs, and cautioned that going too broad in the project’s scope early on could easily lead to a ballooning price tag. He feared that could ultimately end up with the city not improving anything.
“Sometimes we get projects that we start out with a simple idea, then everybody starts looking at it like, ‘well, I want a piece. I want some racquetball, I want some shuffleboard,’" he said. "And before you know it, we’re trying to build the arts and culture district for $120 million and nothing gets done. I think these are really pertinent questions and good things to ponder, but let’s not get too far off course from what got us here.”
Rubell told KPCW if pickleball is indeed the only thing the public wants right now, then he’s all for it. But he said the city needs to be careful when determining what to do with a project like this, especially with the limited space available at the MARC.
“I’d like to make sure we’re not going to use a finite resource like the extra land we have there if we do expand the building, and/or finite funds to address just pickleball, let’s put it that way," said Rubell. "If the community need is there and that’s the number one priority on the list, then I’m absolutely fine with it, but I think that conversation is worth having to make sure we’re balancing all of the needs in the community, not just one group’s.”
City Manager Matt Dias said Wednesday that there is no budget item for MARC improvements right now, but if the city selects a proposal in the coming months, the project could be ready to be included in the 2023 budget process this summer.
Park City is also conducting a community survey on pickleball, which is open through February 16th here.
