Palm Springs parks projects advance, but pickleball project faces further delays

The Palm Springs Parks and Recreation Commission received project updates Monday at its monthly meeting, with staff reporting that an electrical component needed to power the lights at the new Demuth Park pickleball complex has been delayed.

“There is an electrical switchgear, which has been severely delayed, and so we’re actively working with our contractors to get an updated timeline on when we will get that in,” Nicholas Gonzalez, director of parks and recreation, said. “There are some other different options that we’re toying with right now to get that complex opened as quickly as we can, and we’ve already made arrangements with our temporary courts with College of the Desert until this project is completely finished.”

One option under consideration is a temporary opening without lighting, allowing daytime use until the electrical system is fully installed. Gonzalez said a final decision would follow contractor meetings later this week. Concrete court slabs are complete and light towers have been installed.

“We are looking into alternatives for the switchgear, expediting some other components to get that in there to get still the same results — still safe, reliable — with a different piece of mechanical,” Gonzalez said. “But again, we don’t have final confirmation on all that just yet.”

Also moving forward is the Palm Springs Swim Center locker room and office renovation, funded through Measure J. Site plans have been finalized and submitted to the city’s planning department for review. Once approved, construction drawings will be developed for bidding and permitting, with a construction schedule to follow. No opening date has been set.

On the public art front, the city received permit approval for the AIDS Memorial at Downtown Park, with installation estimated for late summer or early fall. A decorative dragonfly bench called was installed at Sunrise Park on June 14. At Desert Highland Park, the city is working with a grant writer to submit a full application for a mural at the James O. Jessie Community Center, after the city’s letter of intent was accepted.

The Desert Highland Park playground replacement is still in legal, contracting, and procurement review, with construction expected to commence this summer pending required approvals.

The Downtown Park Amphitheater project remains in the design phase. Initial concepts have been submitted to city leadership for review and selection, with Gonzalez telling commissioners a final decision is expected sometime in late June or into July. The commission will have an opportunity to comment before any work proceeds.

Several smaller improvements are either underway or recently completed across the park system. At Demuth Park, the AYSO center field parking lot was completed ahead of schedule and opened June 5, with the broader improvement project — which includes new restrooms, dog park renovations, and turf conversions — targeting an October completion date.

At Victoria Park, work on a new restroom building began this week, with staff estimating two to three months for construction. Sunrise Park received a replacement playground slide and new decomposed granite near the restrooms. Downtown Park was pressure washed, and a new photo platform was installed near the Forever Marilyn sculpture.

Commissioners also received the department’s fall overseeding schedule, which calls for temporary closures of turf and athletic field areas at 12 parks beginning as early as Sept. 20. Closures will be staggered through early December, depending on the location. Playgrounds, trails, and other amenities will remain open during the process.

Commissioner Jody Diaz raised concerns that the closures will push youth sports leagues out of Palm Springs entirely.

“A lot of them that have the ability have signed their kids up in Palm Desert, other cities to play, because we, you know, cut that out from under us,” Diaz said. “There has to be a different way to do things, or some other approach, or we got to think outside the box.”

Gonzalez said a communications push is planned to ensure user groups and the public are informed of closure dates in advance.

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