Public concerns over pickleball court expansion project addressed, timeline explained

The Palm Springs pickleball court expansion project at Demuth Park is progressing toward City Council consideration at a mid-February meeting, where officials hope to secure final approval before the bidding process begins. In the meantime, Parks and Recreation Commission members sought Monday to answer some questions lingering in the community.

During the commission’s regular monthly meeting, Commissioner Michael Finland provided an update on the project’s status, addressing public concerns about perceived delays and lack of communication.

“It has not been dormant. It’s not dragging its heels. It’s moving forward,” Finland said. “Have we adhered certainly to the schedule that we had envisioned at the commencement of this project? No. But in reality, government and projects sometimes take a little bit longer and move a little bit more slowly than people would hope for or anticipate.”

The $6 million project would expand the existing 12 pickleball courts at Demuth Park to 24 courts, including one tournament/ADA-accessible court. It would also see new lighting, sidewalks, shade structures, and trees added to the facility. 

Finland outlined key milestones since July 2024, when additional funding was secured from the city’s Measure J Oversight Commission. He also noted ongoing efforts to identify alternate pickleball locations during construction.

The project faced setbacks following the resignation of the former Parks and Recreation director last July. However, Finland emphasized that progress continued under interim leadership.

During public comment, one local player expressed frustration over the lack of information provided to the pickleball community since the departure of former director Yvonne Wise. He also raised concerns about the construction timeline, potential court closures, and the availability of temporary playing facilities during the renovation.

“We have had no information about the status of the project to replace the existing pickleball courts at Demuth Park,” he said. “This has led to an ever-increasing number of rumors that are causing significant problems amongst the pickleball players.”

In response to these concerns, the commission discussed improving communication methods, including an update to the project page on the city website. Finland also suggested posting updates directly at the Demuth Park courts, where many players gather.

“We can certainly look at different methodologies for messaging so that people know what’s happening and when it’s going to happen and what we project will happen at certain dates going forward,” Finland said. 

“It can’t say groundbreaking is going to be on May 1 and I’m standing on the court on May 20 and nothing’s happened,” another commissioner noted. “If that does happen, we just need to update it because that’s what’s going to make people angry.”

After the meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Nicholas Gonzalez said that if the City Council approves the project on Feb. 13, bidding will start the following week, with construction set to begin in April, near the end of pickleball season in the desert. The eight-month construction phase is expected to conclude with the new courts and other facilities opening between December and January 2026.

Finland explained that after consulting with the city engineer, the commission decided against a phased approach that could have kept some courts open during construction.

“We just really discovered that would create a lot of problems and we’d probably be looking at a project that would run about a year and a half for completion,” Finland said. “So based upon the recommendations of the city engineer, we decided to do an all-at-once project.”

---