Pickleball facility concept moving forward in Winter Springs

Winter Springs is moving forward with meeting contractors to explore building pickleball courts in Central Winds Park.

Parks Manager Brian Dunigan gave an update on the potential new sports facility to the city’s Parks and Recreation Board Nov. 3.

“What we’re looking at now is a phased approach to this project,” he said. “What we brought to you earlier this year was like a 1,000-foot view of what we want to build eventually.”

The city had kick-started the project on July 13 of this year, voting to move forward with design and cost projections. Contention over the project arose about how large of an indoor event facility should be built next to the courts and how that facility would be used. Dunigan said the plan now is to build the courts and make them functional first.

“The focal point of that project is going to be the pickleball courts themselves,” Dunigan said. “So we want to look and see what avenues we have available to pursue construction as fast as possible on just the courts themselves and then progress with the other features such as the parking lot and eventually the overlook structure which would be attached to the facility there.”

Parks and Recreation Board Chairman Arnie Nussbaum said he was curious whether the trend toward lower solar power equipment prices might allow the city to reconsider powering parts of the facility with it.

“If parameters change, looking forward we’re always open to those opportunities,” Dunigan said.