City Council Votes on Fate of Pleasanton Park, Controversial Tennis Court Construction

PLEASANTON, CA — The city council voted 4 to 1 Tuesday night for the first of three alternate locations offered for the construction of two controversial tennis courts proposed for the Pleasanton Tennis and Community Park.

The proposal, which is estimated to cost about $800,000, will put one of the tennis courts in the grass "horse shoe-shaped” area between the parking lot. The second court would be located immediately adjacent and to the east of the first court.

"Staff will finalize the design, then it has to go out to bid and once a bid has been approved and awarded, we anticipate being able to break ground sometime in the next three to five months," a city spokeswoman said.

The actual construction contract amount was $494,353 for the original courts, which did not include design, contingency, admin, testing and inspection. The $800,000 estimate for the new courts includes those costs. The courts will be designed and public bid, according to city officials.

Residents say they appreciate city officials and engineers working to resolve the project.

In August, the council voted to delay the construction of two tennis courts at the park, pending a revised proposal after neighbors protested, abruptly halting the demolition and embarking on a campaign to preserve the large grassy area in the park.

Many residents said they did not know the popular area of the park was slated to become tennis courts until they saw fencing go up around the grassy area last summer. Residents rallied to protect the park, which already has 10 courts on the property. Neighbors met with city officials on numerous occasions in hopes of reaching an amicable decision about the fate of the new courts.

Handmade posters created by local children continued to multiply on the fences and residents created a Facebook page to share information and updates about the project with neighbors and the Pleasanton community.

The two new courts were part of the master plan in 1985. In June, the Pleasanton City Council voted to approve the contract and award $494,353 for the project after they held three community workshops and conducted a phone survey.

The Pleasanton Tennis and Community Park is located at 5801 Valley Ave.

Related:

• Children's Artwork Illustrate Opinions on Fate of Pleasanton Tennis Courts
• Fate of Pleasanton Park, Tabled Tennis Court Construction Topic of Upcoming Meeting
• City Halts Park Demolition After Pleasanton Residents Protest Against New Tennis Courts

Photo courtesy Autumn Johnson/ Patch