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4 <br /> MINUTES OF THE <br /> ORONO PARK COMMISSION <br /> May 1,2023 <br /> 6:00 o'clock p.m. <br /> Lemons said the playground as it stands has some other problems like rotting railroad ties and bringing it <br /> up to existing code so along with moving equipment there could be a new edging and new base. <br /> Stofer said he had never thought about pickleball at that location but it does make sense.It is flat,there's <br /> parking there,and there's already a bathroom for the Luce Line trailhead there.He said as a parent <br /> attending baseball games,he has felt that the playground is pretty disconnected.It seems like something <br /> that's worth exploring further,for sure.getting input from the neighbors as soon as possible. It seems like <br /> we've done enough work on this where we could probably put together a pretty reasonable cost estimate <br /> and layout. It seems like we should be able to flush this one out pretty quickly. <br /> Porter asked Lemons if he could look into the costs associated with building pickleball courts and moving <br /> the existing playground structure at Bederwood. <br /> Lemons said that could be done using the costs from the previously-proposed golf course enhancement <br /> and the work that was just done on the Crystal Bay playground.A lot of playgrounds right now are <br /> moving to modular systems where they will separate age groups into different pods of playground <br /> equipment,so a pod layout might work well in this area,especially if you want to look at keeping some of <br /> those trees. You can separate some of those pods of the playground that we have right now. It's pretty <br /> large and the equipment's really spread out so we could save on some space as well. <br /> Stofer asked if it might be possible to apply for another Hennepin County Youth Sports grant for the park. <br /> Lemons said the application deadline is now earlier and there would be some steps in the process the City <br /> would have to take before doing a grant request.Most likely it would be next year for any type of grant <br /> application. <br /> Stofer said he and Brian Roath had met with the school district about a week and a half previously and it <br /> was a really good meeting. We were just trying to open the communication lines with them as far as <br /> scheduling for tech on Hackberry and Bederwood and others. They do a lot of pickleball programming at <br /> the OAC. It seems like they can't do enough; it's very popular. It just seems like it's worth keeping those <br /> communication lines open with them to really understand the demand in the broader community.And I've <br /> talked about Westonka. There are some different factions getting everyone organized, especially when it <br /> comes to a fundraising effort. <br /> Porter noted Spring Park is planning to put pickleball courts in at Thor Thompson Park. So you're right. <br /> There's a lot happening. I want to make sure that we're still listening not only to the community members, <br /> but also all the players. <br /> Stofer reported on plans in neighboring Minnetonka and Independence to add pickleball courts. <br /> Page 2 of 4 <br />