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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PARK COMMISSION <br />April 3, 2023 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 6 of 11 <br /> <br />Porter said his concern is making the golf course a destination and increasing its viability, which is why <br />he recommended that site for pickleball. I love the idea of let's find ways to make it viable. It doesn't have <br />to be pickleball. We've looked at other sites. He said his rationale is asking would the addition of <br />pickleball enhance the viability of the golf course. None of us will ever know. If we have other revenues <br />to ensure the financial stability of the golf course, maybe that one gets pulled off the list. <br /> <br />Stofer said he continues to be interested in looking at a partnership with the school district. <br /> <br />Lemons added he would like to see an updated master plan for the golf course based on input from the <br />community and the Park Commission. We have one but it's a bit dated; it needs to be refreshed. To try to <br />prioritize these items and really understand where we're going to be spending money and when at the golf <br />course, I think is an important effort that we should be looking at this year. <br /> <br />Carter said his first choice would be to separate pickleball and golf and he is not in favor of spending <br />$20.000 or $30,000, on a preliminary design that he doesn’t believe is going to result in the ultimate <br />location. <br /> <br />Roath said the analysis of golf course needs had been eye-opening. When residents approached us about <br />pickleball, in my mind, that was a great match that was a way to address this, and also bring a new <br />amenity to our residents. I think where we are right now is to vote to move forward with continuing to <br />design. If this Commission decides that there's a possible way to fund the upcoming needs of the golf <br />course while adding pickleball to another site, not at the golf course, then I'm open to that idea, as long as <br />we move quickly towards looking for a Plan B site. <br /> <br />Berg said the City really needs to look at the golf course and concentrate on how to make this a better golf <br />course so it doesn't go the way of Hollydale and other small courses that have closed. <br /> <br />Rasmussen said she thinks the opportunity to find additional funding for the golf course is a long shot. <br />What I’d like to suggest is that we keep the golf course as a site that we're considering for pickleball. <br />We're not doing anything this year anyway, right? We’re not doing anything anywhere else. And in the <br />absence of a better site, we're coming back here because this is the best site so far. You can't have a small <br />number of people benefiting from this level of investment; it's got to be something that draws a <br />significantly larger portion of the community. And we know as the fastest growing sport, there are <br />hundreds and hundreds of people looking for places to play (pickleball). It has the numbers, it has the <br />potential to generate revenue, it has the potential to bring golfers there, it has potential bring visibility <br />there. And investment. I agree that it's off the CIP for this year, but I think it sits equally among the sites <br />that we're still evaluating. Moving forward with that deliberately in the next 12 months is really <br />important. We can't just kick the can down the road. This is a huge amount of money. <br /> <br />Stofer agreed it's a big number. But we figured it out for 100 years, and I'm personally optimistic that we <br />can figure it out heading in the future. He said he was ready to make a motion to remove the Golf Course