07-05-2011 Park Board Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• STAFF COMMENTS /ANALYSIS Aesthetics - Typically these types of walls are placed along the periphery (or less visible area) of a park so only one side of the wall is visible to park users. Landscaping is often used to "soften" the view. Placing an 8' high x 24'wide tennis wall board adjacent to the 1/2 basketball court will certainly become a visual focal point to all park users and nearby residents. With the nearest house approximately 200 feet from the proposed tennis wall location, noise may also become an issue for adjacent residents. Maintenance - Maintenance would primarily consist of painting /sealing the plywood every two years. Any issues with vandalism /graffiti would also need to be resolved. Weed whipping around the posts would also be needed during mowing operations. Conflicting Uses - Since basketball players and tennis wall users may utilize the same paved area (50' x 48') simultaneously, unsafe situations will most likely arise. For example, tennis balls might ricochet /bounce in the immediate vicinity where basketball is being played. There is less concern with tennis balls being hit into the open green space possibly disrupting park users. Signage would need to be considered to inform park users that multi -use of the paved area isn't permitted. (However this would be impractical to enforce, so are we creating potential for conflicts ?) In addition, having a solid wall adjacent to the basketball playing area (even though away from the basket) may increase the chance of injury (i.e. colliding with the plywood wall). After taking into consideration all aspects pertaining to this request, it is staff's recommendation to not install a tennis wall board at Clearwater Creek Park. However, if the Park Board decides to have the tennis wall board installed, park maintenance staff can probably begin the work mid -July. Estimated material costs are around $500. •