Plans to renovate the Northam Tennis Courts and service building at Northam Park were postponed in 2022 when bids exceeded estimates by approximately 20%. During 2023-24 budget discussions, City Council members expressed support for these improvements but also indicated a strong preference for accomplishing the work within the previously approved budget of $4.2 million. The issue was revisited during Council’s Retreat in January, emerging as one of four “Tier One” priorities for 2023.

Since that time, Staff has been working with the design team at OHM Advisors and recreation consultant Ballard King to determine the best path forward for this phase of the Northam Park Vision Plan. They presented a detailed report of their findings to Council in May that included history, usage statistics, and comparisons to similar facilities in the region.

From this analysis, the team concluded eight courts would be sufficient to sustain the program but recommended including a ninth court as a bid alternate. The recommendation also included some adjustments to the service building, reducing its size by approximately 12% and combining everything into one structure.

After some lengthy discussions, with extensive input from the tennis community, City staff has begun work to finalize the designs for nine courts and to solicit bids from qualified construction firms in the Fall of 2023. If the bids are within budget, staff will seek approval of the construction contracts in the Winter of 2024.

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