Pickleball named top priority over pool at Aviation Park
By Garth Meyer
In a pool vs. pickleball debate March 5, the Redondo Beach city council voted 3-2 to designate a pickleball complex as first priority for an open field at Aviation Park – long considered as a site for a public pool.
The decision also banned pickleball in parkettes, and calls for four, dual-use pickleball courts on two tennis courts at Alta Vista Park.
Councilman Zein Obagi, Jr., made the motion, seconded by Paige Kaluderovic and concurred by Scott Behrendt.
Councilmen Nils Nehrenheim and Todd Loewenstein opposed it, instead advocating for more community input, such as from tennis players at Alta Vista Park.
Mayor Jim Light told the council he was “disappointed you could not come to an agreement on this.”
The issue will return at the end of April for more discussion.
Last week’s agenda item picked up from an earlier city pickleball discourse, in fall 2021, which also intersected with the long-sought desire to build a public pool.
Cameron Harding, community services director, estimates a 50-meter pool would cost $13.3 million (2021-22 dollars), and $1.3 million per year to operate.
The city has six pickleball courts now, striped last summer – portable net required – at Perry Park, Anderson Park and Franklin Park.
Harding last week gave the city council estimates on the cost to build new pickleball courts, both for a six-court complex in the field at Aviation Park, or a few other spots in the park, one of which would put courts along the running track by Aviation Boulevard. Cost would be $66,000 per court.
Both a city pool and more pickleball right now are unfunded – they would need to be part of the 2024-25 budget, to be set by July 1.
The week before the March 5 discussion, the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission made a recommendation to stripe four pickleball courts across two tennis courts at Alta Vista Park.
“We’re kind of at a crossroads here,” City Councilman Scott Behrendt said, noting that the choice was to continue what the city has been doing (painting lines on basketball and other courts) or build a dedicated pickleball facility.
Behrendt said the logical place to do it would be the open field by the gym at Aviation Park. The area is in his district.
“I’ve never heard anyone say, ‘we need to put a swimming pool there.’ What I have heard is, ‘let’s put pickleball there.’”
Councilman Obagi, Jr., agreed, saying the maintenance cost per year for a pool is about the same as the cost to build a six-court pickleball complex.
Mayor Jim Light noted that residents have been asking for a pool for decades.
Councilman Todd Loewenstein said he was trying to do both. That he is “very much in favor of pickleball and also a pool, but the reality is $1.33 million a year (in operating costs) is not realistic at this point.”
As for pickleball, “Once it’s in there, there’s no chance of a pool (in the field), and probably no more pickleball (elsewhere in the city).”
“I think it’s a pipe dream right now to put (pickleball) in that open field, for a lot of reasons.”
The former school boardmember said he has spent 70 hours working with the current school board about potentially lining pickleball courts on the public tennis courts at RUHS.
“It’s ideal,” he said.
Alta Vista
Councilman Nils Nehrenheim maintains that the city should keep the policy it has now, in that residents get some dual-use courts, though he opposes any at Alta Vista Park without further input.
Councilmember Paige Kaluderovic said that the courts at Franklin Park were going well.
“This is a temporary fix,” she said.
She went on to say it was reasonable to make two courts shared-use at Alta Vista.
The cost to paint a shared-use pickleball court is under $10,000. Nehrenheim questions whether Alta Vista tennis players want this.
Residents David and Desiree Glassi spoke to the council in public comment March 5, presenting a data analysis showing a 2.5 – 5% maximum impact on tennis at Alta Vista.
Dallas Poffenroth, USA Pickleball ambassador for Redondo Beach, called for dual use of two courts at Alta Vista.
“Surrounding beach cities have stepped up to the plate,” she said, referring to Manhattan Beach, Torrance and El Segundo painting many tennis courts for shared-use.
An emergency room doctor spoke, saying she wants permanent pickleball courts in the field at Aviation Park.
“It’s a revenue-generating, win-win,” she said.
Another woman from the community spoke.
“We’re making friends, we’re making community, we’re exercising,” she said. “I don’t understand how people from tennis can’t share… You’re going to make money, Redondo Beach; take advantage of this time.”
Crystal Deckman, a Recreation and Parks commissioner, gave input as a resident.
“I believe Alta Vista is a perfect location to set up shared courts,” she said, adding that it was a revenue opportunity.
Mayor Light then addressed the council.
“We’re not meeting the need. I would ask you to work together on long-term and short-term solutions,” he said. “According to the (citizen’s data), it clearly shows at least 50 percent of the time, two courts are open at Alta Vista.”
Light also asked the city hall crowd during the meeting to “be respectful.”
Obagi said to put pool efforts toward Seaside Lagoon and designate the field at Aviation for pickleball.
City Manager Mike Witzansky was asked to weigh in.
“This is a directional item, an advisory night,” he said, adding that talk of Alta Vista was not anticipated that evening. “That was asked and answered two years ago … I think you may want to hear from the tennis community. There is conflict here. Rewind the clock two years and the tennis community was out in force on this.”
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask the tennis community to share two courts,” Light said.
The city hall crowd applauded.
“Obfuscating the issue”
Councilman Behrendt earlier offered money from District Five discretionary funds to stripe a court on open concrete at Dale Page Park.
Nehrenheim made a motion for city staff to come back to the council with a “subsequent conversation to address pickleball in Redondo Beach, at all of our parks, and to bring in all of the affected communities.”
Loewenstein seconded it.
“I’m disappointed you guys are making the motion,” Light said. “I think you are obfuscating the issue.”
Obagi then made a substitute motion.
“It’s okay, we’ll get the tennis folks in here. We’ll do this again,” he said.
“How about some member of the public just gives you the money?” Light said, regarding pickleball lines at Alta Vista.
Toward the end of the discussion, Loewenstein said he would encourage city staff to “reach out to Northrop Grumman…” regarding what the neighboring aerospace campus to Aviation Park thinks of a potential six-court pickleball complex going in.
Witzansky said the city has done this, and the company rejected “virtually every project that’s been proposed there.”
Nehrenheim put forth South Bay Galleria as an option for indoor pickleball, and for another outdoor option, the Beach Cities Health District campus.
Earlier, Loewenstein asked Behrendt if he had talked to Northrop Grumman about pickleball courts at the Aviation Park field.
Behrendt said he would be happy to. Loewenstein said he himself had, and they were “very upset about it.”
Loewenstein said a pickleball project would face “organized opposition from very adamant parents at that daycare center.”
As for where else to put courts, Loewenstein said, “I would like to find a way to put it on the west side of the track,” regarding the strip along Aviation Boulevard.
The council’s inclusion of a ban on pickleball in parklets was due to noise and parking concerns.
Kaluderovic called them “echo chambers.”
City Attorney Mike Webb will write an ordinance for the ban, to require council approval after public input. This too, is expected to return in late April. ER
Skechers support
for a public pool?
City Councilman Todd Loewenstein offered another reason at the March 5 council meeting to hold off on decisions about the open field at Aviation Park.
“I got a commitment from Michael Greenberg at Skechers to fund money for a pool,” he said.
When asked by Easy Reader later, Loewenstein said, “Nothing is official; but there is interest from private individuals.”
A pool has also been discussed as part of the project to revamp Seaside Lagoon. In addition, the Beach Cities Health District Healthy Living Campus plans may include a public pool.
Loewenstein notes that a city pool was promised for the field at Aviation Park when the high school closed in 1982.
“That promise has not been kept,” he said.
An added element to the cost of a pool is whether or not the old high school pool on site in the field was completely torn out, or just covered over in dirt. If it is still there, it would cost more if it needed to be removed.
When asked for comment, Skechers spokesperson Jennifer Clay said, “We won’t have a comment on this. We are starting our conference so we will have to pass.” ER