HP to Build Four Prather Park Pickleball Courts

The Town of Highland Park plans to convert the tennis court at Prather Park to a set of four pickleball courts.

The Highland Park Town Council selected this design of three concepts by Kimley Horn during its Aug. 15 meeting. The other two designs: one would have three pickleball courts and the other would reconstruct the existing single tennis court.

The four new pickleball courts, slated for fiscal year 2024, will be the town’s first dedicated pickleball courts, but tennis courts at Fairfax Park and Abbott Park have pickleball striping. University Park has six pickleball courts at Williams Park.

“Staff has been getting increased inquiries about having a standalone pickleball court within town limits,” said Chelsey Gordon, assistant director of development services for the town of Highland Park.

The new courts will be 62 feet by 128 feet and will have a 4-foot-high ball stop fence with a windscreen each court. There will also be upgraded lighting, bench seating, and unobstructed court views of the park. The design with four courts allows for the town to convert the court back into a tennis court if pickleball interest decreases.

“That’s another reason why we did look at this area because it was kind of secluded,” Gordon said. “You’re already in a secluded area. There’s additional parking here at this location as well as there’s already noise coming from the pool.”

Five hundred forty-five Highland Park residents have been issued a tennis permit for 2023. With the addition of pickleball striping at Fairfax Park, pickleball reservations in the town increased more than 145% from 2021 to 2022, with a total of 6,408 reservations in 2022. There have been 5,340 pickleball reservations so far in 2023.

A town review of tennis court reservations revealed that the Prather Park tennis court had the least number of reservations over the last three years, indicating it’s the least used court. 

The project is estimated at $650,000, funds are budgeted in Phase I of the Hackberry Creek project proposed to be constructed in 2025.

“(Tennis Court #1) is kind of a specialty project housed within the overall Hackberry Creek master plan and improvements,” Gordon said. 

In other news, during its Aug. 15 meeting and study session, the Town Council:

• Proclaimed September 2023 as Library Card Sign-up Month.
• Reviewed and discussed a proposal to set a preliminary property tax rate of $0.220530 per $100 of assessed value.
• Reviewed and discussed conceptual plans and timeline for Lakeside Park improvements.
• Reviewed and discussed the continuation of an interlocal agreement with Highland Park ISD to provide funding for School Based Law Enforcement officers at Armstrong and Bradfield Elementary Schools.
• Reviewed and discussed awarding the town’s employee health insurance plan for fiscal year 2023-2024 for medical, dental, and vision insurance plan to Cigna.
• Reviewed, discussed, and approved a resolution denying the rate change proposed by Oncor Electric Delivery Company.
• Reviewed, discussed, and approved the designation of Steve Alexander, director of administrative services and CFO for the town of Highland Park, as acting town administrator in the event of Tobin Maples’ absence. If Alexander is unavailable, the director of public safety will step in.
• Reviewed and discussed the proposed combined operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2023-2024.