The Town of Lake Placid will move ahead with construction of eight pickleball courts at Lake June Park, with the project expected to cost the town and its funding partners at least $747,553. The Town Council voted Sept. 14 to award a $639,135 construction contract to Investment Anchor Group. The town also expects to spend up to $8,000 for a construction project manager and $2,500 for a traffic study. Another $97,918 has already been spent on the project.
Nearly $500,000 of the project cost is expected to come from outside funding — $200,000 from the state and $299,274 from Highlands County. The remainder will be the town’s responsibility.
The vote came after Councilwoman Joy Eberhardt made a motion to abandon the project and Councilman Greg Sapp seconded but ultimately the motion failed. The council then approved the construction contract by the same margin, with Eberhardt opposed.
The contract was awarded after the town went back out for bids. A previous solicitation produced only one bid, which the town rejected. The revised invitation issued Aug. 28 removed a previous $610,000 cap on the construction portion of the project. Three companies submitted bids Sept. 10. Investment Anchor Group bid $639,135, followed by Cobb Site Development at $727,401.99 and Legacy Sports Construction at $750,960.
Investment Anchor’s bid did raise questions, particularly over its proposed lighting system. The company proposed a different system from the one included in the town’s engineered plans, including different fixtures, pole heights and pole counts. Town Attorney Mike Durham told the council it needed to determine whether the substitution was an allowable alternative or a material deviation from the bid specifications.
The council ultimately voted to accept Investment Anchor’s bid.
The financial side of the project was a significant part of the discussion. Mayor Colleen Charles pointed out that the town is facing several large expenditures, including roughly $1.38 million still owed on the police department project before the end of the year, another $163,000 recently approved and about $340,000 for a garbage truck. Charles acknowledged that the town will have to manage the timing of those expenses against incoming revenue and reimbursements. She also asked Highlands County Commissioner-elect Frank Youngman to help move the county’s $299,274 reimbursement along.
The pickleball project has been debated for years, including questions about whether Lake June Park is the right location and whether the town should take on another recreational facility. After the vote, Charles acknowledged the division surrounding the project and urged residents to move past it. “This is not about I told you so or it won’t work or anything,” Charles said. “This is really to take an amenity for the town, for the greater Lake Placid area of a popular sport and let’s all get along.”
“The decision is made. We’re moving on,” Charles said after the council approved the contract. “We’re going to have some beautiful courts down there.”
Investment Anchor expects substantial completion of the project in February 2027.
