The long-discussed Lake June Park pickleball court project is back before the Lake Placid Town Council, but tonight’s vote is not a final decision to build the courts. Instead, council members will be asked to approve another step in the process: spending $6,000 with Kimley-Horn for bid support services so the town can seek actual construction bids for the Lake June Park pickleball courts.
The item is listed on the June 8 Town Council agenda as “Lake June Park Pickleball Courts Project — Authorization for Kimley-Horn Bid Support Services.” According to the agenda packet, Kimley-Horn would assist the town with preparing bid documents and specifications, responding to contractor questions during the bidding process, issuing addenda if needed and helping with bid review and award recommendations.
Town staff says the project has received its Southwest Florida Water Management District approval letter and permit and is ready to move into procurement. Because the town does not have an engineer on staff, the agenda packet says outside engineering support is important to make sure the bid documents are accurate, contractor questions are handled properly and the town’s interests are protected during the process.
The bigger question, however, remains cost.
The agenda packet states the town has already spent $63,686.55 on the pickleball project. That figure does not include legal fees or staff time.
Staff also received a proposal for an additional traffic study at a cost of $4,500, which the packet says is required by Highlands County. However, staff is recommending that the town hold off on that expense until construction bids are received and the overall project cost can be evaluated. That means Monday’s vote is essentially about whether the town should spend another $6,000 to get the project to the bidding stage and find out what the market price actually is.
The pickleball courts have been discussed for years as part of improvements at Lake June Park, and supporters have pointed to the growing popularity of the sport, the recreational benefit to residents and the potential for tournament play. But the project has also drawn questions about cost, timing and town finances.
At the May 11 Town Council meeting, Council Member Joy Eberhardt expressed concerns about the increasing cost of the project, the town’s financial position, reserve levels, possible borrowing needs, ongoing capital projects and whether the project could be completed within grant deadlines. During that same meeting, Eberhardt made a motion to abandon the Lake June Park pickleball court project. The motion failed for lack of a second.
Ath the May 11 Town Council meeting, council voted to direct staff to obtain written verification from Highlands County confirming that proposed project modifications would not require a grant amendment and, once that verification was received, proceed with publication of a request for proposals. The June 8 agenda packet includes correspondence from Highlands County Parks and Facilities Director Brandon Gunn stating that a decreased project scope due to budget constraints is permissible, as long as the intent of the approved application and interlocal agreement is met.
That clarification appears to keep the project moving, but it does not answer the central question: how much will the pickleball courts actually cost to build?
The town’s current financial report lists $699,274 budgeted under cultural services capital for Lake June, with only a small portion spent so far in the current fiscal year. The project has also involved grant funding, including Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program and county recreation funding, but the town still needs bids before council can decide whether the project is financially realistic.
For now, the issue before council is narrow but important.
Approving the Kimley-Horn proposal would not authorize construction of the pickleball courts. It would authorize staff to move forward with procurement activities and get bids.
Those bids would give council the information it needs to decide whether to build the courts, reduce the scope or walk away from the project.
The Lake Placid Town Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the Town of Lake Placid Government Center, 1069 U.S. Highway 27 N.
The meeting is also streamed on the town’s youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@lakeplacidflgov7268
