UPDATED: Pickleball Volley at Pugwash Commission
A few sparks flew at the Pugwash Village Commission last night.
Commissioners were asked to consider alterations and additions to the village tennis courts. The Northumberland Tennis and Pickleball Association asked for fifteen hundred dollars to repaint the basketball court, to accommodate four pickleball courts, purchase new pickleball equipment, and a storage facility.
When it became clear that the renovations had already been completed and the equipment bought, the commission balked at the expenditure.
The village clerk had authorized the group to make the changes before the commission had a chance to deal with the question.
In their pitch for support, the tennis association said, ”Our association currently has two tennis courts,” but Commissioner Kathy Redmond quickly noted the courts are the property of the village. She requested the clerk write the group reaffirming they do not own nor manage the court facilities.
Vice-Chair Roger Mundle reminded the commissioners that recreation facilities are not only for adults and that the interests of kids needed to be safeguarded.
UPDATE
At the meeting, the clerk mistakenly said the maintenance budget of 12 hundred dollars had already been spent on the courts. In an email Wednesday Lisa Betts noted that only $369 has been spent from that budget, including the pickleball line painting.
The clerk also defended her decision to approve the line painting as part of her management of the maintenance budget. However, it was pointed out at the commission meeting that the question was not about maintenance but rather the change in court usage, a policy decision normally reserved for the elected officials.
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