Woodstock to spend nearly $1M on tennis, pickleball courts after change order, error

Woodstock’s new pickleball courts at Emricson Park are scheduled to have lighting and black fencing after the city approved a change order.

In October, the city approved a roughly $750,000 contract with DK Contractors, Inc., based in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, to redo the tennis courts at Emricson and Olson parks in Woodstock. Some of the tennis courts are being converted to pickleball courts at both parks as part of the work.

The new lighting and fencing will cost the city an extra $127,000. The city has $40,000 worth of silver fencing on hand that was purchased for the courts but not used. Lighting was not included in the original plans for Emricson’s pickleball courts, but city officials agreed it was needed. As for the fencing, officials said silver fencing, rather than black, was ordered mistakenly.

Councilmembers Melissa McMahon and Tom Nierman voted against the fencing.

The lighting will set the city back $75,000 and the fencing $52,000. The funds are coming from a lighting and fence improvement fund, and officials are deferring other projects to pay for this one, according to city documents.

Emricson’s north tennis courts will be converted to eight pickleball courts, while the south courts will still be used as tennis courts. Olson Park will have two new pickleball courts and a tennis court, according to renderings.

Nierman said he had no issue with the lighting, but opposed the fencing, calling it an “extra chunk of money we don’t need to spend.”

“I’m a no on the fence portion,” Nierman said.

Christina Betz, executive director of operations at the city, said there would be an extra labor cost, but wasn’t sure what that cost would be.

McMahon asked if the lighting vote and fencing vote could be separate.

“I do agree with the lights,” McMahon said, adding the lighting “should have been a no-brainer.”

As for the fencing mishap, McMahon later asked city officials, “Did you not question it, then?” when the bill came in at $12,000 less with the silver fence. Betz said silver fencing was ordered and came with the bid.

But, according to city documents, “In an effort to enhance the overall appeal of the new tennis and pickle ball courts, it was determined after a contract had been awarded, that using black fencing on all tennis and pickle ball courts (Emricson South court, Emricson North court, and Olson Park court) would improve the overall appearance, look and feel of the new courts.”

Mayor Mike Turner said it was an error and city councilmember Darrin Flynn said it was a staff member who doesn’t work for the city anymore who made the error.

Council member Bob Seegers asked if the city could paint or spraypaint the fence.

“If the answer is no, I accept that,” Seegers said. City staff said it wasn’t an option. Seegers asked if the city could store the fence until it’s time to put it up so it doesn’t get corroded to which officials said yes.

City documents indicate and city officials confirmed the contractor wouldn’t take back the silver fence. City documents recommended repurposing the silver fence for other uses including “creating a secured outdoor storage area near the new Parks Storage and Maintenance building in Emricson Park, replacing aging fencing at Donovan Yard, creating a dumpster enclosure at Davis Road Park, and/or replacing fencing around the baseball field at Prairie Ridge Park.”

The $40,000 of unused silver fencing “will get repurposed at some point,” Turner said.

“The [$40,000] is spent but not lost. Is that fair?” he asked city staff, which they said it was.