City Council approves contractor for pickleball, parking lot expansion project

NOVI — New pickleball courts and parking lots will soon be seen at Meadowbrook Commons and Wildlife Woods Park.

The Novi City Council voted unanimously Feb. 12 to approve a contract valued at more than $1 million with T&M Asphalt Paving Inc.

Four pickleball courts will be added at each location — these will be the first four pickleball courts at Meadowbrook Commons, while there are four existing courts at Wildlife Woods — along with benches, shade canopies, stairs and/or walkways to the parking areas. The project also includes the expansion of existing parking lots, as both Meadowbrook Commons and Wildlife Woods had a need for additional parking spaces.

The construction is anticipated to start in the spring — but depends on the weather — and should last approximately three months. Part of the funding for the project stems from a $150,000 grant from Oakland County, which uses the county’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, for the development of pickleball courts at Meadowbrook Commons.

The total cost of the project will be $1,116,150.75. The money for the Wildlife Woods courts will come from the city’s capital improvements fund. The rest of the money for the Meadowbrook Commons courts will come from the senior housing fund.

Wildlife Woods Park will be closed during construction. City Manager Victor Cardenas said that the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department has blocked shelter rentals and is not scheduling any pickleball programs on existing courts due to the extent of the upcoming construction.

A temporary restroom has been incorporated into the construction plans at the Meadowbrook Commons site. If needed, a permanent restroom will be constructed at a later date, Cardenas said.

Upon hearing that the project was expected to last for most of the duration of the pickleball season, Council member Dave Staudt questioned the timing of the project.

“Why aren’t we doing this at the end of the summer, as opposed to doing it during the maximum-use period?” Staudt asked. “We’re going to shut down the only pickleball courts we have in the city that are public during May, June and July.”

Jeff Muck, the director of Novi’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department, said the city has had a lot of requests for the pickleball courts and, therefore, officials wanted to get them done as quickly as possible. Muck said they also want to get ahead on the contractor’s schedules so that the project is prioritized.

“We want to be on their books so that we can get this project going and not risk any further delays or their schedules booking up later into the summer or into the fall,” he said.

Staudt said the city should consider starting the project in August and working through October so that people can use the existing courts for the majority of the pickleball season.

“I’d like to have a much clearer idea of (why we’re) shutting down a major park, a major amenity in our city, in the prime season,” Staudt said. He suggested that the city not close all the courts at once and instead work on each project separately.

Mayor Justin Fischer and Mayor Pro Tem Laura Marie Casey concurred.

“I understand the efficiency of getting it all done at once, but I think the point about shutting down Wildlife Woods and eliminating the use of those pickleball courts during the summer is a wise one,” Casey said. “Do Meadowbrook Commons first and then, hopefully, by August or September, then you can go tackle Wildlife Woods Park. That would be my strong preference.”

“Anything we can do to keep a couple of these open is probably in the best interest and kind of the direction that I think of where council’s going,” said Fischer.

Muck said they would have that discussion with the contractor in a couple of weeks, and he hopes to do the Meadowbrook Commons courts first and then do the Wildlife Woods courts in the late summer.