Court debates tennis‑court grant timeline, capital planning and facility repairs ahead of budget

Scott County Fiscal Court used a budget discussion on May 2025 to review a pending Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant application for Brooking Park tennis courts and other capital and facility needs.

County staff said a LWCF grant application to resurface and light the Brooking Park tennis courts would take 12 to 18 months for a National Park Service decision. The county currently has set aside funding in the draft budget (staff cited $350,000 in the draft) as a local match and is considering leaving that appropriation in place while adding planning and professional services funds to develop a collaborative capital plan with the city.

One court member said holding $250,000 to $350,000 in the capital budget and dedicating additional funds for architecture and planning (the court discussed adding about $100,000–$200,000 for planning services) would allow the county to proceed with design and public engagement while the federal grant decision is pending. Members also discussed renaming the budget line to a broader “capital projects/professional services” category to increase flexibility.

Separately, court members discussed adding a backup diesel generator at the sheriff’s office to provide whole‑building power and to support a storm‑shelter/command capability. County staff said a 500 kW diesel generator alone is about $190,000 through a Sourcewell procurement; installation, concrete pad and electrical work would add to the cost and an electrical engineer/design would be required. Court members asked whether any low‑cost preparatory work could be done while interior construction finishes, and staff advised that separate procurement would likely be more appropriate than adding the generator to the current construction contract.

The court also agreed to include $25,000 in the budget to repair decking and secure openings at the Coroner’s building as recommended by the coroner.

Members agreed to return with a more formal capital plan and refined cost estimates for the generator and architectural services before finalizing the budget.