Council to consider $290,400 Musco lighting contract for Evergreen courts; plan includes pickleball conversion and user‑activated lights

Recreation & Parks Director Jeff Betts asked the council to authorize the city manager to execute a Musco Sports Lighting contract for the Evergreen tennis courts as part of a larger grant‑funded project to upgrade playfields.

Betts said the existing lighting system dates to the 1990s and that only about half of it currently works because wiring is direct‑buried without conduit; repeated failures have forced the city to pursue a comprehensive replacement. The Musco scope would replace poles and fixtures, install seven precast foundations, 18 factory‑aimed luminaires, new conduit and a lighting cabinet with remote control. The system would include a push‑button activation so that casual users can turn lights on for scheduled hours without prior reservation, and it comes with a 25‑year maintenance guarantee covering replacement of failed luminaires.

Financing and next steps: The project sits within a larger Evergreen Playfield grant: a $350,000 Youth Athletic Facilities grant from RCO and $29,000 in capital improvements program funds were cited as revenue. The Musco contract price is $276,570; staff added a 5% construction contingency to set authorization not to exceed $290,400. Additional work (resurfacing, fence replacement, ADA parking modifications and converting a single court to three pickleball courts) will be covered by future contracts and may require further grant or CIP funding. Staff recommended adding the contract to the consent agenda for council authorization on April 2.

Council Q&A and concerns: Council members asked whether the full project will exceed current available budget (staff said additional phases will require more funding and estimates for fencing and surfacing will be refreshed during bidding), whether other grants remain available (tiny tennis‑specific grants exist but are limited), and whether pickleball noise was being considered (staff said the site is forested, mitigation like vegetation or quieter paddles can be considered). Council also clarified that push‑button lighting would allow activation during scheduled hours up until the programmed cutoff (staff suggested 10:30 p.m.) and that the system can be programmed to remain on for casual users and for rentals.

What happens next: Staff recommended council vote to authorize the city manager to execute the Musco Sports Lighting LLC contract in a form approved by legal counsel in an amount not to exceed $290,400 and to place it on the April consent calendar. No formal vote occurred at the study session.