Parks director urges partial replacement or reconfiguration of Oak Island courts; playgrounds need phased funding

Jamie Polley, director of parks, told the Capital Improvement Projects Committee on July 17 that Oak Island’s six tennis courts show large cracks and settling and require either a full $175,000 replacement or an alternative configuration. Polley outlined options including reducing the site to four or two courts, temporarily patching hazards this year, or converting space to additional pickleball courts to meet community demand.

Polley said the city recently gained new school courts and that community use patterns mean all six courts may no longer be necessary. “We could very easily go down to 4 courts or 2 courts… We could fit 12 pickleball courts there,” she said, adding that the city plans temporary gravel work this year to avoid ankle‑injury hazards.

Polley also described two playgrounds that are past their useful life and a Sylvan Hill parking lot that is deteriorating such that seasonal use and rentals are affected. She recommended a minimum playground replacement budget of $75,000 for neighborhood playgrounds and $125,000 for larger sites, and suggested sequencing replacements over two years if funding is constrained.

Committee members recommended pursuing grant opportunities and community foundation help to offset costs and discussed whether public works crews could perform some work in‑house depending on workload. The Parks director said many playgrounds had previously been funded with Community Development Block Grant money but the two sites in question do not meet that eligibility.

No formal funding action was taken on parks items at the meeting; the committee’s final CIP recommendation (approved that day) leaves some parks projects below the red line but directs staff to pursue alternative funding for high‑priority local maintenance.