Palm Springs Pickleball Project: The City of Palm Springs will delay building new pickleball courts at Demuth Park after all qualified bids for the $6.1 million project came in over budget. The project must now go through a new bidding process, pushing the start of construction possibly to later this year.
Bids Too High for Budget
During the Palm Springs Parks and Recreation Commission’s monthly meeting on Monday, officials said that while 10 bids were received, only one was qualified. That bid was the third-lowest and came in about $700,000 over the city’s set budget.
“Unfortunately, the two lowest bidders weren’t qualified, and so we had to go with the third lowest bidder, which is way over the budget for this project,” said Nicholas Gonzalez, Parks and Recreation Director. The city decided not to pay the extra cost. Nicholas Gonzalez said the city must be careful with money.
“To ensure that we deliver a really good project based on all of the community feedback, we are recommending that we reject all the bids and start over.” – (Nicholas Gonzalez)
What Happens Next
The city’s engineering division will officially reject the bids during the Palm Springs City Council meeting on May 28. A new bidding process will start on June 1. Vendors will have 30 days to send in new bids.
Because the City Council takes a break in August, the project might not come back to the Council for final approval until September. If approved, construction could begin soon after and take about eight months.
“As soon as we would award a contract at that first or second council meeting in September, we would want to mobilize as quickly as we can,” a city official explained.
Temporary Courts and Community Input
Until the new courts are built, the Parks and Recreation Department is working with College of the Desert to offer temporary pickleball courts. These were approved at the City Council’s May 14 meeting. Nicholas Gonzalez said they “should come in under projected costs” since most of the money will go toward fixing the courts.
Despite the delay, city officials say they still plan to build the project as promised. They decided not to cut parts of the plan, such as security cameras, seating, or shade structures. The city will update the project website soon and meet again with the pickleball ad hoc committee to review ideas and timelines.
News in Brief: Palm Springs Pickleball Project
Palm Springs must restart bidding for its $6.1 million Demuth Park pickleball court project after all qualified bids exceeded the budget. Officials will seek new bids in June, possibly delaying construction until fall. Temporary courts at College of the Desert will be used in the meantime to meet local demand.
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