Is there an update on the pickleball courts scheduled for installation at Johnstone Park?
This project, approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond Election, includes the modification of two existing tennis courts at Johnstone Park, next to the Richard Kane YMCA, to allow indoor tennis and pickleball play. The courts will be enclosed with a steel structure designed for future expansion of the indoor space.
The project is currently slated for year two of the three-year GO Bond. The City expects to receive funds on the first tranche sometime this spring, so it is likely funds for the tennis court/pickleball project will be available late this calendar year or early 2023.
Strategic plan, ARPA funds not connected
Is the Bartlesville Comprehensive Strategic Plan in place to spend funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021?
The Comprehensive Strategic Plan, which will get underway later this month, is not being conducted for the purpose of spending American Rescue Plan Act funds, nor was money for the plan itself taken from ARPA funds. However, there is approximately $2.8 million in ARPA funds that the City will receive which has not yet been allocated. How this money is spent will ultimately be determined by the City Council, which, I suppose, could allocate funding for a project or projects identified in the strategic plan. So while there is no obvious connection between the two, one cannot definitively rule out a potential connection in the future.