Travers Park trees and a tent

The city has committed to building a structure for pickleball and tennis with donated money. Their chosen location is Travers Park in the very front necessitating the removal of a number of trees and the playground. The building is not stick-built but rather, as I like to call it, a large tent (38,000 square feet). I call it a tent because the outer covering is a composite of canvas-like material and plastic. This exoskeleton has to be replaced every 20-25 years for a cost unknown to me as well as the funding source. As I recall the turf at Memorial Field has to be replaced every 10 years for about 1 million.

I understand there is controversy over the number of courts and the ability for the high school to hold sanctioned competitions. Sixteen pickleball courts don’t jive with USTA requirements.

My suggestions are as follows: Locate the tent or preferably a stick-built building at Great Northern in the northeastern corner. Modify the playground in its current location to be all-inclusive.

If the tent is built in currently-proposed location transplant the trees to the site of the new playground — pricey but doable as was done with the conifers on Fifth Avenue. In fact one could replace the dead tree on the corner of First and Cedar! And please line the courts to accommodate competition in either instance.

CARRIE LOGAN

Sandpoint