City hopes to have pickleball courts open next summer

Bubbling can be seen under the green paint at one of the pickleball courts in Victory Park in Fort Madison. City officials are communicating with the contractor hired by Fort Madison Pickleball Association to repair the blemishes on the court. The courts are currently closed, likely until next summer.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

NOT GOOD

I will say that we’re not better now with the four that we’re painted than we were before they came on July 13.”

Mark Bousselot, Fort Madison Public Works Director

FORT MADISON – The square footage that makes up the courts area at Victory Park could very well be cursed.
The park, with it’s almost brand new six-court pickleball facility, is in deep with another quality issue which has shuttered play since July 13. The courts were officially opened on July 16, 2023 at a cost of about $300,000.
For the past 25 years, even going back to the tennis courts that used to be at that location, surface issues and poor quality improvements have left residents with either lackluster facilities, or no facilities at all.
On Tuesday morning, Fort Madison Public Works Director Mark Bousselot and City Manager Laura Liegois said the city is waiting for two parties who are engaging to get the problems resolved. However, they both realize that at some point the city is going to have to act.
Bousselot said he had to be careful in his comments because the issue could end up in front of judge.
“I’m probably going to be vague because at some point there could be legal action,” he said.
The issues focus on some paint bubbling that has occurred on the courts due to some paint and primer issues. The courts were built under contracts between Fort Madison Pickleball Association, who then gifted the courts to the city and Myers Construction out of Sperry. Myers then subcontracted the work to a vendor Pro Track and Tennis of Nebraska, to have the paint work done.
The city did in-kind surface preparation work for the project.
Bousselot said when the courts were finished there was a paint issue and everyone started noticing bubbles on the court.
Bousselot said the contract Myers had with FMPA has been satisfied, but Justin Myers has been working in good faith to try and resolve the issue on behalf of the city. Bousselot said there is an issue between what Myers and the City of Fort Madison are saying to the painter, and what the painter is saying the issue is from their perspective.
An original repair was scheduled for this summer and when the paint company arrived in Fort Madison their paperwork showed two tennis courts, not six pickleball courts. The city shut the courts down on July 13 and turned it over to the painter. 
“When the painter showed up the paperwork showed two tennis courts. They were coming to paint two tennis courts. If you think about it you can play pickleball court sideways on half a tennis court, so they probably brought enough material to do two tennis courts and when they got here the guy was perturbed that it was six pickleball courts, realizing he was going to be short on paint,” Bousselot said.
Pro Track & Tennis had to take the surfaces back down to the concrete because they were concerned that it was a combination of primer, surface material and paint issues.
“They did that and then repainted the four courts, and during the course of ordering more paint for the final two courts the paint started bubbling again,” Bousselot said.
“So they pumped the brakes and waited a little bit, and then they went home."
Pictures of the court show several spots where bubbling has occurred in the new painting, but also show that not all of the surface has been removed and paint is still visible.
"So you can speculate that that could be part of the recurring bubbling issues,” he said.
Bousselot said Myers is still documenting conversations and working with the painter to get the issue resolved. But Bousselot and Liegois said at some point the city’s going to have to set a deadline.
Liegois said it’s a huge quality of life issue in the city. She said they are waiting on response from the latest communication sent from Myers to the painters on Sept. 25.
“There does come a point, and I think this recent correspondence between the painter and the contractor is what we need, and then it’s going to be a ‘here’s where we’re at,” she said.
Bousselot said the city likely won’t get a resolution and painting done before the outdoor pickleball season ends.
“I would like to see something continue to happen over the course (of the seasonal change) so that maybe in April or May we can get the courts repainted,” he said.
Liegois said if the contract were in the city’s name there would be more they could do. She said if push comes to shove, she may come to council to get it funded, but then they have to revisit other projects without that money.
Bousselot said that it would appear all six courts will need to be repainted again.
“I will say that we’re not better now with the four that we’re repainted than we were before they came on July 13,” he said.
Liegois said the city will wait on the correspondence response from the Sept. 25, communication, but eventually they'll have to set a deadline.
West Point recently stood up a pickleball courts in South Park and residents have been playing there, but Liegois said they shouldn’t have to go that far.
“It’s not the outlet they should have, because we have it here and they should be able to play here,” she said.
But she said since the City wasn’t on the contract working with the contractor has been a little difficult
“It’s kind of a hairy deal, but hopefully in the next 30 days we have a better answer out of this. If not, I’m going to say we need to figure it out. We need to get moving with it.”