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The Valley Grande City Council is discussing upgrades to the city’s park that would install new tennis courts and expand the current concession stand and bathrooms to include a second level for a press box.

Mayor Wayne Labbe said the city has received a $250,000 grant, and he sought direction from the council to see how many tennis courts they would like to see installed at park behind the walking trail.

Council members approved getting plans drawn up for up to six tennis courts on the property.

Labbe said the area they have designated for the tennis courts would likely only handle about five or six courts with some stands for spectators to sit, and the grant designates that you need to build about five to six courts.

Now, the town will spend about $5,000 to $6,000 to have an architect draw up plans for the project. Once the plans are drawn, the town will see how much that project will cost.

Several members had asked about the possibility of using part of the area for pickle ball courts. Labbe said the town could go back after the project was completed and draw lines for pickle ball on the courts so that they could serve a dual purpose.

Press box

Council members agreed to put its project for rebuilding the concession stand, upgrading the bathrooms and adding a second floor that would serve as a press box for the fields.

Labbe said the press box would be used to house the scoreboard controller and a sound system to allow batters to hear their names called during a game.

The plans call for using the concrete slab for the current concession stand, expand the footprint of the building to accommodate the expansion.

Currently, the town has about $740,000 in capital outlay funds allocated for the project. Some of the council members questioned whether the money could be better spent in other areas.

“I would like to see the $740,000 used for the municipal building we are talking about,” said Councilwoman Jane Harris. “I don’t think our numbers in the city leagues justifies spending this much on this one building.”

However, others felt like this would make the park more attractive for families for them to bring their kids for park-league ball.

Labbe also said he has plans for the municipal building that would well exceed the budget for this project, as he proposed seeing a building built with a couple of basketball courts where local children could participate in youth basketball.

Labbe said if the bids come back out of budget, they could reject the bids and reallocate the money for another project.

In other business, the city is still waiting to hear back on the community center bids.

The council will meet again on Monday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m.