Fencing approved for playing surfaces in Howard

By Kevin Boneske

Staff Writer

HOWARD – A motion to award fencing projects to Fortress Fence for $105,478 for the pickleball courts at Meadowbrook Park and for two mini ball diamonds at the Nouryon Sports Complex was approved April 26 by the village board.

Public Works Director Geoff Farr said the board budgeted $90,000 in 2021 for the fencing with the Howard Suamico Youth Sports Association offering to contribute $25,000 toward the mini diamond project.

“Unfortunately, as part of the project, the prices are a bit higher,” he said. “There was some backstop fencing that needed to be included in the project.”

To offset the extra cost for the fencing, Farr said staff proposed reducing the number of soccer goals being purchased and replaced this year by $10,000 and also reducing the fence weed barrier for the Nouryon Sports Complex in 2021 by $5,000, thereby increasing the fencing budget to $105,000.

“Part of the cost increases really were related to steel and COVID,” he said. “There’s a lot of material shortages out there…”

Farr said the fencing work does not include dugouts, which could be considered for 2022 to build “something more substantial than just chain-link fence around.”

“We’d put some wooden walls up with a steel roof – probably not go to the extent that we currently have with concrete foundations out there at the sports complex, but something that’s a nice kind of a balance between that and a chain-link surround,” he said.

Farr said Fortress Fence was the only company to bid on the projects.

“We actually contacted as many chain-link fence companies as we could, and they all declined, saying, ‘Geez, this is not our cup of tea, and the prices are changing too quickly, we don’t want to get involved,’” he said.

Farr said Fortress Fence is a local company, which completed work for the village in the past.

When asked whether fencing was needed around the pickleball courts, given the distance the balls could travel off the courts, Farr said it was requested and is desirable to have, not only for reducing the effort to play but also for preventing unintended activities, such as bicyclists riding on the courts.

“(Fencing) keeps the spectators at bay, it creates a little bit of extra safety and traps those balls…,” he said. “Certainly, this is desired by the pickleball community, this was budgeted and I think a good project, and it’s a reasonable price at this time.”