Corte Madera launches Town Park renovation

Construction has commenced on new pickleball courts and a skatepark renovation at Corte Madera Town Park.

“We told the community we would be taking their feedback on our parks and recreation survey to heart, and we meant it,” said Mayor Eli Beckman. “Between the new pickleball courts and the rebuilt skate park, we’re about to add a whole lot more fun at Town Park, which is exactly what the community has asked for.”

The town received four bids on the project. Bauman Landscape & Construction of San Francisco won the job with a bid of $327,310.

The town increased the budget for the pickleball courts from $190,000 to $350,000 in June in part to install noise barriers to align with residents’ priorities. The move authorized Public Works Director R.J. Suokko to rebid the project after the first bids came in well over budget.

Town Park, located at 498 Tamalpais Drive, already has two pickleball courts. The outdoor hard courts have permanent lines and lights. Players must bring their own nets.

The new courts will be on a 63-foot-by-63-foot square southeast of the skatepark. The pickleball courts will have standard dimensions, 20 feet wide by 44 feet long, and lanes in between and surrounding the courts. A concrete ball wall at the site will be removed to accommodate the court area and will be rebuilt nearby.

The two new pickleball courts are scheduled to be finished in early November.

The Town Council approved the parks and recreation master plan, which is guiding the project, in October 2023.

In April, the council approved a $300,000 skatepark renovation funded by the Scotty Lapp Foundation, named for a teen who died in a skiing accident in 2022. The project will add 1,700 square feet to the skatepark, which is expected to be completed in January.

The town will contribute $30,000 to demolish and remove the skate park ramps. Fundraising is underway for the remaining amount, said Amy Lapp, founder of the organization and the boy’s mother.

A fundraiser is set for Sept. 14 at the Tiburon Yacht Club. More information is at scottylapp.org.

Town Park has had other work recently, including a six-restroom facility installed this summer. The $711,503 project included the structure, design and construction, security cameras and skylights.

The structure, located at the north end of the Corte Madera Community Center parking lot off Eastman Avenue, replaced a 800-square-foot restroom building located by the snack bar.