The semi-centennial celebration for the Dugan Best Recreation Center sparked new plans for construction and renovations for some of its older amenities, and City Parks officials will hold a meeting next month to accept community feedback.
Parks & Recreation Specialist Kerry Bodenheimer said they are looking into renovating the tennis courts in the park’s northeast corner.
“The existing tennis courts are actually up for resurfacing this fiscal year. So, it’s a great opportunity to look into how we can repurpose those courts. They are not heavily used by the tennis community at this time,” Bodenheimer said.
She said they do not have any ideas “on the table” and will hold a public forum on August 8 starting at 5 p.m. to learn what the community wants to add.
Some ideas mentioned at the City Commission meeting included a multisport court or a futsal court to add to the momentum of the sport at Legion Park.
Bodenheimer also noted that some interior renovations will be done to the recreation center. For example, they will redesign the mural in the gym, which has been painted for the last 15 years.
They also want to redesign the fitness gym and update the equipment in the room.
Bodenheimer said that none of the projects have a definitive plan or timeline.
“This current fiscal year will be the planning side of that project where Mike [Gray] and Andrea [Johnson] can get with the community and the users of the center for some input in the different machines that they can put in the fitness room, their different activities, what it’s going to look like. Then, build a budget and hopefully get that in the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year,” Bodenheimer said.
In addition to the renovations, the Parks department plans to continue marking the milestone anniversary by celebrating 50 years of Dugan Best throughout the year.
