Sand Court Volleyball Gets Bounced at Park Board

There won't be sand court volleyball at Moorland Park after costs that continued to exceed the budget and a litany of other concerns left the Park Board with no reason to fund it.

The . Fuel and transportation were likely behind the initial estimate $10,600. Parks Director Craig Anderson looked into alternatives to bring costs down like having the city's own trucks transport the material, but he told the board it would require 38 trips.

"We looked at this option, but soon realized that we really wouldn't recoup any costs," Anderson said. He explained that a lower estimate from another supplier was still $3,400 over budget, but if the board still wanted to pursue it, additional money from the park dedication or landfill funds could be used.

However, several on the board questioned what the interest would be, as the initial reason the court would be installed came from the now-defunct Teen Advisory Board (TAB). The TAB was also formed in part to provide funding for such projects.

"This was based on an interest survey they did, and now that they've disbanded, the leftover funds have been disbursed to other nonprofits," Anderson explained.

In addition, board members saw little interest in a single court, especially if a pavilion were not already in the park; concerns over vandalism and maintenance over time also sunk the project, which would have been installed this year.