Karina Andrew reports from the Oak Harbor City Council meeting on Tue., Apr. 19, 2022.
By a narrow margin, Oak Harbor City Council approved an agreement with the Oak Harbor School District to provide two additional pickleball courts in a city park.
During a council meeting Tuesday, a motion to approve Mayor Bob Severns to sign the memorandum of understanding with the district barely scraped by with a 4-3 vote, with opposing council members Shane Hoffmire, Eric Marshall and Dan Evans citing concerns with the wording of the agreement as the reasons for their nay votes.
They Said It
[Councilmember Eric] Marshall questioned why the city should bear the responsibility for the courts’ maintenance and repairs, as delineated in the memorandum.
“If it is a school district facility, and the school district is going to be using it and has first priority to use it during school hours, then I would think it’d be reasonable for them to share in some of that cost of maintenance,” he said.
Marshall was also concerned about putting $50,000 into a court that would not be the property of the city, especially given the memorandum’s provision that either party could withdraw from the agreement for any reason.
“The school district could just change their mind after we invest $50,000 and say, ‘No, we’re not going to allow you to use it any longer,’” he said.
[Councilmember Shane] Hoffmire voiced an additional concern that the school district might sign another agreement with an institution other than the city, such as a recreational pickleball league, and give the latter entity priority over other residents.
