A growing legion of Pickleball devotees in Ocean City may have to wait a bit longer to find a permanent venue on the island.
The lone bid on construction of outdoor courts in Ocean City was opened on Thursday and came in at $604,864.75.
The city had dedicated only $250,000 for the work in a $79.6 million five-year capital plan approved in March.
Fred M. Schiavone Construction Inc. of Malaga, N.J. — the contractor for two phases of Ocean City Boardwalk reconstruction and for the new Welcome Center on the Route 52 causeway — was the only bidder.
The city had asked for bids on converting part of an existing parking lot at Shelter Road and Tennessee Avenue (near the Recycling Center and Humane Society) into five Pickleball courts with fencing and a windbreak system. The specifications also asked for the bids to include the replacement of the artificial grass surface on the six tennis courts (40,000 square feet) at the Ocean City Intermediate School.
The bid breakdown (see detail) includes $418,000 for the tennis court surface alone.
The other part of the bid included $186,874.75 for the work on the Pickleball courts at Shelter Road. Schiavone submitted an alternate bid of $29,785 to resurface and equip five Pickleball courts that exist on a roughly paved area outside the Intermediate School.
Ocean City Business Administrator Jim Mallon said Monday that the city administration is still working with City Council on an alternate plan, and he was unable to comment further.
When City Council approved the solicitation of bids on May 15, Mallon had said he was hopeful that the project could be completed before the end of summer.
Pickleball is a tennis-like game played on a smaller court with a whiffle ball and a solid paddle. Because the game is easy to learn (and fun to master) and does not require covering a lot of ground, it is increasingly popular with players of all ages. A group of more than 100 players has been finding playing time indoors at the Ocean City Sports and Civic Center and outdoors at the Intermediate School.
Read more: Ocean City Opens Bidding Process for Pickleball Courts
