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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 25, 2025 10 Councilmember Monson asked Staff s opinion on trying to find a different use for that court space. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said it is a fine idea. Logistically we would have to do a public engagement event. If we were to keep this on track to build next year, we would need to start that process soon. We generally are bidding projects by the January/February timeframe. Councilmember Weber asked Staff s opinion on what budget impact installing a field would have. Would we have to add drainage to the soccer field? Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen he heard fenced in soccer. Councilmember Weber asked if making that change would improve the budget situation. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said striping on the hard court would have a similar cost. Councilmember Weber said it's just getting repaved. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen confirmed. If Council is focusing on there being a different use there. Councilmember Weber asked if Councilmember Monson was referring to a hard court. Councilmember Monson was referring to a hard court. She doesn't know what could be done. There would have to be some research. Councilmember Weber interpreted it to be grass surface and a removal of the hard court. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen has seen videos of mini nets and mini courts, where they can kick the ball off the fence. Mayor Grant said it is a three-quarter court. It certainly isn't regulation size. Maybe it should be similar to Ingerson where you have one half court basketball. One thing he noticed is the play structure is nice. The soccer grass area is kind of marshy and not so great. The shelter is nice. Where can someone go throw a frisbee or baseball, other than the soggy soccer area? If we made that a half court, there would be some green grass area to recreate. Councilmember Rousseau wants to keep this as is. She is in favor of Staff doing the outreach. She understands Staff s time and resource constraints, but she would want to hear from the community members there. Councilmember Monson said if there is a good idea, she would love to repurpose that area to something the residents want. Realistically, if we can't get that outreach completed, maybe we have to push that one to 2027 and do something else in 2026. If we repave the area for something that the community isn't heavily using seems like a missed opportunity to give them something they will actually use. We are functioning under the assumption that those residents don't use the basketball court very much. She doesn't know if that is true.