Council promises racquetball courts after hearing from wallyball club

The Fairfield City Council has promised to include racquetball courts in the $10 million project to build a new indoor gymnasium.

The council voted 6-0 in favor of a motion stating the existing racquetball courts would either be left alone or rebuilt elsewhere as part of the indoor gym project. The councilors who voted in favor were Michael Halley, Jessica Ledger-Kalen, Daryn Hamilton, Martha Rasmussen, John Revolinski and Doug Flournoy. Tony Hammes was absent.

The councilors cast their votes after hearing a plea from members of the wallyball club that uses the racquetball courts in the Roosevelt Community Recreation Center. Wallyball club member Eric Stakland presented the council with a few concept drawings of his own that would preserve the racquetball courts in their current location when the indoor gym is added.

The drawings show a hallway west of the three racquetball courts that would connect the fitness center to the north to the indoor pool to the south, with the new gym on the west side of the hallway. In one of the drawings, the main entrance to the new gym would be on the north side, west of the former school.

Halley said he was glad Stakland and the wallyball club took the initiative to create their own drawings for the proposed indoor gym. He said he frequently sees people using the racquetball courts for racquetball, wallyball and other things such as gymnastics.

Halley said a few things about their design would have to be checked with an architect or engineer, such as the fact that moving the indoor gym to the west would require more earth moving since the ground slops down on the west side of the block. He also mentioned the potential problems caused by having a small building abut a large building because the small building?s roof would collect much snow.

Mayor Ed Malloy suggested the council do something to show its commitment to preserving the racquetball courts, which prompted Halley?s motion to make racquetball courts part of the indoor gym plan. Flournoy suggested the motion should stipulate the racquetball courts will be included in the $10 million project ? whether they?re left alone or rebuilt elsewhere on the grounds. The council adopted Halley?s motion with Flournoy?s amendment.