Dig out your basketball and lace up your Converse because it looks like this time the dilapidated courts at Manhattan Beach are finally going to get a facelift.
It may still be awhile before you can drive the lane without busting an ankle on the cracked asphalt, but the money needed to repave and install new hoops at the long dormant basketball courts near Mackenzie Street has been allocated and the Parks Department will soon start convening a scoping session.
Charles Kahn, chief of staff for City Councilmember Mike Nelson, made the announcement last week at a meeting of the Manhattan Beach Neighborhood Association held at P.S. 195 on Irwin Street.
According to Kahn, $100,000 has been allocated from the city budget to take care of the restoration of the Manhattan Beach basketball courts while another $200,000 has been earmarked to bring the rest of the park up to “operating capacity.”
The announcement came as happy news to MBNA President Alan Ditchek, who called Manhattan Beach’s park facilities a “wonderful resource that is “vital to our children.”
Parks Department spokesperson Phil Abramson confirmed this week that the city will hold a scoping meeting with staff and the community within the next two months to determine exactly how to proceed with the restoration project.
After that, a contractor will be secured and the work can begin. The Parks Department declined to give a specific timeline when the entire work might be completed.
Nelson also secured another $300 for P.S. 195’s new media center, and when contacted this week Kahn insisted that the Manhattan Beach dog run would also soon be relocated to another area of the park away from Oriental Boulevard.
Last year the councilman allocated $125,000 to have the popular dog run relocated after complaints about too much noise from pets and dog owners.
Both those who utilize the dog run and those who play tennis on the courts near where the dog run will supposedly be relocated oppose the move.
