Boulder parks director says city will move ahead with Hogan-Pancost tennis project
Ali Rhodes said the city would not pause the project and that a botanic garden could be considered as a complementary use.
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Parks and Recreation Director Ali Rhodes said Boulder will move ahead with the Hogan-Pancost tennis-court project, rejecting a request for a moratorium at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s Oct. 26 meeting. She said a botanic garden could also be considered as a complementary use, Rhodes told the board.
Rhodes said the city’s levels-of-service analysis indicates a community need for tennis courts. She also pointed to fewer courts and pools offered by private providers and said Hogan-Pancost is one of the few places where the city could add courts. During public comment, Alia Gondur said Boulder’s wheelchair tennis program ended after the Rocky Mountain Tennis Center closed, leaving wheelchair players with few options.
Rhodes said a botanic garden could complement areas being considered for wetlands and stormwater detention. Asked whether the city could reject the moratorium request while leaving room to develop the garden proposal, she agreed. The board took no vote on the project during the informational discussion.
Public commenters Catherine Sunball and Margaret Lakompt raised Northern Cheyenne cultural and historical significance. Sunball cited a historic photograph and oral accounts associating the area with Cheyenne history. Lakompt said Cheyenne people had used and inhabited the property for millennia and questioned whether the city’s ethnographic report included authenticated Cheyenne input.
Rhodes said she would follow up with Sunball and Lakompt. She said a request for a quiet place for reflection could be included in 2027 tribal consultations if the city’s tribal partners identified it as an official interest.