Luther Burbank Park Sport Courts Renovation
This capital project has been completed. For updates about the Luther Burbank Park pickleball courts, visit www.mercerisland.gov/parksrec/page/luther-burbank-pickleball-courts.
The tennis courts at Luther Burbank Park were constructed in 1972 below grade and on top of a dense silt/clay subgrade. The subgrade has settled over the last 50 years, and the court surface has become wavy, affecting recreational play. Tree root intrusions also created extensive cracking in the asphalt surface, which was fixed with temporary patching in 2018.
The 2022 PROS Plan identified the Luther Burbank courts as a preferred location for pickleball court design, and a capital project to renovate the courts was included in the 2023-2024 Biennial Budget and Capital Improvement Program. The City also received grant funding through the King County Parks Capital and Open Space program to support this capital.
Construction started in May 2024 and included removing the existing subgrade and asphalt; paving new asphalt; and installing temporary court markings, new pickleball nets, and facility fencing. FieldTurf, the City's contractor for this project, returned in 2025 to install permanent acrylic court surfacing and finish other items. The courts are now complete and open on a first-come, first-served basis. Facility rules are posted on-site and on the City website.
This capital project has been completed. For updates about the Luther Burbank Park pickleball courts, visit www.mercerisland.gov/parksrec/page/luther-burbank-pickleball-courts.
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Construction Update for October 3
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Earlier this week, Northwest Asphalt placed the second pavement lift, and the project team conducted the flood test to check court drainage and planarity. Drainage performed as planned, but more testing is necessary to confirm court planarity.
During the flood test, the team found a few high ridges along the paving seams. Finding ridges is common for sport court paving, and there are options for correcting the ridges before the acrylic surfacing is installed in spring 2025. Next week, the team will conduct a string test, which involves pulling a string across the north/south length of the courts and walking it east/west to observe where the slope may be high or low. After the string test, staff, DA Hogan, and the construction team will identify the best correction plan.
As a reminder, the courts need to cure for a few weeks before new pickleball nets and temporary striping are installed. While the courts cure, FieldTurf will complete other items, including finishing the new perforated drain on the south edge, building the new access path, and grading the south hillside. Additionally, the contractor will make improvements to the existing gravel path that leads from the play area restrooms to the courts.
This project remains on track, and the courts are still anticipated to open for play later this month. View construction photos here.
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Construction Update for September 26
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Northwest Asphalt completed the first lift of paving on Tuesday and will return soon to correct some high and low spots, which is typical for asphalt work. Staff anticipate the second lift and flood test to confirm planarity will be completed next week. Then the new pavement will cure for a couple weeks while FieldTurf turns back to other items, including:
- Finishing the new drain pipe on the south border;
- Installing new court fencing; and
- Starting the finishing work for the south hill and new access path.
This project remains on track, and the courts are still anticipated to open for play in October. View construction photos here.
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Construction Update for September 19
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Here’s a look at progress since last week and upcoming construction activities.
Subgrade Remediation
Excavation of the existing subgrade is complete, and City staff anticipate all new subgrade material will be placed by early next week.
On Monday, the project team proof-rolled the base aggregate layer to ensure it will be strong enough to pave. A super solo dump truck hauling 10 yards of pea gravel and weighing approximately 35 tons total drove back and forth across the base while AESI assessed the impact. Only one small area needed to be strengthened after the proof roll, which is good news for the remediation work. DA Hogan inspected the base subgrade on Tuesday and approved moving forward with finishing the subgrade remediation.
Now FieldTurf is placing the final layers of rock material, which DA Hogan will inspect early next week.
New Perforated Drain Pipe for South Edge
As part of the new scope of work, FieldTurf is replacing an old drain pipe installed on the south border of the facility. The new pipe will catch groundwater draining off the hillside and help the Parks Operations team maintain the courts.
Upcoming Work: Paving and Planarity Test
Once the top subgrade layer is inspected and approved by DA Hogan, the project will move onto paving. Northwest Asphalt, the subcontractor handling paving, will install asphalt in two lifts. Following paving, the project team will conduct a flood test to confirm the planarity, or relative smoothness, of the court surface to ensure the asphalt install is consistent.
The best method for confirming court planarity is to conduct a flood test, which involves flooding the courts with 1” to 2” of water, then observing how the water drains/evaporates. If water pools in any areas, those areas are uneven and may be adjusted before construction is complete. This is a critical quality control step to ensure that the courts are constructed correctly and to avoid major repair or reconstruction needs in the future.
This project remains on track, and the courts are still anticipated to open for play in October. View construction photos here.
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Construction Update for September 12
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Excavation of the existing subgrade continued this week. FieldTurf is removing old material in sections, then backfilling with new crushed rock to build the stronger base for paving. As the contractor works from east to west, we are seeing the excavation depth to reach strong soils decrease, which City staff anticipated based on the subgrade tests performed by AESI in July. Subgrade remediation will continue through next week, weather-permitting.
This project is back on track, and the courts are currently planned to reopen for play in October. View construction photos here.
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Construction Update for September 5
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On Tuesday, September 3, the City Council authorized a budget appropriation to remediate the failing subgrade and complete the Luther Burbank Park Sport Courts Renovation. (AB 6533)
FieldTurf, the City’s contractor, has resumed construction, starting with removing and disposing of the existing asphalt. After removing the asphalt, FieldTurf began excavating the subgrade under the consultation of AESI, the City's geotechnical consultant. AESI is monitoring excavation to ensure the contractor only removes as much weak material as necessary to reach stronger soils. Once excavation is complete, new material will be laid and compacted to create a stronger base for asphalt paving.
This project is back on track, and the courts are currently planned to reopen for play in October. View construction photos here.
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Construction Update for July 18
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While prepping the sport courts for the asphalt overlay last week, City staff and the contractor discovered that the subgrade, or soil that the existing pavement is built on, is failing in some areas. Construction has paused so Associated Earth Sciences Inc. (AESI) could perform subgrade testing and provide recommendations for remediation.
This week, AESI used a dynamic cone penetrometer, or DCP, to test soil strength in five areas on the courts. A DCP device consists of a steel rod, a hardened conical tip, and a standard weight hammer. During testing, the hammer is raised to the top of the rod and dropped to drive the rod into the ground. The DCP of the soil is recorded after each blow of the hammer and correlated to standard measures of soil strength. After identifying the DCP measurement, the consultant used a t-handle probe to confirm the depth to firm soils.
Once the soil test results and remediation recommendations are received, City staff, DA Hogan, and FieldTurf will evaluate the project design and adjust as needed to strengthen the subgrade.
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Construction Update for July 11
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Here’s a look at construction progress at the Luther Burbank sport courts since the last update.
- FieldTurf finished installing the trench drain system on the east side of the courts.
- The conduit running the south fence line and the electrical handholes were installed.
- A few extra sections of the existing surface were removed, and NW Asphalt patched the saw cuts with new asphalt.
Now staff and DA Hogan, the City’s architect for this project, are completing inspections to confirm the courts are ready for the asphalt overlay. This project remains on schedule; view construction photos here.
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Construction Update for June 27
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The contractor began installing the new trench drain system on the east side of the courts this week. After installation is complete, the courts will be cleaned and prepped for paving. That phase includes installing new asphalt in the sawcut areas, then overlaying the entire court area with new asphalt.
There will be no Let’s Talk update next week due to the Fourth of July holiday. The next update will be posted on Thursday, July 11.
This project remains on schedule; view construction photos here.
Construction Progress
Videos
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On March 2, the Parks & Recreation Commission voted to recommend that all three tennis courts at Luther Burbank Park be permanently striped for pickleball during renovation of the courts this summer/fall. The presentation and discussion begins at approximately 1:52:46.
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On July 6, the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) received the preferred pickleball court configuration and unanimously voted to recommend the layout to the City Council for approval. The presentation and discussion begin at approximately 17:58. City Council will review this item on July 18.
Who's Listening
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Phone 206-275-7864 Email sarah.bluvas@mercerisland.gov