Norman City Council heard a presentation on the progress of the Westwood Park master plan during a business and community affairs committee meeting Thursday.
The committee focused on issues with the tennis, golf and parking facilities and improvements to the center’s overall functions.
According to the presentation, Westwood Park would rearrange its tennis courts to maximize space and add new pickleball courts.
The presentation also addressed rearranging golf course locations to add lighting for nighttime golfing and prevent flying golf balls across the site while keeping the par number the same.
The master plan also outlines plans for more parking spaces to be built around the facility for staff and visitors, according to the presentation.
Westwood Park also plans to launch a new restaurant within the facility, which would be open to the public.
The project is estimated to cost roughly $54 million, which will likely be funded by Norman Forward, a resident-approved initiative that encompasses various quality-of-life projects with a .5% sales tax collected over 15 years, according to Jason Olsen, city director of Parks and Recreation.
Ward 2 Councilmember Matt Peacock said he was concerned about light and sound from the golf course disturbing surrounding neighborhoods. He also encouraged the blueprint to line up the facilities’ entries to emphasize a “stronger pedestrian connection.”
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant worried about preserving Merkle Creek, a common play area for children in the neighborhood. Olsen said the creek would be off-site to avoid injuries from flying golf balls.
The construction team is awaiting a traffic study of the area before updating entry and exit constructions, according to Olsen.
This story was edited by Thomas Pablo, Natalie Armour and Ana Barboza. Arthur Shamayev and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
