We could be about to find out just how cash-strapped Fredonia really is. During a Village Board meeting last week, a pair of pickleball players asked the trustees for $910 to repair cracks in the courts at Russell Joy Park.

In the past, the request would have likely been passed with few questions. Reality at the moment, however, is much different.

With a possible tax hike looming of more than 50% even $910 is a lot of money for an $11 million government entity that is taking out a loan for up to $825,000 to make ends meet.

“We supply our own equipment, we provide our own insurance, and this past year we also put up a windscreen at Russell Joy Park to the tune of $1,800, and we also bought an AED for the park to the tune of about $1,800,” Ed Kirchmeyer said. “So I think we’ve been a good partner, the last couple of years, anyway.”

Though he’s not wrong, the pair’s timing is poor for sure. Courts and the park are already being maintained by a financially troubled village that will soon be working on a new budget that could be contentious.

There’s no question the pickleball players are good neighbors. But what about the rest of the residents who are living in the village?

Is this funding, considering the major dilemmas facing the village future, truly necessary? It is one of the tough questions the village will be facing when looking to 2025-26.