Friday, September 18, 2009
News Williamsburg Tennis Nerds Want More Tennis Courts
Posted by Benjamin Sutton on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 11:21 AM
To help raise funds for and awareness of the project, McCarren Tennis will be holding the first annual Williamsburg Open on the weekend of October 11. Personally I'm worried about what will happen to Summerscreen, but the bigger problem is how the groups who use the cement softball field are going to react to the prospect of losing their space. Will this set off a class-coded neighborhood feud, or will we all bury the hatchet and pick up a racquet? (Brownstoner)
Comments (6)
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A few corrections. The city is building a bunch of new softball fields down by the water, so this opens the possibility of moving softball from the current site to those new fields (there are several). If that happens, provided the McCarren plans are approved by both the city and the park, and provided McCarren Tennis can raise the large sum of money required, then construction of new courts could begin. The net result would be more softball fields and more tennis courts. That can't be bad.
So the new courts are years away at best. But the reconstruction of the existing 7 could be done by next season -- that's the goal, anyway.
Also, to clear up the record, the *only* thing that the OSA has approved is the resurfacing of the existing courts, new nets, and new windscreens.
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@Velour: Thanks for the details. Are the softball fields by the water that you refer to part of the Bushwick Inlet Park at North 10th Street and Kent Avenue? Provided that project continues to move forward (however slowly), it sounds like an ideal solution, you're right.
I agree... who wants to play softball on pavement anyway? The weeds are starting to take over - coming up through the many cracks on the lot. Soon no one will be able to play any games at all there because of the conditions. The river park developments are the latest + greatest when it comes to softball diamonds and if I were those guys I would jump on it sooner rather than later. This tennis expansion idea could even help crystalize a relocation / upgrade effort for their players.
"I agree... who wants to play softball on pavement anyway? The weeds are starting to take over - coming up through the many cracks on the lot. Soon no one will be able to play any games at all there because of the conditions"
The League who has been playing for over 30 years wants to play there. As for the weeds, maybe the park guy should be out there cutting them, since the league PAYS for their permits!!
Its the Williamsburg Open first off... And the softball dudes do pay fees but they don't utilize that space as much as say a tennis center could. Nor does softball bring any sort of major revenue.
I am all for softball but I am all for using that space wisely. No one uses that space during the day and the courts are always in use. Just simple logic... Times change... sad reality of things.
