The tennis courts on the Jackie Robinson Park Playground in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn are locked and residents need to know why they will’t entry them.
A coalition of Mattress-Stuy residents just lately posted a Change.org petition urging Brooklyn Borough Parks Commissioner Martin Maher to make clear why they lack the identical entry to their tennis courts as those that use the borough’s different walk-on tennis courtroom amenities.
In accordance with NYC Parks Division rules, the general public is required to have entry to parks, and “outside tennis courts are open each day, climate allowing, besides when below building or restore or when reserved for tournaments or particular occasions.”
Although it’s winter and we’re in an excessive chilly spell, avid Mattress-Stuy tennis aficionados anticipate their native courts to be accessible. “In contrast to the courts at Fort Greene, Lincoln Terrace, Leif Ericson, Highland, South Oxford and extra,” their petition reads, “we aren’t permitted to play throughout daytime or stroll on the courtroom freely. The Parks Guidelines and Laws part 2-01 clearly states that courts are open each day, climate allowing, barring building, restore, or particular occasions. This could apply to the Jackie Robinson courts because it does all over the place else. But these public parks are locked, and the general public locked out.”
The 4 courts at Jackie Robinson Park, situated at Malcolm X Blvd. & Chauncey St., have been renovated just lately. Following years of shoddy upkeep, the resurfaced courts have been re-opened in the summertime of 2023. The courts remained open all through the following 2023-2024 winter season. The courts remained open this 12 months as nicely, up till December.
The Brooklyn Parks Division despatched this paper an announcement relating to the Jackie Robinson Park’s courts: “We have now closed the tennis courts at Jackie Robinson Park Playground throughout the winter months as a consequence of repeated vandalism and misuse throughout the prior season. We stay up for reopening the courts firstly of the season in April.”
When requested for particulars in regards to the vandalism — like on what dates they occurred and whether or not, consequently, the courts can be completely closed yearly any further — a parks division spokesperson stated they might reply with extra particulars later.
Mattress-Stuy resident Kenny Bruno advised the AmNews that he had spoken to a consultant in Commissioner Maher’s workplace and had already heard these two causes for the courtroom’s closings. “One is that there’s been vandalism. And two, in his phrases, [it] is ‘unlawful charging for tennis classes.’ However these causes don’t maintain up, actually.
“To begin with, I requested him what the vandalism is as a result of I don’t see any. He talked about that somebody had clipped the lock. Effectively, if it wasn’t locked, no one would have clipped the lock. So that may resolve the vandalism situation. Secondly, unauthorized charging for classes isn’t occurring within the winter. However even when it did, that’s not a cause to punish the whole tennis neighborhood. Meaning somebody did one thing unauthorized; that’s a person situation, and now the remainder of us are dealing with a collective punishment. In order that additionally is unnecessary in any respect.”
One other Mattress-Stuy resident, Stefanie Siegel, founding father of the non-profit neighborhood group Bailey’s Cafe and a member of Buddies of Jackie Robinson Park Playground, stated she thinks locking up tennis courts has extra to do with an ongoing situation neighborhood members are having with the Parks Division and its latest promoting of the contract for the tennis courts to Omar Durrani, the founder & CEO at Protennislesson.
Final spring, Durrani outbid Mattress-Stuy tennis coach Frances Ferdinand for the unique proper to show tennis lessons on the park’s 4 tennis courts. Ferdinand had lengthy been providing free and low-cost tennis classes to space youngsters and adults below her group, HQ Tennis.
Ferdinand was the unique one who pushed the Parks Division to make the repairs on the Jackie Robinson Park tennis courts; due to her efforts, the courts have been resurfaced and repainted. However when the following open bid for the parks’ tennis courts contract turned out there, Ferdinand was outbid for the concession: Durrani provided tens of 1000’s greater than her and gained the contract.
The rivalry between two tennis instruction corporations could also be on the root of why Jackie Robinson Park’s tennis courts are locked closed, not less than for now, whereas Brooklyn stays in a deep freeze.
