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A heated debate continues over a much-coveted plan to redesign the tennis courts located in Inwood Hill Park.
During a CB12 Parks and Cultural affairs committee meeting held last week on Tues. Nov. 1st Jennifer Hoppa, Administrator for Northern Manhattan Parks, announced that the City’s Parks and Recreation Department has already hired a contractor to begin the tennis court renovation in the coming months.
The final plan approved by the Parks Department comes months after negotiations with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and the Washington Heights Tennis Association. The organizations were given the opportunity to chime in regarding the plan that has already received $1.4 million in funding by the office of Councilmember Robert Jackson.
At present, one of the issues with the courts’ current configuration is their proximity to a row of sweet gum trees, which cast shadows over the courts. This, argue many players, makes it difficult to see the ball, and creates a visual disadvantage. Additionally, the close proximity to the basketball courts is also an issue. According to members of the Washington Heights Tennis Association, this has created an “intimidating environment” for the young children in the program. In addition, the association has also asked that the courts be repositioned in order to meet professional USTA regulations as regards its measurements.
Currently, there are nine tennis courts in Inwood Hill Park, which Eligio Reynoso, founder of the Washington Heights Tennis Association, described as being “arbitrarily positioned.”
The Washington Heights Tennis Association and members of the community unhappy with the plan are saying the Parks Department should hold off before giving the remodeling the green light, arguing that the plan is flawed and doesn’t address the “true needs” of the neighborhood.
A resolution calling for a new plan to renovate the Inwood Hill Park tennis courts, as advocated by Reynoso, was passed during the committee meeting. The resolution specifically calls on the Parks Department to substitute the currently approved plan with a better one that “reflects more broad community input and consensus, provides new tennis courts for children under ten years old, and competition-quality space consistent with the game of tennis and approved by the USTA.”
Reynoso has come up with his own plan for the renovation of the courts and has presented it before various CB12 board meetings. His plan, he argues, has been backed by many members of the community, who believe the association’s tennis program provides children with an option to train and pursue a sport that requires concentration and discipline.
Reynoso’s plan would require an additional $1.7 million to re-orient both the tennis and basketball courts, and build two children’s courts, for a total renovation cost of $3.1 million. As the resolution reads, “The community’s plan would provide two new children’s courts and reduce the number of adult tennis courts from nine to eight. It would also enlarge the adult courts by increasing the space of the backcourt to at least the minimum recommendation by the USTA.”
Although the renovations have been a long time coming, Reynoso said he would prefer to wait even longer- so long as it’s done the way he argues would be best.
“We need these renovations, but they need to be done right and reflect the needs of this community, the children, and adults who use them,” he said.
A final resolution will be voted on by the general CB12 board during the board’s next general meeting on Tues., Nov 22nd at the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Health Center at the Myrna Daniels auditorium located at 173 Ft. Washington Avenue between West 165th and 168th Streets.
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