LW! e-newsletter
| January 28, 2011
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Tennis Bubbles Come Crashing In
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 | Photo: Tom Callan,
via The Brooklyn Paper |
Recent tennis bubble cave ins -- from Boerum Hill to Randall's Island -- are proof positive of why LANDMARK WEST!, a league of other preservation organizations, more than 1,400 individuals, and you came together to protect Central Park, the city's first Scenic Landmark, from bubbling over.
As the snow came down on New York City this week, down went tennis bubbles in Brooklyn!
The Brooklyn Paper reported this morning that the tennis bubble capping the New York Sports Club facility at Boerum Place, near Dean Street, in Brooklyn succumbed to the weight of 13 inches of snow yesterday evening (see photo above).
But this isn't the first assault on the Borough of Churches' inflated tennis bubbles by Mother Nature. The same article continues on, recalling that "the seminal Snowpocalypse that dumped two feet of snow on Brooklyn" this past December lead to the collapse of a tennis bubble over the courts in the Parade Grounds in Kensington, near Prospect Park, Brooklyn.
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Tennis bubbles on Randall's Island fared no better! Our colleagues at the New York City Park Advocates reported on the blog A Walk in the Park that the same "Blizzard of 2010" overpowered three tennis bubbles there.
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Looking Back to Spring/Summer 2010:
What was proposed--and DEFEATED!
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Together, we convinced the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), in June 2010, to withdraw its misguided plan to take public tennis courts in Central Park, enclose them with 35-foot-tall vinyl bubbles, and charge the public up to $100 per hour for play. We beat back this plan!
For the full breakdown of the DPR's proposal, click here. In brief: - Install four vinyl bubbles over 26 tennis courts in Central Park, at approximately 94th and 96th Streets near Central Park West.
- At 35 feet tall--the equivalent of a 3.5 story building--the tennis bubbles would be among the most visible non-historic structures in the park.
- The bubbles would privatize public space and transform an accessible recreational facility into an elitist "club", operated from 6AM to 11PM daily.
- The bubble would degrade Central Park while in no way benefiting it.
- The bubbles would pose an environmental threat to an urban oasis.
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Central Park tennis courts, located at approximately 94th and 96th Streets near Central Park West.
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New Year, Renewed Vigilance!
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The tennis bubbles may be out of sight, but they are certainly NOT out of mind for the DPR. Adrian Benepe, Commissioner of the DPR, hasn't abandoned the idea of bubbles over tennis courts in Central Park, as his interview on NY1 made clear.
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And don't forget the Central Park Conservancy, the designated defenders of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux's park. The Conservancy's President, Douglas Blonsky, never spoke up. So we who value Central Park as one of our city's truly special places--an open, democratic, green oasis in the dense heart of the metropolis--must remain vigilant!
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In the blink of an eye, more than 1,400 people signed the online petition. It remains "live" and as important as ever. If you haven't already ...
By signing the petition, your voice adds volume to the chorus of opposition declaring with all its might: Central Park, the city's first Scenic Landmark, is not for sale. Already signed it? Send this email to a friend and encourage them to sign their name to the ever-growing roster of those who believe in keeping Central Park bubble-free.
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Tennis Fees on the Rise
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The price to pound the clay at city courts is likely to double.
In today's Wall Street Journal, Tom Perrotta reports that the DPR is proposing to increase fees to play tennis on city courts. Today, an hour of tennis in Central Park is affordable, but for how much longer?
Rates are slated to double, from $7 to $15 for hourly play, and from $100 to $200 for an adult seasonal permit.
Outrageous as these jumps are, they pale in comparison to "what could have been" had the DPR's bubble scheme come to fruition. Under the bubbles, an hour of play would cost up to $100, depending on time and on day of the week. This arrangement undermines the democratic character of Central Park.
LANDMARK WEST! continues to monitor announcements for signals of the second coming of "the Battle of the Bubble" in Central Park. Stay tuned!
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