Van Cortlandt Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, August 13, 2001

RECONSTRUCTION OF VAN CORTLANDT TENNIS COURTS BEGINS

It’s ad-in for Van Cortlandt Park’s Indian Field. Starting Thursday, August 9, the eight clay courts in Van Cortlandt Park are to be reconstructed for diverse use. Three all-weather courts will permit players to rally rain or shine. Two multi-use courts will attract roller hockey players as well as tennis mavens. And two reconstructed clay courts will preserve a space for the game of tennis to be played in its classic form.

The first national tennis tournament in the United States was played in one of our parks; in 1880 Walker Park in Staten Island hosted what is now the Davis Cup Tournament and began a tradition of professional tennis in the U.S. In time our appreciation of the game has grown, and demanded the building of courts all around the city. These courts include a variety of surfaces for different kinds of tennis and other games as well.

At a groundbreaking ceremony in the park on Thursday, Parkies, elected officials, and neighborhood residents welcomed athletes to Parks’ newest construction site. Next year, the area will sport a new look. Not only is Parks creating more diverse uses for the courts, we’re be improving the infrastructure of the site and adding visual interest to its surrounds. A forecast of what’s to come includes new posts, a chain link fence, and a drinking fountain, and a community garden, a tree grove, and landscaping at the entrance. The masonry on the comfort station will have been repointed and the fixtures replaced. Decorative paving, a north compass rosette, and a flagpole with a yardarm will all help give the site a distinctive character. Underground and out of sighe, a new water service, piping, and an irrigation system for the clay courts will keep the park hydrated as it works hard to keep players fit and on their game.

People skate, dribble, stroll, spike, plunge, catch, cycle, and volley in New York City’s parks. In Van Cortlandt Park alone park users can enjoy many of these activities, plus visits an historic house museum, a bird sanctuary, a tree nursery, and the nation’s first municipal golf course.

State Senator Guy Velella; Council Member June (Mainland) Eisland; Commissioner Henry J. (StarQuest) Stern; Bill (Zorro) Castro, Bronx Borough Commissioner; Carmen (Twelve) Angueira , District Manager for Community Board 12; Christine (Seton Falls) Foreman , Parks Committee Chair for Community Board 12; Paul (Two-Wheeler) Sawyer , Chair of the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park; and Michael Cooney, Board Member of the Woodlawn Heights Taxpayers and Community Association addressed a group of young tennis players and Commissioner Stern challenged the ambitious players to aim to be the first to serve up an ace on the reconstructed courts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

...to Parkies born on August 14: Climber & Pruner Clement Rozanski; Assistant Landscape Architect Rachel (Barcelona) Kramer; Lifeguard Frederic Bomhoff; Recreation Supervisor Ronald Brown; Urban Park Rangers James Graham and Julio Reyes; Christian (Goldmund) Paro; Playground Assistant Natalie Richardson; City Seasonal Aides Leona Anthony and Wendy Martin; and City Park Workers Isabel Sanchez and Ella Ray.

…and to Friends of Parks born on August 14: Melissa (Schredder) Barkan; Richard (Mortrin) Barrimond; Allan (Algonquin) Buchman; Fisher (Catfish) Cook; Audrey (Planter) Glass; Tom (Pulitzer) Goldstein; Jim (Plantsmen) Johnson; Istvan (Duna) Kovacs; Joshua (Virusbuster) Lipsman; John Patrick (Manor) Manown; Vicktoria (Mrs. Islander) Molinari; Bill (Trailmaker) Morris; P. (The General) Olsliewskey; C. Curtis (Critter) Ritter; Elmer (Elmer) Sprague; Elissa (Alvin) Tenny; Andrew (Mike Connan) Tisch; Tucker (Razorfish) Viemeister and Seth (WorldWide) Webb.

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO IN THE PLANT
(Monday, August 15, 1988)

CITIZENS’ GROUPS: THE PARKS COUNCIL

The Parks Council, a private, non-profit organization established 62 years ago, is an independent voice for New York City’s 26,000-acre parks system, public open spaces and 578 miles of waterfront.

The Council is both a political advocacy group and a hands-on resource center. To monitor and analyze public policy concerning open space, the Parks Council’s nine full-time employees draw on the expertise of landscape designers, architects, planners, public policy makers and citizen activists who serve on committees and the decision making Parks Council Board of Directors.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"To know of someone here and there who we accord with, who is living on with us, even in silence— this makes our earthly ball a peopled garden."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)