Love Planned For Edgewood Courts

Tennis mavens can look forward to filled-in cracks — and space newly set aside for pickleball — at Edgewood Park’s popular but neglected courts.

City Engineer Giovanni Zinn Tuesday night announced plans to resurface and renovate the courts at the park’s northwest corner.

One of the seven tennis courts will be converted into three pickleball courts for the ​“high demand” sport during the small-scale renovation project. 

Zinn and city Chief Landscape Architect Katherine Jacobs presented the plans to about 20 community members via Zoom Tuesday.

The court’s renovations include asphalt resurfacing, light repairs, and an extended practice wall. Three pickleball courts will replace one of the current courts.

“Flooding is always going to be a challenge,” Zinn noted, since the courts are right by the West River.

The new court surfacing will be made of an advanced asphalt mix and geotextile fabrics to prevent future cracks. The new surface will be built atop the existing asphalt lifting the court a few inches higher off the ground, Zinn said. 

The engineering team anticipates finishing the design this winter. Contractors and approvals will be obtained in the spring. The work is expected to take place this summer and fall. 

Preliminarily the team is looking at a $400,000 to $500,000 budget for the project, funded through the city’s capital budget. The budget will be finalized when feedback and a final design are complete, Zinn said. 

Jacobs presented neighbors with the opportunity to offer input for two choices within the plans: the color of the courts and types of seating options. 

Neighbors shared their interest in keeping the color of the court from clashing with the color of the tennis balls. 

Mark Oppenheimer suggested that community take the chance to be ​“distinctive and fun” with the color of the court or with a mural at the courts. 

Bill Ewen, who coached boys’ tennis at Hopkins School for 50 years, said Jacobs’ ​“US Open” court color option is his preference. He said it would contrast the color of the ball and keep the court ​“pleasing to the eye.”

Stephanie Fitzgerald agreed that ​“US Open” would work best. 

Zinn said he remained open to additional suggestions for making the court distinctive. ​“We’d love to do something interesting if we can,” he said. 

Ewen said he has spent the last year working to get the courts named after the late local Black tennis player and coach Edward Van Beverhoudt. Westville Alder Adam Marchand said the Parks Commission has approved the courts’ renaming in honor of Beverhoudt. He is working with the community to plan fundraising efforts for a dedication and signage at the park. 

Bradley suggested the renovated courts include recognition of their history hosting Black tennis leagues and New Haven tennis tournaments. 

Oppenhiemer suggested the team stray from reinstalling metal bleachers at the courts. He advocating installing various styles of leveled seating arrangements that allow the seats to become a social space for the community to socialize and gather. 

“No one sits in metal bleachers if they can avoid it,” he said. 

He suggested permanent open seating fixtures like semicircle benches and chess table-styled seating. 

Kathleen Bradley agreed about replacing the bleachers with more social seating options. 

Jacobs said the team will look into getting benches and/or picnic tables rather than bleachers. 

Several neighbors also pushed for wind screens beside courts.

Fitzgerald, who plays pickleball, suggested the team look at the possibilities of meeting the increasing demand for the sport in the future. She asked the team how easy it would be to change a tennis court to pickle ball court to meet potential demand. 

Jacobs reported that popularity of pickleball has increased 21.3 percent from 2019 to 2020; 60 percent of core players are 55 or older. 

Jacobs said the team will look into the cost of painting hybrid pickleball lines on one of the tennis courts for multi-use if demand increases. 

Several neighbors agreed that for now the 2 to 1 ratio of tennis courts to pickleball courts is a good start to meet the need of the sport.