I’m moving this new comment thread started by Peter Cariani on an old post to its own post:since it’s news that many people will care about.
TO: All those responsible for renewing Albemarle park complex
SUBJECT: ALBEMARLE PARK: ELIMINATION OF TENNIS AND REPLACEMENT WITH PICKLEBALL
DATE: June 24, 2022
Dear Newton Decision-makers,
Although we were aware of plans to repair and/or upgrade Gath Pool, we only heard about the revamping of the entire Albemarle Park complex two weeks ago when we, as abutters who live 2 blocks from Albemarle, received 1-page flyers in the mail about the upcoming community zoom meeting on June 27th. We then looked online at the various plans that are being contemplated by the CIty of Newton.
ELIMINATION OF ALBEMARLE TENNIS AND REPLACEMENT WITH PICKLEBALL
We were dismayed to see that the two tennis courts at Albemarle are eliminated in all of the prospective renovation plans in favor of dedicated pickle-ball courts. We think it is a mistake to rip out both tennis courts.
We live in a 3-family cohousing group two blocks away from Albemarle, and we have been here since 1995. My wife and I frequently take evening walks in and around the park. Our six children have attended Horace Mann elementary school, Day Middle School, and Newton North. Growing up they have used many of the facilities at Albemarle for swimming (Gath Pool), T-ball , Little League, soccer, and tennis. We have been using the tennis courts at Albemarle from 1995 to the present to teach our children tennis and to play tennis (as recently as last week). Our son subsequently played on the tennis team at North and also in college.
Although we have good tennis courts at Newton North, the tennis courts at Albemarle serve a unique purpose. Whereas Newton North courts are frequently full due to Newton North tennis team and Newton Community Tennis programs (both very good things), with attendant waiting queues, one can often drive by Albemarle and immediately assess the court situation. The Albemarle courts are ideal for casual players and families teaching tennis to their young children — the tighlty packed Newton North courts can be intimidating for these purposes, where balls can frequently wander in erratic directions. There have been times when my son and I have driven around, to Newton North, Albemarle, Nonantum, and West Newton in search of open courts.
Historically, local neighborhood tennis courts in Newton (e.g. Albemarle, Nonantum, West Newton) have not been well maintained, with tattered or missing nets and cracked court surfaces, which discourages use by intermediate and advanced players (there are pros and cons of this because it does mean that it is easier to find an open court if you are not so serious about playing games).
WE NEED BETTER COMMUNITY INPUT PROCESS
We only heard about the Albemarle tennis courts being replaced by pickleball courts in the last 2 weeks. Tennis is the only sport being eliminated from Albemarle, and it is being eliminated in ALL of the prospective plans. The elimination is nowhere to be seen on the flyer we got, and there were no email announcements that we could easily forward to others. There seem to be no notices visible at Albemarle. You really need to go online and wade through Powerpoint presentations to be alerted that this change is being considered.
Because ALL of the proposals eliminate tennis, it seems that we are being offered a fait accompli — the decision looks completely pre-ordained. it is not clear whether this decision was made by Newton Parks and Recreation or the design firm that they consulted (Weston & Sampson). I have tried to contact Robin McLaughlin at Parks and Recreation (617—796-1510) and left my number, but have not received a call-back.
It appears that in the community surveys that were conducted (not clear who was surveyed), the question of whether to eliminate the tennis courts was never posed to the community. And neither was the replacement of tennis courts with pickleball courts ever explicitly asked. The one piece of feedback in the zoom chat in the previous presentation of this plan was an objection to the removal of the tennis courts. This is bad process that gives lip service to community input but does not appear to listen at all to community voices.
PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE OF TENNIS & PICKLEBALL
I am not in principle opposed to pickleball (I plan to try it out sometime, and maybe it will be more suitable for me as I grow older and physically less able). It is easy enough to buy a set of inexpensive cones and markers ($24) for pickleball use on a tennis court. This is what I will do when I try it out. One can also buy inexpensive portable pickleball nets ($60-120). These costs are comparable to those of a pickleball paddle & ball set. Pickleball is a new sport, such that it is unclear whether it is just a generational fad or will withstand the test of time. If you allow for dual-use tennis/pickleball courts, then we will be able to assess the relative use of the courts for the two sports over the next 5 years and then make adjustments.
Most family and friends I’ve talked to support the Gath Pool upgrade, but don’t see the need for revamping the ball fields or removing the tennis courts. It will be expensive to replace the lights and move the fields. This is money ($3.2 million is apparently the current estimate) that might be better spent on improved maintenance and community athletic programs.
The design plans don’t provide many rationales, especially in regard to costs. Is artificial turf cost-effective in the long run (fewer maintenance costs, propensity for injuries)? Can the existing lights be retrofitted with energy saving LEDs? Are equipment and installation costs of more efficient lights offset by electricity saving in the long run? Why can’t we just put a high net between Burke baseball field and multipurpose field A?
SUGGESTIONS
- Tennis and pickleball can peacefully coexist via dual-use courts.
I think that Newton could replace the two tennis courts with dual-use tennis/pickleball courts.
Pickleball courts also can fit into those areas of Albemarle that cannot be used by any other sport.- Keep at least one dedicated tennis court and put in two or more pickleball courts.
- Locate pickleball courts in various unusable small spaces around Albemarle. One or two pickleball courts can also fit into small spaces in various parts of Albemarle, such as multipurpose field D or E7v7 or near the playground/gazebo or the concession stand. None of the designs seem to explore this option. Make allowances for expansion of pickleball courts if they are heavily used.
- Ideally the basketball and tennis/pickleball courts would have some lighting. Many kids play basketball and would play into the evenings if the court had lighting. (The current lighting is very softball/baseball centric). Ideally, in order to save electricity (and money), lights should be able to be turned off when nobody is using the field (either by absence of movement via local motion detectors or a user-operable switch, which could be turned on or off via an authorized user via the internet).
- Install a backboard for practicing racquet sports. As far as I know, Newton only has one backboard at Newton Center. It would be very useful for individual players to have a place to hit at Albemarle (and at Newton North and Newton South tennis courts). It also allows players to warm up as they wait for an open court. Backboards need not take up much space, and can be tucked into otherwise unusable corners of the park. Ideally, the backboard could be multi-sport, with lines for tennis, racquetball, squash, and pickleball.
I am hoping to attend the community Zoom meeting on June 27th.
Thank you for your consideration of these ideas and opinions.
I want to believe that community input matters, and that this flawed design decision has not been already written in stone.
Sincerely yours,
Peter Cariani
As the co-founder and former president of Friends of Newton Tennis, I was happy to approve posting Peter’s letter to my former blog and also pleased to see it become its own thread. Here’s how I see it:
Newton has so many tennis courts that it is unlikely that in this era of financial stress, Parks and Rec has the means to maintain all of of them. Tennis’s constituency has also shrunk in recent decades; we probably don’t need all 68 courts. For that reason, I believe it reasonable that the city be selective in choosing which courts to maintain and which to repurpose (FoNT also raises funds to donate to the city’s coffers for tennis court maintenance).
If a group of players in a particular locale advocate for the maintenance of their local courts- like the Albemarle courts, for example- I’d never oppose the effort. Those courts, to be sure, are in miserable shape and in need of a complete overhaul. If a group of pickleball players proposes the conversion of those courts for that sport, then let the debate begin! As much as I love tennis and have fought for court repair at sites like Cold Spring Park and both high schools, I understand the city’s desire to meet the needs of diverse constituencies.
Peter,
I have been in discussions with Newton for over three years as an advocate to improve athletic facilities. I will attempt to answer your questions based on my experience with both youth athletics and working with the City.
1.
The design plans don’t provide many rationales, especially in regard to costs.
CORRECT. Newton has taken an approach of identifying each site and then working on it independently based on the needs they see at that location. In error, they have elected not to develop a city wide plan for athletic facilities. This will likely result in ongoing gaps with the types of facilities we need and those we have.
It is a best practice to first define the “Current State” (inventory of fields and demand/use) then the “Future State” (what facilities we need to meet the demand). Only then can projects be selected (Road Map) and defined so they align with the needs of the community. This approach is used by thousands of companies for program management, but for unknown reasons Newton has refused to use it.
While we will have nicer facilities after the projects are completed, it is likely we end up with more new facilities not aligned to the needs of our programs such as “Highlands Playground”. That park has a football field that is: never used by youth football, is too narrow to be used by LAX/Soccer and was already shut down once from overuse (see my note below on turf). The other field there is dedicated (almost) exclusively by a single program: SE Little League. It provides no value to any other athletic program in Newton.
2.
Is artificial turf cost-effective in the long run (fewer maintenance costs, propensity for injuries)?
Artificial turf is installed at hundreds of facilities in MA because of the following benefits: High quality and consistent playing surface (no bare ares, uneven areas, etc.), availability (not closed because of rain) and capacity (it can be used many hours more than a grass field because grass fields have limited use per week/month due to the nature of a natural playing surface). Think of asphalt road v. dirt road.
The ongoing maintenance of turf is lower per year than grass. That is off-set by the up-front large capital costs and the need to replace the “carpet” every 10 years. Some models show a lower “per hour cost” for turf because it can be used many more hours than grass. In my opinion, not all projects need to be operating budget focused. The need for turf in Newton has been embraced by every youth program that uses it already (LAX, Soccer, Football) representing 3,500+ athletes.
3.
Can the existing lights be retrofitted with energy saving LEDs?
NO
The lights at Albemarle are 50 years old and failing. They cannot be repaired any longer. The entire lighting structures must be replaced. The City should have replaced them 10+ years ago, but decided to wait until the system failed. There are currently so many issues with the lights that the Burke field cannot be used at night. This is the same approach Newton took with Gath pool. “Better late than never”.
4.
Why can’t we just put a high net between Burke baseball field and multipurpose field A?
The outfield of Burke currently has notable overlap with the soccer/LAX/football field. A net would make one of the two fields unusable defeating the purpose. If there is a game at Burke, the other fields cannot be used.
This is a common problem in Newton. In the Spring fields used by baseball and softball become unavailable to LAX and Soccer because of shared field space. Other examples are Hamilton, Lincoln/Waban and Upper Falls. Moving Burke should create more capacity in the Spring for LAX/Soccer. That said, there is also a plan to have NNHS use this field. They have never used Albemarle before. If this happens, the field capacity for soccer/LAX/football youth programs will actually decline from where it is today after the project is completed. These decisions are being made without consideration for youth athletics.
JT
Justin Traxler
President, Newton Girls Soccer
Founder Newton Athletic Fields Foundation
Peter Cariani, I don’t know how to reach you directly but would like to continue the conversation. I do believe PR&C could have a better process for gathering input from residents and users. I agree with Justin that looking at athletic facilities in a comprehensive way vs. site by site would be beneficial. In terms of artificial vs. synthetic turf, I’m not convinced yet and will be docketing an item before the City Council to have that conversation. To both Peter and Bob, if tennis and pickleball can co-exist sharing some court space, great. Peters, I’m reachable at [email protected]
Andrea, Members of the youth athletic community are well aware of concerns raised by Newton residents about turf. The debate has been ongoing for a decade plus. For me it’s fairly simple. Does Newton want to align with the needs of youth athletics or do we want to align with the needs of those that raise concerns? I hope it is the former, but given we have not yet attempted to address this I am unclear if it will be the later. I am not interested to have the debate on turf in this forum. I can only point to the current installations in and around Newton. I’m, not clear what Newton knows that all these other communities and institutions don’t. It really comes down to the desire to provide high quality athletic facilities. That has never been a priority for Newton.