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GREENBURGH, N.Y. If the town council has its way, tennis players from Westchester and beyond will soon be serving and volleying in Greenburgh.
Motivated by the development of a sheltered tennis facility, town officials continue to hammer away at a state law that restricts the use of Anthony F. Veterans Park.
On Tuesday, the town will seek residents input on a change to the Finneran Law. If approved, the amendment would open Veterans Park tennis courts to residents outside Greenburgh and pave the way for Sporttimes tennis bubble to be built.
According to Supervisor Paul Feiner, its a do-or-die scenario: open up the park to residents outside unincorporated Greenburgh, and Sporttime will come.
Should state legislators balk at the change, however, Greenburgh will miss out on the tennis facility, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent checks.
The supervisor has made no secret of where he stands on the tennis bubble, calling it an understatement to say the town supports its development.
It would provide significant revenue for the town and it would be good quality of life enhancement for the town, Feiner said. It provides reaction at no cost for taxpayers. I see it as a big win-win.
Sporttime, which first proposed the tennis facility in 2005, has asked to lease tennis courts at the Olympic Avenue park during the off-season months when they typically arent in use.
As part of the agreement, Sporttime would pay the town at least $125,000 in rent during the first year it is open. Town officials estimate that after a decade, that rent could top $270,000 dollars.
The tennis and fitness provider has also proposed building a domed bubble that would cover a number of the courts and give users a chance to play during the winter months.
In addition, Sporttime has offered to resurface five existing tennis courts at the park while constructing two additional tennis courts, resurfacing a basketball court along with two handball courts as well as other infrastructure improvements.
Its really fantastic, Feiner said.
Sporttime backed off the 2005 deal over concerns surrounding a decades-old state law that limits use of the park to residents of unincorporated Greenburgh, saying the facility wouldnt be profitable.
But now they are back, hoping state legislators will clear what Feiner said was the last remaining hurdle in the deal.
According to the proposed amendment, Sporttimes tennis bubble would be open to anyone, for a fee. But the open door policy would be limited to the tennis courts, Feiner said, as the pool would still be limited to residents in unincorporated Greenburgh.
Already, the town has been in contact with state officials who are receptive of the change, Feiner said.
The public hearing is set for April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Greenburgh Town Hall.
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