BY COLE SINANIAN | cole@queensledger.com
ASTORIA – A coalition of local tennis players and activists are sounding the alarm over a proposal to build private “bubble” enclosures over most of Astoria Park’s tennis courts, which they argue would mark the beginning of the total privatization of the park’s public spaces and turn the sport into a costly and exclusive activity.
The proposal would see a private company erect inflatable “bubbles” over 8-10 of Astoria Park’s 14 tennis courts between mid-October and mid-April. The still undetermined company would charge an hourly fee to use the covered courts and be responsible for both maintaining them year-round and funding capital improvements, like lighting fixtures and resurfacing.
While NYC Parks and the proposal’s supporters maintain that the enclosures would increase court access during the winter months, skeptics argue that giving a private company control of the courts would reduce accessibility to lower-income users. They point to nearby tennis bubbles with exorbitant rates as evidence — like Greenpoint’s McCarren Park, where court rentals can cost as much as $100 per hour — and have questioned NYC Parks’ ability to enforce contractually obligated public benefits. Currently, it costs $100 to play tennis at Astoria Park for the entire outdoor season.
A petition to keep the courts public has garnered 3,691 signatures as of September 10.
“The park is there for public use,” said Astoria resident and avid tennis player Chris DiMino. “That the city needs residents of the community to pay more to play sports that should be equitable to everybody— it’s a terrible idea.”
The proposal originated with a petition started by a small group of local tennis players who wanted an indoor space to play in the winter, though DiMino says they did not consult the rest of the Astoria tennis community before sending the petition — which has around 300 signatures — to NYC Parks. Plans were made public at a March community board meeting, when the agency presented the proposal.
But this being the heart of the so-called “Commie Corridor,” where progressive and socialist organizers are a powerful political force, a coalition of local activists quickly came out in opposition.
The coalition, made up of local tennis players, the Astoria Trash Club, and the local branch of the NYC Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has raised numerous concerns, centering on the tendency of private operators to prioritize high-profit activities — like pricey lessons and branded fitness classes — over public use.
”This is an affordability issue for our neighbors,” said Elly Mui, a local NYC-DSA organizer and member of the coalition. “It’ll just get worse if we let this continue.”
The coalition came together through overlap between the Astoria tennis community and the Queens chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA’s Community Solidarity Committee got involved and Mui — who does not play tennis but was heavily involved in Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign — came on board to help with strategy and media.
Eventually, the issue made it to Queens DSA branch leadership, which passed a resolution by 93% to oppose the Astoria Park tennis enclosure.
“If we don’t speak out on the privatization of our public spaces, it will start with the tennis courts,” Mui added. “Then it’ll be our basketball courts, our soccer fields, our swimming pools.”
NYC Parks released its Request for Proposal (RFP) on June 12, and proposals were due on July 17. According to NYC Parks Director of Media Relations Gregg McQueen, the RFP received “strong interest” from potential operators, and the agency is currently reviewing proposals.
McQueen compared the Astoria Park enclosure project to those at eastern Queens’ Alley Pond Park and Cunningham Park in Fresh Meadows.
“This project will increase public hours and usability of the courts and allow the opportunity to enjoy tennis at Astoria Park during the colder months, while also providing free and low-cost programming for the community,” wrote McQueen in a statement to the Queens Ledger.
While details of the project won’t be certain until a winning proposal is announced, Parks sets guidelines for potential operators in the RFP. The uncovered courts will remain open year-round, and hourly rates for the indoor courts will likely range between $32 and $62. The RFP requests that operators provide at least 12 free court hours per week during weeknights and weekends, as well as programming for youth and senior citizens. Per the RFP, proposals will also likely include food and beverage sales.
Part of Parks’ licensing agreement with the eventual operator is a commitment to both improving and maintaining the existing courts, as well as capital improvements including replacement fences, resurfaced courts, a new clubhouse building, upgraded electric utilities and LED light fixtures on all 14 courts.
The proposal marks the City’s third attempt to install an inflatable bubble over Astoria Park’s tennis courts. Community opposition fought off a 1992 proposal, while in 2005, local electeds Michael Gianaris and Peter Vallone Jr. joined Community Board 1 and a coalition of local residents to “pop” the proposed bubble.
With the Parks Department’s documented history of failing to enforce license agreements with private companies, the “Pop the Bubble” coalition has questioned the agency’s ability to deliver these promised community benefits. City Comptroller audits from 2004 and 2010 found that NYC Parks failed to collect concession fees and compel concessionaires to complete contractually obligated capital improvements in dozens of parks throughout the five boroughs. In 2016, a Manhattan community board moved to de-privatize a tennis bubble at the Queensboro Oval on the Upper East Side, after park-users alleged that operators didn’t keep the courts in usable condition.
At McCarren Park in Greenpoint, concessionaires McCarren Tennis Center Partners failed to build the outdoor light fixtures required in their 2013 contract with the City, and some years did not take down the enclosure at the end of indoor season, prompting fed-up tennis players to petition to remove the enclosure entirely. Eventually, local residents formed a nonprofit that crowdfunded the $240,000 needed to install the missing lights, which began construction in July.
“They basically have failed to put up lights that they promised, and they were obligated in their contract to do so,” DiMino said. “So there’s no accountability.”
McQueen, however, pushed back on enforcement concerns.
“Parks has a robust concession compliance function that regularly monitors and works to ensure concessionaires adhere to the terms of their license agreements,” he wrote in a statement.
For a chance to weigh in on the Astoria Park tennis enclosures, head to the Queens Community Board 1 meeting on September 22 at 6:30pm at Astoria World Manor.
