Fewer people playing tennis

From New York Magazine:

The number of tennis players that pay fees to play on the city’s tennis courts has dropped by nearly 30 percent in recent years, city records show, a decrease so severe and unexpected that city officials are struggling to find a way to get all the lost players back.

According to Parks Department financial records, obtained by New York, the most significant drop in participation has been among players who purchase seasonal permits. Over the past four years the number of adults who purchase these passes has decreased by 43 percent. The primary reason for the drop, officials believe, is a controversial price increase in 2010. Back then, city officials felt that $100 for seasonal permits was too low. Instead of raising prices incrementally, they doubled the cost of a seasonal permit to $200. The next year, the number of seasonal permits sold dropped from 12,416 to 7,411, and since then the number has hovered around 7,000.

The second biggest drop was among those purchasing single-play tickets, which are good for an hour’s worth of tennis. In 2010, the price for single-play tickets was $7, a bargain that inspired thousands to stock up on their passes. But after the price of single-play passes increased to $15, there was a 32 percent drop, from roughly 40,778 single passes sold in 2010 to about 27,831 in 2014.

Tennis fees cause drop in permits

From A Walk in the Park:

As expected the Bloomberg Administration's dramatic fee increases implemented last year saw a precipitous drop in tennis permit purchases and memberships to recreation centers while projected revenue increases fell far below expectations.

Tennis permits declined 43 percent, single-play permits fell 46 percent and revenue fell $1.3 million short of the projected increase. The number of recreation center memberships sold in 2012 declined by 52 percent with the doubling of membership fees for adults and seniors while revenue came in about $4.0 million below the Bloomberg Administration’s expectations.

"The failure to achieve the expected revenue gains was the result of a greater-than-projected fall-off in the number of permits sold for tennis and memberships for recreation centers following the price rise," according to the City Independent Budget Office.

Judge issues injunction; New law passed

From A Walk in the Park:

Brooklyn Judge Issues Preliminary Injunction Requiring City to Comply with Law Re: Amplified Sound In Asser Levy Park

(June 30, 2010 - Brooklyn) Today the Honorable Kenneth P. Sherman of Brooklyn Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction requiring the City and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz to comply with the 500 foot rule regarding amplified sound.

The court order states: "It is hereby ordered that the preliminary injunction is granted to the extent that defendants are required to comply with the provision of Title 10, Chapter 1, Section 108 (g) of the New York City Administrative Code until such provisions are amended and become effective as a matter of law."

Last night the City Council passed a bill which would exclude Asser Levy/Seaside Park from the law. The bill to change the law was hastily introduced by Queens Council Member Peter Vallone last week at the request of Mayor Bloomberg. At today's court hearing a representative from the City stated the Mayor was expected to sign the bill on July 12, 2010. The first Seaside Summer Concert is scheduled for July 15.

The fast-tracked bill comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed on June 17 to enforce a long-time law prohibiting amplified sound within 500 feet of houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and courthouses. The amendment is a clear end-run around the existing law.

Background:

A lawsuit was filed on June 17, in Brooklyn Supreme Court seeking to prevent the City of New York and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz from violating the NYC Law. Mr. Markowitz sponsors an annual concert series in Asser Levy/Seaside Park, in Brighton Beach Brooklyn.

Currently the law forbids amplified concerts within 500 feet of a house of worship, schools, hospitals, and courthouses. But Mayor Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz want to build a $64 million, eight thousand seat amphitheater in Asser Levy/Seaside Park, right across the street from Sea Breeze Jewish Center and Temple Beth Abraham. In violation of the law, these concerts have coincided with the hours of worship of Plaintiff Congregation Sea Breeze Jewish Center and with the hours of worship of Plaintiff Congregation Temple Beth Abraham. The two synagogues are approx. 300 feet away.

The suit is brought against defendants the City of New York and Brooklyn Borough President, Martin Markowitz, with regard to the violation of Title 10, Chapter 1, Section 10-108 (g) of the New York City Administrative Code, and Title 38, Chapter 8, Section 8-06 of the Rules and Regulations of the City of New York (together, the “Code”), which prohibit the use of electronic sound amplification equipment at any location within 500 feet of houses of worship during hours of worship. Plaintiffs are directly and adversely affected by the Defendants’ annual operation of the Parks Department band shell in Asser Levy Park, which comes within 500 feet of Plaintiffs’ houses of worship, as a concert and event venue using electronic sound amplification equipment.

Electronic sound amplification equipment is used during the concerts in addition to sound-checks and rehearsals.

Parks denies denying permit to football team

From the Daily News:

The kids from the Queens Falcons youth football league got sacked for another loss on Tuesday.

Lawyers defending the city against a lawsuit filed by the Maspeth-based league told a Queens judge the kids were never denied a permit to use the grass fields in Juniper Valley Park.

Instead, the city says they never actually applied for the permit.

The Falcons say they did apply for a permit, but were denied because their football cleats chew up the dirt and grass on fields used for baseball in the spring.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Cullen has given them until next week to prove the permit application was in order.

Longtime Falcons coach Tim Cavanaugh accused the city of attempting an end run to avoid telling hundreds of mostly minority kids they can't use the baseball outfields that Falcons teams have been using for two decades.

"Maybe we don't fit the profile of what they want for the community," Cavanaugh said.

That's looking like a stronger possibility since the Parks Department's own website says they do not give out permits for practices... In other words, this sounds like B.S. made up to cover someone's ass.



Adrian?

Dorothy?

Is the Irish football field going here?