In mid- March of 2010, the NYPost.com announced that the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is proposing to cover the tennis courts of Central Park with inflatable bubbles. In the original news story, it was reported that all 26 courts, located on the Upper West Side from 94th to 96th Streets, will be covered with one of four bubbles that will stand 35 feet high or 3.5 stories.
According to Parks officials the bubbles will allow the courts to be open from November to March in the colder months when the courts are normally closed. This can be a great revenue- increase for the department. A season pass at the other city courts during the warm months is usually $100; however, although an official price has yet to be listed, the price for the indoor winter season could cost 10 times as much, with rental rates at similar bubbled facilities running between $28 and $56 an hour.
Some are excited about the opportunity to play tennis in Central Park while it snows outside. Other members of the community take a different standpoint. Main points that organizations such as the Friends of the Upper East Side have presented include: the expensive rates at the enclosed courts will be excluding non-affluent individuals; the inflated bubbles, running 24 hours a day, will be powered by diesel fuel and cause environmental problems; the contract will be operated by a private contractor and thus Central Park will not directly receive any of the funds from the fee increase.
The simple and most central argument: Central Park is meant to be an outdoor experience, under an open sky not a bubble.
To read the NY Post's story click here. Also to learn more about the opposition movement click here.