Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Hoops dreams: Checking in on the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts



Workers started digging up the Tompkins Square Park basketball courts on May 29. City officials said that the courts were expected to reopen by the end of June, when NYC schools were out, per DNAinfo.

Dave on 7th stopped by yesterday to see how things were looking…



The resurfacing appears complete. (Workers began this on July 6.)



Workers installed the backboard supports yesterday...



Now we just need backboards and some hoops. (Hopefully they aren't on back order.)

As previously reported, the New York City Parks Department teamed up with YouTube for the renovations. YouTube is funding the operation, estimated at $300,000.

The rendering shows a YouTubey (YouTubeish?) color scheme on the courts… Not sure if the final courts will have this… or if the courts will feature TVs continuously looping PewDiePie


[Rendering via YouTube]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Tompkins Square Park basketball courts closed for renovations; YouTube-backed hoops on the way

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you sure those are backboard supports and not a new nypd tweet tower?

Anonymous said...

I really hope it doesn't have that YouTube paint. There is too much branding everywhere, don't wanna see it in the park.

uncle Pete said...

what is 'youtube paint' you mean you hope they dont use the color red? plenty of other courts are red... who cares... and they stepped in and paid for it, when the city let the torn down court closer to tenth st stay unused for 3 years.. hey man if you buck up 300k you can choose the color for all I care. Im just glad to see private money go to a public use, we need to always be happy when that happens. and I play here, have played here for 9 years... very much looking fwd to getting back on these courts and off of Forsyth, Stuy Town, and other substitute courts. That being said- the paving looked pretty shoddy, there didnt seem to be any drainage or sloping work done, wasnt sealed well at the edges, and they used the existing support poles.. All fine by me, but I would think for 300k a GC could do faaaar better. I could totally contract this out for 200k and get better work done.

Anonymous said...

What, they ran out of money after laying shitty asphalt? I saw skateboarders rolling around it the other day, and kids playing soccer. S at least now it's multi-purposed minus the backboards. The shitty asphalt will soon give way to cracks (I thought they were laying a smooth rubber surface. Thanks Youtube for making my summer!

And Parks can you stop with the outsourcing and just do your job? If Bratton can strong arm the Mayor fort extra funds to hire new recruits based on fear-mongering, the Parks Commissioner can do better, explaining that if the current scourge of drugs and homelessness are due to a lack of basketball facilities.