Save the tennis court in Montclair Park

The group who started this petition is not against the idea of a skate park. However, this court has been loved and used my me and my family for over 5 years. I understand that many others are the same. While the court is damaged, it is still loved and used. We are often kicked off of the other tennis courts above because "it is the adult court". You are welcome to build a skateboard ramp in the lawn or to utilize another area of the park. Just please don't take away a tennis court that is loved by my family and many others.

Keep the tennis courts as they are!

The left field outfield by the fence is a better place for a skateboard park - That area is less used than the lower tennis court, and I have never seen a ball hit that far anyway (after watching many innings of softball).

My two sons play on this court all the time. There will not be enough tennis court capacity without it

Go tennis!

No skateboard ramp, please!!

Can we have both? I'd like to save the existing court and find another location in Montclair park for the skateboard ramp. Tennis and Skateboarding are both great activities for healthy exercise.

I take lessons there and I want to keep the court.

Please maintain the tennis courts in Montclair so there can be future generations of healthy, happy, and athletic children and adults

Please don't make a short-sides decision to solve one problem by creating a new problem.

I took tennis lessons here as a kid. Let's preserve the tennis courts.

Please do not take this court away. My girls get tennis lessons there, and I take them there some weekends to practice. I feel better about using these courts, rather than the two nicer courts up higher, since they are still learning and do not wish to be disruptive to the better, adult players using the upper courts. The lower court is a great place to practice and learn to play tennis. I have no problem with making a skate ramp, but makes no sense that it needs to where the courts are already. Put it somewhere else.

There are not enough public courts as it is. Please leave this tennis court as a tennis court.

Tennis is the perfect sport for our kids, but without public courts most kids can't play. Courts are expensive, so cities should be smart and keep the ones they already have.

Different crowd and more crowded parking with a skate park.

There are so few public tennis courts; the ones that remain should stay and be maintained. These courts are currently utilized by many people. I do not understand how the thought of taking away an area long established for one activity to give to another group even arose. I daresay the neighbors would much prefer the tennis courts, which were there when they purchased their homes, to the noise of skateboards rolling, jumping and landing on concrete. Has anyone asked them.

Please don't take the tennis court away. I learned there 35-40 yrs ago. Now my dad gives the grandkids (my son 6y and his cousin 8y) and others kids informal lessons there. A single court is the only place to do that with little kids.

I just want it to be clear that the lower court is the only one that kids are allowed to use. If they would let our kids use another court for lessons I would be happy with that. My daughter has been taking lessons there for 6 years and I have never considered it dangerous. It really needs to be maintained better but it's all we have so we make it work. I'm not seeing any comments that are vilifying skaters. Please point them out to me. I have no problem with a skatepark and hope that we can find a solution to make everyone happy. I don't think that informing people about a meeting being held to discuss this topic was spreading fear or misinformation. It would be inappropriate to withhold this information and not allow everyone an opportunity to learn the facts and voice their concerns. I am not the person who started this petition but I signed it because it was created to preserve the tennis courts not to block a skatepark in Montclair. I'm hopeful that we can have both.

I think it's unfair and disrespectful that you are discounting all these people's opinion on this petition. I think the Oakland employee was being transparent and letting those using it know what was being discussed. Why should you get to decide whether the ramp goes into the tennis court because you think it's ugly. You may see an ugly tennis court, my kids completely enjoy this court and have done so for 4+ years. The fact is, there has never been injury in the court while my kids have been there and they have a place to learn tennis without bothering other more advanced players. Sure, let's get it cleaned up and resurfaced, good idea. Also, no one is villifying the skaters, my daughter likes to skateboard, just find another location in the park and don't take away a court that is currently being used. Why can't there be both? maybe this will bring the community together to clean up the park, but it also means there needs to be transparency so that everyone can discuss the issues.

We are dismayed that a local parks and rec employee has contacted members of the public to scare them regarding possible installation of skateboarding features into Montclair Park. Spreading misinformation and fear is not professional conduct for a city employee. This seems a really inappropriate action for a city employee to take. I’m even more disappointed that a local resident would start a petition against this project without bothering to contact this committee or taking some time to understand the variables, process and purpose of this project. If the lower tennis court is so important as indicated in this petition, then why have you allowed it to fall into such disrepair? Why would you allow your children to play on such a dangerous surface? If tennis is so important to this group, why do the lower courts remain vacant most afternoons and weekends? Why is the resurfaced court behind the rec center not being used? Asking for large areas of flat land to be set aside for underuse does not serve the interests of the larger community. Asking the residents who are also a part of this community to go to other communities to use their parks is impractical, dangerous and unfair. We initially approached the local park and recreation employee to have a halfpipe reinstalled on the basketball court. He refused. It was the suggestion of a high ranking member of the Montclair Village Association to think about using the lower tennis court because it’s in such bad shape. It’s more than a little disturbing to see the vilifying of the kids and residents in Montclair Village who enjoy skateboarding in your comment section. Is it really part of a supportive, diverse community to only support the activities YOUR family engage in, while telling other residents they are not welcome? Montclair, Oakland Skateboard Community