Binghamton Finalizing Big Fix for Rec Park Tennis Court Project

A new round of construction work aimed at addressing problems with the new tennis court complex at Recreation Park on Binghamton's West Side should start soon.

Mayor Jared Kraham said the city has brought in experts to examine the drainage issues in the park around the site of the tennis courts.

The mayor said they also are looking at the surface coating that may be responsible for water and water vapor being able to leach out onto the court playing surface.

Kraham previously said the material used for the court surface "didn't meet the city's expectations in terms of drainage and repelling water."

The mayor this week told WNBF News that he hopes work to fix the problems can get underway "as quickly as possible."

Kraham said the city's investment in the tennis court project "should last ten plus years, so we want it to be done the right way."

The mayor acknowledged the situation "has been frustrating for tennis players" who have been anxious to use the new courts.

Kraham said the city now is finalizing the plan "on what exactly needs to change on the courts under the top surface to make sure they're playable in the long term."

Broome Bituminous Products of Vestal was the general contractor for the tennis court replacement project. The old courts were closed in November 2019 and ground was broken for the new complex a few months later.

The new tennis courts were used for a short time in 2021 but the facility was closed when surface water problems became evident.

Kraham said the city would like to avoid possible litigation in connection with the troubled project. He said those hired for the job "need to stand behind their work." He said "as of right now, they're operating in good faith and working to fix the situation."

The mayor said his goal is to ensure that the problems don't "cost city taxpayers any additional money because we paid for the courts to be rebuilt and we're not going to continue paying if a designer or a contractor gets the work wrong."

Kraham said he believes the additional work at the tennis courts could get underway in about three or four weeks. He said it's possible people could be playing tennis on the new courts by the end of summer.

LISTEN: Mayor Jared Kraham spoke with WNBF News about the status of the Recreation Park tennis complex.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.