City of Binghamton Opens Tennis Courts

Word comes from Binghamton that tennis courts located in the City of Binghamton Parks have opened today.  The opening was announced on Mayor Rich David's Twitter account.  It comes under the category of low-risk outdoor activities.

The announcement comes on what is forecast to be perhaps the warmest day of the year so far.  Anyone who uses the tennis courts in Binghamton Parks is requested to practice social distancing and follow all CDC guidelines.

The Southern Tier is re-opening in the state's Phase One stage. Along with the Southern Tier Region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, and the North Country are all re-opening today under Phase One of Governor Cuomo's guidelines.

Included in Phase One are Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, Retail, Manufacturing and Wholesale Trade categories.

The Southern Tier Region consists of Broome, Tioga, Chemung, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben and Tompkins Counties.  The loosening of some of the constraints comes at a key time with a warming trend moving through the weekend.

Recreation Park on the Westside of Binghamton is one of the City's most utilized parks.  Rec Park usually is busy with a variety of activities by this time of year and has been the home of the Levene, Gouldin & Thompson Tennis Challenger for the past 26 years.  However, the Association of Tennis Professionals announced on April 10 that this year's event would not happen.  They suspended all tennis events globally until July 13.

According to the organizers of the local event the tennis tournament will return to Binghamton in 2021. New tennis courts are expected to be built in time for the 2021 tournament. The new tennis courts are being named in honor of Harper Stantz who was killed when hit by an out-of-control vehicle while walking home after playing tennis at the Rec Park courts.