City seeking court solution as construction puts a damper on North Dryden recreational facilities

North Dryden will see soon see the demise of two long standing structures in the area.  The tennis court as well as the baseball diamond will be removed due to the new infrastructure being added in the area.

The creation of a new service road will create a future traffic problem if the facilities were left standing in that location.  The back half of the tennis court has already been cut off due to the creation of the road, and is now beyond repair and unserviceable.

The city of Dryden is currently looking at creating a temporary location for the facilities, and was looking into the feasibility of the arena as a possible location for the tennis court.

“The plan was to put it into the arena for this summer until we could figure out what we’re doing, but in talking to the tennis players, that’s not going to work,” says Bill Latham, Director of Community Services for the City of Dryden.  “The arena just wasn’t suitable because the floor is too slippery.”

The city is looking at some other possible locations, including Milestone Rink.  They have sourced out some portable stands to enable the local players a continued tennis court.

“There’s a lot of people that play tennis, and we don’t really recognize it until they lose their court,” comments Latham.

Latham reports that the city is currently in discussions with another group on a joint use agreement, although they cannot be named at this time, to use their land to house the ball diamonds.

Mayor Anne Krassilowski expressed concerns of the lack of the diamond having an impact on the possibility of tournaments that require five diamonds.  Latham agrees that there is a need for the fifth location, and says that in season opener when the younger players are utilizing the lit diamonds, there is still a shortage of space.

Krassilowski questioned the reality of the courts being rebuilt within the next year.

“What we’re looking at is a temporary solution and I’ll put it in the capital for next year and hopefully it makes the brutal cuts,” says Latham.

Ally Dunham