Support Open and Public Recreation in Crocheron
Sign our petition to keep tennis and pickle ball courts truly public!
North Eastern Queens has some the best parks in New York City, these open secrets include Crocheron's Tennis & Pickle Ball Courts. People come from across Queens and Nassau County to enjoy the publicly run courts with free pickle ball courts and reasonably priced tennis. While our local councilwoman, Vickie Paladino, has given the park large amounts of capital and discretionary funding (including for the renovation of the pickle ball courts), the city and NYC Parks has greatly undervalued the park.
Work on Crocheron's paths has been 'it will be next season' for three years, one gardener is expected to handle multiple parks in the district (leaving many of our gardens behind) - and then the NYC Parks Concession team, on behalf of the City's economic portfolio, looks to squeeze more out of them without the city putting the necessary work into the park. Yes, money generated from NYC Parks' Concessions go back to the City's general fund (The Center for an Urban Future, 2025).
Comparative Courts in NYC - Pricing People Out
- While some Community Board, like CB 1 in Astoria (Queens Chronicle 10/30/25), have worked with the community and asked NYC Parks for this type, the meeting with concessions and CB11Q's Park Committee was comply informed by Concession division of NYC Parks that the RFP (request for proposal) will be out to potential vendors in 40 days.
- Nearby indoor bubbles, such as in Alley Pond, charge $31-$67 per hour for court use, prices that make recreation unaffordable for many local families and seniors (Alley Pond is the comparison that NYC Parks Concession used during the meeting).
- Crocheron does not need a bubble over its courts, some neighborhoods may see a bubble as a way to remove players from a polluted environment, as was noted by a New Yorker in the 2019 Parks Committee Meeting Crocheron is in the middle of a lush parkland, acres away from the nearby highways, with hundreds of trees cleaning the air.
- Bubbling over the tennis and pickle ball courts will greatly alter the park landscape, inserting a large white bubble that will be visible from much of the park.
- The park's Tennis House is historic, built during the 1930s New Deal construction of Crocheron.
1936 photograph of the Tennis House. Courtesy of NYC Parks Archive.
Environmental and Landscape Changes
Crocheron's Courts are flanked by various trees. Large northern red oaks, hawthrones, and maples provide shade, beautiful views, and a relaxing atmosphere. When we spoke with pickle ball players on the 15th, they expressed their distain for the project that would close them in. One man predicted that the trees would be cut back and possible down. NYC Parks Concession did not mention any of these changes, however, they hide behind the RFP which will allow potential vendors to reimagine the courts as they wish. See more on the tree map created by NYC Parks.
These trees provide a beautiful view from the courts, especially during autumn.
Sign Petition to Keep Our Park Publicly Manage and Open!
Please sign the petition to tell our elected officials and NYC Parks Concession to keep Crocheron publicly run and open! Our tax dollars recently went to thousands in renovations for the courts, newly sealed, with pickle ball nets and lines too. Finally, the NYC Parks Concession system is set up to enrich the city's larger general funds. It does not go back into NYC Parks and especially not Crocheron's.
