City sells park to tennis club, residents irate

Queensboro Oval (left) is going to be transformed into Sutton East Tennis Club

To the chagrin of area residents the Queensboro Oval, a park beneath the Queensboro Bridge, was quietly turned in to a year-round private tennis club by the city without the knowledge of community residents. More than 100 area residents showed up last night at a Community Board 8 meeting to voice their disapproval, many with their dogs and some in softball uniforms. “We have no say in the matter. It’s all about money,” said Bradley Cohen, a long-time user of the park. Sutton East Tennis Club, which formerly erected a bubble on top of the park eight months out of the year, will now operate the tennis club year-round with hefty membership fees for the summertime. The city estimates $2.2 million in revenue from the club by 2011, which many residents don’t believe is worth it.