The city of Rye will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at Rye Recreation Park tomorrow at noon to celebrate the official opening of the newly restored tennis courts.
Mayor Josh Cohn, along with other local officials including City Manager Greg Usry, Superintendent of Rye Recreation Erin Mantz, City Engineer Ryan Coyne, as well as Department of Public Works (DPW) staff, will be present at the event.
The tennis courts — which were severely damaged by Hurricane Ida in 2021 — have undergone a major restoration thanks to $700,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
After nearly three years of recovery efforts, the project is now complete. The renovation includes the construction of four new hard courts, installation of LED lighting, bleacher seating, new fencing around courts 5 and 6, and new stone dust walkways. In addition, more than 100 trees and shrubs have been planted, with a pollinator garden still to be added. Courts 1 and 2 have been converted into dedicated pickleball courts. As part of the project, enhanced drainage and soil stabilization measures were also implemented. All work, except for court paving and painting, was completed by the city’s DPW staff.
The public is invited to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon on Oct. 2.
In addition to the tennis court renovations, the city has also completed improvements to Car Park 1, located across from the Locust Avenue Firehouse. The upgrades include stormwater treatment before discharge into Blind Brook, new landscaping with more than 20 native hardwood trees and bio-retention plantings, a simplified traffic flow, ADA-compliant parking spaces, and wider parking spots throughout the lot. A new sidewalk now connects Elm Place and Locust Avenue for pedestrians, along with updated LED lighting for added safety.
This story was updated at 2:47 p.m. on Oct. 1 to correct the pickleball court photo caption.
