Princeton may seek to cover some of its outdoor courts to create more playing opportunities.
By: Jennifer Potash
The Princeton Recreation Department may try to beat the buzzer on the shortage of gymnasiums by converting some outdoor basketball courts to indoor courts.
The possibility of covering courts was raised at the Joint Princeton Recreation Board’s meeting Thursday during a report on Recreation Department programs, including a $7,700 loss from indoor basketball programs caused by the need to rent gym space from local private schools. The Recreation Department serves Princeton Borough and Princeton Township.
The proposal is likely to be included in a future capital budget that would need approval by the Princeton Borough Council and the Princeton Township Committee. Jack Roberts, Recreation Department director, said he does not have a cost estimate for enclosing outdoor basketball courts.
The loss is offset in part by profits from other programs, Mr. Roberts said.
The department offers several basketball programs for boys and girls at different levels of competition. The more competitive travel teams practice several times a week in addition to the games, said Ben Stentz, program supervisor for the Recreation Department. That program has grown exponentially in the past couple of years, from two to six teams, he said.
The Dillon Youth Basketball League for children in fourth through ninth grades is located at Princeton University’s Dillon Gym, which does not charge the Recreation Department a use fee, Mr. Stentz said.
Also, the Princeton Regional School District does not charge the Recreation Department for using its gyms, but those spaces are in high demand from the schools’ athletic programs, Mr. Stentz said. Gymnasium space is at a premium, and is likely to shrink as the Princeton High School and John Witherspoon Middle School gyms undergo renovation, he said.
Dillon Gym also may see less use by community groups since Jadwin Gym’s new basketball court will not be finished until late fall and the university’s basketball teams need the gym to practice, Mr. Stentz said.
"The long-range picture is what I’m concerned about," he said.
The Recreation Department has several outdoor basketball courts, such as Hilltop Park, that could be covered during the cold weather months with bubble-like steel and fabric structures.
As tennis programs are declining in attendance, the department could cover up a few tennis courts and put down a special basketball court mat over the tennis surface, Mr. Roberts said. But that is a more expensive option, he said.
Princeton Theological Seminary, Stuart Country Day School, The Hun School and Princeton Day School all allow the use of their gyms for a fee, Mr. Stentz said.
And those institutions receive many requests for gym space, he said.
"It’s August and I’ve sent out requests for space for November," said Mr. Stentz.
To help cover the growing basketball program costs, the Recreation Department asks local businesses and corporations to sponsor teams, and gets teams to hold fund-raisers, Mr. Roberts said.
The Recreation Board was not in favor of raising fees for the program. Mr. Roberts said many of the participants now receive financial aid to participate.