City Halts Park Demolition After Pleasanton Residents Protest Against New Tennis Courts

PLEASANTON, CA — Demolition work in part of a Pleasanton park has been halted after about a hundred residents gathered Sunday night and Monday morning in an attempt to stop the construction of two new tennis courts. Residents upset by the project, say they learned about the plans for the courts at the Pleasanton Tennis and Community Park when the fencing went up around the park less than a week ago.

Unhappy residents rallied Sunday night, gathering again early Monday morning. The group chanted "save our park" as the Goodland Construction equipment arrived to break ground. Local children have hung signs on the construction fencing asking city officials to keep the park in its current condition. The group plans to meet again tonight.

The city will be removing grass and multiple mature trees to make way for the two new tennis courts. There are currently 10 courts on the property.

Resident John Ng says he does not feel the residents were properly notified about the project. According to Ng, only a few residents were sent cards in the mail notifying them of the construction.

“We have spoken to Councilwoman Karla Brown and Mayor Thorne,” Ng told Patch. "This is one of the few grassy areas where people can enjoy picnics and where kids play ball, fly kites and run around. The proposed new tennis courts location is adjacent to the two children's playgrounds, which makes it very convenient for parents to watch their kids playing on both the playground and the grassy area."

City officials say a 72-hour "Good Neighbor Notice" postcard was sent to all residents within 500 feet of the park.

“The City of Pleasanton has decided to temporarily hold off on the construction of two new tennis courts in order to hear from area residents at a subsequent meeting to be scheduled,” city officials said in a statement.

The two new courts were part of the master plan in 1985. In June, the Pleasanton City Council voted to approve the contract and award $494,353 for the project after they held three community workshops and conducted a phone survey.

According to officials, the money collected from Lifetime Tennis, the contractor who uses the courts for lessons, is not for profit and is used to offset maintenance and operations costs.

Amirt Duneja, who lives nearby, doubts the need for two more courts and believes that there could be a better spot for the courts, if they are to be built. He also expressed concern over the loss of the large trees.

“The neighborhoods are for people and for the things that benefit them,” Dunjea said. "The neighborhood would be less affected if the location for the new courts was moved to the corner of Valley Avenue and Paseo Santa Cruz."

The Pleasanton Tennis and Community Park is located at 5801 Valley Ave.

Photos courtesy Autumn Johnson
Videos courtesy Huiling Song