Not A Slam Dunk? B-Ball Courts May Be Moved For Storage Facility

GUILFORD, CT —For many years, basketball courts have existed in the area of the Guilford Public Safety Complex, home to emergency services including fire and police. A plan to relocate those courts and replace them with a storage facility for public safety equipment has some residents less than thrilled.

One, Julie Cusano, mom of two Guilford High School boys, said that on Friday, a sunny and temperate day, she saw more than a dozen "young people out playing, getting exercise and fresh air."

"Why does First Selectman Matt Hoey want to stop this activity? Why would the Board of Finance want to turn this recreational area into an unsightly storage area," she asked rhetorically. "There are so many options for storage, but there are never enough places for children, teenagers, and adults to gather for a fun game of hoops."

She pointed to a Change.org petition signed by more than 1,300 to see the courts remain. One repeated reason is that the location, right next to the Guilford Police Department, makes it a safe place to play.

"These courts are a huge part of the youth community, and the police station prevents violence and fights," the appeal reads.

Calling it a "very difficult issue" First Selectman Matt Hoey said that while many are disappointed, including himself, that the courts need to be moved, the site will soon house "much needed storage for our Public Safety entities."

"I, too, as someone who has played on, coached Rec teams on and had my own children play there, am disappointed that the courts may need to be replaced," Hoey said in an email to Patch.

Hoey conceded that the town has not "done a good enough job of relaying the totality of the storage needs."

The facility that is being considered would be an 80 by 80-foot, four-bay garage to house vehicles and other critical public safety equipment integral to the core missions of the fire and police departments, Hoey said.

He added that the Board of Selectman as well as the fire, police, and parks and rec departments and commissions "are committed to replacing the courts elsewhere in town before removal of the existing facility would commence.”