Indoor Tennis Bubbles Land In White Plains Next Month

This story has been updated.

White Plains Recreation and Parks Director, far left, stands inside the future tennis clubhouse with Cesar Andrade, director of operations. Mayor Tom Roach is on the far right.
Photo Credit: *Jon Craig*

Bulldozer crews worked feverishly on Wednesday to level off tennis court areas expected to open next month at Delfino Park.
Photo Credit: *Jon Craig*

Part of the tennis court site that will adjoin Ebersole Ice Rink.
Photo Credit: *Jon Craig*

The site plan shows two outdoor tennis courts, at top near Lake Street, and two sets of three indoor courts protected by inflatable bubbles.
Photo Credit: *Contributed/City Hall*

12/03/2014 3:30 p.m.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Indoor tennis facilities are expected to open at Delfino Park in January, the first within city limits.

White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach toured the construction site at 110 Lake St. on Wednesday with the partners of Tennis Innovators Academy (TIA), which will pay the city $100,000 annually under its 10-year contract. City residents will get a 15 percent discount on tennis court fees.

"We're happy to have you here and looking forward to having tennis in the winter,'' Roach said, calling it "a first-class facility."

Six new indoor tennis courts and two outdoor courts are being built next to Ebersole Ice Rink and Delfino ballpark.

Tennis Innovators partner Bob Young said crews worked Thanksgiving Day to meet the goal of opening in early January. "I hope the weather cooperates," he said. "We're hard at work to get the courts completed and bubbles inflated by January."

Cesar Andrade, director of operations and Young's TIA partner, said the closest indoor tennis courts to White Plain are in Armonk, Rye and New Rochelle, where TIA operates one of eight metropolitan area facilities.

Lifetime Fitness opened indoor tennis courts in West Harrison earlier this year. Other indoor courts in Westchester include Sportime Harbor Island in Mamaroneck, Sportime Lake Isle in Eastchester, Sound Shore in Port Chester and Solaris in Hawthorne.

The new tennis facility at Delfino Park will give residents access to courts from Labor Day through Memorial Day when the city's outdoor courts are not open. Under the city's licensing agreement with Tennis Innovators Academy, the total number of courts at Delfino will increase from 6 to 8 with existing courts replaced by new Har-Tru courts.

The facility will include a new tennis clubhouse with a lounge area, changing rooms and pro shop. Tennis Innovators will construct, operate, manage and maintain the courts year-round at no cost to the city. There will be no membership or initiation fees charged.

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