Mayor: One tennis court to remain at Rockville Centre recreation center after Mr. B's Playground construction

One of the three tennis courts outside the John A. Anderson Recreation Center will remain, according to Mayor Francis X. Murray, after a playground accessible to children of all abilities is built at the site.

Murray said that two of the courts, which he noted were being “underused” by the public, will be removed, and replaced with the play space, which will be named after longtime Recreation Superintendent Anthony Brunetta, known as Mr. B, who died in 2016.

The playground was originally slated to stretch from the northwest corner of Sunrise Highway and North Forest Avenue to the right-field fence of Hickey Field’s smaller baseball diamond, where there are basketball and handball courts. But Murray said he received questions about safety and noise from parents of children with special needs about having the playground along Sunrise Highway. The village board voted to move the project, he said.

Not only is the location quieter, he noted, but also it provides park users ample parking and access to bathrooms, which will make the project cheaper. “It’s a home run,” Murray said.

Village spokeswoman Julie Scully told the Herald last month that the village was determining whether all courts would be permanently removed. Matthew Spinelli, the son of Nancy Cottrell, whom the courts are named after, shared concern on Facebook.

“Mr. B was the one behind the courts being named for her, and I know he would never have agreed to them being removed,” Spinelli wrote, noting that he supports the playground and would not be against a scaled-down version of the courts. “I hope this is taken into consideration when deciding the fate of the tennis courts.”

Murray said the remaining tennis court would be rebuilt with benches and proper signage that remembers Cottrell. He added that if village residents believed another tennis court was needed in Rockville Centre, the board would consider building one at a different location.

“I can’t thank Mayor Murray and the committee enough for their cooperation and understanding,” Spinelli later posted. “We look forward to seeing the completed project.”