A temporary fence could be installed as early as this week around parts of Herrick Park in East Hampton Village, where renovations to the tennis courts and softball field are set to begin on April 1. Marcos Baladron, the village administrator, said at Friday’s village board meeting that work would conclude no later than June 15.
“It’s all about the weather,” a representative from LandTek told the board. LandTek recently installed artificial-turf ball fields at Stephen Hand’s Path for the Town of East Hampton.
The tennis courts will be replaced with three new concrete courts, one of which will be also marked out for two pickleball courts. A 10-foot-high black vinyl-coated chain link fence will surround the courts.
A year ago, the village had a plan to swap the locations of the tennis courts and the softball field, but the cost was prohibitive.
The basketball court next to the tennis courts will also be removed; Mr. Baladron said in an email that it would be replaced during Phase II, which would occur before Phase IB, the other half of the sports fields.
The softball field will be resurfaced, and two new dugouts will be added. A 20-foot black vinyl-coated backstop will prevent errant foul balls from destroying windshields in the adjacent Reutershan Parking Lot. To improve drainage on the all-natural field, two 10-by-12-foot-deep dry wells will be installed.
The parkfront connected to the Reutershan lot will also be improved, most notably by a long eight-foot-wide brick walkway with two handicapped access ramps.
Members of the East Hampton Village Foundation contributed more than $1 million Foundation to the project. “This is why we created the foundation to begin with,” said Mayor Larsen. “It’s to raise money for important projects that we wouldn’t have to burden the taxpayers with — this is a big win for the residents.”
“We continue to raise funds for village activities, said Bradford Billet, the director of the foundation. “The park will finally be one hundred percent A.D.A.-accessible. The walkway encircles the park, making it safer and easier for parents pushing strollers, too.”
