Central Falls Tennis To Displace Basketball Courts: Some Miffed

CENTRAL FALLS, RI— New tennis courts in the city will displace existing basketball courts — a fact that doesn’t sit well with local adults and youth who like to shoot hoop.

Opponents of the tennis courts attended Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting on Sacred Heart Avenue and loudly let their thoughts be known. Local basketball enthusiasts told WJAR that the project would eliminate the city's only good, usable basketball courts, and they said the community was not consulted.

Mayor Maria Rivera said the grant-funded project will move forward as planned. She said it was part of former Mayor James Diossa's long-term vision to expose inner-city kids to the sport of tennis with free equipment and programming. The mayor said Central Falls is currently the only community in Rhode Island without tennis courts.

Rivera took to social media on Tuesday as criticism mounted. "We recognize this change is disappointing to some residents who have enjoyed playing basketball at this location,"Rivera wrote. "Our city is also working to secure additional funding to build a new basketball court in our city, with additional details coming soon."

She said the existing Sacred Heart basketball courts will stay open for daily use into September.