Advocates press Worcester leaders for funding to rebuild South Worcester handball and basketball courts

Residents and players pressed the Worcester City Parks and Recreation Commission on May 8 for city action to restore the Camp Street (South Worcester) handball and basketball courts, saying a public bid process in 2023 produced bids that the city did not fund.

Nancy Ortiz, who has repeatedly asked the city for repairs, told the commission the courts were bid in 2023 and that the lowest bid when bids opened on June 21, 2023, was $1,100,000. "Is the funding gonna happen now or what?" Ortiz said. She described decades of limited maintenance and said the courts last received meaningful investment in 2007.

Why it matters: advocates said the Camp Street site is a visible neighborhood amenity used for youth and adult recreation and that the courts are identified in the city's 2015 master plan. Speakers said the site has been patched repeatedly and requires full resurfacing, wall repairs, fencing and lighting to meet the plan's recommendations.

Assistant Commissioner Rob Antonelli said the project has been on the department's list but has not reached the top of the funding queue. "It has not made it to the top of the heap as of right now," Antonelli said, adding that the Parks Department is managing multiple capital needs across the system and that the project had earlier been halted for lack of funds. Antonelli also said the city previously bid the project and that the cost had been too high to proceed; at the meeting he described a current ballpark estimate of roughly $1.5 million.

Commissioners and community members urged more active coordination between the Parks Department, the City Manager and the Veterans Memorial Parks and Recreation Standing Committee of the City Council to identify potential funding sources and timing. Commissioner statements noted the narrow window before next fiscal-year budgeting and urged staff to pursue options that could be ready for council consideration. The commission voted to file the item and requested that Assistant Commissioner Antonelli do outreach and return to the commission with an update at the June meeting.

The meeting record shows strong public engagement: multiple residents, a long-time handball organizer and local advocates spoke in favor of moving the project forward. The commission does not directly authorize capital spending; Antonelli said the department will pursue internal options and discussions with the City Manager and council subcommittee."We have, probably over somewhere between 75 and a $100,000,000 worth of park work, that needs to be accomplished," Antonelli said, describing the department's backlog.

Next steps: The commission asked staff to report back at the June meeting with outreach results and any feasible funding alternatives; a formal funding decision would require action by the City Manager and, likely, the City Council or other funding mechanisms.