McCarren Park tennis courts get full lighting upgrade

McCarren Park’s seven public tennis courts in Brooklyn are now lit for evening play after Access Fixtures helped complete a two-year community campaign. The project adds more court time for New Yorkers and expands free tennis programming at one of the borough’s busiest public tennis sites.

Why it matters: - The lighting project extends access to one of Brooklyn’s busiest public tennis destinations. - NYC Parks says the new lights add the equivalent of one full month of playing time each year. - The upgrade also lets the McCarren Tennis Association expand free clinics and lessons for children and seniors.

What happened: - Access Fixtures joined NYC Parks and the Brooklyn tennis community on Sept. 23 to cut the ribbon on new public tennis court lighting at McCarren Park. - All seven courts are now lit and open to the public into the evening. - The opening completed Light Up McCarren, a two-year grassroots campaign led and funded by the McCarren tennis community. - NYC Parks Commissioner Tricia Shimamura led the celebration with McCarren Tennis Association Corp. Executive Director Bart Javier, USTA Eastern Section President Ari Roberts, New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler, community members and Access Fixtures CEO Steven Rothschild. - The evening included community tennis for kids and adults, family activities across the courts and the first serve under the new lights. - Spectrum News NY1 covered the opening in a segment titled "New Lights at McCarren Park Tennis Courts," and BKReader also reported on the project.

The details: - The McCarren Tennis Association raised $300,000 through annual community ladders, social events, merchandise sales, individual donations and local business partnerships. - USTA National and the USTA Eastern Section added two reimbursable funding grants in 2026 and were among the project’s largest supporters. - NYC Parks approved the work through its Adopt-A-Park program, which allows community organizations to fund permanent improvements on public parkland. - Construction began after a community groundbreaking celebration on July 7, 2026. - The courts now stay lit through the 11 p.m. closing time. - Any New Yorker with a city tennis permit can play. - Access Fixtures worked with the McCarren Tennis Association starting in June 2024, when the campaign was pricing the project. - Senior Lighting Specialist Bob McCormick led the project with Access Fixtures’ lighting engineering team through design, city review and delivery. - Access Fixtures’ engineers produced the photometric analysis and provided quotes used for fundraising. - After the tennis association relocated two poles in April 2026, the engineering team recalculated the layout and improved light levels. - For city approval, Access Fixtures supplied cut sheets, optic details, photometric reports and structural data. - When the freight carrier lost anchor bolts in transit, Access Fixtures sent replacements by dedicated driver to keep installation on schedule. - The lighting system uses 34 ASTA LED Sports Lights with Superior Optics and EXTREME-LIFE. - The fixtures produce 3,453,498 lumens at 134.2 lumens per watt. - Calculated court levels range from 50.4 to 57.0 foot-candles average per court. - The color temperature is 5000K. - The rated life is L70 at 200,000 hours. - The system mounts at 40 feet on 12 poles, including eight new poles.

Between the lines: - The project is a model for how a community-led fundraising effort can trigger permanent public-park improvements. - The approval path also shows how city review, technical design and contractor logistics can shape a sports-lighting project as much as fundraising does. - The longer evening window should matter most for players who need after-work and after-school court time.

What's next: - MTAC plans to use the longer hours to expand free programming, including clinics and lessons for children and seniors. - Access Fixtures says its lighting specialists can provide photometric studies, submittal documents and delivery coordination for other public and private tennis court projects. - The company directs interested customers to call 800-468-9925 to start a photometric study.