The East Greenbush Central School District officially opened its new tennis courts and basketball courts on the Columbia High School campus Thursday afternoon with a ribbon cutting ceremony on the tennis courts. Columbia tennis players Holly Thorpe ’26 and William Bollam ’27 cut the ribbon with teammates, school staff, families and school board members in attendance.
The outdoor courts are part of Phase 1A of the “Building a Bright Future” Capital Project, which also includes a new roof at Columbia. The roof will be completed this fall ahead of schedule.
“We could not be filled with more gratitude as a school district to be able to bring our students into such high quality facilities, providing great opportunities and creating an environment where they can thrive and learn,” said Dr. Kotes.
Following the ribbon cutting, guests were invited to play tennis on the nine brand new courts, and across the entrance road, students played on the new basketball courts.
Students play on new tennis courts.
“This is definitely an exciting time for Columbia Tennis,” said Mr. Bollam. More kids are trying out for our teams and interest at Columbia for tennis seems to be growing. Thank you to everyone who helped prioritize this project.”
The new courts will be utilized by students for physical education classes and interscholastic tennis matches. The courts will be open to the public when not in use by the school.
“We cannot wait to hit the ground running for our fall 2025 season on these beautiful courts,” said Ms.Thorpe. “Thank you to everyone in the East Greenbush Community who made this possible.”
East Greenbush CSD voters approved the capital project during the Budget Vote and Board Election on May 21, 2024. The project is anticipated to be completed in six different phases over the next four years due to the scope of the project, working around the school schedule, NYS Education Department timelines, and maximizing state building aid reimbursement to defray the overall cost for local taxpayers.
Other phases of the project include items such as replacement of HVAC systems for improved indoor air quality and adding air conditioning throughout all five elementary schools, classroom additions at elementary schools, library renovations in all schools, new playgrounds, athletic field improvements, upgrades to sidewalks and parking lots, and infrastructure improvements at all schools.
The next phase of the project, Phase 1B, is scheduled to start this coming fall and will include transforming the fields behind Howard L. Goff Middle School with a new multipurpose turf field and 6-lane track, new grass practice fields, new multipurpose courts and a new access road with parking that connects Hays Road to Goff.