If you’re not a cager, you may not understand the significance of the lighted basketball courts next to the Police station at Exit 57. These fenced-in courts (hence “cage”) have been a much-beloved and important place for area players to meet and play, especially at night, and as protests concerning its possible removal have grown in recent weeks, town officials are stating they are working hard on finding a solution to the issue.

At the heart of the controversy is the slated demolition of the courts to make way for a large storage facility, approximately 80 x 80 feet, and a training facility as well for both the town’s fire and police departments. The courts would be replaced by facilities at Bittner Park.

Residents are claiming they were blindsided by the action, but the removal of the courts has been a topic at several town meetings for the last two years, according to town records.

According to several residents who play regularly, one of the main benefits of the courts is their proximity to the Police Department. Players say they feel safe running the boards there, especially at night and so close to a highway, where passing criminals might otherwise feel the compulsion for a closer look.

Kim Mastriano, who is a member of the Guilford Basketball League Board and who has played, coached, and scheduled games along with her husband for years at the current site, said she and others are upset by the seeming “under the radar” nature of the decision to remove the courts.

“I just don’t think it was made clear that we would have to get rid of then courts to make way for this storage facility,” said Mastriano. “There’s no way the vast amount of people who are so opposed to this would’ve voted for this, or approved it had they known what would happen.

“These courts are so important to us because we have the youth community in such a safe place. I have teenagers and I feel so safe having the Fire Department and Police Department right there,” she continued. “It doesn’t seem to make sense to put teenagers back in the woods up at Bittner where there’s no visibility. Knowing how much our youth have sacrificed and lost out on the last two years, the social opportunities, the recreational opportunities that I think this will be a crushing blow to our kids that utilize these courts.”

In response, First Selectman Matt Hoey said that he too is frustrated by the potential removal as he and his own family have used the courts for years, and his hope is to find a solution that can address constituent concerns. However, public safety is the focus for town officials as they try to balance the entire community’s needs.

“I definitely can’t counter that perception. The perception is that it’s a safer place because people are less likely to be bad actors when they know the Police Department is right there,” Hoey said. “It is a distinct advantage for those who live close by and utilize their bikes or walk there, and it would be somewhat of a loss for those kids who do that. Clearly we understand that, but sometimes…the overarching needs of other entities, in particular public safety, might rule the day.”

According to Hoey, it boils down to the simple fact that the town must weigh recreation versus safety and for many, the choice must defer to public safety.

“There has been a long-demonstrated need for additional storage capacity for our public service agencies to consolidate as well as protect the investments we have made in terms of equipment,” said Hoey. “In general, it’s about storage needs particularly as it relates to the Police Department. Right now they have things spread around the community. The Fire Department has equipment that is not stored at their headquarters, which means they have to go and get that and then respond to an emergency, possibly in the wrong direction.”

Hoey said he is understanding of the desire to retain the courts and recognizes residents are upset, but the plan for new storage and the removal of the courts has been on town department agendas for several budget cycles, and despite claims that residents were not notified of the court removal possibility, Hoey is now focused on finding a resolution that weighs the many differing views.

“Unfortunately, it looks like the storage facility is more than likely going to replace the courts,” said Hoey. “Now we knew this. This was not a surprise to us. During budget season last year we knew this was a possibility...We have been discussing since that point the decision to replace those courts if we did in fact lose those courts. We are committed to finding a site to place the courts.”

According to both Hoey and Park & Recreation Director Rick Maynard, possible solutions include reexamining the site to

see if the storage buildings and the courts can co-exist at the site. This solution seems unlikely, but Hoey said he is going to the site next week with the architect and Maynard to see if there is some solution that can safely shoehorn in the courts among the proposed facilities.

“We don’t think we can fit it there, but we are going back with the architect to see if we can find out. We are going to go back and relook at it and revisit it, but it is tight in there,” Hoey said.

Hoey readily acknowledged the criticism of Town Hall by some users of the courts that officials did not properly convey the ramifications of the facilities proposal.

“We were talking about it at town meetings, and those meetings are open and available to the community, but again, not clearly alerting to the community at large of the potential impact is, frankly, shame on us,” said Hoey. “We probably don’t do as good a job as we could, but a lot of decisions we make have ramifications that we can’t know about or even contemplate. But in my mind’s eye, I think we could have done a better job of letting folks know.”

The most likely plan being discussed currently is to move the courts up to Bittner Park North, where new lighting would illuminate not only basketball courts but the pickleball courts and the skatepark as well.

“The most obvious spot would be up at Bittner Park,” Hoey said. “The idea now is having a site up there in which the pickleball, skatepark, and basket courts would all be lighted and extend the usable daytime life of the facilities. The Board of Selectman handled this as part of the normal budget process last year. We discussed the fact that there was a possibility of the courts being displaced, but we did however, commit to finding areas to build new ones.”

Maynard said that as various department’s needs change, the town needs to grow and be flexible.

“If you think about it, it really makes a lot more sense to have recreational facility at a park, rather than at emergency services. We were fortunate to have them there for the last 20-plus years, but both fire and police will tell you that there have been some close calls there as ambulances are speeding out and there is potential for a collision,” Maynard said. “And Matt makes a great point, that Bittner is actually the geographic center of town, and more accessible to the entire community.”

Hoey stated that despite the frustration expressed by residents, he is committed to reaching a solution to the problem.

“Rick has been very gracious in working toward a solution. And that is what we are working on right now, a solution,” said Hoey. “And at this point we do feel that Bittner Park is probably the best place for us to get the maximum bang for our buck and it is consistent with our overall plan of a recreational center up there. However, there are some other possibilities.”

Another proposal under consideration is upgrading the courts at Adams Middle School, which is only a few hundred yards from the current courts. The Adams courts already have lighting and with slight upgrades could easily replace the current courts, according to both Hoey and Maynard.

“A lot of the comments we are getting don’t even mention that Adams is available,” Hoey said. “Is there a possibility of putting another court in at Adams? We don’t know yet, but we are working on that possibility. There may be a way to add another court there as well.”

According to Maynard, the Adams courts would need some minor upgrades, but that site is essentially a potential that is ready to go as well. Maynard said that there is also a proposal to add courts at Bittner and upgrade the courts at Adams.

“We could refurbish those Adams courts and add courts up at Bittner and try and balance everything out,” Maynard said. “That’s definitely a possibility.”

Hoey said there is even discussions of finding a completely new sight somewhere else in town, including expanding the half-court at Jacobs Beach, and partnering with the Land Acquisition Committee for find a completely different site for any courts.

“That can be fraught with challenges when putting impervious material down near the water, but there is a half-court there now, so this is also a possibility,” Hoey added. “We also have a very active Land Acquisition Committee here in town that is predominately focused on open space opportunities, but they do acquire property for town use as well. We could theoretically find another site in town. One of the challenges is lighted courts at night.”

However, regardless of the plan that gets adopted, Hoey is adamant that the current courts will not be demolished or shut down until another site is up and running and fully functional.

“I think I can speak for the balance of my compatriots on the board, and say we will not take down those courts until such time that we have replacements in place, an alternative in place. Our goal is to have the new basketball facility up and running before we touch the old ones,” said Hoey. “We’ve been working on a solution and we have been for some time.”

For more information about efforts to preserve the current site and visit Save Our Courts! page via FaceBook. To contact town officials, visit Guilford’s website at www.ci.guilford.ct.us, which posts contact information for most town employees.