Leonardo Guzman Perez has a passion for tennis. The Newburgh Free Academy Freshman said as much during a recent Newburgh City Council meeting . That passion has given birth to an idea to inject some life into the city-owned tennis courts near the high school.

“I always had an infatuation with tennis,” said the Ninth Grade NFA West student. “I loved watching it and couldn’t look away whenever tennis was on.”

That interest began in his native Puerto Rico where his father told him he needed to play at least one sport to stay fit and active.

“I didn’t want to play basketball, soccer or baseball,” he told the city council members via ZOOM last week. But he saw a sign for tennis lessons with the first two lessons offered for free. “My tennis journey began.”

After Hurricane Maria devastated the island three years ago, the family packed up their belongings and headed to Newburgh. And Leonardo continued his tennis journey. This past season, he compiled a 9-1 record for the JV team. He also became involved with the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, an organization that features more than 250 nonprofit youth development organizations that offer free or low-cost tennis and education programming to over 160,000 under-resourced youth each year. The NJTL dates back to 1969 as a way to gain and hold the attention of young people, with the hope of teaching them the importance of character, getting an education and becoming productive citizens. Though NJTL programs, Perez said, youngsters create skills development, gain problem solving, self-discipline, sportsmanship and other qualities.

With a little help from Ebony Clark, Principal at NFA west and Dennis Maher a teacher at NFA, Perez came up with a plan to resurface the city’s Lily Street tennis courts with a more artistic look. He is looking for city approval to host a series of fundraisers that will fund the facelift. City officials were receptive.

“I think it’s an awesome idea,” said Mayor Torrance Harvey, who acknowledged that there could be some restrictions due to the proximity of the Colonial Terrace. He promised to consult with the city’s legal team and will report back if he has the go-ahead.