Following complaints from residents, a Bronx neighborhood park is entering another round of upgrades. The park is expected to receive top-down renovations of its basketball courts and a remodeling of half its tennis courts.

For many years, St. James Park, settled between Jerome and Creston avenues from 191st to 193rd streets, has served as Fordham Heights’ playground for children living in the neighborhood. It has also provided a space for adult residents to organize sports tournaments during the summer. Eight tennis courts were installed over 100 years ago, and have proven to be an archaic feature given how underutilized they are these days.

“We actually don’t play tennis here, so we just change it to a volleyball court instead,” said Ricardo Perez, a resident, who has lived on Morris Avenue for more than a decade. “It’s the best we can do with what we have even though this court isn’t really a volleyball court. I mean now that we have a proper field, I guess I could go play soccer.”

Renovations began in August and are expected to be completed by the end of September. Half the tennis courts will be converted into a multi-purpose, synthetic turf field with removable goalposts to double as a football field and a soccer field.

Nathaniel Walker, 15, who attends the nearby Theatre Arts Production Company School has been coming to the park with his friends after school. “We’ve all been playing soccer, even football on the tennis court, so it’s good that we’re getting some type of [field],” says Walker.

The New York City Parks and Recreation Department, which manages St. James Park, acquired the land in 1897, with the State Legislature naming the park after its proximity to St. James Episcopal Church, which abuts the playground on Jerome Avenue at 190th Street.

St. James Park received heavy upgrades in 2007, when funds from the $220 million Croton Water Filtration Mitigation Fund allocated some $5 million towards renovations. The funds were given in exchange for building the massive water plant that remains under construction in Van Cortlandt Park. Some improvements included a new rubberized swing area, a section for toddlers to play in, and a sprinkler system.

Another project at the park will see two new full-size basketball courts outfitted with new asphalt, color sealcoating, and new backboards. The project is being sponsored by the New York City Council and the Office of the Mayor and will cost $150,000. It is slated for completion by January 2017.