Residents and town officials went back and forth over the issue of new tennis courts at a meeting to discuss Mattapoisett’s open space plan.

The town is currently seeking public input for the plan, which Community Preservation Committee Chair John DeCosta said “serves as a blueprint” detailing goals for conserving land, water quality, wetlands and coastal resources, outdoor recreation, and maintaining the town’s character. The existing plan expired in 2003, and with the revision of the plan, the town will be eligible for more grants, said DeCosta.

On Thursday, several members of the public came to voice their support for new tennis courts on the town’s land adjacent to Center School.

“In 1938, we had four beautiful courts. It lasted us for many years. Center school expanded and it ruined two courts,” said Adrian Lonsdale, a member of the Mattapoisett Tennis Association. “We ought to have our own tennis courts.”

Lonsdale said the association had come up with a plan to restore the remaining two courts and add more, and that money was set aside for the project. Nothing ever happened with the plan, he said.

New courts are on Mattapoisett Recreation’s five-year plan, said Chair Jeremy Collier. However, the committee only plans to restore the existing two courts. For the rest of the open space, he said, “We want to do stuff for the very little kids who don’t have a place to play. There are only a few pieces of property we have in town.”

Trying to balance the needs of seniors, kids, and adults is complicated, admitted Collier.

Another member of the association, Bob Brown, said the group has a successful drop-in program with up to 60 people in the summer. But with only two courts in Mattapoisett, he said, “We’re stuck. We need three courts for it to work.”

Collier said the committee would like to add three courts to the grounds of Old Hammondtown School in the future.

Residents also discussed protecting the town’s wetlands and increasing information and visibility of public trails. The second input meeting will be scheduled for July.