Jacksonville council approves six-month lease extension for youth soccer group while land-swap talks continue

The Jacksonville City Council on Nov. 18 approved a six-month extension of the Jacksonville Area Soccer Association’s lease of Woodlands Park, giving city staff and community partners time to negotiate a potential land exchange with Onslow County Schools.

City staff presented three options in a resolution packet and recommended pausing final action while stakeholders work out details. Mr. Ray, the city presenter, said the city-owned Woodlands Park is identified as 32.46 acres and that the county’s properties under consideration include a roughly 4-acre portion around Jack Emmett baseball field and an estimated 16 acres at the commons. The council voted, by voice, to extend JASA’s lease so negotiations can continue.

Brent Jones, a longtime JASA supporter, told the council the exchange "has the potential to adversely affect more than 750 kids" and urged leaders to protect the program’s long-standing relationship with the city. Mr. Ray read a recent email from Onslow County Schools Superintendent Dr. Chris Barnes indicating the school system "intends to enter into an agreement with JASA for continued use of the Woodlands Park fields" if boards approve a change in ownership, but that county agreements are typically negotiated on a year-to-year basis.

The staff presentation also cited a Victus Advisors sports-tourism feasibility analysis that identified a shortage of quality baseball fields in Jacksonville and noted concerns about parking and emergency access at Woodlands Park. Staff spelled out three formal choices for council: (1) approve a land-swap resolution and authorize execution of required documents; (2) take no action on the swap but direct staff to prepare a six-month lease extension for JASA for consideration at the next meeting; or (3) take no action and defer the item to Dec. 2.

Council members pressed staff on how county scheduling and rental policies would affect JASA’s access. Mr. Ray said the county follows a community use or rental policy and would set parameters in individual agreements; he also said JASA currently maintains Woodlands Park’s fields (mowing, fertilizing, field work) rather than the city assuming those tasks.

A council member (Speaker 12) moved to "grant JASA a 6 month extension of its current lease agreement effective immediately upon the existing lease's expiration" to allow time to pursue a permanent arrangement; an unnamed council member seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote and council directed staff to continue stakeholder discussions and return with options for a long-term solution.

Next steps: staff will convene interested parties — JASA, Onslow County Schools, the sports commission and other stakeholders — to negotiate terms, and the council reserved Dec. 2 on the calendar for follow-up action.