Parks advisory panel backs Central Park and Joe Velarde options to replace 16 petanque courts

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee voted Tuesday to forward two replacement options to the City Commission for 16 petanque competition courts that will be displaced by planned waterfront-park construction: Option C at Central Park and Joe Velarde Field as an alternate.

John Abbott, president of the Amelia Island Bulls Club, told the committee the club needs 16 regulation competition courts to host national and world-qualifying events and showed site diagrams for three Central Park configurations and a Joe Velarde Field layout. "We're asking for 16 because that is the prescribed number that is required for our club to host national and world qualifying batonk tournaments," Abbott said.

Committee members and public commenters emphasized the club's local and economic value. James Weinser, a former club president, said the November tournament brings teams from across the country and that losing 16 courts without mitigation would “be a shame.” Patrick Hovind, a longtime tournament organizer, said previous events drew international teams and estimated the open generated large economic benefits for downtown businesses.

Staff and board discussion centered on trade-offs. Scott Michaelson, the city's director of Parks and Recreation, said Central Park offers shade and visibility, but installations there risk impacting heritage trees and limit future expansion. "Central Park is our premier park. It is more challenging," Michaelson said, citing tree-root and event-scheduling concerns. By contrast, Joe Velarde Field provides parking, bathrooms and room to expand but would require a shade solution; staff noted an example shade option on the slide priced at about $200,000 and said staff would seek more economical alternatives.

Interim City Manager Jeremiah Glisson said staff aims to present the committee's recommendation and proposals to the City Commission on Aug. 6 and pursue construction this fiscal year where feasible. "The goal is construction on the Waterfront Park is scheduled to start September, October," Glisson said, adding that staff wants a recommendation from PRAC so the commission meeting does not become a back-and-forth delaying action.

After debate, a motion to recommend Option C at Central Park passed on a 4–2 roll-call vote (yes: Member Spalding; Vice Chair Kochery; Member Goldman; Member Barrera; no: Chair/Member Kamara; Member Maljoy). The committee then voted 4–2 in favor of also forwarding Joe Velarde Field as an alternate option. The committee instructed staff to present both recommended options and any proposals for shade or mitigation to the commission.

Speakers raised practical questions the commission will weigh, including parking capacity, tournament-scale needs (the club said its regular need is 16 courts but the fall open may require up to about 90 courts), and long-term maintenance costs for shade structures and renovated courts. Abbott said the club is willing to maintain courts and reuse timbers from the marina courts to reduce costs.

The committee's recommendations are advisory; the City Commission will consider staff proposals and PRAC's recommendation at its Aug. 6 meeting. The Parks and Recreation Department said it will work with the club on design and funding options in the weeks ahead.