Residents press commission to protect Waterfront Park footprint, urge earlier project management

Residents and stakeholders used public comment time at the March 4 Fernandina Beach City Commission meeting to press the commission on waterfront design and project timing.

Mack Morris, who identified himself as living at 821 Parkview, urged commissioners to “keep the same footprint” for the planned Waterfront Park and to honor existing contracts rather than redesigning in ways that could create extra costs and delays. “Keep the same footprint that is in the grass now, and everybody wins,” he said, arguing that modest adjustments could be handled within current contracts and savings.

Pete Stevenson said the waterfront has been discussed for decades and urged the city to begin focused project‑management work and immediate outreach to the railroad and private property owners to identify legal and technical constraints. “We need to get started now,” Stevenson said, recommending the city form a team to resolve railroad and property issues early in the design process.

Julie Ferrer raised maintenance and durability concerns about using grass in high‑traffic park areas, noting bare spots at existing pocket parks and the need for watering and mowing if lawn areas are added.

Commissioners acknowledged the concerns and described ongoing planning; several commissioners and staff said they want to balance downtown business interests, youth and open‑space uses, and maintenance realities. The mayor and staff referenced a recent groundbreaking at the Amelia River Waterfront Park and said further design and procurement steps will proceed through the normal review and public‑comment channels.

No formal vote on Waterfront Park design occurred March 4; commissioners indicated some are reluctant to change the park footprint without further analysis and asked staff to bring clarifying information to future meetings.