Petanque Club Must Move -- But to Where?

The largest petanque club in the United States is suddenly looking for a new home in Fernandina Beach.

Next week, the Amelia Island Boules Club and its 153 members will be kicked out of its riverfront courts just south of the marina. The space will be allocated for parking at a new park.

For more than two hours Tuesday, before a packed city commission meeting room, members of the city Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) mulled four possible alternate locations to provide the club with 16 regulation-sized courts.

More gas was tossed on the fire when Fernandina Beach Commissioner Chip Ross presented a fifth option of doing nothing and leaving the petanque courts as-is at the current riverfront location. He said he doubted if his fellow commissioners would approve any proposals for expanded petanque at Central Park.

"What was originally proposed with the waterfront park was to leave the petanque courts exactly where they are," Ross said. "That option was drowned out by a number of people. I would hope you would think about that option.”

The city commission will vote next Tuesday to approve detailed engineered plans for the new waterfront park and spend $2 million to build it. The plans replace the petanque courts with 32 parking spaces.

The Boule Club currently has courts at Central Park, but they are not regulation size and there are not enough courts to host tournaments like the petanque complex at the riverfront. The city spent $20,000 two years ago to build those riverfront courts.

Boules Club officials have been meeting with the city to identify space either at Central Park or a small baseball field behind the Atlantic Recreation Center. There were three designs presented at Central Park and one for the Joe Velardi baseball field.

When Parks and Recreation Director Scott Mikelson asked the Boules Club which location they favored, the room reverberated with a thunderous "the marina!"

By a 4-2 vote, PRAC picked 'Option C' at Central Park as the plan to be presented to the city commission for approval in August.

Option C expands the existing petanque courts to convert them to six regulation-sized courts and adds another 10 courts adjacent to the east of those courts. They voted 4-2 to make Velardi Field their second option.

"What we don't want to happen at the Aug. 6 commission meeting, that there's some disagreement (among commissioners), and them to say let's take it back to PRAC, then we have another back-and-forth (over location). If that happens I can't get anything done," said Interim City Manager Jeremiah Glisson. "I will say having watched attempts over the years to make changes within Central Park over the years, it's a premier park and it is more challenging. I foresee more challenges there with that route then at Velardi Field."

Glisson said the timeline was to have the new petanque complex completed in the fall of 2024.

Ross agreed with Glisson's assessment over making significant changes to the open spaces of Central Park.

"I think my brethren (commissioners) are going to have a hard time approving this," Ross said. "How will I vote? I'm undecided right now. I'm going to advocate keeping it like it is. When you go out there and stake it out, it's a substantial amount of ground and will substantially change Central Park and the way it looks. (Velardi Field) is less disruptive."

Velardi Field sits behind the Atlantic Recreation Center adjacent to Jean LaFitte Boulevard next to the Women's Club. The objections to that location were the lack of shade and the remote location that is hidden from public view.

One solution to alleviate the absence of shade is to purchase and erect a massive shade covering. Estimated cost for the shade tent is $200,000.

Boules Club member Paul Lore said having petanque players visible to the public was crucial to growing membership to the group.

"A significant key in any sport is visibility. When visitors come, not only do they look at what's going on, it gives them feedback of wow, look at this community. They've got pickleball, softball, surfing, petanque. It gives them the sense there are so many available opportunities," Lore said. "I know when we play at the marina or Central Park, families walk by and say what is this? It's the availability to say this is petanque and this is what petanque is all about."

Vice Chair Sheila Cocchi backed the Central Park Option C proposal.

"(At Velardi Field) nobody is going to know you're there. I do not like this option at all," she said. "I think (Option C) is the best of both worlds. If we do this in a way protecting the trees, you should be able to go there, really make it your space and enjoy it that way."

She also argued that moving to Velardi Field would be moving the Boules Club further away from the activities of the historic downtown.

However, PRAC Chair Tom Camera said Velardi Field was the ideal location for petanque.

"You need to have your own space, you can grow at Velardi," Camera stated. "Parking and bathrooms are already there. The infrastructure is already in place."

City staff will now refine the two options to be presented at the Aug. 6 city commission meeting for a vote to build the courts.