FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Parents on Amelia Island are upset because they said they losing their last public ballfield to more pétanque courts.
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The Fernandina Beach City Commission just approved a measure to replace the Joe Velardi ballfield with courts designed for the French lawn bowling game.
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Coaches said Joe Velardi ballfield is a staple on Amelia Island and that children are actively practicing baseball, softball and more here every day. With this being the last public field that is always open and available for their kids, they wonder where they will be left to play if this is all converted into pétanque courts.
“We are a growing community and our children in this community are also growing. We need to never take resources away from our kids and this place lets children practice sports and keep them away from their screens,” said Leslie Andree, vice president of Elm Little League.
Fernandina Beach city commissioners held their regular meeting on August 6th and unanimously approved relocating the pétanque courts to the Joe Vilardi Field.
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The new courts for the sport, which is similar to bocci or lawn bowling, should not cost more than $50,000, according to the resolution.
However, parents suggest the courts should be put up in Central Park instead.
“There were two options- Central Park and John Vilardi Field. They voted and chose this over Central Park. This actually affects our youth and Central Park won’t affect anyone. That park can give pétanque the attention it needs,” said coach Robby Mullins.
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The sport has some popularity on Amelia Island. The Pétanque Amelia Island Open is the largest Pétanque event in America, according to the city’s website. It draws players from all over the world to compete. The competition is scheduled to be held in mid-November this year.
Despite the sport’s tradition here, local parents said they are pushing commissioners to have another vote at the City Hall meeting in downtown Fernandina on Aug. 21 hoping they will change their minds about the location of the courts.
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