By Kate Kimmel
Fernandina Beach officials reviewed two redevelopment options for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center on Tuesday night, igniting a debate over field space, parking demand and the future of a long-standing neighborhood gathering place.
Capital Projects Manager Glenn Akramoff presented plans that would rebuild the site — commonly known as “Elm Park” — with either two or three baseball fields. He showed blueprints outlining how a three-field layout would fit within the current footprint and said the park’s facilities are overdue for upgrades.
“Every day that we don’t act on this, we’re essentially losing $350,” he said.
Akramoff also noted that the city faces a firm 2027 deadline to add field capacity because construction of the Ybor Alvarez Sports Complex will remove one of Fernandina’s existing softball fields.
Several residents who live nearby the facility voiced concerns that the new center layout would lack adequate parking space. The MLK center has 22 parking spaces, but the proposed plans call for nearly 200.
Akramoff said the site could realistically fit only about 120, prompting strong concerns from nearby residents who fear overflow parking would clog Elm Street and surrounding blocks.
Commissioners raised their own questions as the discussion unfolded.
Commissioner Joyce Tuten questioned why the proposed fields would not be designed for multi-use, noting baseball fields typically accommodate only baseball and related sports.
Commissioner Genece Minshew suggested shifting the third field to Atlantic Park — formerly Joe Velardi Field — which she said would allow the MLK site to follow the two-field plan and preserve more space for parking and community pavilions. She emphasized that Velardi Field is historically significant and “needs to be restored and protected.”
Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue supported incorporating an Atlantic Park restoration into the broader project.
Akramoff cautioned that such improvements could be difficult to fund, since work at Atlantic Park would be categorized as an “improvement” rather than a “restoration.”
Commissioner Tim Poynter said the issue involved “too many moving parts” and called for delaying the discussion. Akramoff maintained that the project should remain a top priority.
Residents who live on or near Elm Street voiced mixed reactions. Many challenged the proposed design, arguing it would force parking into residential areas and reduce pavilion space often used for neighborhood events.
Stacy Brown-Preliou, who lives two blocks from the park and grew up playing softball there, rejected the proposals outright. She said the redesign would compromise the park’s history.
The Rev. Bernard Thompson described the plan as a “hostile takeover” of a community space central to his neighborhood’s quality of life. He argued that a full redesign was unnecessary.
“The pavilion is structurally just as good as the day it was built,” he said, urging the city to restore it rather than replace it.
Other residents said the park does need significant attention. Fernandina resident Robert Bloom agreed that the neighborhood had not been consulted enough, but added, “Something needs to be done at Elm St. The fence is falling and the fields flood.”
He suggested the city host a walk-through town hall to show residents exactly what changes are being proposed.
Support for redevelopment also came from the Elm Street Little League, whose members said the current fields no longer meet the needs of a growing program. League president Miranda Ivey said enrollment has reached 87 children, and some have been turned away because of limited field availability.
She suggested that one of the proposed fields could be grass and designed to switch between softball and pavilion use. “We have to have something for our kids,” she said.
Two youth softball players said the lack of available fields has forced them to cancel practices.
Tom Cameron with the Parks and Recreation Department said the department is willing to hold additional meetings with Elm Street residents and emphasized the urgency of adding field capacity for both softball and baseball.
City commissioners agreed that more community consultation will be necessary before the redevelopment plan returns for further discussion.
