City Wants Your Input: What Should Change at Rec Centers, Pools, Sports Fields and Beaches?

FERNANDINA BEACH — Fernandina Beach's $98,750 Parks and Recreation planning study is entering its public participation phase, with four focus groups, an online survey and a November community workshop aimed at resolving longstanding questions about beach access, aging recreation centers, athletic fields and recreational programs.

Parks and Recreation Director Scott Mikelson told the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Tuesday that the study will rely heavily on residents to help establish priorities for recreational facilities and services over the next decade.

The City Commission approved the $98,750 contract with consulting firm Kimley-Horn in July after scaling back an earlier two-phase proposal totaling $185,000.

"So we brought it back down into what we were calling some pressure points that we have been dealing with ... for over a decade, two decades," Mikelson said.

The first group met Oct. 9 to discuss beach access. Two virtual sessions covering youth sports and events and partnerships are scheduled for Oct. 22. An in-person meeting addressing recreation centers is being rescheduled.

Mikelson said public participation will be particularly important because the city's previous Parks and Recreation Master Plan, completed in 2015, never received full community acceptance.

One of the most persistent challenges involves the city's extensive beach access system.

The city faces recurring decisions about which structures should be repaired, replaced or potentially removed, and how much money should be devoted to maintaining the system.

"Maybe we strategically plan to have ... very beautiful ADA accesses at certain ones, and there's cattle trails through other ones," he said.

Mikelson said the city needs a consistent strategy instead of reconsidering individual beach walkovers during each annual budget cycle.

Both centers are aging, and advisory committee members discussed whether the city should continue maintaining separate facilities or consider City Commissioner Tim Poynter's idea of consolidating recreational services.

"Is the golf course property ... property that we would use to build ... one rec center at?" Mikelson asked. "Is it property that we would use it to build an aquatic center at?"

Mikelson said the golf course is operating this fiscal year without a General Fund subsidy. His goal is to maintain that arrangement and eventually generate enough revenue to contribute money to the General Fund.

"I think it's very important that people understand that the golf course is generating revenue," Snyder said.

She proposed keeping the city's existing free courts at Central Park while exploring paid reservations and tournaments at the golf course property.

Those ideas remain preliminary. No decision has been made to consolidate recreation centers or develop golf course property.

The third major area involves athletic fields used by approximately seven to 10 youth sports organizations that work with the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

The youth sports focus group is scheduled for Oct. 22 and will be conducted virtually.

The findings will help determine which improvements deserve priority and how future investments might be phased according to available funding.

That session is also scheduled for Oct. 22 and will be conducted virtually.

The consultant will combine information from the focus groups with stakeholder interviews, facility assessments and the public survey to develop recommendations.

Committee member Peter Kasiski warned that public support for additional facilities could change once residents understand construction expenses and ongoing maintenance obligations.

He said the city should consider long-term operating costs rather than simply asking residents to identify improvements they would like.

He said the study should provide cost comparisons for options such as maintaining beach walkovers or replacing two aquatic facilities with one.

Even with a master plan, he said, projects will have to be implemented according to available funding.

Advisory committee members also asked to review the questions being used in the focus groups. Mikelson agreed to request them from the consultant so members could recommend additions or changes.

Cocchi recalled that the previous plan included an illustration depicting a possible lake in Central Park. Years later, when aging playground equipment was removed, some residents mistakenly believed the city intended to construct the lake.

The example illustrated the difficulty of distinguishing long-range planning ideas from actual construction commitments.

It also allows officials to anticipate expenses years before facilities require replacement.

The $98,750 contract covers the first phase of the city's broader master planning process. The resulting recommendations are intended to guide decisions over approximately 10 years, but future projects will require funding and approval through the city's normal budget process.

The city expects the consultant to analyze public input during November and December, develop priorities and recommendations from late December into January, and prepare findings and reports during January and February.

The online survey asks residents about their current use of city recreational facilities, preferences and future needs. The city estimates it takes eight to 10 minutes to complete.

City project information: https://www.fbfl.us/1211/Master-Plan

Public survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FerBeachMPS

"I do ask ... I want to get as many opinions as possible," he said. "Get it to as many people as you can."