Community Pushback Halts MLK Center Softball Expansion Plan
- Mike Lednovich
- 6m
- 5 min read
A vocal crowd from the historic African American neighborhood surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center turned out Tuesday night, urging the Fernandina Beach City Commission to stop plans for adding softball fields at the complex. After hearing those concerns and debate, commissioners agreed to “hit the pause button” on the project.
“At least three of our commissioners would say that… you’re going to hit the pause button. We’re not giving city staff any direction that this would be a plan to move forward and make a selection at this time,” said Mayor James Antun in summarizing the commission’s decision.
The proposed $2 million overhaul of the MLK complex includes a full redevelopment of the aging facility, identified as “frayed,” and the one full softball field is heavily over-used. Three options were presented by Glen Akramoff, the city's Capital Project Manager -deferring the project, constructing two fields, or building three fields. A three-field layout triggered the strongest objections.
The MLK Center sits within one of Fernandina Beach’s oldest historically Black neighborhoods, anchored by Elm Street, 10th Street, and South 11th Street. For generations, the park, pavilion, playgrounds, and the Elm Street Little League field have been central gathering spaces for sports, reunions, civic groups, and family events.
Reverend Bernard Thompson who spoke Tuesday described a pattern of encroachment and exclusion in past city planning efforts, referencing attempts to route truck traffic down South 10th Street, install a bike path on South 8th Street, add fencing at the Peck Center ballfield, and rezone land near America’s Youth.
“Time and time again projects have been proposed in this part of town… and no one talks to the people who are going to have their quality of life affected.” he said. “We just want to be left alone… Three fields at MLK, this is not good for us.”
Stacy Brown, who said she lives “about two blocks away from this park,” echoed concerns about the scale of redevelopment.
“We absolutely 100% do not support adding a third field… We don’t want the noise, we don’t want the additional parking on our streets, we don’t want the lights in our neighborhood.”
She also pressed the city on protecting the MLK center’s legacy.
“I hope that the commission is just as interested in preserving the history of the MLK park as they are about this statue (Peg Leg Pete).”
Several commissioners raised issues about the site’s limitations. The existing parking lot has only 22 marked spaces, and project manager Akramoff told the board, “the needed parking level is near 200, and we couldn't possibly park that much in a site like this.”
He said city staff believes the most they can provide is “around 120 or so,” which would still require a variance from the city's building code.
Commissioner Joyce Tuten objected to the placement of Field 1.
“That corner down there on the first base line sits just 12 feet from the edge of that building," she said of the proposed plan.
Tuten urged staff to explore moving the field and using temporary fencing so the outfield could remain open space most of the year for public use.
“I think that will be a beautiful asset… and that it needs to be preserved as much as possible,” she said regarding the tree grove on the east side of the park.
Commissioner Genece Minshew raised similar concerns about losing heavily used community green space.
“This configuration basically does away with that,” she said. “We cannot clear-cut those trees. We just cannot.”
Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue warned that the city should not commit millions of dollars without addressing broader recreation shortages.
“I’d like to see a more comprehensive plan… They still haven’t solved soccer. They still haven’t solved the skate park,” he said. “Let’s go back to the drawing board.”
The city is still grappling on what to do about soccer and the Ybor Alvarez Sports Complex that sits on city owned airport property. Part of the parcel is due to be developed for more airplane hangars next year.
While the neighborhood strongly opposed adding a third field, leaders of Elm Street Little League Girls Softball and families of players made clear their program is running out of space.
Miranda Ivey, the league’s president, said, “When I first started, we had 50 something kids… We’re in our offseason, fall, and we’re pushing 87. I have one field with lights for games.”
She said she has had to turn away new players:
“I have no place else to put them because I can’t make any more teams.”
Several speakers noted that the looming uncertainty at the Ybor Alvarez fields will further reduce available practice space.
“We don’t have enough fields for all of our teams to practice and play,” said young player Jordan Gluck. “We couldn’t go to Elm Street and there was really nowhere else we could go to practice.”
Another player, Rose Ivey, said she has “seen many girls my age and younger go so far with this league,” adding that “having other girls there to share it with… really inspires me.”
Girls’ softball in Fernandina Beach has grown rapidly in recent years. According to Ivey, Elm Street now has “eight teams” and operates “pretty much year-round,” but has only one lighted field. Seasonal demand also stretches into summer All-Stars and the Challenger division, further compressing scheduling.
Commissioners acknowledged the demand.
“I understand that the need is there. They’ve got a waiting list of girls to play, and they don’t have enough accommodation,” Minshew said.
During the discussion, Minshew suggested shifting one of the fields to the Joe Velarde Field behind the Atlantic Recreation Center, reducing pressure on MLK.
“If this (MLK) were to be a two-field option, then why can’t you make Joe Velarde the third field?” she asked. “It is a very underutilized field… It has parking. You could put a bathroom in. You could put lighting in… probably less cost than adding a third field here.”
She added that the field carries historical significance.
“A field that was named after and used by the man that started Little League in this whole community is a valuable asset and needs to be… properly maintained, and it’s not today,” she said.
Akramoff responded that the Velarde rehabilitation expense “would cost, you know, no more than a third field here (MLK),” and existing restrooms “wouldn’t be an added cost.”
Still, Minshew stressed that MLK “is more than just ball field,” arguing that the park’s role in the neighborhood must carry equal weight.
Commissioners agreed to bring all stakeholders — neighbors, softball leadership, city staff, and recreation planners — into a joint meeting. Ayscue and Minshew both called for a reset until the city’s forthcoming master recreation plan is underway.
Robert Blue Sr. urged the city to hold that meeting at the MLK Center. “It would be more effective for the people that really stay in that neighborhood if there was a town hall meeting at the Elm Street Rec,” he said. “Seeing is believing.”
Commissioner Tim Poynter sought an overall master plan in order to meet the needs of youth sports in the city.
"I think it's premature on this because there's too many moving parts right now.
We've got a lot of things that we have to solve for all the recreational issues that we have moving forward. So, I agree that we need everyone in the same room," Poynter said. "I would like to wait until we get that company here to analyze all of our needs in the community. Because we have a lot of needs."
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