Park District Says No To Bocce Court Fences

For the second time in two years, a request by some members of the Martinez Bocce Federation for a fence on three sides of the bocce courts at Waterfront Park was turned down.

A joint panel of city and East Bay Regional Park District officials met to discuss items of mutual interest Wednesday afternoon, but it was ultimately the park district that turned down the request again. The district owns all of the land north of the railroad tracks, and leases the eastern portion to the city. The city in turn leases the bocce courts to the federation.

Federation president Ray Gaudenzi made an impassioned plea for the fences, saying that skateboarders, bicyclists, horses and pedestrians frequently parade through the courts, requiring repair, and thus higher maintenance costs. A fence could reduce the federation’s costs by 20 percent, he said. Last year the federation spent over $14,000 on maintenance, he said.

Board member Steve Francis agreed, saying that in April he watched as kids from the Little League “bunny-hopped across the courts with spiked shoes.”

But former board member Cookie Telles was equally adamant that a fence would ruin the value of the courts.

“A fence says ‘this is my space, you don’t belong unless you belong to my group.’ It makes it exclusive, and a regional park is not exclusive,” she said.

She also noted that the popularity of the game grew in town because the courts were open to the public, and what used to be exclusively a man’s game became available to women and children. Fencing it off would discourage that kind of openness, she said.

“As for the vandalism, it is what it is,” Telles said. “We’ve been dealing with that for 30 years.”

Former board member Jerry Telles agreed, saying that the federation used to save money by grooming the courts themselves.

“I like people to feel free,” he said. “That’s what Martinez is – a community that’s open to people.”

Park district board member Ted Radke said he received a number of emails, all opposed to the idea of a fence.

“I really don’t think a fence would be appropriate,” he said.

Though City Councilman Mark Ross also opposed a fence, Radke said it was really up to the park district to decide on the issue. Both he and district board member Beverly Lane agreed to keep the courts open.