Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey wants the city to take control of Wickham Park

Even though Wickham Park is located in Melbourne, it is owned and operated by Brevard County.But recent changes on the how the nearly 400 acres of pine woods, camp grounds and recreational facilities are used has sparked an effort by Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey for the city to take control of the park.

Alfrey has said it only makes sense for Melbourne to take over responsibility for the park, which is at the heart of the city already and fits with their priorities for expanding and improving park services at the park he called the “jewel” of Melbourne.

“We’ve been talking about the transfer of the park for over eight months. We’d like to maybe add some baseball fields and other amenities,” Alfrey said.“We already patrol the parks. We handle the community center on the west side,” he added. “It makes sense for Melbourne to take the park."

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The new rules limit special event at Wickham Park to a maximum of 15 consecutive days or two consecutive weekends, Friday through Sunday. And for the months of January, February, March and April, at least one weekend per month will not have special events.

Commissioner John Tobia, whose district does not include the park, is strongly in favor of the park changing hands, describing it as a "win-win-win" for Brevard County, the City of Melbourne and residents of both.

"I’d be strongly in support. Historically I’ve been doing this. It started almost 10 years ago when Palm Bay took back three parks," Tobia said.

Alfrey plans to bring the issue before Melbourne City Council at their Feb. 27 meeting, while Tobia said he plans to bring the issue before the Board of County Commissioners at their first meeting in March.

District 4 County Commissioner Rob Feltner, whose district includes the park while Tobia’s does not, said emphatically that he opposes the idea, adding that it’s the county’s job to protect the park from overuse, maintaining it as a community park and not a site for every major event.

“I wouldn’t support this at all. I think the issue limiting large events to 15 days with one weekend for residents use…. I see that as a measure to protect Wickham Park from becoming the de facto fairgrounds for the county,” Feltner said.“Surrendering the park to the city of Melbourne, that doesn’t protect the park.”

Feltner's concerns about the proposal fall into line with those of David Wickham, the son of Joe Wickham, who was instrumental in establishing the park that still bears his name in the 1960s when he was a county commissioner.

"Dad always felt that Wickham Park would stay under the authority of the Brevard County Commissioners," David Wickham wrote in an email to Melbourne City Council. "I feel the same; keep Wickham Park under Brevard County’s governance for all of Brevard to enjoy."

Nine years ago, Runaway Country, a huge country music festival, left Wickham Park for Osceola County after the event grew so quickly the park could no longer accommodate the guests or noise impact on nearby residents. At the time there were concerns over losing the economic impact from the large festival as there are now if future events cannot be held there.

Now the growth of events such as the Renaissance Fair, which has seen an outpouring of support after its future was thrown into doubt this past year by the rules change, has become another flashpoint in the debate over Wickham Park’s future.Balancing the need to draw tourists and the need to preserve parks is going to be an ongoing challenge for the Board of County Commissioners, Rob Feltner said. He thinks the county should prioritize finding an appropriate venue for large events that could also include camping similar to Wickham Park going forward.

“It’s complicated,” Feltner added. “It’s hard to find a 100-acre parcel in the county, that we already own or could acquire and isn’t surrounded by neighborhoods, and would be suitable for events.”

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County Government Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne wants to take over Wickham Park from Brevard County