GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Green Cove Springs residents will soon have the beach in their backyard as the city moves forward with a sand volleyball court in Spring Park.

City Parks and Recreation Director Glee Glisson, the brains behind the project, wanted to bring a full-size, regulation beach volleyball court to the park, utilizing some empty space that was left behind after the police station building was moved out of the park.

“We didn’t want just any volleyball court, we want to use beach sand,” Glisson said. “But that’s the biggest expense, the sand.”

Luckily for Glisson, Lake Asbury-based Heart Rock Materials, half of the Boondock’s Bar and Grill restaurant, agreed to donate 166 tons of beach sand for the project. After the city approved labor and the necessary equipment, including the boundary lines and net, Glisson watched as city staff broke ground on July 5.

“The city is providing commercial grade nets and boundary lines, this will be a nice court,” Glisson said. “The only thing is that people will have to bring their own ball.”

Glisson looks for the court to be ready for play at the beginning of September. Currently a hole has been dug and city workers have laid out ground covering to prevent weeds and grass from growing up through the sand. Glisson intends to keep the court in immaculate condition so that players feel comfortable tromping around barefoot, the way sand volleyball is intended to be played.

“That’s such a great use of that space,” said council member Steven Kelley. “I am so glad Glee brought that to the council, what a good idea!”

This will be Glisson’s first major undertaking as parks director, but she is no stranger to Spring Park.

Prior to being hired in April as the city’s first-ever Parks and Recreation Director, Glisson served as pool manager for 25 years. She was the obvious choice for City Manager Danielle Judd when the city approved the creation of the position while sorting out the budget last August. Since being hired, Glisson has been going nonstop trying to do what she can to improve all city properties and get every corner of the community involved in their parks.

“There’s a lot more coming, and a ton of new equipment planned for all the parks,” Glisson said. “So far this job has been a lot of fun. The city manager and the council have allowed me to bring in my own ideas and soon you’ll see new sports, new equipment and affordable programs for everyone.”

One new sport that Glisson has some experience with is pickleball, which is one of the fastest growing activities nationwide with retirees across the country – and, naturally, in Florida – flocking to the tiny courts for what looks like a shrunken game of tennis. Glisson’s name can be found at the top of pickleball tournament results across the region with multiple women’s doubles gold medals coming back to Green Cove Springs.

Since April, she has worked with city staff to install pickleball lines in the Augusta Savage Center gym and will soon offer daily play from 10-noon. Glisson is thinking of ways to incorporate an outdoor court into the city’s parks but the gym will serve as the temporary home of pickleball in the city.

Glisson said she is also working on starting a 5 on 5 basketball league at the Augusta Savage gym, a softball league at Vera Francis Hall Park and looks to offer flag football in 2019 at VFH Park.