Joe Eakes Park

Joe Eakes Park is located at the corner of K and 7th Avenue. The park includes a children's playground, a picnic area, a full basketball court, a regulation baseball field, two bocce ball courts, two tennis courts with a practice backboard, five pickleball courts (lines painted on the basketball and tennis courts), and an 18-hole disc golf course. Picnic tables and benches are also placed around the playground, making it a great place to relax with family and friends. You can take your dogs to the Gurney Hood Barking Lot (Dog Park) and let them loose. In fact, it's the only public area in Kure Beach where you can let your dog off its leash to romp and play. 

All of these facilities are on a first come, first serve basis, so you'll want to plan accordingly.

To view the Joe Eakes Park rules, click here. 

POTENTIAL JOE EAKES PARK RENOVATION PROJECT

Due to aging infrastructure, underutilized amenities, and various public requests for upgrades and/or repurposing of amenities, Town Council tasked the Recreation Department to work with consultant Alfred Benesch & Company (Benesch) in the creation of a preliminary site plan for the renovation of Joe Eakes Park.

With the help of Mayor Oliver and Recreation Department Staff, Benesch completed an inventory, assessment of existing conditions, and base map for the park site. A draft preliminary sketch plan of potential renovations was then created utilizing data from the public surveys conducted for the Sandman property and the Land Use Plan, public comments from the Sandman Park public input session, and the litany of comments collected by Staff over the years. The draft preliminary sketch plan was presented to the public for review and comment at a public input meeting on October 18, 2023. Staff continued to collect public comments through October 31, 2023.

Upon conclusion of the public input period, Mayor Oliver and Staff met with representatives of the various park user groups to gain a deeper understanding of each user groups’ goals for the project. Upon analysis of all available data, Mayor Oliver, Staff, and Benesch highlighted potential revisions to the draft preliminary sketch plan resulting in the revised preliminary sketch plan version available today.

With Joe Eakes Park positioned on land leased to the Town from Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point (MOTSU), MOTSU review and approval is required for this project to move forward. Town Council authorized Staff to submit the revised version of the preliminary sketch plan to MOTSU in February 2024 and the Town currently awaits feedback from MOTSU on the plan.

Draft Preliminary Sketch Plan - October 2023

Revised Preliminary Sketch Plan - February 2024