Local recreation group informally supports benches at bocce

Last Updated on May 1, 2025

The benches would be placed on the sidewalk, not the park land.

There was no opposition to an idea to install benches at the bocce court at the La Jolla Recreation Center, though locals are divided as to how to proceed.

The discussion, held as an informational item at the Aug. 28 meeting of the La Jolla Community Recreation Group, which oversees the Rec Center on Prospect Street, centered on where the benches would be placed and how to convey support to the city of San Diego.

The bocce court has become very popular since its 2021 installation, according to resident Chas. Dye, also a member of a few La Jolla organizations, as evidenced by the dozen people at the meeting who came to speak in support of benches at the court.

“This is just a small handful of the group,” Dye said.

The bocce players would like at least two benches placed near the court, which abuts the Draper Avenue side of the Rec Center.

A bocce session is “usually about two hours,” Dye said, “a lengthy period of time to be on your feet.”

Benches would benefit not only the players but also passersby who “like to stop and watch,” he said. “If they have places to sit that would be great.”

“The addition of bocce … has been really a growth situation within the community,” said player Kevin Hughes, as many people who “wouldn’t have met each other otherwise” have been able to connect through the game.

“I think it fosters a real sense of community and health participating in it,” Hughes added.

The benches would be most appropriate on the sidewalk facing the court, and not on the grass surrounding it, Dye said.

The grass “is a lot more trouble” because there would need to be a platform built for stability versus just bolting the benches to the concrete sidewalk, he said.

Additionally, the bocce court is raised above the grass, so those seated on a bench on grass would struggle to see the balls on the court, Dye said.

A third consideration is that benches on the sidewalk would not get in the way of a current initiative to completely revision the Rec Center, he said.

“I strongly support putting it on the sidewalk,” said Mary Coakley Munk, who championed the installation of the bocce court as part of her longtime involvement in CRG.

The players “definitely need benches,” she said.

Benches on the sidewalk also encourage more community involvement, said player Clyde Crockett. “When you play, people are walking up and down the street to stop, and they’re asking questions. … If there were benches, they’re going to sit down and watch.”

The sidewalk has more than ample room to host the benches, Dye said, as the proposed stretch of concrete is 10 feet wide, while the sidewalk directly across Draper is nine and a half feet and already has a bench.

Funding the benches might come from a local sponsor, the use of plaques or asking a local Boy Scout troop to take on the benches as a community service project, much as they have at Coast Walk Trail.

Dye has investigated the process for installing benches, speaking to various La Jolla representatives about how to proceed.

He asked CRG to make the bench proposal an actionable item at its September meeting to vote to “make a recommendation to [the] San Diego Parks and Rec” Department supporting the notion.

The bocce bench proponents will also need the approval of the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation board since the benches aren’t actually on park property, but on the sidewalk, Dye said.

Coakley Munk suggested the players return with specifics on what they’d like the benches to look like, in terms of materials, whether they have backs, along with ongoing maintenance.

“I think it’s a great idea. I think it enhances the Rec Center,” CRG board member Amy Spielman said.

The merits of a formal vote are under debate, however, as CRG board member Karen Wiggins noted the sidewalks are not under CRG purview.

“I’m hesitant to vote for something” outside CRG jurisdiction, she said.

As board members and the public attendees expressed “a lot of general support for pursuing this,” CRG Chair Alan Dulgeroff said. “ We’ll reflect that in the minutes.”

He said he will seek clarity on whether a formal vote at a future meeting is necessary.