NAPLES, Italy — Starting in June, Italians who work for the U.S. Navy in Naples again will have access to the recreational facility Carney Park, officials said.
Last year, the Navy opened the park for the first time in its 43-year history to Italian employees of the Navy base. But they ended the privilege in January and spent several months determining whether admission of additional park patrons might overextend park staff and resources, said Tony Smith, director of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation program in Naples.
"We wanted to make sure we could accommodate Italians without impacting our ability to put on a quality program for the U.S. members," Smith said.
Carney Park is a 93-acre recreational facility nestled in the middle of an extinct volcanic crater. It boasts an Olympic-size outdoor swimming pool, softball and baseball fields, tennis courts, batting cages, a basketball court, sandlot, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, picnic sites, paintball fields and camping facilities.
The command, MWR, and representatives from the Italian Welfare & Recreation Association worked out agreements and compromises to continue the second trial period, which will run from June 1 through the end of the calendar year.
There have been modifications to last year’s program. For example, Italian employees used to be able to sign in a total of nine guests, which included immediate family members, at $5 apiece for a day pass. It was free for the employee member.
Now, the entrance fee the park is 5 euros per person (again, free for the employee), including an unlimited number of immediate family members, including a spouse and children up to 21 years old, and up to four guests, Smith said.
Access to the pool will be an additional fee that has not been set yet. Access does not include use of the 9-hole golf course.
"The thing that is fundamental, the most important, is that this access allows for integration with the American community," WRA president Marilena Minieri said. "This access again lets us share in each others’ cultures. … We thank the command for offering us this opportunity."
There isn’t anything comparable in the Naples area, said Rocco Merola, the association’s vice president
Last year, use of Carney Park was "quite popular" among Italian employees and their guests and families, Smith said. Officials set a cap of 200 Italian visitors per day for the entire park, and a 100-person limit at the swimming pool. "We never reached that [200-person] limit, but we did reach it two or three times at the pool," he said. The same limit on Italian guests exists this year.
Italian employees must first get an in-person briefing on rules and procedures to the park before they can get an access card, Smith said.
