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County passes 5-year capital improvements plan

By Nick Blank nick@opcfla.com
Posted 10/27/21

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Clay County Board of County Commissioners approved the Capital Improvement Plan at Tuesday night’s regular meeting, signing off on $86 million of projects for the current …

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County passes 5-year capital improvements plan


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Clay County Board of County Commissioners approved the Capital Improvement Plan at Tuesday night’s regular meeting, signing off on $86 million of projects for the current fiscal year.

The CIP covers the next five years. It consists of several revenue streams, a mix of state appropriations, tax dollars and fees collected.

Commissioner Betsy Condon said several items can be addressed at the board’s legislative priorities workshop on Nov. 4, but the county was headed in the right direction with a coherent CIP.

“I think that these projects put our money where our mouth is,” Condon said. “They align with where we've said we want to go as a commission, and I know there’s other places we’ve got to figure out how to fund, but I think we’ve got a good start.”

Roads are consistently a major feature of the CIP. There is $2.9 million set for College Drive from County Road 220 to State Road 21. There’s $2.5 million approved for C.R. 220 from Swimming Pen Creek Elementary School to U.S. Highway 17.

There is $4.25 million slated for road resurfacing with $5 million set for each of the next four years. In addition, there is $1,250,000 for transportation equipment for the next three years, rising to $1.5 million for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 fiscal years. There’s also $935,000 designated for County Road 315 widening on Willow Springs Drive.

From the state, there is $3 million set for Atlantis Drive near Middleburg, $2.9 million for State Road 23 and Frontage Trail Ridge Road and $1.7 million for C.R. 220 from Blanding Boulevard to Henley Road.

Most of the discussion pertaining to the CIP was addressed at a workshop last week.

“That $4.2 million that’s in this year’s budget (for resurfacing) will actually become closer to $4.7 million once you carry forward $500,000,” Assistant County Manager Troy Nagle said at last week’s workshop, referring to unspent money from the prior fiscal year.

Under the CIP's transportation category, $250,000 was set aside for bridge improvements, an item that has $500,000 allocated for the next four fiscal years.

The CIP also accounted for state grants of $878,000 for a Clay County Fairgrounds exhibit hall remodeling and $910,000 livestock pavilion infrastructure improvements.

“The fairgrounds plan is a $22 million project,” Tourism & Film Development Director Kimberley Morgan said last week. “What we’ve done is taken pieces of that with board approval to move forward, chipping away at that plan.”

For the current fiscal year’s Parks and Recreation CIP, Nagle said $240,000 was allocated for the second phase of Neptune Park improvements and $120,000 for a pickleball court at Green Cove Springs’ Carl Pugh Park. The county also has the second $300,000 for improving Fleming Island’s Thunderbolt Park in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

At last week’s workshop, Recreation Program Manager Justin Pierce said the county was eyeing sites to remodel tennis courts for pickleball. Commissioner Kristen Burke added the county is working on a policy about receiving donations toward county property after her discussion with the county’s pickleball community.

“The pickleball people are ready and willing,” Burke said.

In future fiscal years, the county has improvements set for Moccasin Slough, Twin Lakes, Walter Odum, Omega, Oakleaf Community, Ronnie Van Zant, Paul Armstrong and Main Street parks.

Construction of a $687,000 Public Works building and four sidewalks in high traffic areas such as near Fleming Island Elementary School, Kingsley Lake or near Old Hard Road, was also allocated under the Public Works category.