ORANGE PARK – The Friends of Town of Orange Park Parks, a new nonprofit organization committed to nurturing natural beauty in the community, held its launch party at last week’s Orange Park Fall Festival.

The Friends will venture across the street to Moosehaven on Saturday, Nov. 11, for the 13th annual Chili Cook-Off. The organization will be the beneficiary of the event.

“Those are big events that will get us started,” said Vice President Earl Padgett. 

Founded in October, the group couldn’t have gotten off the ground without passion. Padgett spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours volunteering at Town parks. After a long day’s work at his remote job as an account executive with Cigna, Padgett eagerly closes his laptop, hops on his bicycle and peddles the short ride to Clarke House Park. It’s his beloved daily ritual.

One time at Clarke House Park, Padgett met up with Melissa Harris, the owner of the Dairy Queen at 610 Kingsley Ave. The two hit it off and had much in common: a love of nature and community. The two had the idea of bringing their two passions together. Thus, Friends of TOP Parks was born.

“We thought, ‘There couldn’t be a better way to bring this community together by starting the nonprofit.’ This could (foster) a great sense of community,” she said.

The Friends’ mission is clear: working together to nurture the natural beauty of Orange Park. The organization plans to host tree-planting events, to create vibrant community gardens and to promote greenery in the parks. By doing this, they seek to ensure tranquility in Orange Park for future generations. 

The Friends’ other ambitions include: supporting athletics in the community and playgrounds, providing a space for dogs with exercise equipment and obstacles, organizing events to strengthen the bonds that make Orange Park feel like home and ensuring that completed projects are ecologically sustainable.

The Friends are continuing to invite more members to join its growing organization. A newsletter will be established, and meetings will be queued for the calendar. But as that process unfolds, Friends will continue to work toward and raise awareness for its initiatives.

Working hand-in-hand with the town’s government, public works department and individual associations – like Paul and Melody Reigel’s Skate Park, the town’s Athletic Association and the Historical Society – will be instrumental in lifting the Friends’ targeted projects. The group is gathering feedback, a process that Padgett and Harris have already rolled out.

“Just (asking residents and organizations), ‘Hey, how do you like the parks,’ and ‘What do you see as the future vision for the Parks, and what changes would you incorporate?’ Or, ‘If you could wave a magic wand, what would you envision?” he said. 

Padgett pointed to pragmatic improvements – stringing nets around the Athletic Association’s baseball fields to keep home runs from hitting residents, as an example – that the Friends could provide. New benches, painted fences, trash cans and recycling bins are some construction proposals on the agenda.

“The parks are already great. We just want to put the icing on the cake,” Padgett said. 

Harris is planning to create a comprehensive informational list to reach out to businesses for contributions and find dedicated volunteers, especially for boards and committees or with high school students who need community service hours. 

Harris is especially excited about Rob Bradley Park at Nelson Point, a major attraction that provides valuable water access. With Bradley Park, Clarke House Park, the Skate Park and other attractive options in the mix, the Friends’ have the potential to significantly contribute to Orange Park recreation and culture.

Tens of thousands of cars pass through the town daily. The idea is that they’ll look out the window, see the beauty of the Friends’ contribution and they’ll want to pull over to enjoy, too. Improving town parks has the potential to attract businesses from across North Florida.

“Everyone wants to be a part of something successful, and we need to be successful starting now. I feel like we are on the right path, and we anticipate big things (in the future),” Harris said.