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Community Briefs 7/26/18

Clay Today
Posted 7/25/18

$23 million expansion coming to St. Vincent’s MIDDLEBURG – A $23 million expansion plan is in the works for St. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County.The expansion, which is expected …

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Community Briefs 7/26/18


Posted

$23 million expansion coming to St. Vincent’s
MIDDLEBURG – A $23 million expansion plan is in the works for St. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County.
The expansion, which is expected to take 18 months to complete, will add 30 new patient rooms, eight intensive care beds and an additional cardiac procedure room. The project is currently in the initial planning stages and does not have an exact start date yet.
The expansion also includes a catheterization lab for specific heart procedures.
“This additional space will enable us to provide our community with an even greater level of compassionate, personalized care close to home,” said James Machado, president of St. Vincent’s Clay County. “In the nearly five years we’ve been open, Clay County has continued to grow, and we are committed to growing along with it, in turn providing additional job opportunities for the area, as well.”
St. Vincent’s Clay County opened in 2013 and an expansion project that doubled the hospital’s size was completed in 2016.
“We are committed to increasing access to care for everyone in the communities we are blessed to serve, and the time is right to ensure we’re keeping pace with the tremendous growth we’re experiencing in service to our friends and neighbors in Clay County,” said Tom VanOsdol, president and CEO of Ascension Florida, which owns the hospital. “By expanding the hospital’s capacity by nearly 30 percent and adding an additional procedure room for our cardiologists, we will be even better equipped to provide our patients with the best care possible without having to leave their home community.”

Clay County Clerk may have check with your name on it

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – There are more than 140 uncashed and unclaimed checks from 2016 worth almost $6,000 waiting to be picked up by residents at the Clay County Clerk of Court Office.
The list of checks ranges from uncashed jury service checks, witness checks, overpayments, refunds, to cash bonds. The smallest check is for $4.88, while the largest is more than $500.
Clerk of Court Tara S. Green urges every Clay County resident to review the list of checks just to be sure their name is not on it.
“We work to make sure our customers receive the funds that are rightly theirs,” Green said. “Whether the amount is large or small, it’s important that we help citizens finalize their court-related process by notifying the recipients in this way.”
Like all Clerk of Court offices across the state, local Clerks review unclaimed and uncashed checks annually and send out a public notice once the funds have remained unclaimed for more than a year.
Clay County’s list of unclaimed checks is online under the Announcements section of the website clayclerk.com, as well as this week’s Legal Notices section in the Clay Today. Residents whose names are on the list have until Sept. 1 to claim the money. The checks listed were mailed but were never cashed for various reasons. The intended recipient possibly moved away without leaving a forwarding address or put the check away and forgot about it.
Residents who do not pick up their checks by the Sept. 1 deadline end up forfeiting the money to the Clerk of Court office.
Under Florida law, unclaimed checks not picked up by the deadline are forfeited and deposited into the Clerk’s Fine and Forfeiture Fund. For more information, call the Clerk’s Office at (904) 269-6317.

Henry named region superintendent in Duval Schools
JACKSONVILLE – A Green Cove Springs resident and former Clay County School District official is now the region superintendent of middle schools for the Duval County Public Schools.
Duval Superintendent Diana Greene recently appointed Michael Henry to the position after serving as executive director of elementary schools in Duval County.
Henry returned to Duval County in 2017 after serving as head of human resources in the Springfield Public School District in Springfield, Oregon.
During the 2017-18 school year, Henry also served as interim principal at Jean Ribault High School from January to June.
“As we experience transition in leadership, I am honored to serve in numerous capacities district-wide in order to move this very important work forward. Indeed, I am very appreciative of all the opportunities afforded to me to build capacity throughout the district,” Henry said.
His background includes a focus on instruction, school improvement, leadership, human resources, mentoring and building capacity among school-based and district-level administrators, along with serving as a national AdvancED Systems Lead Evaluator for accreditation. Previously, Henry has served as an elementary principal for schools in Springfield, Mass. and Clay County. Henry also served as a middle school principal in Duval County from 2006-2010.
Henry, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Florida A&M University, has previously served as a teacher, assistant principal, vice principal and principal in the Duval County Public School District.

DEP launches algal bloom grant program
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has launched a $3 million grant program to help local governments clean up waterways affected by algal blooms caused by federal discharges from Lake Okeechobee.
“As we continue our focus on long-term and larger-scale solutions, such as the EAA reservoir, rehabilitation of the Herbert Hoover Dike and reviewing innovative technologies, we are also committed to partnering with local communities to address immediate impacts. We encourage local counties to work with DEP to take advantage of this grant program and to help us move forward with these longer-term solutions,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein.
The emergency funding will be provided to help communities provide targeted clean-up efforts to quickly reduce and address impacts to significantly impacted areas, such as marinas, boat ramps and other public access areas. Funding from this grant program can be used for services including containment, removal, cleanup, elimination, transportation and disposal of harmful algal blooms in key areas identified by Florida’s local counties.
“As our state once again faces harmful algal blooms from federal water releases, we continue to take a multifaceted approach to protect families and ensure Florida’s pristine environment and natural treasures are protected. While we continue to focus on federal repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike and water storage in the EAA Reservoir, this $3 million in emergency state funding will help our local communities quickly respond to and mitigate algal blooms, ensuring the safety of Florida families and protecting jobs,” said Gov. Rick Scott.
Earlier this month, following a tour of the Caloosahatchee River, Scott issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Glades, Hendry, Lee, Martin, Okeechobee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties to help combat algal blooms caused by Lake Okeechobee water discharges.

Camp Blanding to receive portion of $1.4 million in military grants

TALLAHASSEE – Camp Blanding will benefit from a half-a-million dollar grant from awarded through the Florida Defense Support Task Force Grant Program.
It’s one of six projects to protect military installations across the state. This year, awards were given to the South Florida Progress Foundation, Polk County, Clay County Development Authority, Bay County, the Central Florida Planning Region and Gulf Coast State College.
The grant program awarded $500,000 to the Clay County Development Authority, which will use the funds to buy land around Camp Blanding to buffer the base from incompatible land development. Camp Blanding trains over 350,000 members of the Florida National Guard, active duty military, and law enforcement.
“In accordance with our principal purpose of promoting sound economic development of Clay County, the Clay County Development Authority is pleased to receive this grant. It will strengthen the strategic partnership with Camp Blanding Joint Training Center and improve the quality of life for our citizens by securing a buffer from future development and encroachment, thus protecting the installation that comprises almost one-fifth of the county and is tied to its economic viability,” said Josh Cockrell, executive director of the CCDA.
This project will purchase fee and/or less than fee interest in properties within the approved Army Compatible Use Buffer around Camp Blanding Joint Training Center to buffer it from incompatible land development and encroachment, by using matching funds from the Florida Defense Support Task Force and the DoD REPI Program. The properties will be located within either Bradford County or Clay County and will build on the success of the program by further protecting the border of the installation.
Florida’s military and defense industry contributes more than $84.9 billion in economic impact, and the industry supports more than 801,747 jobs in Florida, which is the second largest economic sector in the state.

See a play, help someone learn to read
FLEMING ISLAND – The Island Theatre on Fleming Island is having a Choose Your Charity Night on Aug. 11 at 7:30 p.m. with the staging of the play “Bus Stop” by William Inge.
Guests can select a local charity when they book tickets online at www.theislandtheater.com or when calling (904) 254-1455 to make reservations. Residents must tell them they have selected the Clay County Literacy Coalition and the Coalition will get 50 percent of every ticket purchase each time they are selected.
Founded by concerned residents in 1995, the Clay County Literacy Coalition is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that offers one-on-one tutoring to teach adult residents of Clay County to read and speak English.

West Nile Virus found in mosquitoes in Keystone Heights
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Samplings of mosquitoes collected in the Keystone Heights area have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to Clay County Mosquito Control.
No human cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in any area of Clay County. In response, Mosquito Control will bolster its control operations until mosquito levels have dropped to acceptable levels and no further positive samples are found.
Response activities include frequent truck spray treatments, inspections of property, treatments of potential breeding areas, increased surveillance of adult mosquitoes and the distribution of educational materials and notifications.
Mosquitoes that carry West Nile are most active from dusk to dawn. Clay County and Keystone Heights officials urge residents to take the following precautions now and throughout the summer.
Reduce mosquito breeding in your yard by eliminating standing water in gutters and items such as planters, toys, wheelbarrows and old tires, reduce outdoor exposure at dawn and dusk, wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and socks when outdoors, particularly at dawn and dusk and in areas with large numbers of mosquitoes, make sure window and door screens fit tightly to keep out mosquitoes and use an insect repellent containing DEET.

Lions Club to “go boo” this Halloween
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – A popular fall event in Keystone Heights will get a small change this Halloween.
Formerly sponsored and coordinated by the Keystone Lake Regional Business Association, “Boo on the Boulevard” will now be coordinated and sponsored by the Keystone Lake Area Lions Club, according to club president Barbara Franklin.
The event will no longer be along State Road 21 due to new Florida Department of Transportation rules about road closures. Instead, the popular event in which area businesses allow local children to “trick or treat” along the boulevard will be moved to the park and courts behind city hall.
Lions Club members are adding vendors, a band and a performance by the Keystone Dance Team and there will also be the popular costume contest for all to enjoy. The haunted house will also be set up behind city hall, in the tennis court and basketball courts.
Registration for vendors is $40 each until Oct. 15 at which point the fee goes up to $50. All vendors will have an assigned area and will be required to bring candy to pass out. Businesses that are only passing out candy will not be charged.
For more information, contact Barbara Franklin at (352) 473-4881.