Partly Cloudy, 77°
Weather sponsored by:

Community briefs 10/26/17

Clay Today
Posted 10/25/17

National Wreaths Across America DayKEYSTONE HEIGHTS – On Dec. 16, Clay County residents are invited to honor fallen veterans at Keystone Heights Memorial Gardens on National “Wreaths …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Don't have an ID?


Print subscribers

If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.

Non-subscribers

Click here to see your options for subscribing.

Single day pass

You also have the option of purchasing 24 hours of access, for $1.00. Click here to purchase a single day pass.

Community briefs 10/26/17


Posted

National Wreaths Across America Day
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – On Dec. 16, Clay County residents are invited to honor fallen veterans at Keystone Heights Memorial Gardens on National “Wreaths Across America” Day.
This year will mark the sixth annual ceremony that is part of a national growing movement to remember those who served during the holidays.
Residents who cannot attend can help out by making a donation of $15 for one wreath of two wreaths for $30, which comes with a third wreath for free. Donations are due Nov. 5.
At 9 a.m. that morning, volunteers will gather at the Gardens to help the Vietnam Vets & Legacy Vets of Keystone Heights unpack and setup approximately 700 wreaths, which arrives nine to a box.
The annual ceremony will be at noon. For more information please contact Joan Jones at (904) 894-8411 or Harry at (904) 465-1812.
Riders from around the Clay County, Duval, St. Augustine areas will be arriving during the morning to join in the celebration and to recognize the heroes and let them know that they are never forgotten.
If you wish to donate a wreath or more make your check out to Wreaths Across America, mail to PO Box 25, Keystone Heights, Fla. 32656, Attn: Joan or Harry.

How to do business with Clay County government
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Businesses wishing to work with Clay County government agencies should plan to attend the Small Business Development Center’s “Doing Business with Clay County 2017 Procurement Conference,” Nov. 2 at the Thrasher Horne Center, 283 College Dr., Orange Park from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Cost is $10 to attend.
“It’s important for government to do business with local businesses as often as possible,” said Commissioner Mike Cella, who brought the idea to the county and the SBDC. “Small business is the core of our local economy and it just makes sense that we make sure small businesses know how to do business with local government agencies.”
The “reverse tradeshow” will have purchasing representatives from various government agencies like the Clay County Board of County Commissioners, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County District Schools, Clay County Tax Collector, Clay County Clerk of the Courts, Clay County Supervisor of Elections, the municipalities of Green Cove Springs, Keystone Heights and Orange Park, Clay Electric Cooperative and Clay County Utility Authority.
“The purchasing representatives will be here to guide businesses through their agency’s procurement process and vendor registration,” said Annie Grogan, Small Business Development Center’s Clay County consultant. “This one on one connection can sometimes be difficult in today’s fast-paced business world, which is why we decided to create the opportunity to have everyone connect in one place.”
In addition to the tradeshow, educational workshops and panel presentations ranging in topics from legal, finance, responding to RFPs and more.
Businesses can learn more about this event by calling (904) 620-2476 or by visiting www.sbdc.unf.edu.

5K still accepting sign-ups
PENNEY FARMS – Online signup is still available for this weekend’s Penney Farms 5K Run to be held Oct. 28.
This run through the historic community of Penney Farms will start at 9 a.m. on Clark Avenue. Parking and day-of-run registration will be located at Town Hall, 4100 Clark Ave. Parking will also be available on residential streets.
This is a good, less-expensive event for competitive racers wishing to improve finish times and for families to share a run experience. For the less serious there is also a 1-mile fun run/walk along shaded streets. In addition to the standard awards there will be door prizes to be won and fun after-race activities including our special variety of muffins at the food table; and after-race opportunities to see the model train club at Wilbank and Caroline Avenues and/or the interior of the historic French Norman Church at Caroline and Poling.
Get more information & pre-register at www.1stplacesports.com/calendar. The race is managed by 1st Place Sports Managed.

Hospital hosts Drug Take Back event
ORANGE PARK – Orange Park Medical Center is joining forces with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Clay Action Coalition and the National Guard to host a prescription drug take back event on Oct. 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Orange Park Medical Center emergency room.
The event is designed to give area families a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of their unneeded or expired medications without having to flush them down the toilet, where they usually end up in the water supply, or dispose of them in the trash, where they could end up in the wrong hands.
“Most pediatric overdoses are from the medication children find around the house. In some cases it only takes one pill to kill an infant or toddler. It’s also common for teens to experiment with drugs in their parent’s medicine cabinet, which can lead to a misadventure or begin their use of drugs. Even when you do not think your teenager would experiment you have to remember that the internet is at their fingertips and they know what to look for,” said Steven Goodfriend, M.D., medical director of Emergency Services at Orange Park Medical Center.
The drug take back is also another way to fight against prescription drug abuse.
The Orange Park Medical Center ER is located at 2001 Kingsley Ave.

19 schools recognized for student achievement
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Education recently recognized 19 Clay County Schools for achieving certain achievement benchmarks during the 2016-17 school year that ended this past June. The District will be awarded more than $1.5 million through the program.
The Florida Department of Education awards schools with funding through the Florida School Recognition Program. This year’s program award amount is $100 per full-time student. The distribution of funds will come from lottery funds appropriated for improving school grades. Schools and School Advisory Council committees are required to agree on how all funds are allocated while ensuring alignment with the School Improvement Plan.
“This recognition shows that Clay County continues to excel academically. We have nine additional schools eligible to receive the Florida School Recognition Award, which wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and commitment of our educators this past school year. This award is directly linked to school improvement and our faculty, teachers, parents, and students have worked extremely hard to move the needle academically in Clay. I am excited about the direction that our county is moving as we strive to become a systemic “A” school district,” said Superintendent Addison Davis.
Only nine Clay County schools were honored for this achievement in the 2015-16 school year.
Here is the list of 2016-17 honorees: Argyle Elementary, Bannerman Learning Center, Coppergate Elementary, Clay Charter, Fleming Island Elementary, Fleming Island High, Green Cove Springs Junior, Keystone Heights Elementary, Lake Asbury Junior High, Lakeside Elementary, Lakeside Junior High, Middleburg High, Orange Park Elementary, Orange Park Junior High, Paterson Elementary, Ridgeview Elementary, S. Bryan Jennings Elementary, Swimming Pen Creek Elementary and Thunderbolt Elementary.

BikeCon safety event at mall
ORANGE PARK – Bicycle safety will be the main topic of the day at BikeCon 2017 coming up Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Orange Park Mall.
Kiwanis Club of Clay County is teaming up with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office Bike Squad and Kids Safe of North Florida to host the event in the Sears parking lot where they will give away 300 bike helmets on a first-come, first-served basis.
Head injuries account for 62 percent of bicycle-related deaths, 33 percent of bicycle-related emergency visits, and 67 percent of bicycle-related hospital admissions.
The Clay County Sheriff’s office will be onsite to conduct bike safety training. Residents can bring their bicycles in for a free safety inspection.

Department of Health needs your input
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Florida Department of Health in Clay County needs the help of residents and partners to understand environmental health in Clay County.
The department is asking Clay County residents to take a survey – shown below with a web link – and then tell their friends and neighbors about the survey so they can share their opinions as well.
This survey will help the department collect opinions about the environment and quality of life in Clay County. Results will be made available to the public in a written report. The information gathered from responses to this survey will help make Clay County a better place to live. The survey, which is completely online, will close Nov. 30 at midnight.
The survey can be completed electronically by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Clay-EH-Survey.