ORANGE PARK – Residents heard a presentation about the County’s Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan and were allowed to voice their opinions, ask questions and provide suggestions.

While the meeting was at the Orange Park Library, most of the conversation focused on the rapid growth and needs of residents living in the Lake Asbury area.

Among factors they said would be the right recipe for a vibrant neighborhood community are clean and well-kept, safe, walkable and good lighting.

For infrastructure improvements, residents said sidewalk improvements needed to be made, along with the clean-up of dead trees to assist with the safety of residents, particularly in the Grove Park neighborhood.

One resident said traffic on busy roadways like Russell Road and others was a major concern, and traffic infrastructure improvements needed to be made to address those issues.

The most important portion came when residents commented on the grant entitlement funding budget.

Suggestions were compiled on three pieces of poster paper and taped on the wall.

Recommendations included re-prioritizing funding for code enforcement from housing rehabilitation, providing more accessible transportation in rural areas that would benefit from improved infrastructure, and focusing on smaller projects to reach more individuals in housing rehabilitation. The construction of more stay-well facilities, such as yoga and community centers and community nonprofits like the YMCA and Boys and Girls clubs were suggested.

Targeting need areas for low- to moderate-income residents and families, addressing infrastructure concerns on roadways such as Henley Road. and County Road 220 – such as broken sidewalks and potholes – enhancing walkability in rural areas, increasing public transportation options like buses, controlling pests including feral cats and raccoons, conducting more drug rehabilitation outreach programs in the community and placing a greater emphasis on roofing repairs were recommended.

Clay County Grants Manager Megan Mosley, Director of Community and Social Services Gabrielle Gunn led the meeting. Assistant County Manager Troy Nagle provided comments and answered questions.

Residents were given three stickers and asked to vote for the projects they wanted the most.

The stickers were labeled No. 1-3, with No. 1 denoting the item of most importance., but residents had the option to place all three stickers on infrastructure.

Infrastructure, which will be budgeted at $523,450, received six votes, followed by housing rehabilitation ($350,000) and code enforcement ($50,000) with five votes each.

This was the final of five meetings for the action plan. The plan will be adopted during the Board of County Commissioners meeting on July 25 in the Administration Building in Green Cove Springs.