In preparation for the annual Clay County Chamber of Commerce's "State of the County" luncheon on Wednesday, city staff prepped me with a few of the projects they expected I'd be asked during the Mayor's Forum.
Only one of them was used but I thought it would be informational for residents to hear where we are.
We understand the city has acquired property along the Palatka-Lake Butler Tails-to-Trails and that you intend to develop a trail head on this property. Can you tell us what this project will include and what the timeline for completion is?:
We’re currently in Phase 1 of a three phase series. This phase includes building a connector sidewalk from the trail to the property and installing bicycles racks. Construction should be complete by the end of February.
Phase 2 includes a county allocation of $175,000 that will support construction of the parking lot, pavilion and restrooms. This phase will begin as soon as the county is ready to disperse the funds.
We’re also partnering with Clay Electric to install an electronic vehicle charging station.
Phase 3 – while not finalized – will include a recreational play structure of some type that will allow families to enjoy riding the trail and recreation at the trailhead site.
The city wants to thank the Rotary Club of Keystone Heights for partnering with us to build Phase 1 with funds generated by proceeds from the Mayor’s Ball and a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation. This is a great opportunity for me to remind all of you that this year’s Mayor’s Ball is Saturday, March 10 starting at 6 PM. It’s being held in a hangar at the Keystone Airport. There will be heavy appetizers and a swing band so come dressed in your 1930s best attire. It is a very cool venue and I encourage all of you to attend. Proceeds from this year's ball will, again, benefit the trail head.
The Black Creek Water Resource Project is moving along and is designed to bring water to the lakes in Keystone Heights. Can you give us your city’s perspective on this project and what it will mean to the residents and businesses in Keystone?
We’re incredibly grateful to Sen. Bradley, rep. Cummings and Rep. Payne to bring statewide attention and funding to benefit our lakes in times of heavy rain.
This project was originally slated to take place over 4 years but already, we’re 18 months ahead of schedule. Easement rights have been obtained and the spreader field in Camp Blanding is being prepped for water distribution.
Historically, we’ve depended on recreational tourism to support our local economy so with higher lake levels, we anticipate that rental income will increase, property values will rise and local businesses will benefit from increased traffic.
How does size and remote location affect Keystone Heights as a municipality:
It means city staff and elected officials need to be up here building relationships with you all and find ways to partner to bring needed services to the Keystone Heights area.
City Manager Scott Kornegay is very active and I appreciate his energy for attending as many meetings as he does.
I like what Mr. Kornegay said to me at my first meeting with he and city clerk Lynn Rutkowski. He said he banned city staff from referring to the Keystone Heights area as the red-headed step child. We see ourselves as equal partners as the other cities in the county are.
What benefits do you see to Keystone Heights arising from the construction of the First Coast Expressway?
The benefits we see is that while we will always be a bedroom community, we are close enough to gain access to the expressway but not, too, close. We’ll be able to maintain our small town vibe.
For us, the real impact is the possibility one day, a connector transportation route will be built between the expressway and the Keystone Heights airport through Clay County because it is the only airport in Clay and Bradford counties.
How would you characterize the relationship between the Keystone Airport relationship with Camp Blanding? Is there anything that can be done to better serve the rest of the county?
I’d characterize the relationship as fantastic. The National Guard has always enjoyed an invested presence on the Keystone Airport Authority and now, the Guard wants an increased presence at the airport.
An exciting new project was announced at the last EDC meeting. In cooperation with the Airport Authority, the Guard have selected a 54-acre parcel to establish a staging site for their Airborne unit. It will be located across the street from the new FBO building and will include 35 parking spaces and a pavilion. The estimated cost of the project is $3.5 million.
Also under consideration, the Guard is considering two additional parcels that would increase a buffer zone around the reservation.
We believe the best way for the Keystone Airport to serve the County is to build a transportation route through Clay County that directly connects it to the airport.