Jay residents asked for input on money

Three public meetings set on Jan. 28 on how to best spend $17,500 for economic development in the town

Jay area residents will have three chances next Monday to voice their opinions of how a Competitive Florida Partnership grant for $17,500 from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity should be spent to improve economic development in the town of Jay.

The town of Jay will host an economic development open house this Monday, Jan. 28, at the Linda Carden Community Center at 5259 Booker Lane in three sessions. The first will be from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., the lunch session from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the afternoon session will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Santa Rosa County Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree and the representatives from the Santa Rosa Press Gazette will be there during the day and Santa Rosa County's Chamber CEO Donna Tucker and Districts 1 and 3 County Commissioners Sam Parker and Don Salter will be present at the lunch session. Commissioner Dave Peich will be at the afternoon session. Each session will have various Santa Rosa County leaders or elected officials present.

The public is invited to come to any or all of the sessions and share their ideas and opinions.

Job opportunities

The Town of Jay has two job opportunities that include a full-time maintenance worker and a part-time billing clerk. The two positions were opened in response to the upcoming retirement of Raymond McDaniel at the end of February and the town hall office position left vacant when Cheryl Mulford left last summer.

The full time maintenance position will be an hourly wage basis with normal work hours plus after hours on call status that requires a 20-minute response to the town limits.

The applicant should be able, under general direction, to perform a variety of semi-skilled and unskilled tasks in the maintenance of town parks, building, water system, wastewater system, gas system, and equipment as directed by the town of Jay Operations Manager Eric Seib, and some other requirements.

The part-time billing clerk position is based on an hourly wage. Skills include, under general direction, the ability to perform a variety of administrative office tasks that include creating work orders from customer phone requests, manage customer billing database, collect and record cash, check and credit card payments and some other requirements.

A detailed job description for either or both positions can be picked up at Jay City Hall. Applications can be dropped off at Jay City Hall on Highway 4 or mailed to Town of Jay at P.O. Box 66, Jay, Fla., 32565.

The last day for submission is Tuesday, Jan. 29.

Equipment donation

The Munson and Berrydale Fire Departments are partnering to develop a search and rescue team and approached the town if they could have a search and rescue trailer that was donated to the town from Santa Rosa County in 2011, that has been basically unused for five years.

“It's a piece of equipment they need to put their gear in,” said Seib. “It will help us as well, the local area, it's a kick start for them.”

In a motion made by Council Wayne Godwin and seconded by Josh Holloway, the motion carried to donate the trailer.