The town of Jay will receive $1 million for Bray Hendricks Park improvements following a unanimous approval at the Tuesday, Aug. 10 Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners meeting.
The proposed improvements include playground equipment replacement and other improvements for recreational soccer, football baseball and tennis teams and will also include an outdoor fitness court.
The town's request for county funding assistance will supplement state appropriated funds, town resources and local donations of goods and services.
Jay Mayor Shon Owens told the commission that Bray-Hendricks Park was built in the late 1970's and since has had very few improvements or updates so it does not necessarily meet the ADA and parking requirements in place today.
“We want to make sure we are getting the community everything that others areas in the area have, such as Navarre, Pace and other areas,” said Owens. “We've been working hard to try to get the money together to get plan ready for our project. By the end of this year, we anticipate being project ready.
The project will cost about $3 million total, with the majority spent in the beginning to pay for civil work to improve drainage and other aspects of a modern sports park.
Owens told the commissioners the town originally planned to do the work in phases, as the budget allowed.
“However, the problem with that is you're basically taking down the entire park at one time,” Owens told the board. “When you do that, you're limited to how many years you may not even have a park that is functioning. It didn't make sense. We thought it might be the right thing, but it just didn't make sense.”
Owens said the town is working on raising $1 million and asking the county to match with $1 million, and could possibly take a loan for the other $1 million.
More people are moving to the north end of Santa Rosa County and Owens said the town is prepared to increase its capacity to serve children and potential new residents in the coming years.
“We are all trying to be ahead of the game and be proactive,” said Owens.
District 3 County Commissoner James Calkins expressed concern that the request was going to be discussed at the meeting, though not voted on. Calkins mentioned meeting again in a month and stated he needed time to work with the mayor and others before bringing the request to the commission.
District 1 County Commissioner Sam Parker said he was under the impression that the board would take action at the meeting for funding, assuring that he is ready to commit to giving the town the requested amount.
Owens referred to $3.8 million that was moved from oil and gas to the Santa Rosa County General Fund in 2018.
“It's time to give back,” said Owens. “I don't understand necessarily what we are waiting on.”
Calkins reminded Owens of a three-year plan of $50,000 for three years that he was aware of from previous conversations, but that he was not aware of a $1 million request.
Owens told Calkins that there was a table full of commissioners who are willing to approve the request at that meeting and accused Calkins of not wanting to approve the request for his own personal reasons.
Heated discussion between Calkins and Owens prompted the county administrator to remind each to let the other speak, one at a time.
Owens claimed that Calkins has wanted to table the request repeatedly, which would impede progress on the park plan. Calkins claimed he did not know the amount requested and said that he wanted to make sure this is done properly to ensure transparency.
“We're tired of shows,” said Calkins. “Let's get together. It's not my money. It's the people's money. I am 100 percent for this project. I'm a fiscal conservative. I can't just hand the town of Jay $1 million.”
District 5 County Commissioner Colten Wright expressed his support for the request.
“It doesn't come as a surprise to me, frankly, what they're asking for tonight,” said Wright. “It's less than the original estimate was. I mean, $3.8 million in the oil and gas fund had been given back to the county, specifically from the Jay community, I think they're just kind of asking for a little bit of that back to deal with the fact that their community is growing rapidly and they want to have a regional facility. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be supporting this. I support it.”
Calkins said a lack of communication is the problem and claimed he did not see the request on the agenda and that Owens called the county administrator, not Calkins, about putting the amount on the agenda for that meeting.
Calkins asked that the rush was.
“The rush is I've spent 10 years working on this project,” said Owens. “I finally got state funding of $300,000, I got another $260,000 from the rescue act, I got $50,000 for Maverick saying we are going to be able to put in a park. I have people who are counting on us to do a project. I have come to the county with my hand out asking you guys to vote on something that is important to the north end of the county. Your district. And the only challenge I'm having is you. The only challenge.”
Parker reminded the board that the town of Jay does not have a lot of the revenue resources that other larger municipalities have and said that most of the people who use the facilities in Jay do not live in Jay. He mentioned several sources of revenue that could be used and said he was prepared to approve the funding at that meeting.
District 2 Commissioner Bob Cole spoke from the phone and expressed his full support to approve the request. He made sure his vote from the phone would count and it did.
“Jay is a community that needs help,” said Cole. “In the 18 years I've been on the board, this is the largest asked ever from the town of Jay and I think it is well-deserved.”
District 4 Commissioner Dave Peich expressed his full support.
After Commissioner Calkins heard the support from all his fellow commissioners, he expressed his full support.
In a motion made by Commissioner Sam Parker, which was seconded by Commissioner Cole, the motion carried unanimously.
Later, Mayor Owens said expressed his excitement about the approval.
“We are closer now than we have ever been to getting a park,” he said.
