Here are some topics from the last Board of County Commissioners meeting. If you want to know more, you can read the agendas and minutes as they get posted in the link below, and you can watch the meeting in full on our Facebook page or website. The next meeting coming up on January 10, at 4:00.
The meeting can be viewed in its entirety here: https://clayfl.new.swagit.com/videos/191129
Broadband Update – the presentation starts at 10:19
Bill Ferry with Comcast provided an update on the Clay County Broadband expansion project. Comcast is currently in the middle of a large buildout in Clay Hill and the unincorporated areas of the county north of Keystone Heights. Crews are installing 1600 passings so modems can connect to the internet network. Construction is going along quickly, and they hope to see some customers in the Clay Hill area able to sign up for high-speed internet in January. They're working quickly to wire as many properties as they can. The Keystone Heights area is still in the permitting phase, but they hope to have properties signing up for service in the second quarter of 2023. Comcast also applied for a DEO Office of Broadband grant to bring internet connections to the rest of Clay Hill, McRae, and Virginia Village sometime next year. The company is also looking at the Penney Farms area for wiring internet access in the future.
Approval of the 2023 BCC Meeting Schedule - the discussion starts at 26:50
Commissioners approved the 2023 Board of County Commissioners meeting schedule. Meetings will be held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 4 p.m. with only one meeting scheduled in December. Changes to the agenda format are coming in 2023 with the inclusion on the BCC agenda of the items previously presented to the Finance and Audit Committee along with backup documentation and a separate Planning and Zoning section. Other agenda sections will remain the same. The revisions to the agenda are to provide more visibility to the public on items that had previously been presented to the Finance and Audit Committee and more effective and efficient use of staff time.
Final Public Hearing on adoption of the Clay County Comprehensive Impact Fee Ordinance – the discussion starts at 1:00:17
Commissioners held a final public hearing on the adoption of the Clay County Comprehensive Impact Fee Ordinance for government, jails and constitutional facilities, fire and rescue facilities, law enforcement facilities, parks and recreation facilities, and library and cultural facilities. This item was continued from the October 25 Board meeting and was the topic of the Board’s November 28 workshop. Updates to the study were presented, which incorporated discussions from the BCC workshop and stakeholder inputs, including modifications to employment projections, updated CIP credit calculations, a functional population approach for estimating facility demand, and updated County asset values. The Board voted to adopt the impact fee study and implement an impact fee structure beginning in June of 2023 to ensure future construction contributes its fair share of the cost of improvements and additions to facilities as an integral and vital element of managing growth. Impact fees are expected to generate $121,424,759 over 22 years.
Memorandum of Agreement with Smart North Florida Inc. for Smart Corridor along Wells Road – the discussion starts at 56:05
Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Agreement with Smart North Florida Inc. for the Smart Growth Corridor along Wells Road to modernize infrastructure and innovate processes that will improve the quality of life for the County’s growing population. The $145,000 project was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and will include new technologies focused on transportation and pedestrian safety along Wells Road. The Smart Corridor project will be in coordination with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and strategic partners to allow integration of data collection, cameras, and call boxes, and connecting with the CCSO Real Time Crime Center, all intended to increase public safety and improve traffic conditions on Wells Road. Work is expected to be completed in six months.
Multipurpose Sports Complex Project Update- the discussion starts at 4:59:01
Bill Crain with Carlton Construction presented an update on the design and construction of the Clay County Multipurpose Sports Complex project. This project began with a $3 million matching grant from the State and an original design for phase one of 10 multipurpose fields. Site conditions were significantly different from anticipated including higher water levels and wetlands on the site in critical locations. The design plans were modified to accommodate the site conditions, maximize the use of dirt on the site, minimize the amount of additional dirt needed, and minimize the impact on wetlands. Two design options for Phase 1 were presented. Phase 1A includes five fields for just over $5 million and the second option is to add three additional fields in Phase 1B for a total cost of just over $7 million. Designs include a restroom, parking lot, landscaping and irrigation, shade sails, sidewalks, 3 quarter-mile walking trail, and a monument sign. Civil engineers have designed drainage features to maximize field use during the wet season. Timbering work is mostly complete, and construction is ready to begin once a design is approved. The County will look into the use of ARPA funds to cover cost overages due to inflation and staff will bring a proposal back to the Board at the January 10 BCC Meeting.
