7/26/23 UPDATE:

The community chose Sergeant Bradley Crose as the name for the entry road of the new county gun range.

During yesterday evening's Board of County Commissions meeting, staff announced and commissioners voted on the winning name. 

Sergeant Bradley Crose, assigned to the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment was killed in action in the defense of his country during Operation Anaconda outside Gardez, Afghanistan on March 4, 2002. Sergeant Crose joined the Army two weeks after he graduated from Orange Park High School. He attended Basic and Infantry training, Airborne School, Ranger Indoctrination training, and Ranger School at Ft. Benning, GA. Enemy gunfire forced down an MH-47 Chinook helicopter, in which Sergeant Cross and his fellow Rangers were aboard.

Construction started on the multipurpose gun range in 2022, and it's expected to be completed in 2023. It will be used by local law enforcement and citizens. The gun range will be 200 yards long with 30 target lanes, and plans for the future of the range include archery, skeet shooting, a pro shop, fishing, a public safety training aspect, and more.

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The Clay County Board of County Commissioners wants the community to vote on potential names for the entry road of the new county gun range. Two previous sheriffs and a fallen Army Ranger are on the list. You can find the survey here: https://forms.office.com/g/0myX6FhYLg

The gun range is under construction, and crews have built a new road to allow access to it. Commissioners made the decision to give the community a chance to vote on the road's name.

Below you will find the list of name options and the background of each. The community is also welcome to submit their own option for consideration.

Beseler

Rick Beseler served as sheriff of Clay County from 2005 to 2017 and is the reason this gun range is becoming a reality. During his time as sheriff, Beseler was passionate about creating a range for the county’s law enforcement and the public to use and laid the extensive groundwork to make that happen. Beseler recently helped spearhead Signal 35, a nonprofit organization that helps Clay County’s first responders with funding when losses or unique emergency needs suddenly hit this valued group of public servants.

Jennings Murrhee

Jennings Murrhee served as sheriff of Clay County from 1964 until 1988. During his tenure as sheriff, the department grew from six employees to 220. Murrhee was one of the first two sheriffs in the state to place officers in schools, he brought the Mounted Patrol into existence, established a Youth Resource Unit, the first 24-hour patrol, and helped set up the SWAT team and multi-agency Drug Task Force. A lifelong Clay County resident who called the Keystone Heights area home, Murrhee passed away in October 2022.

Outdoor Adventures

This name exhibits the future goals for the gun range. Archery, skeet shooting, a pro shop, fishing, and a public safety training aspect, are among the activities and attractions slated to eventually join the range on the property to create a destination Clay County’s families can enjoy.

Sergeant Bradley Crose

Sergeant Bradley Crose, assigned to the 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment was killed in action in the defense of his country during Operation Anaconda outside Gardez, Afghanistan on March 4, 2002. Sergeant Crose joined the Army two weeks after he graduated from Orange Park High School. He attended Basic and Infantry training, Airborne School, Ranger Indoctrination training, and Ranger School at Ft. Benning, GA. Enemy gunfire forced down an MH-47 Chinook helicopter, in which Sergeant Cross and his fellow Rangers were aboard.

Other

There's an area in the survey to provide your recommendation.

We’ll announce what the community picked on our social media platforms and in the Newsroom on our website at the end of the month.

Construction started on the multipurpose gun range in 2022, and it's expected to be completed in 2023. Local law enforcement and citizens will be able to use this range, which will be 200 yards long with 30 target lanes. Plans for the future of the range include archery, skeet shooting, a pro shop, fishing, a public safety training aspect, and more.