Jay council eyes livestock market

The Jay council discussed various ways the Jay Livestock Market could benefit from a $150,000 grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity at its Monday, March 18 meeting, although no decision was made, following a visit by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Director of USDA Rural Development, who, along with Jay Operations Manager, Eric Seib toured the facility to explore ways to improve the site, as part of the town's five year capital improvement plan.

“We've discussed ideas, we were going to look at the current grant and explore using for it for items instead of work,” said Jay Mayor Shon Owens. “Instead of spending $400,000 for the whole project, can we take that and use it on some other project and go back to the drawing board. That way, the town's not on the hook for $240,000.”

Seib said the town is at risk of losing the $150,000 grant if it is not used.

“We have a long way to go and not much money,” said Seib.

Estimates were at $400,000, so the town made the decision to try to do some of the work themselves to reduce the cost. Seib said that inmates have been clearing out brush and trees to clean up.

“I still think we have the ability to take the $150,000 and utilize it in ways that we could improve the facility,” said Owens. “I still believe we could rent a bulldozer, and an excavator and do all the work ourselves.”

Owens expressed that there are other more pressing issues that need to be addressed in the town, such as the water infrastructure.

Some of the money has been spent with Dewberry Engineering for planning and the question is whether to stick with what has been decided, considering availability of funds versus starting over and having the town work out ways to provide labor to save money.

Seib said work is and has been done to clear out the area around the buildings but the town is still trying to decide which route to take.

Dewberry representative Crystal Weatherington said the grant was written as a rehabilitation initially but that the plans have been altered to reflect what buildings to leave, to demolish and rehabilitate if the integrity of the structure was viable. She said the scope of work was changed and Owens said there was some renegotiating of what to leave, reroof, rehab and demolish.

Councilman Josh Holloway asked how much closer the town would be in the long run to completing it if the town did the work.

Owens said most of the expense was the demolition side, and part of a new roof on one of the structures. He said they talked about repairing trusses once the roof was torn out and the possibility of tearing it down altogether and put up a new structure.

Then council members discussed how to utilize the facility, suggesting the school's Future Farmers of America (FFA) is really active or plays could be put on there, which would require a new A/C system.

“We've got $120,000 or $130,000, we can't really reallocate it, unless we go for more funding to do something else,” said Owens. “I think we can do it as a town. Maybe it's my background or mindset of saying we can do this, but I think that we can do this ourselves and get a lot exactly how we want and how we want it done. We've just got to get it done.”

Owens said unfortunately, the council has been sitting on the project for the last four years, not really sure what to pursue, and he thinks the town is in a situation now where it needs to do what it can with the money.

Seib said he is waiting to hear back from the USDA Rural Development director and said he would present it to the council in the future.

Owens suggested a public meeting to visit the facility to discuss possibilities for the buildings and asked council members to be thinking how the site can be utilized as a working facility that will best to serve the community, even if it is just weekly or monthly.

“We think of this as a farming community, but there's not many people who sell vegetables,” said Owens.

Councilman Wayne Godwin said that the farming in and around is all row crop and other council members suggested possible sales of other retail products than produce.

The next council meeting will be at 6 p.m., Monday, April 1. The public is invited.