With prices rising, the town is looking to begin work in phases
In a vote of two to one, the Jay Town Council approved a three-phase plan to pay for the renovations at Bray-Hendricks Park at its Monday, Feb. 6 meeting, with Mayor Shon Owens voting no. Councilman Josh Holloway was not present.
Dewberry Engineering representative Crystal Weatherington presented a revised spreadsheet that had three phases to complete the park renovation. Each phase included general and earthwork, drainage, field construction, utilities and paving, itemized, with quantities, unit prices and totals.
The list of priorities included with the spreadsheet are: underground utilities, underground infrastructure, ballfields, restrooms (plus construction of the shell of a central building as well), basketball court (uncovered), tennis courts, football and soccer fields, lighting, concrete, asphalt, concession stand, amphitheater and additional restrooms.
Phase 2 and 3 had other specific additions that eventually allow the addition of a football and soccer field, a basketball court, tennis courts and an amphitheater, as well as a T-ball field. Council members discussed the cost of fencing and possibly replacing concrete sidewalks with mulch until later when concrete sidewalks could be installed. They discussed the concession stand, with bathrooms and a conference-type room upstairs for meetings and as well as sports personnel, which would be two-story, with an elevator to meet ADA compliance.
In the Phase 1, a sanitary surge tank and lift station, totaling almost $280,000, are part of the proposed infrastructure to serve the park. Mayor Owens asked about utilizing the one currently serving the community center to offset that $280,000 since the town was awarded a CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) for $1,000,000 for upgrades in the community center and could be used to purchase them new.
According to the spreadsheet, Phase 1 will cost $2,680,116.13; Phase 2 will cost $1,322,001.84 and Phase 3 reigns in at $1,519,800.74. That totals $5,521,918.71.
Councilwoman Jane Hayes made a motion to move forward with Phase 1 with the consideration to remove asphalt and concrete, to put in restrooms and concessions (including upstairs as a shell only) and to include electrical conduit. Councilwoman Nina Hendricks seconded the motion. Hendricks and Hayes voted yes and Owens voted no.
Special meeting Feb. 14
In a special meeting that was held Tuesday, Feb. 14 to discuss how to save money and still provide a useable park, Jay Operations Manager Eric Seib presented a color-coded spreadsheet that showed how much money the town has now and possible future funding over the next several years.
Some current figures include what the town has spent for engineering plans, the outdoor fitness center and architecture and demolition costs at $373,774.26.
The town has $1,475,241 from Santa Rosa County, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the 2022 budget and the sewer trucks that pay to dispose in the town’s wastewater tanks annually. United Bank has offered a $1,600,000 line of credit. These funds total $3,075,241.
Possible grants or other monies include the reimbursement of $50,000 for the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP), a 2020 Legislative Appropriation of $300,000, which will fund the east entrance to the park and a USDA Rural Infrastructure Grant that will cover the basketball courts of $300,000. These various funds total $3,725,241.
Seib said there are future possibilities of a 2022 Legislative Appropriation for $600,000, which the town can submit for but will not know until possibly 2024; a FRDAP of $200,000 after the closeout of the current one; a possible $600,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) after the closeout of the paving project; a possible $200,000 from the Santa Rosa County School District for the tennis courts. That total funding then would be $1,600,000.
The total of what is available and future possible funding is $5,325,241. The three phases discussed total $5,521,918. The difference between those two totals is close to $2 million and the reason the council is working looking for ways to cut costs.
The next meeting will be at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 20, at Jay Town Hall.
