Orange Park

Carrie Clarke Day was held yesterday at the Clarke House on Kingsley Avenue in Orange Park.  Carrie was one of the town's early activist and founder of First Baptist of Orange Park.  This celebration this year was also tied into women's history month.  Here is a quick Youtube video of yesterday's celebration.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=fqxx1ymq1FE

Enjoy. 

Seems like everybody gets to decide about gambling in Clay County, except the folks who live in Clay County.

Up until last year, the decision about things like adding poker rooms or slot machines at the Orange Park Kennel Club rested with the Board of County Commissioners, the elected representatives of all Clay County residents.  Ah, for those good ol' days.

First, a little Tallahassee tango fixed it so the decision on poker rooms was switched from the BCC to the Orange Park Town Council, which decided potential tax revenue outweighed all those pesky quality of life questions.  It's a case of officials who don't seem to grasp that "just because we can doesn't mean we should."

Qualifying opened today for Orange Park Town Council. 
So far, only mayor Bob Standifer has filed paperwork and announced that he will run for another term.
Meanwhile, Travis Cummings' seat remains open. Cummings plans to run for Clay County Commission.
City hall officials said three men have picked up application forms but none have returned completed forms.
Qualifying ends Feb. 11 and the election is March 11.

The agenda for Tuesday night's meeting of the Orange Park Town Council has one interesting, and potentially far-reaching issue, cloaked in the innocuous title of:

Public Hearing and Second Reading of an Ordinance creating a new permissable use by exception for "facilities for assistance to the needy" in the "Residential, General" zoning district.

On the surface, the request for a land use change sounds nice, even commendable. Waste Not, Want Not, an organization that collects food from grocery stores and then redistributes it to other groups, has asked for an exception to the town's zoning law to allow it to set up in an area designated for general residential use. Who doesn't support getting leftover groceries into the hands of hungry people throughout Northeast Florida? To say no to such a request by a "facility for assistance to the needy" must sound uncaring.

Orange Park's skateboard park is not closing but it seems the supporting parents of skateboarders coalition is folding. Here's a copy of an email sent out to members and to My Clay Sun on Jan. 12:

Dear Friends,

The Board of Directors of the Orange Park Skateboarding Alliance met today and after deliberating over the future of the organization have decided to cease operations effective immediately.

Angela, I certainly hope someone will start the ball rolling for an investigation.  There are stories of so many things going on at all levels of government. 

For example, a hot topic in Orange Park involves claims that personal items of Town Manager are being stored at the Clark House.   Citizens complain the entire second story is full of items he purchases at yard/estate sales.   If this is correct, why does he get to use property owned by the Town of Orange Park?   He does not even live in the Orange Park corporate limits.

Did the Orange Park Town Council give him permission to use public property to store his personal items?  I doubt any citizen would be able to store personal items on any government-owned property.  Do any of you know anything about this?

Orange Park High School head baseball and boys golf coach Michael Johns is leaving the Raiders for a coaching position with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays professional baseball organization.

Johns informed the Raiders of his decision during Monday afternoon’s practice. Athletic Director Clayton Anderson announced the move to the media Tuesday morning.

During a prepractice meeting Tuesday afternoon, Orange Park Principal Mike Wingate named assistant coach Fred Matricardi the Raiders’ new head coach.

Johns, 33, is in his fifth year teaching and coaching at Orange Park. He had coached the Raiders for four baseball seasons, compiling a 50-55 overall won-loss record. Last year, however, the Raiders went 17-10, missing the playoffs by just one game.

His main job will be as an assistant coach with the organization's Single A, short-season affiliate in Princeton, N.J.

"It's Single A, but it's mainly for the guys that just got drafted," Johns said. "They'll go straight to short-season A ball. I'll be in spring training in March, and then extended spring training in April and May, and then I'll be in Princeton, N.J., in June, July and August and half of September for single A."

"I've had an opportunity over the past few years to go with them [Devil Rays]," Johns said. "And this was the right fit for me. The scouting area and that kind of stuff just wasn't for me. But this was a good opportunity. I hated the timing of it though. I hate to leave these kids. It was tough telling them last night, just because I tried to put so much into it, and I hate to leave. I feel like they are my own kids. I love them so much. But, at the end of the day, you've got to try to figure out what's best for yourself, and this is a good opportunity for me to move up the ladder. You know, everybody's goal is to be in the big leagues, whether as a player or a coach, and that's what I tried to explain to them. You guys want to play in the big leagues, and I want to manage in them some day."

Raider senior Tony Voiro could understand that. Sadness at losing his coach quickly gave way to opportunity, and humor.

"I asked him if he could get me drafted," the first-baseman joked.

More seriously, Voiro said of his coach, “I really liked the intensity he brought. Of course, he always made it hard. But it was like fun for us. He always made it seem tough, but not over-the-cliff tough, you know what I’m saying?”

Friday's final:

Chiles (Tallahassee) 42, Orange Park 26

Gadget plays helped the host Orange Park Raiders get
close to the Chiles Timberwolves Friday night, but a
strong running attack carried the visitors from
Tallahassee to a 42-26 win.
The Raiders (1-9) hosted the Timberwolves for each team’s final regular season game and 17
Orange Park seniors took the field for the last time in their high school careers. The Raiders came out fired up and took their opening drive 80 yards in just under four minutes for the first score of the game. The drive was highlighted by a 34-yard touchdown run
by sophomore running back C.J. Stallworth.

Orange Park needed four games to defeat Fletcher in both of their regular-season volleyball match-ups, and up two games to none but trailing 18-12 in the third, it looked like the Lady Raiders were in for at least another four-set challenge Friday night in their District 1-6A semifinal game.

But Orange Park proceeded to shut down the Lady Senators and outscore them 13-2 the rest of the way, including a match-ending spike by senior Allison Riner, to win the contest, 25-11, 26-24, 25-20, and qualify for the state playoffs.

The victory also put OP in Friday's 6 p.m. championship final against the winner of Wednesday night's late match, Mandarin vs. top-seeded Gainesville Buchholz (20-5). The Lady Raiders lost twice this season to Buchholz, but Coach Amy Walker wasn't conceding the title to the Lady Bobcats.

Friday's final:

Fleming Island 35, Orange Park 31

The Fleming Island Golden Eagle High School football team has a very strong chin.

The Orange Park Raiders’ (1-7, 0-2 District 3-5A) offense struck early and often during the first half Friday night at Fleming Island, but the Golden Eagles (4-4, 2-0) overcame a 24-6 halftime deficit and defeated the Raiders for the first time in school history, 35-31.

The win clinched the first playoff berth in Fleming Island's 5-year history.

This was the fifth meeting between the two teams and the Golden Eagles’ historical win almost sailed wide left. A field goal attempt by Golden Eagle kicker Nate Branz would have tied the game at 31 with just under two minutes left in the game, but it missed the uprights. The Raiders defense and the Orange Park sideline erupted as the ball settled in the grass with the
thought that they had taken away the Golden Eagles’ last chance at victory.