GREEN COVE SPRINGS – New City Manager Steve Kennedy greeted council members and residents at Tuesday’s city council meeting and discussed his first week in charge and his fondness for the area.

Kennedy was city manager in Americus, Ga. from 2015-2018. A Valdosta State University alum, he served more than a decade as Kennesaw, Ga. city manager and was Thomasville, Ga. director of administration and controller for almost 20 years. He started in Green Cove Springs Oct. 1.

Former City Manager Danielle Judd left the city last month after seven years. Kennedy said he was impressed by the quality of the staff who were getting him acquainted with the city in his first week.

“It takes a great team and there’s one here,” Kennedy said. “That really makes my job easier having those committed folks already in place.”

Referring to the initial transition, Kennedy said he needed to acclimate to his new county, meet residents, department heads, county officials and set expectations.

“It’s different here. In the short period of time we’ve been here, we’ve experienced that. I’m having a blast already,” Kennedy said. “I plan on continuing to have blast. There’s a lot of things in front of us and a lot of opportunities.”

Council members said they looked forward to working with Kennedy.

“It’s a great place to live and work,” said Vice Mayor Steven Kelley. “We’re glad to have you.”

“We’re excited for the next era in Green Cove,” Council member Mitch Timberlake said.

In other business, the Northeast Florida Community Action Agency extended hours of service to Monday through Thursday rather than one day a week. The agency has an office in City Hall where it assists low-income residents in the community. Council members agreed to a trial period for a couple months for the new office hours and cited concerns with adding to city staff’s workload.

Food Truck Friday, a monthly community gathering with food and local bands held at the corner of Walnut Street and Magnolia Avenue, will temporarily move to Spring Park due to extensive renovations at Clay Theatre, which was the site adjacent to the vent’s staging area. The hours were also extended by council members to 5-9 p.m.