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Community Briefs 7/9/20

Clay Today
Posted 7/8/20

Clay County offers nonprofit assistance grantsCARES Act has $750,000 available to local agenciesGREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County has allocated $750,000 in CARES Act funding to support local …

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Community Briefs 7/9/20


Posted

Clay County offers nonprofit assistance grants
CARES Act has $750,000 available to local agencies

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay County has allocated $750,000 in CARES Act funding to support local non-profit organizations, providing goods and services to those in the community impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Beginning July 6, nonprofit organizations may apply for funding to support ongoing efforts of providing food assistance, personal protective equipment, or other community service programs related to COVID-19 relief. All spending must be directly related to COVID-19, not previously budgeted, and for costs incurred between March 1 and Dec. 30. Eligible organizations must provide proof of non-profit status and the principal place of business must be in Clay County.
Applications are available online at https://www.claycountygov.com/government/cares-act. All nonprofit organizations must be vetted through the grant application process. Clay County will work with organizations to track expenditures and ensure spending deadlines are met. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. The deadline to apply is for this initial grant period is Monday, July 13 at 5 p.m. Questions about the CARES Act or Non-Profit Assistance Grants can be submitted to claycares@claycountygov.com.

Long Bay Road to reopen, segment of C.R. Road 220 West to Close
Roadwork part of Blanding Boulevard widening project

MIDDLEBURG – As part of the Blanding Boulevard widening project between Allie Murray Road and Long Bay Road, the new alignment of Long Bay Road and Blanding Boulevard is expected to open to traffic Monday, July 13, weather and schedule permitting.
On Tuesday, July 14, a segment of County Road 220 West at Blanding Boulevard will close to traffic for several months as the contractor constructs a new alignment at this intersection. Motorists will be detoured via Long Bay Road and Blanding Boulevard.
Construction on the project began in January 2019. Project improvements include widening the road from four lanes to six lanes; full reconstruction of the roadway; adding 4-foot wide bike lanes in both directions; adding six-foot wide sidewalks in both directions; replacement of traffic signals and street lights; construction of a new drainage system; and realignment of the intersections at Long Bay Road and County Road 220 Access Road.
Contractor R.B. Baker Construction Company is expected to complete the $19.1 million project in fall 2021, weather and schedule permitting.
The Florida Department of Transportation urges motorists to always follow the speed limit and stay within the limits of orange cones and barrels while traveling through construction zones. For up-to-date information regarding construction projects and lane closures, please visit www.nflroads.com or contact FDOT personnel at (904) 831-FDOT.

County to break ground on CR315C improvements
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Clay County Commissioners and County Manager Howard Wanamaker will break ground Friday morning on a resurfacing and improvement project planned for County Road 315C.
The project will include repaving and widening the road, as well as repaving the shoulders, improving driveways and adding center of the road striping from County Road 214 to the Putnam County line at Mallard Road.

Jacksonville Symphony continues streaming concerts in July
JACKSONVILLE – Since the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts closed to the public in mid-March, the Jacksonville Symphony has taken to social media to continue bringing music to Jacksonville. Performances have ranged from the music of Broadway, smaller chamber ensembles, and previously streamed Florida Blue Masterworks performances.
Typically, summers in Jacoby Symphony Hall are quiet. This summer will be different. Jacoby Symphony Hall will once again be filled with music from Symphony musicians. With the belief that music is more important than ever in this time of uncertainty, the Jacksonville Symphony feels strongly about safely providing music to the community.
“We are happy to be able to continue performing,” says principal cellist Alexei Romanenko. “It is not a replacement for a live performance where we can see the audience and feel their energy, but it is a way to continue sharing our art with a community that continues to support us.” Alexei will be performing in three of the four upcoming streams.
After a two-week hiatus, the Symphony will continue to stream music on Fridays at 8 p.m. starting again on July 10. All streams are free to anyone wanting to fill their evenings with music. The performances are hosted by Music Director Courtney Lewis. Small ensembles are used to make sure all musicians can be safely physically distanced on stage for each performance. Those viewing on Facebook or YouTube can share their comments and emoji applause to support the Symphony musicians.
“It’s been really great to see support coming from not only Jacksonville, but across the country,” says Symphony Digital Marketing Manager Anna Birtles. “Most of our streams have viewers watching from all over, sharing their love of the orchestra in comments and likes. It’s a completely different world than what we were doing just a few months ago, but still satisfying to know our community misses us.” Birtles runs the Symphony’s streams with Stage Manager Ray Klaase, Stage Associate James Pitts, Technical Director Shamus McConney and Audio Engineer Jeff Alford.
Patrons can find the streamed concerts on the Symphony’s Facebook page or YouTube Channel.
Streaming Schedule:
• Friday, July 10 – Beethoven’s Strings: Jonathan Kuo, violin, DJ Cheek, principal viola and Alexei Romanenko, principal cello.
• Friday, July 17 – Centennial Celebration: Les Roettges, principal flute and Alexei Romanenko, principal cello.
• Friday, July 24 – String Octet: Jonathan Kuo, violin, Siyu Zhang, violin, Megan Rios, violin, Christopher Chappell, violin, DJ Cheek, principal viola, Jorge A. Peña Portillo, viola, Alexei Romanenko, principal cello and Betsy Federman, cello.
• Friday, July 31 – Vaughan Williams’ Folksongs – Melissa Barrett, acting concertmaster, Megan Rios, violin, DJ Cheek, principal viola, Laurie Casseday, cello, John Wieland, principal bass, Les Roettges, principal flute, Eric Olson, principal oboe and Daniel Rios, English horn.
To support the Jacksonville Symphony during this difficult time patrons can: · Make a donation through the website jaxsymphony.
To receive additional information about the Jacksonville Symphony via social media, and the web site, where patrons can sign up to be added to the email list.
Tune into streams on Friday evenings and share with friends and family.