BY MELISSA PYLE
Special to the Telegraph
Members of the Lawtey City Council were joined by County Commissioner Carolyn Spooner, Amber Shepherd, the Strategic Alliances Business Partner from the Northeast Florida Economic Development Corporation, and local residents to assess future potential at the Middleburg Road park and recreation building.
The once vibrant building sits decaying, surrounded by a baseball field, bleachers, a basketball court, and a small play area. These outdoor spaces are still maintained by the city, but they seem to entertain little more than echoes from the past. Residents are intent on changing that and with the help of city leaders, are working towards a reimagined facility and future for Lawtey.
The park and building have a history in the community. Locals recall a time when families, churches and sports teams would gather at the venue for events. Those events have a special connection for residents like Terricena Kittles and seeing the building in a condemned state is unacceptable. Kittles’ grandparents were some of the past generations that helped keep the building alive. Kittles said they fought to bring basketball courts to the park so children would not have to cross U.S. 301 to play at the other city park.
Kittles said when the park stopped being used for baseball and softball games, people just stopped coming, and over time, the building was left in disrepair. She, along with others envision a new, reimagined space to serve the Lawtey community once again.
Resident Isaac Williams shared ideas for a space that invests in the community with programs like STEM, which will build a future, technical workforce. Williams described a plan that would develop the building into a community center with updated Wi-Fi capabilities. He hopes this type of facility would not only draw locals, but new businesses to the area.
Shepherd responded to his ideas by discussing “incubator programs” for larger industries and if Lawtey had a building with new technical capabilities this could be a possibility. She described Bradford County’s economic future as a “diamond in the rough’’ and was excited that residents are forward thinking in their plans for Lawtey.
There is a lot of work to be done to the existing structure. The large block building has multiple holes in the
roof, broken rafters, and water leaks. To move ahead with any possible solutions, the city is obtaining a survey from a structural engineer. Once the survey is completed, steps can be taken to renovate or, if necessary, rebuild.
The short tour of the property was the beginning of the long journey ahead for the revitalization project. Even with hurdles in the way, residents and leaders are eager to get started and they all seem to recognize that if they don’t make a plan for the future of Lawtey, someone else will.
