WEBVTT
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Welcome to County Conversations, the St. John's
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County podcast to help build community trust
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and keep the community informed and educated
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about county programs and services. On this episode,
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we're very happy to have with us Ryan Cain, our
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Director of Parks and Recreation. Welcome to
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the show, Ryan. Thank you, Wayne. Glad to be
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here. As the Director of Parks and Recreation,
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you have a lot to unpack, a lot going on. In
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this episode, let's talk about just kind of a
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general overview of Parks and Recreation when
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it comes to parks operations. Give us a sense,
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kind of a big picture view, of just the variety
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of programs and the variety of parks that you
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and your team oversee. Great, thanks. Yeah, it's
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a large scope for parks and recreation. So we
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have a multitude of programs, parks, facilities
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that are available to the public to come out
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and enjoy their quality of life. So programming
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from your basic traditional parks and recreation
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programming, summer camp, youth basketball program,
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adult softball, to some creative outdoor recreation
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programming, veterans programs that are offered,
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toddler programs, to special events that bring
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the community together, whether it's Easter egg
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hunts or movies in the park. And then for the
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park facilities, I've always been amazed at the
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vast variety that we have here. So from the 42
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miles of beaches to the athletic ball fields
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to passive recreational parks, the county golf
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course, we have a variety of parks facilities
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that are available for the county. We'll get
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into some of the details of what you just described
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in other episodes. I want to talk for a minute
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about parks. A hundred plus parks that you all
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manage give our listeners a sense of just the
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different types of amenities that might be because
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it's such a wide spectrum of what is offered
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at all of these hundred plus parks. Yeah, it's
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great. It's 106 parcels, I call it, because some
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of those parks are what I would call a postage
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stamp of a small little park with a small playground
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on it that you drive by to some very busy, active
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parks like Davis Park, Veterans Park, where athletic
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facilities are taking place, to large conservation
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areas that are 2 ,000 plus acres like McCulloch
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Creek or Naukati Preserve. So is a variety that's
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available some of them. The highlight is just
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like Alpine Park Alpine Grows Park up in the
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northwest quadrant Probably one of the best sunsets
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in st. John's County great place to get out and
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have a passive day And just check out the sites
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there to our active parks Davis Park as I mentioned
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how full that is on a Saturday with athletics
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going on in all sorts of sports teams going on
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to our beachfront parks. We just finished North
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Beach Park and it's a great place for the family
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to get out and enjoy the beachfront. You used
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the word passive a minute ago to kind of break
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that down. In the parks and rec world there's
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such things as active parks and passive parks.
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Kind of break that down. What's the difference
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between the two? Yes, active parks is probably
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what most people are thinking of when they think
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of parks and recreation. So that's little league
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ball fields, soccer fields, adult athletics,
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to even playgrounds, et cetera. Passive parks
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are more open green space, walking trails, picnic
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areas, good opportunity to get out and enjoy
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nature. With the 42 miles of beach, I always
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say that comes with 42 miles of intercoastal
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and we have all the mileage on the river. We
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have some parks that create great vistas for
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people to come out and enjoy Mother Nature. Now,
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going off the active parks and passive parks,
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you also, you and your team also manage nearly
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4 ,000 acres of conservation area. Correct. It's
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something that's probably not highlighted that
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much in the county, McCulloch Creek, Nockatee
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Preserve are two major large portions. Just recently
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we worked with the Parks Foundation and they
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got land donated up at the intersection of Greenbrier
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and Longleaf. So the two of the four intersections,
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so you kind of have a Publix and a bank across
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the street right now, but two of those will stay
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green spaces thanks to the Parks Foundation and
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the county in conserving that land. You mentioned
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water and the beaches, you know 40 plus miles
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of beaches the access points you and your team
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and your staff Manage nearly a hundred different
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beach access points and another 13 boat ramps.
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Tell us about those Yeah, accessing the water
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is a huge thing. And that's why a lot of people
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are here in st. John's County and So those beach
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access points are some of those are the well
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-known ones as Michael's Villano Crescent Beach
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to some footpaths that we have along the way.
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So we have 94 total beach access points along
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our 42 miles of beach that are managed by St.
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John's County in the Parks and Recreation Department.
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Along with that, the boat ramps and people being
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able to access the water, 13 boat ramps, none
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more popular than the Volano boat ramp. And so
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that deep water access and just being able to
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get people to get out and enjoy. The water is
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a big part of what we do. We'll get to Some of
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the water watercraft programming that your staff
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offers in in future episodes But speaking of
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water access is just not boats. You have a very
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strong kayak access program as well Yeah in our
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programming our outdoor recreation team does
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a great job and go around and visit multiple
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parks throughout the year and do kayaking programming
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And you can register through that on our web
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page. And additionally, they also offer veterans
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programs for kayaking as well. So when we say
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boat ramps, there's also an opportunity for the
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kayakers out there in our community to access
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these waterways through kayak launches. 100%.
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Yeah. Speaking, staying on the theme of parks,
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Ryan, and some of the parks that the community
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may not know that Parks and Recreation manages,
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I think you mentioned earlier The golf course,
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tell us about the golf course and how is that
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a parks park and how do you all manage that?
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Sure, the county golf course falls, it's a county
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-owned asset, falls under Parks and Recreation
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Management. It's off of County Road 207 and so
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it's just on the west side of 95, had a refurbishment
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about... Four years ago now, the place is fantastic.
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It's busy. It's a great place to get out and
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enjoy golf, whether for the beginner or someone
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that's just trying to fine tune their score.
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And it's not just your typical municipal course
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that someone may know about, kind of like a Muni
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course, you might say, that might be a lower
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tiered course than a private course. It is a
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legit public golf course that hosts competitive
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tournaments. Yeah, they do a great job hosting.
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They have the St. Augustine amateur that they
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host. And they bring in some of the finest young
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golfers around the area for that. It's an impressive
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site. It's a little self -reflection when I see
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those kids teeing off and recognize their skills
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and that they bring to the table. But it's a
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great place. And just to tout it, last year,
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68 ,000 rounds of golf. And so people are getting
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out and playing. Golf is really booming right
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now, a really exciting time for the golf course.
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And more than just your typical foursome out
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there playing, it's an event center because you've
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got places to host tournaments and other types
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of activities, so really a bustling site. With
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a couple minutes left in this episode, you've
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talked about a variety of different parks and
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programs. We'll get into the details later, Ryan.
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Talk to us a little bit about some of the other
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unknown gems that parks and recreation manages
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that folks may not know falls under parks and
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recreation. One of them is the pier. Yeah, St.
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Augustine or St. John's County Fishing Pier at
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St. Augustine Beach is operated by the county.
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It's a great location to get out and do some
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fishing or some sightseeing. We do have plenty
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of public parking there. Well, plenty some days,
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some Saturdays maybe not so much, plenty. Volleyball
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courts on the site. that are very active, and
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it's just a great site and a great place to get
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out to the beach. And speaking of the pier and
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speaking of these parks and the conservation
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areas, I think it would be remiss if I didn't
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give you about a minute just to tout the phenomenal
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maintenance staff you have, because these guys
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and gals are out there cutting grass, trimming
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trees, making sure these parks and playgrounds
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and trails are safe for the public, the benches.
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All of that. Talk a little bit about the phenomenal
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staff behind the scenes making these parks look
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good. Agreed. We have great staff. They take
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great pride in being able to provide the resources
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out there for the community. They want every
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ball field to look like Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium.
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But knowing that people are going to be out playing
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quite a bit on it and just being able to provide
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these resources on a regular basis is something
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that excites them. They take great pride in what
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they're doing and it shows. I think we have some
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of the highest quality parks there are for county
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operations, and really proud of the team that
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puts that together. And then same on the programming
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end. You know, the programming staff, whether
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it's at the golf course, your traditional recreation
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programming, summer camp staff, the outdoor recreation,
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the staff at the pier, as you talk about, the
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staff at the beaches, they take great pride.
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They really want to be putting the best foot
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forward for the county. Well, You and your team
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are definitely putting the best foot forward.
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We'll continue to take steps on this path of
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parks and recreation in our next episode. But
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Ryan, thank you so much for being a guest on
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this podcast to talk about parks and recreation.
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We really appreciate your time. Thank you, Wayne.
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You've been listening to County Conversations
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with Director of Public Affairs for St. John's
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County, Wayne Larson. If you'd like to keep the
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dialogue going, like, share, and leave a review
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on our social media for news, events, and resources,
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make sure you visit our county website, sjcfl
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.us. That is sjcfl .us.
00:00:08.429 --> 00:00:11.310
Welcome to County Conversations, the St. John's
00:00:11.310 --> 00:00:13.630
County podcast to help build community trust
00:00:13.630 --> 00:00:16.289
and keep the community informed and educated
00:00:16.289 --> 00:00:19.269
about county programs and services. On this episode,
00:00:19.609 --> 00:00:22.670
we're very happy to have with us Ryan Cain, our
00:00:22.670 --> 00:00:24.550
Director of Parks and Recreation. Welcome to
00:00:24.550 --> 00:00:26.250
the show, Ryan. Thank you, Wayne. Glad to be
00:00:26.250 --> 00:00:28.609
here. As the Director of Parks and Recreation,
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you have a lot to unpack, a lot going on. In
00:00:31.530 --> 00:00:33.530
this episode, let's talk about just kind of a
00:00:33.530 --> 00:00:35.689
general overview of Parks and Recreation when
00:00:35.689 --> 00:00:38.729
it comes to parks operations. Give us a sense,
00:00:38.929 --> 00:00:41.390
kind of a big picture view, of just the variety
00:00:41.390 --> 00:00:45.149
of programs and the variety of parks that you
00:00:45.149 --> 00:00:48.939
and your team oversee. Great, thanks. Yeah, it's
00:00:48.939 --> 00:00:51.399
a large scope for parks and recreation. So we
00:00:51.399 --> 00:00:54.159
have a multitude of programs, parks, facilities
00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:55.780
that are available to the public to come out
00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:58.159
and enjoy their quality of life. So programming
00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:00.759
from your basic traditional parks and recreation
00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:03.299
programming, summer camp, youth basketball program,
00:01:03.579 --> 00:01:06.400
adult softball, to some creative outdoor recreation
00:01:06.400 --> 00:01:08.540
programming, veterans programs that are offered,
00:01:08.819 --> 00:01:11.060
toddler programs, to special events that bring
00:01:11.060 --> 00:01:12.920
the community together, whether it's Easter egg
00:01:12.920 --> 00:01:15.560
hunts or movies in the park. And then for the
00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:19.579
park facilities, I've always been amazed at the
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vast variety that we have here. So from the 42
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miles of beaches to the athletic ball fields
00:01:24.659 --> 00:01:27.939
to passive recreational parks, the county golf
00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:31.260
course, we have a variety of parks facilities
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that are available for the county. We'll get
00:01:33.459 --> 00:01:35.719
into some of the details of what you just described
00:01:35.719 --> 00:01:38.640
in other episodes. I want to talk for a minute
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.920
about parks. A hundred plus parks that you all
00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:44.959
manage give our listeners a sense of just the
00:01:44.959 --> 00:01:46.939
different types of amenities that might be because
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it's such a wide spectrum of what is offered
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at all of these hundred plus parks. Yeah, it's
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great. It's 106 parcels, I call it, because some
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of those parks are what I would call a postage
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stamp of a small little park with a small playground
00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:04.359
on it that you drive by to some very busy, active
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parks like Davis Park, Veterans Park, where athletic
00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:10.539
facilities are taking place, to large conservation
00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:12.919
areas that are 2 ,000 plus acres like McCulloch
00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:17.280
Creek or Naukati Preserve. So is a variety that's
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:19.580
available some of them. The highlight is just
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like Alpine Park Alpine Grows Park up in the
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northwest quadrant Probably one of the best sunsets
00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:28.300
in st. John's County great place to get out and
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have a passive day And just check out the sites
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there to our active parks Davis Park as I mentioned
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how full that is on a Saturday with athletics
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going on in all sorts of sports teams going on
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to our beachfront parks. We just finished North
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Beach Park and it's a great place for the family
00:02:46.629 --> 00:02:48.729
to get out and enjoy the beachfront. You used
00:02:48.729 --> 00:02:50.509
the word passive a minute ago to kind of break
00:02:50.509 --> 00:02:53.150
that down. In the parks and rec world there's
00:02:53.150 --> 00:02:56.129
such things as active parks and passive parks.
00:02:56.210 --> 00:02:57.650
Kind of break that down. What's the difference
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between the two? Yes, active parks is probably
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what most people are thinking of when they think
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of parks and recreation. So that's little league
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ball fields, soccer fields, adult athletics,
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to even playgrounds, et cetera. Passive parks
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are more open green space, walking trails, picnic
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areas, good opportunity to get out and enjoy
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nature. With the 42 miles of beach, I always
00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:22.379
say that comes with 42 miles of intercoastal
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and we have all the mileage on the river. We
00:03:25.569 --> 00:03:27.810
have some parks that create great vistas for
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people to come out and enjoy Mother Nature. Now,
00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:33.729
going off the active parks and passive parks,
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you also, you and your team also manage nearly
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4 ,000 acres of conservation area. Correct. It's
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something that's probably not highlighted that
00:03:43.460 --> 00:03:46.520
much in the county, McCulloch Creek, Nockatee
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Preserve are two major large portions. Just recently
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we worked with the Parks Foundation and they
00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:54.379
got land donated up at the intersection of Greenbrier
00:03:54.379 --> 00:03:57.419
and Longleaf. So the two of the four intersections,
00:03:57.879 --> 00:03:59.719
so you kind of have a Publix and a bank across
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the street right now, but two of those will stay
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green spaces thanks to the Parks Foundation and
00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:07.430
the county in conserving that land. You mentioned
00:04:07.430 --> 00:04:10.310
water and the beaches, you know 40 plus miles
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of beaches the access points you and your team
00:04:13.930 --> 00:04:17.629
and your staff Manage nearly a hundred different
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beach access points and another 13 boat ramps.
00:04:21.730 --> 00:04:24.430
Tell us about those Yeah, accessing the water
00:04:24.430 --> 00:04:27.009
is a huge thing. And that's why a lot of people
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are here in st. John's County and So those beach
00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:33.269
access points are some of those are the well
00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:36.110
-known ones as Michael's Villano Crescent Beach
00:04:36.110 --> 00:04:39.649
to some footpaths that we have along the way.
00:04:39.990 --> 00:04:43.230
So we have 94 total beach access points along
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our 42 miles of beach that are managed by St.
00:04:45.889 --> 00:04:48.610
John's County in the Parks and Recreation Department.
00:04:49.149 --> 00:04:51.629
Along with that, the boat ramps and people being
00:04:51.629 --> 00:04:54.910
able to access the water, 13 boat ramps, none
00:04:54.910 --> 00:04:58.149
more popular than the Volano boat ramp. And so
00:04:58.149 --> 00:05:00.470
that deep water access and just being able to
00:05:00.470 --> 00:05:03.279
get people to get out and enjoy. The water is
00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:06.560
a big part of what we do. We'll get to Some of
00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:09.240
the water watercraft programming that your staff
00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:12.360
offers in in future episodes But speaking of
00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:14.620
water access is just not boats. You have a very
00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:17.959
strong kayak access program as well Yeah in our
00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:19.660
programming our outdoor recreation team does
00:05:19.660 --> 00:05:22.800
a great job and go around and visit multiple
00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:25.439
parks throughout the year and do kayaking programming
00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:28.279
And you can register through that on our web
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page. And additionally, they also offer veterans
00:05:30.699 --> 00:05:33.259
programs for kayaking as well. So when we say
00:05:33.259 --> 00:05:35.019
boat ramps, there's also an opportunity for the
00:05:35.019 --> 00:05:36.879
kayakers out there in our community to access
00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:39.379
these waterways through kayak launches. 100%.
00:05:39.379 --> 00:05:41.699
Yeah. Speaking, staying on the theme of parks,
00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:46.000
Ryan, and some of the parks that the community
00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.579
may not know that Parks and Recreation manages,
00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:51.839
I think you mentioned earlier The golf course,
00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:53.620
tell us about the golf course and how is that
00:05:53.620 --> 00:05:56.000
a parks park and how do you all manage that?
00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:58.319
Sure, the county golf course falls, it's a county
00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:00.180
-owned asset, falls under Parks and Recreation
00:06:00.180 --> 00:06:05.439
Management. It's off of County Road 207 and so
00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:10.480
it's just on the west side of 95, had a refurbishment
00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.899
about... Four years ago now, the place is fantastic.
00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:16.519
It's busy. It's a great place to get out and
00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:19.639
enjoy golf, whether for the beginner or someone
00:06:19.639 --> 00:06:21.259
that's just trying to fine tune their score.
00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:25.259
And it's not just your typical municipal course
00:06:25.259 --> 00:06:29.439
that someone may know about, kind of like a Muni
00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:31.360
course, you might say, that might be a lower
00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:34.339
tiered course than a private course. It is a
00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:38.920
legit public golf course that hosts competitive
00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:42.019
tournaments. Yeah, they do a great job hosting.
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They have the St. Augustine amateur that they
00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.319
host. And they bring in some of the finest young
00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:50.540
golfers around the area for that. It's an impressive
00:06:50.540 --> 00:06:53.939
site. It's a little self -reflection when I see
00:06:53.939 --> 00:06:58.319
those kids teeing off and recognize their skills
00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:00.819
and that they bring to the table. But it's a
00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:04.720
great place. And just to tout it, last year,
00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:08.360
68 ,000 rounds of golf. And so people are getting
00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:11.600
out and playing. Golf is really booming right
00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:13.339
now, a really exciting time for the golf course.
00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:15.939
And more than just your typical foursome out
00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:18.339
there playing, it's an event center because you've
00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:20.360
got places to host tournaments and other types
00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.360
of activities, so really a bustling site. With
00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:25.139
a couple minutes left in this episode, you've
00:07:25.139 --> 00:07:27.079
talked about a variety of different parks and
00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:28.899
programs. We'll get into the details later, Ryan.
00:07:29.300 --> 00:07:31.720
Talk to us a little bit about some of the other
00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:35.360
unknown gems that parks and recreation manages
00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:37.519
that folks may not know falls under parks and
00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:40.379
recreation. One of them is the pier. Yeah, St.
00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:43.420
Augustine or St. John's County Fishing Pier at
00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:46.540
St. Augustine Beach is operated by the county.
00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:49.360
It's a great location to get out and do some
00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:53.379
fishing or some sightseeing. We do have plenty
00:07:53.379 --> 00:07:55.939
of public parking there. Well, plenty some days,
00:07:56.379 --> 00:07:59.360
some Saturdays maybe not so much, plenty. Volleyball
00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:02.180
courts on the site. that are very active, and
00:08:02.180 --> 00:08:03.920
it's just a great site and a great place to get
00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:07.560
out to the beach. And speaking of the pier and
00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.220
speaking of these parks and the conservation
00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:12.759
areas, I think it would be remiss if I didn't
00:08:12.759 --> 00:08:16.060
give you about a minute just to tout the phenomenal
00:08:16.060 --> 00:08:18.120
maintenance staff you have, because these guys
00:08:18.120 --> 00:08:20.819
and gals are out there cutting grass, trimming
00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:23.480
trees, making sure these parks and playgrounds
00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:27.100
and trails are safe for the public, the benches.
00:08:27.310 --> 00:08:29.350
All of that. Talk a little bit about the phenomenal
00:08:29.350 --> 00:08:32.350
staff behind the scenes making these parks look
00:08:32.350 --> 00:08:35.149
good. Agreed. We have great staff. They take
00:08:35.149 --> 00:08:37.889
great pride in being able to provide the resources
00:08:37.889 --> 00:08:40.710
out there for the community. They want every
00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:43.649
ball field to look like Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium.
00:08:44.570 --> 00:08:46.509
But knowing that people are going to be out playing
00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:48.509
quite a bit on it and just being able to provide
00:08:48.509 --> 00:08:51.309
these resources on a regular basis is something
00:08:51.309 --> 00:08:53.210
that excites them. They take great pride in what
00:08:53.210 --> 00:08:56.899
they're doing and it shows. I think we have some
00:08:56.899 --> 00:08:58.820
of the highest quality parks there are for county
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operations, and really proud of the team that
00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.220
puts that together. And then same on the programming
00:09:03.220 --> 00:09:05.519
end. You know, the programming staff, whether
00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:07.860
it's at the golf course, your traditional recreation
00:09:07.860 --> 00:09:10.379
programming, summer camp staff, the outdoor recreation,
00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:13.460
the staff at the pier, as you talk about, the
00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:15.840
staff at the beaches, they take great pride.
00:09:15.980 --> 00:09:17.759
They really want to be putting the best foot
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forward for the county. Well, You and your team
00:09:20.570 --> 00:09:22.129
are definitely putting the best foot forward.
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We'll continue to take steps on this path of
00:09:25.149 --> 00:09:26.909
parks and recreation in our next episode. But
00:09:26.909 --> 00:09:28.549
Ryan, thank you so much for being a guest on
00:09:28.549 --> 00:09:30.889
this podcast to talk about parks and recreation.
00:09:31.110 --> 00:09:33.190
We really appreciate your time. Thank you, Wayne.
00:09:33.610 --> 00:09:35.730
You've been listening to County Conversations
00:09:35.730 --> 00:09:38.169
with Director of Public Affairs for St. John's
00:09:38.169 --> 00:09:40.820
County, Wayne Larson. If you'd like to keep the
00:09:40.820 --> 00:09:43.360
dialogue going, like, share, and leave a review
00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:46.779
on our social media for news, events, and resources,
00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:50.700
make sure you visit our county website, sjcfl
00:09:50.700 --> 00:09:55.340
.us. That is sjcfl .us.
