In Clay County Is Hor- More Options – the Jacksonville Trans- Take It from Its Beginning Point Downtown It Will Travel North to Wells Road by the Or- Rendous
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We Insure HOMES & MORE Jane DiLoreto Agency 215-2121 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013 WWW.CLAYTODAYONLINE.COM Merry ChristmasVOLUME 46, NO. 51 75¢ Clay manufacturer’s trucks head to Peru Second multi-million dollar sale of 2013 By Eric Cravey Managing Editor BLOUNT ISLAND – For the second time this year, a Clay County manufacturer is shipping millions of dollars worth of trucks to overseas buyers. Green Cove Springs-based Vac-Con just announced a $5.8 million sale of 18 of its signature excavation trucks to the water and sewer supplier for the city of Lima, Peru. The 18 trucks are sitting in a secure STAFF PHOTO BY ERIC CRAVEY facility at the Port of Jacksonville’s Blount Todd Masley stands Dec. 16 with a Vac-Con Island Marine Terminal waiting to ship out excavation truck that is headed to Lima, Peru. The Christ Child arrives in the next 30 days. ORANGE PARK – The Arts Nativity Players re-enact the birth of the Christ Child during the “These trucks are going to help take tive vice president of sales. “Our work is Dec. 14 performance of the annual “Clay County Christmas” at the Thrasher-Horne Center care of the water and sewer systems for very safe. Our machines eliminate buckets for the Arts. Willie Lees, left, portrays Joseph, who stands with Mary, played by Kristen the city of Lima, which has 1,500 employ- Walsh, as the angel, played by Brynn White, looks on in awe and splendor. ees,” said Todd Masley, Vac-Con’s execu- SEE PERU, 2 JTA bus service further expands Clay County footprint By Gregory A. Phillips as well as traffic on connector roads, near College Drive] from there up into by Eagle Harbor and Fleming Island. It will Staff Writer such as Kingsley Avenue and Wells Road. Jacksonville,” said Brad Thoburn, vice cross over to the Black Creek Park and JACKSONVILLE – Just about every single But now, Clay County residents who need president of strategic planning for JTA. Ride and then turn up College Drive until it person you ask will tell you the same thing to commute to Jacksonville to work have The expansion of the X4’s route will intersects with Blanding Boulevard where – rush hour traffic in Clay County is hor- more options – the Jacksonville Trans- take it from its beginning point downtown it will travel north to Wells Road by the Or- rendous. portation Authority’s expanded X4 Orange up U.S. Highway 17 past Roosevelt Square, ange Park Mall. From there, travelers will The number of vehicle that travel both Park Express. past Naval Air Station Jacksonville, into be taken over to U.S. 17 and back to down- Blanding Boulevard and Park Avenue daily “The X4 will expand down to the Black Clay County past Wells Road. From there, town Jacksonville. has grown tremendously in recent years, Creek Park and Ride [on County Road 220 the new route will travel south to CR 220 SEE JTA, 22 The best deals! •New Vehicles •Pre-Owned •Service & Body Shop SAVE $106 INSERTS USA WEEKEND NEWS AMERICA gordonchevy.com • 1166 BLANDING BLVD. 2 CLAY TODAY • December 19, 2013 COMMUNITY CLAYTODAYONLINE.COM Agency determined to provide options for Vets By Gregory A. Phillips The home owner and their home must Staff Writer pass several inspections to ensure that JACKSONVILLE – As a wounded vet- they are both prepared to have the Vet eran grows older, medical issues can take move in with them. It helps, but is not up much of their daily lives. It may happen required, to be a nurse or practicing phy- that their significant other can no longer sician. If you are not, then not to worry, help them to roll over in bed or even lift there are classes you can take to prepare them up should they fall. for your new duties included CPR and first One such program that helps veter- aid. ans through such tough times is the U.S. “You need CPR and First Aid training, Department of Veterans Affairs’ VA Medi- of course. Then you need experience as a cal Foster Home Program and it’s working caregiver. When I was younger I worked in right here in Clay County. a care facility so it was nothing new to me. “This started as a pilot program in Ar- It’s a learning process,” said Marcia Long, kansas back in 1999. Social Workers were a current caregiver in the program. “The seeing some younger veterans going into main thing is you have to have heart for STAFF PHOTO BY ERIC CRAVEY Todd Masley, executive vice president of sale for Vac-Con, is interviewed by a Jacksonville tele- nursing homes and not being very happy the people.” vision station regarding a $5.8 million sale to the water and sewer provider for Lima, Peru. about it,” said Shirley Galloway, the VA’s The homes themselves need to pass Coordinator of the MFH program in Clay, muster too. They must have a fire safety “This is one of our largest Duval, and Putnam counties. and security monitoring system, smoke The VA decided that perhaps instead of detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, and Peru orders. Everyone at just having these young men go to nursing they must pass a yearly fire safety inspec- from page 1 Vac-Con is very excited homes due to their injuries, they would as- tion from the VA’s Fire Safety Officer. sist them in finding a new home – a home “We just want our Vets to know that and shovels to clean out water and sewer about it.” with a caregiver who could assist them they are in a safe environment,” Galloway systems.” – Todd Masley, Vac-Con’s executive with their physical, mental, or emotional said. The trucks are equipped with a water vice president of sales needs. That’s how MFH came into exis- Any home is cleared for two vets, but if tank and high-pressure hose system that tence. you get a special clearance then you can is used to pump water into clogged work stabilize Florida’s economy and that’s what “It started as a pilot program about a house three vets. The only catch is that area. A vacuum system – also installed on Vac-Con is doing for Clay County. year. After that it grew into five locations,” you must have the room to not only house the truck – is then used to vacuum out the “Typically, what you see, in manufac- Galloway said. “It kind of stayed there and the vets themselves, but you must have sludge, therefore eliminating any chance turing, for every dollar earned in manufac- was very popular in those places, but that the room for any of their physical therapy of striking underground utilities or other turing, it returns $7 back into the economy. was still just five locations. The people in equipment as well. obstacles. With a $6 million order like this one, it is Washington [D.C.] decided why not give Many of the caregivers really incorpo- The buyer of this order in Peru – Seda- the equivalent of returning $420 million more veterans more choices and expand rate their veterans into their families. One pal – will spend the U.S. equivalent of $165 back into the local economy.” the program.” vet whose caregiver’s family was coming million this year to upgrade its water and With Vac-Con using the Port of Jackson- How it works is rather elegant in its into town ended up going to Disney World sanitation systems. Masley said Vac-Con ville to ship its trucks to Peru, it is also simplicity. A vet in need of assisted living with the caregiver’s family. That’s how will play a key role in making the water helping the port – also known as JAXPORT contacts the VA and asks about the MFH in close many Vets and their caregivers be- safer for the city of 10 million people. – diversify its line of business. Brian W. his area. Appointments are made for the come after living together under one roof. “These trucks are combination sewer Taylor, chief executive officer of JAXPORT, homeowner and the Vet to meet and get to “I really feel about [the Vets] as being and catch basin machines,” Masley said. said many people think of cargo traffic know each other. If the Vet likes what he a part of my family. We make decisions to- “That’s not to be confused with storm wa- when they think of JAXPORT, but that’s not sees in that homeowner, then he tells the gether,” Long . “I had one Vet come here ter runoff, which requires an entirely dif- all it does. VA rep that that is where he’d like to live. and told me that he came here to die, but ferent system.” “What makes this port great is the di- “We don’t place the veterans to foster then started living. I feel like I was able to Earlier this year, Vac-Con shipped 14 versity of our business,” Taylor said. “One homes, they place themselves,” Galloway make their days a little better here.” excavation trucks out of Blount Island also of the important parts of our business here said. with the help of Ceres Marine Terminal Inc. is roll-on roll-off. It is the second-largest The trucks were bought by the Iraqi gov- piece of business we do here at the port.” ernment as it rebuilds its water and sewer And Vac-Con is also proud of its diver- infrastructure, Masley said.