JEA crews replace a pipe in Jacksonville. | JEA
Published on October 23, 2025 at 3:46 pm
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Q: Neighbors in the San Jose community are perplexed about the replacement of pipes along Hernando Road.
They say utility work was done recently near a JEA switching station at 7309 Hernando Road. But then JEA closed the intersection of Marianna and Hernando roads to do more work, says Jacksonville Today reader Michelle N.
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“One of the neighbors supposedly spoke to someone on the job site and they said the pipes they replaced failed,” Michelle says.
“I have no clue what the real issue is, so I was hoping you could help me out.”
Michelle says neighbors also worry about the duPont YMCA Youth Development Center and Kings Trail Elementary School on Old Kings Road South. Could the pipe work have anything to do with the properties “being sold for housing?” she asks.
A: We can clarify the confusion about pipe replacement.
The earlier work did not involve JEA. It appears to be a drainage project the city did in the past year.
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That work was unrelated to what is happening now — JEA replacing sanitary sewer lines, manholes and a section of water lines.
JEA is not replacing pipes that failed, spokesperson Karen McAllister says. It’s maintenance work that is essential to keeping the water and sewer systems working reliably.
Inadequate maintenance can lead to sewer backups, environmental harm and roadway damage, McAllister says.
JEA began the work in August and expects to finish by mid-November. More information about the project is available here.
As for the school and YMCA center, changes, indeed, are proposed.
The Jacksonville City Council gave approval a year ago for construction of single-family residences or townhomes on the duPont YMCA Youth Development property between Toledo Road and Powers Avenue.
The YMCA closed the recreation center after the pandemic and is seeking to sell the property. JWB Real Estate Capital had planned to develop multifamily housing on the site but pulled out in September 2024.
Separately, the Duval County School Board voted 11 months ago to close Kings Trail Elementary School, Annie R. Morgan on the Westside and Susie E. Tolbert in Northwest Jacksonville. The district will consolidate each with neighboring schools that have room for their students.
Neither the school nor the YMCA have changed ownership yet, according to the Duval County Property Appraiser’s website. The school district and YMCA are still shown as the owners.
A search of deeds in the Duval County Clerk of Court’s website also shows no sales reported.
