Pearl Street to be closed?

[ChriswUfGator]

Not that i agree with Ms. Corey....but she says her prosecuters cant safely mingle with defendant's family & friends

Because exactly that hasn't been happening for the last 100+ years around here without incident?

[tufsu1]

Not that i agree with Ms. Corey....but she says her prosecuters cant safely mingle with defendant's family & friends

Because exactly that hasn't been happening for the last 100+ years around here without incident?

agreed....like I said, I don't agree with her

[urbaknight]

I do find it pathetic that we can shut a street down or find $800k for a ped overpass for Angela Corey but we can't put a sidewalk on that street.

Why doesn't the sidewalk go completely around that damn block. Is it because the bus stops right there and bus riders aren't good enough to have it at the stop? Seriously, the bus stops about 10 to 20 feet before the sidewalk Begins. The grass is covered with little potholes. Frankly, I'm surprised no one was hurt yet!

[tufsu1]

because the City Council voted to add just grass to the "park" space as a temporary solution....this was a compromise vs. rebuilding Monroe Street in front of the courthouase...JTA will be adding sidewalks on the one side as part of the BRT construction next year

[thelakelander]

^If this is the case, why did they rebuild the curbs and add sidewalks throughout the rest of the property?  It seems that there would be several solutions out there that would work both temporary and long term.

[fsujax]

It still just blows my mind that the sidewalks along Pearl St were not rebuilt. I dont know how this is not an ADA issue.

[urbaknight]

It wasn't built on Broad either. The city constantly violates the ADA. You know how it is in the South, they hate anyone who's different in any way. Jim Crow still lives, but modern law has forced to refocus his prejudice and be more subtle.

[fsujax]

JTa will take care of Broad St with the BRT project. If someone would threaten to file a law suit I gurantee they would be out there replacing the sidewalk that was there before they buillt the courthouse.

[urbaknight]

Can't we just have a simple sidewalk without that f***ing BRT?!

[fsujax]

^^No. apparently not.

[thelakelander]

Bad news, for the future of Pearl Street in the vicinity of the courthouse.  Closing Pearl Street would be a half million cheaper than constructing an elevated walkway for Angela Corey. It appears, the city was better off not delaying the reconstruction of the old federal courthouse...

Bids to renovate old Jacksonville courthouse for State Attorney's Office much higher than estimated

Turning Jacksonville’s old federal courthouse into a new home for the State Attorney’s Office will cost at least $30.9 million, based on the four bids for the job the city opened Wednesday.

That’s far above the $19.3 million the city had initially estimated, as well as higher than the $27.4 million guaranteed maximum price from the former contractor handling the work.

full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-11-21/story/bids-renovate-old-jacksonville-courthouse-state-attorneys-office-much

[I-10east]

It's funny that a heard alot of people (not everyone) talk about closing certain streets DT to vehicular traffic in favor of a pedestrian atmosphere, well we have one. Closing two streets is pretty crazy though. First Clay for the courthouse footprint, and now Pearl.

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately, Pearl Street would be closed to the public.  It would only be for attorneys to walk between buildings without having to mix with the public.

[strider]

I'm starting to think we all need to just forget Downtown.  Let them close every street they want.  Let them take the benches out of the parks.  Let's make it illegal for anyone just to be Downtown without a pass. Let's fire up those iron barred buses and round up everyone we don't like to see Downtown and take them to some camp by the landfill.  Let's triple the cost of parking to insure none of the pesky retail shoppers ever come back downtown.  Maybe we can put up  signs that say only lawyers and criminals under arrest welcome, all others please just drive on through.

After some of what I have been reading about what the fine leaders of this city want to do, a boat on the ocean is starting to seem like the sanest place to be.  Perhaps the Lakes and Fieldam's of the city can find a new place to be, a place where they will be heard and a new city can be built.  Jacksonville didn't listen in 1965, and it isn't going to listen now.

[jcjohnpaint]

WOW this courthouse is the gift that keeps on giving!