Live Blogging: Mayor Brown in Springfield

[TheCat]

It is a packed house at 210 W. 7th Street.

Tufsu is here. Planning director Burney is here.

The person, who I think is the social media manager, just finished giving her "how things are going to work" speech.

"Please ask before taking pictures..."

I'm not sure why I'm here. Or, why Brown is here.

Brown is speaking now:

Springfield is very important.
There are challenges but there are also opportunities.

*introduces Dave Roman who is going to give TWO presentations.

[TheCat]

Dave Roman:

*I just put in an application for a groundworks trust.
*Not sure when we will find out about this.
*This is really good for us to do to help the opprotunity.

Christina Parish (sp?):

* The national park services sponsors this
* we are one of eight finalist who can get this
* no one in the southeast has received this
* Brown has committed the $25k per year for three years to get the grant
* We should find out September which 2 of the 8 will get the grant.
* National Park Services will give 85 k per year for three years
* the first couple of year the projects will be smaller
* we'll work with community organizations to plant gardens...clean up Hogan's creek.
* Jaguars said they would be a big supporter to help us if we get this.

Dave Roman:

* park service is clear this must be a citizen driven effort.


Darryl Joseph(with the parks department):

* about to kickoff the Hogan's Park Greenway.
* the bid process starts next month to be completed in the spring of 2014

[TheCat]

So, a little interesting. This house is packed full of city employees. Brown invited "staff from the city" to the front so everyone could see who is here..

Oh, Kelley Boree(sp?) is here!

Kimberly Scott is here!

[TheCat]

24 people at the front. Do you think Kimberly SCott will allow me to take pictures?

What's interesting is the few people who have quickly spoken have set up their speech for us to speak to them in the back of the room.

Brown is taking questions from the audience.

Kim Fryer:

What are you going to do about the unecessary demolitions that are happening. It's got to stop. *crowd erupts in cheers".

Brown:

Yes, this is important but we need to also focus on safety. People who have bought into Springfield are next to broken down homes. They are worried about property values.

Kim Fryer:

I'd love to speak to you in person.

[sheclown]

Kim Pryor did great



Reggie fountain demands the city take care of its own ie 9th and main

[sheclown]

Michael trautman asks for the city to demolish these houses

[TheCat]

Person in Audience:

What is the city's plan to fix the properties that they own and are neglecting like 9th and Main.

Brown:

My goal is to fix that problem. There is an RFP for something. 9th and Main has some major issues...contamination issues. The solution is probably for someone buying it and fixing it. I don't think it's a good idea for a city to allow for properties to become an eye sore.

Mike:

I'm going to take a different POV than Kim. I really think the solution is to...demolish. *in so many words, strategic demolition.*

Brown:

You had a lot of people that came in and bought a bunch of properties....I want a livable community. Getting the developers to invest in Springfield. I call it "patient capital". Take the long view. Attract young people. All those things are important.

[TheCat]

Person:

My biggest concern is the big abandoned house next to me. The dealers feel so comfortable dealing at 2pm when I pick up my kids from school.

*when I lived in the suburbs on Atlantic and Hodges the kids always got their  drugs from the crazy mom on Aztec blvd." Dealing on the streets, how crass!"

Brown:

I want to lock them up.

[sheclown]

Speaker Tosses a black eye at psos. We don't own the drug house btw

Brown is sort of the historic properties are okay as long as they are not an eye sore type of guy

[TheCat]

Strange organization of the meeting. Final question is below. Then Alvin will go sit in the back and talk to people personally. Then he will come back up to close the meeting. The city staff is sitting/standing in the back and taking questions.

Person:

What could the people of Springfield do for you?

Brown:

Thank you for that. Give us your ideas. Tell us how to be proactive and not reactive. If you have ideas that are going to help us I'm open to it.

[TheCat]

Just spoke to tufsu who said that regardless of whether this is a do and pony show or not its well executed. I tend to agree...though I think the questioning and discussion should be less one on one and more town hallish.

[TheCat]

We're congregating back to the "front" and Alvin will close shop. Brown is closing shop. The key is a public private partnership. In Oder to have a great city you have to have great neighborhoods. Thank you for coming out.

[sheclown]

There is a big divide in Springfield.  That was evident tonight.  People just see the neighborhood differently.  I think all see a historic district in need of saving.  It is the form of that salvation which is of great concern to me tonight.

Brown spoke the old line "salvation by developers".

I guess he doesn't remember SRG and the massive loss of historic fabric that occurred with that particular development plan.

I don't believe that Springfield needs development as much as it needs preservation.  But then, I suppose preservationists take the longer view.

Developers will say that they can't promote Springfield with its current state of blight. 

And that is the current undertone that Preservation SOS and all who care about the loss of the historic fabric are fighting against.

[Charles Hunter]

The "have staff talk to citizens one-on-one" instead of letting citizens speak to the crowd over the PA system, is a great way to defuse "rabble rousing"

[jaxequality]

We also got a crappy flashlight and a JEA piggy bank.