Tent over Metro Park Likely to be Taken Down, no plans to replace it

[KenFSU]

Per the Daily Record:

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547369

Rockville is scheduled for April 30-May 1 and another Big Ticket is slated for December. He doesn't know if additional reimbursements will be sought because of the lack of a staging area.

Yokan doesn't get the sense the Curry administration envisions Metropolitan Park housing such concerts and festivals anymore.

Instead, he thinks such events will be pushed toward the amphitheater and outdoor flexfield across the street at EverBank Field. Those facilities, part of $90 million in improvements at the stadium, have not yet broken ground.

Yokan isn't sure where the concerts would go, but if no appropriate venue is found, the concerts could move to another city.

Removing the tent will take City Council approval, but the district representative wants some assurances before signing off.

Council member Reggie Gaffney said he met with the Curry administration about the issue in the past couple of weeks and expressed a desire for the community to still use the park. They can — the only part shuttered is the staging area.

[Tacachale]

Not terribly surprising. The bandshell never was a good concert option, and it's unusable at this point, with no will or way to replace it. Metro Park's days as a concert venue are numbered. But it would be nice to get some direction for the future so we don't lose the events that would have gone there entirely.

[Charles Hunter]

All part of Curry's Hold Everything Hostage to My Pension Referendum tactics.

[FlaBoy]

The Amphitheater is going up to replace the tent.

A festival on the Flexfield under the roof would be amazing 

[Keith-N-Jax]

Yes, isn't the Amphitheater the replacement, be nice to see  some other type of development there

[fliving]

What about that aquarium some people wanted to build? This one:

http://www.aquajax.net/

If the Amphitheater at EverBank takes most of the business from Metro Park, it would be the perfect opportunity to cut part of Metro Park and part of the Shipyards and give them to this and perhaps a new museum or two (Move the MOSH? + USS Adams) next to the Shipyards. It could fit in that "Play" part of the Shipyards concept Khan showed, since the Jaguars practice field concept there is going to be next to EverBank now.

So in the end, it would be the new practice fields/amphitheater at EverBank across the street from a smaller Metro Park with a smaller amphitheater for the people that can't afford or don't need EverBank, then a walking parkway connected to the Aquarium and another museum, which would eventually flow into a new Shipyards plan designed to accommodate them in place of the old practice field concept. Imagine that?

[tufsu1]

All part of Curry's Hold Everything Hostage to My Pension Referendum tactics.

exactly....he was all but hostile making that point atthe iCare event last night

[tufsu1]

Yes, isn't the Amphitheater the replacement, be nice to see  some other type of development there

no, because the City has no control over it...and they are only guaranteed a few events a year....plus, many festivals are geared to open fields vs. fastened-down seats.

[brainstormer]

All part of Curry's Hold Everything Hostage to My Pension Referendum tactics.

Totally agree. If he doesn't watch it, I will vote no just to piss him off. Threats aren't conducive to creating buy-in.

[Tacachale]

Yes, isn't the Amphitheater the replacement, be nice to see  some other type of development there

no, because the City has no control over it...and they are only guaranteed a few events a year....plus, many festivals are geared to open fields vs. fastened-down seats.

You've been banging this drum for months, but it's false. The city can host as many others as it wants at the new amphitheater (and is guaranteed 5). Plus the 25 events the Jags are committing to. Metro Park can only host 12 ticketed events a year. At least some of the "many festivals" happening at Metro Park now would do just as well at the amphitheater. Others could continue hosting at Metro Park and paying for their own stages, which they have to do now, or go to any of the other open spaces in the urban core.

Metro Park had a good run, but the bandshell was never a good facility, and it's never going to be.

[Tacachale]

Yes, isn't the Amphitheater the replacement, be nice to see  some other type of development there

no, because the City has no control over it...and they are only guaranteed a few events a year....plus, many festivals are geared to open fields vs. fastened-down seats.

You've been banging this drum for months, but it's false. The city can host as many others as it wants at the new amphitheater (and is guaranteed 5). Plus the 25 events the Jags are committing to. Metro Park can only host 12 ticketed events a year. At least some of the "many festivals" happening at Metro Park now would do just as well at the amphitheater. Others could continue hosting at Metro Park and paying for their own stages, which they have to do now, or go to any of the other open spaces in the urban core.

Metro Park had a good run, but the bandshell was never a good facility, and it's never going to be.

Metro Park was a good funding mechanism for the Public Broadcast System.  Which now can't afford to go join UNF because of the Governors execrable insider politics when it came to funding north florida.

And no public facility, once it gets turned over to SMG is ever really used by the Jacksonville public again.  The new facility will simply become another revenue stream for the football team, because of Jvilles record of spineless capitulation.

Remember that we were once sold on Stadium improvements because it would bring revenues to the city through naming rights and advertising.  That lasted just long enough for the Jaguars to demand that money.

1) Metro Park was never owned by WJCT so far as I know.
2) That isn't the reason WJCT (not PBS) isn't joining with UNF.
3) SMG is not the operator for the new amphitheater.
4) A concert amphitheater has a much greater potential to bring revenues and events than no concert amphitheater.

[tufsu1]

Yes, isn't the Amphitheater the replacement, be nice to see  some other type of development there

no, because the City has no control over it...and they are only guaranteed a few events a year....plus, many festivals are geared to open fields vs. fastened-down seats.

You've been banging this drum for months, but it's false. The city can host as many others as it wants at the new amphitheater (and is guaranteed 5).

So the City can host as many events as they want?  Do they have control of the amphitheater and bookings?  Do they have to pay someone in order to hold more than 5 events?

[Tacachale]

Yes, isn't the Amphitheater the replacement, be nice to see  some other type of development there

no, because the City has no control over it...and they are only guaranteed a few events a year....plus, many festivals are geared to open fields vs. fastened-down seats.

You've been banging this drum for months, but it's false. The city can host as many others as it wants at the new amphitheater (and is guaranteed 5).

So the City can host as many events as they want?  Do they have control of the amphitheater and bookings?  Do they have to pay someone in order to hold more than 5 events?

Everything that's been said about the amphitheater is that the city can have as many events as they want if they schedule them 60 days in advance. This is fairly similar to the situation at the Arena. Plus they're 5 guaranteed events, which is almost half as many events as can even be held at Metro Park in a year.

[jaxlore]

I thought the whole 12 events thing had to do with the noise complaints from across the water? I could be wrong on that.

[FlaBoy]

The point is also that festivals like Rockville are private and will want to use the Amphitheater. The flex IPF area could be awesome for a festival. Likewise, Metro Park could be used as a smaller extension to a big festival that were to come.