The Sad State of Friendship Fountain

[BridgeTroll]

I think reply 11 did... 

[acme54321]

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/friendship-fountain-needs-fixing-again

Boyer is on it.

[Adam White]

Boyer has an ambitious plan to turn the Friendship Fountain into a destination point. News4Jax asked Mayor Lenny Curry about that Tuesday.

A fountain basically in the middle of nothing is never going to be a 'destination point'.

[Kerry]

Friendship Park is proof you just can't slap down some green space and expect people to flock to it.  If Jax wants to see what Friendship Park could be they should take a look at Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City.  OKC spent $38 million renovating back in 2011 so don't expect it to be duplicated in Jax any time soon.  Also, Oklahoma City doesn't have near the downtown homeless population Jax has so even if we had nice public space a lot of the public wouldn't want to use it.

http://oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/

[Adam White]

Friendship Park is proof you just can't slap down some green space and expect people to flock to it.  If Jax wants to see what Friendship Park could be they should take a look at Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City.  OKC spent $38 million renovating back in 2011 so don't expect it to be duplicated in Jax any time soon.  Also, Oklahoma City doesn't have near the downtown homeless population Jax has so even if we had nice public space a lot of the public wouldn't want to use it.

http://oklahomacitybotanicalgardens.com/

Simms...is that you? Did you change your name and move to OKC?

[KenFSU]

Boyer has an ambitious plan to turn the Friendship Fountain into a destination point. News4Jax asked Mayor Lenny Curry about that Tuesday.

A fountain basically in the middle of nothing is never going to be a 'destination point'.

Definitely feels isolated with the current layout, but it actually shares a parcel with the MOSH.

Boyer's pitch to the city will aim to better integrate the two, while adding additional elements (particularly for kids) to make it more of a destination.

Don't forget, the MOSH has long wanted to double or triple its square footage, while reconfiguring its entrance to open up to the Friendship Fountain side.

The area is potentially a great destination spot, with some changes.

I am probably in the minority but to me it is a massive waste of space/money. When you have the St Johns river 50 feet away, not sure it is necessary to spend millions on the Taj Mahal  of water features.

Love me a good water feature, as long as it's properly maintained. Sadly, we don't seem to have the ability to do so.

Still think this new alcove created by the Coastline project is the perfect spot for a lit river fountain:

Also, Oklahoma City doesn't have near the downtown homeless population Jax has so even if we had nice public space a lot of the public wouldn't want to use it.

William Whyte famously said, "The best way to handle the problem of undesirables is to make a place attractive to everyone else." If we build nice, welcoming spaces, people will use them. It's worked in dozens of other cities around the country, and Jacksonville is no different.

[Adam White]

Boyer has an ambitious plan to turn the Friendship Fountain into a destination point. News4Jax asked Mayor Lenny Curry about that Tuesday.

A fountain basically in the middle of nothing is never going to be a 'destination point'.

Definitely feels isolated with the current layout, but it actually shares a parcel with the MOSH.

Boyer's pitch to the city will aim to better integrate the two, while adding additional elements (particularly for kids) to make it more of a destination.

Don't forget, the MOSH has long wanted to double or triple its square footage, while reconfiguring its entrance to open up to the Friendship Fountain side.

The area is potentially a great destination spot, with some changes.

I am probably in the minority but to me it is a massive waste of space/money. When you have the St Johns river 50 feet away, not sure it is necessary to spend millions on the Taj Mahal  of water features.

Love me a good water feature, as long as it's properly maintained. Sadly, we don't seem to have the ability to do so.

Still think this new alcove created by the Coastline project is the perfect spot for a lit river fountain:

Also, Oklahoma City doesn't have near the downtown homeless population Jax has so even if we had nice public space a lot of the public wouldn't want to use it.

William Whyte famously said, "The best way to handle the problem of undesirables is to make a place attractive to everyone else." If we build nice, welcoming spaces, people will use them. It's worked in dozens of other cities around the country, and Jacksonville is no different.

I know it shares the same parcel with MOSH - but let's be fair about it: MOSH is abysmal and needs to be put out of its misery. And, it's not open very late (I think the latest is Fridays....8PM). So when people are at MOSH, the all-singing, all-dancing lighted fountain won't be very impressive.

Edit: I realise you are saying MOSH could be expanded/bettered. I'd prefer that over the fountain and would want to see significant development in the area before throwing more money at (or in) the fountain.

[Kerry]

Simms...is that you? Did you change your name and move to OKC?

Nope, I have always just been me.  For what its worth, OKC residents feel like they are barely keeping up with their regional peer cities as well.  A few years ago all OKC City officials, senior public works staff, planning staff, and many local developers went through the New Urbanism program (not mandatory but highly encouraged) from the University of Miami paid for by the City.  Maybe Jax needs to start there.

it also helps that the local newspaper is fully on-board with urbanism and has a journalist on staff whose sole job is to report on downtown developments.  He even hosts an on-line session every Friday to update residents.  You should check it out.

https://newsok.com/article/5505468/oklahoma-citys-growth-a-path-thats-unsustainable

https://newsok.com/more/steve-lackmeyer

[Adam White]

Simms...is that you? Did you change your name and move to OKC?

Nope, I have always just been me.  For what its worth, OKC residents feel like they are barely keeping up with their regional peer cities as well.  A few years ago all OKC City officials, senior public works staff, planning staff, and many local developers went through the New Urbanism program (not mandatory but highly encouraged) from the University of Miami paid for by the City.  Maybe Jax needs to start there.

I was just joking, of course. It's just you've posted a LOT of OKC stuff lately. Simms tended to do that for Atlanta, SF or wherever he moved. Obvs I miss the lil guy, as I can't seem to go more than a month or two without posting a Simms-related 'joke'.

[Kerry]

OKC just happens to be good model for Jax.  Same population, same land area, same demographics.  Omaha would be good model as well.  There is so much good urbanism going in Omaha people in Jax would curl up in a ball and cry if they saw it.

[acme54321]

FWIW The Southbank Riverwalk seems to stay pretty busy.  I persoanlly dont care as much about the flashy lights and music, just make the fountain shoot water like it's supposed to.

[Kerry]

FWIW The Southbank Riverwalk seems to stay pretty busy.  I persoanlly dont care as much about the flashy lights and music, just make the fountain shoot water like it's supposed to.

When built, it was the tallest fountain the world.

What would help the Southbank is removing the Main Street viaduct and reworking that entire stretch of street frontage.  Any how, that won't happen.

[Adam White]

FWIW The Southbank Riverwalk seems to stay pretty busy.  I persoanlly dont care as much about the flashy lights and music, just make the fountain shoot water like it's supposed to.

When built, it was the tallest fountain the world.

What would help the Southbank is removing the Main Street viaduct and reworking that entire stretch of street frontage.  Any how, that won't happen.

Maybe add a Fudrucker's. That would be a real game changer.

[Kerry]

Lol - 'game changer'.  For what it's worth - I HATE that phrase.  It implies that the 'game' is to maintain the status quo, when the City should always be looking to improve.

[Adam White]

Lol - 'game changer'.  For what it's worth - I HATE that phrase.  It implies that the 'game' is to maintain the status quo, when the City should always be looking to improve.

I assume you know I was joking? I, too, hate that term. It's like we need to just throw a bunch of money on a big thing and it will revitalize downtown.