JBJ: We must not dawdle if we want a riverfront miracle mile

[Captain Zissou]

Hey - when you were at Memorial Park did you show your family the metal railing that has been there for over year because the City can't seem to restore the decorative railing.  I haven't been over to the San Marco side in a while - is it still fenced off.

The "san marco side" is finished and it's much nicer than it was before the storm.  I know a lot of private businesses and individuals have been putting off work until after this hurricane season because it doesn't make much since to finish an improvement or rehab only to have it blown out again by another storm.  Perhaps the city feels the same way.

Also, the fact that you think people here aren't following through shows just how ignorant you are.  People on this forum have spent thousands of hours improving this city and have created some of the most positive things in the core.

[fieldafm]

Hey - when you were at Memorial Park did you show your family the metal railing that has been there for over year because the City can't seem to restore the decorative railing.

Yes, in fact. I explained that there was this hurricane that swept through the city last year. The same hurricane that flooded several houses on my street... two of those houses are still being rehabbed at this very second. We have property that was affected by the hurricane, and have only just been able to get a contractor to repair damage to part of that property (we could not do the particular restoration work during hurricane season). Unfortunately, life happens... and people not only understand, but empathize with those issues.

Few years ago I was in Louisville and a part of the parkspace along the river was barricaded off because of what looked to be a portion of the seawall failing (looked awfully familiar to the bike racks and caution tape that can be seen in Memorial Park today). Additionally, the kiddie water park's water fountains weren't working. I just thought 'hmm, that's disappointing as I'm not in this city often... but you know, things break.' Good thing a Louisvillian wasn't next to me complaining about how the owner of Louisville City FC has some master conspiracy plan to move all bourbon production to England and that Louisville is only a good place for people that like to live in trailers, drinking mint juleps. 

Come to think of it... Louisville must suck, because their riverfront parkspace is not as nice as Nashville's waterfront. Clearly, they accept mediocrity. I don't want that from my spouse. 

[Steve]

But many of you just want to be cheerleaders.  Maybe I'm in the wrong group.

Not sure who you're referring to, but here's my thought:

- Some cheerleaders aren't a bad thing. I know you hate the Jaguars but even the New England Patriots have Cheerleaders (and a mascot and some guys dresses as revolutionary war soldiers). Not everyone can or has the ability or time to be a player. If you couldn't tell, I'm not really talking about football here.
- Many people on this forum aren't just on this forum. I pale in comparison to many here, but I was very active with MJ for years, then backed off a bit when I joined the RAP board, which I served on for 6 years. You may know that the RAP board is hardly a board that meets once a month and that's it - there's a good amount of effort put in there. Now, I'm in a job that requires about 50% travel and have twin 14 month old babies at home. Forgive me if I'm not putting enough effort to achieve your lofty standard, sir.

Fact is this: I am proud of some things Jacksonville has to offer. I'm dissapointed with others. It is possible to celebrate the good things while still driving to improve the bad. They aren't mutually exclusive.

[jaxjags]

First hour would be easy.  What are you going to show them the second hour?  Jax runs out of stuff real fast.  Going to impress them with our museums?  How about our cultural attractions?  Going to show them our outstanding urban retail?  What about our riverfront?  Jax is what you make it - and some of you are flat out making it up.  This City needs to get its act together.

To be honest, I could kill a half day at a place like Kingsley Plantation, tied together with a fresh seafood lunch in Mayport or one of the fish camps off Heckscher alone. If someone is into industry, I could blow away a few hours touring a place like AB's brewery. Shopping isn't my thing, but San Marco Square and St. Johns Avenue classify as pedestrian friendly urban retail strips. However, I prefer the raw setting of the farmer's market on Beaver....especially if the showcasing is going to take place on a Saturday. It's one of the few areas in the region where you can experience multiple cultures and languages at once. The Zoo is also one of the best I've come across in the country. I haven't even gotten around to the beach and some of the parks. If you know the sites and things that are truly authentic to this area, you won't run out of things to do.

Although the emphasis in this forum is DT, like said above you must consider all of Jax. Many mid size cities do not have vibrant DT. I could spend days at Fort George Island, Hugenot, Little Talbot Island, Big Talbot Island and Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach. Hiking, biking, kyaking, swimming, camping. And those enviroments(ocean, marsh, dunes, rivers, estuaries) cannot be found in OKC, Cinci, Indy, or the ATL.

[Kerry]

But many of you just want to be cheerleaders.  Maybe I'm in the wrong group.

Not sure who you're referring to, but here's my thought:

- Some cheerleaders aren't a bad thing. I know you hate the Jaguars but even the New England Patriots have Cheerleaders (and a mascot and some guys dresses as revolutionary war soldiers). Not everyone can or has the ability or time to be a player. If you couldn't tell, I'm not really talking about football here.
- Many people on this forum aren't just on this forum. I pale in comparison to many here, but I was very active with MJ for years, then backed off a bit when I joined the RAP board, which I served on for 6 years. You may know that the RAP board is hardly a board that meets once a month and that's it - there's a good amount of effort put in there. Now, I'm in a job that requires about 50% travel and have twin 14 month old babies at home. Forgive me if I'm not putting enough effort to achieve your lofty standard, sir.

Fact is this: I am proud of some things Jacksonville has to offer. I'm dissapointed with others. It is possible to celebrate the good things while still driving to improve the bad. They aren't mutually exclusive.

The RAP Board is part of the problem as I see it.  It has taken an entire part of the city and permanetly relegated it to a suspended state of urban evolution - but that is a whole other topic.

[Bill Hoff]

The RAP Board is part of the problem as I see it.  It has taken an entire part of the city and permanetly relegated it to a suspended state of urban evolution - but that is a whole other topic.

You're ill-informed.

[Tacachale]

^There are things RAP can be reasonably criticized for, but it's true that it's a lot easier to sit here and kvetch than to get up and do something.

[Steve]

But many of you just want to be cheerleaders.  Maybe I'm in the wrong group.

Not sure who you're referring to, but here's my thought:

- Some cheerleaders aren't a bad thing. I know you hate the Jaguars but even the New England Patriots have Cheerleaders (and a mascot and some guys dresses as revolutionary war soldiers). Not everyone can or has the ability or time to be a player. If you couldn't tell, I'm not really talking about football here.
- Many people on this forum aren't just on this forum. I pale in comparison to many here, but I was very active with MJ for years, then backed off a bit when I joined the RAP board, which I served on for 6 years. You may know that the RAP board is hardly a board that meets once a month and that's it - there's a good amount of effort put in there. Now, I'm in a job that requires about 50% travel and have twin 14 month old babies at home. Forgive me if I'm not putting enough effort to achieve your lofty standard, sir.

Fact is this: I am proud of some things Jacksonville has to offer. I'm dissapointed with others. It is possible to celebrate the good things while still driving to improve the bad. They aren't mutually exclusive.

The RAP Board is part of the problem as I see it.  It has taken an entire part of the city and permanetly relegated it to a suspended state of urban evolution - but that is a whole other topic.

Then you're REALLY ill informed. RAP isn't perfect (and I disagreed with some things that passed while I was on the board), but I'd be happy to discuss RAPs record at any point.

I seriously feel like if I handed you a winning Powerball ticket, you wouldn't want to cash it and instead would go on a diatribe about how boring I-10 is between here and Tallahassee.

[Kerry]

I don't want to turn this thread into a RAP thread so I'll just leave my comment as-is and acknowledge that we will just have to disagree.

[Kerry]

^There are things RAP can be reasonably criticized for, but it's true that it's a lot easier to sit here and kvetch than to get up and do something.

I would be all in favor of forming a group that demanded some action from the City.  Hell, we can meet at my Brooklyn apartment.  Sitting around and doing nothing is the thing I hate the most - and the thing Jax is best at.  I have a whole list of things the City could do unilaterally that would make big improvements - from practically free to radical change.

[Tacachale]

^There are things RAP can be reasonably criticized for, but it's true that it's a lot easier to sit here and kvetch than to get up and do something.

I would be all in favor of forming a group that demanded some action from the City.  Hell, we can meet at my Brooklyn apartment.  Sitting around and doing nothing is the thing I hate the most - and the thing Jax is best at.  I have a whole list of things the City could do unilaterally that would make big improvements - from practically free to radical change.

Kerry, what's frustrating about incessant negativity is that many of us are actually out there

[Kerry]

^There are things RAP can be reasonably criticized for, but it's true that it's a lot easier to sit here and kvetch than to get up and do something.

I would be all in favor of forming a group that demanded some action from the City.  Hell, we can meet at my Brooklyn apartment.  Sitting around and doing nothing is the thing I hate the most - and the thing Jax is best at.  I have a whole list of things the City could do unilaterally that would make big improvements - from practically free to radical change.

Kerry, what's frustrating about incessant negativity is that many of us are actually out there

Can you give me an example of something you are trying to change/improve about urban Jax?

I'll give you an example I would like to see done - a bike sharing program.  I travel to cities all over the country and darn near every one of them has a bike share and there are 2 rouge scooter share companies that just randomly drop their scooters around cities.  Not only can we not get a legal bike share system we can't even get the law-flaunting scooter companies to drop their illegal scooters here.

https://www.google.com/search?q=scooters+dropped+downtown&gws_rd=ssl

[thelakelander]

When you've tried to establish your own rouge system here or contacted these companies to come to town, what's been their response? If there was something stopping them, what do you think the potential solution around that obstacle might be?

[jaxnyc79]

'Miracle Mile' has officially joined 'gamechanger' on the list of terms I would no longer like to hear when talking about urban development in Jax.

While it may take a miracle to pull downtown Jacksonville from the abyss, I do tend to agree that Miracle Mile sounds hackneyed.

[jaxnyc79]

We went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for 7 days.  Rented a cabin.

After 14 years in Manhattan, and because of my love for the Carolina Mountains, I'll be relocating to another office of my Firm in Charlotte effective November 1, and just a couple hours away from some of highest peaks east of the Mississippi.  Anyone know much about downtown Charlotte?  I still have family in Jax and will visit often, but not quite ready to slow down as much as Jax at this time.