Mark Hemphill looking to open a New Club in Five Points?

[reednavy]

MET PARK IS UNDER UTILIZED.

Agreed and noted, but about 10 years ago, Delaney tried to get something passed to have more concerts there at the park, and the wussies in St. Nicholas complained and said it would make too much noise on a school night, so it was shot down.

I was not happy, but apparently the windows rattle and shake when even Tony Bennett sings in Met Park, according to the folks in St. Nicholas, across the river.

COJ Special Events is about as worthless as SMG, no one there has the gonads to make the place more special, I sware most of the city employees follow Peyton as if they are zombies.

Then someone needs to get some Pella windows.

[jaxlore]

definitely agree that met park is a sham why bother if its not going to be used more then a few times a month. people is st.nick can well i will keep it civil, but yes they need to definitely kick things up a few notches, the jazz festival was a start, but lit seems the only thing the city can promote are jazz or country concerts. no wonder the we are stuck in the woods.

[Deuce]

wussies in St. Nicholas complained and said it would make too much noise on a school night, so it was shot down.

TS. It's all the way across the River and it's close to an urban area. Normally I support the rights of the little guy, but the city should have told them to f off on that one.

[Shwaz]

This sounds like a great idea, especially with a great team like Jon & Mark. I DJ at Mark's on Tuesdays and Mark runs a great establishment. The days of 5points being labeled as Dirty & hippie-ish are long gone. The "alternative" demographic has evolved, becoming much more polished, and chic...not just in Jacksonville but internationally. Both Jon Insetta & Mark Hemphill's establishments are a great mix of Urban cool and sophistication. 5 points needs a serious facelift, and this may do the trick.

Exactly. It's funny how many folks don't want to see 5 Points change because it would tarnish the memories of their youth... even though they've all grown up and don't frequent the "grundge" bar's anymore.

[RiversideLoki]

Exactly. It's funny how many folks don't want to see 5 Points change because it would tarnish the memories of their youth... even though they've all grown up and don't frequent the "grundge" bar's anymore.

I think that you're partly right with that statement. But then there are those of us who don't want to remember that part of our youth (*cough* club 5) and just don't want 5 points turning into some horrible big retail strip mall crap-heap like the town center or some fru-fru snob-stop like San Marco/Avondale strip. 5 Points definitely has a different flavor. The reason most of us say the things we do is because we don't want to lose the atmosphere (well, the good parts of the atmosphere).

[TREE4309]

Exactly. It's funny how many folks don't want to see 5 Points change because it would tarnish the memories of their youth... even though they've all grown up and don't frequent the "grundge" bar's anymore.

I think that you're partly right with that statement. But then there are those of us who don't want to remember that part of our youth (*cough* club 5) and just don't want 5 points turning into some horrible big retail strip mall crap-heap like the town center or some fru-fru snob-stop like San Marco/Avondale strip. 5 Points definitely has a different flavor. The reason most of us say the things we do is because we don't want to lose the atmosphere (well, the good parts of the atmosphere).

I'll second that!

[Dog Walker]

"Agreed and noted, but about 10 years ago, Delaney tried to get something passed to have more concerts there at the park, and the wussies in St. Nicholas complained and said it would make too much noise on a school night, so it was shot down."


Get your facts straight if you are going to post!  Delaney had made a deal with an outside promoter to tear down Metro park and build a new outdoor amphitheater.  He concealed the fact that there was a deal in place and made a big show of "considering" the idea.

They had planned on having thirty to fifty events per year (dreamers!!) and the private company was going to take most of the profits.

When a rock concert was held in the stadium, I personally measured 92 decibels in front yards across the river.  It had nothing to do with "noise on a school night."  You could not carry on a conversation without shouting. 

I was one of "weenies" who helped hire a lawyer to stop the outdoor amphitheater.  He was stonewalled on public records requests until a source inside city hall told him about the letter the Rick Mullaney, now the General Council, had written to the amphitheater developer to make a deal before anything had been approved by the City Council.  Delaney agreed to drop the whole idea if we would not bring a sunshine law, public records violation lawsuit against the City.  He quietly announced that the idea was dead during the middle of the horrible fire season we had at the time when everyone was paying attention to that.

This sort of backdoor dealing is just what a city official, Mosley, got in trouble for recently over the Trail Ridge Landfill deal.  He hasn't been fired either and maybe he will be our next General Council too.

Now instead of a cheezy, outdoor white elephant, we have the Veterans Memorial Arena.  Whether it is utilized enough is another issue.

[Shwaz]

Exactly. It's funny how many folks don't want to see 5 Points change because it would tarnish the memories of their youth... even though they've all grown up and don't frequent the "grundge" bar's anymore.

I think that you're partly right with that statement. But then there are those of us who don't want to remember that part of our youth (*cough* club 5) and just don't want 5 points turning into some horrible big retail strip mall crap-heap like the town center or some fru-fru snob-stop like San Marco/Avondale strip. 5 Points definitely has a different flavor. The reason most of us say the things we do is because we don't want to lose the atmosphere (well, the good parts of the atmosphere).

How would a bar / club like Mark's turn 5 points into a "crap heap strip mall"? Does Bay St. resemble the SJTC?

Another question, if grundge is the best fit for 5 points why is there only 1 place left?

[jaxlore]

92 decibels is a little excessive and i question how any rock promoter was able to get sound to project across the river at that volume. Did you call the police and file a noise complaint?
I thought there supposed to come out and measure the sound?

[Dog Walker]

The police didn't enforce the noise ordinance then (I'm not sure about now.) and the environmental protection folks who were to enforce it worked 8 to 5.  There was no one to report it to on a Saturday night.

EXCEPT!  Delaney had said that no one had ever complained about noise from the stadium or Metro Park concerts.  I don't think Cityline was available in those days and if a department was closed, no one answered the phone.  Unfortunately for him, someone posted his home telephone number and the night of the loud concert (U-2, I've been reminded.) he got dozens of angry citizens calling him and holding up their phones so that he could here the concert noise.  Some of the calls came from as far away as San Marco.  He finally took his phone off the hook and later changed his number.

Our house was a block off of the river almost on the corner with Atlantic Blvd and a Pat Bennitar concert actually made our windows buzz in their frames.  (OK!  It was an old house, but everyone deserves a quiet night's sleep!)

In fairness, the conditions the night of the U-2 concert were perfect for the propagation of noise over a long distance.  There was a strong breeze from the west, carrying the sound to the east.  There was a low layer of thick clouds which also bounce sound and, of course, sound travels easily over water.  I think we on the east bank of the river could actually distinguish the lyrics of the song better than anyone in the stadium.

In those days, concerts in Metro Park actually had stacks of speakers pointing out over the river so that people on anchored boats could hear the music.

If the concerts had ended at 10PM it would not have been so much of a problem, but many of them went on until well after midnight. 

[Dog Walker]

"How would a bar / club like Mark's turn 5 points into a "crap heap strip mall"? Does Bay St. resemble the SJTC?
Another question, if grundge is the best fit for 5 points why is there only 1 place left? "

I live closer to 5 Points than any of you and grundge is only one of the flavors of the humanity here.  Here in Near Riverside we have a wonderful mixture of everybody and 5 Points serves us all.  You want to see diversity?  Just go into the Derby House on any morning!  Nobody "owns" 5 Points!

From Rainbow and 8 Days to Owens Pharmacy and Presbyterian Towers, we get along.  Always funky, never trashy!  Always tolerant, always polite is the ethos.  Hulking dudes in full sleeves help oldsters with walkers across the street.  Misbehave and one of us will let you know about it and it will only be about your behavior, NOT anything else.

The stores and clubs come and go, but the spirit was set by Tom & Gunelle of Edge City many years ago and they are still going strong.  Come and try a new store concept, this is the place.   Boger's has been putting shoes on old people's feet for thirty or forty years and is still here.  Others have tried and faded away as styles have changed.

Every city needs a creative center and 5 Points is it for Jacksonville.

[Shwaz]

I live closer to 5 Points than any of you

Care to bet on that? 

[blizz01]

But what about Mark taking over Craig Van Horn's old space at 9th and Main, in Springfield?

Oh, yeah - is that happening?

[deathstar]

Hey Stephen, I grew up in the 5 Points Deli in the 80's and early, mid 90's, ever remember a rascal running around there? Any update with Fuel by the way?