Met Park Renovations

[jaxlore]

its about time but will jax step up to the plate and try and court the same bands as St. Augustine? I doubt it.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/06/15/daily11.html?ana=from_rss

Proposed renovations to Metropolitan Park in downtown Jacksonville include some adjustments to the area around the amphitheater to help it compete with another venue on the First Coast.

“The St. Augustine Amphitheater is stealing a lot of our business,” said Ron Barton, executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission during its meeting last week. “These are events that could easily be booked here as well.”

The only plan for the amphitheater at Metro Park is downgrading the slope of land surrounding the theater to make more room for people attending the events there, and it should make them more competitive, Barton said. But this is the last stage of the renovation project for the Jacksonville park.

Other renovations include an expanded children’s playground and discovery area, a new entry plaza and covered picnic pavilions along the sides of the green at Metro Park. The entire project should cost around $20 million, and they hope to get it started by the first of the year, Barton said.

“A good park like this could be just as effective as a good arena,” he said.

When former mayor John Delaney tried to renovate Metro Park and the amphitheater during his term, the Jacksonville community raised red flags in fear they would lose some access to the park.

In addition, many residents across the river were afraid of the noise the amphitheater would produce, especially on week nights, but they aren’t as concerned now.

“The problem last time was that the city wouldn’t be over the amphitheater anymore, but as long as the city continues to run it, that would be fine,” said former Jacksonville city council member Suzanne Jenkins, who chaired the movement against the amphitheater during Delaney’s administration. “They do a really good job.”

Last time they were worried they wouldn’t get a response if they filed noise complaints to a different company, Jenkins said, but they know the city will respond.

She even admitted that they like attending events at the amphitheater in Metro Park.

“I can understand. I’ve been to some things there, and the whole community across the river is used to it by now,” she said. “I think this is definitely a dialogue worth having.”