Is Springfield Ready for a Car Wash?

[CS Foltz]

fsu13, I am afraid  your not quite correct! As you stated "Community input matters" not an Organization that does not represent everyone. Does SPAR represent 100% of Springfield? As you pointed out, last year during the SPAR elections there were alot of people who decided they did not want SPAR to represent them since they did not feel their best interest's were being represented. Not living in Springfield, I admit having no first hand knowledge but the 5 people whom I know, all said basically the same thing............SPAR did not represent them but had their own agenda! As I have pointed out, membership in SPAR is declining and there has to be a reason don't you think? Not pointing fingers, not making accusations but your numbers are falling and what do you do when the only members left are the Board?

[fsu813]

no organization can speak for 100% of a neighborhood. using this standard no neighborhood organization would fit the bill. also, i'd like you to tell me how much of a decline there has been, since you seem to have that info. or are you just guessing? don't answer that, it's rhetorical.

[CS Foltz]

I disagree...........in my world, the HOA speaks for 100%! I will agree that most organizations can not do so, but I would have to ask, I know of 5 people who left SPAR! They live in Springfield and the people that they know in Springfield have either not renewed or have allready left! I like playing with numbers and hypotheticals or projections...............based on the numbers that I have to work with, population, projected slopism, I keep coming up with SPAR actually represents 32% of the possiblilities and if that is the case, then SPAR is not even close to representing the  area!

[fsu813]

and i'll guess that you represent 22.74% of people that don't live in the area.

and that i'll live to be 86.

based on my calculations, that is.

[jason_contentdg]

We'll be on Urban Jacksonville Weekly this morning talking about the proposed car wash if you want to hear more about the project.  Tune in here, http://urbanjacksonvilleweekly.com/ at 9:30am.  Thanks.

[thelakelander]

Well i'm glad that's not the case. Community input matters. While 1 individual's voice may not be heard, an organization that has a good relationship with the city will be heard. This is even more important when shaping an up & coming area, and again even more so when dealing with historic concerns.

Whether i agree with them or not on this specific situation, i'm glad they have a voice that is sure to be heard, even if it's not the determining factor.

imo.

I think this could be a part of the problem in this instance.  An organization that represents a minority population of an area should not have ultimate control in final decisions made about the entire neighborhood's businesses and future.  It would really make more sense for SAMBA to assume this role for the commercial sector.  That's something I would like to see happen as SAMBA grows.  If it can, Springfield will greatly benefit.

[strider]

Not one of those five people. named in the letter,  who made calls is or was a member of SPAR, that part is incorrect

Let's see, one of those five people worked for SPAR Council for a time and one is her husband, but were never members?  The other is the daughter of a person who was very close to the SPAR Council organization who I know was at least once a member,  and the last one, at the very least, has ties to the ED and I suspect, like so many in the community, was also once a member. This was also about three years ago and so they could have been members then and not now. But, Chris, as you have said they weren't members so that proves that SPAR Council had nothing to do with this, even though SPAR Council admitted they did at the time, I guess we must believe you.

While a small thing, this is typical of the misinformation that gets put out there and why statements like Lake's that SPAR Council should not really have any say in matters like this are made.

[fsu813]

"An organization that represents a minority population of an area should not have ultimate control in final decisions made about the entire neighborhood's businesses and future."

- correct me if i'm wrong, but they don't.

as the largest neighborhood organization in the area, they have a large voice.

but they certainly don't have "ultimate control"......you know this. there's is one of the loud opinions heard, not the only.

[Dan B]

Not one of those five people. named in the letter,  who made calls is or was a member of SPAR, that part is incorrect

Let's see, one of those five people worked for SPAR Council for a time and one is her husband, but were never members?  The other is the daughter of a person who was very close to the SPAR Council organization who I know was at least once a member,  and the last one, at the very least, has ties to the ED and I suspect, like so many in the community, was also once a member. This was also about three years ago and so they could have been members then and not now. But, Chris, as you have said they weren't members so that proves that SPAR Council had nothing to do with this, even though SPAR Council admitted they did at the time, I guess we must believe you.

While a small thing, this is typical of the misinformation that gets put out there and why statements like Lake's that SPAR Council should not really have any say in matters like this are made.

This post shows how out of touch you are.

Yes, im sure at some point all of the people mentioned were involved with SPAR, HOWEVER, at the time of this incident, 4 of the 5 were actually very much NOT involved with SPAR. I cant speak to Amanda, as I just am not sure.

[sheclown]

We'll be on Urban Jacksonville Weekly this morning talking about the proposed car wash if you want to hear more about the project.  Tune in here, http://urbanjacksonvilleweekly.com/ at 9:30am.  Thanks.

I'm there!  Do I need to do anything?  I see categories, but I don't see you.

[strider]

Actually, DAN, you didn't prove I was out of touch, you proved me right. Could have been means just than, not sure.  Thanks for clarifying that you believe that they were not actually members three years ago.  Still, the ties were there.

[ChriswUfGator]

This post shows how out of touch you are.

Yes, im sure at some point all of the people mentioned were involved with SPAR, HOWEVER, at the time of this incident, 4 of the 5 were actually very much NOT involved with SPAR. I cant speak to Amanda, as I just am not sure.

Out of touch? Nobody's out of touch. Those people are all connected, as I'll describe below...

Not one of those five people. named in the letter,  who made calls is or was a member of SPAR, that part is incorrect

Alright. Well Chris, I happen to think you're one of the few on "that side" of this debate who is probably well-intentioned. We may not agree on some of this stuff, but I have never gotten the impression that you're malicious like others. So while I'd normally just make some wise-ass funny response, I will instead actually run through a full explanation of everything that bothers me.

To start with, SPAR has long enlisted the help of the Woman's Club / Springfield Improvement Association to help beef up its pre-orchestrated code-enforcement call-in campaigns (a/k/a/ tortious interference suits waiting to happen) that SPAR has become infamous for.

If you have any doubts, just take a peek at the minutes of just a single recent Woman's club meeting. SPAR, through Claude Moulton, who you'll no doubt recognize as SPAR's current President and member of SPAR's Board of Directors, made the latest presentation pitching the attendees on the perils of what SPAR alleged was a ballooning number of problem properties.

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:yse4eGilJXAJ:www.springfieldwomansclub.org/orangeblossom_2009-09.pdf+Sharlene+Dano+SPAR+jacksonville&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

At that time, he also talked the Club members into signing yet another petition against rooming / halfway houses (a pretty clear swipe at J&G, given the timing of her fake assault allegations against him), and asked for help with the call-in campaigns. Specifically, the minutes of the meeting describe the petition and go on to say "he asked for our assistance identifying" new problem properties. Ahem. Now what do you think that means? Time to spy on your neighbors!

But I guess the Woman's Club members have reason to be grateful, as at least they were actually told they were signing a petition and not some bogus "sign-in sheet". But anyway, looking at the audience present at just this one single meeting, you'll note that, coincidentally enough, it included Louise DeSpain's buddy Susan Noonan. That name should be familiar, because she and her husband Frank, who also happens to work together with SPAR's own Doug Vanderlaan at SHADCO, were the first calls in this particular rush of SPAR-induced bogus COJ complaints. And I believe Amanda Searle actually is or was a member of both organizations, so I believe the comment that she is not involved was just error. Additionally, all of these people have been directly involved with SPAR at one time or another.

You'll also note Sharlene Dano's presence, whose name you should also recognize from the Silas Jones ordeal, since she actually double-dipped and called twice in 20 minutes just to rack up an extra complaint. Additionally, all of the above, including Louise DeSpain, get together for "Operation Safe Streets" and are all well familiar with each other.

http://www.coj.net/NR/rdonlyres/e73xv7ncms3vrga6bqofml5ocb3nyv3qfsnxs7vtbsppukqcyxxulzu2ci7cwoo5327ud7trj3fojqg5b3j77bn5bre/OSS+Report+032008.pdf

So this group is all intertwined. The organizations they're involved with are ostensibly serving the public good, but wind up getting sidetracked and involved in one individual's personal crusades. And also bear in mind, these are just the complaints that COJ has names for. God knows how many "anonymous" complaints got called in. I bet for every one with a name attached, there were multiple anonymous ones. That's human nature.

So why does this happen? Where does this come from? Well, there's one particular person who goes on these ridiculous crusades. Why? I don't know. Her longest-running one has to be the one vs. Strider and Sheclown. I mean, that one just gets downright crazy. She tried to have him trespassed for a bogus assault allegation, banned him from public meetings, and to put the icing on this particular layer-cake of dysfunction, she actually had the gall to write Obama a letter where, in between rambling on about various topics and apologizing for the ugly state of the neighborhood (and everyone who says what a great job SPAR's done over the last decade, go ahead and explain why its director is apologizing that he had to look at the place), she makes a point of sliding in several paragraphs that blame Springfield's current problems on them, I $h!t you not.

I'm still debating whether this hilarious letter deserves its own thread. May as well just send in their pictures too, and ask him to get the CIA to "intervene." Her letter goes off on how "certain social services organizations in and near our district" have caused Springfield to suffer an "overflow of homeless and mentally challenged persons," and how SPAR "has worked closely with the City of Jacksonville’s Code Compliance division to enforce municipal code violations in the community that continue to cause blight and deterioration", yada, yada, yada.

I have to take a second to hand it to Strider here...apparently he pissed her off bad enough that Code Enforcement just wasn't doing it anymore, she actually wrote the President of the United States! LMFAO!

So anyway, with these call-ins, the motivation is irrational, and usually based on incorrect information (like when she showed up and accosted the guy with his two adopted kids because she thought it was a halfway house), and it all comes from one place. She needs as many people as possible to participate in these call-ins in order to trigger COJ action, and so these additional people get enlisted in it.

Some of them probably just take her at face-value, some probably just don't know any better, and some do it because SPAR, SHADCO, the WC, Safe Streets, etc., comprise such a large part of their social network that they'll probably just do what they feel pressured to do. Anyway, for kicks, here's her ridiculous letter to Obama for entertainment value;

Dear President-Elect Obama,

What an exciting time we are in, and what an optimism you and your promises of urban renewal bring to the Springfield National Historic District in Jacksonville, Florida, and areas like ours nationwide.

My name is Louise DeSpain, and I am the Executive Director of the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR) Council (www.sparcouncil.org). As indicated, Springfield is a National Historic District, and is located on the northern edge of the City of Jacksonville’s downtown Central Business District.

Like many urban neighborhoods, Springfield began declining in the 1950’s, endured racial conflict in the 1960s, and continued into physical, economic and educational deterioration, with increases in crime, drug usage/addiction, and teen birth/infant mortality rates well into the 1990s.

I believe you have familiarity with our neighborhood, as your Jacksonville campaign headquarters were located in one of our Klutho-designed historic structures at 1830 N. Main Street. Our community may not have been pretty when you visited, but SPAR’s hope is that soon, it will be pretty (but we've done SUCH a good job!), safe and enriching for all its residents.

Through resident commitment, municipal, state and federal programs, and with recent support from our District 7 Councilmember, Dr. Johnny Gaffney, Springfield has made much progress doing all of the “right” things:      (yeah, that's why you're apologizing to Obama for even having to look at the place, right?)

- In 1987, a one-mile square area founded in 1869 and containing a significant number of homes and commercial buildings constructed from the 1890s-1920s, was designated the Springfield National Historic District (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield,_Jacksonville,_Florida);

- In 1994, the Springfield area and many of its surrounding neighborhoods were designated a Federal Empowerment Zone;

- In 1995, the State of Florida passed similar legislation designating the area a Florida Enterprise Zone. SPAR now fundraises in three key areas, Residential Safety & Maintenance, Commercial Corridor Revitalization, and Hogan’s Creek Parks Revitalization, through the Enterprise Zone’s Community Contribution Tax Credit program (§220.183 F.S.);

- In 2001, the Springfield Historic District Zoning Overlay was enacted, protecting the community from new infiltration of inappropriate land uses; (Insert Joe and Gloria's picture here)

- Since 2003, the City of Jacksonville has invested more than $20M on streetscape improvement, including new underground utility, sewer and stormwater infrastructure, on our two main commercial corridors, Main Street and 8th Street;

- Between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, SHARP grants and façade grants were available to support existing, and attract new, residents and businesses in the area;

- Springfield has been working closely with its primary “economic engines,” UF/Shands Jacksonville, Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) and Bethel Baptist.

o UF/Shands is the Northeast Florida region’s indigent-care facility and Level 1 Trauma Center. The University of Florida has its Medical, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry schools at this location, and has constructed a $150M proton-therapy cancer treatment center on the Historic District’s border. In conjunction with the County and State Boards of Health, the new federal Veterans Administration facility, and our own Darnell Cookman Middle School of the Medical Arts, Springfield is becoming a regional health and wellness cluster; (Wait a second, wasn't she actually opposed to additional VA presence?)

o FCCJ is the region’s community college focused on transitional jobs and career pathways, and has recently been designated a State College that will offer four-year workforce training and bachelor’s degrees;

- The community has attracted a couple of private developers who are affecting positive change â€" SRG Homes & Neighborhoods (srghomes.com) builds historically-appropriate, single- and multi-family infill homes, and utilizes Empowerment and FLEnterprise Zone credits. (on lots that become vacant due to our code-enforcement call-ins, how convenient!) And Cesery Cos. is building the first new building on Main Street â€" a 47,000 square foot mixed-use project â€" in 40 years, that is expected to add 12 full-time jobs to the area;

- SPAR has been in close partnership with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) for the past three years. Springfield hosts a monthly Sheriff’s Advisory Committee (SHADCO) meeting, and SPAR, working with private partners, has funded in excess of $500,000 of community policing over that time period;

- Since 2006, SPAR has worked closely with the City of Jacksonville’s Code Compliance division to enforce municipal code violations in the community that continue to cause blight and deterioration. (Yeah I'll say so, they sure keep COJ's phones ringing off the hook with bogus complaints!) SPAR has a very successful Block Captains program and ,with the support of private partners, funded in excess of $500,000 of litter and trash removal;

- SPAR has expressed its interest in partnering with the City of Jacksonville’s Housing and Neighborhoods department to implement the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and specifically HERA 2008 §2301(c)(3)(D) and 24 CFR 570.201(d), within the portion of the 32206 ZIP targeted area that is overlapped by the Historic District;      Yes, I'd like more power please! Holy crap, if you think condo boards are bad, you better hope THIS doesn't happen...

- The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) submitted an operational grant application to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to provide a more reliable and frequent trolley service from the residential areas of the community to/from its nearby economic and employment centers;

- SPAR has recently partnered with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to receive board training and a grant to employ a Commercial Corridor coordinator and Americorps assistant. LISC and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) named Springfield one of the top five emerging urban markets nationwide along with Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, and communities in Philadelphia, Detroit and Minneapolis (yes, we're getting compared to bed-stuy, brooklyn, and detroit, but naturally, we've still done SUCH a good job) ;

- Springfield has a 27-acre string of parks that adjoin the Historic District and Jacksonville’s central business district. The park system contains Hogan’s Creek, which flows into the St. Johns River, one of 14 American Heritage Rivers, and contains remnants of a stormwater management systems engineered in 1928. In 2006, Springfield hosted the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra for an outdoor concert and holds 4th of July “throwback” baseball games and other events on an annual basis; (I never knew SPAR paid for the Symphony Orchestra! Man, who knew! Clearly credit where credit is due...)

- The City of Jacksonville has included a one-block area of this park system in its list of ash clean-up sites, as a result of an EPA lawsuit; (yes, because getting sued by the EPA is always something you want to brag about to the President...)

- SPAR has grown the organizational capacity of the neighborhood, which now has a merchants and business association (SAMBA), an animal rescue group (SACARC), a Mommies Group, a Garden Club, the first Girl Scouts of America troop in 50 years, and more; (WOW, talk about credit-taking! Who knew that SPAR started the Garden Club? Especially since the Garden Club was founded in 1922, and SPAR was founded in 1974. Time-travel is definitely one hell of an accomplishment!)

- Springfield is the home of four excellent youth programs/centers including The Bridge (modeling its programs on the Harlem Children’s Zone), The Sanctuary (the subject of NPR spoken-word-artist Al Letson’s “Summer at Sanctuary” â€" stateofthereunion.com), The Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and the Robert F. Kennedy Community Center (municipal);

- Springfield, and more specifically the Klutho Building at 1830 N. Main St., is the home of Operation New Hope, which created the nationally-recognized Ready4Work program for ex-offenders; and, (so wait a second...apparently we don't mind convicted felons running around, but those awful recovering alcoholics and community service orgs that I just don't like, are responsible for ALL the problems around here!)

- Is adjacent to, and has close relationships with, nearby successful urban Jacksonville CDCs, including Ron Pauline’s MetroNorth CDC (metronorthcdc.org) and Paul Tutwiler’s Northwest Jacksonville CDC (northwestjaxcdc.org). (I wonder if they would agree as to how close their relationship is?)

As you can see, SPAR, in partnership with the public and private organizations at the local, state and national levels, has taken a very comprehensive approach to revitalization, because we know we must provide an environment where pride and economic success can be achieved by all of our residents (Yup, that's why we call in bogus complaints and oppose zoning variances when new businesses want to open up in our neighborhood!). Despite our progress, we also face many hurdles ahead: (like we might finally be forced to hold elections!)

- Underfunded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) needs in Springfield; our neighborhood’s “gateway” is blighted by a 1960s hotel that makes our community look more like Beirut than an urban National Historic District. This hotel at 901 N. Main St. is privately-owned, and is a Superfund site (FLSFN0407139) for which “an eligible response site (ERS) exclusion decision has been made;” (OK, I gotta agree with her there, the Park View is an eyesore and a half)

- Environmental contamination throughout the 27-acre park system that has been known about, but considered too large/costly a problem to fix, since 1993; Hogan’s Creek contamination flowing into the St. Johns River; un-maintained park infrastructure - deteriorated or destroyed stormwater system results in regular flooding and sewer overflows in the community;

- FDOT rejected Springfield’s trolley grant. The JTA has been exploring streetcar, a transit option that is proven to result in economic development, but anticipates transportation funding will be directed toward suburban road development;

- In today’s banking climate, the re-development of Springfield’s commercial corridors is more severely handicapped â€" by lack of available credit and developer incentives â€" than it would have otherwise been by what much of the retailing industry considers “undesirable demographics;”

- Lack of municipal funding for CPTED-based crime prevention measures, trash and litter control, public space maintenance and youth programming in the urban core neighborhoods â€" Jacksonville has been unable to identify adequate funding for programs mandated by ordinance (Zero Tolerance on Litter), nor can our private partners sustain their investment in municipal services in today’s economy; (how much trash could you pick up in all that time you spend feuding with your own neighbors)

- The high concentration of social service organizations in and near our District does not adequately serve a city of Jacksonville’s size, resulting in an overflow of under-served homeless and mentally-challenged persons into the community; and (yes, please refer to those photos of Joe and Gloria included for the CIA's convenience)

- Springfield’s greatest hurdle is the speed at which government, at any level, operates. (Yup, as stated in multiple e-mails to every city official imaginable, we just can't tear these damned historic houses down fast enough!)

Again, Mr. Obama, we are buoyed by your attention to the plight of the urban community and its residents and proponents. I am aware you recently held a “summit” in the capital with 2,000 community organizers â€" I look forward to hearing how their input, as well as that from Adolfo Carrion of the Office of Urban Policy and Melody Barnes of the Domestic Policy Council, will benefit communities nationwide like the Springfield Historic District. (wow, 2,000 different community orgs and SPAR wasn't even invited? But we're doing SUCH a good job...)

Springfield’s location makes it an optimal solution to Jacksonville’s economic and environmental sprawl, and the community supports the Obama-Biden Plan, and its focus on cities. We welcome you back to Springfield anytime you are in Northeast Florida. (nice to know SPAR declares the Springfield community are all Obama-Biden supporters)

Best regards,

Louise DeSpain, Executive Director
Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR) Council

[Dan B]

Actually, DAN, you didn't prove I was out of touch, you proved me right. Could have been means just than, not sure.  Thanks for clarifying that you believe that they were not actually members three years ago.  Still, the ties were there.

Joe, you also were "involved with SPAR". It proves nothing other than people get involved with organizations, and then move on.

Susan and Frank were the main opponents, and suspect they asked thier friends to call the car wash in with them. They both were very involved in the Womans Club at that time. And speaking from personal experience, The Womans Club was not on great terms with SPAR when this all went down.

[fsu813]

think i'll leave the asylum for the inmates to run for a time.

all the smart people sit back and read all the non-sense, and don't respond but when the BS level hits critical mass. think i'll be smart for a while.

perhaps undisputed and reason-free, their propaganda campaign can really get going now.

[ChriswUfGator]

Actually, DAN, you didn't prove I was out of touch, you proved me right. Could have been means just than, not sure.  Thanks for clarifying that you believe that they were not actually members three years ago.  Still, the ties were there.

Joe, you also were "involved with SPAR". It proves nothing other than people get involved with organizations, and then move on.

Susan and Frank were the main opponents, and suspect they asked thier friends to call the car wash in with them. They both were very involved in the Womans Club at that time. And speaking from personal experience, The Womans Club was not on great terms with SPAR when this all went down.

It's still going on, and apparently has been going on for 3 years, judging by the dates in Silas Jones' letter.