Make Jax Parks Great! And Save Money At The Same Time!

[Fallen Buckeye]

I think you bring up a good point that our park system needs to actively seek out partners to make improvements that you mention. I think that the logical next step here is to try to generate specific needs and a list of possible partners to fill these needs.

For instance, I think the Willowbranch Vets Memorial Rose Garden should actually be a garden rather than a couple scraggly rose bushes. Jacksonville Garden Club is just down the road. Maybe students from Lee? Are there any local 4-H groups(just gave away that I'm a country bumpkin didn't I?)? Maybe a local nursery could donate some plants that would complement the rose bushes.

[simms3]

My mother is in the garden club and with a few other organizations (the Root Ball...I think she ran it a few times, but I can't keep up) and I have seen how charitable the people in Jacksonville are and private organizations have already do sooo much (of course they can always do more, but any aesthetically pleasing landscaping you see is NOT due to the city spending any money, even palms on some highway interchanges are due to private contributions).  The city never holds up its end of the bargain and is basically one GIANT cheap skate.  The biggest thing going for this town right now is the return of a high estate tax (gee that's saying a lot) and that hasn't been doing much for anything anyway and we have no billionaires who have a lot of money to "dispose of" before 2011.  Instead of the feds scamming us out of our money, our local government, i.e. the City of Jacksonville needs to tax higher and reinvest our money back into the community in only the way the city can do.  Better parks is simply a starting point.

[Fallen Buckeye]

I know garden club members do a wonderful program with some of the students at the school I work at and upkeep a beautiful school garden for us. I just meant to give a specific example of a possible partnership filling a specific need to direct the conversation towards actionable ideas because the need is already clearly established.

[CS Foltz]

Maybe we should consider round filing the current City Government and just fill all of the posts with volunteers? Can't save much more money than that! We seem to come up with the money for certain individuals pet projects but when it comes to something that benefits all of the City.......we lack the will and direction.....not to mention the funding!

[bobsim]

  A little off topic but a more positive note, our Preservation Parks set a high standard. I'm not impressed with the list of attractions at Manhattan parks and would suggest that one reason the place is always packed is that it's accessible and well, where else ya going to go?

  Jacksonville residents are fortunate to have easy accessibility to so many pristine and naturally beautiful parks, many on historic foundations. An option that deserves mention.

[simms3]

http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2010/08/09/daily39.html?surround=lfn

Parenting Magazine ranks us best for parks and recreation.  This is simply so odd to me, the editors must not have ever visited Jacksonville.

[JC]

This whole town is run down because it is soooo cheap.  Private partnerships do a lot, but so do normal millage rates (our current rate of 16.2? is still far less than 19, which is where it was before not too long ago, and it should be higher than that).

+1

Get what you pay for.  Same with our education system.  Florida is 50th out of 50th.  And Rubio, Scott, and company want to lower taxes some more.

Commie!