The TU used MetroJacksonville as a source in today's editorial section, but we DO NOT agree with Jack Diamond's idea of turning the Prime Osborn into a courthouse. Our hope is to see the new courthouse built at the proposed Monroe Street site at a cost cheaper than $400 million.QuoteBy The Times-Union
Duval County's courthouse project was approved in 2000 and should have been completed a long time ago.
The last thing anybody wants, with the price 100 percent over budget and costs presumably still rising, is to postpone it with yet another study.
But given the millions of taxpayer dollars involved, that may be the responsible course to take.
The Prime Osborn building is inadequate as a convention center.
That seems to be universally acknowledged; the only question is what to do with it when a replacement is built.
Local architect Jack Diamond says it could be remodeled into a nice, functional courthouse for $200 million - about half the amount Mayor John Peyton wants to spend on new construction at LaVilla.
City Hall, however, has a consultant's report that says a remodeled Prime Osborn would cost about as much as a new courthouse - maybe even a little more.
It's amazing that two experts could be that far apart.
But since they are - and since the city conceivably could save large sums of money on a grossly overbudget project if Diamond is right - another expert should be hired to check the numbers.
It would have to be someone totally unbiased and respected by both sides.
The University of Florida has a renowned architecture school. Why not ask experts there to compare the cost estimates? It need not be a lengthy study, simply a comparison of the costs being debated.
If it finds there could be substantial savings by using the Prime Osborn - let's say $20 million to $50 million - the City Council needs to give that strong consideration, particularly in these austere budgetary times.
If not, then forge ahead with the LaVilla plan. But, regardless, think carefully before approving Peyton's plan to pay Sam Mousa $225 an hour to serve as the project consultant.
Not that there is anything wrong with Mousa, chief administrative officer under former Mayor John Delaney.
Mousa is qualified, competent and widely respected.
But the city has many competent people on staff.
Why not use one of them?
Meanwhile, the best time to prevent a mistake is before it's made.
Credibility with the public, which is strained, needs a booster shot.
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Cheaper elsewhere
Comparison: Mayor John Peyton wants to spend $340 per square foot on an 800,000-square-foot courthouse (not including the cost of land or parking garage). By contrast:
- Houston spent $151 a square foot on a 1.4 million square-foot courthouse completed in 2005.
- It cost Charlotte $261 per square foot for a 568,000 square-foot courthouse that was completed last year.
Source: metrojacksonville.com
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/021608/opi_247403578.shtml
Just goes to show, that if one is going to use info from another source, they at least need to get the information correct.
I don't think they got the info wrong. It looks like they were just mentioning the cheaper courthouses built elsewhere as an aside and that is the only info they got from Metro Jacksonville.
So if converting the Prime Osborne into a courthouse is determined to be $50 million cheaper than building a new one, thats great, but now we don't have a convention center.
... or a Transportation Center.
I would agree that the time has probably come to stop taking advice from a guy that touts LaVilla as one of his greatest accomplishments.
circa July 2003...
Quote
Sam Mousa, the fiery boss of the Better Jacksonville Plan and the man Mayor John Peyton retained for his vast knowledge of City Hall, is resigning less than two weeks into Peyton's term.
Mousa, Jacksonville's chief operating officer, said yesterday he's leaving after 16 years of working in city government to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
He denied his departure is because he took issue with the budget Peyton will present to the City Council next week.
Sources close to the situation, however, said Mousa resigned Wednesday over issues with the budget primarily being worked on by interim Chief Financial Officer Walt Bussells, who's on loan from his position as chief executive officer of JEA. Mousa and Bussells are dominant personalities, both are used to being in charge and many observers and colleagues privately questioned how long the two could co-exist.
Peyton said Mousa floated the idea of resigning Wednesday but made it official yesterday.
Peyton, who said he was disappointed by Mousa's departure, also denied Mousa had a problem with the budget or with Bussells.
"It's not about specifics of the budget," Peyton said. "It's more about management style and office structure. I'm different from [former mayor] John Delaney. The way I manage is different. The way our staff is structured is different. The culture is different."
Mousa was Delaney's right-hand man, responsible for keeping the $2.2 billion Better Jacksonville Plan on track, monitoring plans for when the city hosts the 2005 Super Bowl and overseeing day-to-day operations of the city.
Mousa said there were normal discussions, recommendations and evaluations concerning the budget, but there was no dissention and he will help Peyton sell the budget to the council. Mousa said the adopted budget could have some issues or what he'd consider a "disadvantage," but that's just his opinion.
He said it's his job to put all the cards on the table and let Peyton make the ultimate decision on which cards to play.
"Those cards may not be a full house, but there's a straight there I like and I can play," Mousa said.
Mousa, 50, said he will stay on until the end of July and then work as a consultant to Peyton when needed. He said he's still weighing his options in the private sector. He earns $191,000 a year in his current position.
He was the only top Delaney aide Peyton asked to join his team and was Peyton's first announced pick a week after being elected May 13.
In Delaney's administration, Mousa and Chief of Staff Audrey Moran oversaw all elements of government and were the only two administrators to report directly to the mayor.
Peyton, however, flattened his team. He took some of the responsibilities that fell under Mousa and gave them to Bussells. He also appointed a chief of staff, chief of policy and government affairs, and chief community officer. All five report directly to the mayor. Peyton said it's more of a team approach than that of a hierarchy.
Plus, Peyton said Mousa has a great track record as a strong manager and is in demand in the private sector.
Bussells said he and Mousa have different philosophies about the budget but they were getting along.
"I've enjoyed working with him a lot," Bussells said. "He's a very knowledgable fellow, a very opinionated fellow."
General Counsel Rick Mullaney, who served under Delaney and who will work for Peyton, said Mousa has been a great asset to the city. He said great opportunities, not an issue with the budget, prompted Mousa to resign.
Peyton said in his opinion Mullaney, who sat in some of the budget meetings, debated more with Bussells than Mousa. Those meetings, Peyton said, are loaded with strong-willed individuals.
There's Chief of Policy and Government Affairs Steve Diebenow, an established attorney who has certain issues close to his heart, Peyton said. Then there's Chief of Staff Scott Teagle, who Peyton said is "ferociously loyal to me."
"The dynamics of the room were great so that it allowed us to really cortically evaluate all of the options," Peyton said.
Peyton is facing a budget this year with a $40 million deficit -- a hole his staff is trying to figure out how to plug. He's already promised no new taxes.
Part of Mousa's role under Delaney was selling the mayor's vision to the City Council -- and finding dollars and projects to play ball with. If there was any money to be found to finish a park or solve a problem quickly, council members say Mousa was the go-to guy.
"Would Sam tell you everything that was on the table?" council President Lad Daniels asked rhetorically, reflecting his dealings with Mousa. "Well, Sam was a salesman, too, and he was pushing the administration's side."
Mousa is so deeply ingrained in every city project under way right now -- from the new arena and library renovations to road resurfacing and the Duval County Courthouse -- that his expertise will be missed, council Vice President Elaine Brown said.
"To have that reservoir of knowledge walk out the door is certainly not good for Jacksonville," Brown said.
At the same time, Brown stressed she's confident the Better Jacksonville Plan and other city projects are in fine shape. "Sam would never leave this city in distress," she said.
Peyton administration spokeswoman Susan Wiles said the mayor will soon begin looking to fill Mousa's position or find other ways to structure the office. Wiles repeatedly denied Mousa resigned Wednesday and said it hadn't even been discussed, despite Peyton admitting yesterday that Mousa did at least "float" the idea of leaving Wednesday. Wiles said she didn't know of any talk about Mousa's resignation before yesterday morning.
Though Mousa has agreed to consult when necessary, Peyton will still have his hands full trying to find a full-time replacement. Peyton said he'll most likely hire an interim chief operating officer and hopes Mousa will help groom that person.
For the past three years, it was Delaney's vision and Mousa doing the legwork to get the agenda through, Councilman Reggie Fullwood said.
"There is nobody up there that has anywhere near the government experience Sam has," Fullwood said. "He's the guy who knows where the bodies are buried."
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071103/met_13002040.shtml
That's pretty interesting. It's got all the ingredients of a Peyton article...
- resignations
- interim appointments
- budget holes
- restructuring
- loyal Scott Teagle
- Susie Wiles sound bites
- denial