QuoteThe Riverwalk Project, a smartphone app to encourage activity on Downtown's Riverwalk, is seeking $300,000 in seed money from the city.
The app, born from a collaboration of the St. Johns Riverkeeper, the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida, the Jacksonville Historical Society and the city of Jacksonville, has four components: health, environment, arts and entertainment and history.
full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2013/10/17/riverwalk-app-seeks-300000-seed.html
Not too get the snark started too quickly, but that sounds like a big chunk of change for a smartphone app. Imagine paying a decent programmer to make it, and I doubt it would take them more than 200 hours. Even if you employed him for a year, you wouldn't need anywhere near that much.
Quote"It really gives a voice to the community and helps community tell the story about our community," said Vanessa Harper
What? Sounds like someone trying to justify a paycheck.
Are you saying you'd rather give 30 small businesses $10k grants/loans to open in downtown retail storefronts instead of $300k for a smartphone app?
This was a One Spark project. They did quite well in comparison with other projects, but still only raised a few thousand dollars.
Quote from: thelakelander on October 17, 2013, 05:14:20 PM
Are you saying you'd rather give 30 small businesses $10k grants/loans to open in downtown retail storefronts instead of $300k for a smartphone app?
Yep!! 30, or even 5-10 businesses around the riverwalk would do far more to increase its use than this app. This is another case of the downtown "brain trust" thinking that people don't come downtown because they "don't know about downtown". That's an arrogant excuse that overlooks well known shortcomings of the core. It's a hostile environment to its own merchants and less accommodating than alternative venues (SJTC) to visitors. Instead of a riverwalk app, let's spend $20k on a free parking locator and then give the remainder of the money to existing bars and restaurants to increase their sidewalk presence.
The DT marketing effort is vast, but splintered and ineffective. This app is just another step forward in the wrong direction.
Quote from: tufsu1 on October 17, 2013, 05:21:57 PM
This was a One Spark project. They did quite well in comparison with other projects, but still only raised a few thousand dollars.
Yeah, I remember it. I just wasn't aware that it would eventually cost the city $300k. At that point, you have to evaluate it in comparison with everything other thing that needs some type of public funding.
Good gosh, no!
This is another part of the siloing of ideas and initiatives. Not understanding or taking into effect the other forces that make the situation what it is. Hopefully, this doesn't become a battle over money between competing agencies and businesses, live DVI and this app.
Either way, 300k seems absurdly high, even if this app delivers every one of it's goals.
Did Mayor Brown hold a press conference for this? Shucks!
The guy who wrote the JTA app for us all to see where the trolleys were located for the Avondale Trolley rides, is local, was able to shore up funding in the end and worked with businesses to get the app created and implemented. I'd start with that guy, cause he already knows how to get stuff done. JTA will know who it is. Jim Love actually worked very closely with him too.
Quote from: Bridges on October 17, 2013, 07:06:15 PM
This is another part of the siloing of ideas and initiatives.
while I'm not endorsing spending $300k, I think this joint effort is the exact opposite of siloing
Lets see $200k to try and save Hemming Plaza vs $300k to tell us what is happening on the Riverwalk. Yea. That makes sense!! Just wow. This is the type of stuff that gives those against taxes talking points.
Hopefully they just say no.
Isn't there already a pretty popular app that does this?
https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/