This is disheartening and frustrating.
tl;dr of the situation:
1) The city set aside $250,000 to fund FHP from April to September.
2) FHP brokered a deal with Community First, where Community First would finance a $250,000 stage in Hemming Park in exchange for naming rights.
3) FHP worked out an arrangement where, instead of the city paying them $250,000 to run through September, the city would pay the $250,000 to build the stage, and Community First would pay FHP $250,000 for operating expenses through September. The plan made sense, as the city would then own the infrastructure improvement flat-out, Community First would get naming rights, and FHP would technically be self-sufficient through September.
4) The city, in typical city fashion, somehow screwed up the naming rights deal and scared Community First off.
5) Without Community First financing their operating expenses in exchange for naming rights, FHP once again needs the $250,000 that the city had already set aside in order to continue operations through September.
6) While this has all been playing out, FHP has avoided asking for any additional funding and has burnt through their war chest. The group only has enough in the coffers to sustain itself for another two weeks.
I'd like to know what happened between the city and Community First that caused the naming rights deal to go south.
Don't know the specifics of FHP's expenditures, but there is no universe where 1) they haven't done a remarkable job in short order turning that block around, 2) the long-term ROI of what they're doing isn't astronomical.
Fix the problem, and get back to work on building that stage and finding a tenet for Snyder Memorial.
P.S. Also worth noting that if the City Council doesn't release the $250k to FHP today, all planned projects for the park, including the Black Sheep kiosk, are effectively dead.
Found this when I was looking through the coj public email.
QuoteFrom: Roger Rassman <rogerr@c1cufl.org>
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Subject: Hemming Park Stage
To: "JSawyer@coj.net" <JSawyer@coj.net>
Cc: Vince Cavin <vince@hemmingpark.org>
Mr. Sawyer,
I understand that the bill 2016-198 is scheduled to go before the full Council for vote on Tuesday, May 24 after passing the Finance Committee on Monday and the Recreation, Community Development, Public Health and Safety Committee yesterday. I am writing to make sure the City of Jacksonville is clear on our position regarding the proposed Hemming Park stage and our prospective naming rights sponsorship of that stage. The discussion at Finance Committee on Monday especially concerns me. As I am sure you recall, the conversation at that meeting included the provision for the City to have the option to cancel the contract after three years and pay us $100,000 instead of honoring the final two years of the agreement. That isn't acceptable to us. As I said on the phone on Friday and have said numerous times, for us to agree to convey to Friends of Hemming (FOHP) a $250,000 lump sum we need a written guarantee that we will receive the full five year sponsorship benefit of that $250,000. The agreement we created with FOHP in late March includes the language we prefer. It appears at this point that bill 2016-198 assumes that upon its passage we will sign the sponsorship agreement and convey $250,000 to FOHP. That won't happen without the aforementioned guarantee.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Roger
Roger G. Rassman
Vice President, Marketing
Community First Credit Union
Love Where You Bank
rogerr@c1cufl.org www.CommunityFirstFL.org
So it looks like the city wanted to be able to cancel the deal after 3 years and pay community first back $100k ($50k times 2 years).
Community first wanted a guarantee of 5 years of sponsorship.
Maybe the city thought they could get more money from someone else after 3 years.
Hmmm, can they meet in the middle somewhere like normal business negotiations do?
Or trust FHP throughout the initial 18-month period without trying to micromanage every transaction.
Community First desperately wanted to invest in the city and help out in the rehabilitation of what is perhaps Jacksonville's most important city block.
They had a quarter of a million dollars in hand to help out Friends of Hemming Park and build a permanent stage that could be used to host more special events and draw more visitors to the park.
And the fucking city goes and ruins it, turning their back on what is basically a free major infrastructure improvement to Hemming because they may want more money for the sponsorship rights of a nonexistent stage in years four and five of the proposed agreement.
FHP had an agreement written with terms that everyone could agree to, that would vastly improve Hemming without spending a dime of taxpayer money (minus the operating costs for FHP already earmarked in the mayor's budget), and the city screwed it up.
Unbelievable.
http://player.theplatform.com/p/IfSiAC/bcvO7ry5GnGV
Not funding FHP would be the dumbest thing the city has done in a whole couple of weeks! It's been a bit of a trend.
They received 100k to keep them in operation through 8/15. Council will review their books and either will give them more money at that time in conjunction that is proposed in the new annual budget.
Quote from: UNFurbanist on May 24, 2016, 05:45:27 PM
Not funding FHP would be the dumbest thing the city has done in a whole couple of weeks! It's been a bit of a trend.
Ha!
QuoteThey received 100k to keep them in operation through 8/15. Council will review their books and either will give them more money at that time in conjunction that is proposed in the new annual budget.
How does Cavin "leak the news that the FHP only has a couple of weeks of funds left.....to a reporter" then go in front of CC and ask for more funds? Both he and Dr. Wood deserved the grilling tonight. If Community First does not come through with funds or they do not raise enough to be self-sufficient, you can bet John Cresembini and others, who publicly shamed both Cavin and Wood, will not be so kind in the future.
Classic Cavin:
"This will carry us through the next four months. Then we have some events planned, which should bring additional funding," Cavin said. "I'm sorry if we didn't disclose earlier on. We'll do a better job in the future. I promise you that."http://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/council-committee-slashes-friends-of-hemming-park-funding-request (http://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/council-committee-slashes-friends-of-hemming-park-funding-request)
"There is something wrong, and it needs to be fixed," Crescimbeni said. "We can't keep throwing money over there without a solution."Tick tock, tick tock....
Quote from: KenFSU on May 24, 2016, 04:30:57 PM
Or trust FHP throughout the initial 18-month period without trying to micromanage every transaction.
Community First desperately wanted to invest in the city and help out in the rehabilitation of what is perhaps Jacksonville's most important city block.
They had a quarter of a million dollars in hand to help out Friends of Hemming Park and build a permanent stage that could be used to host more special events and draw more visitors to the park.
And the fucking city goes and ruins it, turning their back on what is basically a free major infrastructure improvement to Hemming because they may want more money for the sponsorship rights of a nonexistent stage in years four and five of the proposed agreement.
FHP had an agreement written with terms that everyone could agree to, that would vastly improve Hemming without spending a dime of taxpayer money (minus the operating costs for FHP already earmarked in the mayor's budget), and the city screwed it up.
Unbelievable.
I actually understand the city's position on this. The city wants to work directly with Community First so the deal isn't tied to FHP. I do believe they have been very flaky with their money. Other groups want to come in and do a better job. They need to be held to the fire. Somehow even the full 250K only gets them through to September. The money needs to be tracked and spent more wisely. No one doubts the results are nice, but the money is just not adding up.
The city is getting tired throwing money in that tiny little park. Why are they asking for so much money to maintain that tiny little park anyway? Really don't get it. What the park needs is a few cops to keep those homeless and those bums away
Quote from: FRANTZ46 on May 25, 2016, 09:35:04 AM
The city is getting tired throwing money in that tiny little park. Why are they asking for so much money to maintain that tiny little park anyway? Really don't get it. What the park needs is a few cops to keep those homeless and those bums away
More is needed than that. We need a good space that is well programmed. We just need to make sure the money is being used efficiently.
Quote from: FRANTZ46 on May 25, 2016, 09:35:04 AM
The city is getting tired throwing money in that tiny little park. Why are they asking for so much money to maintain that tiny little park anyway? Really don't get it. What the park needs is a few cops to keep those homeless and those bums away
This pot has been stirred a few times.
Would the park be more attractive to a larger group of people without the bums? Yes.
Would the park's success or failure be directly related to the removal of said bums? No.
Absolutely frustrating the COJ fumbled this. Honestly feels like they've been out against this group from the start.
Well they're good at rallying the troops, anyway.
Quote from: FRANTZ46 on May 25, 2016, 09:35:04 AM
The city is getting tired throwing money in that tiny little park. Why are they asking for so much money to maintain that tiny little park anyway? Really don't get it. What the park needs is a few cops to keep those homeless and those bums away
I agree. The biggest reason the park is so unpopular is all the people that spend their time there talking, eating, playing chess, etc.
The park would be better served with having a slightly more polished look (referring to the decorations). The cafe area and game tables are great touches but I often feel like I am walking through a middle school decorated for spirit week. Don't get me wrong, I like where their head is, but massive shark heads and chickens that resemble over-sized grade school art projects are not how we need this centerpiece park to look.
Perhaps one day they will exchange bricks for grass.
I think they want to turn it all to greenspace and put a carousel by the library end.
This does not look good...
http://jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547921
Excessive spending, inconsistent funding, many more money-losing than money-making events, unfinished projects, and now serious accounting lapses? Sounds to damn familiar. What next?
Were the naysayers right all along?
Quote$842.71 for an 18 percent late fee to an architectural firm
Oops.
$1000 sink? Gold or silver plated? The $25 sink from Home Depot would not work? How about a donated one?
This whole thing stinks as much as that BBQ joint that sits empty at Davis and Union Street.
People and projects downtown know one thing, waste!
Hard to believe that Pogopalooza didn't make money. Top tier draw right there.
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on July 12, 2016, 08:42:16 AM
I feel like I could have put that on for like $500 plus insurance, there really wasn't much to it.
if of course you didn't bring in anyone from outside of Jacksonville, as they did
Starting to sound like One Spark Part 2. A good idea in theory that is financially mismanaged so poorly that the project looses credibility....
As someone that has managed a substantial amount of taxpayer money, this is careless management of public money. Let's be clear though, it is all public money. Even money that is "privately raised" is still essentially public money. FOHP is able to raise funds solely because they have been given management of a public (taxpayer) asset and those that donate do so for the public. I'm guessing the City is also on the hook for the $76k grant that was used for operating expenses if they can't raise the funds for it.
It's convenient for FOHP's leadership to make the former operations manager the fall guy, but I doubt he was doing much they weren't aware of.
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on July 12, 2016, 08:42:16 AM
This project has so much promise and I would hate to see it tank because of a failure of leadership. Sounds like the City Council is, rightfully, losing patience.
It does not appear that the non-leadership personnel fought the free food and tickets.
So if you have leadership that failed to do their job and the rest of the team that did not say "no" to all the free stuff, where is the project's promise ?
That's absurd. Lunches and snacks paid for with public funds? They need to start acting more like a nonprofit and less like a tech startup. The one point I do agree with is that initially the city should have gotten more behind them to kick start fundraising efforts. They have been fighting an uphill PR battle for the past couple years and that has no doubt affected their ability to solicit donations.
Side note: I'd really love to see this $1,000 sink.
I love how we're tangled over what amounts to somewhere around $20k in funds, yet we piss away LITERALLY hundreds of millions on the Jaguars. We should just sell hemming park to shad khan so we can drop a decent amount of money on it without complaint.
Our council, just like most of our governments, are handicapped by ignorance. We are powerless to solve so many of our problems, so we make issue with $1000 sink because that's easy to yell about.
How are we supposed to outrage over a $100 million scoreboard? We can't. It's too abstract. The money is too unreal at those amounts for most people, including me, to understand. The projects are too large to put in perspective.
But, tell me about a hammer that cost more than $10 or a lunch that costs more than I am willing to pay, and I'll have a righteous sense of outrage. Our city council is the same way.
Quote from: TheCat on July 12, 2016, 11:17:35 AM
I love how we're tangled over what amounts to somewhere around $20k in funds, yet we piss away LITERALLY hundreds of millions on the Jaguars. We should just sell hemming park to shad khan so we can drop a decent amount of money on it without complaint.
Our council, just like most of our governments, are handicapped by ignorance. We are powerless to solve so many of our problems, so we make issue with $1000 sink because that's easy to yell about.
How are we supposed to outrage over a $100 million scoreboard? We can't. It's too abstract. The money is too unreal at those amounts for most people, including me, to understand. The projects are too large to put in perspective.
But, tell me about a hammer that cost more than $10 or a lunch that costs more than I am willing to pay, and I'll have a righteous sense of outrage. Our city council is the same way.
The problem that I have isn't with the amount per se, it's the fact that no one could seem to answer where it was going until this happened.
The Jaguars argument is apples and oranges-you can argue whether or not the city should spend it, but you know what you're getting for the money.
There's been an unfortunate "circling the wagons" tendency from FOHP whenever the finances are questioned. This was bound to happen sooner or later. Hopefully Hemming Park improvement can continue even if FOHP can't.
http://www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Whitehaven-21-56-in-x-35-68-in-White-Single-Basin-Cast-Iron-Apron-Front-Farmhouse-Residential-Kitchen-Sink/999946410
(http://mobileimages.lowes.com/product/converted/885612/885612051806.jpg)
Since everyone is hung up over a sink, f-ing get over it. They don't all cost $1k, but it's right in-line with most of Kohler's brand that I'm sure the majority of you here already have or wouldn't blink twice if goes in your house.
And I do agree with Cat on this, "...tell me about a hammer that cost more than $10 or a lunch that costs more than I am willing to pay, and I'll have a righteous sense of outrage. Our city council is the same way."
Should FOHP be held accountable for every dime they spend? Yes, without a doubt. Should the city council be hammering them every time the payment is due? Absolutely not. But it's hard for them to compare FOHP's frivolous [used very liberally] spending to their own personal frivolous [not used as liberally] district spending because?
Dear City Council,
Pay them the money that was agreed upon when it's due. Stop fighting them every inch because as long as people get the impression that you're against them, they're exponentially less likely to invest in a losing battle. And every day that walk into work on the Monroe St. side (Under Construction BTW)ask yourself if the park looks better or worse.
Regards,
Common Sense
Quote from: TheCat on July 12, 2016, 11:17:35 AM
I love how we're tangled over what amounts to somewhere around $20k in funds, yet we piss away LITERALLY hundreds of millions on the Jaguars. We should just sell hemming park to shad khan so we can drop a decent amount of money on it without complaint.
Apples to oranges...and I think its a little more than $20k in funds. The biggest issue to me (and 2 others I've spoken to) with the article is that they didn't even know to solicit multiple quotes for the installation of the stage, and that they didn't realize as a non-profit they have the ability to leverage free or discounted labor. Everyone knows that contractors love a naïve government/public worker that doesn't know the true value of the project. This is one of the reasons governments have procurement policies. It's absurd to not get at least 3 quotes. Does the contract not require FOHP to follow COJ's procurement policies?
The real problem here to me is that FOHP was always going to have detractors and suburban politicians looking to cut/minimize funding. By them making these mistakes/missteps, they are only adding fuel to the fire and hurting the cause. There is zero room for error. The end result will be disinvestment in downtown over petty things that could have been avoided.
Another reason it's apples to oranges: The process with the Jags is transparent. You can argue that it's not the best use of money, but at least you know what they're asking for. Further, but both the Scoreboard and Pools, and with the other other improvements, the Jaguars are managing the construction in exchange with being responsible for cost overruns - this avoids the whole. "we need more money" argument.
The original city contract explicitly outlined that private funds were to match city funds and create a sustainable business model.
The FOHP won the contract because they said they could do that. The next time they went in front of the city, they got semantical about what could be "included" as private donations. The contract has been "amended" several times since then in the favor of the FoHP and at the expense of the taxpayer.
There are several private individuals that have profited from this venture at the expense of the community. This was always going to be the case as making this block generate $500,000 for sustainability wasn't ever going to happen - even with the direct support and promotion via DVI. The goal for leadership now is to generate "vocal, community support" so that the city feels like it doesn't have a choice but to continue funding this sinkhole. This article will make that tough but keep in mind that Wayne Wood and co. have started courting the mayor for budget as council support slips.
FoHP has clearly failed and will not be successful under current leadership. This has been obvious for some time. A new RFP should be issued by the city to find other interested parties in trying. FoHP did succeed at getting the ball rolling on a private/public park and deserve credit for that but need to step away before they completely destroy any chance of public confidence in Hemming Plaza being sustainably successful.
Quote from: CityLife on July 12, 2016, 12:25:43 PM
Quote from: TheCat on July 12, 2016, 11:17:35 AM
I love how we're tangled over what amounts to somewhere around $20k in funds, yet we piss away LITERALLY hundreds of millions on the Jaguars. We should just sell hemming park to shad khan so we can drop a decent amount of money on it without complaint.
Apples to oranges...and I think its a little more than $20k in funds. The biggest issue to me (and 2 others I've spoken to) with the article is that they didn't even know to solicit multiple quotes for the installation of the stage, and that they didn't realize as a non-profit they have the ability to leverage free or discounted labor. Everyone knows that contractors love a naïve government/public worker that doesn't know the true value of the project. This is one of the reasons governments have procurement policies. It's absurd to not get at least 3 quotes. Does the contract not require FOHP to follow COJ's procurement policies?
The real problem here to me is that FOHP was always going to have detractors and suburban politicians looking to cut/minimize funding. By them making these mistakes/missteps, they are only adding fuel to the fire and hurting the cause. There is zero room for error. The end result will be disinvestment in downtown over petty things that could have been avoided.
Well put.
Quote from: stephendare on July 12, 2016, 02:04:06 PM
The 'thousand dollar sink' incidentally, was for a three chambered sink required by law in order to qualify for liquor and beverage sales.
Having bought a number of them myself, they aren't cheap.
https://www.katom.com/189-143C18X240X.html?zmam=29342707&zmas=1&zmac=32&zmap=189-143C18X240X&utm_source=google&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=CSE&gclid=CjwKEAjwqpK8BRD7ua-U0orrgkESJADlN3YBmXBjBisD-GKPvG01cdFYkB70I0srMZiVCGbhsXm23BoCObzw_wcB
(http://image.slidesharecdn.com/chrishallparis2010-100524074954-phpapp01/95/the-digital-natives-meme-why-context-is-more-important-than-technology-23-728.jpg)
These "sinks" might not be cheap, but even on the www.katom.com site you posted only 3 out of the top 25 results were over $1,000.
They don't cost over $1,000 when one is purchasing with sustainable intent. I doubt they ordered from www.katom.com, anyways. Probably purchased from a friendly source - something that the public / park system wouldn't allow - and something that should be investigated about this $1million dollar block.
Went through the first four pages of www.amazon.com results for 3 compartment commercial sink and nothing over $1,000.
You obviously know more than I do about running a failed restaurant and FoHP are following your example.
By all means, defend them as you would yourself.
Shall i start a new thread on installing a 3 compartment commercial sink?
Criminal prosecution is next....there are no more excuses
Quote from: stephendare on July 12, 2016, 02:04:06 PM
The 'thousand dollar sink' incidentally, was for a three chambered sink required by law in order to qualify for liquor and beverage sales.
Having bought a number of them myself, they aren't cheap.
https://www.katom.com/189-143C18X240X.html?zmam=29342707&zmas=1&zmac=32&zmap=189-143C18X240X&utm_source=google&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=CSE&gclid=CjwKEAjwqpK8BRD7ua-U0orrgkESJADlN3YBmXBjBisD-GKPvG01cdFYkB70I0srMZiVCGbhsXm23BoCObzw_wcB
I suppose if you are a new restaurant or bar with funding, you could shop there. Or if you were a non-profit with limited funds, you might consider shopping here: https://www.hotelrestaurantsupply.com/BKR-BK8BS-3-18-12.html (https://www.hotelrestaurantsupply.com/BKR-BK8BS-3-18-12.html)
I've bought a couple myself, in former businesses, and never paid $1000 for one.
Geez, Stephen, could you have picked out a more expensive freaking 3 compartment sink? I mean dang! You can find these sinks USED, in Jacksonville or you can buy new ones, not $1000 sinks. Having purchased used products for our facility, it ain't rocket science and you can get quotes for labor and plumbing services instead of using the most expensive ones in town, who see you as the worlds largest sucker. FOHP should be held accountable for these blatant wastes of taxpayer dollars. The so-called leaders are not even qualified to run a lemonade stand!
http://www.gsequipmentinc.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=sink (http://www.gsequipmentinc.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=sink)
http://www.therdstore.com/page/IFSES/CTGY/DPSINK3 (http://www.therdstore.com/page/IFSES/CTGY/DPSINK3)
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/14927/3-compartment-sinks.html (http://www.webstaurantstore.com/14927/3-compartment-sinks.html)
This aint rocket science, I spent 5 minutes searching and found these links. The people in charge of money didn't care to do ANY research or look at any ways to stretch the money given, when it came to facilities. Why would they care about free food or t-shirts?
QuoteThis is one of the reasons governments have procurement policies. It's absurd to not get at least 3 quotes. Does the contract not require FOHP to follow COJ's procurement policies?
No one from FOHP ever worked with the city? No one knows where their procurement office is located? Why not freakin ask someone? For this Cavin stands responsible, it's his butt on the block. Can't blame the people stuffing their face with free food, Cavin could have EVEN asked to use some of the city contractors for services under the same City Rates, he seems like a smart guy, the article should have discussed this further. I agree the City does a lousy job managing their facilities, but surely someone from the Neighborhoods department could have been assigned as a liaison to the city to help these FOHP with the project. Neighborhoods does this stuff every day. Again, not rocket science!
QuoteSince everyone is hung up over a sink, f-ing get over it. They don't all cost $1k, but it's right in-line with most of Kohler's brand that I'm sure the majority of you here already have or wouldn't blink twice if goes in your house.
No one out here would put a $1000 sink in their house if their budget called for something less, a sink is a freakin sink.
QuoteAnd I do agree with Cat on this, "...tell me about a hammer that cost more than $10 or a lunch that costs more than I am willing to pay, and I'll have a righteous sense of outrage. Our city council is the same way."
Sure there is waste, all over the city, sure thing. But this waste happened RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE DARN CITY HALL, its not as if they could not see it out their friggin windows! Waste on baymeadows road is one thing, but waste in front of 117 West Duval? Come on!
QuoteShould FOHP be held accountable for every dime they spend? Yes, without a doubt. Should the city council be hammering them every time the payment is due? Absolutely not. But it's hard for them to compare FOHP's frivolous [used very liberally] spending to their own personal frivolous [not used as liberally] district spending because?
This is not a City Council Spending matter, its an FOHP matter. There are some VERY smart people on the FOHP, and they screwed up, royally, they should be held accountable for every dime spent on everything from here on out. If the project dies, it dies, better to let it die than waste 100,000s of more taxpayer dollars on something that cannot be held accountable.
I am very disappointed in the leadership of FOHP. Not a time for them to put their heads in the sand and disappear.
QuoteThe sinks can actually get a lot more expensive, and if you plan on using them for three years or more, you get them with warranty and installation.
FOHP is a startup, you don't know if you are going to have money for NEXT WEEK, let alone 3 years from now. You don't buy the 3-year warranty, cause you don't know if you will be around in 3 years. Hell they should have gone to a bank with their business plan, I can hear the laughter from the execs!
The FOHP plan was simple, fix the park and have events so people would come and pay. No one coming down needed a $1000 sink, sorry dude, not buying it! Gotta call BULLSHIT on that one!
QuoteWhy thats not obvious, Im not sure.
Me neither!
QuoteBut until the city pays the entire amount that they were previously paying to maintain that park and keep it programmed with activity, then the city should be freaking thankful for the cut in costs but the giant gain in services.
Why would the city throw bad money after good money? Let Cavin and Woods go out and get private donors to pour their money down the drain. The City should lease the land back to FOHP and do the same thing they did with Sleiman, let them maintain the facilities with their own funds.
No taxpayer dollars, no involvement, and ask a taxpayer for years longer than you, I have to say I would welcome more oversight by the council as would other taxpayers.
Based on the latest spreadsheet available here: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/investigates/action-news-jax-investigates-questionable-spending-by-friends-of-hemming-park/375218952 (http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/investigates/action-news-jax-investigates-questionable-spending-by-friends-of-hemming-park/375218952)
You have 5 positions that cost FOHP almost $220,000 per year. The CEO position is at $67k, the Marketing Director is at $54k, the volunteer coordinator is at 36k and Ambassador 1 at $33k and Ambassador 2 at $30k. Meaning, these folks need $220,000 a year for salary....alone. Kudos to Cavin for cutting back salaries, they were running at $288k in March, then they cut back on an Ambassador and an Operations Manager, saving almost $70k a year.
Some of these expenses are stupid, someone got a parking ticket, it got reimbursed, the group is spending $2000-$3000 a month on marketing alone in print publications. Throwing money around in Arbus, Jax Magazine, The White Publishing Group, FOLIO....doesn't anyone help them with a media buying? They have been in exhistence for 2 years, so why is it they seem to use so many publications and Facebook, without a consistent message? By now, they should know their audience, based on patronage.
Examine them yourself, I only looked at the last quarter, March 2016 - June 2016.
I am sure Stephen's Gold Plated 3-year warranty Sink is in these files somewhere...
How about coming clean Stephen over the FOHP mess, like this entry in the records.....
03/30/2015 Check 290 MetroJacksonville.com Invoice #1182047 1100 1100 Everbank Checking
Monthly Calendar Cards 6510 6510 Program Permitting:Marketing Support
There are many other "instances" of MJ providing paid services to FOHP during 2015, are there others in 2014 or 2016?
Its fine and dandy to get on your soap box and fight the good fight for your friends, but come clean and let everyone know that MJ was and may still be a vendor with FOHP.
In the essence of decency......
Anytime you want to go toe to toe with me on business, Stephen, bring it.....The family biz built here in Jax lasted 33 years till we sold out to a west coast firm, and for this I was a bit younger than 18, and we're still building new businesses in Jacksonville.....like I said....anytime.
yawn
Quote from: mtraininjax on July 14, 2016, 12:22:16 AM
FOHP is a startup, you don't know if you are going to have money for NEXT WEEK, let alone 3 years from now. You don't buy the 3-year warranty, cause you don't know if you will be around in 3 years.
You do when your contract with the City is for 5 years!
What if the FoHP breach the contract by not raising stipulated private $?
Quote from: whyisjohngalt on July 14, 2016, 09:36:31 AM
What if the FoHP breach the contract by not raising stipulated private $?
Breach of contract because reading is hard?
QuoteFriends' future in the balance
One thing that is fairly certain is the contract will be amended.
There's no question Friends met the terms of the contract.
But the vaguely written contract did not put stipulations on how taxpayer dollars could be spent, nor did it prohibit public money and private dollars from being commingled. (There are specifics attached to how the $100,000 released last month can be used.)
Obviously that's not the original RFP.
If you want to read some investigative journalism, instead of paid for shills, read FoHP's spending here: http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/investigates/action-news-jax-investigates-questionable-spending-by-friends-of-hemming-park/375218952 (http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/investigates/action-news-jax-investigates-questionable-spending-by-friends-of-hemming-park/375218952)
$22,000 petty cash expense and $1,300 to One Spark as a "service fee"?
Come on, guys. Just give our city nice things. At no cost. With immediate success. And a two-week learning curve. And no growing pains. Under extreme micro-management. That are 100% self-sustaining their first year. Is that too much to ask?
Seems like we just need to answer two simple questions:
1) Is Hemming Park a better place now than it was when FHOP took over?
2) Is sustaining or improving Hemming Park, as it is today under FHP, worth the incremental increase in annual expenditures?
- If yes, continue funding FHP, offering support, not micromanagement and "Gotcha!" plays
- If no, determine how much money you are willing to give them for the next 12 months of operation, and determine next steps from there.
Could they keep a tighter leash on finances? Sure. But have they made big strides, under a lot of scrutiny, in the face of obstacles placed in front of them by the city, with Jacksonville's best interests in mind? Absolutely.
In the article, Cavin is quoted as saying that this petty cash was to buy alcohol and pay bartenders.
If you're saying it was used to make change, and that the leader of this group didn't know what was going on, then I guess I finally agree with you.
Does that mean I get paid off now, too?
And as far as the value of this park to downtown, I would argue that these funds would be better used developing housing. It looks like most months they lose more than $40,000 operating this plaza. Over 5 years that's $2.4 million.......
If hat I saw on TV is correct, a 20,000 unexplained with receipts petty cash fund,would not give them another penny from city funds!
At the risk of pointing out the obvious, I think people are throwing around the terms "city funds" and "taxpayer money" a little bit too loosely in terms of FHOP's expenditures. Friends of Hemming Park is a private entity funded by a combination of earned revenue, sponsorship and grants, and public subsidies from the city of Jacksonville. There's no way of knowing whether that $1,000 sink, for example, or a $500 funeral donation, or salary for the grounds crew, was paid for using privately raised funds or public money. The city didn't stipulate that FHP needed to make an accounting distinction between public and private spending in their contract with FHOP, and now they're retroactively upset about it, and going through the books line item by line item and insinuating that every single questionable purchases were made using taxpayer money.
It's also worth noting that we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation if the city didn't sabotage a $250,000 win-win deal with Community First to build and sponsor a permanent stage at Hemming Park.
Again, not saying FHoP haven't made mistakes. $8,000 in meal expenses is pretty egregious for any startup, let alone established small business. But don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. These guys have brought a lot of positive momentum to Hemming. Sit down, communicate stipulations for expenditures before the fact, rather than after, set realistic benchmarks, and see what happens.
Quote from: jlmann on July 15, 2016, 01:14:44 PM
Also, maybe you could type a few pages on your extensive business success. reading about your great grandparents was real interesting and all, but you must have countless examples of your own acumen given that you know how absolutely everything works.
not really countless. but there is an about page that you can look at.
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/about
They average over $40,000 a month loss. Unless these lunches are over $1,000 / day, that's not the issue. Neither is the sink.
It's been more than two years and the plans and direction needs to change. Present something that shows some experience and insight and give the city an opportunity to prioritize. FoHP isn't currently even close to sustainable and it isn't worth the negative press for downtown to have to do this every quarter.
The spending reminds me of One Spark and it had 3 years to die or change, too.
Ouch.
The pension continues to hold the city hostage instead of renegotiating reasonable pension that would allow Jacksonville to move on.
Speaking of moving on, did we ever find out if anybody from MetroJacksonville was taken to lunch by anyone from FoHP?
Quote from: whyisjohngalt on July 18, 2016, 04:06:11 PM
Speaking of moving on, did we ever find out if anybody from MetroJacksonville was taken to lunch by anyone from FoHP?
Stephen is right though. He mentioned that he gave them advertising on MetroJax at a big discount, and even if that took a lunch at black sheep, it still saved FoHP money.
I don't think the big deal is the little discrepancies. By buying a cheaper sink, eating lunch at quizno's, skipping out on the one spark passes, etc, what do you save? $25000 out of a million dollar budget? $50000?
If they were nailing the private matching contributions they said they could get, none of this would be a problem. As is, it doesn't look like the city is willing to fund the current level of programming at hemming park on it's own. I like what has been done with the park, but spending $25000 a week on a city block does seem high.
I'm not sure what average park budgets are though, and Stephen insists this is a deal, so I'd be open to hearing some comparisons.
Quote from: stephendare on July 18, 2016, 04:31:32 PM
that seems like a fair enough question, dukes_forge. Let me track down that answer for you.
And keep in mind that the organization has already raised 400k in private dollars.
$400k is what percent of what they are supposed to have raised by now? I was under the impression they were falling well short of goals, but haven't followed too closely until this latest imbroglio.
Quote from: Murder_me_Rachel on July 18, 2016, 12:06:10 PM
And now the city has budgeted them for half of its $500,000 request.
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547965
yes and no...the City is incentivizing private funding....if FOHP gets $250k in private funding, they get more City money
It's safe to say that SMG hasn't taken metrojax out to lunch...
Anyways, perhaps metrojax could get some volunteers to FoHP for upcoming events or a fundraiser.
While I've never met Vince Cavin, and may very well be a nice guy and competent, I almost think that if FOHP survives it will be without him. For example, I believe One Spark might have survived in it's original form if when problems started to arise, Elton Rivas transitioned leadership to someone else.
Might be the best political move they could make. Like I said, I don't know Vince, but the PR side hasn't been in their favor.
So is the entire black sheep kiosk in question now? They've already ripped up the bricks to put it in. That was the component I was most looking forward to!
Quote from: stephendare on July 26, 2016, 12:42:14 PM
Meh. the problem here is not the FOHP. Its John Crescembini, Bill Gulliford and Matt Schellenberg.
Newby, Scott Wilson and Anna will feel differently once they get out of the crank bubble and listen to the actual FOHP.
Also they keep operating under the idea that the budget is all tax payer money.
Perception is reality. Very few people believe the problem is the City.
Quote from: UNFurbanist on July 26, 2016, 02:45:23 PM
So is the entire black sheep kiosk in question now? They've already ripped up the bricks to put it in. That was the component I was most looking forward to!
Can't do a kiosk with 75% of the grant money already spent on FOHP operational expenses. Seems they would need to raise or get COJ to payback the portion of funds already spent. Where's Jax's Dan Gilbert when you need him!
Quote from: thelakelander on July 26, 2016, 04:23:14 PM
Quote from: UNFurbanist on July 26, 2016, 02:45:23 PM
So is the entire black sheep kiosk in question now? They've already ripped up the bricks to put it in. That was the component I was most looking forward to!
Can't do a kiosk with 75% of the grant money already spent on FOHP operational expenses. Seems they would need to raise or get COJ to payback the portion of funds already spent. Where's Jax's Dan Gilbert when you need him!
FoHP spent the Black Sheep grant money on operations? Is that perception of reality?
Quotehttp://jacksonville.com/news/2016-07-29/story/hemming-park-stops-music-performances-groups-financial-health-deteriorates
Hemming Park stops music performances as group's financial health deteriorates
Under the growing pressure of a budget crunch and scrutiny from city officials into their spending of public money, officials of the non-profit that manages downtown's Hemming Park said Friday they're suspending daily music performances.
The live music was one of several activities the group, Friends of Hemming Park, hoped would attract people to the park.
In a message posted to Facebook, the group, which relies heavily on city money, said the city no longer allowed them to pay for musicians with its funding, and the performances would be suspended until they received enough private donations to cover the costs.
"Friends of Hemming Park believes in paying artists for their time and talent," the post said.
Think these guys are doing good work, but come on FHP. Now isn't the time to be idealistic. Isn't the better, more obvious solution to simply not pay the artists if you can't afford to do so.
Surely there are musicians in the city willing to play in Hemming for free in return for tips and exposure.
Quote from: stephendare on July 30, 2016, 12:32:54 AM
Quote from: KenFSU on July 29, 2016, 11:45:01 PM
Quotehttp://jacksonville.com/news/2016-07-29/story/hemming-park-stops-music-performances-groups-financial-health-deteriorates
Hemming Park stops music performances as group's financial health deteriorates
Under the growing pressure of a budget crunch and scrutiny from city officials into their spending of public money, officials of the non-profit that manages downtown's Hemming Park said Friday they're suspending daily music performances.
The live music was one of several activities the group, Friends of Hemming Park, hoped would attract people to the park.
In a message posted to Facebook, the group, which relies heavily on city money, said the city no longer allowed them to pay for musicians with its funding, and the performances would be suspended until they received enough private donations to cover the costs.
"Friends of Hemming Park believes in paying artists for their time and talent," the post said.
Think these guys are doing good work, but come on FHP. Now isn't the time to be idealistic. Isn't the better, more obvious solution to simply not pay the artists if you can't afford to do so. Surely there are musicians in the city willing to play in Hemming for free in return for tips and exposure.
Thats not being idealistic. Its being destructive. We don't expect the guys sweeping to do the work for free.
Disagree, friend. Playing a 45-minute background set in the park during lunch isn't exploitative toward artists, it's content marketing. It's a not-for-profit park giving musicians a platform to get their music in front of new people who aren't coming to the park and paying to hear them play, but might be persuaded by their performance to seek them out at a more formal for-profit venue in the future, tip them, or purchase a CD or digital download.
Look at me. I've got an article up on MetroJax today. No one is coming here with the intent of reading my story about a football game that took place almost a hundred years ago in Jacksonville. But maybe, while they're at this awesome site that you guys have built, they'll check it out. And maybe they'll like it. And maybe they'll pick up a copy of my book. Nothing destructive about that.
No artist is being forced to do anything against their will, but if the only artists FHP are asking to play in the park during lunch command $50 to $150 payouts, maybe we're shooting too high.
Was at RAM today. Then went to Unity Plaza- It's not just a retention pond. Wish I could have put the yak in and do a KJB cleanup. The Gate to the Public Restrooms was open. The 3 actual Public restrooms were locked.
Stay Positive.
Shouldn't FoHP (and everyone, in general) pay everyone as little as they can while still getting productivity out of them?
If you can get a musician (or any artist) for free, and you aren't all that concerned with quality, why pay them?
If you are looking to secure an artist that will attract more attendance or persuade passersby to stay or return at another time, then it is certainly worthwhile to pay that artist their demanded rate, assuming you are realizing a positive return (not necessarily in revenue). Of course, if you can get THIS artist for free (because they see some value in the exposure), then you should absolutely do that.
Same with street sweepers, or any service they require. If you can get materials or labor donated, any money you pay for them is money wasted.
FoHP is a non-profit focused on running a small city park, not an artist advocacy group striving for fair pay for musicians.
MMR, because those two examples are EXACTLY the same thing.
Tell me, what armed militia would be forcing said musicians to play for tips at Hemming Park during lunch. There's no gun to the saxophone player's head forcing him to prostitute himself in front of tyrannical sandwich eaters chatting with their friends and messing with their cellphones. For local musicians, agreeing to provide background music in a public park for a not-for-profit group without the revenue sources to pay them is their own personal choice. Not yours to make for them.
You can't throw a rock at the beach, or San Marco Square, or during Art Walk, without seeing a street musician performing for tips. Surely, in the absence of money to pay professional musicians, you can place an open call for volunteer musicians from schools, churches, and the community. Guess what? They can always say no.
Just seems a little silly to me that FHP views this as such a black & white issue. Paid, professional musicians, or nothing. They're frankly not in a financial position to be taking moral stands on the issue.
Yeah the whole "you should be happy for the exposure" crap is getting old. If you want quality you have to financially sustain it. If you don't care about quality then you will find out how some kid playing Black Sabbath covers can chase off a whole lunch crowd in five minutes.
Quote from: stephendare on August 01, 2016, 09:59:25 AM
I feel the same way about football players.
Artists that sell out 70,000 seat arenas ARE payed quite similarly to football players. They also perform in taxpayer-subsidized venues.
Should we pay the Armada or Axemen players the same as the Jaguar players? Better yet, what about those kids playing flag football in the field by my house?
Quote from: Steve on July 26, 2016, 12:36:38 PM
While I've never met Vince Cavin, and may very well be a nice guy and competent, I almost think that if FOHP survives it will be without him. For example, I believe One Spark might have survived in it's original form if when problems started to arise, Elton Rivas transitioned leadership to someone else.
Might be the best political move they could make. Like I said, I don't know Vince, but the PR side hasn't been in their favor.
Vince Cavin Resigns
http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=548044
I feel bad for the dude (never met him), but sometimes you have to do what's best for the organization while in turn doing something not as good for yourself. I think it's the best opportunity for FOHP to turn the PR tide.
^Totally agree.
Vince seems like a good guy, but this had to happen.
^ on this we agree
If Vince's job performance was exceptional as some individuals here indicate,
There will be a long line of non-profits interested in hiring him based on his work performance at FOHP.
QuoteIf Vince's job performance was exceptional as some individuals here indicate,
There will be a long line of non-profits interested in hiring him based on his work performance at FOHP.
+1
Wood has to resign as well, to move this project out of the mud.
Quote from: stephendare on August 01, 2016, 11:37:43 AM
Only in Jacksonville does a guy raise 400k in corporate sponsorship in the first year and then get hounded into resigning.
Only in Jacksonville does said guy find a local business who says, "Hey, we want to do our part to help bring life back to the urban core! Here's $250 thousand dollars that the city doesn't have so you can build a permanent stage in Hemming Park for the community to enjoy," only to have the city turn around and ruin the deal because they want the right to renegotiate naming rights for a stage they wouldn't otherwise have two years earlier than the local business was originally told.
Could have been a major game changer for Hemming, and I've yet to hear anyone at City Hall take accountability for botching it.
the only plausible conspiracy theory is as follows:
Forcing Dr Wood, a pillar in the community, to resign for taking part in 'growing pains', would have dealt a serious blow to his image and reputation.
Instead, he was given additional responsibilities in programming.
How did this happen?
Per WOKV
City agrees to contract extension with Friends of Hemming Park, with new focus on safety
The City of Jacksonville and Friends of Hemming Park have agreed to a 6-month contract extension which now needs City Council approval
By John Engel
Jacksonville, Fl — It's been nearly a year since outrage surround Friends of Hemming Park, the non-profit tasked with managing Jacksonville's most centralized meeting space, over questionable spending habits and exorbitant salaries.
The controversy led to the resignation of the organization's chief executive officer, Vince Cavin, and intense scrutiny over financial decisions by the City Council and Mayor's Office.
But with an end-of-month expiration looming, Friends of Hemming Park has agreed to a 6-month, $415,000 contract with the City, pending Council approval.
Interim CEO Bill Prescott stepped into his role when the future of Friends of Hemming seemed bleak, and the organization was requesting additional funding from the City just to stay afloat. In the months since, Prescott says the entire mission of the non-profit has shifted.
"City Council and the Mayor's Office was much more interested in clean and safe, and making the park welcoming, and I really think that Friends of Hemming Park has changed that focus and really concentrated on those areas," Prescott told WOKV.
Under the pending contract's current wording, $240,000 will be used by Friends of Hemming Park for approved operational expenses and $175,000 will go toward capital improvement expenses.
Prescott believes the organization's relationships with the City and Council have improved in recent months, too. He says stricter financial reports are important but giving the City Council an opportunity to hear the challenges facing the Friends of Hemming Park has also helped.
415k for periodic beer gardens and santized of any semblance of homeless.
Sorry to sound so sarcastic, but ridding the place of the homless seemed to be more important than the programming.
Give me a 400k grant to work with the homeless downtown and I will make it sing.
That would go a LONG way to start a transition program, instead of shuffling them off to the shadows and shelters until the more privileged exit.