New developments in Springfield on Main Street:
1. One of the infamous pawn shops has closed. Gold And Coin Pawn (on the east side of Main between 7th and 8th) is now closed and the building is for sale.
2. The building which held the original Boomtown on the west side of Main has been torn down. I am surprised that this was allowed but I assume it was considered non-contributing by the City due to the massive alteration to the historic facade done many years ago.
It will be interesting to see the end result here. Hopefully one of the good unintended consequences of the Main repaving will be the closure of at least one of the pawn shops (and maybe more).
What? I was a block away from 7th & Main today and didn't even notice.
I had heard rumors of the pawn shop closing for several months and even saw a letter from a broker offering the property for sale. I was walking one day with a friend in the real estate business who talked me into going in to check it out. The person working behind the counter was telling a potential customer that they were leaving. The reason stated was that parking was tough for people coming in to purchase large items like TV's and the road construction.
Nice! nothing better than seeing Pawn Shops bite the dust on Main St. Maybe it will reopen some place far away!
Well SPAR wants more of your money, since they can’t seem to raise enough for their crime fund and have to take form other funds....here is the new drive to get money from people to support something they "think" is good but in reality is most likely applied elsewhere (notice the SRG house names???!!)...The implication of this email is SPAR is collecting money for the corridor, but that is already funded (and not by SPAR) so what exactly do they want the money for? To provide improved services, you must first provide some type of service.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Commercial Corridor Revitalization efforts are under way for Springfield, and SPAR is playing a very important role in making changes which will have such a positive effect. As a not for profit, we must look for funding sources from the community which we serve; and there are many ways to contribute. Every single dollar that is given is not only deeply appreciated, but is also well spent to do the very most for the community. We have set up some contribution categories since we hope that many will use and encourage others to do so also.
The categories are as follows:
$1.00 to $999.00 Bronze - Saxelbye Contribution
$1,000.00 to $4,999.00 Silver - Ellis Contribution
$5,000.00 to $9,999.00 Gold - Powell Contribution
$10,000.00 to $24,999.00 Platinum - Dozier Contribution
$25,000.00 and up Diamond - Klutho Contribution
All contributions are tax deductible. Springfield has approximately 5,500 residents; just think what a difference it would make if everyone gave a little.
SPAR is not asking for money for SPAR; we are asking everyone to help themselves and their community through any size contribution that is reasonable for them. Every person who asks for help through SPAR is helped in whatever way possible, and we want to continue to offer and improve services.
I've got a friend in Nigeria who has some problems getting to the trust fund left over from his father who was a prince in the nation of Togo. He is willing to send a cashiers check to SPAR for 100,000, SPAR can keep 75,000 and send 25,000 back via western union. :D
That's the damn truth....SPAR does need to be revamped!
Spar is so worried about bad press getting out that it will attack it's own residents and neighbors, then put their hand out begging for money....lovely. The whole board should be replaced, a recall should be held and the truth should and will come out....
Stephen you should PM me I have a great story for YOU!
Quote from: sparhater on September 19, 2008, 03:39:22 PM
To provide improved services, you must first provide some type of service.
Funniest comment ever.
On a light side note, is there a special fund to which we SPR residents can give to fund more studies? I really think we need a study to see if we need more neighborhood studies. I know that I haven't received a form asking me invasive questions about my family and income in at least a month. ;)
You're joking right? I think you should be the first to apply to replace one of the ousted VOLUNTEER board members. I'm sure your positive attitude would contribute so much more to the organization than any of the current members possibly could.
Quote from: sparhater on September 19, 2008, 08:15:29 PM
Spar is so worried about bad press getting out that it will attack it's own residents and neighbors, then put their hand out begging for money....lovely. The whole board should be replaced, a recall should be held and the truth should and will come out....
Stephen you should PM me I have a great story for YOU!
Here are a few photos of Main Street, which generally looks like a war zone at the moment.
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6686-dsc_0002.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6687-dsc_0004.JPG)
Building at 7th and Main:
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6688-dsc_0003.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6690-dsc_0007.JPG)
Looks wonderful doesn't it....works well with the rest of Main street...can't wait till this is over with
It looks bad now but so does any construction in the early phases. The alternative of doing nothing would not be beneficial. It will be finished and beautiful soon.
Quote from: Springfield Girl on September 21, 2008, 04:42:16 PM
You're joking right? I think you should be the first to apply to replace one of the ousted VOLUNTEER board members. I'm sure your positive attitude would contribute so much more to the organization than any of the current members possibly could.
Quote from: sparhater on September 19, 2008, 08:15:29 PM
Spar is so worried about bad press getting out that it will attack it's own residents and neighbors, then put their hand out begging for money....lovely. The whole board should be replaced, a recall should be held and the truth should and will come out....
Stephen you should PM me I have a great story for YOU!
OMG are we on the SPAR forum here? Seems like, this is how discussion is killed on there too....
Quote from: Springfield Girl on September 21, 2008, 05:22:45 PM
It looks bad now but so does any construction in the early phases. The alternative of doing nothing would not be beneficial. It will be finished and beautiful soon.
I did say that I can't wait til it's done....however, this is yet another sore spot with many Springfield residents...another issue in which we feel our voices were ignored.....so yeah, it's beginning to sound like the spar forum...
Quote from: Springfield Girl on September 21, 2008, 04:42:16 PM
You're joking right? I think you should be the first to apply to replace one of the ousted VOLUNTEER board members. I'm sure your positive attitude would contribute so much more to the organization than any of the current members possibly could.
Quote from: sparhater on September 19, 2008, 08:15:29 PM
Spar is so worried about bad press getting out that it will attack it's own residents and neighbors, then put their hand out begging for money....lovely. The whole board should be replaced, a recall should be held and the truth should and will come out....
Stephen you should PM me I have a great story for YOU!
Well Springfield Girl I am sure many would step forward if they thought they stood a fair chance, but that has already been proven false? This is typical of what we hear from board members on the SPAR forum board. Volunteering is very important, I would even say the world could come to a stop if not for volunteers, BUT that does not mean volunteers do not have a duty to do a good job. Being a volunteer does not let you off the hook, you should still be accountable, you should still do a good job, in fact I would go so far as to say you should do an outstanding job (if you felt strongly enough to volunteer in the first place), and if you feel you shouldn't then you need to ask yourself WHY you are volunteering in the first place.
Volunteer and make it count!
Quote from: fsujax on September 19, 2008, 08:15:52 AM
Nice! nothing better than seeing Pawn Shops bite the dust on Main St. Maybe it will reopen some place far away!
Eehhh... I don't think this reflects growth -- Springfield can't even keeps its pawn shops.
OMG. I've been away over a year and Main between 7th and 8th still looks the same.
With road construction and the blocking of several intersections right now, don't expect much to change in the short term.
Well it isnt the first time a block of road construction hurt the businesses. How much longer? A year seems awefully long.
We live downtown on Adams St now and are preparing to move to Springfield around 7th and Main. Never been so excited to make a move! There is unimaginable potential for this area and I hope people see this. I am proud to live in such a historic beautiful area, and will do whatever it takes to keep it that way. How can I get involved and help??
Keaki, I look forward to having someone with your enthusiasm as a neighbor! I suggest you stop by the SPAR office at 1321 Main St., introduce yourself to Louise, Kristen, Bev, Don and Jocelyn, and let them know how you'd like to help. I'm sure there are opportunities!
Sure! One reason we are moving from Adams st, is they just don't care. We were so excited about moving downtown and living in a historic building. We even offered to fix up the back alley patio to make it more enjoyable, but no...so it is full of garbage! thanks for the welcome and we are ready to dig in!!
Glad to have you onboard, Keaki...Springfield is indeed, a fantastic neighborhood! You might to also check out http://www.sparcouncil.org/forums/ (http://www.sparcouncil.org/forums/)