Learning from Kansas City by Rick Mullaney

[Metro Jacksonville]

Learning from Kansas City by Rick Mullaney



Rick Mullaney shares his thoughts about the Kansas City Chamber Trip and where Jacksonville should head from there.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-jan-learning-from-kansas-city-by-rick-mullaney

[CS Foltz]

Sounds good for the most part, not near heavy enough on the "cut the waste" but overall I would have to agree with what Mr Mullaney had to say. Too bad some of these idea's have not been implemented by our current Administration!

[fsu813]

#3 Civic Leadership is the key to it all.

[Jason]

Well stated Mr. Mullaney, however not one word mentioned is any different than the ideas and discussions that have been taking place on these boards for years.

Maybe Mr. Mullaney's political position can provide some more pull for the cause.

[hightowerlover]

What the feasibility of building a new convention center on the shipyards site and removing the fairgrounds if we ultimately end up losing the jaguars?  wouldnt putting a convention center in that area be a stronger impetus to keep the water park at the current location with an enhanced metro park? 

im glad to see some progress is being made but things just dont seem to mesh into a grand plan.  just seems like we are moving everything for no good reason and will create some more urban blight for future generations.

[chris farley]

When I first came to America in 1961 I spent time in Kansas City, I just loved the place and I got to meet Harry Truman to boot, he signed my flight book.  I wish we could follow them.

[fsu813]

SPR would be a major medical community if / when a VA hosipital is opened near the current clinic.

Already has Shands and UF Proton Institute. Also has the only medical-magnet school in the city (middle & soon to be highschool) in Darnel-Cookman.

Getting a 3rd major medical destination would be do big things for the area.

[CS Foltz]

The Medical aspect of the area should be widened..........after Mayo Clinic is here and that is a nonprofit and teaching institution! Springfield or any other area would be just fine with me since the Veterans have been slighted by COJ's removal of the Veterans Day Parade.............what a way to save money! If you can call that saving! Cutting the AIMOS out would really be a savings, there is no need to not go Civil Service for those Positions!

[Dog Walker]

wow.  how old was Truman in 1916?

Now we know that Stephen is dyslexic

When I first came to America in 1961 I spent time in Kansas City, I just loved the place and I got to meet Harry Truman to boot, he signed my flight book.  I wish we could follow them.

[Dog Walker]

Stephen,  he was 32 years old in 1916.  

[mtraininjax]

Stephen - Why would the VA open a new state of the art facility in Springfield? There is no room to expand and grow without ticking off all the SPAR fans. Far better to put a new facility near the new VA cemetary on the northside, allow for room to grow. Every hospital in Jax has a growth problem and no land to do so in their current location. Take for example Baptist downtown or even St. Vincents, University, Memorial, all in the same boat, communities grew up around them. Not enough room in any urban area for a state of the art facility that the vets deserve!

Rick - Do you write websites on the side, that was a lot of scrolling to do. Good points all, but the one about healthcare that sticks out is endowments. We do not have enough money, old money, in NE Florida for serious endowments like KC received. So we will continue to rely on the private sector to invest in Jax.

Downtown should follow the Art Shad dance of Spend, Spend, Spend. I like the 1 cent sales tax on Fire, 1 cent on Police and 1 cent to help the areas of town pay for their own projects. If you spend in an area of town, the sales taxes collected SHOULD go to help with public improvements.

[mtraininjax]

Stephen - I know it, it stinks. We need Ander to pull down some Benjamin's now for the VA center to get built here. We have the plots, we need the facilities. With all that land up there for the cemetary on such hallowed ground, it makes sense to put the 2 together.

[CS Foltz]

Gentlemen...........it makes sense so forget it! If nothing else ,this Administration has gone out of their way to do the stupidest and dumbest things possible! Beside Crenshaw is too busy trying to get re-elected than pay attention to his constituants!

[tufsu1]

Mtrain.  Yeah.  No doubt.  It would take some vision and some work.  But Jacksonville apparently has the highest per capita veterans community of any city our size in the country, and the corresponding least amount of services for any similar size city in the US.

and we have a VA Hospital (that is expanding btw) down the road in Gainesville

[tufsu1]

and?

they operate VA hospitals by region....our region is served by the Gainesville hospital...there are also ones in Orlando and the Tampa Bay area.  

of course it would be nice for the Shands Jax. campus to grow...but one doesn't need the VA for that....it can be done w/ one primary facility...just take a look at the Johns Hopkins Hospital campus in Baltimore.