Moving Fairgrounds to Cecil Field a Bad Idea

[heights unknown]

Of all the bad ideas this city has proposed, this one is up there with the worst.

Why not just put it in Lake City? Then Gate would really make out well on the deal...

Can the date of the fair be changed? Seems like a simple solution, just move the fair to the springtime.

LOL...that's funny...moving it to Lake City; but I see where you're coming from.  And I agree with what someone said about it now being centralized in the county, where everyone won't have too far to go; move it to Cecil and the people at the Beaches and the Eastside/Arlington (and even far southside) won't bother.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

I disagree. I see the fairgrounds property as a perfect location for a hotel/condo similar to the W in Dallas. Sitting right in the heart of the sports complex with permanent and transient populations would then make extending the Skyway to that area more logical. Agricultural fairs should in in ag areas - like the Westside/Cecil area. Leave the sentimentality at home and look at the bigger picture. This is not a Jaguars issue.

  What?

"HU"

[JeffreyS]

If the land had a buyer I would love to see the Fair housed in Metro Park.

[tufsu1]

Metro Park isn't nearly large enough....you'd have to use it and the Shipyards property....for 2 weeks a year...what a great use of riverfront land 

[JeffreyS]

No do not use the shipyards. How much bigger are the fair grounds?

[ralpho37]

Honestly I don't think we need to worry about this.  Even if they do move the fair, after a couple of years of dramatic attendance drop off, they'll move it back...  Then again, maybe I overestimate the city's intelligence.

[JaxNative68]

Ron Mexico hit the nail on the head in his first sentence.

[ricker]

So Clay and other nearby counties could move THEIR fair events to the Equestrian center.
[i know cecil is in duval]
but JAX needs to keep the fair in the CORE!
omg how dumb are our 'leaders' to spend so much on "studying" this... .

[Overstreet]

You know I really don't care. I'm not going. They won't let me carry my pocket knife in the gate for fear of ......... whatever. Must be a downtown thing. 

The agricultural fair portion is relatively small. The displays of crafts, canning and cooking are also small. The mainstay is the midway. I'm just not into amusement parks. Two visits to the Duval county fair in 25 years is enough for my life time.

What I miss is the state fairgrounds of my youth. Between the shows, the sulkie races, the midget (cars) races, the agricultural equipment displays, the tractor pulls and the animals it was interesting without ever setting foot on the midway. They had whole buildings devoted to a particular animal, ie cow barn, pig barn, etc. Oh yeah it wasn't downtown either. It was on the edge of town and the town moved out to it.

[Seraphs]

We've had this dismal conversation before.  Leave the damn fair alone.  Since this topic puts me to sleep, it escapes me the real reason they want to move the fair-it's only 2 weeks out of 52.

[Charles Hunter]

The main reason is that the City's contract for the Florida/Georgia game forbids conflict in the Sports Comples with the Fair.  According to schedules of the Fair and the FL/GA game, there will be a conflict in (IIRC) 2014.

I also think there are other, unspoken reasons.

[spuwho]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but aren't they eying the Fairgrounds space for a future Prime Osborn replacement? Parking is already there, concessionaires already service the area (just missing transit).

Some cities have found success in clumping the sports complexes adjacent to their convention centers to increase viability.

That would free up Jacksonville Terminal for what it was really designed for.

While I prefer that the Fair stay in the city as I attend it (and wouldn't if it goes to Cecil), if they could find a locale nearby that doesn't require the demolishing of homes (perhaps some dilapidated warehouses at the nearby piers)

[Ernest Street]

I can state for certain that the fairgrounds Livestock section was graded wrong by Shyster concrete contractors...hello! piss has to run downhill into drainage...not uphill! It disgusted livestock folks who knew better than to accept these conditions.
Might as well demo that mess.Who knows how old that ripoff was..long spent by now.
Another Classic example of some GOB network brother lining his pocket and laughing over his High Ball glass of Wild Turkey every night.

another Classic moment from the fairgrounds. The Maintenance guys told me that some guy had put on a "Home Depot" carpenters apron, and parked at least 50+ cars at $5.00 on the arena/fairgrounds property...they yelled at him and he wrapped up his cash and apron and slowly hopped the fence!! 

[Ocklawaha]

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but aren't they eying the Fairgrounds space for a future Prime Osborn replacement? Parking is already there, concessionaires already service the area (just missing transit).

Some cities have found success in clumping the sports complexes adjacent to their convention centers to increase viability.

That would free up Jacksonville Terminal for what it was really designed for.

While I prefer that the Fair stay in the city as I attend it (and wouldn't if it goes to Cecil), if they could find a locale nearby that doesn't require the demolishing of homes (perhaps some dilapidated warehouses at the nearby piers)

Moving the Convention Center to the Fairgrounds would be a disaster as bad as building another one in LaVilla... NOTHING WALKABLE, no hotels, no transit... A completely isolated island.

Taking down the "Prime Osbourne," would be wonderful as long as nobody touches any of the historical building fabric. Changing it back to a transportation center would be great if JTA didn't have plans to create a monstrosity larger then a small country.

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

The convention center site being considered is the Bay Street courthouse location, not the current fairgrounds site.