$100,000 for dredging of the duck pond in Riverside

[cline]

I find it interesting (though not surprising in this city) that commenters on the TU site corrolate spending 100k cleaning up the pond to an increase in their property taxes.  It clearly states in the article that the money would come from a trust fund that is funded by fees collected from air and water polluters.  I guess they missed that part and would just rather burn Corrigan at the stake for even mentioning it.

You should have been there for the last budget meeting at City Council a few months ago.  Talk about listening to totally imcomprehensible complaining.  I was against the property tax increase mind you, but some of the public comments really made you scratch your head in bewilderment of the sheer unbridled ignorance of some people.

I actually watched quite a bit of it on television.  And yes, the public comments did leaving scratching my head and thinking that if this is what the majority of citizens of Jacksonville actually think then we are doomed.

[Captain Zissou]

Rockstar and Ok had some nice input on the TU forum.  My favorite is the guy crying foul over his $70 increase in his taxes.  Sorry the taxes on your single wide are cutting into your Solid Gold budget, but there are things in this city more important than you.

The next administration is going to have to demonstrate responsibility and effective use of their budget before anyone allows our quality of life to improve.  Until citizens trust the government to put their money to good use, we're going to have the largest, and worst urban park system in the country and the least educated/ cultured populace in America.

[Debbie Thompson]

Especially loved the idea of urban dwellers paying for it, but I do know how we could do it. We could take our tax money being used for building roads and infrastructure through former tree farms out towards the beaches and use it to improve the urban core instead. :-)

[ChriswUfGator]

Especially loved the idea of urban dwellers paying for it, but I do know how we could do it. We could take our tax money being used for building roads and infrastructure through former tree farms out towards the beaches and use it to improve the urban core instead. :-)

You'd start a riot if you suggested something like that around Jacksonville...

[Debbie Thompson]

Yes, Jacksonville does love it's urban sprawl, doesn't it?  I'm old enough to remember when there was an incredible canopy of beautiful old oak trees spreading across San Jose Blvd in Mandarin. People thought Mandarin was so beautiful, they had to go live where it was so beautiful. And so, they cut down all the beautiful old oak trees to make room for strip malls for the people who wanted to live near the beautiful old trees.

Back to the subject at hand, though, neighborhood involvement could work in Riverside Park.  The Springfield Woman's Club, through grants, has spent about $1.5 million on Confederate Park.  It was the SWC whose grants fenced the park, added irrigation, cleaned out the pond, built the dog park, cleaned the Woman of the South statue, the Robert Burns statue, and re-built half the rose arbor, while a mayor's matching grant through SPAR, and with the SWC's assistance, restored the first half.  The Springfield Garden Club has regular work days a couple of times a year when we prune the roses in the arbor and weed.  You don't have to wait for the City.  It's your park.  See if you can raise some money, and coordinate improvements with the Parks Department.