FBC Trying to Ruin Artwalk??

Captain Zissou · March 03, 2011, 08:38:03 AM

Last night I was trying to meet up with some people at Artwalk coming from Riverside. I tried to do what I had done last month and park to the NW of Hemming Plaza, but when I was going North on Hogan, I wasn't allowed to go beyond Church St. Being that I was in one way street land, this sparked a series of right turns and crazy navigation looking for a spot. When I crossed Laura on church, I noticed that everything to the norh was blocked off and it looked like cones were set up to accommodate FBC. I guess the scheduled something last night and we were interrupting. So sorry FBC. How stupid of us to plan an art festival during your event.

Anyway, I ended up paying to park at the library garage because I couldn't deal with the hassle. I then proceeded to lock myself in an alley, which meant I had to climb a 10 ft fence to escape, but that's another story for another time.

fsujax · March 03, 2011, 08:43:44 AM

They have church services on Wednesday night. When I go to Art Walk, I always try to park on the eastern end of Downtown, near Liberty, Monroe, Market Street always plenty of on street spots! no hassles.

thelakelander · March 03, 2011, 08:46:52 AM

Captain, next time try parking west of Julia (one block west of Hemming). No matter what the event is, the spaces on these streets (Adams, Duval, Church, Ashley) rarely fill up.

Pottsburg · March 03, 2011, 08:47:07 AM

Every Wednesday they have a night session. They have been doing it for years. Way before art walk was around. I'm not a member, but any Wednesday you cut through downtown they have streets rerouted. Do we say the Jags hate small downtown shops when they rearrange all the traffic after the game? No! FBC owns so much downtown they just buy the cops and accommodate their follows. FBC does need to open their grip up on downtown but I promise you it won't be on Sundays or Wednesdays

Pottsburg · March 03, 2011, 08:50:02 AM

There is plenty of parking down buy the new courthouse. And meters are free after 7. So u spend 50 cent around 6pm and your good to go

BridgeTroll · March 03, 2011, 08:52:02 AM

I parked right in front of the old London Bridge around 6:30... lucky? Art walk was pretty fun last night...

Captain Zissou · March 03, 2011, 08:54:11 AM

QuoteFBC owns so much downtown they just buy the cops and accommodate their follows.

Do they have any right to do this? My church has Wednesday night services as well, so I understand what the function was, but my issue is that they think they can commandeer downtown when a major event is going on. The church should embrace the fact that they are downtown and do as much as they can to support it, not wall themselves off from it.

Next time I'll try parking at Julia and Adams. I was in a rush, so I didn't fully explore my options, but I was stuck on Church anyway so it shot me East from that area.

Artwalk was Packed last night!

wsansewjs · March 03, 2011, 08:54:20 AM

There are so many things I want to say about FBC, but I cannot express due to the risk of being compromised or damage to my reputation. I can say that there is definitely sparks coming from the friction between myself and FBC. This kind of situation just only fuels my frustration further.

-Josh

thelakelander · March 03, 2011, 09:04:19 AM

Quote from: Pottsburg on March 03, 2011, 08:50:02 AM
There is plenty of parking down buy the new courthouse. And meters are free after 7. So u spend 50 cent around 6pm and your good to go

Meters are free after 6pm, but parking enforcement normally closes up shop at 5pm.

fsujax · March 03, 2011, 09:05:30 AM

yeah, i never feed a meter after 5pm

tufsu1 · March 03, 2011, 09:18:41 AM

Quote from: thelakelander on March 03, 2011, 09:04:19 AM
Quote from: Pottsburg on March 03, 2011, 08:50:02 AM
There is plenty of parking down buy the new courthouse. And meters are free after 7. So u spend 50 cent around 6pm and your good to go

Meters are free after 6pm, but parking enforcement normally closes up shop at 5pm.

actually the new meters on Laura Street are free aftr 5pm....guess they aren't even trying to fake people into thinking parking police work past 5

Pottsburg · March 03, 2011, 10:07:21 AM

Quote from: Captain Zissou on March 03, 2011, 08:54:11 AM
QuoteFBC owns so much downtown they just buy the cops and accommodate their follows.

Do they have any right to do this? My church has Wednesday night services as well, so I understand what the function was, but my issue is that they think they can commandeer downtown when a major event is going on. The church should embrace the fact that they are downtown and do as much as they can to support it, not wall themselves off from it.

Next time I'll try parking at Julia and Adams. I was in a rush, so I didn't fully explore my options, but I was stuck on Church anyway so it shot me East from that area.

Artwalk was Packed last night!

It's prob not entirely legal but they could always say it has to do with public safety. So FBC prob rents those cops for safety concerns an then tells them what streets to block off. Anyways it's not a fight I would choose to take up. So I guess the answer to this thread is No they aren't trying to stop anything. I honestly thing if they really wanted to try and stope ArtWalk it would have already been shut down. Just give yourself plenty of time to find parking.

The Compound · March 03, 2011, 10:18:09 AM

I typically luck out and get a spot close by in a loading zone, they are only no parking until 6pm, but seems people still avoid them because they just see "no parking"

uptowngirl · March 03, 2011, 08:51:25 PM

FBC, where is the razzleberry icon?

Ocklawaha · March 03, 2011, 09:56:27 PM

Quote from: Pottsburg on March 03, 2011, 08:47:07 AM
Every Wednesday they have a night session. They have been doing it for years. Way before art walk was around. I'm not a member, but any Wednesday you cut through downtown they have streets rerouted. Do we say the Jags hate small downtown shops when they rearrange all the traffic after the game? No! FBC owns so much downtown they just buy the cops and accommodate their follows. FBC does need to open their grip up on downtown but I promise you it won't be on Sundays or Wednesdays

OH MY GOD! Way out here in the hinterlands of St. Johns County's WGV, there is a Catholic Church, and GASP, they also have traffic direction - INCLUDING STOPPING CARS ON SR-16, in order to let the sinners in or let the saints out... Doesn't bother me a bit - God knows we need more saints on our streets.

Catholics do it a bit different by having services many times weekly - take your pick. The Mormons have a totally different system too, they divide any town or city into roughly 200 member congregations, neighborhood by neighborhood, live in such and such neighborhood and you ARE IN such and such "WARD." Several Wards will use the same church plant on Sunday and throughout the week. 1st Ward meets at 8, 2nd Ward meets at 10 etc. FBC is big enough in the Baptist World that they create their own tourism and the only part of the streets plans ever completed were done by FBC. Just think we could kick them out and gain another Park View Inn!

OCKLAWAHA