Live Blogging: Hemming Plaza Committee - Banning Game Playing and furniture

[thelakelander]

Insomnia again.  You make good sense Lake.  Surely most of the points you make are valid.  The fact of continued apparent avoidance by the significant decision makers to recognize the truth of what you’ve said, and what others have said concerning the lack of progress toward core development, and to act upon them, is interesting, especially when it makes good sense.

We know  some of the dynamics of the causes of decline in the core, and most realize that nobody actually intended the decline to the current state of core abandonment.  The current state of abandonment, and lack of vibrancy, is a natural consequence of the explosive rush to the suburbs, and the loss of critical industries in the core, a condition as experienced by many American cities.

I'm not sure we do know.  If we did, we'd stop doing the same things that result in continued decline. We still continue to destroy our building fabric, downplay public input, and place value in auto movement instead of pedestrians. Several cities across the country have successfully changed their ways over the last two decades, so the answer is out there.

What is most interesting to me is the fact of stagnation, the fact of a city being unable to solve a problem, when the problem has been set over decades clearly for all to see. 

To most, problems are fun, as they offer opportunities to exercise the most wonderful qualities of the mind, that of searching for solutions, of making right, what has been wrong.  Given the problem of core revitalization, of its existence over so long a time without solution, why has there been no solution?

Ultimately, I believe we have to look at and blame ourselves, if blame must be given.  We are responsible for electing our leaders and participating in improving our community ourselves.  As a whole, we don't live up to those responsibilities.

Our local history has shown that even when a new group or committee is established, with the objective of revitalization set before them, the group or committee fails to make solid progress toward vibrancy and core infill.  Why is this failure repeated over and over?

Because for years, we have accepted status quo.  Do we really want to put our trust in a barber to resolve urban social issues?  You're not going to have a good outcome if the community doesn't get engaged and participate in the process.

We still, for the most part, have an abandoned downtown core.  Is the new authority going to succeed in forcing significant progress toward vibrancy?  After a period of perhaps one year, we will have a sense of probable success or failure.

I don't believe we should totally rely on a new or any authority.  If so, expect more of the same.  This community needs to ask itself what it really wants to be, craft an implementation strategy and hold leaders accountable for moving it forward.  In the meantime, individual citizens need to do what they can to enhance our quality of life as well.  No one should be sitting on the couch waiting for someone else to do everything. 

[thelakelander]

Public participation is where is should start - and public input should be what informs decisions. Most great cities have a strong culture of public participation and involvement. Somehow it seems that elected officials have forgotten that they are elected by and work for the public.

+1,000

[fsujax]

Ock I saw you on TV last night. Good job.

[avonjax]

As has been stated many times on this forum, when Hemming Plaza was surrounded by shopping and restaurants there was no problem. The city has made the problem worse. The old YMCA should have had store fronts on the street level.
I remember a few years ago I was taking pictures of city hall and when I walked near the main entrance a mysterious voice asked me what I was doing. When I told them taking some photos, I was told to take it to the sidewalk. This is the feeling I get with all the government buildings on Hemming Plaza. Closed and impersonal.

[Ocklawaha]

Yes but just think of what our 'square' could become! IMAGINE! A true 'peoples place.'

[Debbie Thompson]

We have to remember that much of the city council is elected by citizens who could care less about downtown, and have the mistaken impression it's crime-ridden and scary.  Some are intimidated by panhandlers, because if you say no, will they get nasty or forceful? They are not used to people panhandling them.  Because of that fear, they stay away.  An officer patrolling the park on foot, and handling any panhandling situation should solve that problem.

Public participation - www.jax2025.org.  Take the survey.  There is one in English, Spanish, For Teens and For Kids.  This is a visioning/strategy/implementation process for the next decade or so for all of Jacksonville.  Downtown/urban core/near suburb advocates need to participate.   We need to be heard, and involved, or we will be left out.

Sign up for the emails. Invite the presenter to your company. Tell your friends. Put it on Facebook.  Go to the public strategy meetings.  Hopefully, as we told Tom, who presented this at the SPAR meeting, it won't be another study that is shelved and ignored.

From the FAQ tab on the website: Does anything ever happen out of visioning efforts?  Absolutely! We are committed to making the vision a reality, and have a track record of real, measurable change in multiple communities who use this same process. To see some of the results in just one year from another community, click here. We need results like that, and quickly! We need your help to make it happen.  (The link didn't come over, and I can't get to You Tube from work, but I think this is the video about San Antonio.  Go to FAQ and click the link. It's the last question on the FAQ page.)

[Noone]

When is the next meeting? Is councilwoman Lee OK?

[Noone]

Tomorrow at the 5pm Jacksonville city council meeting 2012-623 is ready for council. before 623 was 202. introduced when 623 gets passed will be 674 new legislation.
In 5 years I have yet to have a phone call, or email back from councilwoman Lee. Never forget 2010-856.
I hope she is OK. Has anyone heard anything?
We have a new Authority.
Embrace it.
Or
it will Embrace us.

[Charles Hunter]

Stream of consciousness much?

[sheclown]

COJ, as you attempt to kick the homeless out of the park, remember that a good percentage of them are veterans.

[thelakelander]

The funny thing is the majority using the park aren't necessarily homeless. They just aren't the demographic some want to see in downtown.

[sheclown]

The funny thing is the majority using the park aren't necessarily homeless. They just aren't the demographic some want to see in downtown.

very true. 

[Noone]

The funny thing is the majority using the park aren't necessarily homeless. They just aren't the demographic some want to see in downtown.

very true. 

Next DIA/CRA Board meeting 8 days out. 1st floor city hall at 2pm. Huge announcements and presentations.

Any demographic want to write a check for a buck to 2009-442 the Artificial Reef Trust Fund? I'm serious. Will personally deliver it to the full Jacksonville Waterway Commission at the 9:30 am meeting in city hall council chambers. Then report the results to our new DIA/CRA in the USA a couple of hours later.

Any demographic want to kayak and fish under the brand new No Fishing signs or paddle by Shipyards III?

VISIT JACKSONVILLE!
         If
You can FIND us!

[Noone]

Thelakelander, yes...it was meaningless (some good conversations afterwards as the owner of Kona was able to get a few the council members to think outside of the box regarding Hemming).

Gulliford, who claimed he had to leave for another meeting cut the hemming meeting short then came back into the room where we were lingering within ten minutes.

Denise Lee did not show up and Gulliford did not want to be the impromptu chair of the meeting.

I wouldn't be surprised if Denise Lee skipped the meeting on purpose because she was not expecting so many people to voice shock and opposition.

Her office literally told someone who called to get information about the meeting that they would be wasting their time if they showed up. That the meeting was just a formality...etc. That there wouldn't even be time for public comments.

So, I'm not sure what the purpose of the meeting but maybe Denise Lee is incredibly cunning. If people came to this meeting and left thinking it was a waste of their time maybe they won't show up to the next one...?

Or, maybe she wasn't expecting a large crowd of "fired" up people and every media outlet in the city to be present.

Or, she was just running late...which I have experienced with her on more than one occasion.

Either way, that's totally disrespectful to the people who showed up to be heard and provide input.

So in one day next city council meeting 2012-732 and an emergency resolution on Hemming Plaza.
There was supposed to be another meeting.
The DIA/CRA in the USA wanted Denise Lee to give a presentation at an upcoming Board meeting. Is that still expected to happen?
The DIA will be branding our city on Wend. As we are banning our people on Tues. VISIT JACKSONVILLE!
Is councilwoman Lee OK? Is 2012-732 an emergency?
Massive stories in this past weekends TU about 2025 so what does the JCCI group think about this secret action?
The Public Trust continues to be totally crushed.
Shipyards III
The secret FIND list.
2010-856
Palms Fish Camp.
Free Parking for council members and judges.
Add your own free banning issue. Anyone want to go kayaking and fishing Downtown under the brand new No fishing signs that was never before the Jacksonville Waterways Commission?
A New Authority
Embrace It
Or
It will Embrace Us.

[Noone]

We're here.

Bill Gulliford opened with a speech thats basically a pish posh on all this attention to the subject.  "Slow News Day" is how he characterized it.

Gulliford reads Metro Jacksonville?  Cool.

Hemming Plaza meeting 9am 1st floor city hall. Anyone going?