Lone pitch to run Hemming would cost city $765,000

[thelakelander]

By Max Marbut, Staff Writer

The only plan submitted for the Request for Proposals to operate and manage Hemming Plaza has a first-year budget of $915,000 – with $765,000 coming from the city.

City Council President Bill Gulliford said this morning he needs to study the plan, but the money needed from the city is "a little disconcerting."

"We'll need to take a hard look at it. I don't know where (even) $250,000 would come from," he said.

The proposal said the group — Friends of Hemming Plaza — anticipates it can raise $150,000 the first year.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=541297

[CityLife]

The group anticipates creating nine jobs, including a director, who is paid $60,000; an operations manager with a salary of $40,000; and an administrative support and a volunteer coordinator with salaries of $35,000 each.

The five remaining positions would employed by DVI, including two cleaning and beautification positions ($12.52/hour), two safety/hospitality positions ($12.93/hour) and a social services outreach specialist ($22.32/hour).

Seems like an awful lot of salaried positions and total salaries for such a small space. I agree that there needs to be a manager and/or director, but if the city is going to be pumping money into Hemming, I'd much rather see it go towards bringing in performers and making aesthetic improvements to the park than a staff of 9 people, doing work that could be done by 2-4.

[Bridges]

Originally back when all the Denise Lee committee started meeting and taking input, didn't MOCA offer to run and program the park for a lot less? 

[CityLife]

Combined salaries of the requested positions:

$60k-Director
$40k-Manager
$35k-Admin support
$35k-Volunteer coordinator

DVI positions:
$52k total for 2 cleaners
$53k total for 2 safety/ambassador positions
$46k for a social services worker

Total combined: $321,000 a year.

I'd be curious to know how that compares to Unity Plaza.

[mtraininjax]

I seem to remember the St. Johns River City Band with the same promise, sell us the Church, across from Hemming Plaza, we will raise the money to pay for it over the next year.

I'd rather see the group raise the money before they take over the management of the park. Jacksonville has been fed a lot of promises for a hamburger today that is paid for next Tuesday.

[Tacachale]

^You've got that backward. The St. Johns River City Band bought the building from the congregation. Later they convinced the city to buy it from them and lease it to them, but they went under a few years after that. That one was a good deal for the city, the problem is they gave up on trying to sell it or do anything else with it after about 2006.

[mtraininjax]

^But the band did buy it from the congregation, took possession and then were given a year to raise all the funds, which was my main point. They took possession of something before they had all the money. I would not advocate giving away control of Hemming plaza until the entity that looks to manage it has their money, because we all know the city becomes the stop-gap for groups that thing big and then run out of money.