2014-190 Southbank Riverwalk in front of the Duval County School Board

[thelakelander]

Jim Bailey's opinion on this subject:

We need to find the money to finally do the Southbank Riverwalk right — to make it as successful as the iconic Northbank Riverwalk.

For once, let's not fail to fulfill the possibilities of what the Southbank Riverwalk should be.

If we do, it is like designing a 10-story building but leaving off the final floor and roof.

full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=542482

[carpnter]

What is worse than not extending the southbank riverwalk past the Wyndham is that the portion along the Crown Plaza will be reconstructed exactly the way it is today (wood that will rot in a few years).  Crown Plaza is the only landowner along the riverwalk that won't sign construction agreements for the new concrete construction.  The original agreement only permitted maintenance and replacement of what exists now.

Very lame.

I don't think the people at the Crown Plaza actually understand the plans.  This isn't some soulless concrete deck.  There will be colored brick pavers installed on it that actually look much nicer than the old plain wood deck.

[tufsu1]

^ oh they understand it just fine.....they just don't want the noise and disruption behind their hotel.

And the wood decking will be painted....so it will match with the colored brick pavers being used on the rest of the riverwalk.

[Noone]

Continue to vote.
This will be in RCD tomorrow at 2pm in council chambers.
John Crescimbeni is the Chair
Don Redman is the Vice Chair
Both are on Waterways. Other members of RCD are council members Holt, Jones, Lee, Love, and Yarborough.

[Noone]

It appears to me that everyone there wants to see the full project completed?  Yes, no?  What are the steps forward to making that happen?  If any?

Yes on a completed project. They need to come up with $2,000,000 to complete as one Waterways Commission member called it the Courthouse Pier. There are numerous Funding options available.
There will be a presentation at RCD today at 2pm. In council chambers.  Let's restore the Public Trust and Transparancy.

[Noone]

HUGE meeting of RCD today at 2pm in council chambers. Anyone going? Will there be anyone from the DIA there? Continue to vote. What is the position of the Riverkeeper? Restore the Public Trust.

Visit Jacksonville!

Ben- JCCI we need to kayak Downtown before 2020.

[jaxjaguar]

If a kayak / canoe launch point could be added that would be amazing.... Also voted.

[02roadking]

^ oh they understand it just fine.....they just don't want the noise and disruption behind their hotel.

And the wood decking will be painted....so it will match with the colored brick pavers being used on the rest of the riverwalk.

Maybe they should take a look at themselves, for a bit of an upgrade. The rooms were a bit shabby 15 years ago.
As of late:   http://www.yelp.com/biz/crowne-plaza-jacksonville-3#query:Crown%20Plaza

[Noone]

2 hours out. Scott, sorry I missed your call. What station number is this meeting on Comcast? Somebody was asking me. Keep voting. This  is all positive.

[Ajax]

^ oh they understand it just fine.....they just don't want the noise and disruption behind their hotel.

And the wood decking will be painted....so it will match with the colored brick pavers being used on the rest of the riverwalk.

Maybe they should take a look at themselves, for a bit of an upgrade. The rooms were a bit shabby 15 years ago.
As of late:   http://www.yelp.com/biz/crowne-plaza-jacksonville-3#query:Crown%20Plaza

I've stayed there twice in the last 4 months and I can confirm that the interiors of the rooms are...dated (to put it nicely).  I was able to request a high floor with a walk-out balcony, and the views are amazing - that plus the Ruth's Chris downstairs are the only reasons I stayed there.  Another thing - they have two bars but both were closed at 10 pm on a Friday night.  I would have liked to have walked a short distance to another bar, but I don't think there are any nearby. 

Sorry for digressing - back to the topic at hand:

They probably don't care much about the Riverwalk because their hotel doesn't really interact with it.  I walked downstairs to their pool deck but I think we were still elevated and pretty far away from the Riverwalk.  You have to take some sketchy-looking stairs to get down there if I remember correctly.  I can't even remember if I could see that section of the Riverwalk from my room - it might be obscured by Ruth's Chris. 

[edjax]

And per Action News city council is drafting legislation to find the extra money to complete the entire length to include the school board building property.  Sounds like Mr Robinson is receiving  a work over from council. 

[thelakelander]

^ oh they understand it just fine.....they just don't want the noise and disruption behind their hotel.

And the wood decking will be painted....so it will match with the colored brick pavers being used on the rest of the riverwalk.

Maybe they should take a look at themselves, for a bit of an upgrade. The rooms were a bit shabby 15 years ago.
As of late:   http://www.yelp.com/biz/crowne-plaza-jacksonville-3#query:Crown%20Plaza

Ouch!

[dougskiles]

They probably don't care much about the Riverwalk because their hotel doesn't really interact with it.  I walked downstairs to their pool deck but I think we were still elevated and pretty far away from the Riverwalk.  You have to take some sketchy-looking stairs to get down there if I remember correctly.  I can't even remember if I could see that section of the Riverwalk from my room - it might be obscured by Ruth's Chris.

That sums up the entire problem with the Southbank Riverwalk.  There is very little interaction between the adjacent properties and the river for the public to enjoy.  In fact, there will be no public access to the riverwalk from the Main Street Bridge on the south side.  A person will have to walk all the way down to the Strand/Peninsula opening for access.  And that portion isn't marked from the street as access (even though the "park" between those buildings was paid for with public money).

[Noone]

If a kayak / canoe launch point could be added that would be amazing.... Also voted.

^Agree with you 100%. And as one DIA Board member mentioned during a Public meeting in the Sunshine that maybe a canoe, kayak, SUP Stand Up Paddleboard launch next to MOSH could happen. There is a special meeting of the DIA that will be a final look at the CRA today and all anyone has to do is show up and say HEY!

The 3/18/14 Recreation & Community Development Committee meeting had the 3 TV networks a number of Jacksonville Waterways Commission members didn't see the Riverkeeper showing up all in anticipation of a presentation by Jim Robinson a relatively new guy who is the Director of Public Works and a Riverwalk Update.

In attendance Councilmembers Crescimbeni, Redman, Holt, Jones, Lee, Love, Yarborough and also there was Boyer and Gulliford.

The presentation started from west Friendship Fountain and then headed east. It was after the presentation that the timeline of events started and I believe that Mr. Robinson is celebrating his two year anniversary as the Director of Public Works today. Congratulations to the relatively new guy.

Everyone had a suggestion, thought or a question.

As councilwoman Lee alluded to there was a tremendous breakdown in communication and the Backroom deals that are being cut just need to stop. Again Jim Robinson is the new guy and how stuff is being spun should give tremendous concern to the people of this community.

Councilman Love had some thoughts on the project itself and a positive suggestion for some bike racks and some questions on the wood that is going behind the Crowne Plaza.

Councilwoman Boyer always has some great introspective on the legislative process and the history of the numbers and how things should be working. She touched on 2011-406 and referenced the CIP and I didn't quite follow all of it but let's just say that she was doing her own demolition of the numbers and if you are in the audience your just thinking that somebody is screwing up big time. Who's getting promoted?

Councilman Jones mentioned that everything is OK in his District as far as this project is concerned and just felt sorry for councilman Redman and how his constituents are getting short changed in District 4. Councilman Jones also shared the economic benefit for all of Downtown with a completed Southbank Riverwalk.

Councilwoman Lee will be introducing emergency legislation that will come up with the $2,000,000 that will complete the project. One source of funding is the Riverwalk Development Project Fund.

A completed Southbank Riverwalk Project after a letter of support from Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Vitti will now tell the world to VISIT JACKSONVILLE as we all continue to promote, celebrate, protect, access our St. Johns River our American Heritage River a FEDERAl Initiative in our new highly restricted (Food Truck, Kayak) DIA zone.

[jaxjaguar]

What time is the meeting? I feel like the vast majority of these occur when most of us are working....