Major Hemming Park overhaul to include restaurant, bar and new stage

[thelakelander]

Wasn't the removal of the permanent seats supposed to eliminate this?

The park operators say they need around $800,000 a year to run the park and another $200,000 to keep up with planned improvements. But the park makes only half of the $1 million price tag in donations, sponsorships and concessions revenue.

Friends of Hemming Park also told Gulliford that aside from financing, lingering security issues are hindering revitalization efforts.

According to park officials, 600,000 visitors spent close to $200,000 in the park last year. But, Gulliford says loitering, profanity, smoking and the threat of violence could keep those numbers from growing.

"You know what I resent about this is good people being victimized by bad conduct of people that are there for the wrong reasons," Gulliford says.

Suggestions tossed out at Wednesday's meeting included banning profanity, installing art pieces on stoops where people frequently sleep or sit, and possibly building a fence around the park to enforce the new rules.

[jaxjaguar]

The only solution to this problem is moving the missions and shelters out of the core along with any straggler homeless people. As long as those people are in the area there will always be the issues that come with them.

Other cities have shipped their homeless to us by the bus loads, why don't we return the favor ;P

[thelakelander]

Just to be clear, I wasn't advocating the busing of people out by bus loads. Most people in the park aren't homeless anyway. I remember the conversations about removing seats as a method to getting rid of the population some didn't want and believing it wasn't going to work. The park is literally a retaining wall convention. People of all ages and kinds can find a spot to relax regardless of whether there are permanent seats or not.  With that said, the park is a lot better now than it was a year or two ago. Because of the regular rotation of food trucks, I now spend more time visiting the park than I did when I worked one block away from it.

[whyisjohngalt]

With that said, the park is a lot better now than it was a year or two ago. Because of the regular rotation of food trucks, I now spend more time visiting the park than I did when I worked one block away from it.

It's the cost of the food trucks - which could be in a parking lot without the $1 million price tag - that needs to be addressed.  The winning proposal said that they would hold events to cover their costs and generate fundraising revenue.  If they can't do that, then they either need to lower their costs - which were obviously based on erroneous projections - or return the park for another RFP to be issued.  It makes no sense for the city to change ownership and policies to accommodate a group that won on unattainable pretenses. 

[jaxjaguar]

There's no doubt that the park is in better condition than a year ago, but there are still many things that could be improved upon. The flat concrete layout of the park is really uninspiring and doesn't really add much to the area aside from an empty place to host events. I would love to see something natural and multi-dimensional added to the park. Something similar to the Irish Hunger Memorial in NYC would be amazing, especially on nice days for lunch or an elevated view for a movie night (yes I know we don't have the money for something like this and finding a generous donor would be nearly impossible). Also, replacing the drab and boring "pond" with something more natural and eye-catching (this could probably be done relatively cheaply by simply retrofitting what's there and improving upon the design of the retaining walls.

I liked Khan's original concept for the shipyards due to its multidimensional form factor. There really isn't anything like this in Florida and it could be a great center piece / attraction for downtown. On a serious note to Lakes reply above, we just need to keep more "normal looking people" in the area around the clock, so that people from outside the area feel more comfortable and are more likely to visit / have a good experience.

[CCMjax]

^JaxJag, you are not very PC with your comments about homeless people, but I gotta say I agree.  It has improved but still feels more like an open air homeless shelter on some days than a park that everyone of all ages can go to and enjoy.  Some days are better than others, but it's kind of hard to take a 5 year old to the park en route to Sweet Pete's or the library when there are 3 or 4 people talking or shouting at themselves with the constant smell of urine in the air.

[Captain Zissou]

I'd love to see them try to ban profanity.  Talk about a PR nightmare for Jacksonville.

[jaxjaguar]

CCMjax I know it's not PC, but it's the truth.  There's almost always a bit of truth behind stereotypes.  Downtowns stereotype of being a homeless breeding ground is due to vagrants ease of access to the core. Our North bank core is literally surrounded by shelters/drop offs on every side but the south and the greyhound station drops them right into the center of downtown.

I consider myself pretty liberal and agree that these people need to be taken care of,  but our city needs to condense the shelters into one area of downtown, move the greyhound station to the prime Osborne,  and give the parks better security / better freedom of enforcement.  Until that happens the vagrants will continue to converge in the center. And downtown will continue to have a vagrant problem.

[ssky]

Wow! If Jerry Moran still follows this stuff, I bet he is feeling pretty good....everything he has been condemned for saying over the years is apparent to all. Finally, the rose colored glasses are off and everyone can see the Emperor's New Suit has been an illusion all along. Maybe now we can actually get something accomplished down here instead of just creating festivals, smoke and mirrors. Jerry, are you out there?   

[PeeJayEss]

Let me help you out real quick.

Our North bank core is literally figuratively surrounded by shelters/drop offs on every side but the south and the greyhound station drops them right into the center of downtown.

Ah, much better.

To those complaining about the homeless issue in Hemming, I'm curious how you are positively identifying the percentage of people in the park that are homeless during your short walk through. Are you guys out there taking surveys, or are you following each person around for multiple days to find out where, if anywhere, they live? Or do you have some way of verifying this condition just by looking at someone? I would be happy to help you identify homeless, if you would only teach me your methodology.

[jaxjaguar]

See my image attached above

[KenFSU]

Suggestions tossed out at Wednesday's meeting included banning profanity, installing art pieces on stoops where people frequently sleep or sit, and possibly building a fence around the park to enforce the new rules.

[/quote]

Banning profanity alone won't result in a change, and removing more seating areas is stupid.

Posting clearly defined, enforceable rules, and having at least one security guard on hand with the authority to remove violators from the park is a no-brainer. I don't see a problem with installing a decorative, unobtrusive, chest-high wrought-iron fence around the park either to help established a boundary without killing sight lines.

Really though, the best thing that the city and FHP can do to make the park safe is to continue efforts to make Hemming desirable for everyone else. Eventually, the "desirables" will far outnumber the "miscreants" (the homeless should be free to use the park if they follow the rules) and the city will take pride and collective ownership over the park and the enforcement of its rules. Any efforts to make the park less attractive for the homeless is only going to make it less attractive to everyone else.

[exnewsman]

I'm at Hemming Park 2-3 times per week. And for the most part the "homeless" as we're assuming they are, while plentiful, are not a bother. Although, keeping the café available for those wanting to eat can occasionally be a problem. There generally seem to be a good mix of people - the "regulars" playing cards, business people enjoying a meal from a food truck, those reading by the fountain, passersby, etc.

There is usually JSO parked across the street on Monroe, but I have never seen them get involved in anything. Haven't seen the need for them too really. Would it be more appealing to have the park with less stragglers - perhaps. But its a public park. Everybody should be welcome to enjoy it. But if you're designating portions of the park for reading, café eating, food truck eating, anything else - then somebody should be enforcing that so those wanting to do those things can enjoy that area for those activities.

Having the music daily is a nice touch. Its usually very good and makes for a nice lunch - sitting, eating, relaxing to music. Hope that continues. The Bono's food truck folks said when Black Sheep comes in, they have to leave. Wasn't crazy about that. Think there's enough for more than just BLK SHP. Of course, I am just taking their work on that situation.

BTW - anyone know what happened to the hot dog lady who used to be in the park. Forced out? Left on own? Quit? Moved elsewhere?

[Captain Zissou]

It's not like this is the first park ever placed in a downtown.  The way to reduce the actual and perceived number of homeless and what not is to increase the number of diners and downtown workers who stop in the park.  This is accomplished by adding more gathering spaces and nodes of activity, not turning the park into Alcatraz with guards and fences.

[CCMjax]

CCMjax I know it's not PC, but it's the truth.  There's almost always a bit of truth behind stereotypes.  Downtowns stereotype of being a homeless breeding ground is due to vagrants ease of access to the core. Our North bank core is literally surrounded by shelters/drop offs on every side but the south and the greyhound station drops them right into the center of downtown.

I consider myself pretty liberal and agree that these people need to be taken care of,  but our city needs to condense the shelters into one area of downtown, move the greyhound station to the prime Osborne,  and give the parks better security / better freedom of enforcement.  Until that happens the vagrants will continue to converge in the center. And downtown will continue to have a vagrant problem.

I was applauding you for being un-PC, not attacking you for it.  I agreed with what you were saying.