Downtown Development Update: What's rising, what's delayed

[thelakelander]

I was a state's grant review panelist for this particular grant program. $60 million in AACH grants were awarded statewide.

Some other local projects awarded include Old Stanton School (window replacement now happening), Mount Zion AME (stained glass window restoration now complete), CWM (restoration of Eartha White's house off Moncrief Rd) and Debs Store (completed last year). Here's a link to an article I wrote about this back in 2022:

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/historic-sites-awarded-restoration-funds

Seems there's probably more to the story. The contract and any amendments would be where the rubber meets the road. Emails don't mean much.

[Ken_FSU]

Good lord, man.

Another grant falls through because Jax failed to follow through on the paperwork.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-loses-1-million-grant-james-weldon-johnson-park-upgrades/77-79082c6b-ffbf-4597-a2d2-01a6cd76468b#

In reading the full article, it appears the State sent a letter saying the extension that cost the City the grant wasn't needed.  Two sides to the coin here.  Rory Diamond desperate for finding faults under Deegan.  Where was he and his ilk when Curry was mayor?

...Mayor Donna Deegan's office said the grant manager at the Dept. of State told the city's parks department grant manager she would not need to request another deadline extension.

Emails between the city's parks department and the state department dated July 2024 show the city's grant manager asking if a contract extension would need to be completed since the city was waiting on legislative approval for a final piece of the grant. The Department of State said an extension should not be needed as long as the expenditures were paid out...

Not pointing fingers at anyone specifically. Like with the lost Emerald Trail grant, there are probably five sides to the story. Self-defeating losses like this are just too common here historically.

[thelakelander]

The executed contract would be the only thing that's legally valid but its not mentioned in the article. Just a bunch of typical heresay and political potshots we tend to hear locally.

Those grants are typically dispersed in draws, so I'm not completely understanding why we'd spend $1 million up front before getting a few draws. But the article overlooks that and the quotes provided don't align with that typical disbursement process.

In a weird twist of fate, Jax shouldn't have gotten the grant to begin with. So its probably a bit of karma.

Originally, the state allocated $30 million to the grant program. The JWJ Park ranked well below that threshold. It likely would not have even been eligible for the program if it had not been recently renamed after an African American (who would roll over in his grave if he knew his name was attached to it).

Then there was the issue with a city that has a $2 billion annual budget and resources competing for funds geared towards small organizations like Historic Stanton or projects intended for historic Black communities like Debs Store (its hard to stretch $30 million statewide when those with the economic means are eating $1 million chunks). These were two reasons it didn't score nearly as well as some of the other local projects in AA neighborhoods with real AA history like Mt. Zion AME or Debs.

After the review and project rankings were finalized, the federal government ended up doubling the total program amount to $60 million, which got the JWJ Park project funded (it came in around the $55 million mark).

Locally, when it comes to downtown and JWJ Park, I get the frustration. Some where in there, the grant administration part of the project fell apart. No doubt about that. The grant application came during the Curry administration, so I'm not sure how staff turnover would have impacted the Jax side over time.

The funds were supposed to be used in a year, so the several extensions would also be a concern I'd have. Debs got a $1 million from the same program and their project was completed a year or two ago.

But looking at the overall picture and intent of that program from a perspective of someone who had to review, grade and rank every application statewide, Jax should have spent that $1 million on itself anyway. So I'm not necessarily disappointed.

[Tacachale]

That's simply not what happened, and at least the current version of the article makes that clear. After a couple of extensions, the city was still awaiting the state legislature's final approval of the grant and it was clear the last deadline would be passed again. The city grants administrator asked the state if they should file another extension, and the state said it wasn't necessary, which makes sense as the holdup was on the state's end. But then the next year they come back and say they won't approve the grant reimbursement... because the deadline was passed.

It doesn't slow anything down as this was going to be a reimbursement and the park is already in the CIP, but it's unfortunate. Diamond should really quit talking out out of his ass like this, but personally I'm glad he doesn't because it's revealing of his character.

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-loses-1-million-grant-james-weldon-johnson-park-upgrades/77-79082c6b-ffbf-4597-a2d2-01a6cd76468b#

[thelakelander]

That $1 million has already been spent by the city, though, for some of the initial design work and to remove a confederate monument, and the city will no longer be reimbursed for that money.

The Confederate monument was removed in 2020, two years before the AACH grant program. DHR grants don't generally allow for reimbursement for funds spent before being awarded. If DHR was reimbursing funds like this, then we really have a big problem in Tallahassee (and maybe we do). My memory may be fuzzy and a little off but I generally remember this application being used to fund the park's redesign but not physical construction. Glad the park is already in the CIP but sorry about the pettiness Diamond keeps up.