Jazz Festival Logistics Badly Planned for Downtown Merchants and Residents?

[stephendare]

According to one of the local merchants, the Jazz Festival--while widely hailed and welcomed by the merchants-- is overlooking one of the major logistical issues of holding the street festival.

For starters there will be no on street parking for anywhere near the event.

No vehicles including delivery will be allowed in the Jazz Festival area during the event itself.

The problem of course is that the majority of the parking lots which serve the residents at the Carling and other are within the street closure areas.

For the restaurants, it could be problematic to their regular customers since they will be unable to park near their businesses. 

Downtown Vision sent out an email claiming that the residents parking in the Carling Parking Lot will be accomodated, but a check with the parking lot manager cast that in doubt.

According to the merchants, the parking lot manager had heard nothing of the sort.

Easy suggestions that might not have occurred to the logistics team.

For the reservations, a couple of golf caddies to ferry people from the peripheral parking lots to the restaurants.

And something concrete needs to happen for the residents.

And hopefully before chaos ensues.

[lindab]

I am a very devoted fan of the jazz festival since it's Mayport days. This is the first year that we have had very little advance publicity or coverage of performers. I'm not getting a good feeling that anyone knows what is going on (or cares).

[brainstormer]

Wouldn't a simple solution include...

Obviously allowing residents of the Carling to park in their lot.

Giving special street parking passes to owners of businesses in the affected area.  They would be allowed to park on the street in areas like Monroe between Main and Laura, Adams between Main and Laura, etc.  I understand no parking along Laura street as that will be a major walkway for jazz fans.

I would also hope the city parking garage behind the new annex building would be open because that will be close parking and they will make a good profit on that garage.

It would also be a great idea to have the potato chip trolly make a loop from say the new courthouse parking garage to Hemming plaza then to Omni and back around.

I did like how they promoted the skyway in their very well done promotional flier.

One of the problems with city hall is that there are a lot of people getting paid large salaries, who can't handle the job.  That's why it is a bad idea to hire your friends.

I would hope that all of the local news stations would spend this week giving a great deal of info, logistics and promotion to the event.  We also have to understand the event is free so trying to keep overhead low is good for the taxpayer.  I understand why there isn't a lot of money for tv and radio advertising.

I'm kind of rambling, but just want this to work so badly.  I'm crossing my fingers...

[lindab]

I'm with you there. Fingers crossed.

[heights unknown]

Wouldn't a simple solution include...

Obviously allowing residents of the Carling to park in their lot.

Giving special street parking passes to owners of businesses in the affected area.  They would be allowed to park on the street in areas like Monroe between Main and Laura, Adams between Main and Laura, etc.  I understand no parking along Laura street as that will be a major walkway for jazz fans.

I would also hope the city parking garage behind the new annex building would be open because that will be close parking and they will make a good profit on that garage.

It would also be a great idea to have the potato chip trolly make a loop from say the new courthouse parking garage to Hemming plaza then to Omni and back around.

I did like how they promoted the skyway in their very well done promotional flier.

One of the problems with city hall is that there are a lot of people getting paid large salaries, who can't handle the job.  That's why it is a bad idea to hire your friends.

I would hope that all of the local news stations would spend this week giving a great deal of info, logistics and promotion to the event.  We also have to understand the event is free so trying to keep overhead low is good for the taxpayer.  I understand why there isn't a lot of money for tv and radio advertising.

I'm kind of rambling, but just want this to work so badly.  I'm crossing my fingers...

There probably is no TV advertising or or mass media promotion because there is no money.  But I hope they pull this off because if they do, with resounding success, then it will probably be held downtown every year thereafter, which is a good booster shot in the arm for downtown.

Heights Unknown

[tufsu1]

all of the inormation, including parking, can be found right here

http://www.coj.net/Departments/Recreation+and+Community+Services/Special+Events/Jazz+Festival/Default.htm

and, no, I didn't go searching for it....it was a dircet link from www.jaxjazzfest.com which has been advertised for weeks

[Jerry Moran]

Ms. Hupp:

A commercial and resident vehicle ban within the Jazz Festival Area will not work and cannot stand.  I need to supply my restaurant.  Residents of the Carling Apartments need to have access to their garage on Monroe Street.

I suggest the following:

To accommodate the Carling Parking Garage, allow single lane westbound traffic on Monroe Street between Main Street and  the Carling Garage entrance.

Arrange for a City golf cart shuttle so business owners can, at a location outside the Festival Area, offload supplies  onto the golf cart, and ferry the supplies  to their business.  The golf cart should be manned by a City employee, and be made available at all times during the Festival with a single telephone call.

Without these two accommodations, we are headed for trouble. 

Please advise.

Jerry Moran
Chef & Owner
La Cena Ristorante
211 N Laura St.

Once again, the City makes decisions without consulting with those the decisions affect.

[02roadking]

All deliveries should be done in the morning prior to the Festival opening. The residents I know in the affected areas have already made parking arrangements from my understanding and all are thrilled that the Jazz Fest is at their front door. I guess you just can't please everybody, all the time. As for myself, we'll be two wheeling in from the Springy and taking advantage of the bike valets.

[Jerry Moran]

All deliveries should be done in the morning prior to the Festival opening.

That's rather presumptuous.  Should I telephone the clam diggers in Rhode Island and tell them we are having a Jazz Festival in Jacksonville, and they have to dig the clams faster so we can get them before Laura Street is closed on Thursday morning at 8 AM?  It does not work that way.  The clams arrive on Friday afternoons, period.

As of this moment, no tenant of the Carling or it's parking garage has been notified of any accommodation for the Festival.  Carling management has stated they received a letter on Friday that access to the Monroe Street garage would be permitted from Main Street, and that an advisory is in the works.  That's a step, albeit a late one, in the right direction.

[tufsu1]

Jerry, wouldn't the festival attendance be a good thing for your business?

Its been known for at least two months that the festival would be downtown....how hard would it be to have made special arrangements for deliveries? Or to have ordered larger quantities earlier in the week or the week before?

[mtraininjax]

Planning is an oxymoron in this town.

If the temp is 85+ and humidity, can the breeze from the river be felt 6-8 blocks in from the river? Who's bright idea was it to put Jazz Fest in the park anyway? Jazz Fest belongs along the river. For pete's sake, they have the lovely JEA lot with all its grass, just begging for some attention, and the planners could only put it on concrete?

[dganson]

I can not believe what a bunch of whiners and naysayers you are. Stephen, you always complain that the city never does anything different and when they do you complain about it. And Jerry, instead of focusing of the amazing opportunity to showcase your restaurant to 100,000 people you whine about the logistical issues. A good businessman would just figure a way to work it out.  And yes..it will not go off perfectly and there may be some significant issues but the vast majority of patrons will have a great event. And you will probably spend the entire time focused on whats wrong..not whats right. Sit back chill relax and enjoy for a change. Just my thoughts...

[tufsu1]

agreed!

[Steve]

I can not believe what a bunch of whiners and naysayers you are. Stephen, you always complain that the city never does anything different and when they do you complain about it. And Jerry, instead of focusing of the amazing opportunity to showcase your restaurant to 100,000 people you whine about the logistical issues. A good businessman would just figure a way to work it out.  And yes..it will not go off perfectly and there may be some significant issues but the vast majority of patrons will have a great event. And you will probably spend the entire time focused on whats wrong..not whats right. Sit back chill relax and enjoy for a change. Just my thoughts...

Is it really wrong for a business owner to first think about his business?  I don't know the particular issues, but my first thought is how do other cities do it?  We are not the only big city to do this, and most have a lot more merchants to deal with.  If we are doing the same things other cities do, then so be it.  However, if not, then perhaps they have a legit gripe.

Mr. Ganson, as you know, the most important thing in any downtown is the small businesses.  With the limited amount of them we have, I think we should bend over backwards to accommodate them.

[Jerry Moran]

Jerry, wouldn't the festival attendance be a good thing for your business?

Here's what would be good for my business:

1. Cut Taxes

2. Dissolve Downtown Vision and end the special property tax assessment levied on downtown properties.

3. Compel JSO to provide patrolling Peace Officers to prevent crime, and not merely react to and record, as happens now.

4. Prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages for off premises consumption until 5 PM.

5. Enact an ordinance to allow open containers of alcoholic beverage in public during special events.

6. End parking enforcement at 5 PM.

7. Relocate all downtown social service agencies and shelters to a remote location with shuttle service provided to clients.

8. Require that any weekday downtown show, concert, or play start no earlier that 8:15 PM.


It has always been my contention that if government would mind it's own business, then private enterprise could better mind it's own, and everyone would benefit.

I can not believe what a bunch of whiners and naysayers you are

Emailing the Office of Special Events with suggestions for how the Festival can be made better is hardly whining.

I wonder what would be posted if the City, acting in what it thought was the public's interest, decided to shut down the Landing's receiving dock during the festival, or enforced a temporary ban on deep fried food and 78/22 4 oz frozen hamburger patties because City Hall deems those items to be unjazzlike? I have no problem with the Jazz Festival.  In fact, it is a good idea to have it on Memorial Day Weekend, which is typically slow.

What I do have a problem with is that no definitive statement of proposed street closures was issued to merchants until the Office of Special Event's eleventh hour 05/11 email.  Oh sure, a couple earlier hints of street closures were dropped, one in an email from OSE on 03/25, which was 6 days after I FAXed the hand delivered event application.

Please also note on the form if you get weekly deliveries and what days you normally get them, this will help our office plan ahead on who we need to work with to ensure all businesses receive the deliveries they need if there are any after the streets are closed. We’re still waiting to hear from JSO on how and which streets will be closed, when I have that information I will share it with you.

And another email from OSE dated 4/24:

Our office will also be sending out times and days of street closures shortly, we will work with you to ensure you get all deliveries you need.

I checked with the Carling's management this morning, and they only received word of the street closures on Friday.  Yes, Monroe Street will be available to Carling Garage tenants.  All this gives me reason to suspect the planning and execution ability of the Office of Special Events.  Really, a project that is months in the making and we don't know what streets are going to be closed until less than 2 weeks before the show?

The last thing downtown merchants need is a bunch of know nothing, go home at 5 PM bureaucrats unilaterally deciding what is best for us, and dictating at the last moment how our businesses and lives are going to be conducted.  My deliveries are not regular and I will be damned if I lay in a ton of fresh food and then get stuck with it like what happened to the vendors at the NFL Zone during Superbowl. At least most of their supplies were frozen, and they were able to unload it.  I can't do that.  I don't know what to expect, and need unfettered access to my premises in the event we need to restock.  I can live with access to the Carling Garage, it's just a walk around the block with a hand truck.  I wonder what the other guys are going to do.