Hemming Park has become a no-sit zone

[jaxlore]

I feel if anything the park has taken more of a hit from the food truck court then the homeless population. Before the food truck court there where lines in the park and tables where jumping. I definitely felt a slow down even without concentrated homeless activity.

[Lostwave]

http://jacksonville.com/HistoricHemming

Jacksonville.com has posted some great photos of Hemmings Park over the years.  I really like how it looked before they bricked it over in the 70s.  Also love the 1910 photo with the old houses next to Snyder church.

[KenFSU]

Just popping in a couple of months later to again recognize how great of a job this current iteration of FHP is doing with Hemming.

It's 1:45 on a Friday afternoon, and looking down from my office building, I count roughly 150 people in the park.

Families are playing in the kid zone.

The food truck cafe is packed.

An amazing band is playing.

People are dancing.

Vendors are out.

The staff is actively cleaning the park, stopping only to greet visitors and smile.

Two police officers are visible, but non-threatening and friendly.

The crowd mix is great and diverse, both culturally and socioeconomically.

They're killing it.

Also worth pointing out that I've been working next door to Hemming since the end of October, and I've never once been approach in the park by a panhandler. Literally not once.

[remc86007]

^ That's great to hear!

The homeless have definitely moved east a block. 

[KenFSU]

^ That's great to hear!

The homeless have definitely moved east a block. 

Many, but not all.

Those that do come to Hemming are welcomed and treated like anyone else.

The difference between now and a few years back though is that now, expectations for visitor behavior are clearly defined, and consistently enforced.

The same rules (which are posted throughout the park) apply for everyone, and if you break them, you're out.

[jaxrox]

Re: rules for the park
Yeah, apparently ONLY JSO officers are allowed to ride their bike in the park. I was trying to just shortcut through there the other day on my way to wherever I was going and the security guard stopped me and said I wasn't allowed to ride my bike, i'd have to walk it through. And there was no place to sit if i'd wanted to stop there for a break. I just find it a little strange that it's a park where I cannot just sit down if I want to chill there for a few minutes. C'est La Vie, I suppose

[KenFSU]

^What time were you there, just out of curiosity? There's tons of movable seating out every day when the park is open, from dawn until dusk. I go out there to work most morning, and I've never had trouble finding seating.

[Noone]

Re: rules for the park
Yeah, apparently ONLY JSO officers are allowed to ride their bike in the park. I was trying to just shortcut through there the other day on my way to wherever I was going and the security guard stopped me and said I wasn't allowed to ride my bike, i'd have to walk it through. And there was no place to sit if i'd wanted to stop there for a break. I just find it a little strange that it's a park where I cannot just sit down if I want to chill there for a few minutes. C'est La Vie, I suppose

[KenFSU]

And there was no place to sit if i'd wanted to stop there for a break. I just find it a little strange that it's a park where I cannot just sit down if I want to chill there for a few minutes. C'est La Vie, I suppose

From today.

Classic no-sit zone.

[jax_hwy_engineer]

Are those tables and chairs going to be a standard fixture now? The last few times I've been past Hemming I have not seen those chairs there. I could also see those getting stolen if left there 24/7...

[Live_Oak]

I think they are just there at lunch time, Monday to Friday. Other than those temporary seats, there are no chairs or benches of any sort in the park.

[KenFSU]

The movable furniture has been there since last year.

It's great because it allows flexibility for whatever is going on at the park.

In the last picture above, for example, they created this sectioned-off area for a bunch of little kids visiting City Hall to play and have lunch.

Seating isn't just there at lunch time, Monday through Friday.

Furniture is set up early each morning at sunrise, broken down at dusk, and locked up for the night in an on-site storage area.

7 days a week.

I came to the office on Saturday night at 6 PM, and there was staff in the park helping kids in the play area.

[jax_hwy_engineer]

Well, that's good to hear. I'm always hopeful that resource grown and enjoyed by more people in the city. All problems aside, this city holds a very special place in my heart and I have nothing but high hopes for it going forward into the future. I'll have to take a closer look and have a seat next time I'm in the area!

[jaxrox]

^What time were you there, just out of curiosity? There's tons of movable seating out every day when the park is open, from dawn until dusk. I go out there to work most morning, and I've never had trouble finding seating.

It was later in the afternoon whatever day it was. Definitely past the lunchtime food truck time thing. Not sure if it was a weekday or a weekend. If I go there during lunchtime hours on weekdays when the food trucks are out, yeah, those multicolored tables and chairs are there, i have noticed. They just seem to not be there all the time outside of those hours i guess? I'll try to remember to look to see if the sitting places are set up when I go to art walk in April. I had already planned on doing a night out with the art walk upcoming in April

[jaxrox]

And if they changed things around and are having the tables and chairs out more often, good, I am glad. My complaint about sometimes not having somewhere to sit when I go to hemming park surely happened to not just me, as I did not start this thread, did I?