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The park contains motivational plaques and sculptures, as well as an interactive computer with the names of local cancer patients who have survived the disease for over five years. Located on the grounds of FCCJ Downtown, this well-laid out, extremely attractive park is one of the most unique Cancer Survivor's Parks in the country to date.
http://www.downtownjacksonville.org/directory/detail/1907/
http://www.downtownjacksonville.org/directory/detail/1907/
Article by Ennis Davis
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vicupstate
December 23, 2008, 09:42:12 AMThe park itself is nice, but it is totally wasted in that location. Located next to the very auto-oriented State Street speedway, it is totally cut off from everything and just about everyone except a few FCCJ students/staff. Has anyone ever seen someone in this park?
Just like the Veterans memorial by the football stadium, the location isolates it from everything, when with better planning, it could have been woven into a more accessible, pedestrian-friendly environment that would be an integral part of the urban core.
Cancer Survivor's park, Main Street pocket park, the Veteran's memorial, Kids Kampus, Friendship Fountain, the Northbank and Southbank riverwalks. They all are a shadow of what they could have been, had better urban planning been utilized. Jacksonville wrote the book on useless, under-utilized public spaces.
thelakelander
December 23, 2008, 09:55:33 AMDefinately, agree. Its a great space in a poor location. All of these spaces are the result of not sticking to a long term master plan or thinking about how urban spaces integrate with each other to stimulate synergy.
copperfiend
December 23, 2008, 10:23:14 AMvicupstate, you hit it. Decent ideas in a bad location.
Jason
December 23, 2008, 10:37:06 AMGreat tour. One of my favorite parks in Jax.
The greens in front of the proposed courthouse would make a great location for the Vetran's Memorial.
heights unknown
December 23, 2008, 05:27:06 PMWow. Neat. Never knew it existed or was there. I don't think it's in a poor area of town at all; if that's the case then Hemming is in a poor area of town. People do live around or close to that area and just because it's in an area that was basically razed and is now pretty much "people starved" doesn't mean it's in a poor area or location.
Keith-N-Jax
December 23, 2008, 07:55:06 PMI have seen it, but why would one stop there. Jax has alot of hidden treasures that we dont capitalize on.
alta
December 23, 2008, 08:11:10 PMMe and my girlfriend ride across all the bridges when we are in that part of downtown. I would guess the employees at the FCCJ building use this more often than anyone else. It's a neat little park but might be visited more often if it was in a heavily traveled pedestrian area.
Ocklawaha
December 23, 2008, 11:32:49 PMWent up there on a rainy day and took a bunch of photos. Even got out of bounds into the water area's to shoot water level scenes and other "effects" from below the bridges. This tiny park is a lost treasure. Almost spiritual.
It's a shame the mis-leaders that gave us the Main Street Pocket Park and the new Greenway "S" line (Bloody Block Trail) haven't figured out how this is done.
We've got to learn how to connect this stuff in a sensable - walkable manner.
OCKLAWAHA
alta
December 24, 2008, 12:45:35 AMSo the new urban trail that the city spent a bunch of money tearing up rail is now called the Bloody Block Trail. Somehow this doesn't suprise me. Me and my girlfriend have rode this trail on our bikes from Kings Rd. to Springfield. We were the only people using this for recreational use.