Smart Meters Come to Downtown Jacksonville

[stjr]

too late, stjr.  The City Council is already sponsored by the development community.

I wrote that originally but then thought it might be a little to mean spirited even if well deserved.  Some council reps are naive or spineless while others are owned.  Same result though.

[mtraininjax]

Complete article on it in the Daily Record, a Jim Bailey publication, who is also running for Mayor in 2011.

http://jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=529322

[jbroadglide]

OK. Would like to know.

I checked with the city webmaster and there is no location on the city website that lists where any wi-fi hotspots are within city buildings. Sorry. I know thats not much help.

[mtraininjax]

JB - I know, I am peeved about that too. The Library does an excellent job in promoting their wi-fi hotspots. But the City does an absolutely LOUSY job at it, about status quo for most things the city does, I guess.

I work with folks at Adult Services, and they are unhappy with this as well. Many seniors can afford a laptop that runs with wi-fi, and runs faster than most of the hand-me-down machines in the Senior Centers, but there is no wi-fi in these centers and they are used by more people daily, than most city buildings. But then again, it is the City and I am not suprised.

[jbroadglide]

However given the current economic times, as a taxpayer, I would be less than pleased to learn the city was going to install wi-fi in a bunch of buildings that would only get used by a minimum number of people. Not to say those people are not important and deserve the access. I would just rather that tax dollar go to something to benefit the majority.

[mtraininjax]

JB - Go check out Mary Singleton center and see the number of people in there, any time of the day. Believe me, they get good use out of that center and the way that data is collected now, to get stats back to the State for re-imbursement, could be improved 300% by a wi-fi system. Adding wi-fi is not expensive, and if ITD has it on its cushy floor and others have it, why don't more have it and what is the plan for extending it? More wi-fi, could mean, fewer employees needed.

[jbroadglide]

mtrain, your comments and ideas are valid. I'm not the one to answer those questions though. Your city council person would be the one to ask and get the answers.

[mtraininjax]

JB - My city council person isn't even worth gum on the bottom of my shoe.

[stjr]

How much would it cost to install WiFi in a senior citizens center?  A connection would be maybe $50 to $100 a month (the City could probably get a better deal if they worked at it) plus a $50 to $100 wireless router?

Better yet, get one of the drug companies to sponsor WiFi there.  When the senior logs on, a drug ad is the home page before they click through.  See, just like the bus shelters, ads can pay for all our concerns.

In fact, we could ad WiFi to every bus shelter doing the same thing (maybe the WiFi ads could pay for the bus shelter and we wouldn't have to endanger our sign ordinance after all!).  Just like the airports, you could surf the net while waiting for the bus.  Now that would be nifty!   

[mtraininjax]

stjr - You are proposing something that makes absolutely perfect sense to someone who has to deal with the City and try and float something that makes perfect sense to a group of people who take perfectly good ideas and then sit on them for months.

Every bus could have wi-fi, its not physically impossible. But I'd rather JTA spend money to fix the potholes than add wi-fi on a bus.

[stjr]

But I'd rather JTA spend money to fix the potholes than add wi-fi on a bus.

I was actually referring to bus shelters but buses are viable also.  Again, with ads this could be done at no expense to the pothole budget.  JTA/COJ can still have money for potholes (hey, lets sell ads on the repair barricades to pay for the pothole repairs  )  No excuses.  Ads are the new panacea!

[mtraininjax]

I like the way you think, you are progressive and I think you'd make a great mayor!

[GENTRY]

I feel sorry for any individual who will charge fifty cents or one dollar on their credit card. That statement is based upon the detail in the image of the meter above (.50 per hour, max. stay two hours). And if anyone wishes to argue the point that they'd drop quarters in instead; There's still no point in replacing the meters. That's what the current ones accept already. These meters also increase the risk of fraud in the area of identity theft. Additionally. What are the odds of the Sun charging these meters regularly considering the actual lack of sunshine we get in Jacksonville? How long will these meters hold their charge? Will they hold their charge until morning before the sun hits them again? What happens if any particular meter is shaded throughout the day by tall buildings and doesn't get enough sunlight? These meters are a complete waste of money that can better be spent on more relevant items and/or services. It's simply more frivolous spending by the city.

[thelakelander]

In reality, the meters ought to be pulled up and trashed if there are no plans to expand them to public streets all across the county.  This isn't 1950.  DT has more parking spaces than people.  The whole system is archaic and stymies downtown growth because it creates and uneven playing field and obstacle that does not exist in the burbs and other commercial districts.

[stjr]

DT has more parking spaces than people.  The whole system is archaic and stymies downtown growth because it creates and uneven playing field and obstacle that does not exist in the burbs and other commercial districts.

Actually, Lake, the City has a conspiracy going on with the parking lots and garages to eliminate all street parking over time.  Haven't you noticed the "no parking" zones continuously expanding?  We have well under half the street parking we had 20 years ago by my estimate.  The only reason it's not more obvious is because so many fewer people visit downtown today than in the past.  Should we somehow ever change that, finding street parking will be a fight to the death.

They now prevent you from parking within almost half a block of some corners and driveways.  Subtract the never-used delivery zones, handicapped spaces, emergency vehicle accesses, fire hydrants, added driving lanes, "official vehicle" spaces, permitted parking spaces, rush hour prohibitions, $ky-high-way support column islands, and the umpteen other made up reasons to disallow curb parking, and it's getting nigh impossible to find a space regardless of it being metered or not.  My bet is that within about 5 years, no curb side parking will be available in the core of downtown.