Recent Posts

1

Downtown / Re: JEA hunt for headquarters site is silent on evacuation risk

« Last post by Jagsdrew on Today at 08:51:08 AM »

Nine Floors of the JEA Tower flooded over the weekend. Looks like it's business as usual as it only affected the break room areas.

https://www.wokv.com/news/local/parts-nine-floors-jea-downtown-tower-flood-from-multiple-building-issues/LGVzHLchk2UQyKVbQ8cpnI/

2

Politics / Re: 2019 Mayoral election

« Last post by Bill Hoff on Yesterday at 10:40:09 PM »

Bill, If that's really the case then the city should put a full service homeless shelter with a work training program (masonry, welding, etc...) out by Cecil Field.

Problem solved.

You're right.

It really is as simple as deconsolidating all the major shelters in Northeast FL & Southeast GA from Downtown Jax, and spread them out a bit.

Homeless people don't have an affinity for tall buildings, and very few became homeless in 32202. They're sent to Downtown Jax because that's where the services are.

Heck, City Rescue Mission (next to Rosa Parks bus station) actually has homeless folks bussed IN TO the city from other cities & states to fill their beds. They have a network of religious orgs that feed them people from all over the Southeast.

Related:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/las-homeless-surge-puts-hollywoods-progressive-ideals-test-1174599

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/us/surge-in-homelessness-tests-wisconsin-capitals-welcoming-spirit.html

If you build it / provide it, they will come.

3

Politics / Re: 2019 Mayoral election

« Last post by thelakelander on Yesterday at 09:59:42 PM »

There's a cause and effect with every move we make. The homeless or vagrant situation hasn't gotten worse. It's just out in the open now that people can see it on Main Street. They should have known things would play out this way when they (1) built a passive park next to Salvation Army and (2) put up fences and pulled up benches to keep people from sitting in Hemming Park. They have no clue what they're doing, which is why money keeps getting spent on things like this particular park. 

4

Politics / Re: 2019 Mayoral election

« Last post by acme54321 on Yesterday at 08:01:28 PM »

The homeless issue downtown seems to have exploded lately.  That park puts it at the forefront.  I don't care if I sound like an ass or whatever but if the city wants to improve the image of downtown they need to address the homeless problem.  The scene at that park is ridiculous.

5

Urban Neighborhoods / Re: Vintage Photos: Sugar Hill

« Last post by Bill Hoff on Yesterday at 05:25:44 PM »

Groundwork Jacksonville will be unveiling their very large, very cool mosiac tribute to the Sugar Hill neighborhood underneath I-95 on March 23rd. It'll rival the river mosiac (underneath the Main Street bridge on the Southbank) as the "best" one in Jax, made by the same artist, Roux Art.

Check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2018916171740007/?ti=as

6

Urban Neighborhoods / Re: Vintage Photos: Sugar Hill

« Last post by Wacca Pilatka on Yesterday at 05:09:20 PM »

Is there or will there be a photo essay on the site highlighting historic Sugar Hill buildings and parks that remain?  Thanks!

7

Politics / Re: 2019 Mayoral election

« Last post by Kiva on Yesterday at 04:03:41 PM »

45 minutes ago I drove through downtown past the new library. The vacant lot/park behind it was teeming with homeless people. It was sad and awful to look at. 

Is there a Mayoral candidate anywhere who can fix that issue?  Or do the Mayoral candidates even see that as an issue?  You wanna see downtown making big strides you have to tackle that problem....

What exaclty is  the issue?   are you looking for an end to homelessness?  something else?

I think the issue is that the city built a "park" right next to Main street, with a lot of vehicles passing it daily, and it is constantly full of homeless people. Anyone going southbound across the Main street bridge sees them, and it contributes to the suburban commuter idea that downtown is unsafe.

8

Urban Neighborhoods / Re: Vintage Photos: Sugar Hill

« Last post by Kiva on Yesterday at 03:58:48 PM »

Thanks! A coffee table style black Jacksonville book?! Sounds interesting. Perhaps one day! Stay tuned. I do plan to share more about the history, businesses and accomplishments of various individuals. However, there's so much history out there, it would be better shared as a series of separate stories.

Easy. Each story is one chapter. Problem solved!

9

Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: Routing, too Many Stops, required 2 hour 40 min trip time: CA HSR Cost Doubled

« Last post by civil42806 on Yesterday at 03:25:03 PM »

This is, sadly, all too often what happens with massive public works projects like this. The costs and bank account balloon and the taxpayer ends up getting screwed.

The costs don't balloon.  Those in charge of calculating just keep getting them very, very, VERY wrong.

For example, when RTD went the voters for a referendum for Fastracks, their sales tax income projections not only used a historic high growth rate but it didn't account for at least one recession over 30 years.  Such a time period would normally have 5.

Of course they get them wrong.  If they told the truth they would never have started.  The key is to lie, mislead or more usually use the most optimistic ride numbers with unrealistic cost assumptions to get the funding, then when things inevitably go south proclaim that since they have already started it would either be a waste of money to stop or they have to give money back to the feds(they have been using that one for 30 years on the skyway).  Then of course we have the new standard line that it just wasnt implemented  correctly.  If u could have just taken politics out of a multi billion dollar project (good luck with that) and put the technocrats in charge it would have worked!! I am surprised Newsome had the guts to mercy kill it.

10

Urban Neighborhoods / Re: Vintage Photos: Sugar Hill

« Last post by Charles Hunter on Yesterday at 02:09:09 PM »

One of the first transportation / urban planning books I bought was Helen Leavitt's "Superhighway - Superhoax" (1970). One of the themes is just what thelakelander stated, that the Interstates and other urban expressways were located to either divide "white" neighborhoods from "black" ones; or to just remove black neighborhoods. In the 1950s and 1960s when much of this took place, African-Americans had little political power in most cities.  It was abuses like this that led to the requirement for more public involvement in highway planning, including a demonstration that minority neighborhoods were not bearing a disproportionate share of the negative effects of highway construction.