Greetings to all in beautiful San Marco. I’d like to update everyone on a few projects in the neighborhood.

Most pressing on the agenda is the oft-delayed San Marco Boulevard Streetscape Project that was to have started by now. As I mentioned in my Councilman’s Corner a few months ago, due to bidding and awarding issues, the project had to be delayed. At this writing we still do not have a construction start date set. We are very cognizant, however, of the concerns the San Marco Merchant Association has in regards to possible disruption of their business during the holiday season, and our project and construction managers will do their best to accommodate them when the time comes. The two-year project will be done in eight, two-block sections, starting at either the Naldo Avenue end or the Prudential Drive end. The start location of the project will be determined just prior to the start of construction. As a reminder, there will be one pre-construction meeting for residents and merchants prior to the start date, with notices going out to all affected parties.

One project that is in the works is the beautification of the Hendricks Medians. I secured funding to plant trees in approximately 29 medians running south from Dunsford Road to University Boulevard. This project will also include removal of existing trees that are dead or in poor health, and the replacement of topsoil. Due to recently added DOT regulations, the project start date is yet to be determined, however, it shouldn’t be too long.

We have a few park projects in the works. The F.E.C. Park walking path construction should be starting soon. Documents and plans are being reviewed and finalized. Once started, construction should last about 45 days. The Granada neighborhood has been very active in securing new, ADA-accessible playground equipment for Granada Park. The contract has been executed and installation should commence soon. Due to failing health, a Landon Park water oak will be taken down and a live oak will be planted in its place. With the diligence and hard work of the San Marco Preservation Society, Lillian Davin Park on River Oaks Road will have new tree lights installed in a few months. For our dog walkers out there, two dog stations have been added in the neighborhood. One at Greenridge Road Park on San Jose Blvd. and one at the Colonial Manor Lake (Duck Pond) Park. As a reminder to all, we do have a City-enforced leash law, so please try to keep your pets secure for the safety and comfort of all.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding these or any other issues affecting San Marco, please feel free to give my office a call at 630-1382. In addition, 630-CITY is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to report any nuisance property, traffic, park, or garbage pick-up issues. This service is also available on-line through City Services at coj.net.

Thanks to all of you for being such great neighbors and caring so much for our fabulous San Marco neighborhood.  Take care and see you soon.

We have a great year ahead of us in the Square and surrounding neighborhood. Here is an update on a few projects we have going on in the area.

One project that began before Thanksgiving is the replacement of the aging and crumbling Lake Marco bulkheads on Sorrento and Largo Roads. Great care was taken to conserve the oak trees on the banks. The project should be complete in a few months.

The San Marco Boulevard Streetscape project will be starting a little later than planned due to contract and bidding issues. We are now expecting the project to start in mid-March to early April. The estimated two-year project will be done in eight, two-block sections, from Naldo Avenue to Prudential Drive, to minimize impact to businesses and residences on San Marco Boulevard. The two traffic circles, otherwise known as roundabouts, at Landon Ave. and Naldo Ave., will help with traffic flow, and the addition of pavers, widened sidewalks, historic light poles and landscaping will beautify the area and make it pedestrian friendly, matching the nearby San Marco Town Center and Hendricks Avenue, giving the neighborhood an even more cohesive, engaging feel. (Please go to http://ramprofessionalgroup.com/ for details on meetings, design layout, etc.). One more town meeting is scheduled just before construction to give homeowners and business owners in the area important information regarding project management contact numbers, construction time-lines, etc. The Office of Public Works will be passing out flyers and a notice in the paper will go out prior to the meeting and you can call our office as well.

I met with residents and San Marco Preservation Society members in August to discuss the concept of a walking path at F.E.C. Park. The decision was made to construct a six-foot wide, ADA-accessible, landscaped walking path, connecting Marco Place to River Oaks Road. The winding path will be planted with approximately six shade trees. The plans also include installing a“LaVilla”-style, wrought-iron fence on the Marco Place side of the park. This fence will be the same height and style as the fence surrounding nearby Fletcher Park.

Greenscape Celebration Park at Lasalle Street on the river is complete. The date of the ribbon-cutting ceremony is still to be determined. Greenscape of Jacksonville is working with Art in Public Places to install a tree-themed sculpture in the middle of the park and when the sculpture is commissioned and installed, a date will then be set. Speaking of Greenscape – they have moved their office to San Marco, to the recently refurbished South Jacksonville City Hall on Hendricks Ave. They are leasing out the top floor, sharing the common area with the San Marco Preservation Society, who is leasing the bottom floor.

The above are just a few of the projects that our office works on on a daily basis. There is always something going on in San Marco, from smaller construction projects to ongoing infrastructure issues. If you have any questions, concerns or comments about these issues or City ordinances or legislation affecting the merchants and/or residents of our neighborhood, or City questions in general, please give my council office a call at 630-1382.  You can also call 630-CITY to report any Code Enforcement, Traffic, Public Works, Solid Waste, or other city concerns or complaints. This will generate a CARE issue (Citizen Active Response Effort), which is immediately sent to a specific City department for action. This is a good tool to track common complaints and issues and helps the City determine where (and how often) problems exist and what has been done to address them.

As always, it is my pleasure and my honor to represent San Marco within my City Council District 5. I wish you all a healthy and prosperous 2010. See you in the neighborhood!

The Mayor asked for everyone in City government to cut budgets and our own councilman Art Shad has stepped up with a $700,000 solution to the budget deficit.  By cutting salaries and benefits of council members, the City could save a large chunk of money. Currently council members earn $45,000 per year. Budget discussions are ongoing and widespread. The Times-Union has  a summary of proposed solutions.

Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to summer in San Marco!  As your City Council representative, I’d like to update you on a few things our office has been working on in the past several months.

We, along with the City’s Public Works Department and RAM Professional group, hosted a community meeting in May to discuss the 90% plans of the San Marco Boulevard Streetscape Project. The designers and engineers listened and worked with local residents and merchants, including the San Marco Preservation Society, over the past few years to create a plan that has addressed concerns, logistics and aesthetics for the area.  The work will be done in eight, two-block segments from Naldo Avenue to Gary Street and should begin in January, 2010, just after the 2009 Holiday season. It’s projected to take about two years.  The finished product will boast two traffic circles (round-abouts), one at Landon and one at Naldo, historic light poles, underground utility wires, pedestrian-friendly eight-foot wide sidewalks and lots of great landscaping.  One more meeting is planned to give the community a chance to meet the contractor and discuss traffic flow and time-frames before the projected construction start date. You can go to http://www.ramprofessionalgroup.com to see meeting minutes, maps and details on this project, or to leave comments for our engineers.

Greenscape Celebration Park at Lasalle Street will be our newest pocket park in the neighborhood. Construction has started and we expect it to be complete by September. Along with Greenscape of Jacksonville and our Parks Department, we will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony at that time and look forward to celebrating with everyone. Also, at its completion, funds will be released to place benches and trash cans at Jim Rink Park, the first San Marco “Pocket Park” on the river, a block to the north at Cedar Street.

A request from the San Marco Preservation Society came in several months ago to install dog waste clean-up stations in five local parks.  We were able to fund the purchase and (forthcoming) installation of “Dogi Potis” for Greenridge, Fletcher, Landon, Largo, and Brown L. Whatley Parks. The additions of these Dogi Potis will assist our dog-walkers to clean up after their pets, creating a healthier, cleaner environment for all. This request was a follow-up to the successful installation and use of two Dogi Poti Stations that were placed in River Oaks Park in 2008.

I will be meeting soon with local residents and members of the San Marco Preservation Society to discuss the possibility of creating a landscaped walking path within FEC Park, located at 1620 Marco Place. The tentative, preliminary (and contingent upon funding) plans consist of a six-foot wide sidewalk winding through the back area of the park, connecting River Oaks Rd. to Marco Place, with five to six shade trees planted along the way. This design concept came about from local residents and members of the San Marco Preservation Society as a way to maximize the beauty and layout of this unique neighborhood green space.

We like to hear from you so please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns, ideas or suggestions regarding San Marco or the City of Jacksonville, at my Council office at 630-1382 or by email at ashad@coj.net. Also, please call 630-CITY to report any Code Enforcement, Traffic, Public Works, Solid Waste, or other city concerns or complaints. This will generate a CARE issue (Citizen Active Response Effort), which is immediately sent to a specific City department for immediate response. This is a good tool to track common complaints and issues and helps the City determine where (and how often) problems exist and what has been done to address them.

Thank you for your efforts at maintaining San Marco’s beauty and charm. It is a pleasure to represent this unique area of Jacksonville. I wish all of you a happy and safe summer and look forward to seeing you in the neighborhood.

Greetings to all! As the Councilman for District 5, which includes beautiful San Marco, I am delighted to be able to assist my neighbors in beautifying and restoring our historic area. The San Marco Town Center is complete and a new sign has been installed at the south entrance of the Square at the corner of Hendricks Ave. and San Marco Blvd. welcoming everyone to this unique neighborhood. The beauty and organization of San Marco Square, a jewel of Jacksonville, would not be possible without the tireless work of our San Marco Preservation Society and the San Marco Merchants Association. These two groups are on top of issues in the Square and surrounding San Marco neighborhoods and come to us and the City with their concerns and suggestions, from landscape maintenance to Sheriff’s Office issues. We work with them closely and listen to their needs. They are indeed the voice of this unique area and they get things done.

San Marco is a vibrant, dynamic community and there are always projects keeping everyone engaged. Several infrastructure projects have been completed recently and a few more are in the planning stages. The Children’s Way Pump Station was completed in August, 2008, and has greatly reduced flooding in the north end of San Marco, just in time for our busy hurricane season. The aging Lake Marco bulkhead on Largo Road will be replaced, and the Riverfront Park (San Marco Beach) bulkhead area is being studied for refurbishment, as well. The San Marco Boulevard Streetscape design is underway and should be starting within the next six months. This project will mirror last year’s Hendricks Ave. Streetscape Project and will combine the historic cleaned-up look of the area, with decorative light poles, pavers, landscaped medians, and round-a-bouts, easing traffic-flow into and out of the Square.                San Marco is home to over fifteen city parks, and we have a new one in the works at the end of Lasalle Street at the river. Plans and permitting are underway for Greenscape Celebration Park and shovels should hit the ground, soon, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony just in time for spring.
                Old South Jacksonville City Hall on Hendricks Ave. is open and renovations are complete. It is now home to the San Marco Preservation Society, whose board members meet there monthly. With grants from the State of Florida and funds from the City, the Preservation Society undertook the refurbishing and renovating of the 1915 building that housed the seat of government for South Jacksonville. The Hall serves as a museum, as well as a meeting space and can be rented out for functions.
                There’s always something new happening in San Marco and it’s certainly a great place to live, work and play. If you have any ideas, suggestions, comments or concerns regarding our neighborhood or the City of Jacksonville, please don’t hesitate to contact me at my Council office at 630-1382.