City Council unanimously approved Tuesday improvements to Downtown sports and entertainment venues and an economic development agreement with a company bringing 40 new jobs to the city.
Sports and entertainment venue improvements
Council approved $1,945,000 million on a dozen upgrade projects at TIAA Bank Field, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and Veterans Memorial Arena.
Projects include widening the front entrance plaza and repairing bowl seating at the Arena, bleacher and turf equipment replacement at the Baseball Grounds and construction of a 60-foot-6-inch-tall digital marquee next to the Daily’s Place amphitheater.
SMG, the company that operates the city’s entertainment venues, will advertise events at the sports and entertainment venues.
City Council approved changes Feb. 27 to the sign ordinance to allow the exclusive promotional programming.
Other projects include new video control equipment at the Baseball Grounds, and a project to reduce water intrusion in the general bowl seating area at TIAA Bank Field.
Project Cart
Council approved 19-0 an economic development agreement between the city’s Office of Economic Development and an unidentified company, code-named Project Cart.
The agreement gives Cart a $40,000 Economically Distressed Area Targeted Industry Program grant in exchange for creating 40 new positions at an existing facility in Northwest Jacksonville.
The grant will be paid out over four years and is contingent on Cart creating the new positions.
City documents describe the company as a wholesale distributor of food and grocery store items.
To qualify for the incentives, 20 percent of the new workforce must live in Northwest Jacksonville and receive an average annual salary of $30,100.
Cart proposes to invest up to $400,000 in new equipment and facility upgrades to accommodate the new positions.