Have you ever wondered what life was like in Jacksonville half a century ago? It was a different era of history, culture and politics but there are often parallels between the kind of stories that made headlines then and today. As interesting as the differences may be, so are the similarities. These are some of the top stories from this week in 1961. The items were compiled from the Jacksonville Public Library’s periodical archives by Staff Writer Max Marbut.
• The Duval County Commission denied an across-the-board pay increase for 2,400 employees but left the door open for limited increases based on meritorious service.
The proposed increase would have cost more than $579,000, according to estimates given to the commission.
Without the proposed pay raise, the millage minimum projected by the commission was 51, an increase from the existing rate of 45.6 mills, or $45.60 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.
After more than three hours of discussion, Commission Chair Carl D. Langston made a motion that the Budget Commission reject the across-the-board pay increase.
Commissioner Joseph C. Kennelly Jr. cast the only dissenting vote, explaining that he wanted to know the exact cost of a general pay increase and comparative cost of merit increases.
Commissioner Joseph Sessions then sponsored a motion to advise all County employing authorities to compare facts and figures on employees who could be considered for merit pay increases not to exceed $10 biweekly.
The general pay increase would have amounted to $12.50 biweekly for all classified employees.
Sessions’ motion also carried a stipulation that department heads pare their lists so that not all employees would be included.
“That would just make it a general pay increase and defeat the purpose of the Budget Commission’s action,” said Sessions.
“I’ll never favor an across-the-board raise,” said Langston.
It was generally agreed, however, that the commission would consider limited increases for deserving personnel.
Kennelly said merit raises might foster favoritism and a patronage system within the County government. Later, though, he said he was giving thought to a plan for granting merit raises, but would withhold it pending a review of the facts and figures.
Langston, when asked if the commission was cutting the budget, said, “We’ve not cut anything. All we’re doing is decreasing the increases.”
His comment was an apparent reference to the Commission’s denial of requests for additional funds and personnel above the previous year’s requests.
An example of the paring was Sheriff Dale Carson’s request for 28 additional personnel. He was granted one more process server.
• The County Commissioner brushed off objections of residents in the Harbor View and Sherwood Forest areas and granted an exclusive garbage collection franchise to Consolidated Sanitary Service Inc.
Under the four-year franchise, effective Aug. 7, residents would have to pay Consolidated $2 a month for the service. The franchise ruled out garbage collection by E.E. Minor, who had been charging $1.50 per month.
Attorney Lacy Mahon Jr., representing Minor, said Minor served 900 out of 1,200 homeowners in the area and that residents were pleased with his garbage collection.
Mahon presented a petition opposing granting an exclusive franchise to Consolidated that he said was signed by 300 residents.
Several of Minor’s customers appeared to support his service and made unfavorable comments about Consolidated’s service.
The Duval County Democratic Woman’s Club also objected to the exclusive franchise, saying that competition in garbage collection and other fields was good for the people and the economy.
Attorney William T. Basford Jr. represented Consolidated. He said his client, with better equipment, could go further than Minor in complying with state sanitary regulations for collection and disposal of garbage.
On the suggestion of County Attorney J. Henry Blount, the franchise contained a stipulation that the County would take over the service from Consolidated if the County ever decided to go into the garbage collection business and would pay Consolidated a sum to be set through arbitration.
Two days later, the commissioners amended the franchise by decreasing the monthly collection fee from $2 to $1.50.
Action came at a special meeting called by Consolidated. In a letter dated the day after the exclusive franchise was awarded, Consolidated owner Pat Gregory told the commissioners the $2 figure in the original application was a mistake and should have been $1.50.
After the franchise was awarded, Mahon said he had been authorized to file suit in Circuit Court to block issuance of the exclusive franchise. The agreement had not actually been drawn up and executed, according to the commission.
It was noted that the special meeting was held without any notice to the public or news media.
• Robert H. Jacobs, developer of the $15 million “Downtown Center,” gave the go-ahead signal at a groundbreaking ceremony for the beginning of three more major units of the project.
Prominent business executives and community leaders assembled at the site bordered by Church, Main, Ashley and Laura streets as a crane’s bucket dipped into the earth.
“This is another indication of the tremendous dynamism of downtown Jacksonville,” said Jacobs. “Jacksonville is one of the most unusual cities in America. I know of no other city that has had such downtown growth in relation to its size.”
Jacobs described the Downtown Center as “one of the most unusual and largest projects in a downtown area in the United States” and said, “We’re building a city within a city.”
The ceremony was the start of construction of the 16-story Universal-Marion office building and the six-story Ivey’s department store.
The first unit of the Downtown Center, the Park Central garage, a six-level parking facility with space for 400 vehicles, opened Nov. 13, 1960.
A large portion of that building would eventually be the new location for Purcell’s, a women’s specialty shop. Purcell’s was expected to move into the space early in 1962.
A large plaza would be located on the Church Street side of the block-square development. It would feature a reflecting pool and a landscaped park that would be used for concerts, civic events and fashion shows.
Title insurance policies of more than $6 million were issued through the Florida Title and Guaranty Co. of Jacksonville, covering the center property. The company described it as the largest single title insurance coverage ever made in Duval County.
• Burglars entered a Florida Avenue grocery store, cracked the safe and made off with approximately $2,700 and jewelry valued at $700.
Patrolman M.P. Garris said the thieves chopped a hole in the roof of the Debs Grocery and Market at 1068 Florida Ave. in order to enter the single-story building.
He said the safe door was opened after the burglars hammered off the combination dial.
No description of the jewelry, which was inside the safe with the money, was given. Garris said two pistols also were stolen.
Debs, of 1850 Spearing St., said he kept a large amount of money in the store in order to cash customers’ checks.