• With construction near the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville and the new arena scheduled for completion in the next few months, there is much discussion about what directional signs to the individual venues should say. Some City officials prefer an abbreviated “Baseball Park” and “Sports Arena,” while others want the full names — “Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville” and “Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena” — printed instead.
• There’s no “free lunch” at the mayor’s office. Now that the new staffers are getting settled in, they’re being asked to pony up $3 a month to help pay for coffee in the lounge.
• Mayor John Peyton wants to get going on his education package and expects to have a “Literacy Summit” within the next three months.
• Another indication that things are booming around here: the big Watson Realty Corp. says it set a sales record for the first six months. The $1.7 billion-plus is a 32.37 percent increase over last year.
• We misidentified Jim Overton in a recent City Note. Overton, a former City Council member, is now the property appraiser.
• By Monday, Gus & Company Shoe and Luggage Repair should be open at its new location at 225 N. Laura St. The owners will be working all weekend on the move.
• The Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art is taking extra precautions when it comes to the safety of the paintings and sculpture inside. Workers at the museum are installing celluloid to the windows, which, in case of fire, will cause the windows to pop open, allowing smoke to escape instead of ruining the artwork.
• Oh, you know football season is coming when the Gator “faithful” fire up their website, fireronzook.com. They want the coach out and the site has a countdown with the number of days left on the contract. Today’s says “526 days until 8 and 5 are merely digits in the Gainesville temperature,” a reference to the team’s less-than-acceptable 8-5 record last year.
• The ramp leading to the Matthews Bridge off A. Philip Randolph Boulevard was closed Thursday because of “regular maintenance.” Department of Transportation officials say the road will re-open Saturday.
• City Hall Annex employees Kehinde Adeshile, Eugene Hagan, Guy Guittar and James Carroll will be honored at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. You’ll remember they were responsible for taking down an armed assailant at the Annex a few months back.
• The City Council chambers and legislative offices are getting a fresh coat of paint. It’s the same cream color as before.
• The Jacksonville Airport Authority has narrowed its police chief search to two finalists, Capt. Sedrick Rivers of Jacksonville, who is the acting chief at JIA and Michael Brant of Memphis, a former chief at Portland International Airport. A decision is expected next week.