by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
To the skeptics, the Better Jacksonville Plan right now is little more than an inconvenient tax and a smattering of road resurfacing projects scattered across town that simply make getting from Point A to Point B difficult.
However, if Mayor John Delaney, his project managers, designers and architects make good on the plans and artist renderings that accompany all the hoopla surrounding the new arena and baseball park, the skeptics just may find themselves downright giddy.
At Wednesday’s Jacksonville Economic Development Commission meeting, ball park and arena project manager Wayne Boy delved into some of the specifics regarding the multi-million dollar ventures. Not only will they be state-of-the-art externally, plans call for both facilities to be as fan-friendly as any in the country.
By the time $25 million has been spent on the ball park and $125 million on the arena, fans will be treated to a mini-Camden Yards (home of the Baltimore Orioles) and a 16,000-seat, glass and brick encased arena capable of hosting first round games of the NCAA basketball tournament.
For all the beauty outside, the true amenities will be inside. The baseball park will feature left field berm seating, 140 dugout seats, 1,300 club seats, 12 suites and four party decks. Originally planned to hold 10,000 for Jacksonville Suns games, that figure has been scaled back.
“Capacity has been held to 8,500 to accommodate the market demand,” said Boy.
The long-range plans for the ball park are to eventually have the Suns move up to the Triple-A level. Room will be left along the right field line to add another 1,500 seats and bring capacity back up to the originally-planned 10,000.
In addition to the brick facade, the ball park will be, according to Boy — and perhaps appropriately — “dollar bill green.”
“I’d like to have picked a bridge color, but all the bridges are a different color,” said Boy.
In a move that Boy said will surely please the folks at the Historical Society, the under-renovation Merrill House will be moved north, to the other side of St. Andrews Church. The two historical buildings will remain in the same block, however, because plans call for Duval Street to be rerouted and moved north.
“The Historical Commission is pleased because the new location is actually closer to the old location than where it is today,” said Boy, adding that the Merrill House is one the few wooden structures to survive the 1901 fire.
As quaint as the ball park may be, the new arena will be as modern. It will have four levels and seating capacity will range from about 12,000 to just over 16,000. Boy said Jacksonville will have a facility capable of hosting a center-stage Billy Joel concert, an NCAA basketball game or a hockey game all within days of each other.
And, the real winners will be the fans.
“There won’t be a bad sight line in the place,” said Boy.
There will be several club suites and party decks for both public and private use. Because a large portion of the exterior will be glass, Boy said those hosting parties will have great views east, past the new ball park and on to Alltel Stadium.
Last week, the City held a ground breaking for the new arena and this Tuesday they will officially begin work on the new ball park.