• The Chamber’s quarterly Cornerstone luncheon Friday has over 900 RSVPs. Mayor John Peyton is the speaker and only two others have outdrawn him: NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Gov. Jeb Bush.
• You’ve heard of sinkholes? How about a sinksewer? A manhole at Union and Market streets started sinking through the asphalt Tuesday and a large crew of City workmen spent most of the morning trying to figure a solution. They finally got it back to ground level.
• Back in town: former T-U ad salesman Chris Hixenbaugh. He’s now the Southern regional salesman for a sports business newspaper and decided to base here.
• The G-8 political summit next summer will be a big deal and it also will serve as a practice session for the 2005 Super Bowl. The airport, for instance, will be able to see how they fare with a big flock of private airplanes all at once.
• Though college football doesn’t open its season for another week, club seats for the Gator Bowl game are already sold out. VIP tickets — between the 18-yard line and 30-yard line — are still available.
• Maria Williams is the newest face at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. The former director of communications for Mayor John Delaney is now the manager of marketing development for JTA.
• Out-of-town Blue Ribbon Financial Commission member Cindy Stover, also of Mercantile Bank, tried to teleconference with the commission’s Tuesday meeting. The only problem? The City Hall third floor conference room couldn’t call long distance. Stover called the committee instead and listened to the meeting, but the committee is looking to upgrade its surroundings for future meetings.
• The Chamber of Commerce is requesting input from area businesses for the 2004 State Business Advocacy Agenda. Issues must be submitted by Sept. 5. Priority issues will be forwarded to the Chamber’s Government Affairs Policy Advisory Committee.
• Clarification to Tuesday’s City Note concerning Ron Townsend, the outgoing chairman of the Jacksonville Airport Authority. He exits in October and will be replaced as vice chair by BellSouth’s Jim McCollum. Following his departure, Townsend will serve as a volunteer chair for the Super Bowl Host Committee’s Communications PR/Hospitality subcommittee.
• The battle over beach access in Neptune Beach may have cost City Manager Dick Linn his job. During a workshop Monday night, the Neptune Beach City Council reached a 3-2 consensus not to renew Linn’s contract. Linn recently approved subdividing an oceanfront lot, which would have required the City to extend a road to the new home. Residents were concerned the plan would close the public access next to the home.