• Big happening at the Adam’s Mark Hotel Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Super Bowl Host Committee will gather to formally sign the cruise ship contracts. The ships are being used to make up for the lack of hotel rooms in the area for the 2005 Super Bowl.
• Berkman Plaza’s counsel granted the City permission last week to conduct its own underwater assessment of damage to the bulkhead supporting the $70 million development’s Riverwalk. An engineer for the developer estimated a $1.3 million fix; the City hopes a less costly solution can be found. The City said last week it would help the developer pay for the repair.
• Mayor-elect John Peyton has declined Mayor John Delaney’s invitation to attend Thursday’s dedication ceremony for the new arena and implosion of the old Coliseum. However, he will attend Delaney’s Celebratory Dinner Wednesday night at The River Club.
• Jacksonville Kennel Club president Howard Korman has invited Mayor-elect Peyton to this summer’s Mayor’s Cup race. It’ll probably be in early August and Peyton will be able to invite 100 people.
• Best wishes to Daily Record staff writer Mike Sharkey. He’s left the paper for a communications job at the airport.
• Attorney Susan Haag of Spohrer, Wilner, Maxwell & Matthews will join more than 1,400 athletes Saturday for the Ironman USA Triathlon in Coeur d’ Alene, Id.
• Annette Hastings, assistant to City Council member Ginger Soud, won’t have to look for a job once Soud leaves office (she’s a term limit casualty). She’s the new Tourist Development Council administrator.
• Most big-name athletes here live at the beach, but one is moving into town. Golfer Blaine McCallister is selling his TPC home and is buying in Epping Forest. Reason: his wife has severe vision problems and needs to be closer to her physician.
• The Chamber leaders get their chance to hear Mayor-elect Peyton’s plans for the business community Thursday. Only board and staff are invited.
• Attorney Al Mickler is the speaker at Thursday’s Jacksonville Bankruptcy Bar Association luncheon. It’s scheduled for noon at Sterling’s in The Seminole Club.
• The Jacksonville Transportation Authority is looking for nominees to serve as representatives on a Public Advisory Group. A park and ride facility is being planned for the Atlantic Boulevard/San Pablo Road area and JTA is seeking public input. The process should start late this month or early next with a conceptual plan expected in November.
• Couple of new park ground breakings this week. Wednesday, State Rep. Dick Kravitz and City Council member Mary Ann Southwell will break ground on the future home of Southeast Regional Park North at 4 p.m. It’s at 5343 Losco Road in Mandarin. On Friday, City Council member and Property Appraiser-elect Jim Overton will cut the ribbon at Murray Hill Park at 10:30 a.m. It’s at 4208 Kingsbury St.
• Speaking of Overton, he’s holding another property appraiser transition meeting Thursday at 8 .m. at the Republican Party’s headquarters on Beach Boulevard.
•Apologies to Peyton Transition Team staffer Bennie Seth. We misspelled her name in a City Note last week.
• The City’s new Senior Services Directory is out. They are free and you can get one at City Hall.
• The Regency Wood homeowners association in Arlington requested a school rezoning request be postponed from City Council consideration because their lawyer, Patrick McCormack, was called up for reserve duty in the Persian Gulf. The Council’s Land Use and Zoning Committee heard the proposal anyway.
• CSX vice president of real estate and industrial development Randy Evans has been named chair of the Jacksonville Housing Authority.
• Apologies to Mike Miller of the mayor’s office. He and his wife Peggy recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, not 30th as we said in a recent City Note.
• Things really are winding down for lots of folks at City Hall. They have been asked to return any City property they may have to include phones, pagers, lap tops, City ID badges, etc.