• Downtown Vision, Inc.’s Tony Allegretti said Wednesday night’s Art Walk drew about 700 to 1,000 people downtown. DVI planned and organized the event to showcase local venues and artists. The next Art Walk may is being scheduled for early December.
• Toney Sleiman said he will focus for the next year on getting the Landing turned around, then he will turn his attention to another underperforming downtown entity. “We’re going to take these god–awful, horrible–looking downtown parking garages and we’re going to change them,” said Sleiman. “Jacksonville has the worst parking garages I’ve seen.”
• The arena’s inaugural concert — Elton John on Nov. 21 — is almost a sellout. Only seats left are on the opposite end of the building from the stage, and you’ll pay $58.50 each.
• The street-paving portion of the Better Jacksonville Plan is well over half complete, according to spokesperson Lisa Rowe. As of Friday, approximately 1,267 miles of the scheduled 2,000 miles had been paved, she said.
• Former Business Journal editor Boaz Dvir is still in town, doing freelance work and acting as a consultant for the Justice Coalition’s Victims’ Advocate publication.
• Parking problems downtown aren’t exclusive to Jacksonville. In Tampa’s Ybor City, a couple of nightspots have closed recently, citing a lack of affordable parking. And Denver’s new mayor is taking heat from downtown merchants who want parking rates decreased.
• We mistakenly said in a recent City Note that renovations to Fire Station #2 in Springfield would be complete in about one year. Currently, there is no timetable for the project.
• Mayor John Peyton will be the speaker for the Federal Bar Association luncheon Nov. 18 at noon at the Omni. RSVP to Tysen Duva at 389-5161.
• As part of Art Beyond Sight Awareness Week, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is hosting an event for people who are blind or visually impaired. It’s scheduled for Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
• Mike Tolbert, who is marketing Toney Sleiman’s redevelopment of the Jacksonville Landing, said Florida-Georgia weekend was a successful one for the Landing. “Of course it’s kind of difficult not to be successful for Florida-Georgia,” said Tolbert. “You just pray for sunshine and make sure there are enough barstools and bartenders.”
• Capital Partners is sponsoring a Thanksgiving food drive and has placed bins in the lobby of the Independent Square where tenants may drop off their contributions. Most requested items include canned fruits and vegetables, soups and stews, and meats and fish, dry beans and peas, peanut butter, dry milk, macaroni and cheese dinners, instant potatoes, Ramen noodles and rice; baby food and formula and disposable diapers. No glass items, except baby food. The drive will end Nov. 20.