by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
While the first leg of improvements to Main Street in Springfield approaches completion, community advocates say the multi-phase project should continue to move forward to 12th Street despite claims from City Hall that the necessary capital simply isn’t there.
According to Brad Thoburn, director of state and federal affairs for the mayor’s office, when the project began just over three years ago, no one was clear how much work or money would be needed to do it right.
However, through a State-issued county improvement grant, approximately $2.2 million was awarded for the Main Street overhaul, with the City matching that figure and JEA committing to making infrastructure improvements, including utility line and drainage system upgrades.
As outlined, work was to begin at the intersection of Main and First streets and continue to Fourth Street with a widened roadway, improved sidewalks and landscaping.
“But from the onset it was unclear what the cost projections would be,” said Thoburn. “When we actually got started, it became clear the street had degraded much more than we had anticipated. In fact, it had gotten so bad that it needed to be completely reconstructed.
“When that became evident, we knew we had already committed money to the project and we continued with the first phase.”
However, Thoburn said there may have never been enough money set aside to go beyond Fourth Street.
“It’s definitely expensive and I don’t think the City ever expected to get it all done for $5 or $6 million. That’s not realistic” he said. “You’ll hear several different figures — [The Springfield Preservation & Revitalization Council, Inc.] will say we need $2.5 million to advance to Seventh Street — but from what we’ve been hearing, it could cost us as much as $1 million per block.”
Thoburn added the State grant previously awarded no longer exists, making an additional funding source even more difficult to find.
“The SPAR Council would like a nice portion to be finished in time for the Super Bowl, but there just isn’t enough money for it right now,” he said. “It’s that simple. The mayor supports Springfield, but we have to be able to pay for it and they are asking for a lot when we’re already in the middle of the current fiscal year.”
Thoburn, who said Peyton planned to take a walking tour of Springfield by the first of the year, said the City would continue to “be on the lookout for additional money to defray costs.”
According to the SPAR Council, that’s not good enough.
“We’re not necessarily ready to accept that,” said Louise DeSpain, SPAR Council president. “These improvements had been promised by two mayors and they needed to be made for a long time.
“My biggest fear is that this will just be put into limbo and never looked at again. This is not just Springfield’s Main Street. This is Jacksonville’s Main Street.”
DeSpain added it wasn’t fair for the City to balk at funding further improvements because they had not properly assessed the damage in the first place.
“For [the City] to think there wouldn’t be problems is ridiculous,” she said. “We need to keep this project moving.”
DeSpain said it might prove beneficial to let work continue while funding streams are tapped, as opposed to stopping altogether while demobilization costs increase.
“It would cost so much more to have to stop and restart,” she said. “We want to be understanding and try to figure out where [the City] is coming from, but we also want to be assured that they’re actually looking for additional funding instead of just telling us that they are while we sit and wait.”
According to DeSpain, the SPAR Council would continue to make appeals at City Council meetings while building a base of support throughout the community. Additionally the group has organized an informal town hall meeting Thursday evening where they expect a “standing-room-only crowd.”
“We can’t let them put this on hold for an unreasonable amount of time,’ said DeSpain. “That would just be wrong.”
Right or wrong, Thoburn maintained the City’s hands would remain tied.
“Sure, the City has made an investment in Springfield,” he said. “From a public and political standpoint, we all agree it’s the right thing to do. It creates a necessary infrastructure there. It builds a tax base and ultimately adds to the fiscal health of the entire city.
“However, unless something comes from the State or Federal level, there could be an issue when we begin meeting for the next budget sessions. This might be a viable program, but it would find itself in competition with a lot of other programs that may be just as important.”