by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
In an effort to jumpstart funding for Main Street improvements, the mayor’s office will continue to seek federal help and will consider shifting money from another project.
The $12 million project seeks to renovate the City’s major northern corridor while helping revitalize a historic Springfield neighborhood. The City and State split the $4 million to renovate the first four blocks, however State funding dried up for the remainder, forcing the City to look elsewhere.
Mayor John Peyton told Springfield residents and investors Thursday that the project’s completion would likely depend on federal funding.
After spending $1.9 million on the project’s first phase and and paying for the second phase’s design work, the City would not fund second–phase construction, said mayor’s office spokesperson Heather Murphy.
Peyton said he was optimistic about federal funding, but said the project’s remaining eight blocks may have to wait until after the Feb. 6, 2005 Super Bowl.
“It’s probably ambitious to think that we’ll have four or eight more blocks finished by the Super Bowl,” said Peyton.
It was City policy, he said, not to have streets torn up when hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Jacksonville for the game. Last year, Peyton postponed similar improvements planned for San Marco’s Hendricks Avenue, because he said he “wasn’t comfortable” that they would be finished by game time.
“We’ve made a policy decision here as far as the Super Bowl’s effect on infrastructure–improvement projects,” said Peyton. “If the place is going to be torn up, it may be prudent to delay.”
There are two prominent opportunities for the City to receive federal help, said Ken Lundberg, press secretary to U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. A pair of transportation bills working their way through the House, he said, could direct money toward Springfield.
Funds from the Transportation Appropriation bill could be ready by late Summer, said Lundberg. However, he pointed out that the bill delivered $9 million spread over several projects to Jacksonville last year, just $1 million more than necessary to complete Main Street.
Funds from another bill, T-21, wouldn’t be available until late 2004.
After taking a tour of Springfield in January, Peyton said he is impressed with the return on the City’s initial investment into Main Street. Spurred partially by the promise of the renovations, business and real estate investment in the area has increased.
Once lined with cracked, barren sidewalks and utility lines, Main Street’s first four blocks now offer historic streetlamps, repaved walks and palm-tree lined street medians. However, the progress on the first four blocks presents a stark contrast to the untouched streetscape north of Fourth Street.
Peyton emphasized his commitment to the project. He assured residents and investors that the project would be completed.
“Fundamentally and philosophically I’m there,” said Peyton. “It’s just this money thing.”
Peyton said his staff would examine all funding options, including a proposal advanced by City Council vice president Elaine Brown and Council member Pat Lockett–Felder to use about $2.7 million from a similar Eighth Street project.
If necessary, Peyton said he would complete the project in phases, but said he would prefer to finish it “all at once” to minimize disruption to the neighborhood.
Once conceived as surface improvements, the City discovered a much more involved project once work began. Replacing deteriorating utility lines and crumbling infrastructure pushed the project cost to about $1 million a block.
“That’s very expensive road work,” said Peyton. “The cost is under the pavement, utility lines and digging up old trolley tracks.”