• The Brooklyn Neighborhood Association requested that the City provide verbatim transcripts of all future planning meetings for Brooklyn, including a pair of meetings Wednesday where the Downtown Development Authority presented the evolving Brooklyn/Riverside master plan. Area advocacy groups have clashed with the FDOT over the State’s plans to widen Riverside Avenue and some members say some of their past comments haven’t made it into the record. DDA managing director Al Battle told them the City will continue to take notes and provide minutes, but said it was up to those in the meeting to make their own recordings.
• The project manager on the new Duval County Courthouse says the construction schedule shouldn’t be delayed by the City’s appeal of an unfavorable design committee ruling that is currently holding up permitting. The City’s Design and Review Committee nixed the City’s plans to build the building without a dome, a decision the City hopes the Downtown Development Authority will overturn. Project manager Chris Boruch said plans for the two designs are nearly identical so permitting should proceed quickly if the DDA rules in favor of the City.
• City Council auditor Jim Meyer will retire this week after 32 years with the City. A retirement party in his honor is scheduled for Friday from 2-4 p.m. in the Renascence Room at City Hall.
• Legislation that would appropriate $800,000 toward the refurbishment of Brewster Hospital has been deferred. Bill sponsor Glorious Johnson said she supported the action because she believed more research was needed to determine a more accurate dollar amount. “Right now we don’t know how much it’s going to cost to restore Brewster. We need to do it right.”
• The Chamber of Commerce is spearheading a three-part direct mail campaign to educate media and businesses about Northeast Florida before the Super Bowl. The campaign includes gifts and postcards, and media on the mailing list will get a pen that has a 256 MB USB hard drive in the cap.The portable drive will contain information about Jacksonville, including a full media kit, area background materials, photos and story ideas. The campaign was announced during Wednesday’s Cornerstone luncheon.
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