• Urban Design Associates, the firm hired by the City to redesign Brooklyn, found some surprises when it started investigating the neighborhood, some good, some bad. On the plus side, the firm found a strong corporate community looking to help turn around the neighborhood. The largest negative was McCoy’s Creek, which turned out to be so polluted that it couldn’t be used as a recreation area as UDA had planned. “The pollution is such that you can’t really use it as an amenity. You can look at it, but you don’t really want people down there,” said UDA president Don Carter.
• U.S. Attorney Paul Perez will discuss “Blakely vs. Washington: The Implications on Federal Sentencing Guidelines” at the 2004 Forum and Luncheon scheduled for Oct. 1 at Florida Coastal School of Law’s Center for Strategic Governance and International Initiatives. The forum, which is open to the public, begins at 11:30 a.m. The $25 cost includes lunch. To register, contact Eric Smith at (904) 680-7758 or by e-mail at [email protected].
• The Duval Legislative Delegation’s organizational meeting and general hearing is scheduled for Nov. 5 at 2 p.m. in City Council Chambers.
• The Gator Bowl Association’s New Year’s Eve party is a sellout. Earliest in history.
• Westsiders are getting another men’s clothing store as Jos. A. Bank has signed on to be in a new mall being developed off Roosevelt Blvd. Also in the mall will be a Stonewood Grill and a Talbot’s.
• Correction to the City Note we ran on Council auditor Jim Meyer’s retirement party. We said it was Friday; it’s actually Wednesday.
• The University of Florida will host a reception at Epping Forest Yacht Club Oct. 26, to introduce its new $1 billion Proton Beam Therapy Facility to City leaders. The facility is already under construction on Eighth Street near Shands Hospital. Proton Beam therapy is being touted as a revolutionary cancer treatment because of it so accurately targets tumors that it causes little collateral damage. The guest list for the reception includes Mayor John Peyton and his wife, Kathryn, a cardiologist.
• The JEDC’s Downtown Advisory Committee distributed an update to City Council members with downtown districts. The committee is charged with reviewing the way the City encourages downtown development. Bob Rhodes, chair of the committee and the DDA, told them that the JEDC’s new strategic plan, when finished, would focus on attracting residents as its No. 1 downtown priority. Improving parking is No. 2, followed by encouraging “destination” retail.
• The special assessment that pays Downtown Vision’s bills was reauthorized by the JEDC. This is the last assessment for DVI’s original five-year program. The program sunsets at the end of 2005, so the downtown advocacy group will have to renew its contract with property owners and the City before then.