• City Council President Kevin Hyde has asked Council member Lad Daniels, chair of the Military Affairs Committee, to consider creating a citizens oversight review committee that will help the mayor’s office as the possible conversion of Cecil Field back into a naval station continues.
• Speaking of Cecil, many locals are hopeful that Cecil Field will once again be returned to working order and Sen. Bill Nelson sounded almost positive that the former Navy base will be active again. Last week, in a speech made in Springfield to supporters of the local arts community, Nelson said “there is a very good chance” the changes the Base Relocation and Closure Commission is requiring at Oceana in Virginia will not be met by the March 2006 deadline, which means Cecil Field could soon be back in business.
• Rick Catlett, president of the Gator Bowl Association, is the subject of this week’s Workspaces. For more, see page 3.
• It’s a rare fifth week for City Council. That means no committee meetings and no regular meeting.
• Big private bash and season preview for the Jacksonville Symphony Association. The annual conductor’s club preview is Sept. 14 in the Davis Gallery inside the T-U Center. Conductor Fabio Mechetti will give JSA patrons a preview of the 2005-06 Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra season.
• It looks like it’ll be another three weeks before the new Gold’s Gym on Forsyth opens. The second floor isn’t finished and the first floor still needs to be tiled.
• Dr. Gaspar Lazzara has tendered his resignation as commissioner for the Florida Transportation Commission effective Sept. 30. He has suggested AmSouth President Marty Lanahan as a possible replacement.
• The Mayport ferry will be getting a nearly $1 million overhaul thanks to funding from the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Jacksonville. The ferry slip will be renovated and security cameras will be installed.
• The St. Johns River City Band’s “Taste the Music” is Sept. 22 at the Aetna Building. This year’s sponsors include South Shore Group, the City, Coffee Perks, the Clara White Mission and many others. Call the SJRCB offices for more information: 355-4700, ext. 10.
• Jacksonville Community Council Inc. has selected the topic for its next big study : “How can Jacksonville effectively compete for information-based industries and grow its knowledge-based work force?”
• Keep an eye out for the Jaguars on the beer isle of your local grocery store. Last week Anheuser-Busch released team-specific packaging of Bud and Bud Light in 27 of the 28 areas with an NFL team.