• According to a letter from Anthony Principi, chairman of the Defense base Closure and Realignment Commission, next Thursday could be the big day around here regarding Cecil Field. That’s the day the BRAC Commission will submit their final report to Pres. Bush.
• Speaking of Cecil, the City appears on the verge of signing a contract worth $32,000 with Fishkind & Associates to conduct an economic impact study of converting Cecil back into a Navy base.
• The parking enforcement officers in Jacksonville really aren’t giving anyone a break these days. Besides marking the tires of City-owned trucks parked in metered spaces, parking enforcement booted the delivery car for A Working Lunch, a downtown food delivery service, while it was parked on Forsyth Street Tuesday.
• Proposed docking fees at Metro Park have become a hot button item. Mayor John Peyton received 27 e-mails on Monday, all in opposition to the fees. Everyone was thanked for their concern and sent the same response.
• Cecil Commerce Center looks like it will have a budget of just over $32 million. That includes almost $5 million for a community center, about $15.45 million for the equestrian center, $9 million for roads and drainage and another $2.8 million for a softball complex.
• More policy changes may be ahead in the City Council’s “Green Room.” The City’s Ethics Commission recently suggested it might be unwise to allow meals and snacks to be served in the lounge area located off to the side of the Council Chambers. Lobbyists and vendors frequently provide free refreshments to the Council prior to those meetings, but the Commission said the public could misinterpret that practice.
• You can’t see it from the road yet, but Southbank condominium high rise The Peninsula is coming out of the ground. It’s directly next to The Strand — they’re apartments — and behind the real estate offices on Riverplace Boulevard. You’ll have to wait until it gets a little taller before you can catch a glimpse.
• The mass of people walking the streets downtown around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday? They were JEA employees who had to evacuate as part of a routine fire drill.
• Happy Birthday to young professionals group Social Spirits. On Wednesday, Sept. 6 it will turn one year old. By the way, the group is always looking for new people to join. It’s $30 for new members and $20 for existing members to renew for another year.