• Former mayor John Delaney was in the infield this week at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, but he wasn’t throwing out the first pitch at Wednesday’s day game. He was having his photo taken for a new retrospective publication that will look at the Better Jacksonville Plan.
• The Duval County Clerk of the Courts Office has a new website; www.duvalclerk.com went live last month.
• There’s nothing like the power of the pen. Roslyn Phillips, the City’s newly appointed Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, has been authorized by Mayor John Peyton to sign the variety of documents that cross his desk on a daily basis, excluding legislative bills. Peyton’s Chief Administrator Daniel Kleman holds the same privilege.
• City employees can take pilates classes at either the County Courthouse (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15-6 p.m. in room 505) or City Hall (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-7:15 p.m. in Conference Room C). It’s $39 for 12 classes and they begin Tuesday.
• A special City Council luncheon on Aug. 3 has been canceled. Council President Kevin Hyde realized it had been scheduled at the same time as the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Port Authority’s new container terminal at Dames Point. Hyde said he had already committed to attend the event and would like to see as many Council members join him as possible.
• Former City Council member Matt Carlucci is expanding his State Farm insurance office on Hendricks Avenue. The job should be done in the next couple of weeks.
• Hendricks Avenue in San Marco has numerous coffee shops, but the new Chai House Tea Co. at 1034 Hendricks Ave. looks like it will be different. For one thing, the voice-mail message and the sign out front promote tea instead of the darker hot drink. The cafe is not yet open, but will offer lunch, dessert and free WiFi access in a “relaxing” atmosphere. The cafe is at the corner of Hendricks Avenue and Home Street and, according to the voice-mail message, is scheduled to open in summer 2005.