by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Calling the new Main Library the “crown jewel” of the Better Jacksonville Plan, Mayor John Peyton hosted a party for former and current mayoral staffers, other City leaders and members of the Better Jacksonville Plan Citizens Oversight Committee Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the passing of the Better Jacksonville Plan.
“This is the first time I’ve been in here since they put the carpet in,” said Peyton, adding the library was perhaps the feather in the cap of the $2.2 billion plan that also includes a new baseball park, arena, county courthouse, equestrian center and thousands of miles of new and repaved roads as well as sidewalks.
Although former Mayor John Delaney couldn’t attend (he’s on vacation on a rafting trip), Peyton was quick to credit Delaney for having the foresight to propose the 30-year, half-penny sales tax that voters approved in September of 2000 that generated the revenue for all the plan’s projects.
“This is great visionary work by Mayor Delaney,” said Peyton, adding that along side Consolidation, getting the Jacksonville Jaguars and hosting the Super Bowl, the Better Jacksonville Plan will go down as one the great milestones in the history of Jacksonville.
JTA Executive Director Mike Blaylock echoed those sentiments and said the execution of the plan, especially the road work and accompanying infrastructure, forced various City agencies to work in conjunction like never before.
“When I visit other cities, I get questions about the Better Jacksonville Plan,” said Blaylock. “It’s one of the best infrastructure plans I have ever seen. It is a smart, prudent approach to getting the job done.”
JEA Executive Director Jim Dickenson said it was great to finally see the inside of the Main Library after spending the better part of two years watching the construction from his office. He, too, agreed that the plan and resulting cooperation between City agencies is unprecedented in Jacksonville history.
“We at JEA were not that involved in the vertical projects, but we were very engaged in the road projects,” said Dickenson. “Thanks to the Better Jacksonville Plan, it’s almost mandated that we work together. There is more coordination between the City and its independent agencies than ever before.”
After the ceremony, everyone was given a tour of the new Main Library.