by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Mayor John Peyton has a full calendar every day and Wednesday afternoon, it was full of appointments at the Landing.
The first item on his schedule was a reception attended by more than 50 Downtown merchants and advocates where Peyton shared what the Downtown Action Committee has been working on including a new promotional inititative and the first new Downtown event which will be held next week.
“It’s time to refocus on Downtown. I’ve got 38 months left in office which is plenty of time to move the ball on a few key issues. Downtown is one of them,” he said.
With the theme, “Make a Scene Downtown!” the City is hosting a party May 15 on the top level of the Water Street parking garage with a live reggae band and food and drink specials.
Peyton said the idea for the after-work event came out of the committee’s efforts to identify ways to improve the impression people have of Downtown and get more people to come Downtown for street-level special events.
He also said the City is developing a plan to modify traffic patterns after football games in order to encourage people to spend some time after the game Downtown before they head home.
“Up until now, our focus has been to get people in and out of Jaguars games as quickly as possible. The Super Bowl proved football can be very good for business if people stick around.”
The first step of traffic improvement on Bay Street has already been implemented. Permanent signs have been installed on parking meters prohibiting parking on game days. The new signs eliminate the need for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to cover the meters with “No Parking” bags which prohibit parking along the street the day before a game.
Peyton reiterated the negative effects of property tax reforms put in place by the State legislature, but said he’s confident that public-private partnerships like the Downtown Action Committee will achieve the goals for Downtown’s promotion.
Part of the committee’s work has been to coordinate all City departments, private agencies and other supporters in order to be able to provide a complete calendar of events taking place Downtown. The first edition of the new “Make a Scene Downtown” booklet debuted at the merchants meeting. It was produced by the City’s Office of Special Events, contains a comprehensive schedule of events and will be available at locations throughout Duval County.
“There are plenty of things to do in the urban core but until this publication, we have lacked a singular message that will draw traffic,” said Peyton.
The “Make a Scene Downtown” theme, Peyton said, “Is the umbrella that captures what we’re doing. We’re going to spread the word.”
Promotional materials for future events will be included with JEA bills, sample ballots mailed by the Supervisor of Elections Office and other avenues of low-cost cooperative promotion, he added.
The meeting also included the first steps for three public-private partnerships.
Westside businessman J. B. Coxwell contributed $2,000 to the effort to promote Downtown and Outback Steakhouse presented a $20,000 check to the Sports And Entertainment division of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission to help support the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Tournament.
Terry Lorince, executive director of Downtown Vision, Inc. presented a check to the City for $100,000 to be used for events related to the “Make a Scene Downtown!” campaign.
“This is a real surprise. It will really help,” said Peyton.
Peyton also fielded questions from merchants on topics from parking issues to the availability of public restrooms during events like Art Walk. He said the Downtown Action Committee will serve as a clearinghouse for ideas and added, “Nothing is off the table. Every idea will be considered.”
Following his meeting with Downtown merchants, Peyton remained at the Landing where he proclaimed “Players Championship Week.”