• General Counsel Rick Mullaney, City Council member Michael Corrigan and former Mayor Ed Austin will travel to western Florida to meet with Escambia County officials about what it takes to become a consolidated government. They’ll leave the morning of Oct. 7 (almost a week after Jacksonville’s 40-year anniversary of Consolidation) and return the next day.
• The City already has an interlocal agreement to provide the Town of Baldwin police services, but legislation introduced at Tuesday night’s Council meeting would also provide life support and fire services through the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
• According to the latest Jacksonville Maritime Museum Society newsletter, the USS Stephen Groves will be docked in front the Hyatt Oct. 10. The Groves is the first Navy ship to come Downtown since the 2002 Sea & Sky Spectacular.
• The bottom floor of the Churchwell Lofts at 301 E. Bay St. will be one of the newest venues at the Oct. 1 ArtWalk, according to Steven Brocksmith, vice president of land developing company Trevett Mock. Art will also be displayed in two of the building’s lofts.
• Speaking of ArtWalk, Vestcor Companies Chairman and (Ret.) Ambassador John Rood is hosting a reception during ArtWalk at The Carling from 5-6 p.m. Vestcor owns The Carling as well as 11E.
• The cooler weather is having a positive effect on Downtown’s restaurants that offer outdoor seating. Alvaro Borge at International Cafe on Hogan Street said for the past several weeks there were very few outside diners during lunch but Monday, “People were fighting over the tables.”
• After 14 years cleaning cars Downtown, Stefan Mayerlen has sold A Fine Shine Car Wash & Detailing Service. The new owner is John Long, who said he has been thoroughly trained in the level of service customers have come to expect over the years. As for Mayerlen, he went to Tulsa Welding School and is about to embark on a new career that has nothing to do with sponges and suds. Long said the phone number, 626-6333, remains the same.
• The Jacksonville Historical Society has installed a display in the lobby at Independent Square. It features six vintage photographs of Jacksonville and explains the story behind each one.
• Out of commission for a few months, Club TSI/ Discotheque at 333 E. Bay St. is back up and running. The establishment was forced to shut its doors in June after being cited as an unsafe structure but has since been brought up to code.
• Change those lunch plans: Jax City Cafe will be closed all day Monday and reopen Tuesday at 7:30 a.m.