• Tonsor, a full service men’s barbershop, plans to open Monday on the first floor of The Carling at 31 W. Adams St., said owner Joe Berardino.
• The City is looking to create an artificial reef trust fund. If the legislation passes, individuals and businesses will be able to contribute to the fund through gifts, donations, grants and other sums of money. The funds can then be used for the construction, monitoring, cleaning and other aspects of the City’s artificial reef program.
• The London Bridge English Pub and Eatery is working on being the place to gather Downtown. It will host its monthly art social Tuesday, Salon and Spa Industry monthly social June 15 and an art show June 27.
• The Police and Fire Pension Fund will officially dedicate the new Jake M. Godbold City Hall Annex during a June 27 ceremony. The Godbold building is the former Haverty’s building, which the Pension Fund has renovated. The City will lease space in the building and is in the process of moving a couple of departments.
• According to an audit of the Jacksonville Housing Authority performed by Berman Hopkins Wright & LaHam, for the year ending Sept. 30, 2008, the Housing Authority’s assets exceed its liabilities by $102.8 million. The Authority was also rated “High Performer” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
• Thomas Mantz has been named the new executive director for the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Florida. Mantz most recently served as chief operating officer at Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra and is past president of another local nonprofit, Dignity U Wear.
• Best paramedics in the world? After placing first in competition at the Rallye Rejviz, an annual Emergency Medical Services conference in Prague, the Flagler County Advanced Life Support Paramedic team could make that claim. The team was one of two from the U.S. invited to the event – the other was from New York City that placed third – and placed first in the clinical competition and returned stateside Monday.
• June 15 the Small Business Administration will begin to issue 100 percent guarantees on America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) loans of up to $35,000. The loans are meant to provide short-term help for small business owners struggling to make principal and interest payments on existing qualifying debt. The ARC loans will be interest free, made by commercial lenders and will have no SBA fees. Repayment will not begin until 12 months after the final disbursement. After the one-year deferral period, borrowers pay back the loan principal over a five-year period. For more information go to www.sba.gov.
• Almost one year to the day after its board voted to change the name of the First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization to the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, the name change will become official. The board voted June 12 of last year and next Thursday’s meeting (June 11) the North Florida TPO will adopt the resolution.
• Speaking of North Florida TPO, at next week’s meeting four people will join its citizens advisory committee: LaPlaza Magazine owner Francisco Sefair, attorney Earl Johnson Jr., business developer David VanDer Zee and labor relations officer Duane D’Andrea.
• Finally from TPO, the organization is pushing for a high speed rail corridor between Jacksonville and Orlando. The idea is a high speed rail would reduce traffic on both I-95 and I-4.
• Cornerstone, the economic development arm of the Chamber, recently launched its revamped and more interactive Web site, www.expandinjax.com. The site is designed to appeal to large corporations interested in potentially relocating to Jacksonville, said Cornerstone Executive Vice President Jerry Mallot, and can play a vital role in their decision making process. It will debut at the next Cornerstone meeting Friday.