by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Florida State College at Jacksonville marked another milestone Monday morning when the school broke ground on its new Aircraft Coating and Educational Facility at Cecil Commerce Center. The facility — located on the aviation side of Cecil — complements the school’s growing presence on the former Navy base.
“This is an incredibly significant event,” said school President Dr. Steve Wallace, adding the facility fulfills the promise of Cecil and also exploits the potential of the commerce center. “We have a significant presence here. We are building a spectacular new campus. Our presence here is a direct result of an extraordinary partnership and collaboration.
“We are only getting started. This is just the beginning.”
Wallace called the new facility “unprecedented” and the only one of its kind in the country. When completed, the $20 million facility will be a little over 100,000 square feet. Students will learn from employees with Flightstar Aviation Services employees to get hands-on training. Graduates will get their certifications in aircraft coating, aircraft power plant mechanics and aircraft airframe mechanics. The school plans to dedicate the building in January of 2011.
Wallace said the school was able to raise half of the $20 million while the Jacksonville Aviation Authority provided the rest.
Before Wallace and others broke ground on the new facility, the Aviation Authority and City leaders marked the 10-year anniversary of Cecil Commerce Center. Well over 250 people attended the event that was part history lesson, part reunion and part look into the future of the 6,000-acre facility on the Westside that straddles two City Council districts and part of Clay County.
Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce Chair Mike Hightower was a member of the 39-person commission created by former Mayor Ed Austin in 1993, right after the Navy informed the City it intended to close Cecil Field through a decision made by the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Hightower said he was in the Keys on vacation with his wife Sue. During the Saturday of the vacation, Austin called and informed Hightower he was chairing the Base Reuse Commission and it was meeting the following Monday morning.
Hightower called the Commission a “diverse” group that was more focused on what could be done at Cecil as opposed to worrying about its closure as a Navy base.
“Because of that leadership, we are here today,” said Hightower, explaining that the mission of the Commission was to prove that if the Navy made a bad decision, Jacksonville could make something good out of it.
“That started a 15-year journey and we are here today to celebrate the last 10 years,” he said.
Mayor John Peyton called Cecil the area’s most important economic engine.
“There is more potential here than just about everything else combined,” said Peyton. “When you look at Cecil Commerce Center and the goals and objectives of the city, it’s a perfect match. It’s great to have a facility where you can offer land as an incentive.”
Peyton said two things are especially encouraging about what is taking place at Cecil: it’s a model for the regional vision and it’s an example of governmental agencies working together.
For many, the anniversary was an opportunity to meet new JAA CEO Steve Grossman.
“I have been involved over the years in a number of base developments, and my board made it clear that Cecil was a high priority,” said Grossman, who came to Jacksonville from Oakland. “When I got here I expected to see a ghost town. What I found was amazing. We are well-positioned for when the economy comes back.”
Cecil history and timeline
• 1941 — Navy opens an airfield and names it after Cmdr. Henry Barton Cecil
• 1945 — Cecil Field closed by the Navy after WW II
• 1948 — The Navy reopens Cecil
• 1952-99 — Cecil Field developed and operated as as U.S. Navy Master Jet Base
• 1993 — U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommend closure of NAS Cecil Field
• 1993 — Mayor Ed Austin forms the Cecil Field Development Commission
• 1996 — Mayor’s Commission finalizes the Cecil Field Reuse Plan
• 1997 — City Council approves the Cecil Field Reuse Plan
• 1998 — Jacksonville Port Authority board of directors approves the Cecil Field Strategic Airport Master Plan
• 1999 — Environmental Impact Statement for reuse of Cecil Field completed and approved
• 1999 — U.S. Navy holds decommissioning and transition ceremony; NAS Cecil Field is closed
• 1999 — The Port Authority accepts quit claim deed from the Navy for the airport parcel
• 2000 — City accepts the quit claim deed from the Navy for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission parcel
• 2000 — The Port Authority begins receiving Federal Aviation Administration “Military Airport Program” funding for airport projects
• 2000 — JEDC’s Cecil Field operations/business plan completed
• 2000 — Better Jacksonville Plan approved; includes an equestrian center and aquatics center at Cecil Field
• 2001 — Demolition of more than 1 million square feet of obsolete structures completed
• 2001 — Jacksonville Airport (now Aviation) Authority created
• 2002 — Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s (now Florida State College at Jacksonville) Aviation Center of Excellence opens
• 2003 — Airport activity at Cecil Field exceeds 86,000 annual flight operations
• 2004 — Cecil equestrian and aquatic centers completed
• 2005 — New World Avenue south of Normandy Boulevard completed
• 2005 — Cecil Field hosts more than 1,200 flight operations associated with Super Bowl XXXIX
• 2006 — Cecil Commerce Center receives official “megasite” development designation
• 2006 — Local referendum to return Cecil to the Navy for use as a Master Jet Base voted down
• 2007 — Cecil Field named as the Florida Department of Transportation’s “General Aviation Airport of the Year”
• 2007 — FCCJ opens the first phase of the new Cecil Center
• 2007 — New World Avenue north of Normandy Boulevard completed
• 2007 — JAA completes Master Site Development Plan for Cecil Field
• 2008 — JEDC completes Master Site Development Plan for Cecil Commerce Center
• 2009 — Florida State College at Jacksonville opens Air Traffic Control school at its Cecil Center campus
• 2009 — JAA hosts more than 27,000 attendees at the Cecil Field Airshow
• 2009 — Cecil Commerce Center Parkway and new interchange at I-10 opens
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