by David Chapman
Staff Writer
For many of the community members who took a tour of Jacksonville University’s under construction Marine Science Research Institute, seeing was believing Wednesday.
School officials hosted more than 100 people on a hard-hat tour of its rapidly progressing river research building, a facility MSRI Executive Director Dr. Quinton White believes will change the way the school and community will interact with the river.
“This is kind of the halfway point,” said White. “We wanted to show people all of the work that’s being put into this facility and where it’s at now ... it really is an exciting time for JU and an exciting time for Jacksonville.”
Hard hats adorned, visitors were guided to the second floor of the current steel skeletal building while officials gave presentations through background noise of pounding hammers and saws on just what the building will house when people start filling its walls in late July. The school’s biology and marine science classrooms, laboratories, pre-college environmental studies programs and offices for both the Florida Fish and Wildlife and the St. Johns Riverkeeper will be among its residents.
Along with showing off a piece of its future, White and officials also used the day to actively promote the numerous naming opportunities and facility needs – everything from microscopes to freezers – for the building.
Many came away from the tour impressed.
“I think it’s great,” said Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver, who attended the tour with his wife, Delores. “It is really going to be a great addition to the school.”
City Council members Clay Yarborough and John Crescimbeni also took the afternoon tour and remarked positively on its progress and sheer size. Yarborough has been following the project and was a part of the groundbreaking ceremony last March.
One of the building’s upcoming tenants, St. Johns Riverkeeper Neil Armingeon, acted as one of the many tour guys and promoted a vision of everything from high school and college students using wet labs to learn to the community housing public meetings on what will be ample meeting space.
“The whole focus is going to be on the river,” said Armingeon. “It’s going to be a part of this community.”
356-2466