The City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Hemming Plaza Wednesday put some details on a proposal that began two weeks ago to privatize the operation of the park just south of City Hall.
Committee Chair Denise Lee on April 4 directed Assistant General Counsel Jason Teal and Jim Bailey, publisher of the Financial News & Daily Record, to develop the framework of a Request for Proposal seeking a private operator for the public space bounded by Duval, Laura, Monroe and Hogan streets.
Teal said he and Bailey considered the current usage of the park and what elements could be changed or added to improve public use of the space.
“We need to get more users in the park,” Teal said.
He presented a list of considerations for the proposed request, including:
• The City would license Hemming Plaza to an operator and the space would no longer be a City park. However, the City could reserve its right to use the park at its discretion with 30 days notice to the operator.
• Vendor rental rates and signage would have to be approved by the City.
• The space would normally be open to the general public, but could be closed for private events.
• Beer and wine could be sold in the plaza.
• The operator would pay all costs of utilities to operate the plaza, would have insurance coverage and agree to indemnify the City. The operator would be responsible for providing sanitation, security and medical services.
• The agreement term would be 10 years, with up to three additional 10-year extensions at a lease rate of $1 per year.
The list of considerations also included questions that would be resolved before an RFP is presented to City Council for its approval prior to issuance:
• Should the RFP be limited to not-for-profit entities?
• Should the park be operated seven days a week, 365 days a year between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.?
Teal said the park is presently “more of a pass-through than a destination” and there is a need to make Hemming Plaza more user-friendly.
“We have to generate interest in the park on a daily basis,” he said.
Another issue that was raised at the April 4 meeting was the possibility of a grassroots effort by citizens interested in improving Hemming Plaza.
Committee member Bill Gulliford used as an example the community group supporting the preservation of ferry service at Mayport.
“When people are passionate about an issue, they are proactive,” he said.
Gulliford described the concept as a “citizen-driven organization.”
“Government is not the most successful ingredient in getting things done,” he said.
Lee said she would support creation of an advisory board for Hemming Plaza including Downtown business owners, Downtown Vision Inc. and the Jacksonville Historical Society.
Lee said she would schedule another meeting of the ad hoc committee, its 11th since September, for next week to discuss the provisions of the RFP.
“We don’t need to wait two weeks. We need to get this done,” she said.
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