Nearly 17 months and $1 million into the city’s 18-month agreement for private management of Hemming Park, the discussion of the future of Friends of Hemming Park began Wednesday.
City Council member Bill Gulliford said improvements in amenities and programming have been made since the nonprofit took over the one-square-block public park.
“I think most of us — if not all — would agree Hemming Park has been successful,” he said.
But there are opportunities to make it better and Gulliford is concerned about the city’s level of continued funding.
He also brought up unacceptable behavior of some park users, which was one of the main factors that led the city to turn over management of the park to the Friends.
Vince Cavin, CEO of Friends of Hemming Park, said the nonprofit anticipates needing about $800,000 a year to continue operations.
He said the organization can raise about $400,000 a year and would need for the city to match that amount.
The agreement expires Feb. 29. The city appropriated $250,000 in the 2015-16 general fund budget for the park, but that won’t be enough to sustain the organization, said Wayne Wood, president of the Friends.
“We run out of money six months from now,” he said.
Gulliford wants the nonprofit to clearly define its sources of revenue and provide within two weeks projections of sponsorship revenue and income from concessions and cost of operations.
“It’s all nebulous until we see some real numbers,” he said.
Cavin brought up capital improvements the nonprofit intends to perform, including a new stage near the Skyway platform along the Hogan Street side of the park.
He said the Friends are “in conversations” with Community First Credit Union to work out a $250,000 sponsorship for the new stage.
Council Vice President Lori Boyer said she wants to see separate financial projections for operations and capital improvements, since any improvements made to the park would be the property of the city.
She also said funding and priorities for capital improvements are determined for each year’s budget.
The Friends are seeking an infrastructure improvement to allow development of a food and beverage kiosk in the park by the owners of Black Sheep restaurant.
Cavin said the park needs about $30,000 in plumbing infrastructure improvement for the kiosk, including a $22,000 sewer line that must be installed by JEA.
The utility was asked to donate the installation as a sponsorship or in-kind contribution, “but the latest report is that’s not going to happen,” Wood said.
Contacted after Gulliford’s meeting adjourned, JEA spokeswoman Gerri Boyce said the utility is reviewing the request. It has not been denied, she said.
Gulliford said the city turned the park over to a private operator, in part, to reduce or eliminate unacceptable behavior of some users.
“One of the city’s reasons to fund Friends of Hemming Park was a non-city entity could be more aggressive enforcing park rules,” he said.
Wood said the Friends met last week with the Office of General Counsel and Sheriff’s Office about law enforcement in the park and learned that police officers are limited in what they can do about nuisance behavior, since the park is a public space.
Also contacted after Gulliford’s meeting, Undersheriff Pat Ivey said unless a person commits a misdemeanor nuisance crime in the view of an officer, an arrest cannot be made.
An arrest can be made in the park for certain crimes clearly defined under state law, such as child abuse, domestic violence or battery, he said.
Cavin said the city’s attorneys advised the Friends the organization does not have the authority to eject anyone from the park based on behavior that violates park rules unless the park is rented for a private event.
Wood said the Friends hoped Hemming would become a “special park” in terms of enforcement of rules, “but that hasn’t happened.”
Gulliford said the city was “heavily influenced” by the opinion of city attorneys that the nonprofit could enforce posted park rules when the agreement with the Friends was being written. He’s concerned over the complete change of position.
“I don’t want to hear ‘can’t,’ I want to hear ‘how,’” he said.
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