The Way We Were: Betty Swenson Bergmark
She gazed from her 8th floor balcony at the clear blue sky and the calm St. Johns River, remembering a turbulent time long ago when she danced as bombs dropped from the dark London skies. “I was still a teenager when I began dancing professionally for the Royal Carl Rosa Ballet in London,” recalled Betty […]
The Way We Were: Hugh Howton
Hugh Howton has two and a half bathrooms in his Ortega Forest home. What may seem to be an insignificant bit of information has great significance to a man who didn’t have a bathroom in his home until he was eight years old. “It was during the depression,” Howton explained. “My dad worked as an […]
Miramar residents unhappy with local estate used for short-term rentals
The riverfront Mediterranean estate on the St. Johns River gets raves reviews from visitors. The four-bedroom gated estate has a dock, swimming pool and summer kitchen. It sounds like a great, though pricey ($650 a night), getaway. Sunsets are spectacular and privacy is guaranteed in the quiet Jacksonville neighborhood. The quiet neighborhood is Miramar and […]
Jacksonville University partners in research with The District
The District—Life Well Lived Jacksonville will begin closing procedures on 30 acres of Southbank riverfront property with the Jacksonville Energy Authority in late 2017 and break ground in early 2018, according to a release announcing a partnership with Jacksonville University. The university was selected to be the Official Academic Partner of The District and will […]
Tempers rise alongside water in San Jose Forest
There is deepening anguish brewing with several of the residents of San Jose Forest, the once tranquil neighborhood near Christopher Creek and Nathan Krestul Park. A few months ago, they had a forest that buffered a portion of their neighborhood from the traffic noise of San Jose Boulevard. It was a prolific wetlands area that […]
Public awareness, grassroots involvement push waterways use forward
New initiatives to market Jacksonville’s “liquid assets” – including its offshore resources and a proposal to link the beaches and downtown with trails – were among the highlights of the Waterways/Waterfront Activation meeting hosted by District 5 Councilwoman Lori Boyer Aug. 3. Also serving as Jacksonville Waterways Commission Chair, Boyer said she wanted to focus […]
Historic District improvements part of proposed budget
Tucked inside Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry’s 2017-2018 budget of nearly $2.5 billion are funds proposed for 12 capital improvement projects which will advance economic development and improve quality of life in the urban core, which includes the historic districts. Among the projects designated to receive funds next year are several water-related projects, reaching from Brooklyn […]
Disappointing attendance at Brooklyn Road Diet public workshop
A little over a dozen people, most of whom were members of the media, the consulting group or City Hall, attended the second public workshop on the proposed Brooklyn Road Diet. “More than a year ago the conversation began regards to pedestrian walkability within various streets downtown. Some of the targeted streets to be reviewed […]
