On Wednesday, June 8th, elected officials unanimously approved a $750,000 contract with George & Associates, Consulting Engineers, Inc. for Phase III of the Market District Multi-Purpose Stormwater Project during the Tallahassee City Commission meeting.
TR has previously reported on this project.
The City and Blueprint are responsible for the Market District Multi-Purpose Stormwater Project. The project aims to improve the quality of water that enters Lake Jackson from the Market District Watershed.
The first phase of the project consisted of filling in the Central Stormwater Facility and a portion of the East Stormwater Facility and expanding the West Stormwater Facility to make way to relocate the electric transmission lines to the north side of Maclay Commerce Drive.
The project’s second phase consisted of retrofitting and reconfiguring the West Stormwater Facility.
Phase III is the most extensive phase. This phase consists of retrofitting and improving the East Stormwater Facility, including adding landscaping and beautification elements, planning the central area, and enhancing Maclay Commerce Drive and Maclay Road.
Part of the third phase includes creating a public space that will foster a “sense of place.” The city plans to develop “family-friendly activities, jogging trails, exercise stations, a tot lot playground; promoting outdoor business activities, sidewalk sales and business expansions; and creating outdoor venues for special events or leisure.”
City Approves 750K for Final Phase of Market District Project
Palm trees and parks. That's what they do. Can you give me a third of that money and let me hire an engineer / planner that can fix our traffic lights? I spend the other 2/3 s of that money trying to fix the 2623457 potholes on our streets or maybe I could widen a road or two in the poorer parts of Town. Better yet, what about some YMCA's or youth facilities to give these kids another option other than joining a gang and dealing drugs.. Maybe hire 10 or 12 new police officers to combat this gang invasion from around the country. We are on the verge of ever taking Jacksonville and other horrible cities that have long been the worst cities to live in in Florida, yet we're creating homeless shelters to bring the horrible people here and planting palm trees around market centers and Parks to put lipstick on the pig.
Everyone is correct... There is no thoughtful or strategic thought and it is a ragtag plan as the mayor and city manager are so tightly aligned in their corruption they mis-spend our funds on stadium seats and upper tier salaries for unqualified employees who don't have the credentials to be in that position.
They invest our tax dollars in cockamamie schemes with special interests so that they have a return on their monies spent for campaign contributions.
They have entrenched themselves and buffered themselves with loyal employees paid with by taxpayers to further be insulated from scrutiny, transparency, fiscal responsibility, and accountability.
Voters voted him in and now voters can vote him out.
Vote Dailey out and Goad must go.
Amazing that there is always money for beautiful improvements in the more expensive parts of town, but along W. Tharpe St. they can't manafe even a sidewalk to save people from walking in a ditch full of weeds or push a stroller halfway on the roadway to reach a bus stop.
Shade would be nice. Seems odd to have a park by a huge power line facility. It connects nicely to lake overstreet trails so hopefully they will make a safe entrance between the two.
A few trees along the path and a gravel trail would do the trick and be cost effective. Government officials spend our money too freely to win favor.
This is am improvement for that area.
Unfortunately, the Blueprint folks failed to design as a majority of folks who responded to a survey indicated they would like to see; like lots of shade trees.
The Blueprint group seems to have their own agenda and only seek public input to make it look like the public is participating. Explanation from Blueprint folk why they couldn't better meet the desires of majority of folks surveyed was because they didn't have the $. But they had $27 million to give FSU.
I even volunteered to donate, plant and care for trees, for a year until they get established, and Blueprint folks were not interested....
Our tax $'s going to another organization with no accountability.
This 'sense of place' cannot be created by a government. It evolves over time...like what is now called 'Mid Town' before it was called Mid Town. I grew up in that area, in the 50's and 60's, currently live there, and the 'feeling' has always been there.