Courts in a Pickle—At the April work session, staff reported on the condition of the Pheasant Meadows tennis/pickleball courts, saying that because of swamp-like conditions, water has undermined the condition of the courts for years, resulting in large cracks and unsettled surfaces. Staff will revisit the topic after bids to resurface with a rubberized sport court material are available. It is expected that one court will be dedicated to tennis-only and the other court to 2 pickleball courts.
City Council Meeting 4/4/23—During Public Comment, John Lamy informed council that he’d received positive feedback from a Jacksonville Review article about installing EV charging stations in town.
Abby McKee, CEO of Britt Festivals, updated the council on efforts to work with neighbors to mitigate impacts from the concert season and improvements being made to the venue including audio upgrades to assist hearing-impaired patrons.
Lodging tax grants for the Community Center and Art Presence for $5500 were approved.
The Chamber of Commerce lease for the Trolley was extended for one year for $3000. The Chamber is in the process of applying for large grants to purchase a new trolley that would increase its ability to serve various functions and increase visitor activities in Jacksonville, including the formation of a winery-tour service.
Council granted an exemption for Lomakatsi Forestry Restoration Service to burn piles of slash this fall that lie within the city limits as part of an extensive $1.5 million Fuels Reduction Program, covering more than 380 acres of forested city land.
An update to the Urban Renewal program was approved by upping the maximum indebtedness to a total of $2.1million. The updated plan disallowed using UR funds to replace the city’s aging water storage tank that is outside of the UR district. Potential city-backed projects that may benefit from UR funding include acquisition of a new fire truck, development of a 3rd Street Pedestrian Mall, and others. To no avail, residents Jocie and Steve Wall urged a “no” vote, arguing that more public discussion on the matter was needed. Despite their protestations, the Council unanimously approved the renewal of the program. It should be noted that this is the last year that the city will be able to earmark Urban Renewal funds for city projects.