FRIDAY May 24, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
THE JACKSONVILLE LANDING
THE MATHIS REPORT
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Lack of asbestos survey surprises demo contractors
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
JACKSONVILLE
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
FSCJ closing its 20West Cafe in June
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20West Cafe opened in April 2018 and is closing in June. Photo by Monty Zickuhr
Jacksonville Landing project engineer Nikita Reed talks with demolition contractors during a tour of the shopping mall Thursday. During the tour, officials answered questions about the requirements for the demolition.
Demolition contractors learn about the expectations for tearing down the shopping center during a prebid meeting, tour. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
Contractors considering a bid to demolish The Jacksonville Landing were surprised to learn Thursday that the city has not conducted a certified asbestos survey on the Downtown shopping mall. In a mandatory prebid meeting at 10 a.m. in the Ed Ball Building, Landing project engineer Nikita Reed told contractors the selected bidder would be responsible for providing the survey from a licensed,
accredited asbestos professional. Reed said an environmental site assessment was conducted on the Landing property prior to the release of the Landing demolition specifications last week. “You should assume that you will have to determine if any asbestos or any other hazardous material — any lead paint, anything like that” is at the site, Reed said. “We did not do a full environmental survey for the hazardous materials.” One contractor in the packed boardroom said it’s atypical for contractors to perform their own asbestos surveys before demolition and is usually is the role of the building owner. “It’s collusion,” another contractor said. “I could pay someone I know to say, ‘Hey, give me a clean report,’ versus an
independent third party that’s neutral.” Reed and other city officials said they would take the contractors’ concerns under advisement and issue an addendum to the demolition specifications. The riverfront building was developed in 1987 at 2 Independent Drive W. Reed also provided an overview of plans for a phased demolition of the Landing. The city took control of the property May 1 from Sleiman Enterprises Inc. subsidiary Jacksonville Landing Investments LLC. Short-term leaseholders were soon told they are required to vacate the Landing by June 1. Demolition will begin with the buildings along the riverfront, followed by the pavement and sidewalks and finally the SEE LANDING, PAGE 2
The restaurant staffed by the school’s culinary program did not meet financial expectations. A little more than a year after opening the restaurant, Florida State College at Jacksonville announced it will close the 20West Cafe on Adams Street Downtown in June. FSCJ opened the cafe in April 2018 to provide training for its culinary students. It was open to the public for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday. “The original intent of the Cafe was for it to be financially self-sufficient with minimal impacts on the educational mission of our institution. Unfortunately, the financial demands have exceeded our projections, SEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
Memorial Day holiday The Jacksonville Daily Record will not be published Monday because of the Memorial Day holiday. It will resume publication Tuesday. VOLUME 106, NO. 134 • ONE SECTION