Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
Vol. 104, No. 054 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Waterways interests joining forces
Boyer leading way to make sure entities ‘putting the pieces together’ By Max Marbut Staff Writer With miles of oceanfront coastline and the St. Johns River running through Duval County, Jacksonville has more waterfront than most communities. And it has the water-related government agencies, private organizations and grassroots advocacy groups to prove it. Representatives from those interests packed the Lynwood Roberts Room at City Hall on Thursday for updates on projects and a preview of what’s in store
this year for the city’s predominant commerce and recreation resource. “Water born – water driven” is the working name for City Council President Lori Boyer’s initiative to make sure all parties with a stake in waterfront opportunities are working together to achieve the greatest results. “Jacksonville is shaped by the water around us,” she said. “My goal is to make sure we’re all talking to one another and putting the pieces together.” The results of a survey of more than 750 residents were outlined
Tackling mental illness concerns
by Margo Moehring, executive director of the North Florida Regional Planning Council. The results will be used to update the Duval County Maritime Management Plan. Moehring said 89 percent of respondents said they had used a water access facility — boat ramp, park, fishing pier, etc. — at least once and 65 percent had done so within 30 days of the survey. Public boat ramps are the amenity most often used, with 62 percent indicating they launched a boat in the 30 days leading up
to the survey. Waterfront parks were second at 57 percent, followed closely by riverwalks at 56 percent. Docks were used by 46 percent of those surveyed and 24 percent used a kayak launch. Several city projects were updated by Brian Burket, natural resource and recreation specialist with the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department. He said the boardwalk extension along the river from Blue Cypress Park to the Arlington WATERFRONT CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Boyer
Gate buys 6 sites for car wash locations
Health facilities paying to train 10,000 people
Mental health issues were identified as a top area of concern when Baptist Health, Brooks Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, St. Vincent’s HealthCare and UF Health Jacksonville conducted a community needs assessment in 2016. “So we decided as a group we would do something about it,” Brooks Rehabilitation CEO Douglas Baer said Thursday. The five area health systems have joined forces to provide free adult mental health first aid training over the next three years, with the goal of training 10,000 people — first responders and residents — to recognize the signs of mental illness. The Mental Health First Aid initiative will consist of an eighthour course on how to identify, understand Baer and respond to signs of mental illness and behavioral health issues. It is offered nationwide by Mental Health First Aid USA, which is modeled after a similar course in Australia. The local health systems will pay for the training fees. Baer said the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was the first organization to volunteer to join the project, committing more than 3,000 employees to attend the training, including police officers, corrections officers and those in civilian positions. He said Mayor Lenny Curry’s office and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department have committed to training at least 10 percent of their staffs. To date, 26 people have received instructor training, he said, and a second class of 32 people is signed up to be trained next HEALTH
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Chamber packs Baseball Grounds
The JAX Chamber’s 132nd annual meeting Thursday drew an overflow crowd that filled the second level of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The meeting included networking, food and fireworks. See more photos on Page 3.
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Photo by Fran Ruchalski
By Maggie FitzRoy Contributing Writer Gate Petroleum Co. said six sites have been acquired for its initial push into the market for its Gate Express Carwash venture. Another 11 sites are in various stages of review. Gate owns some of the sites, some could be bought imminently and others are under contract or a letter of intent, said spokeswoman Misty Skipper. Gate Express Carwash will debut in late spring or summer with two locations. One is in Southwest Jacksonville at Interstate 295 and Collins Road and the other is in St. Johns County at Nocatee Parkway and Davis Park Drive. Both are near Gate convenience stores and gas stations. While many Gate stores feature car washes, the new design is for stand-alone developments. Not all will be next to Gate stores. The other three acquired Duval sites are at Beach and Hodges boulevards, Monument Road at the Kendall Town retail center, and Florida 9B and Philips Highway, Skipper said. The Monument Road site is across the street from a Gate store and the company has plans for a convenience store at the Philips Highway location. In St. Johns County, Gate Express has a site in the new Durbin Park, which Gate Petroleum is developing. Skipper said permits are in process for the first two stores, while a zoning variance is sought for the Beach Boulevard location. Skipper declined to say how much the private company expects to invest in each car wash. Gate executive Hill Peyton is leading the car wash development as other expresswash competitors prepare to enter the market. “We think the car wash business is going in this direction … and we want to be the MATHIS CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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