Daily Record Financial News &
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 118 • Three Sections
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
City’s ‘Grand Central Station’
By Max Marbut Staff Writer The first vertical construction project Downtown since the Duval County Courthouse is scheduled to break ground in January. Nat Ford, CEO of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, said Tuesday the $33 million Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla near the Prime Osborn Convention Center will begin with the new Greyhound station and be complete in 2019.
He presented the project details at a meeting for stakeholders hosted by Downtown Vision Inc. In addition to Greyhound, the facility will include a Skyway station, a new terminal for JTA’s fixed bus routes and a hub for the First Coast Flyer rapid transit bus system. Facilities for Megabus service between Jacksonville and Orlando, the Uber ride-sharing service and administrative offices for the authority also are on the site plan. “It will be our version of Grand Central Station, but on a little
Donation gets to heart of key issue
smaller scale,” Ford said. Balfour Beatty Construction Co. has guaranteed the price for the project and will be responsible for cost overruns, if any, said Ford. Future phases — not yet funded — could include a terminal for commuter rail service and moving the Amtrak terminal from North Jacksonville to the convention center, formerly Union Terminal. “This project has been on again, off again for 25 years,” said Ford. “We have waited long enough.” DVI continued on Page A-2
Special to the Daily Record
First major project Downtown since courthouse
This design from Pond-Michael Baker for the Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla is scheduled to be approved Thursday by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority board of directors.
Lexington plans social debut with blues night
GE Foundation’s $250,000 gift paying for screenings You only have one heart. So, take care of it — starting with awareness and screening. That’s the message of a new initiative with a goal of reversing Jacksonville’s bottom-tier-and-sinking community health ranking among Florida communities. The One Heart cardiovascular community outreach program was kickstarted Tuesday with a $250,000 donation from the GE Foundation, the philanthropic organization of General Electric Co. One Heart is a partnership between the nonprofit Agape Community Health Center Network, the Florida Department of Health in Duval County and Florida A&M University. The funds will pay for cardiovascular screenings for up to 10,000 low-income residents over the next two years, mostly in Jacksonville’s underserved urban core, labeled as Health Zone 1. The screening is simple and quick. Within five minutes, health-care providers are able to determine whether those tested are at risk. Agape is a Joint Commission-accredited primary care network of five community health centers providing low-income residents with immunizations, disease management and health insurance enrollment assistance, among other services. People deemed to be most apt to have or develop heart disease will be connected to health care services following the screenings, said state Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville, Agape’s interim executive director. The heart is too important an organ to be ignored and taking care of it results in longer, better-quality life, Jones said. “We can address this directly as a community or we can suffer the impact of poor health later,” she said. Duval County is ranked No. 48 of 67 Florida counties for quality health outcomes based on socioeconomic and environmental considerations, including access to care. GE continued on Page A-4
Public
Photo by Max Marbut
By Kevin Hogencamp Contributing Writer
Personal putting green with a view Jacksonville Public Library Deputy Director Jennifer Giltrop is an avid golfer, so why not have a putting green of sorts in her office? See what else is in her workspace on Page A-7.
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Owners of the Lexington Hotel on Jacksonville’s Southbank not only are renovating the structure wall-to-wall and ceilingto-floor, they also are starting to host social events and talking about working with the neighbors. They will host “Bourbon, Bacon & Blues” from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. May 26 at the 1515 Prudential Drive hotel and conference center. “We’re trying to weave ourselves into the community,” said Bernie Moyle, chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Coral Springs-based Vantage Hospitality Group. He and hotel General Manager Art Casey said the event will showcase blues musicians, bourbon tastings, cigar rollers and a bacon-themed menu. Performances will feature Smokestack with guest appearances by Kim Reteguiz, Landon Spradlin and other artists. The music and bour- Moyle bon-tasting will be free, while drink specials, food and cigars will be offered at a nominal price to be determined. Moyle said Vantage representatives also are working with the Llorens family about partnering in a retail presence or even some hotel rooms in the buildings that line the St. Johns River and Southbank Riverwalk in front of the hotel. Amkin Management, led by South Florida investor Ramon Llorens, seeks tenants for the vacant riverfront property he bought late last summer along the Riverwalk. About 15,900 square feet of space is vacant among five of Amkin’s six buildings there. Mathis
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