March 3rd, 2010 | 
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Mural Artist Needed For Community Garden
Project Title: Eastside Community Garden Mural
Unveiling Date: Earth Day April 22, 2010
Sponsors: Operation New Hope, Inc and The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida
Venue: Eastside Community Garden 960 Spearing St., Jacksonville, Fl
Total Budget for Whole Project: $500.00
Project Description: Operation New Hope has teamed up with the Sanctuary on 8th Street to produce a small outdoor mural for the Eastside Community Garden. The children competed and two drawings have been selected to incorporate. The mural will be placed on a piece of fence in the back of the garden that is approximately 8×20. The person selected for this project will take the two selections and incorporate them into the overall mural. Then, draw out the mural and partner with the children from the Sanctuary to paint it. The unveiling will take place at our Earth Day celebration which will include a block clean-up and fruit tree planting.
Qualifications: We would like the person that takes on this project to have some prior relevant experience. When submitting your contact information please include your work experience as well as two references. Any other supporting documents are welcome including: work examples, reviews and/or and ideas about the proposed project.
Contact: Allison Vega
E-mail: avega@operationnewhope.com
Phone: (904) 354-4673
Allison C. Vega
Community Organizer
ONH Development
Ph: 904-354-4673
Fax: 904-407-3729
avega@operationnewhope.com
www.ONHDevelopment.com
JCCI Program Info
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Riverside Arts Market Returns This Saturday!
This Saturday, the long wait for RAM’s return is over! The Riverside Arts Market reopens this Saturday, March 6th, and we’re celebrating our sophomore year in our patented Under The Bridge, Over The Top style.
The free grand reopening celebration will feature three live bands, a barbershop quartet, 18 street performers, the Shortest Big Parade ever, and over 150 vendors of diverse handmade art, terrific food, and the freshest local produce.
RAM 2.0 starts at 8 am with the River Walk 2RAM, a healthy living initiative sponsored by Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute; participants will enjoy yoga and prizes at three area parks, and then stroll to the market. See http://www.facebook.com/l/aaa63;joionline.net for more information–but hurry, the deadline to register is Thursday!
The staging area for the Shortest Big Parade will be the corner of Riverside and Post Street. Beginning at 9:45, the Raines High School Marching Band will lead local officials, select Jaguars players, River Walk 2RAM participants, and RAM fans (that would be you!) in a two-block march to RAM. (Local pooches still reliving their 15 minutes of fame at last year’s RAM Arf Barket Costume Parade are invited to bring their owners for another moment in the spotlight.)
The Market opens at 10:15 with an official ribbon cutting and serenade by the Shell Game quarter. Fortunately, the weather forecast looks amazing! (Coincidence? We don’t think so.) Want more information about Saturday’s big celebration? Go to http://www.facebook.com/l/aaa63;riversideartsmarket.com.
Starry Nights Tickets Available March 5
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY FOR STARRY NIGHTS FEATURING STYX AND IDINA MENZEL ACCOMPANIED BY THE JACKSONVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Jacksonville, Fla. – The City of Jacksonville will welcome acclaimed rock group Styx and Tony Award-winning artist Idina Menzel accompanied by the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra to Metropolitan Park for Starry Nights. Styx will perform on April 10 and Idina Menzel will perform on April 24. Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 5. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and music begins at 7:30 p.m. for both concerts. The symphony will begin each concert followed by their performance with the featured artist of the evening.
“I am excited that the City of Jacksonville will produce two Starry Nights concerts this year at Metropolitan Park which will highlight the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, one of our community’s premier cultural offerings,” said Mayor John Peyton. “Like other Make A Scene Downtown! events, these concerts offer a great way for families to experience an evening of music downtown on our beautiful St. Johns River.”
Styx transformed from a suburban Chicago basement in the early 1970s to the virtual arena rock prototype by the late 1970s and early 1980s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads.
Styx’s mainstream success began when “Lady” started to get substantial airplay in late 1974. The song was soon issued as a single nationwide, and quickly shot to number six on the singles chart, as “Styx II” was certified gold. Most of their subsequent releases throughout the late 1970s earned at least platinum certification (1976’s Crystal Ball, 1977’s The Grand Illusion, 1978’s Pieces of Eight, and 1979’s Cornerstone), and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.”
Broadway powerhouse Idina Menzel is the Tony Award-winning “Elphaba” from the international blockbuster “Wicked.” With a diverse repertoire of classic pop, musical theater favorites (including hits from “Wicked” and “Rent”) as well as songs from her album “I Stand,” Menzel continues to demonstrate why she is one of the great vocal performers of our time. She will also appear this spring on the popular FOX television series “Glee!”.
Celebrating 60 years of great music, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is one of the premier orchestras the Southeast. Its success has been defined as “the standard to which all other Florida orchestras should strive.” Led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Fabio Mechetti, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is a cultural treasure, inspiring and enriching close to one-quarter million residents annually in Jacksonville and surrounding communities. Nearly a third of these residents are children, who benefit from programs such as Jacksonville Symphony educational concerts, the Jump Start Strings partnership with Communities In Schools and the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra, one of the most comprehensive music training programs in our region.
This year, those purchasing VIP and Preferred Seats will have the opportunity to participate in the Table Decorating Contest at each concert for a chance to win fabulous prizes. The Table Decorating Contest offers the chance to be a star at your own table by bringing tablecloths, candelabras, and other decorations to dress it up. Attendees can also pre-order a meal from Chew Restaurant and Take Away Gourmet and then pick it up on site at the event.
Ticket prices for Starry Nights per concert, per seat are $50 for VIP table seating, $35 for preferred seating and $15 for lawn seating, applicable service charges will apply. Day-of-show lawn seating will be $20. Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 5 and can be purchased at www.makeascenedowntown.com or by calling the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Box Office at (904) 354-5547.
Blankets and lawn chairs are encouraged for lawn seating. Picnic baskets with food and beverages (no glass containers or alcoholic beverages) may be brought into the park. In addition, strollers, diaper bags, and “chairs in a bag” will also be permitted. All items are subject to search. A variety of food and beverages (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic) will be available for sale in the park. The following items are prohibited from being brought into the park: alcohol, glass bottles or containers, bags, backpacks or fanny packs larger than 8 ½” x 11”, still or video cameras of any kind, roller skates or roller blades, bicycles, pets and umbrellas.
Starry Nights is produced by the City of Jacksonville Office of Special Events and is part of the Make A Scene Downtown! series. Stein Mart is an official sponsor of the event along with The NEW 96.9 The Eagle and 95.1 WAPE-Jacksonville’s #1 Hit Music Station. Visit www.makeascenedowntown.com or call (904) 630-3690 for more information.
Location for City Budget Workshop Changed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kristen Beach, (904) 630-2709, kbeach@coj.net
LOCATION FOR CITY BUDGET WORKSHOP CHANGED
Saturday, March 6 Workshop Moved to City Hall
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 3, 2010 – The Mayor’s Budget Workshop for this Saturday, March 6, has been moved from the Jacksonville Children’s Commission (1095 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.) to the City Hall at St. James Building (117 W. Duval St.).
WHEN: 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Saturday, March 6
WHERE: City Hall at St. James
Ground Floor Atrium
117 W. Duval St., 32202
WHAT: The City of Jacksonville is hosting a series of Budget Workshops designed to gather citizen input into the budgeting process for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. Pre-registration is required. Seats for this and other upcoming workshops are still available by registering at www.myjaxbudget.com.
Free parking for the workshop is available in the parking garage located at the corner of Duval and Main Streets, across from the Main Library. Parking is also available on metered spaces along Duval, Laura and Hogan Streets on the weekends.
Results of JEA Investigation
Results of the JEA Investigation into Inappropriate Employee Behavior
Since a story aired on First Coast News about JEA employees spending time inappropriately, 17 employees have been under investigation. As a result of the investigation, four employees were disciplined and 13 received letters of counseling. The letters of counseling express to an employee what they did wrong and warn them to improve. It is an early step in JEA’s progressive discipline process. Employees receiving the letters of counseling were all linemen and line maintainers. The other four, who held higher positions of foreman or coordinator, received reprimands. One received a final reprimand, which is the last step before termination.
To reinforce JEA’s expectation of the employees who work at the Southside and Westside Service Centers and do line maintenance-type work, they were required to sign a document covering those expectations. In addition, we have reminded all employees that the work we do makes us a very public company, and that we are all ambassadors for JEA. Lastly, a pilot program that just started in January using GPS in some of our trucks will be considered for our entire fleet.
First Coast News Interview with CEO Jim Dickenson
Before the investigation was completed, First Coast News asked to interview our CEO, Jim Dickenson. We mentioned to you that we hoped to have that opportunity. We actually had wanted the interview to be live and for Jim to be able to make a statement. He ended up doing a recorded interview. The following link should take you to the First Coast News website where you can see and hear the full interview. The interview took about 15 minutes; however, only five minutes were aired Thursday night, February 25th between 11p.m. and 1 a.m. We did not get prior notification or we would have notified you.
http://search.firstcoastnews.com/sp?aff=1102&skin=&keywords=interview%20with%20Jim%20Dickinson
JEA’s Disciplinary Process
I’m sure some of you may be wondering why no one was fired after JEA’s internal investigation into the allegations that employees were loafing on the job. All of the employees in question are Civil Service employees and JEA must follow Civil Service rules in all of its dealings with employees. In addition, JEA Civil Service employees are covered by one of seven bargaining units. The two unions that represent the employees in this case are IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electric Workers) and JSA (Jacksonville Supervisors Association).
Both union agreements employ the same language when it comes to the disciplining of employees. Printed below are portions of Article 26 Discipline and Discharge:
Article 26
DISCIPLINE AND DISCHARGE
26.1 No permanent employee shall be removed, discharged, reduced in rank or pay,
suspended or otherwise disciplined except for just cause. JEA will give written
notice to the employee of intent to discipline within fifteen (15) calendar days
from the date JEA became aware of the occurrence. This notice shall be followed
with a written statement of charges within forty-five (45) calendar days from the
date of the notice….
26.3 JEA will follow the principles of progressive discipline that discipline generally
proceeds from a reprimand, to a suspension or reduction in pay, to demotion
and/or discharge. The parties recognize that the seriousness and circumstances
surrounding an offense may warrant more or less severe discipline, depending
upon all of the facts. Employees should be informed that failure to correct
misconduct may lead to more severe discipline ….
The cornerstone of JEA’s discipline policy is the principle of progressive discipline. Managers recognize first, that employees should be given the opportunity to correct their behavior, and, second that some offenses are more or less serious than others and warrant different disciplinary measures. Furthermore, whenever an employee is disciplined, (s)he has the right to appeal (or grieve) that discipline. JEA works closely with the City’s Office of General Council to ensure that any disciplinary action is not only consistent with applicable rules and regulations but if the discipline is grieved that JEA will prevail.
I hope this helps to explain the rationale behind the letters of counseling and letters of reprimand that were issued. As an FYI, JEA’s management staff are not civil service employees nor are they members of any bargaining unit.
As always, if you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks and have a great day.
Paulette
Your Two Cents
Duval Schools Budget Workshops Scheduled
FYI – Please tell your neighbors and don’t forget about the City of Jacksonville Budget Workshops – This Saturday –
Please see details below and register at this address:
http://www.myjaxbudget.com/registration.aspx
Sat., 2/27/10 – 9:30-11:30 a.m.
CPAC District 4 Budget Workshop
Cecil Community Center
13611-A Normandy Blvd.
Sat., 3/06/10 – 9:30-11:30 a.m.
CPAC District 1 Budget Workshop
Jacksonville Children’s Commission
1095 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.
Thurs., 3/25/10 – 6-8 p.m.
CPAC District 5 Budget Workshop
Clanzel T. Brown Community Center
4545 Moncrief Road
Sat., 4/17/10 – 9:30-11:30 a.m.
CPAC District 3 Budget Workshop
Balis Community Center
1513 LaSalle Street
Thurs., 4/29/10 – 6-8 p.m.
CPAC District 6 Budget Workshop
Dinsmore Community Center
7126 Civic Club Drive