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Post by Chuck McCue on Dec 4, 2023 18:04:39 GMT -5
From Mrs. Janet Torelli: **UPDATE** MAYPORT WATERFRONT PARTNERSHIP LIGHTHOUSE MEETING UPDATE PART 2 Bill discussed reasons why it can’t get get moved. (1) 2 million dollar quote. (I had been told 4 + when it was all said and done. When I asked Mr. Youtz where the money was coming from he said Bill had it.) (2)No permission from the Navy to move it. (Although he and First Coast News later state he knows the Navy wants it off their property.)(3)No permission from the City to move it onto their property. (4) No steps have been taken to address the bodies around the area. (As soon as I brought up the subject of the bodies Bill interrupted me and stated we did not need to debate this topic.) Bill finally admits, after my husband and I corrected him and called him out on calling Alec’s and my blog statement ridiculous rumors, that there have been talks about moving the lighthouse and having a conversation with contractor Mr. Youtz. At no time, during the meeting and in First Coast News statement was it ever claimed or discussed the “mowed” portion of what I heard was a rumor. I cannot confirm whether there is truth to this. These were Mr. Youtz exact words and is something Mr. Youtz may have more information of. Navy would not comment, Bill Gulliford never commented, and First Coast News has omitted the “mowed” part out of my statement. The Navy has admitted they would like to see it off their property. Good news is because of this incident, hopefully, the situation toward moving in the right direction. We now have them focused on the cemetery. So, the question of the Lighthouse being “mowed” is still unanswered. I can’t stress enough the locals must and need to ask questions and stay involved. There appears to be some confusion with the verbiage, “formal meeting” and “informal meetings”. Everyone needs to pay attention to this and ask questions regarding both. ---------- Hi Mayport Lovers! I have been asked to provide a bit of information regarding some recent concerns over the Mayport St John’s lighthouse. There has been many individuals fighting for lighthouse recently and it was my hopes everyone would all work together. Unfortunately, this is not what happened. At a convention I attended Nov 4th, it had been brought to my attention a decision for the lighthouse had been made and it was going to be moved or mowed. No questions asked, no structural assessment is to be done, no Jacksonville public vote, no archeologists contacted regarding bodies around the lighthouse, no lighthouse associations contacted. The lighthouse sits on 1/10 acres public property and is surrounded by the oldest cemetery in the US. It is on the historic registry. Apparently, the paste got out of the tube before I could speak to the Navy regarding this to make sure what I had found out was actually happening and now there will be a special Mayport Waterfront Partnership meeting held tomorrow evening at 7:00 pm regarding this situation. Mayport’s Navy communications officer has been very kind and cooperative regarding what happened and wants to find a solution and work something out. I can’t do this alone and I feel this a Jacksonville and public situation. I am hoping this was just a premature decision. A lot of questions still need to be answered. The bodies in the cemetery, which we now have documents it is the oldest in the US, weren’t even going to be considered or acknowledged. There is a lot more to this and I don’t feel a social media site is appropriate for working through this. Everyone may have thought they had good intentions or reasoning but things could have been handled and still need to be handled in a more respectful and thought through fashion. The State feels the best and cost effective solution would be to move the fence line. This would protect the graves from any further Navy projects and give the lighthouse experts access to assess the situation. It is not for me to make these decisions. I am just your historian. It should be a community and public decision. Please, if you care anything about Mayport, history, this very important cemetery, and the lighthouse can you please take the time to come to the Mayport Gulliford Center tomorrow evening 7:00 pm and ask a lot of questions. I am sending this as Mayport’s Historian for 25 years. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions. Kindly, Janet Torelli, Mayport, Fl Historian
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Post by Paulette on Dec 5, 2023 14:26:52 GMT -5
Is this the lighthouse that sits on the base property now? I pass by it to her to the storage lot and there is no indication of a cemetery there. This is sad news.
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Post by Chuck McCue on Dec 6, 2023 9:44:28 GMT -5
From Mr. Alec Newell
"Nov. 12, 2023 Concerns about Moving the old St. Johns Lighthouse:
Information has reached me that there are plans afoot to move the St. Johns lighthouse, and that someone from the Waterfront Partnership has already met with the Navy and a contractor about moving the lighthouse from where it currently sits on the Navy base. To my knowledge, none of those plans were ever publicly discussed or voted on by members of the partnership in an open meeting, nor has any effort been made to alert village residents of those plans. When there appears to be a lack of transparency in plans that could affect the entire neighborhood, it erodes the confidence and trust that this neighborhood has placed in the Partnership’s hands. It may also be a violation of Florida’s Government in the Sunshine Law.
*The Sunshine Law generally does not apply to private entities. However, there are some instances where a private entity may be subject to the open meetings law. A private entity created pursuant to law or by a public agency, such as certain nonprofit organizations, is subject to open meetings requirements.
The Mayport Waterfront Partnership originally organized as a watchdog group that was supposed to represent the interests of Mayport Village which had just narrowly missed becoming a cruise ship terminal during the mayorship of John Peyton. Neighborhood residents wanted to preserve the village as a working waterfront for its shrimping fleet, its seafood processing industry, and the local restaurants which for years, had provided local jobs for generations of Mayport families. Those private industry jobs had also been contributing tens of millions of dollars to Jacksonville’s annual economy. Over the past several years, the Waterfront Partnership has morphed into something quite different from what it was originally conceived to be. The meetings were (and still are) held during regular working hours, when most neighborhood residents have family businesses to run or private industry jobs to work at. When those locals returned focus to their jobs, their empty seats at the Partnership were quietly refilled by a raft of City and State employees who received compensation for attending those meetings. With no other real skin in the game, they could be steered into rubber stamping special interest projects that benefited the sponsors, but were often not in the best long term interests of the neighborhood. I believe that most of the people who participate in the Mayport Waterfront Partnership are hard working, well meaning, civic minded people, but I also believe that the time has come to reexamine the direction that it has taken over the past several years, and to call an immediate halt to any plans to move the lighthouse until a much wider sample of opinions and options can be considered.
I would also like to have a copy of this letter entered into the minutes of this meeting. Mayport resident Alec Newell"
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Mayport Waterfront Partnership
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Post by Mayport Waterfront Partnership on Dec 6, 2023 13:48:15 GMT -5
It's another lovely day in Mayport! Special Meeting Update: Rumors have been circulating in the form of two different letters regarding the lighthouse and other topics.
Here are the facts about MWP’s connection to the lighthouse as presented by MWP board member Bill Gulliford: Let’s talk about the rumor that moving the St. Johns Lighthouse is imminent. Here are excerpts from a letter that was circulated recently.
“Information has reached me that there are plans afoot to move the St. Johns lighthouse and that someone from the Partnership has already met with the Navy and a contractor about moving the lighthouse…to my knowledge those plans were ever publicly discussed or voted on by members of the partnership at a public meeting”.
Now here are the facts. In 2001 there was a bid of $600K+ to move the lighthouse and I received a copy of that bid when I was on the council I announced at a recent Partnership board meeting I was going to investigate, with the people who provided that original bid, as to what it might cost now to move it now, which I did. They came back with a cost of $11,000. to develop a quotation and specific plan to move it.
Beyond that there has been little activity regarding moving the lighthouse and no formal endorsement to do the same from the Partnership.
So here is what it would take to move the lighthouse: 1. $11,000. To develop a plan and overall cost to move it. 2. Permission from the Navy to move it off their property. 3. Addressing the issue of potentially disturbing the burials around the vicinity of the lighthouse 4. Permission from the Navy to waive the 50+ foot height restriction agreed upon by the City of Jacksonville for any new location for the lighthouse. 5. Permission and legislation by the City of Jacksonville to site it on a parcel on the riverfront. 6. Finding a source of what would probably be a cost of $2M or more to move it.
As you can see, the rumor that moving the lighthouse is imminent ranks right up there with Bigfoot being spotted at Singleton’s eating lunch. Bill Gulliford
If you want to attend the monthly meetings of the Mayport Waterfront Partnership, join us on Tuesday, December 12th at 8:00 a.m. at the Community Center, 4875 Ocean Street, Mayport, FL 32233.
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Post by J Hill on Dec 8, 2023 5:42:19 GMT -5
Put it on a barge and place it on the old Landings...
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Ret-Navy LH preservationist
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Post by Ret-Navy LH preservationist on Dec 9, 2023 9:27:16 GMT -5
Locals in FL should question the CG to find out if the required historical review has been completed.
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Post by J desmond on Dec 18, 2023 15:27:26 GMT -5
Instead of moving why not work on acquiring that small piece of property from US government?
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