Quote:
Originally Posted by Prahaboheme
Lakelander, thanks for representing Jacksonville as it should be! I'd love to see what you can do for St. Augustine -- I know you would showcase the lesser seen sides of that city as well.
|
Yes, St. Augustine has some interesting areas that most tourist don't visit. I need to get back down to St. Augustine. Even though it's a 30 minute drive south, it's been a few years since I taken pictures of it.
Quote:
|
Is JAX doing anything to restore the Confederate Park and canal? I feel like there is huge potential there to recapture some former glory, and it attract some decent private investment along the canal.
|
Originally, when the riverfront was industrial, that was Jacksonville's premier urban park. It formed the border between downtown and Springfield. Hogans Creek was also the marshy waterway that stopped the 1901 fire from extending into Springfield, which was pretty undeveloped at the time. Progress on restoring this area has been slow because the creek is one of Florida's most contaminated waterways from industry that used to line it.
Anyway, there's $1 million set aside to put a mile long shared use path back in it. However, it appears to be on hold until a suit between the city and an adjacent owner can is resolved. This situation is pretty interesting because the city had a 19th century coal gasification plant that contaminated the area but they want someone who purchased the property within the last two decades to partially pay for the cleanup.
Until that happens, it remains a pretty cool and underutilized waterway for kayaking.
