Okay, I guess I'll call the meeting to order.

And um it's 12 uh 34 or so, and we'll go around introduce each other, and I don't have an agenda, but I can tell you what we're gonna talk about, and then we'll talk about anything the uh committee wants to talk about.

So Corey, why don't you start out?

Corey Armstrong, ECA for Matt Carlucci.

Rockman Johnson, District 14.

Good morning or good afternoon, Tyrone Clark Murray, District 9.

And I'm Matt Carlucci, City Councilman at large, group four.

Mike Gay, District 2.

Okay.

So I so uh I called uh the meeting because I have a couple of um uh naming opportunities that I wanted to talk about, but uh being at large, I'm you know I want to respect the district council members involved in these naming opportunities.

Uh and I'm glad that Rockman's here because uh one of those naming opportunities is for uh somebody that that um uh he's very close friends with as you are as well.

Um and um so uh if it's okay I'll start with uh council member Warren Jones.

Is that okay with you?

Since Rockman's here and I I think his time may be short and but um so uh I have um for a long time wanted to uh come up with a naming opportunity for Warren and um and every time I've talked to him about that he shuts me down immediately and so I uh finally told Warren well uh Warren uh uh uh Carla what would you please come sit up here um sorry to interrupt here or some glasses they're probably mine no I really do need those okay no that's all right we thank you I'm so glad because I would have been looking for them if you uh and then you can introduce yourself Carla Carla Shell, Office of General Counsel.

Okay, um and so uh so finally I told Warren I said well you know what um a very wise gentleman uh told me one time that it's not necessarily a bad thing to pin a rose on the lapel of somebody while they're still living and um and uh and I'll tell you an interesting story the the reason that uh the law says that you're um uh not supposed to to um uh name uh something after uh a building or or a park whatever after somebody while they're still alive uh well that was my dear old dad's ordinance that he introduced uh he was on the first consolidated council and um and they were taking up the problem of uh certain parks or buildings that had been named after uh some of the pre-consolidated city commissioners or city council members who were at that point uh occupying a seat in a prison or jail okay and I won't say who their names were because I don't think I need to do that but I could but I won't and so the temperature at the time was such that you know it it it was the right thing to do but that law has is stuck and is held on and um and it probably is a good law to keep on the books but I don't think there's anything wrong in occasionally waiv that um and at one point I was trying to to name uh the chambers after uh my dear friend uh Tommy Hazuri and and I won't go into what happened there but it it didn't work out like I had hoped it would but um but will Williams our um our dear friend in public works uh and I were talking and uh frankly I was uh in tears which I don't like people to see me in tears but I was telling him about what had happened and he said councilman there's never anything wrong with pinning a rose on the lapel of a good person while they're still living I'll never forget him telling me that so I don't know if y'all remember but when I gave him a uh a resolution honoring the work he did after all the trash problems we had uh I brought a rose and I pinned it on his lapel that night um so um I I I would like to pin a rose on Warren's lapel so I worked with uh uh Darrell Joseph I thought maybe Darrell would be here but he's not anybody here from the recreation department uh don't see anybody so I um uh worked with um with um darry joseph and every park I found was named after somebody you know so uh he mentioned um woodland acres park and so my way of thinking is woodland acres has been

Anybody here from the recreation department uh don't see anybody.

So I um uh worked with um with um Darryl Joseph, and every park I found was named after somebody, you know.

So uh he mentioned um Woodland Acres Park.

And so my way of thinking is Woodland Acres has been known as Woodland Academ Woodland Acres Park for so long, it it might be best to leave Woodland Acres still in the name, but perhaps to name it uh Warren Jones Woodland Acres Park or Woodland Acres Warren Jones Park, I'm not sure which would be best.

I would probably lean on Daryl uh Joseph for that.

But um, and of course I'll also learn a long time ago you'd never um attempt to pick out a name of of something unless you run it by the person in the family themselves.

So I uh called Warren and I pinned him down uh because I had another idea, which uh might be something we could also pursue uh at some point.

Uh but um and I gave him the choice between the two and uh and uh uh he he he said Woodland Acres, I guess, and Vanessa in the background said, Yes, Vanessa, yes, Woodland Acres Park.

So it's funny to listen to them play off each other.

Uh so that was my idea, but uh but I haven't said anything about it because I wanted to uh talk with you about that uh council member.

So I'm leaving it that so I've I've laid it out there and I'd like to hear what my colleagues have to say.

And then I'd like for Carla to uh or uh Miss Schill to explain you know what is entail in doing that.

Okay, well thank you um council member and past president Matt Carlucci um for hosting this meeting.

My I mean it obviously obviously um the honorable Warren Jones is worthy of having um any park or structure named after him because of the work he's done not only with city council but on the school board as well, and basically he's a a servant to the city.

Um my my first question is Woodland Acres, where is Woodland Acres located?

Because I I typically know the names of the parks that are in my district, and I don't think it's a district nine park.

Could be wrong, but I don't think it is.

So where is Woodland Acres located uh Corey see you can find exactly where that is.

I I hope I've I hope I've got Woodland Acres right.

Um I'm thinking Woodland Acres.

Oh no, no, well what are you thinking about you thinking of the thinking about Woodstock?

Because Woodstock is in district.

I think it's Woodstock Park.

I think it's Woodstock Park.

I I apologize it it it I it's been you know about a month and a half ago that I was talking to him about that, and the memory sometimes gets lapsed.

Yes, sir.

I understand.

Okay, so now that does make a little more.

Okay, thanks.

No, but I I keep saying woodland.

I I think it's woodland.

I'm gonna go with it.

Okay, so and I don't know um if we've have you done any research on Woodstock Park and the name of Woodstock, whether it has any historical significance, um Corey.

Uh Carla, I believe uh did some research on if it's a historical park, if it has to go through any of those um those outcomes, but I didn't do any research as far as the history of the park.

Um so no, this is the first time hearing of this request.

We had talked about an a different renaming request.

So no, this is all um brand new to me.

But um chapter 122 of our code does outline the process for renaming and it includes the requirement that the historic preservation section of the planning department produce a report within 30 days that addresses a number of things, including like the history of the naming, the history of the park, that kind of thing.

I think that Daryl Joseph uh verified that it could be uh named uh after Warren that that Woodstock was not a name of a person.

We we thought about Hammond Park, and then we found out that Hammond was a uh Joe Hammond who had been a commissioner for like 57 years or something, you know.

Uh so that ruled that one out.

Uh but uh anyway.

So um without having done the research, I just and not really thinking about this particular aspect uh or issue um uh ahead of time.

I do have a park in my district that is called West Side Park.

So and West Side Park, you know, it just indicates a section of town, not necessarily references a person.

So that might be a better fit for what it is that you want to do.

Um council member Jones, I'm sorry, council member, the honorable Warren Jones is familiar with that area, and I am actually in the process, and me being myself and the um Department of Parks and Rec, we're working on re renovating the uh West Jacks elementary school, which is off Commonwealth.

It is not in the neighborhood where um where uh Mr.

Jones lives, but it is adjacent to in the Robinson's addition neighborhood.

And so I think that that community would probably be very amenable to naming that park after um the honorable Warren Jones.

Okay.

The other reason once again is because it's necessarily it's not a name of a person, and it probably doesn't have a great deal of historical significance other than the fact that it's on the west side, and what was considered the west side at the time of Jacksonville's original boundaries or the county's original boundaries, because that's not really considered truly the west side anymore.

It's more is more urban inner city.

Okay.

Um the um well one reason I I'd go back to Woodstock just for a second, and maybe uh maybe what you could do is is uh uh chat with Daryl Joseph about it.

Uh Daryl said Woodstock had um some baseball fields over there, and so Warren is big into baseball.

Oh, absolutely.

Yeah, and I don't know if West Side Park, if it has baseball, that would be good.

But if it so that's Woodstock, it does.

Okay.

So I look, I've I'm I'm happy as long as this is a significant park that has uh active baseball in it.

Um, you know, but Warren Warren, you know, he put he he said he liked uh Woodstock, but I didn't say anything about the other park, and if you want to call him on that, uh you know, he I'm sure he would be happy to talk with you about it.

And so maybe we can make it a little more specific because if there is historic significance to Woodstock Park being the name of Woodstock Park, perhaps we can name the field after him because there is one at Woodstock Park.

Now, West Side Park, which is off of Line Street off of Commonwealth Avenue, it does not have a baseball field.

It doesn't.

Um, it has a field.

Um you may be thinking about, and I'm sorry, um, I want to say through the chair so bad um to Councilmember Gay.

So you may be thinking about um Westside neighborhood, I'm sorry, neighbor the Westside Athletic Association, which is off of Cassett.

Now they do have baseball fields, yes, but um this is a completely different area that we're talking about.

Um so maybe the field, and I don't know if it has to go through the same process as renaming a park.

We could name the the the baseball field.

Um yes, just in case, and this is just in case the there's historical significance to the park being named Woodstock Park.

Because I know just like you said, he loves baseball.

Baseball always comes up somehow in our conversation, so I I definitely agree with you with that.

Well, that's why I feel like we could still leave Woodstock in if there's historic significance to it, but I I I couldn't just do a ball field after Warren.

After 28 years, he's the longest serving city council member we have.

It's it's um and then twice city council president um and eight years uh on the school board chair.

Uh it's got to be a park.

And so I um so I I know Woodstock has been around, that name's been around a long time.

Uh Daryl uh felt that that was an appropriate park, and you can check into the historic part of it.

a ball field after war and after 28 years he's the longest serving city council member we have it's it's um and then twice city council president um and eight years uh on the school board chair uh it's got to be a park and so I um so I I know Woodstock has been around that name's been around a long time uh Daryl uh uh felt that that was an appropriate park and you can check into the historic part of it uh if if there I I think the biggest thing that I should have done and I I but I wanted to meet with you first is um is if there's a neighborhood organization over there uh community organization the whoever the community leadership is in that I think they need to be asked uh and consulted with first but um uh how long would it take to find out uh Carla Michelle um about uh a historical connection that might um make this problematic well the normal process is after you introduce a bill then planning department has 30 days to produce a report that analyzes all the things to the extent you want some preliminary information that would help you make it a decision you'd have to contact planning department directly and see if they could kind of provide you the specifics of what you need to inform um what direction you go okay okay um Mr.

Carridge yes sir thank you mr carly chreat you having this meeting um I I too as well have had many years of uh experience with Warren um and he was he he uh he's a reason Hammond Park's there he th uh through his tenure the there was just a big field and he had that part built uh I remember his his heavily involvement in baseball um with his sons uh always travel ball travel ball constantly playing uh so you know the I I just look at know for certain that the Hammond Park he was uh he got the funding for it he he had it built from nothing uh so I mean that that's kind of um if that was the number one place to rename that that would be would have been it Woodstock he was instrumental in in getting that park upgraded and I believe Lee Lee or was it Riverside plays baseball there as well uh so uh though those two he was heavily involved in uh getting those parts as well as many others but those he put a lot into them okay so that uh but and I believe there was another football track over there I don't know if we this the city still has that or not but he um I believe he he was instrumental in in getting that upgraded but he put a lot into the baseball fields okay good go ahead uh I was this okay um well um if you would like I can um I can um do a little research on um Woodstock the Woodstock name and I can talk with Daryl about it uh did we invite Daryl or did him and Jill uh ends and the parks department are both out of the office this entire week okay okay spring break okay um so um but I I can do some research on that and if you'd like we can have another meeting you know on it uh or I can um well I don't know how else I can um or if if I find that there's no historical problem and I just want to introduce the bill if if I if I have the um if I have the permission of you to do that then I'll have the liberty to do that then I will you the boss thank you um so I would just want to make sure to clarify so if Woodstock Park does not have any his the name does not have any historical significance then we want to you want to name or submit the legislation to we name Woodstock Park after the honorable Warren Jones.

Yes ma'am okay but but I might want to leave Woodstock in the name right just because I think it's it's been around so long people know where Woodstock Park is and then adding his name to it has a double benefit.

Right.

I agree okay yes all right so I'll do some research and then I'll um then I'll see where I go from there.

Okay.

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

And I'll make and and you'll be a co-introducer with me.

I will be a co-interpreting.

I'll be the co-interest.

No, sir.

No, sir.

I will follow greatness in this case.

And uh I will be well that's what I was doing.

I was following greatness.

Okay.

Well, thank you so much.

And if you'll stay for this too, real quick, uh, Councilman Member Gay.

Um and this is one where I really wish Daryl was here.

Uh oh, wait a minute, we got one more.

Um that we need to speak to.

We do have one more in District 9.

Um Matt, if you'd like to speak about Dr.

Gopel for a minute, he was a uh community leader who lived um in District 9 for 40 years.

Um and they came to Matt and were wondering if they could get a historic street designation for the block that they lived in.

Um it's the roughly 1100 block of Kingsbury Street between Ellis Road and Fountain Road.

Um there is uh no other designations on the street, and there are no affected property owners on that block.

Um but the uh the family did go to Matt and ask if uh we could work on that.

Dr.

Gopel's son is a doctor of mine in Dr.

Gopel's daughter, the son's sister lives across this the park from me, so they ganged up on me.

And um no, they didn't gang up on me.

They're just very and I knew Dr.

Gopel for for many many years.

He's very well loved and respected over there, and since nobody was affected by it, and I think some other blocks over there have been named after people.

I said I I gotta go to um to uh council member um uh Tyrona and uh see what she thinks.

So it you know, just want to see what you think.

Well, it seems as if the process will be easier for um uh Miss Um I'm gonna I can't think of her last name right now.

Okay, Shell.

Oh no, no, no, not me, not you.

No, I'm thinking about um Cherry Pollock.

It seems like the process will be easier for Ms.

Pollock because there are no affected property owners, so that seems simple enough, and I don't um we actually just had some legislation in regards to um someone purchasing property in that area, rezoning it, so I don't um I I don't have an issue with it.

I'm familiar with the area.

Okay, just like I said I was looking at it because there was a land using zoning bill last council meeting regarding um that area, so I I'm fine with it.

Thank you, thank you.

You're very sweet and kind.

I appreciate it.

Well, I wouldn't go to FY, but I'm I'm you've always been that way to me.

Maybe that's just because I'm a smart man and I know to say yes ma'am and no ma'am.

This is true, and and I once again you're my favorite council member, so I uh absolutely you could probably get away a lot more than the others can't.

My heart.

My heart.

All right.

It's a love fest going on upon the five years.

Yes, it is.

It's a rarity.

It's a rarity.

Okay, well, thank you so much.

Uh two for two, and then uh no pressure, Mike.

Um Councilmember Gay, I I'm not gonna try to change your feelings.

Yeah, my third request when you've been a councilman as long as I have, you know, that the last year you you you're you're you're naming things for people that you've known for a million years.

Uh this is for Bart Middlebrook, who recently passed away.

Um and this may be hard one for me.

Um Mark was uh very dear friend of mine, a very dear friend of a lot of people in Jacksonville.

Um Mark used to be a reporter with the uh Times Union many, many many years ago.

And um then he spent some time as a reporter, I think for uh WJXT Channel 4, and then from there he um uh John Delaney hired him in his administration, and uh and when the Better Jacks Plan came along, uh John started the um the Timaquan preservation um land acquisition program that literally bought like 50,000 acres of property.

Um the city didn't buy all 50,000 acres.

The city bought a whole bunch of acres, uh a lot of it which is in your district, which your district is is very proud of.

Um and uh but then the federal and the state uh they bought in and matched a lot of what the city had.

So there's a lot of land.

Now there's a there's a there's a section out there called I think Seven Creeks.

So I I was working with um uh Darrell Joseph on look we we've got to we've got to name s some preserve after uh Mark Middlebrook.

Um because literally, and if you talk to John Delaney, he'll tell you that that they've tried to name something after John and John said no, no, Mark Middlebrook, that's who you name it after.

Don't name anything after me.

We wouldn't have this if it wasn't for Mark Middlebrook.

I mean, if you listen to John Delaney, it it's he'll tell a magnificent story about Mark.

Um Daryl Joseph said naming like I think it's about 5600 acres of the um Cedar Point that's owned by the city, uh the Middlebrook Preserve uh would actually be a great fit because Mark loved that preserve.

Um and it would clear up the problem of people getting confused over which Cedar Point preserved that he might direct them to.

And um and um the last time I was with Mark, um he took me out to that particular preserve.

Uh we went to a lot of preserves that day, but that was the last one we we went to uh before we went to Palms Fish Camp and had some of their great seafood out there afterwards.

And um so uh so I uh I um uh ran this by of course the Middlebrook family.

Um and uh and I ran it actually by uh two of Mark's um uh closest friends, which John Delaney was one of Mark's closest friends, and also uh Mark Woods, who as you know is a great supporter of the of the uh national forest and and uh you know the Tim McQuan Preserve and he thought it was a terrific idea, so I then I called Gail Mark's wife and uh and and she and her three children, they they loved the idea, and so I said, well, I uh I've got some uh due diligence to do on it, so I don't want anybody to get your hopes up because if this doesn't work out, there'll be other things we could do as well.

And uh so uh thus you know asking you if you would uh attend the meeting.

I asked John Delaney if he would give you a call, and uh I think he left a voicemail with you, so I don't know if you had a chance to listen to that.

Yeah, but um so I will I wanted to ask if that was something you thought you could support or uh just wanted to hear what you had to say.

Yeah, I I think it's something that uh uh I I'm definitely open to it, and uh we we would probably want to have some community meetings out there to get some um dialogue with the the community and tell them some of them may and some may not know all the historical uh why why we have what we have.

So I think that would be advantageous.

We get we get the uh community engaged with it and and uh show it's you know like I say we this is the reason we have it, yeah, is because of these efforts.

And so and and taking to be able to distinguish between the two uh areas uh could be uh helpful.

So I think it you know, all the way around is uh it would be a win-win for the community for the family, and uh uh just for his legacy as well.

Okay.

So I'm happy to attend any of those uh uh meetings.

Um there's gonna be um a uh memorial service for him, I think on May the 8th, May the 8th.

Um I don't know if there's a way we can have um a meeting or two by then or not.

Um I'm gonna be out of town uh April 29th through the third.

be um um a uh memorial service for him i think on may the eighth may the eighth um and i don't know if there's a way we can have um a meeting or two by then or not um i'm gonna be out of town uh april twenty ninth through the third um uh but if if uh you know whenever you have a meeting and you and you can get that set up it'd be nice if I could uh I'll be at the service and I I'd love to be able to share that at the service if I could but um I you're busy I know that so uh well uh I don't know if we can um uh Bethany if we can get that included in our next uh town hall meeting that we're having that's why April's 7th April 9th um just to have it have it um uh up for just a community discussion okay uh so we we can try to it's uh uh a little bit challenged because the the people that are really gonna be uh engaged in that are out at the uh the Black Hammock Island area there so we'll let let us reach out to them and see if they are able to uh come we we just um that last month I believe we had the a town hall out there in their community okay uh the last one so this this one's we were having it at a different area that we we try to have them and so I'll try to see how we can get them engaged if not we may look at when their next uh community meeting is out there and we we can potentially uh um show up for that and make sure well um so what I might have to do is um if it's on April the ninth uh if it's evening I may have to send a rep out uh that is my big seven zero birthday and my wife has a uh dinner plan with my uh family and um what's left of them and uh and my um and uh and some friends and I don't think I can spoil that party that's understandable it's just another day and thank goodness I'm still here but I gotta be at it uh but I could I I'm sure that I I I could Mark had so many friends I could have somebody attended let us do some due diligence and then we'll we'll reach out and see what's gonna be the best best time and and just I guess Corey confirmed with Bethany on the times I'll send Corey I sent him out there to our guy to talk about the garbage fee and he did a great job and survived but I'm sure he can handle this one.

Yeah let's let's don't go out there and talk about the garbage fee but uh no that'd be great though I I think that's a good way to get by in and for people to to know and and for people to know the the the historical background of of how all that came to be so that'd be that'd be super good.

Thank you very much that's that's very fair.

Okay so uh everybody can stay or leave I I think is anybody here to for public comment or anything if not anybody else got anything they want to say we are adjourned.

Thank you all so much okay thank you Tyrona very dear um talk with the neighborhood association president was not another