"SPAR SPEAK" the Weekly Update
Your contributions can help Springfield! This is the time of year when the local United Way campaigns take place. You may select all or a percentage of your contributions go to the United Way pre-determined programs, or you can select other non-profit organizations such as SPAR. All you need to do is provide our name, street address (1321 N. Main St. 32206) and contact person (Brenda Boydston), and the contributions will be routed to SPAR. We are very thankful for those who have already directed their donations to SPAR.
A Retirement Reception to Honor Louise DeSpain
for her service to SPAR and to the Springfield community will be held on
Monday, March 15th at Three Layers Event Room, from 5:30-7:30PM.
Please bring a photo of yourself with Louise, or a photo of a special place, event or person/group of people in Springfield that you think Louise would enjoy. An album will be put together for her to have as a reminder of our wonderful little corner of the world. Photos may also be sent to the SPAR office.
Please come and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and a time of sharing with Louise. The restaurant will be open should you wish to purchase additional food and drink. Donations may be made at the door for the reception expenses and for a gift for Louise.
The Springfield Roundtable meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, at 10:30am. at the SPAR office. This is three weeks early so that we can have one last Roundtable Meeting with Louise before she retires. We will have a special time to honor Louise after the meeting. Please plan to stay as long as your schedule will allow and tell her good bye while you enjoy some light refreshments.
The SPAR Annual Home and Garden Tour will be held on Mother's Day weekend, May 7th 8th and 9th. Put it on your calendar now, and plan to attend this exciting event. Volunteers are needed to help with all sorts of jobs, so if you would like to be a "working" part of this event, please come and join us at the SPAR building each Wednesday at 7:00pm! Also, if you have thought that you might like to have your own house or gardens on the tour, please contact Chris at 355-1626 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For recommendations of gardens, please contact Amanda at 710-5702 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you are recommending a house with a beautiful garden, please contact Chris. We always look for special qualities in a house or garden, as well as variety, and this year we are looking specifically for homes and gardens in the southwest quadrant.
SPAR is seeking nominations for the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission's Annual Preservation Awards. Award categories: Heritage Education/Publication/Film; Residential Rehabilitation; Commercial or Institutional Rehabilitation; Architecturally Compatible New Construction; Preservation Project or Service - Individual; The Great Save Award; Overall Preservation Service.
Each Nomination must be for a Historic Springfield project/individual and must include:
1) A description, between 50 and 500 words, explaining the project, service or individual being nominated: The statement should clearly identify the purpose and scope of work, unusual challenges or innovative approaches, sensitive treatment of historic fabric, long-term impact and any other information that supports the nomination as being exceptional.
2) A minimum of five photographs or quality digital photographs in .jpg format, on a CD ROM or flash drive highlighting the project, organization or individual: For rehabilitation projects, before and after pictures are preferred. These items will be retained, so make necessary copies prior to submittal.
3) Submit to the SPAR office by 3:00pm, Thursday, March 26 at 3:00.
Congratulations to Island Tropics Restaurant for their perfect restaurant inspection! They were inspected on February 16, 2010 and had no violations. Great job, Island Tropics!
New discounts for SPAR members: 1) Island Tropics Restaurant is offering SPAR members a Buy One Meal, Get One ½ off, or 10% on a single meal discount. Island Tropics is located at 2527 N. Main St., and their phone number is 355-9050. Just show your SPAR membership card to get your SPAR benefits at this and other locations listed on your membership letter. 2) e2ride bike tours (read as Ready to Ride) has provided a limited number of 20% discount cards for SPAR members. They provide historical bike tours of the Beaches, Riverside/Avondale, San Marco and Olde Mandarin. Bicycles, gear and a guide are provided. Visit their web site at e2ride.com or call them at 945-1571. You may pick up your discount card at the SPAR office. This discount expires 4/30/10.
Many of you have registered complaints, or have had questions relating to the overpopulation of ducks, geese, and chickens in Confederate Park. The City of Jacksonville has heard you and has been looking for solutions. The remediation (capturing and relocating) of the fowl will begin sometime soon. If you have questions, you may call the SPAR Office 353-7727, and we will try to get answers for you.
Submitted by Mark Fresonke--Springfield Charter School Update 3/11/2010
The first informational meeting on a Charter School for Springfield will be held Sunday March 21st, 2010 from 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the Woman’s Club. (Children are encouraged to come to this event as we are lining up childcare to watch the children during the meeting.)
The mission of the school will be to provide quality education (likely K-8) to the children of historic Springfield and surrounding neighborhoods. We cannot do it alone and are soliciting the help of the neighborhood to rally around this effort. We need volunteers and people to join the core founding group. We are looking for parents, teachers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, accountants, and key community members. In addition, visionaries and business people with personnel, management, and marketing experience are needed. We need people with strong organizational skills, potential charter school parents, and others. Basically we need everyone in this community! Come and join us.
Charter Schools are part of the state’s program of public education and must meet high standards of student achievement, promote enhanced academic success and financial efficiency by aligning responsibility with accountability. As part of the Duval County Public school system, the charter school cannot charge tuition or registration fees and operates under a contract with the school board. Charter schools are encouraged to use innovative learning methods to improve student learning and academic achievement. This in turn would provide rigorous competition within the public school district to stimulate continual improvement in all public schools. For more information on charter schools please check out the following links prior to the meeting on 3/21/2010:
http://www.duvalchoice.com/charter.html
http://www.floridacharters.org/public/AboutCharterSchools/main_aboutcharterschools.asp
http://www.uscharterschools.org/pub/uscs_docs/o/index.htm
Please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to participate in this effort.
Submitted by The Hester Group—Jacksonville has been selected by the Environmental Protection Agency as a recipient of the Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI). Recruitment for this three-week training program will launch on March 16th, 2010. Because there is an immediate need to hire heavy equipment operators, dump truck operators, and ground crew environmental technicians, we are beginning recruitment and screening for the program immediately. Please forward this information to anyone interested in participating in SuperJTI. Mandatory information sessions for potential participants will be held March 16th & March 17th at the Beaver Street Enterprise Center. Attendees are required to register for the information sessions online at www.jaxsuperjti.com, or call 448-3492.
Thanks for filling the Paper Retriever bin with all sorts of newspapers, magazines, school and office papers, and junk mail. It’s a great way to keep the clutter out of your home, and support Springfield programs and the environment at the same time! The bin is set well back from the road in the large, open field beside the Jacksonville Printing shop at 1326 N Main. It is across the street from the SPAR building on the west side of Main St. Thank you so much for supporting your community by bringing your paper to this location.
SAMBA Meeting, Thursday, March 11, 2010, 6:00PM at City Kidz (1303 N. Main St.) - Mr. Brent Staton, Chairman of the Metro North CDC and owner of Old Time Hardware, will speak on the topic of “How to Improve Springfield Business.”
Symposium and Tour to Honor Modern Architects and Architecture – This event will be held at the Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ (2591 W. Beaver St.) on March 13, 2010. A morning session with presentations by important figures from North Florida’s architectural history and others will begin at 9:00 a.m. The lead presenter will be one of Jacksonville’s best known architects, Robert C. Broward. An optional afternoon bus tour will visit five of Mr. Broward’s most important buildings. The tour, including lunch by the Ladies of the Church, will be offered at $60. The morning presentations will cost $5. All attendees will receive a full-color brochure and driving map of all Mr. Broward’s buildings in Jacksonville. All attendees will also have the opportunity to join the speakers for lunch after the morning presentations. For those not going on the afternoon tour, lunch will be available for an additional $10. For information, contact Lane Manis at 389-8421 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
St. John’s Cathedral is hosting a Silent & Live Art Auction and Music Soiree Saturday, March 20th, 2010 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in Taliaferro Hall, St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 256 East Church St. The event will be filled with art from some of the great works by local and nationally known artists including some incredible, undiscovered talent. Hors d’oeuvres, libations and great music will also be provided for a fun-filled evening. Admission is $20 at the door, or advance tickets for $15 can be purchased through the Cathedral Office by calling 356-5507.
Resolution 2010-167: A resolution concerning the appeal of a final order issued by the planning commission regarding zoning exception E-09-54 to 1424 Main Street, LLC, regarding a car washer on property located at 25 W. 4th St. and a portion of 1424 Main St.; adopting recommended findings and conclusions of the land use and zoning committee. A public hearing concerning this legislation had been scheduled for Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1st Floor of City Hall, 117 W. Duval St. Please note that appeals are typically taken up at the end of the Land Use and Zoning Committee Meeting. All persons wishing to speak to this legislation should appear at the meeting.
The SPAR Block Captains will launch a series of monthly clean-ups to take place the day after each First Friday. The first “The Morning After Clean-Up” will be on Saturday, April 3rd. The clean-ups will start at 9AM with lunch following. We will always meet in the Wachovia/Post Office parking lot.
The Springfield Book Club is starting their new reading season with the book “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. From Publishers Weekly: What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and is anxious to become a writer. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies but mistrusts, enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams.
The book club meets every 6 weeks in Springfield and is open to anyone who enjoys reading and the camaraderie associated with a good book. We will be discussing “The Help” on April 3rd. For more information, please contact Shannon Palmer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Mark your calendars for the April SPAR General Meeting (Thursday, April 15th, 7:00pm). SPAR will be hosting Mayoral candidates so that everyone will have an opportunity to meet them and ask the questions that are important to you.
The SPAR Office is open Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Please contact us (phone 353-7727 or visit us at 1321 N. Main St.) with any questions or needs where we may be able to offer assistance. We are always happy to serve the community!
Thank you for your support,
SPAR Office
