Article Text:
A group that's revitalizing
Mayport has hired an architect to begin designing a maritime museum with the $50,000
it received from two Jacksonville councilmen.
The
Mayport Waterfront Partnership voted unanimously Tuesday to spend part of the contribution on a design concept
for the museum, which will display the history of the fishing
village and feature artifacts the Jacksonville Maritime
Museum has in storage.
The agency expects to spend up to $400,000 to restore the empty building at 4453 Ocean St. that was a maintenance building
for the St. Johns River Ferry. The 4,000-square-foot clapboard house was built in 1921 and has a leaky roof, no air-conditioning
and is not accessible to handicapped people.
Jacksonville City Councilmen Dick Brown and Max Leggett contributed equally to the project from their share of the
River City Renaissance program. Both had promised the money months ago and are leaving office in a few weeks because of term
limits.
The
Mayport Waterfront Partnership is waiting for Mayor John Delaney to sign a 15-year lease agreement under
which the agency would pay $1 a year for the space.
Meanwhile, the partnership is crafting a
Mayport revitalization master plan that will, among other things, call
for pedestrian walkways, burying utilities and installing antique-style light posts. The plan will include zoning provisions
to govern land use and restrict building height and appearance to preserve the atmosphere of the community.
"We're trying to keep the
village feeling," said Edward Lukacovic, Jacksonville's project manager for the
Mayport
renewal.
The agency also has received a $9,600 state grant to help fund a study on historic buildings in
Mayport. Once
it develops its master plan and museum design, the agency will apply for a $250,000 matching grant from the state.
