AmSouth Bank expands to Riverside

AmSouth Bank plans to open 54 new branch offices this year and one of them will be in right here in Five Points. The two-story brick house at the corner of Margaret and Herschel Streets should be open for business this July.

The new branch will also retain its historical look. The all-brick building will remain virtually intact externally. The biggest change will be the addition of a drive through that will run behind the building. Franz said AmSouth understands the parking issues in Riverside, but assures that there will be enough parking for employees and customers.

Franz said local AmSouth President Marty Lanahan is big on historical preservation and has every intention to keeping the building’s look, which is not that of a typical bank. The downtown AmSouth branch is at the corner of Laura and Bay and is also in a non-traditional bank building.

Read the whole Daily Record article.

ShAdCo Meeting Tuesday, February 28

Guest speaker, Lt. Wall will deliver a presentation on Sexual Predators and Offenders in Our Area. Lt. Wall is the Zone 4 Watch Commander of which we are a part. He will be taking questions following his presentation.

These meetings are important as crime impacts all of our lives. Making your community safe begins with you. Your participation is essential for success. These meetings are a great place to present any questions to the Watch Commander, sergeants or officers that patrol your area. They are always helpful and are interested in hearing your concerns. If you have a question or concern of a sensitive nature, you are asked to wait to speak to one of the officers after the meeting is adjourned.

The Sheriff's Advisory Councils (ShAdCo) were established to assist the JSO accomplish its mission. ShAdCo members are a notable example of police-citizen partnerships. They provide feedback on law enforcement issues. They report suspected criminal activity and traffic problems in their sector.

The Sector “J” Zone 4 ShAdCo meets on the last Tuesday of every month at the Cedar Hills Shopping Center. The address is 3726 Blanding Blvd. The meetings start promptly at 7:00 pm and last one hour.

Call the Zone 4 Substation at 573-3165 if you have any questions.

The Annual RAP Home Tour is Coming in April

Your opportunity to enter and explore a collection of Riverside and Avondale homes will occur April 29 & 30, 2006, during the annual RAP Home Tour. You'll see a wide variety of architectural styles and degrees of renovation and restoration; you'll enjoy seeing how different homeowners solved problems, appreciate their creativity, and be inspired by the results of their efforts.

Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 2006.

Tickets are $15.00; $13.00 for RAP members, and can be bought at any of the tour homes or at the RAP Headquarters on Herschel Street.

More info will be posted soon including a list of the addresses of the homes.

Tree Problems in Riverside Avondale

The remarkable and wonderful tree canopy in our neighborhood is in trouble. A substantial portion of the canopy is contributed by the water and laurel oak species and that's the problem. Water and laurel oak (the oaks with the straight trunks) have a very short live span of only 60-70 years versus the live oak which can live over 1,000 years! Most of the RAP area water and laural oaks were planted just after world war two and that means we will be losing most of them during the next ten years.

With the lost of most of our water and laurel oaks combined with other tree canopy losses due to disease, lightening strikes, construction removal, etc., we could lose as much as 25-30% of our tree canopy by 2015. That would reduce property values, change the feel of the neighborhood, and reduce the quality of life. Therefore, we must act now to prevent this loss.

What can you do? Plant live oaks wherever you have a suitable location on your property. Plant the largest you can afford. 3-gallon size costs only $16, whereas a 30-gallon size tree costs $299, but is much larger. You might also wish to make a commerative event out of your planting with a famous and/or historic tree available from the Famous and Historic Tree Nursery at a cost of $39.50 plus shipping. A certificate of origin comes with each tree--perfect to plant in honor of a child or grandchild.

RAP is doing its part (see the blog post about the Historic Tree Grove) by working with the city, JEA, Greenscape, and area citizens to get trees planted in parks and public right-of-way.

Donations are needed to cover some of the costs (tree wraps, stakes, tie-downs, mulch, watering, etc) and you can help by sending your check payable to Riverside Avondale Preservation Inc. This is a charitable deduction.

For information, contact RAP Reforestation Chairman Doug Coleman at 388-0193.

RAP Historic Tree Grove ceremony

On Wed, Feb 22, at 10:00am, at Boone Park (east of the tennis courts), four historic trees will be planted and dedicated as the Riverside Avondale Preservation Historic Tree Grove. You are invited to attend.

The trees are grown from famous and historic trees and have been given to RAP by the Famous and Historic Trees Nursery. The trees to be planted are:

Mt Vernon red maple, from George Washington's home (it's his birthday on Feb 22!)
Ray Charles live oak, from the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St Augustine.
Andrew Jackson southern magnolia, from the White House in Washington, DC.
Harriett Beecher Stowe live oak, from her family home in Mandarin.

District Councilman Michael Corrigan and the new Director of Jacksonville's Parks and Recreation Department, John Culbreth, will be present.

RAP wishes to thank the Famous and Historic Trees Nursery, the Jacksonville Parks Department, and the "Friends of Boone Park", led by Doris Keith and Richard Skinnger, for their help in making this event happen.

For info call Doug Coleman, reforestation chairman, at 388-0193.

The Annual Meeting

The annual meeting is confirmed for Tuesday, February 28, at 6:30pm in the sanctuary at Riverside Baptist Church located at the corner of Park and King.

Jim Overton will speak about the tax incentives and economic value of preservation. A new board will be elected by the attendees at the meeting. We will have our annual awards--please provide me with suggestions per the list of past categories that was emailed to you about 2 weeks ago. We will serve simple refreshments at the end of the meeting. There will be an article about the meeting in the RAP newspaper and invitations will be sent to all paying RAP members.

The Home Tour

This week we lost 2 promised home tour locations. If you ever thought of having your home showcased and didn't know how to do it, now is the time. Or if you know someone who might be interested please encourage them to call as soon as possible.

Contact Bonnie at the RAP House. 904-389-2449.

Welcome

Thank you for joining me in the launch of RAP’s blog. It was established as a means for people living and working in the district to share information and to keep up with the latest happenings the Riverside Avondale historic district. Tell all your friends and family...this is the place to be!
Why here, you say? Well, first of all, you can expect notices of the latest news and information, useful links and articles, and other pieces of information to be posted here on a regular basis...

The Riverside Avondale Preservation blog is not just a place to post interesting tidbits of information, however. We encourage everyone to participate in the discussion by responding to, questioning, or otherwise commenting on thing that you find relevant about living and working here. Whether you agree with an issue or not, I encourage you to let your voice be heard. The discussions will be loosely moderated and everything must be in good taste (no foul or abusive language), but you are otherwise free to express your opinion, whatever it might be.

We do hope that this will be a place where quick response to issues can be found. We are currently working on a redesign of the RAP website where you should be able to find more news and resources.

This is a new venture and as such, there will no doubtedly be tweaks and turns as this site evolve. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or to ask for help. And most of all let your voice be heard.