Hemming Park’s funding crisis to get $100K reprieve from Jax Council

[photo: Hemming Park Facebook Page]

The discussions on Jacksonville City Council funding a new stage in Hemming Park, while Friends of Hemming Park ran off of sponsorship money from that stage, seemed esoteric in council committees.

However, on Monday, clarity was provided by Chris Hong in the Florida Times-Union: “The organization in charge of downtown’s Hemming Park made a revelation on Monday: It needs $250,000 from City Hall this week or it will be forced to shut down.”

Hong notes that Friends of Hemming Park have “burned through reserves” and have enough capital for a couple more weeks. But there’s hope: “Councilman Bill Gulliford, who earlier this year introduced the legislation to approve the $250,000 payment, said he supports giving the money to Friends of Hemming Park to continue operating. He says he’s planning to discuss a solution with colleagues in a meeting prior the full council’s meeting on Tuesday.”

And in that meeting is where we pick up the saga of Hemming Park and its perilous financial position … which will be helped, however briefly, by an infusion of cash Tuesday evening at Council.

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In the meeting Tuesday, Lori Boyer noted that Community First wanted a “five year deal or no deal” on the naming rights, creating a sticking point relative to the version of the bill that got through Finance.

Boyer wanted to know the “barebones operating budget to get through this year,” in light of that info, from Friends of Hemming Park.

The need from FOHP: roughly $52,000 per month, said Vince Cavin of the group.

Their yearly operating budget, give or take, is $773,000, including administration, management, and so on.

$209,000, said Cavin, would get FOHP through the fiscal year without capital outlay. Or new office supplies. Or “regular enhancements” to the landscaping.

The city has given FOHP $100,000 this year, with $330,000 of a previous $900,000 disbursement carried over.

Thus, FOHP has had $430,000 this fiscal year, with an additional need for $209,000, Cavin said.

Cavin said the group will do more fundraising through the end of the year. $83,000 has been raised, and the plan is to raise $250,000 from Community First, and another $50,000 from events.

“I’ve heard some consternation,” Boyer said, “that we’ll even have the $500,000 to give you, never mind $774,000,” which the park would need for a full year.

Councilman Gulliford pressed for specific accounting of the use of money from FOHP, a sticking point between council and the non-profit.

“It’s pretty clear where we are with options available to us. We can re-refer it,” but money is a finite resource, said Gulliford.

Gulliford specifically wants a separation between operating capital and capital improvements.

A $100,000 grant from Southwest Airlines may go into capital improvement; specifically, installation of the Black Sheep restaurant kiosk.

“They want to contribute to place making,” Cavin said.

Boyer, however, is “not comfortable” with $250,000 for four months of operating costs.

Cavin noted that FOHP drew down into its reserves already for the Black Sheep kiosk, making the need for operating capital more pressing.

“They do want to see the Black Sheep kiosk in the park,” Cavin said of Southwest.

John Crescimbeni noted that if material conditions don’t change this summer, the process could repeat.

“I thought we had a permanent solution a couple of years ago,” Crescimbeni said, noting the city could manage the park.

Mike Weinstein, CFO of the city, noted that “if the amendment is to carry them through the rest of the year, that’s OK, but we’ll be at the end of the year in September with no money to go on.”

Part of the ask for FOHP: reimbursement of “a little over $25,000” into their reserves, money that will also be needed to finish the project.

Cavin noted that some money will come in from events, helping to defray the need to some degree.

Council members struggled with the opaque accounting presented by Cavin, who insisted on “the full 250.”

Boyer noted that “if next year, we can’t support you at $773K plus capital,” then the need is to know what they will need for operations, including landscape maintenance.

“We’ve got to look at how we fund this park … every other park in the city … and the Downtown Investment Authority.”

Council President Greg Anderson fretted about a “hard stop” being imminent.

Crescimbeni, meanwhile, said the numbers “don’t make sense.”

“We thought when we did the original request of $250 … that it would be an easy thing to do,” Cavin said, adding that the request was framed as stage construction “because it would be an easy thing to do.”

“We never thought, fifteen weeks later, that we’d be discussing the situation as it is.”

Cavin said the group has one week of funding left.

“The choices are,” said Boyer, “amending the bill to have $50,000 added to contingency” for a short-term fix.

FOHP have $10,000 of payables due, and $17,000 in cash reserves, said Cavin.

$50,000 would give the group a month of breathing room.

The proposed fix from Boyer: a $75,000 appropriation from contingency, to get the group through six weeks.

Matt Schellenberg noted that claims that they have two weeks of money weren’t voiced in committee, and is “dumbfounded they weren’t up front about it.”

Schellenberg, a critic of Hemming, questioned Cavin and FOHP’s veracity.

Boyer then proposed a $100,000 cash infusion, to give them more breathing room ahead of a Council week-long break in July.

The mayor’s budget proposal will surface on July 18, providing more long-term clarity.

“There is a lot of mixing,” Gulliford said, of capital, operational, and other accounts.

“They’ve struck a deal on a kiosk that we didn’t have input on, and we probably should have,” Gulliford said.

As well, Gulliford added that “programming should stand on its own.”

“I applaud them to be able to attract a Southwest grant for $100,000,” Gulliford continued, but more specifics are needed in where the money goes.

Despite Council wanting capital to be separated, FOHP hasn’t delivered as of yet.

The next big events for the park: August and September, which will be too late to help with the current crisis.

Boyer sought specific itemization of the $100,000 allocation from Cavin, which sounded like an H&R Block rep walking someone through a tax return.

Programming support, which Boyer questioned, Cavin said was needed.

“If you’ve got the money from yourself for the future, that’s great,” Boyer said.

The implication though: the future is more month to month than year to year.

The amendment appropriating the $100,000 will be itemized according to category and purpose ahead of Tuesday’s Council meeting.

This money would, said Cavin and Wayne Wood, get the group through to August 9.

Then Cavin switched up.

“I think there needs to be more. I think there needs to be 120, 125.”

As Cavin bickered with Council members, Schellenberg stood up and left the room, waving his hand and saying this was “unbelievable.”

Believable or not, this will be on Council’s agenda Tuesday evening.

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Will Friends of Hemming Park be restructured? Will the hand to mouth existence of the group become more stable?

No telling at this point.

All we know is the present tense.

And, barring a revolt by the full council Tuesday evening, the group will get through early August with an extra $100K.

“Some of the money you’re appropriating now,” said Wood, “we’ve been waiting on for fifteen weeks … making up for money we didn’t spend.”

“We’re trying hard to do something great for the city,” Wood added, saying that security and other things may have to be cut to accommodate the budget.