Q: Do you have any community meetings planned?
A: Yes, we have two during July. On Wednesday, July 7 at 7 p.m. at the Mandarin Community Club, I am hosting a community conversation regarding improvements to Alberts Field and the Brady Road intersection. On Thursday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the Mandarin Senior Center, I will host one of our quarterly Town Hall meetings with various City of Jacksonville department representatives. We will discuss Mandarin issues in particular and answer questions from attendees.
Q: Do you have an update on the solid waste transfer station that we discussed last month?
A: This issue is still in abeyance and won’t be taken up by the LUZ (Land Use and Zoning Committee) until probably mid to late July. There has been a lot of attention to this matter, especially by residents of the Greenland Chase neighborhood, who have been a significant presence at our recent city council meetings. As background, our solid waste pickup provider, Waste Pro, has proposed a solid waste transfer station on Columbia Park Court in the industrial park that backs up to the Greenland Chase neighborhood. This would reduce the travel distance for trucks picking up waste in Mandarin from 41.7 miles to 7.4 miles and hopefully provide for more efficiency. My understanding is that Councilman Danny Becton and the Waste Pro team will be holding a community meeting to address resident concerns. I will say I was disappointed initially in the communication by Waste Pro as to exactly what they are doing and what safeguards they are taking to protect citizens.
In early June, Waste Pro did make a concerted effort to play catch up on their solid waste pickups. There were no fewer than 35 trucks on a single Saturday in Mandarin, including independent haulers and Waste Pro trucks from other cities, all picking up solid waste. This helped a lot and we are getting closer to getting back to normal. Please email me if you still have issues in your neighborhood.
Q: Can you give us an update on your new committee assignments on the city council in light of the annual leadership change?
A: For the next year, I will be serving as the Floor Leader for the Jacksonville City Council. This position is responsible for setting the tempo for the meeting and for making sure the meeting runs smoothly and efficiently. I will be a member of and still have a voice for Mandarin on the LUZ Committee, although not as chair this year. I will also serve on the Finance Committee in addition to serving as the council liaison to the JEA. We go on hiatus the first two weeks of July and committee meetings start back up the week of July 19.
Q: What is the best way for our readers to contact you?
A: Community members can email me at MBoylan@coj.net or call (904) 255-5206.
