Q & A with Jacksonville City Council Member Michael Boylan, District 6

Q: Do you have an update on the Town Hall meeting you hosted in early January?
A: First, I want to thank everyone who participated. The attendance, in person and via Zoom, demonstrated the community’s active interest and that is much appreciated. 

As might be expected, the lion’s share of our conversation was all about the current solid waste management situation and where it’s going (led by the city’s Chief Administrative Officer Brian Hughes). I wish I could tell you that there’s an end in sight with respect to the current recycling situation, but in a subsequent meeting after the Town Hall, I learned that the crux of the issue is the fact that between the three commercial haulers the city has under contract, they are short roughly 50 qualified drivers — and that’s in spite of offering significant signing and retention bonuses. 

We then heard from Public Works regarding the many pending Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects for our area, two JSO lieutenants discussed traffic and nuisance issues (panhandling and vagrancy incidents), and finally we learned a little bit about the proposed interactive art projects for Losco and Chuck and Corky Rogers parks. 

Q: Do you have any additional Town Halls scheduled?
A: The next Town Hall meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on April 13 at the Mandarin Senior Center, 3848 Hartley Road.

Q: What else can you tell us about the curbside recycling drop off sites?
A: Waste Management is now collecting at each site twice a day and city crews are visiting each site twice a day to clean up the overflow. Two important points to note: despite the posting on the dumpsters, glass is permitted. Also, if a given dumpster is “contaminated” with either bulk waste items or a significant number of filled plastic bags, the entire contents of that dumpster will go to the landfill. So please be diligent in putting only appropriate recyclable materials in the dumpsters. 

Q: What is the latest on the Cissell property on Loretto Road near Kennedy?

A: The applicant hosted a community meeting on Jan. 3 and as of the date of this interview [Jan. 18], they haven’t submitted an application to the Planning Department and Planning Commission prior to it going to LUZ. There will be time for additional public comments at the Planning Commission meeting. There was some concern at the community meeting because some modifications were presented that were different from those presented two years prior. Neighbors also continue to have concerns regarding the traffic issue.

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.