Mayport terminal's opposition energized

Last modified 8/23/2008 - 6:44 am
Originally created 082308

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Specifics on the cruise-ship complex raise more concerns from Mayport residents.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

MAYPORT - As Jacksonville Port Authority officials unveil more details about a proposed cruise ship terminal, more opposition is voiced from residents, who said this week pollution from the ships will wreck the fishing village that was established in 1562.

JPA officials released new specifics for the first time Tuesday at a Mayport Waterfront Partnership meeting about the $60 million terminal. Those details include a five-story parking garage for 1,400 vehicles, a drop-off area for cruisers and a two-story terminal building that will service up to four cruise ships.

"We don't need to use our beaches as a toilet," said Dan Turner, a tugboat captain and fisherman who lives in the village. "Cruise ships are only getting bigger and bigger; more passengers and more garbage. It's like floating cities with nothing but garbage."

Turner was among about 60 people at Tuesday's meeting, most of whom voiced opposition.

Many said a terminal complex on 8 acres owned by the JPA on the waterfront would ruin the character of the village, which was established in 1562 and is home to shrimp boats and about 70 houses on 80 acres a mile west of the mouth of the St. Johns River. Turner and others said they worried about pollution from garbage and sewage discharge from the ships as well as air pollution from their smokestacks.

But Tony Orsini, director of cruise ship and ferry operations for the JPA, said international law prevents any dumping or discharges near the port.

"There have been cruise ships dumping offshore of Jacksonville for years," Orsini said. Fuel waste and solid waste is taken off ships and placed into tanker trucks and removed by licensed disposal companies.

The cruise ships that use the temporary terminal just west of the Dames Point bridge usually moor from 7 a.m., when they arrive, until their 4 p.m. departure, Orsini said.

Cruise ships run only one diesel engine while in port for the generator on the vessel, Orsini said. The exhaust discharge from that engine is run through a scrubber, similar to those in the smokestacks at the Jacksonville Electric Authority plant off Heckscher Drive.

The bridge prevents most cruise ships from porting in Jacksonville because about 80 percent of the vessels are taller than the bridge. That's why the JPA wants the Mayport site for cruise operations.

JPA officials said the economic impact of adding a cruise ship terminal to Mayport should also be considered: "The direct payroll and the direct money spent for one ship amounts to about $15 million a year for the local economy."

The details of the parking garage also surprised some people at the meeting. Ben Tucker, a member of the Waterfront Partnership board, said five stories holding 1,400 vehicles seems larger than anyone expected and he wondered if it would fall within the Jacksonville City Council's 50-foot building height limit for Mayport.

David Kaufman, JPA senior director of planning, said the parking garage is still conceptual but they planned to keep the structure under 50 feet. The JPA would also add commercial retail stores on the first floor of the garage, as stipulated by the height limit approved in 2006.

Residents also worried Tuesday the 8 acres wouldn't be big enough for a terminal that involves so many buildings. Mark Williams said he's worried the JPA will use eminent domain to seize land from people who own property just to the east of the waterfront where the terminal is proposed.

"We're not going to eminent domain," said JPA Executive Director Rick Ferrin.

Kaufman acknowledged original concepts called for a larger area of operations for the terminal. But after further study, not as much land is needed as originally thought.

"The plans changed over time as we became more knowledgeable about the cruise industry and more knowledgeable where we think our place is in the cruise market in terms of capacity," Kaufman said.

JPA officials at the meeting said the plans under review need to go to a series of public meetings before the JPA board even votes on the proposal.

The JPA also needs to complete a zoning designation change for its 1,000 feet of waterfront property. Kaufman said they'll be seeking a change from the current zoning of commercial to planned unit development, which the Jacksonville City Council will ultimately have to approve.

The JPA will also begin demolishing buildings on the property, which used to be Mat Roland seafood operations.

Ferrin said a key element to moving forward with the plans would also have to include a commitment from cruise ship companies. They have no commitment yet, he said.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.