Jacksonville's Westside Information Blog » Jax Westside Schools

Cecil Commerce Center

jaxwestsideinfo — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:27:48 +0000

We spent the morning riding through the Cecil Commerce Center area just to see what is there now. The south area of the complex still houses an Army Detachment, Homeland Security, US Coast Guard, various businesses related to aviation life Northrup Grumman as well as Florida State College of Jacksonville buildings for Aviation and Aerospace training and truck driver training. There are still some Army houses occupied by Army families (I am assuming as they are behind secured gates). There are a couple of parks, lakes and fitness center that is maintained by the city Parks and Recreations Department. The little post office is very cute. Surprisingly, for such a huge base there is not that much there. There is some of the original buildings that are yet to be occupied and there is not that much new building going on yet.

On the Northside of Normandy Boulevard there is the main FSCJ Cecil Campus, the Bridgestone Plant and a couple of more companies and lots of empty land. There are a couple of signs throughout that say there are between 5 to 5000 acre tracts available for sale for commercial building. On northside there is the Cecil Commerce Aquatic Center with a baseball field and nature trail. Across from that is the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. That is a very nice facility with a large indoor arena, barns, and camping facilities that include water, electric and septic disposal. All in all it was a pretty nice ride through the area and there are some nice pictures in our gallery below.

The Center has signs all over the place saying that it is “America’s Logistics Center” and it is supposed to be a future spaceport. Now we didn’t see any evidence of that but there is lots of room their to grow. State Road 23 even has a sign that states it will be a “Toll Road” in the future. But for that to happen they will need to build some overpasses.

Equestrian Center Events

FSCJ Aerospace Program

FSCJ Cecil Center

Cecil Campus Map

cecilcommercecenter

Find Out Whats In Your Neighborhood

jaxwestsideinfo — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:34:07 +0000

The City of Jacksonville has a great resource for residents on their web called JAXGis which is the Jacksonville Geographic Information Service maps. They include information based on a specific address about Flood zones, local schools, parks and much more. I put in our address and got a listing of which schools my children will be assigned to, what parks are nearby, what nursing homes, library branch, who the city council person was, US Congressman, Senators and much, much more. It also tells you whether or not your home is in a flood zone. That information is very important especially when you need to get housing or renters insurance. The city along with the Fire and Rescue Division has a static map you can print out that list the Hurricane zones for all areas of Jacksonville. I know that map is available in the hurricane literature but it is nice to know where to get it if you don’t already have one of those brochures or just want to look at one. Go to the http://www.coj.net/Departments/Fire+and+Rescue/Emergency+Preparedness/Preparedness/Evacuation+Zones+Map.htm and save it to your bookmarks or favorites to have instant access whenever you need it.

There are several other websites you might want to bookmark and visit periodically and they are the Jacksonville’s City Website, the Local Television Station Channel 4 and of course the FEMA government website. Each of these has a wealth of FREE Information for those who are willing to go there and read about it!

New Year Turning Over A New Leaf

jaxwestsideinfo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 21:09:06 +0000

Jacksonville Florida’s Westside Residents know that the old year was pretty bad but are hoping that the New Year will bring new opportunities. There is a lot of construction going on along I-10 as well as the Cecil Field Area which is supposed to bring new jobs. Most of the people who live or have lived on the “Wild Westside” are looking to get jobs nearer to their homes. I noticed the other day while traveling on I-295 during rush hour that there are lots of people going from the Westside to the Southside to work. Never mind the fact that the commute is a “killer” with that many people going in the same direction at the same time but it is bad for the environment, bad for your nerves and costly as well. Now there is supposed to be the Cecil Spaceport. There is an unofficial website that has been set-up at: http://cecilspaceport.com/index.html but there is nothing on it yet. You might want to bookmark it though and check periodically to see if and when jobs will be opening up. FCCJ also has a campus in the Cecil Commerce Area that specializes in Aeronautical training. Getting into FCCJ is fairly easy for those who have graduated from a Duval County School and live here than any of the other schools. Going to school on the Westside will be more convenient for residents in the area, save time, save money and save the environment as well. Now that FCCJ is a 4 year institute you may even be able to get your Bachelor’s degree there as well. The future really should be about learning about space, being able to fly a space type vehicle as well as being able to build and maintain one.

Another website you might want to add to your favorites is: http://www.cecilfieldspaceport.com/ This website has been up and running for a while now and seems to have more information about the upcoming Spaceport that has been approved by NASA. So, now is the time to get training and an education in this exciting new field. Don’t let them bring in outsiders to take jobs away from us. You want to get a job that is close to home to save money, to save the environment and to give yourself and your family a good future!

You Should Be A Scout

jaxwestsideinfo — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:55:44 +0000

For those who have children or would like to volunteer to help children you should look into the Boy and Girl Scouts of America organization. This is a great way for your children to learn about our environment, volunteerism and to have fun while doing. The Boys and Girls Councils of North Florida have lots of information on how to join and look forward to having your child become a boy or girl scout. The adults can also volunteer to help teach their children new skills that will serve them well as adults. For those who don’t have children or their children are grown it is a great opportunity to share you life learning skills with those who need it the most. Each fall the Boys and Girls Scouts starts their drive for new recruits. It is not too late just call your local council and they will be happy to help. There is a small yearly fee for each child and there will be uniform costs but each troop has various rules and some can help with some of the costs. So CALL TODAY!

FOR those who are already in a local troop and want to send me your link I will be happy to post it here. Just send me a message at: jolene.macfadden@jacksonvilleswestside.info or become a subscriber and post a comment to this blog.

Here is some general information about each group and their contact information:

National Website:

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_central/ For Girl Scouts

http://scouting.org/for Boy Scouts

LOCAL INFORMATION:

Boy Scouts of America
North Florida Council
521 Edgewood Ave S
Jacksonville, FL 32205
904.388.0591
800.232.0845 Toll Free
904.387.4148 Fax
jana.metzger@scouting.org
http://www.nfcscouting.org

Girl Scouts of Gateway Council, Inc.
Jacksonville Service Center
1000 Shearer Street
Jacksonville, FL 32205-6055
(904) 388-4653
(800) 347-2688 – Local Toll Free Phone
Fax: (904) 384-1542
Email: info@girlscouts-gateway.org
Web Site: http://www.girlscouts-gateway.org
http://www.facebook.com/gsgcfl ON FACEBOOK

Youth Programs

BOYS
Tiger Cubs is a year-round family- and home-centered program that encourages the ethical decision-making skills for first-grade (or 7-year-old) boys. These boys participate in the program with their adult partners. The program emphasizes shared leadership, learning about the community, and family understanding.

Cub Scouts is a year-round family- and home-centered program that develops ethical decision-making skills for boys in the second through fifth grade (or who are 8, 9, and 10 years old). Activities emphasize character development, citizenship training, and personal fitness.

Boy Scouts is a year-round program that develops ethical decision-making skills for young men ages 11 to 18. Activities emphasize responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities.

GIRLS
* Girl Scout Daisy, grades K-1
Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of five to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities. Girl Scout Daisies can also earn Learning Petals and receive participation patches.

* Girl Scout Brownie, grades 2-3
Girl Scouts Brownies work together in groups, earn Girl Scout Brownie Try-Its, and explore their community. Friendship, fun, and age-appropriate activities begin at the Girl Scout Brownie meeting and move out to the community and wider world.

* Girl Scout Junior, grades 4-5
Girl Scout Juniors earn badges and discover what girl power is all about through new activities and by learning to take charge of their own plans. They gain self-confidence as they explore the world in partnership with their troop/group leaders.

* Girl Scout Cadette, grades 6-8; * Girl Scout Senior, grades 9-10; * Girl Scout Ambassador, grades 11-12

Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors participate in Girl Scouting in many ways. Under the guidance of a trained adult advisor, girls mix and match activities and resources to suit their needs while giving back to their communities. They connect with each other and build self-esteem and confidence in their skills as they work on a range of projects and gain life experiences.

FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Venturing is a year round program for young adults, men and women, between the ages of 14 (having completed the eighth grade) and 20. Its purpose is to provide positive experiences to help youth mature and to prepare them to become responsible adults.

Learning For Life Consists of Three Different Programs. For more information on any of the Learning For Life Programs, contact Ben Butler at 904.388.0591, or benjamin.butler@scouting.org.

Exploring is a worksite-based program for young men and women who are 14 through 20 years old. Exploring units have a focus on a career field, such as law enforcement, fire/rescue, health, law, aviation, engineering, or the like, and are sponsored by a government or business entity.

Character Education is a series of school-based programs designed to support schools and educational organizations in helping youth with character education, life skills, building self-esteem, and developing ethical decision-making skills.

Classroom Scouting is a school based program conducted in partnership with the Girl Scouts. The program is for children with physical, emotional and mental exceptionalities.

JOIN TODAY!
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Updates to Sites

jaxwestsideinfo — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:35:57 +0000

I am slowly getting the Jacksonville, Florida websites updated. We are collecting pictures of the areas. If you check out the pages section on the sidebar you will find different pages with information you can download and print. Some of the lists we have collected so far include a listing of the public schools on the Jacksonville’s Westside area, Jacksonville Parks in the Westside area, and DayCare Facilities available in the Westside of Jacksonville.

Each of the files we have on these pages is in an acrobat reader format and can be saved to your computer for future reference or printed. The parks and day care facilities are listed by zip code first and then alphabetical. The Public School listing is by type of school from Elementary to High School and then alphabetical. The school listing also has pictures of the schools, if they are available, or the school colors ans mascot picture.

You can access the pages from the listing on the sidebar or just click on the link below to be taken directly to the page itself:

Listing of Jacksonville Westside Area Day Cares by Zip Code

Listing of Jacksonville Westside Area Parks by Zip Code

Listing of Jacksonville Westside Area Public Schools

Have fun and stay tuned!

jolenemacinjax