There will be no diving into the new pools at EverBank Field.
Signs to that effect will be posted warning the fans who want to take a dip during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ home games.
Fans likely wouldn’t want to dive anyway. The average depth of the two pools is just 3 feet and 2 inches.
Yet should there be an issue, there will be lifeguards on duty during events.
Those are just a few of the facts included in the application for a building permit for the two “swim spas” at the stadium at 1 EverBank Field Drive.
Gilliana Pools LLC of Merrillville, Indiana, is the contractor for the $684,151 project, according to the permit application.
The Jaguars are building the swim spas in the northeast and northwest sections of the north end zone as part of the $63 million renovation of the stadium.
That project includes two new end zone video scoreboards, expected to be the largest in the world.
A few more swim-spa facts noted on the designs submitted with the permit:
• There will be pool-rule signs.
• The “bathing load” is 33 people for each pool.
• The swim-spas are 330 square feet in size, holding 7,530 gallons of water.
• There is a bench area in the swim-spas so fans can sit.
• There are changing LED lights in the pools.
While there was no indication a sign was posted, the lifeguards likely will enforce a “no running” rule as well.
Hess stores to become Speedway
Marathon Petroleum Corp. announced last week that its Speedway LLC subsidiary agreed with Hess Corp. to buy Hess Retail Holdings LLC.
The company has three years after completing the deal to convert the company-owned Hess stores into Speedways.
The deal includes all of the Hess retail locations, transport operations and other assets. The $2.87 billion deal involves $2.37 billion in cash along with $230 million in working capital and $274 million in capital leases.
The deal is expected to close late in the third quarter.
Spokeswoman Angelia Graves said Thursday there are more than 90 other Hess-branded stores that are independently owned. “As part of the transaction, we will supply them fuel,” she said.
It’s up to the owner to brand those stores as Speedway or another name, but they won’t be Hess stores, she said.
“This acquisition will be transformative for MPC and Speedway as it will significantly expand our retail presence from nine to 23 states through these premier Hess locations throughout the East Coast and Southeast,” said Marathon President and CEO Gary Heminger in a news release.
He said the purchase is part of Marathon’s long-term strategy to speed up Speedway’s growth and support the goal of generating $1 billion in earnings.
Marathon said Hess is the largest operator of convenience stores along the East Coast and the fifth largest in the country by number of company-operated sites with 1,256 stores in 16 states. Speedway is the nation’s fourth-largest convenience store chain by number of company-owned and operated sites with about 1,480 stores in nine states.
Marathon said Speedway is the premier convenience store operator in the eastern U.S. The combined business will have 2013 pro forma revenues of more than $27 billion, 6.2 billion gallons of annual fuel sales, and $4.8 billion of annual merchandise sales at more than 2,700 retail locations.
Flagler Center site in progress for Railex
Railex can build-out its temporary freezer and cold storage facility at Flagler Center as it works out issues about which permanent site it will take in Jacksonville — along Philips Highway or Powers Avenue.
The city approved the permit Wednesday for Railex to renovate a 43,700-square-foot freezer facility at 12740 Kenan Drive, No. 100, in Flagler Center. Hansen-Rice Inc. is the contractor for the $1.32 million project.
Railex President Adrian Neuhauser said previously the refrigerated warehouse at Flagler Center should be operational by June.
Permitting documents show a total of 43,700 square feet of space, while plans show 42,700 square feet, comprising 38,568 square feet of warehouse space converted for refrigerated warehouse space with two truck docks along with 4,132 square feet of office space.
The space is part of a 107,800-square-foot building.
Hansen-Rice, of Nampa, Idaho, is the contractor for the Flagler project as well as for the potential Philips Highway project.
Railex LLC of Riverhead, N.Y., proposes to develop a 250,000-square-foot cold-storage warehouse-distribution center in South Jacksonville, at 6140 Philips Highway, that should employ 310 people by 2018.
However, soil issues led Railex to consider a separate location along Powers Avenue, near the Philips site. Neuhauser previously said the company’s first choice remains Philips Highway, although it has always considered alternative locations in the event issues couldn’t be resolved there.
He said the site has the required highway and rail access, traffic signalization and space to park trailers. The property is owned by the Florida East Coast Railway.
Neuhauser has said the company awaits U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval on the site. Given the permitting timeline and soil challenges there, he said the company continues to develop alternatives, although the Powers Avenue site lacks rail access.
Railex negotiated $8.8 million in city and state incentives a year ago to develop the center. City Council recently enacted Ordinance 2014-309 so that the city can receive a $5 million proposed state road fund grant to support the development before the end of the state’s fiscal year June 30.
Neuhauser has said he continues to target year-end for completion of the new warehouse.
Railex serves the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries.
121 Financial’s purchase means branch relocation
121 Financial Credit Union said Thursday that its new Kernan Boulevard branch will be a relocation of a storefront office in an Atlantic Boulevard shopping center.
The Jacksonville-based credit union bought the former Hancock Bank office at 3475 Kernan Blvd. S. in East Arlington. It will move the 121 Financial branch office at 12740 Atlantic Blvd. to the new, larger location between mid-July and mid-August. It’s a 4.5-mile distance.
121 Financial said it’s a strategic plan of moving its branches from storefront rentals to stand-alone locations.
The credit union considers the site its Intracoastal branch. It will offer full banking services, including three drive-thru lanes, a 24-hour drive-up ATM and safe deposit boxes.
“We believe this new location will be more convenient for our members and make banking easier than at our strip-center location,” said Dale Moitt, 121 Financial’s Intracoastal branch manager. He said it would serve customers from the Beaches as well as those in East Arlington.
121 Financial offers banking and loan services to individuals and small businesses throughout Northeast Florida. It has more than 36,000 members.
@MathisKb
(904) 356-2466