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Call Box: Wendy's redo to resume; Acosta plaques located

Sandy Strickland
Provided by Sharif FrinkThis brass plaque of Andrew Jackson used to be part of the old Acosta Bridge, which was demolished in 1992. It is now part of an exhibit at the Museum of Science and History.

Dear Call Box: What's going on with the Wendy's on Losco Road by Old St. Augustine Road? They started working on it about three or four weeks ago. Then they put up a fence several weeks ago, and nothing has been done since. -- T.H., Mandarin

Dear T.H.: Wendy's is undergoing a $299,000 renovation to its 2,957-square-foot facility, as the Times-Union's Roger Bull reported in April. You'll be glad to know that it will be back under construction in a few weeks. We spoke with Brett Nevaril, managing director of Infinity Engineering Group, who said the delay is the result of weather damage over the years to an exterior wall.

"We will take the time to repair that," Nevaril said.

Once construction resumes, the renovation should be completed in the next six weeks or so, he said.

The focus will be on customer safety and making the Wendy's conform to the new national prototype, Nevaril said. It will be a more modern, nicer-looking facility. The exterior will be improved with regard to Americans with Disability Act compliance, he said.

Dear Call Box: I have friends who are interested in knowing when the Roosevelt Mall was in operation, when it closed and when it became a free-standing store mall. People used to go out there and walk that mall. -- J.L., Westside

Dear J.L.: We assume the question has to do with the Times-Union's recent announcement that the Belk department store in Roosevelt Square will close in January. Roosevelt Mall, at 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., opened in 1961 and was an enclosed mall for 37 years. The mall was converted into an open-air, multi-building shopping center in 1998.

Update: The mystery of the missing Acosta Bridge plaques has been solved. Ironically, it turns out that they have been on display at the Museum of Science and History since the 1990s. A reader had wanted to know about the brass plaques that used to be on the old Acosta Bridge, which was demolished in 1992 and replaced with a wider span.

Mike Goldman, a retired spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation, called to say that the agency donated them to the museum, which is on the Southbank and near the Acosta. They are part of the Currents of Time's bridge history exhibit. Currents of Time winds through hallways as it chronologically investigates the events and times leading up to today.

The late Rep. Charles E. Bennett took a particular interest in the plaques and wanted them preserved, Goldman said. He even sent a letter to the DOT regarding their historical value.

"The late museum director, Margo Dundon, was instrumental in convincing her board and staff of the significance of the plaques and incorporating them into an exhibit," Goldman said.

Two other readers also called to say they had seen the plaques at the museum.

But there aren't just two plaques. There are four: Andrew Jackson, Seminole Chief Osceola, Ponce de Leon and an unknown figure called Florida. There's also an informational plaque. A sixth informational plaque is in storage because of space constraints.

Submit questions by calling (904) 359-4622 or mailing to Call Box, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Please include contact information.