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Excitement builds for new park extensions off Riverside Arts Market

Across the street from RAM will be an extension of RAM for arts events called the Artist Walk, and behind that will be a skate park.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — If you live in the Riverside area, this may become a new part of your Saturday routine.

Riverside Arts Market brings almost 3,500 people under the Fuller Warren Bridge every Saturday, and now the construction and expansion there is taking shape. The Jacksonville City Council approved $5 million more for the project in February as part of the city's parks improvement plan. 

Across the street from RAM will be an extension of RAM for arts events called the Artist Walk, and behind that will be a skate park. Construction is taking place all the way to College Street, but work on the walk and bike path across the Fuller Warren Bridge appears to be the furthest along. It connects the new spaces to San Marco.

John Silveira, market director with Riverside Avondale Preservation, sees the cinderblock as canvas for murals and has big plans for the Artist Walk before and after RAM.

"For example, we could start underneath the new Artist Walk that they're going to create and do kind of a European early morning market style thing on Saturday," Silveira said, "where you can have great coffee and Danishes and pastries."

This also means more opportunities for small businesses. First Coast News mentioned to Silveira that a piece of art from artist Sam Nelson was a hit as a recent gift. Silveira calls Nelson a great example of a RAM success story.

"Now she's getting all these commission gigs," he said. "That's what it's all about. RAM can serve as an incubator for small businesses."

And it will soon be a great pitstop from the Riverwalk to a new skate spot.

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