Mayor John Peyton seems determined to build a courthouse, even if it's the last thing he does. And it might be.

Here's the latest update on the on-again, off-again project, as related by mayoral spokeswoman Misty Skipper:

The contractor will be asked if he can build it for less than $350 million - and, if so, whether he would be willing to absorb all losses if, for any reason, construction costs go up.

If he agrees, ground could be broken in June - and work might be "substantially complete" by the end of June 2011.

Peyton will leave office June 30, 2011. That's why I said it might be the last thing he does.

The good news is that the price actually would be the price - unlike in the past, when $190 million somehow morphed into $350 million.

And that isn't just for the new facility. It also includes money already spent, refurbishing of the old federal courthouse and moving the public defender to the Ed Ball Building.

Well, OK, maybe the price won't be exactly the price. If any construction delays are the city's fault, the contractor may be paid penalties - and that means the project would cost more than $350 million.

(Anybody recall what happened at the downtown library a few years ago?)

And the bad news?

It's the same as the good news: The cost will be a little under $350 million, no more but probably no less, either.

This simply isn't fair. Voters gave permission to spend $190 million, not $350 million.

When the price goes up that much, a project should go back on the ballot.

Let's not put all of the blame on Peyton. The City Council is just as much to blame - maybe more so, in my opinion.

The mayor is a good person, and he's trying to make the best of a bad situation he inherited.

And I personally admire his recent bulldog-like tenacity in seeing the project through.

A previous mayor promised the judges a new courthouse and told the voters that it wouldn't cost more than $190 million.

One promise will have to be broken. The current mayor and council are breaking the wrong one.

Beaches art

Bad ideas sometimes spring from very good intentions.

The Beaches Town Center Agency certainly meant well when it proposed putting a piece of artwork, at no cost to taxpayers, on the roundabout "island" that straddles Atlantic Boulevard near the ocean.

And, initially, it had some appeal ... to me, at least. A nice piece of art, I reasoned, would enhance the quality of life - and probably create a good impression of this area to the legions of tourists passing through every year.

Just one problem, though.

The artwork - a 26-foot sculpture - would sit right in front of the most scenic view of the ocean in Duval County.

Why hide that?

Supporters say the sculpture wouldn't really hide the ocean.

And they may be right. But it would, at the very least, distract from a very picturesque view.

This is where it gets complicated.

Because the island is half in Atlantic Beach and half in Neptune Beach, the artwork cannot be put up unless the governing bodies of both cities consent.

Atlantic Beach did, but Neptune Beach rejected the project. That should end the matter, but it hasn't. Supporters indicate they'll try again.

They shouldn't.

Neptune Beach City Manager Jim Jarboe says a hundred e-mails against the proposal have poured into City Hall.

Only a few were in favor.

Under those circumstances, the City Council isn't likely to change its mind. Nor should it.

Why not put the art near Atlantic Beach's City Hall? It's a unique building, and I don't mean that as criticism. If you've seen it, you know what I mean.

Nearby stands a big clock. Not an ordinary one. I described it in an editorial once as "slender, pleasingly graceful and stylish." And it includes a tides reading - which isn't exactly something you see every day, either.

The sculpture would complement those surroundings. And people go to City Hall a lot, so it wouldn't exactly be hidden from view.

It's good art. Put it in a place where it will be appreciated.

phil.fretz@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4545