St. Augustine Report

Published by the Department of Public Affairs, City of St. Augustine. Florida February 8 2011

New bayfront traffic designs

ready for commission review

Bayfront traffic alternative

Two new alternatives for traffic flow along the bayfront go back before the City Commission next Monday. The revisions follow input from the commission at its January 24 meeting.

Commissioners at that meeting heard from historic area businesses complaining of "construction burnout" after five years of bridge restoration, and commissioners were concerned about alternatives reducing northbound traffic to one lane.

Two new alternatives focus on maintaining two northbound lanes with three southbound lanes - one dedicated to slower moving horse carriages. The addition of a landscaped median is the singular difference in the two new alternatives.

Halback Design Group is developing the plans. Its project website includes animated street designs to trace the plans from West Castillo Drive to the Bridge of Lions.

The design project is funded with a $250,000 planning grant from the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks grant program.

Under the program, three future grants estimated at $3 million each would be sought for the modifications.

Meet Founder Pedro Menendez

Chad Light, a Spanish history interpreter at the Fountain of Youth Park, student of and dead ringer for St. Augustine Founder Pedro Menendez, will bring his persona to the city's Noche de Gala February 26.

Light, whose living history experience dates back to the age of three, helping his father prepare for a Civil War reenactment, has been researching Menendez for the gala. He's found Menendez passionate for his home region, "an Asturian first and a Spaniard second," Chad says.

"He was genuine in his service and a man above most of his peers. He was fond of his own opinion, but his opinion was often the best in the room."

For reservations and details on the Noche de Gala, visit the city website.

16-year effort on bayfront designs

Current bayfront traffic planning - Reconnecting the Castillo & the Bayfront - continues a 16-year effort to overcome a four-lane highway separating St. Augustine's greatest historic assets, the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and 1573 Town Plan National Register District.

Improvement needs were part of Mayor Greg Baker's 1993 Vision Project, with designs developed in the mid-1990s under the Florida Greenways Program.

The current effort is supported through the federal Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program, a program established in 2008 "to address the challenge of increasing vehicle congestion in and around our national parks and other federal lands."

Congress appropriated $26.9 million for the program in 2008. A total of 80 proposals were received totaling $71.5 million, almost three times the amount available, indicating high competition for funds.

In its successful bid for $250,000 in planning funds, St. Augustine estimated a $9 million project, which would be broken into three phases of $3 million each.

Halback Design Group's Jeremy Marquis says St. Augustine has its foot in the door with the design stage funding, giving it a good opportunity to capture additional grants.

Amtrak hopes still alive

Undaunted by two rejections of federal funding, state and regional officials are continuing the effort to establish an Amtrak commuter service from Jacksonville to Miami, with St. Augustine among the eight proposed stops.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has budgeted $118 million, contingent on Amtrak providing matching funds for the estimated $250 million project along Florida East Coast rails.

The $118 million has been set aside in FDOT's five-year work budget, which must get approval from lawmakers when they pass the state budget in April.
St. Augustine City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline, Planning and Building Director Mark Knight, and County Commission Chair Ken Bryan joined other regional officials last week lobbying State Senator John Thrasher for support.

$1,000 reward for graffiti conviction

Business owner Norbert Tuseo is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a continuing wave of graffiti in St. Augustine's historic district.

"I saw what graffiti did to New York City," the New York transplant said, "and I don't want the same thing to happen to our beautiful St Augustine."

Various tags and symbols have been reported on 46 different properties through out the Downtown and Lincolnville areas.

"It is not just a financial cost that is a problem," police say. "This type of crime is upsetting, demoralizing and even offensive. Graffiti is not just an eyesore - it can be seen as an invitation for criminal behavior and tends to portray the message to tourists that the citizens do not care about the city."

The graffiti is being erased as quickly as it's spotted, and at least two suspects have been arrested and could face federal charges for defacing the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.

Contact police 825.1070 or the St Augustine Crime Stopper Tip Line 209.3482.

RAD Women's Self Defense Course

Violent crime every 4 minutes 38 seconds, aggravated assault every 7 minutes, forcible sexual assault every 1 hour and 36 minutes, murder every 8 hours and 37 minutes.

Crime data for the state of Florida in 2009 supports the St. Augustine Police Department initiative, offering women's self defense classes, based on the national RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) system.

"Self defense is not about size or strength but about attitude and skill," Police Community Relations Officer Barbara Stevens says. "In this beginner level program, participants will develop and enhance the options of self defense, so they may become viable considerations if attacked."

The program is being offered at the St Augustine Police Department, 151 King Street, February 7 and 9 at 5:30-8:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is a one time fee of $25. Mother daughter teams are encouraged and cost $35 per team. Ages 10 through adult are welcome.

Contact Officer Stevens 209.3456 to sign up.

University of Florida property management

Agenda for Friday's DSO meeting

The University of Florida (UF) Direct Support Organization (DSO), created to manage 34 state-owned historic properties here, has its inaugural meeting Friday at Government House.

The DSO is authorized by state law "to receive, hold, invest and administer property and to make expenditures to or for the benefit of a state university."

It will be the on-site management for the university, which took over management of the state-owned historic properties in July.

Here is the agenda for the full day public session beginning at 10 a.m., which will cover everything from its Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan to a walking tour of the properties.

16th century - unique to St. Augustine

Eighteenth century early America and 19th century Civil War are reenacted further north, but only St. Augustine can legitimately recreate 16th century colonial life in today's America.

16th century clothing guide The Men of Menéndez, a 16th century company of the Historic Florida Militia, is alive and well here and encouraging potential soldiers and civilians with "A Basic Guide for Early Florida Living History Presentations."

Before Jamestown and Plymouth there were Ponce de Leon (1513), Pedro Menendez (1565), and Sir Francis Drake (Raid of 1586). Events unique to our First America are commemorated annually here - the most recent last week's School of the 16th Century and the next February 26, the Noche de Gala celebration of Founder Pedro Menendez' birthday.

The eight-page booklet describes basic wear and accessories, and was produced by living history presenters and reenactors of the Men of Menéndez and Historic Florida Militia.

"Just starting out you do not have to have a full set of proper clothing," the booklet notes. "But you will enjoy the event better and have more fun when you are dressed as a person of the 16th Century."

For a copy of the Guide, illustrating fashions of the (16th century) day, contact Patti Rang.

History's Highlight

Letters of Menendez - Fort Caroline

4 years, 7 months, 1 day to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary

From the translation of seven letters from Pedro Menendez to King Phillip II of Spain, August 13, 1565 to January 30, 1566.

In his third letter to King Phillip, written October 15, 1565, Pedro Menendez reports on the capture of the French Fort Caroline and Matanzas executions.

In order for them to come and attack me they must bring a larger and better force. . . . Their fort must have been left weak (so) now was the time to go and attack it.

I conferred with the captains . . . and they were of the same opinion. I immediately ordered 500 men to be ready, 300 of them arquebusiers and the remainder armed with pikes and bucklers, and we packed our knapsacks so that every man carried six pounds of biscuit on his back and I myself among the first for example's sake carried this provision and drink on my shoulder.

Fort Caroline

As we did not know the way we thought that we should arrive in two days and that it was only six or eight leagues distant. . . . We found the rivers greatly swollen with the rain that had fallen, so that we advanced but little until the 19th, when we came to sleep a league more or less from the Fort, more than 15 leagues through morasses and desert paths never yet trod.

On the 20th, the eve of the day of the Blessed Apostle and Evangelist St Matthew, in the morning when it began to dawn, (we) determined to attack it openly with twenty scaling ladders that we had brought with us . . .

Without losing a man killed nor wounded save one . . . we gained the fort and all that it contained. One hundred and thirty men were put to death and the next day ten more who were taken in the mountain.

About 50 or 60 persons escaped by swimming to the mountain and also in two boats from the three ships that they had in front of the fort. I immediately sent a trumpet to the ships to demand that they should surrender and give up their arms and their ships, but they refused.

We sent one ship to the bottom with the guns that were in the Fort. The other took in her crew and went down the river where a league distant were two other ships with much provisions, being some of the seven that had come from France and had not yet been unloaded.

As it seemed to me that I ought not to lose this prize, I forthwith left this fort to get ready three barges . . . in order to go and seek them, but they were warned by the Indians and . . . they took the two best of the three ships that they had and sunk the other and within three days they took to flight.

They wrote to me from the Fort that, after these ships had gone, about twenty Frenchmen in their shirts appeared in the mountain. . . . I gave orders that they should use all diligence to take them and execute justice upon them.

Next: The Matanzas executions

The St. Augustine Report is published by the Department of Public Affairs of the City of St. Augustine each Tuesday and on Fridays previewing City Commission meetings. The Report is written and distributed by George Gardner, former St. Augustine Mayor (2002-2006) and Commissioner (2006-2008) and a longtime newspaper reporter and editor. Contact The Report at gardner@aug.com