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Published by former Mayor George Gardner September 12 2012
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George Gardner 57 Fullerwood Drive St. Augustine FL 32084
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7-Eleven passes hurdle
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A "last bite of the apple" may be appeal of an entry corridor design after the St. Augustine City
 | | County Fire/Rescue Chaplain Larry Clay and St. Augustine Fire Chief Mike Arnold stand during 911 ceremony Tuesday at St. Augustine Fire Station 1 |
Commission, with a 3-1 vote Monday, rejected efforts to block plans for a 7-Eleven convenience store with a dozen gas pumps at the San Marco Avenue/May Street intersection.
Only Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline stood with objectors - including speakers from five of the city's neighborhood associations - who had appealed the city Planning and Zoning Board's approval to remove three preserved trees from the site.
Commissioner Bill Leary, an attorney, explained as he made the motion to affirm the plan board's action that under the law, neighborhood concerns with traffic congestion, water runoff, and 24-hour operation could not be considered, only the lower board's action on tree removal as the site is otherwise properly zoned for the 7-Eleven.
Planning and Building Director Mark Knight said 7-Eleven must now develop a site plan under entry corridor guidelines, which were developed in the late 1990s to ward off "big box" national companies' intrusion into the King Street, San Marco Avenue, and Anastasia Boulevard entries into the city.
Those guidelines, with standards to "enhance the overall visual character" of the corridors, were made law in 2003, but 7-Eleven attorney George McClure said, "They must have been made without legal input, because there are elements that won't stand the legal test."
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Music Fair at the Market
"Summer is over... We are moving the market back to our winter quarters Sunday, September 16, and filling your ears and yes, your eyes, with a variety of MUSIC!!!" says Lincolnville Farmers Market Manager Renee Mintz.
She promises "Our produce man will be back, and your old favorite vendors."
But the highlight is the Lincolnville Fall Music Fair, with sketches from Limelight Theatre's Big River, and the sounds of Sweetest Punch, The Dewars, and Hunter Miller.
The highly successful farmers market, open 11-3, is just past the Galimore Center at the south end of Riberia Street.
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Major meets here can promote city
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Opportunities to show off St. Augustine's place in Florida and American history can come with two major sessions planned here.
Viva Florida 500, the state's initiative for the Ponce de Leon quincentennial, will hold its last Statewide Leadership Forum before the anniversary year October 1 at Flagler College's Lewis Auditorium.
And Florida Huddle, a statewide tourism symposium, will gather January 24-26 2013 at the World Golf Village.
Dana Ste. Claire, 450 Development Director, told city commissioners Monday the Viva Florida 500 forum is expected to draw Secretary of State Ken Detzner, the Consul Generals of Spain, Britain, and France, and members of the 450th Federal Commission to an all-day session including a morning meeting and afternoon program.
Visitors and Convention Bureau Promotions Director Rick Hensler told commissioners the Florida Huddle draws major domestic and international tour operators who, among other events, will get a trolley tour of the city's Nights of Lights.
Banners and botas for 450th
Look for banners on some 50 city light poles and botas (traditional Spanish wineskin) filled as planning for the city's commemorations continues.
City commissioners Monday approved the use of city poles "for the use of government speech related to official City of St Augustine government special events."
 | | Bota |
And 450 Development Director Dana Ste. Claire introduced posters for the First Annual Spanish Wine & Food Festival October 3-6, designed to make St. Augustine "the Spanish wine capital of the United States."
Rick Hensler of the County Visitors and Convention Bureau outlined plans for a $600,000 advertising program for the 450th, funded by bed tax money, and noted the wine fest is being wrapped into the third year of "Flavors of Florida's Historic Coast" developed by the bureau.
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Holistic approach to city traffic
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 A picture's worth a thousand words, so we don't need a primer on the problem.
A "St. Augustine Mobility Institute" next week covers a wide range of traffic and parking concerns, such as cyclists and pedestrians, private transit and tour vehicles, wayfinding, and economic development.
The five-day institute is focused on the city's three entrance corridors: King Street, San Marco Avenue, and Anastasia Boulevard, with public sessions in each corridor.
It's made possible through $125,000 in funding from the North Florida Transportation Organization, initiated by the city's representative, Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline. HNTB engineering consultants will facilitate.
- Monday Kickoff meeting 2- 3 pm, Alcazar Room at City Hall
- Tuesday King Street Corridor 5 - 6 pm Alcazar Room
- Wednesday San Marco Corridor 5- 6 pm Moore Hall Florida School for the Deaf and Blind
- Thursday Anastasia Boulevard Corridor 5-6 pm St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park
- Friday Wrap-Up meeting 2-3 pm Alcazar Room
Details at http://www.staugustinegovernment.com/
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Blood and thunder at Bookfest
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Blood and thunder are highlights as the Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference makes its fifth annual run September 13-15 at the St. Johns County Convention Center.
  Jeff Lindsay, author of the popular "Dexter" novels which inspired the blood-featured Showtime series, will offer the opening keynote Friday evening, and Edna Buchanan, described in her successful Pulitzer Prize nomination as "a savvy, fast, tough, hard-as-nails cop reporter with a heart of gold," will receive the festival's 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Legends Banquet.
Hilary Hemingway will be on hand as well to accept a Posthumous Literary Legend Award for her uncle, Ernest Hemingway.
Saturday the festival shifts to Flagler College's Ringhaver Student Center, where a Marketplace featuring authors and vendors is free and open to the public 9 to 5. Full details and ticket information at http://fhbookfest.com/
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'Unique Historic Memorial'
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Historic preservation consultant Paul L Weaver III presents a study of St. Augustine's Monument to the Constitution of 1812: A Unique Historic Memorial, Tuesday, September 18 at 7 pm in the Flagler Room at Flagler College.
The program is sponsored by the St. Augustine Historical Society as part of the 200th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution. The society has also compiled a variety of artwork through the years, assembled in a slideshow by Magen B. Wilson and Director Susan R. Parker, with assistance from Rosamaria Weaver. Visit www.staugustinehistoricalsociety.org.
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History's Highlight
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Monument builder New Smyrna survivor
2 years, 11 months, 28 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
A discussion by historic preservation consultant Paul L. Weaver III September 18 and a slideshow on the St. Augustine Historical Society website highlight the significance of the constitution monument in the Plaza de la Constitución. This is the first of two excerpts from Weaver's research, reported in the current issue of the Society's El Escribano.
 | 1835 magazine drawing
staugustinehistoricalsociety.org |
On August 2, 1813, the ayuntamiento (city council) received a design proposal from the committee members in charge of building the Constitution Obelisk.
Although his name was not mentioned in the proposal, Martin Hernández was the builder and likely the designer of the Obelisk. He was the only individual associated with the project known to have the requisite skills to undertake such a sophisticated design.
Hernández was born in Mahon, Minorca, in 1756 and settled with his family in the Turnbull Colony at New Smyrna Beach, Florida in 1768. He was trained in carpentry and masonry and became a prominent resident and land owner in St. Augustine during the Second Spanish Period.
José Mariano Hernández, his son, was Florida's first territorial delegate to the United States Congress after the transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States. The younger Hernández was probably best known for capturing the Seminole leader Osceola in St. Johns County under a flag of truce during the Second Seminole War.
During the Second Spanish Period, Martin Hernández was the principal master builder or maestro de obras in the Province of East Florida. Other than the Royal Engineers, the maestro de obras was the highest-ranking building professional in an administrative district such as East Florida.
A master builder was a professional contractor, typically trained through an apprenticeship program, who was capable of producing and executing building designs.
Following the re-assignment of Engineer Mariano de la Rocque from St. Augustine to Cuba in 1793, Hernández assumed much of the responsibility for public works in East Florida.
From 1811 until 1816, during the period when the Constitution Obelisk was built, there was no engineer in the province. Hernández, under the administrative rules of the time, became the chief building official in East Florida until the arrival of Engineer Francisco Cortazar in 1816.
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The St. Augustine Report is published weekly, with additional Reports previewing City Commission meetings as well as Special Reports. The Report is written and distributed by George Gardner, St. Augustine Mayor (2002-2006) and Commissioner (2006-2008) and a former newspaper reporter and editor. Contact the Report at gardner@aug.com |
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