7-Eleven appeal among hearings scheduled
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Published by former Mayor George Gardner March 19 2014
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Public hearings to dominate
Monday commission meeting
7-Eleven appeal is among those hearings
The City Commission will fill two three-year terms on the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) at its regular meeting Monday, but that action will have to wait through four public hearings, including an appeal from February's HARB denial of an appeal for the proposed 7-Eleven store and 12 gas pumps at San Marco Avenue and May Street.
Tandem with that, but not affecting it, is a public hearing and final action on an ordinance to ban gas stations on San Marco Avenue and limit gas station pumps to eight along the city's entry corridors - San Marco, King Street and Anastasia Boulevard.
Vice Chair Les Thomas, an architect, is not eligible for reappointment to HARB; Historic Preservation Consultant Paul Weaver is. Three others have applied for a seat.
After going through an appeal process before HARB on a permit denial by Planning and Building Director Mark Knight, 7-Eleven Attorney James Whitehouse will now take his case to the City Commission. Knight denied a permit primarily on driveway width greater than 24 feet allowed under Entry Corridor Guidelines.
Whitehouse told the HARB hearing, "Without that 30-foot width, the project isn't feasible."
The furor raised by the 7-Eleven proposal for the congested San Marco/May intersection has brought that second ordinance up for public hearing and final action Monday. It would limit to eight the number of gas pumps allowed at gas station along the entry corridors, and prohibit gas stations entirely along San Marco.
Also up for public hearings, an ordinance requiring removal of vacant business signs and structures, and an amendment to the General Employees' Pension Plan adjusting cost of living.
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34th Annual
Seafood Fest
St. Augustine Lions Club 34th annual Seafood Festival reels out this weekend with the slogan, "We're havin' fun now!"
Look for crab cakes, calamari, conch fritters and Cajun oysters, along with emcees Jim Stafford, Cable Spence and Katherine Archer and a hodgepodge of local bands including Lonesome Bert & the Skinny Lizards and Rotageezer.
Hours 3 to 9 Friday, 10 to 9 Saturday and 11 to 6 Sunday. Adults $3, kids 12 and younger free.
Proceeds benefit local charities chosen by the St. Augustine Lions Club. Visit the website.
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Fort Mose is honored
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Reenactors at annual Battle of Bloody Mose
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Just in time to celebrate the 275th anniversary of Fort Mose's founding March 15, 1738, the state historic park has been honored for its annual re-enactment of the Battle of Bloody Mose.
Fort Mose Historical Society President Charles Ellis received the Outstanding Special Event of the Year award from its umbrella organization, Friends of Florida State Parks, during an annual Volunteer Appreciation Day.
Competing for the award were 171 state parks and trails hosting numerous events.
Ellis credits "a huge endeavor from several organizations, community partners and volunteers" for the success of the annual reenactment in June.
Saturday the park will note its founding anniversary from 10 am to 3 pm with university experts discussing the role of slavery in the struggle between Spain and Britain for control of the southeastern United States.
More information at 904-823-2232 or the website.
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Scholarships for veterans
The Garden Club of St Augustine is offering $500 and $1,000 scholarships to veterans interested in programs aligned with the club's mission.
Areas include landscaping or fertilizer classes, horticulture, farming and conservation.
Recipients must be from St. Johns County, whether living here or not - such as students at out of county schools or work.
Tracey Burke 904-321-9497 has details.
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Community helping out
City police recently handed out 75 bicycle lights to a homeless group, while last Saturday more than a half dozen volunteer docents hosted a record 611 visitors to Tolomato Cemetery's regular third Saturday tours 11 am - 3 pm, as community focuses on helping out.
Bicycle lights - Police Community Resource Officer Mark Samson was at a Dining with Dignity dinner for the homeless on Bridge Street to provide some 75 head and tail lights for bicyclists, leftovers from the county sheriff's program.
"It's one effort in our goal to keep everyone in our community safe," Samson told city commissioners last week while reporting on the program.
Tolomato Cemetery - And Tolomato Cemetery Preservation Association (TCPA) President Elizabeth Duran Gessner proudly announced in a Sunday post, "Here are our Tolomato docents posing after a record day. We had 611 visitors (Saturday)!
"The TCPA crew was exhausted by the time 3 pm rolled around, but really happy to have had so many wonderful, interested visitors," Gessner wrote.
"Posing for post-tour pic, Gessner introduced, "(l-r) great tour leader Brooke Radaker, warm greeter Priscilla de la Cruz, fearless leader Patty Kelbert, happy chapel harpist Mary Jane Ballou, the dynamic Ray Hinkley (with the fingers) and the scholarly and ever-informative Matt Armstrong.
"Lin Masley and Norm Merski were also there most of the day to lend a hand but didn't make it for the photo-op," she wrote, "so you'll just have to imagine them."
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History's highlight
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1 year, 5 months, 21 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
With the taking of the French Fort Caroline in September 1565, St. Augustine Founder Pedro Menendez learned of plotting between the French and English against the dominant Spanish Empire. Excerpt from a Menendez letter to King Phillip II.
It was agreed between the English and French that as the French awaited help from France, Monsieur Ludovic [Rene Laudonniere], who was Governor here, should wait for them until the end of September.
That failing to return, he, Ludovic, was to go to France in search of them, and that by the month of April they would return with a large fleet, to await and capture the fleet of New Spain, which was forced to pass their Fort.
 That if aid came, for which they had written to France, they would advise the English who would come to this coast by the month of April.
It was for this purpose that I found at the Fort a large vessel and seven small ones, and another five, one or two of which had been stolen, and the four they wished to send to France to have them equipped with men and provisions to join the English and themselves by April.
That by that time Jean Ribault would have returned, and with the eight hundred men who remained he wished to go by January to Los Martyrs, about twenty-five leagues from Havana, and there build a fort. They had reconnoitered and found it a very desirable port.
This was agreed between them, and that before leaving France John Ribault was to obtain the order that they should fortify Los Martyres (Florida Keys), a strait by which no vessel could enter or depart without being sighted by them (and) to keep there always in readiness six vessels, it being the best sea in the world for them.
That from there they would take Havana, free all the Negroes; that they would then send to make the same offer to the Spanish of Porto Rico and all other colonies.
All this information I gained from the skillful Frenchman to whom I granted life.
Image: Florida Keys, named by Ponce De León Los Martyrs as they looked like suffering men from a distance.
St. Augustine Bedtime Stories - Dramatic accounts of famous people and events. Details here.
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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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