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Published by former Mayor George Gardner April 26 2014
The Report is an independent publication serving our community.
Contributions are greatly appreciated.
or mail to George Gardner 57 Fullerwood Drive St. Augustine FL 32084
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Historic Tours buying
Potter's Wax Museum
  Historic Tours of America, operator of Old Town Trolley Tours here, is purchasing Potter's Wax Museum, which moved last year from King Street to Historic Tours' Old Drug Store at Orange and Cordova streets.
"It's a perfect fit for us," says Dave Chatterton, general manager of Old Town Trolley. "We can preserve an historic property and a business established here in 1948, with one of the oldest and most valuable collections in the United States."
Historic Tours has purchased and moved several properties to its San Marco Avenue location over the years to save them from demolition. The Old Drug Store and museum will remain on Orange Street.
"Today's technology will be integrated into the displays, Chatterton says. "We plan new hands-on educational exhibits to learn about notable historical figures, and interact with and have photographs taken with celebrities and other characters depicted in the museum stage sets, which will be enhanced from our storehouse of artifacts and antiques."
Closing on the sale is May 15, and Chatterton says the museum will remain open during the refurbishing.
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Seems like the most successful museums involve the community - mostly with free events.
The redesigned Colonial Quarter, leased to Pirate Museum's Pat Croce by the University of Florida - manager of 34 state-owned historic properties here - has been struggling for visitors. No better way to increase exposure and community good will than tonight's free Downtown Bazaar, 6 to 10 pm, featuring fine art, artisan crafts, live music by studio recording musicians and mystifying magic, along torch lit pathways sprinkled with reenactors.
The new last Saturday monthly event 's been organized by Nico Recore of St. Augustine Art Glass, manager of the Wednesday Market at St. Augustine Beach.
Look for a Changing of the Flags ceremony and food and beverages by the Taberna Del Caballo and the Bull & Crown Publick House.
Even the family pets on leashes are invited. Visit
thedowntownbazaar.com
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$2.5 million King
Street plan outlined
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City Manager John Regan addresses King Street merchants. Photo: Nancy Sikes-Kline
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$2,570,299 in plans to renovate King Street from Malaga to Cordova Street, including water/sewer/storm drain improvements, undergrounding electric lines and installing new antique-style streetlights, were spelled out Thursday night at a public workshop at Markland House.
That's the city's share in a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plan. "The FDOT is spending millions to rebuild the street," says Public Works Director Martha Graham. "The figures presented are those FDOT would be looking to the city to pay."
FDOT hasn't got funding and anticipates the project may have to wait until 2017. But preliminary agreements for design work will be considered by the City Commission at its regular meeting Monday.
Undergrounding of electric lines to rid the street of power poles would cost $641,520 and new street lights $578,939. Another $76,072 would provide either brick or brick-stamped concrete crosswalks.
The water/sewer/storm drain improvements would cost $1,273,768 and come from the city's Utility Fund reserves. Funds for the streetscape improvements "could come from the City or the property owners or a combination of both," said Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline. "It's all up for discussion as we move forward."
The streetscape project for Spanish, Hypolita and Treasury streets includes utility funding from the city and above ground streetscape improvement costs shared between city and neighboring property owners.
Sikes-Kline said there was "positive reception from businesses" to the plans presented Thursday.
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Town hall visioning meet
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A town hall meeting 9 am - noon this morning at The Treasury on Cathedral Place "will provide the community with an opportunity for hands-on input into the process by which the community will map out a vision for its future," according to Visioning 2014 & Beyond chair, City Commissioner Roxanne Horvath.
The 15-member Steering Committee will have a follow-up workshop May 3 from 9 to noon and report to the City Commission May 12, both sessions in the Alcazar Room at City hall.
Visit the website.
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PREPARING FOR WAR MEMORIAL - Concrete walkways surround base area at future site of the 1946 War Memorial in the Plaza de la Constitución. The St. Augustine Pilot Club, which set the original memorial, will conduct a decommissioning ceremony at 10 am Monday before crews begin disassembling the coquina-faced concrete block memorial for reassembly on the new site. Dedication of the relocated memorial is planned for Memorial Day. Numerous contractors have donated their work to the project as a community service. Photo: John Valdes
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Celebrating Earth Day 2014
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 The City's Public Works Department and Street Tree Advisory Committee are hosting an Earth Day celebration today 11 am - 3 pm at R. B. Hunt Elementary School, complete with exhibits from non-profit and governmental agencies, as well as food and live music.
Look for info on composting, beneficial insects, bees, organic gardening, rain barrels, native plants, invasive plant identification, local wildlife and marine life, watershed protection and resource conservation.
More difficult throwaways, like electronics, fats, oils, grease, and personal documents, will be accepted by the city and Advanced Disposal for proper disposal.
Dining for Donnie Fund
The St. Augustine Pilot Club's Donnie Heymen Scholarship Fund will be beneficiary of meals sold at Johnny and Beanie's Restaurant in Hastings today 3 - 6 pm.
The restaurant wanted to host the event to recognize Anne Heymen, Donnie's widow, who retired from The St. Augustine Record in February. Anne is a Pilot Club member.
A frequent diner has offered to pay for the food.
The scholarship fund helps students at First Coast Technical College.
Main Library reopens Monday
St. Augustine's Main Library reopens at 10 am Monday to show off a remodeled Adult Reading Area and new enclosed Children's Library as well as expanded bathrooms.
Other work included replacing exterior windows, reorienting bookshelves, replacing select areas of carpet and a fresh coat of paint.
Library staff wasn't idle during the renovation, attending staff training sessions in technology and customer service.
Friends of the Main Library President Toni Siriani says, "With these changes come additional needs. Our next fundraising effort will have a very specific target: the purchase of new, upholstered seating for the adult reading section and child-sized tables and chairs for the children's area."
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History's highlight
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St. Augustine's Chalupa
1 year, 4 months, 14 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
Combining archaeological and historical evidence, the volunteer St. Augustine Maritime Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) is building a replica chalupa at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park for the city's 450th anniversary.
 The chalupa, known as "shallop" by English-speaking mariners, was a highly seaworthy open boat which could be rowed or equipped with sails.
Colonial Spanish and Basque sailors, along with those from France and England, used these sturdy vessels throughout the New World, from the Caribbean to the North Atlantic.
Unlike most 16th century boat types, we know about the form and function of chalupas from both archaeological and documentary evidence. The well-preserved remains of three chalupas were excavated and recorded by Parks Canada archaeologists from the site of a wrecked whaling galleon in Red Bay, Labrador.
The best preserved (completely intact) of these was designed to be manned by a crew of seven and measured 26 feet long and 6.6 feet wide.
The Red Bay chalupas displayed a unique planking method, using carvel planks (edge to edge) below the waterline and clinker (overlapping edges) above. All three excavated chalupas were of Basque design and were wrecked in 1565, the same year of St. Augustine's founding by Pedro Menéndez.
His expedition, outfitted from Avilés on the Biscayan coast adjacent to Basque country, included three chalupas that were probably very similar to those discovered in Red Bay, along with Biscayan boatwrights versed in similar building traditions.
Records recently discovered by LAMP researchers in Spanish archives indicate that chalupas continued to be used in St. Augustine through the following century.
One of these documents includes a detailed description of a St. Augustine chalupa complete with a list of ancillary equipment.
Image: Artistic reconstruction of a chalupa, courtesy of Parks Canada.
Primer for the 450th - St. Augustine Bedtime Stories,
24 dramatic accounts of famous people and events in our history. 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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