Numbers fit for 40

county bed tax grants

Massaging 41 applicants with $1,006,950 in bed tax funding requests for $559,810 in available funds, the county's Cultural Council was able to spread some funding to all but one applicant that had dropped out.

Witt

The recommendations were approved Monday by the Tourist Development Council (TDC) and now go to the County Commission for final approval, probably in August as part of the overall county budget approval process.

Cultural Council Director Andy Witt told the TDC board reductions in each of the requests allowed some funding for all, and suggested "this should encourage community organizations in future to apply for the allowable maximum."

The complete list of recommendations is here.

Seeking largest grants and their final recommendation are the city's Tapestry: The Cultural Threads of First America exhibit ($80,000/$54,379), Romanza's 4th Annual Festivale ($80,000/$38,704), EMMA's Fiesta 450th ($50,000/$29,713), St. Augustine Maritime Heritage Festival ($40,000/$24,207), Romanza's Celtic Festival ($40,000/$25,097).

Smallest requests and recommendation, Florida Literary Arts Coalition ($4,000/$2,743), Romanza St. Patrick Parade ($6,000/$2,959), St. Augustine Beach BBQ & Blues ($7,500/$3,072), Yacht Club Holiday Regatta ($9,000/$3,613), and the city's Concerts in the Plaza ($9,000/$5,546).

   The Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) last week liked what it saw in Pat Croce's plan to convert the iconic Santa Maria Restaurant in the bay into a Half Shell Raw Bar similar to his Key West eatery.

   Until it came to the entry sign.

   The board debated for a half hour with presenter architect Les Thomas over the proposed sign's modernistic lettering and sunset background.

   Board member Paul Weaver said, "The sign at the entrance should be more of a traditional looking, historic type sign," and member Jeremy Marquis noted "There's a precedent" in Corbett's Fish and Oyster Depot, one of the restaurant's earlier incarnations. "You can pull off the Corbett sign," he suggested.

   With approval subject to sign modifications the plan goes back to the Planning and Zoning Board August 5 for a second review, as Croce learns the carte blanche of the Planned Unit Development zoning he seeks comes with city board review of every detail.

 

  Echo House - History meets parking

   For St. Paul AME Church it's a matter of survival at its historic Lincolnville location.

   For preservationists it's saving historic Echo House.

   For the city it's managing necessary parking within a neighborhood fabric.

   For the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) it's a can of worms.

Hand-drawn plan for Echo House site presented to HARB includes parking (top), play area and tables (lower right) and preserved Echo House section (lower left)

   A two hour emotional hearing last week, the second such hearing on a request to demolish Echo House to provide parking, was extended yet another month as City Manager John Regan asked, "Is there a way that everyone can get what they need by working together?"

   He's joined the effort to draw together the St. Paul and adjacent St. Benedict Church and Excelsior Museum - all of which have parking potential.

   Contractor John Valdes estimated renovation costs at $900,000 to $975,000, and Regan told the board, "The city considers Echo House a high priority project - higher priority than the (north city) water works building. That building has been stabilized so we can hold off on it." He noted the city can apply for state special category grants toward renovation.