Published by former Mayor George Gardner August 25 2014
The Report is an independent publication serving our community
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Shaver, Boles to face off
for St. Augustine Mayor
Valdes, Neville in race for commission seat
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Twenty nine votes separated the newcomer and the incumbent in Tuesday's mayoral primary, with 1,030 votes for incumbent Joe Boles and 1,001 for challenger Nancy Shaver.
The race for the City Commission seat vacated by Bill Leary was almost as close, a 64-vote margin for Todd Neville with 1,107 votes to John Valdes' 1,043 votes.
The top two vote getters in each race now go to the General Election November 4.
Third candidates in each race had little impact. In the mayoral primary, former County Commissioner Ken Bryan had 571 votes and in the commission race Ron Berben drew 335.
Voter turnout was light, just 15.97% of registered voters cast ballots, compared to 25% in the 2012 presidential election year primary.
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Lightner offers
musical tour
Pictured is a monkey, painting a portrait, one of the rare, antique instruments to be described - and played - as Lightner Museum resumes its popular Curator's Tours the first Wednesday of each month at 10 am.
September 3 Curator Barry Myers will take visitors on a tour of the museum's musical Instrument collection for an opportunity to see and hear many of the museum's musical instruments that are not typically played.
Tours are included in the price of admission, free for St. Johns County residents with valid identification, and begin in the front lobby of the Museum.
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City, county score high
for preservation grants
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St. Augustine and St. Johns County have scored first in all requested funding categories by the state's Division of Historical Resources small-matching grant panel.
Subject to state legislative funding during its session next spring, city and county projects would receive more than $230,000.
"With the required matching funds," County Historic Resources Coordinator Robin Moore says, "the total investment in our area's historic preservation will top $400,000.
"The more remarkable thing is that the number 1 rankings in all of the categories were received by organizations from St. Johns County," he added.
Many of the projects are aimed at research, education and documentation of the area's vast historical resources.
The categories, projects and amounts recommended:
Special Topic Category
Ranked #1: Inventory of Structures within the St. Augustine National Register Historic District, City of St. Augustine $50,000
Community Education Category
Ranked # 1: Project Archaeology: Investigating a Lighthouse Keeper's House, Flagler College/Florida Public Archeology Network $10,000
Ranked # 3: The Structures of Colonial St. Augustine, 1572-1763, City of St. Augustine $42,500
Survey & Planning Category
Ranked #1: 450th Anniversary Shipwreck Survey Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program at St. Augustine Lighthouse $49,947
Certified Local Government Community Education Category
Ranked # 1: West Augustine Oral History Project, St. Johns County Growth Management Development $29,150
Ranked # 2: St. Augustine Wayfinding Arrival Program, City of St. Augustine $50,000
The complete list of all funding recommendations is available here.
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Proposed 450 budget
To get further review
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A proposed $938,000 budget for next year's 450th commemoration was pulled from Monday's City Commission agenda as City Manager John Regan explained he's "scheduling time with each commissioner" to go over its details.
Commissioner Leanna Freeman said during last Thursday's city budget workshop "the nearly $1 million 450th budget is much higher than I ever wanted it to be," and Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline Monday urged a commission workshop to discuss it.
450 Director Dana Ste. Claire is proposing a Visitor Center parking facility all-day fee increase from $10 to $12, projecting $429,500 for the 2015 commemoration budget. Future revenue would go to historic preservation.
Commissioners opted for the individual meetings with Regan and final review of the 450 budget at their September 8 meeting, three days before the first of two public hearings for passage of the 2014/2015 budget.
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2 openings on plan board
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Two openings on the city's Planning and Zoning Board provide an opportunity for residents to join one of the city's most powerful citizen boards.
Board members David Toner, who's reached the limit of two consecutive terms, and Janet Ponton Lewis, who's moving outside the city limits, open up the vacancies to be filled by the City commission at its September 22 meeting.
The terms are for three years and the board meets the first Tuesday each month.
The board hears applications for zoning exceptions and variances and appeals of decisions of the Planning and Building Department, and recommends to the City Commission land rezonings or changes to the Comprehensive Plan.
Applications are available here or contact City Clerk Alison Ratkovic 825-1007.
Application deadline is Friday, September 12 at 5 pm.
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Cabarets, go-carts
in
shipyard plan?
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FORMER AND NEW DIRECTORS MEET
Both former and new Planning and Building directors were at the podium Monday as new Director David Birchim, appointed earlier Monday, presented the shipyard plan and former Director Mark Knight spoke for McClure and Bloodworth representing the developer. Knight was released by the city in May. Birchim, a 17-year veteran of the department, holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida and master's degree in planning from the University of Tennessee.
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Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline Monday challenged plans for "special cabarets, ... carnival or circus pony rides and go-cart tracks" in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to create a mixed use marina on the 14 ½ acre former Luhrs boatbuilding site on the west bank of the San Sebastian River.
"This PUD is not ready," she said as the City Commission considered an ordinance for the development. "It's really sketchy."
Former Planning Director Mark Knight, now representing the McClure and Bloodworth law firm in moving the PUD forward, said those elements were included "on the possibility of special events for the Children's Museum, which is part of the waterfront plan. He said they can be removed or adjusted before a second reading with public hearing and final action, expected at the September 8 meeting.
Project elements
Planned are dry boat storage marina with 300 slips, 90,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, 23,000 square feet of marine service uses, street realignment and US 1 traffic signal.
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Ximenez-Fatio House free Museum Day
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The Ximenez-Fatio House Museum on Aviles Street offers free admission Saturday, September 27 as part of Smithsonian magazine's tenth annual Museum Day Live!
"The event represents Smithsonian's commitment to make learning and the spread of knowledge accessible to everyone, giving museums across all 50 states the opportunity to follow the admission policy of the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC," says Ximenez-Fatio Executive Director Julie Vaill-Gatlin.
"We believe it's important to be involved in the national museum day to provide entry and education about our local history for all who wish to join us," she said.
Find Museum Day Live! tickets at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/.
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About our Castillo de San Marcos
378 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary
Some facts about our National Monument Castillo de San Marcos, drawn from the Castillo website.
- Started by the Spanish in 1672, the Castillo de San Marcos is the oldest masonry fort
 in North America. - It was completed in 1695, seven years before a British siege of 54 days with some 2,000 townspeople, soldiers and Indians protected behind its massive walls.
- The Castillo cost Spain over a quarter of a million pesos to build, the equivalent of $30-$35 million today.
- The Castillo was originally covered in bright white plaster called Argamasa, a mix of lime, sand and water.
- The trim work and sentry towers were covered with red plaster, made by adding brickdust. Red & white were the royal colors of Spain in the first colonial period.
- The tallest tower, on the San Carlos Bastion in the northeast corner, was the bell tower, used to give the alarm in the event of an enemy sighting.
- The Castillo was known as Fort Marion from 1821 through 1942. Its name had been changed to honor America's famous Revolutionary War hero, Francis Marion. It regained its original name during WWII.
- The Castillo was used for military purposes during WWII. The Coast Guard utilized the fort for training exercises and ceremonies throughout the war years.
- The Castillo was visited by 778,128 in 2013.
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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 or gardnerstaug@yahoo.com
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