Published by former Mayor George Gardner February 18 2015

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Report card 'C' on

city's infrastructure

St. Augustine, at 450 years old, is first in scores of areas. Future Focus

Its roads, water, sewer and stormwater are not four of them.

The city's Public Works Department, with consultant Applied Technology & Management, Inc., grades the city's infrastructure a "C: Mediocre, requires attention."

Actually not too bad, compared to Florida's C- and the nation's D+, measured triennially in 2013.

The "Report Card for the City's Roads, Water, Sewer and Stormwater" is designed "to establish an overall system condition and the funds necessary to correct system deficiencies," and modeled after The Report Card for America's Infrastructure, generated by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The report card, with values and rehabilitation costs:

Roads - D+ Value $52,900,000, rehabilitation cost $8,855,000
Water distribution - C $182,600,000, $59,855,000
Water treatment - C+ $36,000,000, $13,350,000
Sewer collection - C $176,900,000, $32,354,000
Wastewater treatment - C $26,500,000, $11,600,000
Stormwater - D+ $30,000,000, $11,792,000

It will be discussed at an upcoming City Commission workshop with details posted online. find the full report here.

"The staff hopes the information contained in this report will help the City leaders and the general public understand the condition of St. Augustine's infrastructure and the many factors that impact long-term sustainability of these systems," according to the report.

Tall ship

touring

The el galeon Andalucia, the full-sized replica of a 16th century Spanish tall ship and signature element of St. Augustine's 450th anniversary, will remain here until mid-July.

A model of founder Pedro Menendez' flagship San Pelayo is expected to be presented to the city later this month.

The Andalucia in port is an exact replica of the famous galleons that played an important role in the creation and maintenance of the Spanish Empire.

Tours 10 am - 6 pm daily. Admission $15 adults; $10 children 5-12 and free for younger. Veterans and St. Johns County residents $2 discount.

Visit www.ElGaleon.org

Image: photographer snaps galleon's arrival here in December.

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Technical talk on

Fornells demolition

In the wake of loss of the 211 year old Fornells House on Hypolita Street when a misjudged wall caused its collapse, colonial building technology and construction safety planning will be presented to the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) in a special session at 1 pm tomorrow.

Building void The session, followed by the regular HARB meeting, is in the Alcazar Room at City Hall.

Herschel Shepard, FAIA Emeritus, Preservation Architect, will make the presentation, while City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt will discuss the Fornells House as an archaeological site.

The building underwent emergency demolition after contractor Len Weeks' team misjudged the foundation location beneath a wall while trenching to reinforce that foundation, causing the wall to collapse.

HARB will also discuss proposed changes to the Design Standards for Entry Corridors. Calls for modifications to meet modern demands have developed over the decade since the standards were enacted into the city code to maintain the historic character of San Marco Avenue, Anastasia Boulevard and King Street.

Dow Museum rehabilitation

goes to HARB tomorrow

The former Dow Museum of Houses goes before the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) tomorrow with designs for rehabilitation of the several houses and a request to demolish one - the tilting Carpenter's House.

The meeting begins at 2 pm in the Alcazar Room at City Hall.

Michael Conroy of Old Island Hotels, Inc. ran into concerns from the Old City South Neighborhood Association in January on the plan to convert the property into hotel suites.

Architect Don Crichlow, a former city commissioner, will describe planned rehabilitation, including changing roof material on eight buildings and reconstructing the curved porch on the Worcester House at 145 Cordova Street.

The Carpenter's House has long been closed due to its condition. It's believed it slid off its foundation, possibly in a hurricane in 1944.

Protecting performers

Mi Casa Caf�, noted for its loud music on St. George Street, goes before the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) tomorrow for approval of patio improvements including an awning and wood post system to cover the music performers.

The matter was continued from the board's December 18 meeting to develop an awning design acceptable to the board.

Easter 2015 - Promenade and Parade

This year is special - the 57th Annual Easter Parade in the 450th anniversary year of St. Augustine.

There's still time to sign up to be in the parade at 3 pm Easter Sunday, April 5, and have your unit or company announced from the reviewing stand on Avenida Menendez. You'll find the registration form here.

Thinking of a float? Cost for a day's rental will be about $1,200 with a wide selection at http://www.kipdingler.com/ but contact gardner@aug.com to order. We've got four floats so far and the more the less expensive - we hope.

Bands, cars, walking units - all are welcome to shine this special year.

Easter Promenade

The Easter Promenade at noon in the Plaza featured a giant bunny last year. This year, guess the number of rubber ducks - tricky because they're different sizes.

Categories for best dressed couple, man, woman and youngsters to win Easter baskets and prizes. Contact Joe and Jan Lavallee at jnjllee@hotmail.com to get registration details.

Look for the Royal Family at the Promenade and Parade. Contributions to keep America's only royal family thriving can be mailed to the nonprofit Easter Festival Committee at Easter Festival, P.O. Box 3631, St. Augustine, FL 32085.

Preservation Master Plan developing

In 1993 a group of civic leaders from many segments of the community participated in creating a "Vision Plan" for the next century. The preservation of the city's cultural resources constituted one of the "visions" to which a committee was assigned. ... It drafted a statement setting specific and general goals for the city to attain in the twenty-first century.

Report to the Task Force on Historic Preservation in St. Augustine, Florida, September 2006

"The City of St. Augustine is embarking on the development of a historic preservation master plan," Historic Preservation and Special Projects Planner Jenny Wolfe says.

"We set one of the first examples of how to do historic preservation when we first developed our preservation zoning districts and guidelines, and now it is time to honor our accomplishments and consider improvements that will prepare us for the next generation of preservation in our historic city."

The project will open March 2 with a speaker from the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions at a special meeting of the Historic Architectural Review Board. The session begins at 6 pm in the Alcazar Room at City Hall.

"Our speaker will present information on the purpose and goals of a preservation plan, recommend some goals based upon our unique environment, and suggest strategies for developing our preservation plan," says Jenny. "A second part of the speaker's commitment is to conduct an on-line survey to solicit public input and comments for the preservation plan which will be the starting point for a larger public involvement process that the City will implement as the next step."

Quotable

I totally dig the Colonial Quarter as a venue.

Kara Pound, Compass correspondent, St. Augustine Record, in mail to Folio Weekly on Justin Townes Earle and Cory Branan concert last November.

History's Highlight

Menendez' galleon among 1st

203 days to St. Augustine's 450th anniversary

Pedro Menendez' San Pelayo, a massive 650-ton galleon, was among the first ocean-going transports to be built as Spain turned its technology from smaller caravel exploratory ships in the first half of the 16th century to larger vessels for transporting goods, munitions, and settlers to and from the newly discovered Americas and trade routes to the Philippines and Asia.

Representation of early galleon

Miguel, a volunteer crewman and media guide aboard the 495-ton El Gale�n replica galleon docked at the Municipal Marina, noted El Gale�n's draft (depth below water line) is actually 10 feet - not 19 feet as some accounts report.

"The shallow draft was necessary because the galleons had to be able to sail up rivers to some Spanish ports," Miguel says.

Even this shallow draft would have been too much for Menendez' San Pelayo to navigate through St. Augustine's earliest inlet (Menendez instead offloaded San Pelayo's cargo to smaller craft and sent his flagship back to Hispaniola), but it was that very drawback that established St. Augustine.

Chuck Meide, director of the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program, noted comments recorded by a visitor in 1784: "It was Spanish wariness to fix the capital of a colony behind a sand-bank which cannot be crossed except at great peril."

Writes Meide in his Keeper's Blog: "Pedro Menendez was first and foremost a sailor, even an admiral. He was in charge of Spain's cross-Atlantic galleon convoy system and he certainly knew that the sand bar outside St. Augustine's inlet would prevent large ships from entering.

"... he knew that nothing could protect this nascent military port better than the inlet itself. Instead of changing his principle settlement to the deep-water port of Fort Caroline at modern-day Jacksonville, he chose to stay in St. Augustine. And that is why we are the oldest port in the nation!"

Image: 16th century galleon used as part of research by the Maritime Museum of Asturias to produce 1:30 scale models of the San Pelayo for Menendez' birthplace, Aviles, and for St. Augustine.

St. Augustine Bedtime Stories include Menendez among dramatic accounts of famous people and events in St. Augustine's history - in booklets designed for quick reads before bed. Information here.

Click to order St. Augustine Bedtime Stories through Paypal.

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 a former newspaper reporter and editor. Contact the Report at gardner@aug.com or gardnerstaug@yahoo.com