Published by former Mayor George Gardner April 20 2016
The Report is an independent publication serving our community
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Full HARB agenda tomorrow
Plans from dressing up the exterior of the 93 year old Sons of Israel synagogue to replacement of the historic Milltop Tavern go before the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) tomorrow.
They're part of a full agenda that includes requests to demolish a two-story building at 32 Granada Street opposite the Lightner Museum, as well as a building on the Old Jail property, and a request for an Opinion of Appropriateness for a ticket booth for the Colonial Quarter.
The meeting begins at 1 pm in the Alcazar Room at City Hall.
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Full HARB agenda tomorrow
Plans from dressing up the exterior of the 93 year old Sons of Israel synagogue to replacement of the historic Milltop go before the Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) tomorrow.
They're part of a full agenda that includes requests to demolish a two-story building at 32 Granada Street opposite the Lightner Museum, as well as a building on the Old Jail property, and a request for an Opinion of Appropriateness for a ticket booth for the Colonial Quarter.
The meeting begins at 1 pm in the Alcazar Room at City Hall.
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Flagler's Abare
to retire in 2017
Flagler President William Abare Jr. will retire next year after 45 years with the college, the last 15 at its helm.
The amiable, soft-spoken president weathered many storms caught in a vice between growing college needs and community backlash, a bellwether the construction of a communications complex in a historic preservation zone at Cordova and Cuna streets.
Of his retirement in June 2017, Abare said, ""I'm not really ready to retire. ... I'm sure there will be some questions because of that (but) there comes a time in every presidency when it's just time to step down."
A national consultant will assist in the search for a new president.
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 Milltop replication
The replacement plan for the iconic Milltop Tavern and Grist Mill Gift Shop on St. George Street reflects the original 1888 design, complete with water wheel.
HARB had previously approved partial demolition, but interior renovations uncovered extensive framing and foundation deterioration - to the extent that City Manager John Regan waived a 30-day waiting period for immediate demolition.
Granada Street home
 John Arbizzani will visit HARB for the second time to ask demolition of 32 Granada Street, an 1899 two-story home. HARB approved demolition of the adjacent 34 Granada Street last month. Arbizzani owns three lots along Grenada, including a current city-metered parking lot at Grenada and Cedar Street. "I want to build a single family residence for myself and my wife," he told the board last month.
The board called for more detail after its staff suggested Arbizzani could consider moving the building or taking advantage of zoning code and tax incentives for restoration. The staff report also asked for proof of economic hardship and consideration of salvaging architectural elements.
Arbizzani made agreement with the city to create a temporary adjacent parking lot years ago after demolishing the Bass Cab building on that site.
American Legion Hall
American Legion Post #37 on the bayfront will seek a Certificate of Appropriateness for a reduced patio area paved with brick and coquina concrete and the addition of exterior lighting.
Old Jail building
The Authentic Old Jail on San Marco Avenue will ask to demolish a building that is located in the interior of the property, constructed ca. 1948.
Colonial Quarter booth
The Colonial Quarter will ask for an Opinion of Appropriateness to construct a free-standing ticket booth, and wood deck, as well as adding windows and doors, and installing mechanical equipment and screening elements at various locations on the property.
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Bold Lion and St. Augustine
 Lincoln's Bold Lion: The Life and Times of Brigadier General Martin Davis Hardin are recaptured at 7 pm tonight at the Mission Nombre de Dios Museum on San Marco Avenue as author James Huffstodt, in period dress as a Hardin associate, recalls his life during a visit to Tallahassee following the general's 1923 funeral in St. Augustine.
The Catholic Church and St. Augustine connection? He was a 40-year winter resident of St. Augustine and lies here in the National Cemetery . His widow, Amelia Hardin, refurbished and dedicated the historic chapel of Our Lady of La Leche to his memory in 1925, and his step-brother, Father Clarence Walworth of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was a missionary priest, author and donor of the sun dial on the front wall of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Admission is free. For more information, call (904) 824-2809. Copies of James Huffstodt's book will be available for sale following the program.
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Looking to curb cut-through traffic
We're still working on what we think would be in the best public interest.
City Manager John Regan at public session on
cut-through traffic in the Nelmar Terrace neighborhood
Some Nelmar Terrace residents want May Street entrances into the Nelmar Terrace neighborhood at Douglas and Magnolia avenues closed, some Vilano Beach residents believe the proposal would add to their wait times in crossing the bridge, and city officials are exploring other options.
The cutoff proposal was discussed last week at a public session in Nelmar Terrace.
City surveys found the neighborhood during peak traffic times on weekdays is getting about one car a minute cutting through from May Street.
City Manager John Regan told the gathering Nelmar Terrace is not alone; drivers also cut through the Davis Shores neighborhood to avoid congestion to the Bridge of Lions.
Solutions are a work in progress.
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Region celebrates Earth Day
From a Bartram Bash in Switzerland to the 27th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, the region is gearing up for Earth Day this weekend.
Celebrate Earth Day at Anastasia State Park - 4-7 pm Friday presents ways to give back and get involved, with free s'mores and hot dogs while learning fun facts about the ecosystem and local environment. Meet at the Sea Turtle Pavilion near Island Beach Grill in the beach parking lot. Park admission $8 per vehicle, $4 single-occupant vehicle, $2 pedestrian, bicyclist or extra passenger. www.floridastateparks.org/park/anastasia
Fort Matanzas National Monument's shoreline clean-up - 9 am-noon Saturday. "We will be taking one of the park ferry boats to Rattlesnake Island, where the watchtower is located, and picking up trash in areas that are not generally accessible to the public," park rangers say. "Bring sunscreen, a hat, closed-toed shoes, and your own reusable water bottle." Call 904-829-6506 ext. 233 or email Jill_Leverett@nps.gov no later than tomorrow.
Bartram Bash - 9 am-4 pm, St. Johns County Parks and Recreation hosts the 12th Annual Bartram Bash at Alpine Groves Park. An environmentally themed birthday celebration for William Bartram, the first American born naturalist. The event features guest speakers, food trucks and 20+ environmentally themed booths. www.sjcfl.us/Recreation
27th Anniversary Earth Day Celebration - 10 am-4 pm,Washington Oaks Gardens State Park hosts live entertainment, environmental groups and arts and crafts related to the environment. Prize drawings, plenty of food for purchase, plant sale, and environmental experiences for the children. Park admission for Earth Day is $5 per car. 6400 N. Oceanshore Blvd., Palm Coast. www.floridastateparks.org/park/washington-oaks
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History's Highlight
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This is the first of two Highlights featuring Little-known Stories, from the Imagining la Florida exhibition in Tallahassee two years ago and available online.
A Sixteenth-Century Waterboarding
 In the fall of 1597, Guale Indians murdered five Franciscan friars and took a sixth captive. Florida's governor captured seven young Guale boys, one named Lucas. Convinced of Lucas´s involvement in the murders, St. Augustine´s governor ordered his torture. An Indian translator described the torment: "Lucas is to be put to the rack, with his feet and hands bound. Two garrotes are to be tightened around each leg, one over the thigh and the other around the calf, just below the knee...four cuartillos of water are to be poured into his mouth and nose, over a thin piece of cloth placed inside Lucas's mouth..." Lucas confessed to witnessing one of the friar's murders but denied any participation; the following day Lucas was paraded through the streets of St. Augustine and hanged at its military garrison. Two Englishmen in Florida conquest Before its arrival in Florida in 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés's fleet stopped in Puerto Rico to gather reinforcements. Among the new recruits were ten recently-captured Englishmen. These Englishmen helped Menéndez expel the French from Florida. What happened to them after that? At least two of them returned to Puerto Rico where they were arrested and sent to Seville. Imprisoned in the Casa de la Contratación, accused of heresy and illegal slave trading, Tomás Juan and Tomás Cuper embarked on a lengthy legal campaign and eventually secured their freedom. Early Theater in South Florida. Jesuit Lay Brother Francisco Villareal served in the Florida mission field for six years, from 1566-1572. In 1567, Villareal directed two "comedias" or plays to help him communicate the Christian doctrine to the Tequesta Indians of present-day Miami, Florida. His letter documenting the plays is the first written record of a theatrical performance in North America. Image: The water torture, Praxis Criminalium, Bayerische Staats Bibliothek Digital, München.
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History's Highlight
|
This is the first of two Highlights featuring Little-known Stories, from the Imagining la Florida exhibition in Tallahassee two years ago and available online.
A Sixteenth-Century Waterboarding
In the fall of 1597, Guale Indians murdered five Franciscan friars and took a sixth captive. Florida's governor captured seven young Guale boys, one named Lucas. Convinced of Lucas´s involvement in the murders, St. Augustine´s governor ordered his torture. An Indian translator described the torment: "Lucas is to be put to the rack, with his feet and hands bound. Two garrotes are to be tightened around each leg, one over the thigh and the other around the calf, just below the knee...four cuartillos of water are to be poured into his mouth and nose, over a thin piece of cloth placed inside Lucas's mouth..." Lucas confessed to witnessing one of the friar's murders but denied any participation; the following day Lucas was paraded through the streets of St. Augustine and hanged at its military garrison. Two Englishmen in Florida conquest Before its arrival in Florida in 1565, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés's fleet stopped in Puerto Rico to gather reinforcements. Among the new recruits were ten recently-captured Englishmen. These Englishmen helped Menéndez expel the French from Florida. What happened to them after that? At least two of them returned to Puerto Rico where they were arrested and sent to Seville. Imprisoned in the Casa de la Contratación, accused of heresy and illegal slave trading, Tomás Juan and Tomás Cuper embarked on a lengthy legal campaign and eventually secured their freedom. Early Theater in South Florida. Jesuit Lay Brother Francisco Villareal served in the Florida mission field for six years, from 1566-1572. In 1567, Villareal directed two "comedias" or plays to help him communicate the Christian doctrine to the Tequesta Indians of present-day Miami, Florida. His letter documenting the plays is the first written record of a theatrical performance in North America. Image: The water torture, Praxis Criminalium, Bayerische Staats Bibliothek Digital, München.
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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 a former newspaper reporter and editor. Contact the Report at gardner@aug.com or gardnerstaug@yahoo.com
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