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   Published by former Mayor George Gardner          June 8 2016
  
 
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Drake's Raid
Litlejohn, big task
 
Trio of meets open mobility planning
   City officials are in all-out mode to get the community involved in their mobility effort and deflect criticism as that effort begins.
   "The effort to address mobility begins with three events, one each on Wednesday through Friday, June 8, 9 and 10, and the public is encouraged to be a part of it all," a press release says.
   All of the public meetings take place in The Alcazar Room at City Hall.
   "The most interactive part of the three days will be on the open house set for Thursday, June 9 from 9 am-5 pm. Engineers, planners, landscape architects, and traffic experts with a variety of specialties will be on hand to listen to the community's suggestions, answer questions about traffic management, and readily explain how the process of developing a master plan works."
   Prominent in that all-day session will be Littlejohn Engineering Associates, hired for $108,219.18 for the first phase of work on a mobility plan "to comprehensively address St. Augustine's traffic issues."
   Officials urge residents "to complete a brief survey, just seven questions, about personal mobility issues and habits." Take the survey here, and find mobility updates here.
Castillo art
America's Parks opening reception 
   The St. Johns Cultural Council will host the opening reception of "America's Parks, Celebrating 100 years of National Parks Thursday, June 9, 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Lightner Museum.
   Featuring 50 original artworks inspired by Nature and the Wild, artists from throughout the United States have created works in all media focusing on the beauty and diversity of the nation's great outdoors.
   Also featured will be 18 original works from the Council's recent Find Your Park Plein Air event in partnership with the National Park Service Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas.
   Tickets $50 person, $90 for two, here
Shaver mobility adv

Valdes congestion
Trolley adv
Click for Hometown Pass

Shoar adv

Shaver adv
Visit the mayor's website

Bedtime adv
'... unintended consequences' ?
   The city's mobility planning was getting community response even before its all-out media blitz for community participation in this week's mobility meetings.
   "The City Commission's recent resolution on festivals and parades is a questionable first step at addressing the growing demand on the City, its residents and the critical economic benefits our home town derive from visitors," Romanza President Albert Syeles emailed city commissioners.
   "Be careful about unintended consequences.
   "Especially ill-conceived is the requirement for festivals to satellite-park vendors and volunteers," he wrote.                "Vendors and volunteers are few in number, and tend to come early and leave late. So that doesn't really help. It just hurts the nonprofits.
   "The City should first try it and perfect it themselves on this scale before forcing such an experimental burden on nonprofits."
  Commissioner Todd Neville responded, "We appreciate what festivals bring to our community and we understand your concerns. This is one of the main reasons the resolution is for a two year period.
   "We will reassess at that time if it does not meet the needs of the stakeholders."
Netherlands parking
From cannon to kitchen
   Fort Matanzas National Monument has ceased its cannon firings to "search for more volunteers to allow us to have a full and safe cannon crew so that we can plan more events there in the future," says Steve Roberts, Chief of Interpretation & Education for the Castillo de San Marcos & Fort Matanzas National Monuments.
   But explorations into our colonial roots will continue July 23 with the program, Cultural Influences in the Spanish Colonial Kitchen, 10 am - 3 pm.
   Reenactment Spanish colonial women will demonstrate how foods from three different cultures - Native American, African, and Spanish - combined to create a unique new cuisine in 1740s colonial Spanish Florida.
   A short tour of the Fort and a discussion of its role as protector of St. Augustine's southern approach are included. The event and park tour are free.
Visit the website.
 
Archaeology and
the Lighthouse
Archaeology Lighthouse    The Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) presents Investigating a Light Station teacher training workshop at the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum Saturday, June 18, 9 am - 5 pm with optional tours Sunday, June 19, 10 am - 2 pm.
   The program offers fundamental archaeological skills, what archaeology can tell us about life at a light station, and how archaeology can enhance learning opportunities in math, science, art and more.
   All types of educators are welcome. Contact Emily Jane emurray@flagler.edu or 903-392-7874.
Restaurant to replace Quarter gift shop
restaurant    A restaurant will replace the Colonial Quarter gift shop on St. George Street under current plans of Pat Croce & Company, operating the Colonial Quarter for the University of Florida.
   Jeff Sorg, company chief operating officer and son-in-law of Pat Croce, told the Historic Architectural Review Board last month, "There used to be a restaurant in that space. The retail shop does not contribute in a meaningful, positive way to the Colonial Quarter experience, in our estimation.
   "We feel that a restaurant there will improve the quality of the Colonial Quarter, will improve the amount of guests that come into the property, and will have a positive impact overall on the Colonial Quarter mission and vision."   
   The Colonial Quarter currently operates two other restaurants along this section of St. George Street - the Bull & Crown and Taberna del Caballo. 

Drake area a pool
History's Highlight
The Spanish Treasure Fleets
   The second of two parts of an account by the late Frank Suddeth, Castillo de San Marcos living history interpreter
   Most of the treasure from the Spanish colonies in the Americas was transported across the Atlantic in these large fleets, but occasionally single, well-armed ships made the run, and in the eighteenth century it became more common to use very large ships, or Navios. These often brought home to Spain the bullion from the Peruvian mines by way of Cape Horn.
Treasure fleet    The first rules specified that no ships under 100 tons were to accompany the convoys, and provided for two sailings each year - one in March and one in September from Spain. Once in the Caribbean, the ships separated into two fleets, one bound for the north coast of South America and the other for New Spain, or Mexico.
   A large warship accompanied the convoy as far as Puerto Rico in the Caribbean and then, using Havana Cuba as a base, cruised the islands for pirates. Returning merchantmen assembled at Havana and sailed for Spain in convoy, while another separate fleet sailed independently from San Domingo, which lay well to windward of Havana.
   After a brief experiment in 1552, when it was proposed to arm the merchant ships enough to withstand the attacks of pirates, the treasure convoys began to take the form they were to develop and maintain for the next three centuries.
   Thus the wealth of the New World quickly crossed the Atlantic and spread throughout Europe, where it was enthusiastically welcomed by monarchs building nation-states and merchants establishing trade ties to the Orient. Soon the Spanish treasure fleets became the means for Spain to become the greatest power in the world, creating a truly global economy.
   However, Spain lacked the resources and knowledge to retain control. The glittering stream of wealth from the New World became an irresistible temptation to other European powers and adventurers such as England's Sir Francis Drake began successful attacks on the seaports and ships of the treasure fleets.
   Storms and deadly Florida reefs claimed countless other ships as well as their crews. By the early 1700s Spain had lost its monopoly on world trade, and other countries were laying claim to colonies in the New World. Tales of fabulous Spanish treasure continue to fascinate us to this day.
   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