Florida
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News from the City of St. Augustine
Oct 14th
Prevention message and this year’s theme, “Have 2 Ways Out,”
gets extra emphasis from St. Augustine Fire Department this month
For the last 90 years, the week in which October 9 falls has been designated as Fire Prevention Week, but for the St. Augustine Fire Department, what is nationally a week is locally a month. Taking advantage of the nation-wide emphasis on fire prevention in October each year, the St. Augustine Fire Department uses the themed month to educate the public on fire safety.
Much of that education takes place in the community’s elementary schools, pre-schools and daycare centers where fire personnel are greeted by an audience ready to listen and willing to learn. According to John Rayno, St. Augustine’s Fire Marshal and Assistant Fire Chief, having firefighters visit schools is a very effective way to get information into the home.
“For instance, we spend time talking about the importance of not just having smoke alarms, but taking the time to test them. After one of our visits, I’m sure there are parents being asked to check smoke alarms by students we met that day, and that’s good,” said Rayno in an interview on WFCF’s weekly program, The Break Room. To hear the entire interview, visit www.breakroom.info.
This year’s Fire Prevention Week’s theme is “Have 2 Ways Out,” focusing on the need for escape plans to incorporate two exits for each room. Taking stock of available exits is essential to every escape plan, whether for home or business, and those plans need to be well known and practiced.
While the month of October has an emphasis on prevention education, fire department personnel are ready to bring tailor made programming to civic associations, businesses, living facilities, churches and anywhere else a group wants to know more about fire prevention.
For more information about National Fire Prevention Week visit www.fpw.org. For more information about the St. Augustine Fire Department’s fire prevention programs contact the department at 904.825.1098.
See also this related story:
http://www.staugustinegovernment.com/the-city/featured-stories-archive/FirePrev.cfm
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City plants 23 trees in just two days
Live oaks, red cedars and magnolias replace trees
removed following tree assessment program
If it is true that any day is made better by the planting of a tree then last week the City of St. Augustine gave the community some great days by planting over 20 new trees in just a two-day period.
Most of the plantings are replacement trees for those that had to be removed following receipt of the results of a tree assessment that identified 15 trees in the city right-of-way that were deemed to be so far decayed as to be unsafe, commonly referred to as hazard trees. The inventory was made possible by an Urban and Community Forestry grant provided through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services which provided $6,000 that was matched by the city. The funds made possible the long overdue inventory and assessment of over 500 trees in the city rights-of-way and parks within the historic areas of St. Augustine.
The new trees included live oaks that were planted along the most northern section of San Marco Ave. and Vickers Field, magnolias planted on Riberia St. next to Francis Field and red cedars along Flagler Blvd. and at the Visitors Information Center.
The Urban and Community Forestry grant was used to retain the services of an International Society of Arboriculture Board Certified Arborist to provide the initial tree inventory baseline data which provides the basis for the development of an urban forestry management program. That program specifies recommended management practices, provides guidance for the City Manager and maintenance supervisor in allocation of tree maintenance resources, and documents the inventory and required maintenance.
For more information, contact the Public Works Department at 904.825.1040.
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Avenida Menendez crosswalk installation
necessitates lane closure
Traffic reduced to one lane in each direction
The installation of crosswalks at two locations on Avenida Menendez will necessitate the reduction of traffic to two lanes, one for northbound traffic and one for southbound, in two locations on two different occasions in coming weeks. The crosswalks at Fort Alley and Cuna Street, currently delineated with stamped asphalt to simulate brick, will be replaced with historic, authentic brick.
To accommodate the extensive work, Avenida Menendez will be reduced to two lane, two way traffic for a period of four days lasting from mid-day Sunday through Wednesday evening. At no time will Avenida Menendez be closed, but traffic will be slowed through the area during the work. The work is scheduled for:
• Fort Alley crosswalk installation: mid-day Sunday, October 21 through the evening of Wednesday, October 24.
• Cuna Street crosswalk installation: mid-day Sunday, October 28 through the evening of Wednesday, October 31.
The crosswalk installation is the final element of an extensive project that began in early February of this year and includes extensive pedestrian improvements along south Castillo Drive that have included the installation of new street lights, widening of sidewalks, and improved signalization for both pedestrians and vehicles. Funding for the project was secured by Congressman John Mica who, during a visit to St. Augustine, noticed the challenges pedestrians had in the congested area lying between popular St. George Street and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. He then set about seeking an appropriation to fund the changes needed to alleviate those challenges.
For more information, contact the Planning and Building Department at 904.825.1065.
Source: City of St. Augustine
Flagler College announces anniversary celebration to commemorate 125th anniversary of the Hotel Ponce de Leon
Oct 12th
January 10, 2013 marks the anniversary of the opening of the Ponce in 1888. The celebration will include events focusing on the architectural, artistic, recreational and sociological impact the hotel has had on modern society, as well as showcase its historic and architectural highlights.
In conjunction with “Celebrating the Legacy: 125 Years of the Hotel Ponce de Leon,” the college has taken on the final restoration of the hotel, the Solarium. The domed Solarium rises from the center of the building and is flanked by symmetrical roof terraces and twin towers that pierce the St. Augustine skyline. These dramatic outdoor spaces afford unparalleled views of the city, the nearby Intracoastal Waterway and Bridge of Lions, as well as the Atlantic Ocean.
The Solarium served as a place where hotel guests gathered for conversation, enjoyed entertainment or watched activities taking place in town. It has been closed for more than 20 years, and the restoration is expected to be completed in 2013.
The anniversary celebration will honor the legacy of Flagler’s entrepreneurship and community-building. The founding partner with John D. Rockefeller in Standard Oil, he launched a resort empire along Florida’s east coast with construction of the Ponce. The Spanish Renaissance Revival hotel incorporated the talents of New York architects John Carrere and Thomas Hastings (New York Public Library) and Bernard Maybeck (Palace of the Fine Arts, San Francisco), interiors and 79 stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, murals by George Maynard and steam power and electricity by Thomas Edison. The Ponce’s twin towers serve as an anchor to St. Augustine’s historic area.
“Celebrating the Legacy” will include: an opening day tour with period re-enactors leading guests through the Ponce on the same day the hotel first opened its doors; an exhibit of beautifully preserved original blueprints of the Ponce; a “Celebrating the Legacy” exhibit on the hotel’s construction, sports, leisure and arts; a community lecture series by Flagler professors; and a gilded age speaker series.
For more events and details about the celebration, go to www.ponce125.com
Source: Flagler College
Former film exec speaks to Flagler College audience
Oct 12th
Kirkpatrick began his lecture, entitled “Our Magic Kingdom and the Five Artists Who Shaped It,” with an impressive montage of some of the films he has been involved with over his career including Forrest Gump, Pretty Woman as well as the franchises of Indiana Jones, Star Trek, Beverly Hills Cop among others.
“Magic is interesting because it can change your universe,” said Kirkpatrick, who has won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe award as a producer, the latter of which he brought to pass around to the audience.
Kirkpatrick went on to discuss artists such as J. M. Barrie, J.K. Rowling, Lew Wallace, Jerry Siegel and George Lucas and how the group used magic to tell their stories and shape popular culture.
When his lecture ended, Kirkpatrick answered questions for the audience of Flagler students, faculty and staff and offered advice in the realms of acting, writing, directing and animation.
But his most interesting piece of advice breached an entirely different art form.
“Write a letter,” Kirkpatrick told the audience. “If you’re interested in working with someone, write them a letter. It’s a dying art and a wonderful way to get noticed.”
Kirkpatrick’s lecture in the Gamache-Koger auditorium in the Ringhaver Student Center was presented by the entertainment industry learning community of Flagler College.
Source: Flagler College