Posts tagged access
Major transportation study budgeted for city
May 16th
In budgeting funds, the NFTPO described the study’s purpose as a way to “develop an overall transportation plan, incorporating developments over the past 20 years as well as future potential developments such as pedestrian, bicycling, transit and rail improvement needs to be developed for all modes of transportation in and around the city.” The study is scheduled to be completed in June 2013.
“The city is very fortunate to have received this support and especially at this time,” said Sikes-Kline, who represents the City of St. Augustine on the NFTPO. “This will fund an independent consultant with a fresh set of eyes to look at transportation to and through our city, and then evaluate what we have and speculate on what we might have. It’s a great opportunity, and one we could not afford without the TPO’s assistance.”
The NFTPO pointed out that the millions of visitors who access downtown each year do so via three “constrained roadways,” being King St., San Marco Ave., and the Bridge of Lions adding “Getting visitors into and out of the downtown historic district is challenging.” The NFTPO further identifies the city’s anticipated increase in visitors because of the current multi-year 450th Commemoration, a point emphasized by Commissioner Sikes-Kline.
“The TPO recognized that the 450th Commemoration will impact all types of traffic that moves through our historic districts including motorized, non-motorized and pedestrian traffic. This study will identify what might be done to meet those unique needs,” said Sikes-Kline. “Success with this funding has two parts: because the city has a representative on the TPO, we were aware of the opportunity, and the request was filed because of the work of the city’s Planning and Building Department under Mark Knight’s direction.”
“This is a big deal,” said City Manager John Regan. “Securing funds for a study like this is the necessary first step towards any broad based, long-term changes that will improve traffic in St. Augustine. We should thank Commissioner Sikes-Kline and Planning and Building Director Mark Knight for their diligent pursuit of this support. The payoff for the entire community will be big.”
For more information on the work of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, visit www.northfloridatpo.com. For more information on this grant, call the Planning and Building Department at 904.825.1065.
Source: Paul Williamson, City of St. Augustine Department of Public Affairs
Best 5 Fishing Piers in the St. Augustine, Florida, Area
May 1st
Ocean Pier in St. Johns County
The St. Johns County Ocean Pier is located off A1A in St. Augustine Beach. It is such a great fishing spot, that I don’t mind forking over the $1.50 daily pass fee. You can grab extra bait and tackle onsite as well as sundries. Parking is free and public restrooms are available onsite. It usually opens daily from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sometimes the stairs leading to the pier gets closed due to beach erosion, so you may want to verify that it is open before you head out.
Vilano Fishing Pier
The Vilano Fishing Pier is located on Vilano Road in St. Augustine. One of the best things about the pier is that there is no admission fee. It also tends to open daily. The fishing pier is over 600 feet long and public restrooms are onsite.
Vaill Point Park Fishing Pier
Vaill Point Park is located on Vaill Point Road in St. Augustine. It provides access to both the Intracoastal Waterway and Moultrie Creek. In addition to the fishing pier, the park affords anglers the shade of a covered pavilion as well as public restrooms and barbecue grills.
St. Augustine Lighthouse Park Fishing Pier
The St. Augustine Lighthouse Park is located on Ocean Vista Avenue in St. Augustine. It is over 100 feet long, affords access to Salt Run and features a boat ramp that is a popular launch site for kayakers. Anglers interested in checking out the tidal information for the area around the fishing pier should look for Station 8720576 on the NOAA website. The pier typically opens daily.
Shands Fishing Pier
The Shands Fishing Pier is located off State Road 13 in St. Augustine. It is over 1,000 feet long, free to access and is well maintained. The pier is just north of the Shands Bridge and the fishing action near the pilings at tide change is hard to beat. There are ample benches to park your keester. Anglers looking to check the water quality around the pier will find a host of data available through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s website. The pier generally opens each day.
Killeen Gonzalez enjoys summer sports and recreation with her family. She has also traveled extensively.
News & Notes from City of St. Augustine April 13, 2012
Apr 17th
The Old City Crit, a series of bicycle races, will be held in downtown St. Augustine on the morning of Saturday, April 14, necessitating the closing of several streets and detouring of traffic. The race course will run along Cathedral Pl., then north on Cordova, west on Valencia St., south on Seville St., east on King St., north on the loop around the Ponce de Leon statue returning to Cathedral Pl. There will be several races starting at 6:00am and continuing until approximately 11:00am. Parking along all of these streets will be strictly prohibited. For additional information, visit www.velofest.org.
Don’t miss tomorrow’s A Day in the Colonial Market
What has been called the newest “old” shopping experience in St. Augustine is rapidly catching on as one of the community’s most unique places and ways to shop for some of the city’s most unique items. A Day at the Colonial Market features local artisans, weavers, jewelers, farmers, theatre troupes, musicians, and everything in between nestled against a backdrop like no other in the city, the Colonial Spanish Quarter. And shoppers may want to bring their cameras for watching the activity of the market is as much fun as shopping. Mark your calendar now for Saturday, April 14 from 10:00am until 4:00pm. Admission is free, but donation of a dollar per person is suggested and appreciated. For parking information, visit www.vicparking.com.
Parking facility just got a lot greener
The city’s parking facility at the Visitors Information Center is not only a very popular place to park, averaging nearly 1,000 cars a day last year, but now it is a much greener place to operate. On this week’s edition of The Break Room, Todd Grant, Deputy Public Works Director, shares with host Paul Wiliamson some of the innovative energy saving programs now in place at the parking facility. The Break Room is heard on WFCF/88.5, Flagler College radio, on Wednesdays at 5:30pm and Saturdays at 8:00am. To listen immediately to this week’s program click here and visit www.breakroom.info to listen to past programs.
Concerts in the Plaza 2012 schedule announced
Concerts in the Plaza St. Augustine’s weekly free concert series, that has been called “the best way to spend a Thursday night in St. Augustine,” has released the line-up for its 2012 season. This will be the 22nd year for the series which starts with an afternoon performance on Memorial Day and continues all summer long on Thursdays at 7:00pm and concludes on Labor Day with another afternoon performance. For more information click here for the schedule announcement or here for an easy to print schedule. You may also visit www.plazaconcerts.com.
Proper disposal of medications is goal of Drug Take Back Initiative
The St. Augustine Police Department is hosting a Drug Take Back Initiative on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00am until 2:00pm at the police department, 151 King St. This is an opportunity for the public to voluntarily surrender expired, unwanted or unused pharmaceutically controlled substances and other medications to law enforcement for destruction. Often, medications languish in the home becoming susceptible to misuse or abuse, and flushing medications down the toilet or throwing them in the trash can pose both safety and environmental hazards. The public is encouraged to take advantage of this easy way to safely and properly dispose of medications that are no longer needed. For more information, call 904.209.3456.
450th email update keeps community in the loop
St. Augustine 450th Commemoration monthly e-mail update is a must for anyone interested in this significant anniversary. The update includes feature information on projects and events, reports on the day-to-day work planning the commemoration, and information on opportunities to become involved. The April edition has been distributed, but it’s not too late to have your name added as a subscriber by sending an email to jzuberer@citystaug.com.
Hydrant flow testing set for area east of San Marco Ave.
The St. Augustine Fire Department will be flow testing hydrants in the area on the east side of San Marco Ave. between Castillo Dr. and May St. during the week of April 16. These areas will be tested starting at 1:00pm and lasting approximately 2.5 hours. As always, the department works diligently to alert businesses with heavy water usage, such as restaurants or hotels, of testing in their area. The department has expressed its appreciation for the cooperative spirit the community has shown during these important equipment tests in recent weeks. Please call the department with any questions or concerns at 904.825.1098. For an explanation of the importance of these tests, click here.
Lighthouse Boat Ramp site for dredging off load
Temporary use will not affect public access
The Lighthouse Boat Ramp is currently being used to off load spoil material from a dredging project at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina, but the work will not affect public access at the ramp. The project is expected to involve less than half a dozen trucks per day hauling material, will access the ramp via Red Cox Drive and be active only on weekdays. If you have any questions, please call the St. Augustine Municipal Marina at 904.825.1026.
City Agendas
The Historic Architectural Review Board meets on Thursday, April 19 at 2:00pm. The agenda is available here.
The agenda for the City Commission’s next regular meeting, Monday, April 23, will be posted here when available.
The Planning and Zoning Board meets on Tuesday, May 1 at 2:00pm. The agenda is available here.
Agendas and minutes for all city meetings can be found at www.staugustinegovernment.com with a schedule of upcoming meetings listed under City Calendar. City Commission meetings are broadcast live via GTV (Comcast Channel 3 in St. Augustine) each second and fourth Monday at 5:00pm. Commission meetings are also recorded and rebroadcast as are Planning and Zoning Board and Historic Architectural Review Board meetings. For a current schedule of all programming on GTV, click here.
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