Posts tagged Salt Run

More recycling will make St. Augustine Cleaner & Greener

Watch for new additional recycle bin arriving week of September 24
If, as a resident of St. Augustine, you recycle, chances are you are not recycling as much material as you could. Most everyone is certain they can place newspapers, glass and cans in their recycling bin, but those are just a few of the items welcomed.
The city and its contractor, Advanced Disposal, are launching the Make St. Augustine Cleaner & Greener campaign to encourage residents to recycle and thus increase the amount of recycled material collected. But, with increased recycling comes the need for increased capacity, so a second bin is being provided, free of charge, to every one of the city’s more than 4,600 customers. Bins currently used throughout the city are 18-gallon capacity, as will be the additional one. The new bins will be delivered the week of September 24-28.
For an up to date list of what is and what is not accepted for recycling, and a map illustrating the collection schedule, visit www.StAugRecycle.info, and watch for your additional recycle bin the last week of September.

Cleaner & Greener St. Aug is topic on this week’s The Break Room

Rick Stevens, Manager of the city’s Solid Waste and Sanitation Division, stopped by The Break Room this week to discuss, among other topics, the enhanced effort to increase city residents’ participation in recycling, including the delivery of an additional collection bin to all homes next week. The goal: to make a Cleaner & Greener St. Augustine.
Each week the friendly and informative style of The Break Room offers the community an opportunity to know a little more about how their city works by getting to know those who do the work every day. The Break Room airs Wednesdays at 5:30pm and Saturdays at 8:00am, and each program is archived at www.breakroom.info as podcasts available for download anytime. To listen to this week’s program immediately, click here.

Interested in Florida’s 500th & St. Augustine’s 450th?

Then save the date: Monday, October 1
Two lead organizations working on two very significant upcoming commemorations will meet together in St. Augustine to advance the planning for both events.

Viva Florida 500 will hold a statewide summit in preparation for the 500th anniversary of the founding of Florida by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 jointly with the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration on October 1.
Secretary of State Ken Detzner, Department of State representatives, and representatives from the Governor’s Office are scheduled to attend. Also attending will be the Consul Generals of Spain, Britain and France and members of the 450th Commemoration Federal Commission, including Chairman Jay Kislak and Ambassador Andrew Young.
The program will feature a morning session with officials and dignitaries speaking, and an afternoon educational forum with speakers from Visit Florida, Florida universities, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection/Division of Recreation and Parks, and other organizations, all designed to assist organizations in the development and marketing of its 500th and 450th event.
For more information, call the 450th Commemoration office at 904.825.1053.
The community is encouraged to attend this unique opportunity to be on the front seat of some very exciting planning and idea sharing. All sessions will be held at Flagler College’s Lewis Auditorium from 10:00am until 3:00pm with a break for lunch.

Commission sets 450th workshop

The City Commission has scheduled a workshop to discuss the 450th Commemoration on Wednesday, September 26 starting at 8:30am. The workshop, open to the public, will be held in The Alcazar Room, City Hall, 75 King Street.

Lighthouse Park area next on the list for new water mains

Public meeting set for October 1 to outline project aimed at eliminating “red water”

A long awaited water main replacement project will finally get underway in a portion of Lighthouse Park starting in early November. The project, set to be completed before March 1, will replace aging, cast iron pipes, often the source of “red water,” because of the corrosive nature of the pipes.
A public meeting regarding the project will be held on Monday, October 1 starting at 6:00pm in The Alcazar Room, City Hall, 75 King Street. In particular, residents and businesses in the affected area are invited to attend so as to learn details of the project from staff and representatives of the contractor and to be able to ask questions.
Pipes to be replaced run along five streets, Lighthouse Ave., Magnolia Dr., White St., Carver St., and Red Cox Dr., and yet at no time will these streets be closed to traffic because of a hybrid technology incorporating both directional drilling and “pipe bursting,” where a new pipe is literally forced into the space of the old pipe. These methods will nearly eliminate “open cuts” in the street.
While access to and from property will not be an issue for residents and businesses, there will be sporadic periods of water outages, but those too will be at a minimum. Water will have to be shut-off for approximately 45 minutes when old water meters are replaced with new ones. In each of those instances, property owners will be notified of the shut off.
This project is funded through the 2011 Capital Improvements Bond. In addition to the Lighthouse project, water main replacements are currently underway in Lincolnville and will start after the first of the year work on Palmer St. and in areas in north city including Joiner St., Water St. and others. Projects funded by the bond that have been completed are the replacement of two pump stations, Phase I of the Riberia St. Reconstruction project, a new force main across the San Sebastian River, and water mains in Davis Shores, and along N. Park Ave. All total, the investment in water main replacement this fiscal year is approximately $1.2 million dollars.
For more information or to have questions addressed, contact Marcus Pinson, Public Works Department, at 904.825.1040.

Major traffic change for US 1 northbound at the San Sebastian River Bridge
Lane shift set for Thursday, September 27

Motorists traveling northbound on US 1 will begin using the new bridge over the San Sebastian River between Saragossa St. and King St. by 7:00am, Thursday, September 27. Immediately following the northbound traffic shift, direct access to US 1 from Almeria St. will be closed for reconstruction for approximately one month.
In addition, US 1 will be completely closed between King St. and Malaga St. Thursday and Friday, September 26 and 27, from 10:00pm to 5:00am to allow for relocation of construction equipment and materials. Motorists detouring off of US 1 during those hours will use King St. and Malaga St. as alternate routes.
Southbound traffic began using the new bridge August 24. Once northbound traffic is shifted, the remainder of the bridge built in 1960 will be removed. Construction will then move forward on installing foundations and completing the entire east side of the bridge near St. Augustine’s main Fire Station.
The sidewalk along the bridge and the turn lane from southbound US 1 to eastbound King Street will remain closed until the project is completed in Spring 2013.
Bad weather may affect the scheduled traffic shift. Motorists are advised to use caution while traveling through the area during and after the shift as commuters and travelers adjust to the new traffic pattern.
For additional information visit www.northfloridaroads.com or contact Laurie Sanderson at 800.475.0044 or at Laurie.Sanderson@AtkinsGlobal.com. You may also follow FDOT on Twitter @MyFDOT_NEFL for the latest updates.

Dredging of St. Augustine Inlet flood shoal continues

Sand being relocated to beach in Anastasia Island State Park
Dredging continues this week on the $2.3 million dredging project in the St. Augustine Inlet that when completed will have removed approximately 162,000 cubic yards of beach quality sand from the flood shoal just north and south of the Vilano Bridge.
Set to be completed by November 1, the every four-to-five year project will remove sand to a depth of 12 feet and relocate it to the beach in Anastasia State Park via a submerged pipeline the length of Salt Run. The project, funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Florida Inland Navigation District, was awarded to Southwind Construction Corps. The dredging is set to be completed by October 15 with another two weeks needed to demobilize the operatiion.
The pipeline was placed as close to the eastern side of Salt Run as possible and includes two booster pump barges, one anchored at the north end of Salt Run, and the second barge located near the Lighthouse Park boat ramp. In order to complete the project within the aggressive schedule, the booster pumps are allowed to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information, contact the city’s General Services Department at 904.825.1010.

Still time to get tickets for the St Augustine Spanish Wine and Food Festival

Four-day event offers a variety of food & wine experiences

There is still time to secure tickets for the trio of events encompassing the inaugural St. Augustine Spanish Wine and Food Festival set for October 3-6. This is the first in a series of annual events honoring St. Augustine’s Spanish roots and will feature national and international wine and food experts including several winemakers from Spain.
Proceeds from the festival will benefit three local charities: Children’s Museum of St. Johns, Alzheimer’s Project of St. Johns County Council on Aging, and a new program aimed at educating homeless studentsin the culinary arts under the auspices of the First Coast Technical College.
The first event, on Wednesday, October 3, held at The Tasting Room and the second event on Thursday, October 4 held at Rhett’s Piano Bar and Brasserie, will feature exclusive wine tastings paired with authentic Spanish tapas. Each will feature instruction in wine pairing and a question and answer period. Each event is limited to 30 seats.
On Friday, October 5, the Festival moves to River House for an evening of Spanish music, dancing and a four-course Spanish dinner, accompanied by an assortment of fine Spanish wines, and authentic Flamenco guitars and dancers. The event is limited to 150 guests.
On Saturday, October 6, the Grand Tasting Event, held at the St. Augustine & St. Johns County Visitors Information Center, will start at 3:00pm offering three hours of sampling fine Spanish wines, light hors d’ oeuvres and tapas with each ticketed guest receiving a collector’s commemorative glass. This event is limited to 250 guests
Ticket reservations for Wednesday and Thursday nights’ events may be made directly with each establishment. Tickets for Friday and Saturday’s events are available at www.staugustinespanishwinefestival.com.
For more information about the St. Augustine Spanish Wine and Food Festival and other activities of the 450th Commemoration, visit www.staugustine-450.com or call 904.825.1053.

Opportunity to serve: Code Enforcement, Adjustments & Appeals Board

The City Commission is accepting applications to fill vacancies on the Code Enforcement, Adjustments & Appeals Board.

Interested individuals who reside within the city limits of the City of St. Augustine are invited to submit applications for this volunteer board. Applications are requested by Friday, November 30 with appointments tentatively scheduled for the City Commission meeting of Monday, December 10. For information concerning qualifications and applications please contact the City Clerk’s office at 825-1007. The application form is available on the city’s web site by clicking here.

September issue of 450th Commemoration newsletter a must read

Available free of charge, the e-newsletter is rich with news and links to resourses
The September issue of the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration newsletter is out and is a must read for anyone wanting to know anything about current activities, plans for future events, and how to be a part of all of it. Included in this issue are details on: the Spanish Wine & Food Festival coming to St. Augustine October 3-6, THE STORY of US Contest which is now in its final voting stages, the Viva Florida 500 Statewide Summit & Joint Meeting with St. Augustine 450th Commemoration, news about volunteers and much more.
To see the newsletter immediately, click here. For more information on the commemoration, visit its web site at staugustine-450.com and then to be sure not to miss a single bit of news, have your name added as a subscriber by sending an email to jzuberer@citystaug.com.

Not too early to Get Ready to Vote!

With just 46 days until Election Day, today is a good time to Get Ready to Vote!

Am I registered?

“Am I registered to vote? Is my voter information correct? Where do I vote?” Voters who are uncertain of the answers to any of these questions, should visit the Supervisor of Elections website and click on “Voter Lookup” to verify your record or call the Elections Office at 904.823.2238.
As a reminder – October 9th is the last day to register to vote for the General Election. Voter registration applications are available on the website. You must print out the application, sign and mail to the office. Applications must be postmarked by October 9th if you wish to vote in the General Election. You can also register to vote at any Driver’s License Office and any Public Library.

Looking for amendment info?

The November ballot will be long. There are 11 constitutional amendments, and for the first time the ballot will be a two-page, double-sided ballot. Information on the amendments is available by visiting the Supervisor of Elections website.
Lines at the Polls. Vote your 2-page ballot by mail
Since General Election ballots will be very long, some voters may find use of an absentee ballot preferable to going to the polls on Election Day. It’s important to note that absentee ballots ARE NOT forwardable, so the ballot will be returned to the Elections Office as undeliverable if your address on file is not current. All voted ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections Office no later than 7:00pm on Election Day. To request an absentee ballot, available to all registered voters, contact the Supervisor of Elections Office.

Agendas

City Commission meets on September 24. The agenda is available here.

Planning and Zoning Board meets on October 2. The agenda is available here.

All agenda, minutes and GTV info

Agendas and minutes for all city meetings can be found here 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.

Source: City of St. Augustine