St Augustine Channel 1

Public meeting set for October 1 to outline Lighthouse Park water main work

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 after January 1 will start 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.

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.

Topic on this week’s The Break Room: 450th Update

Dana Ste. Claire, Development Director for the city’s 450th Commemoration, visits The Break Room this week and offers an update on upcoming events related to the commemoration with specific details on the upcoming meeting on October 1 (see above).

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.

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 students in 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.

Waterline repairs necessitate Bridge of Lions closure

Overnight closing set for Tuesday and Wednesday nights, October 9 & 10
The Bridge of Lions will be closed for extended periods overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 9 and 10 to allow necessary water line repairs under the roadway at the base at the western approach to the bridge.

On Tuesday night, October 9, only one lane of traffic will be closed with vehicles allowed to cross in alternating directions. On Wednesday night, October 10, the bridge will be closed to traffic in both directions. The duration of the lane closures on both nights is from 9:00pm until 6:00am the following morning.

The closing schedule is:
— Tuesday, October 9 from 9:00pm until 6:00am on Wednesday, October 10: One lane of traffic will be open in
alternating directions.
— Wednesday, October 10 from 9:00pm until 6:00am on Thursday, October 11: Both lanes will be closed to all traffic in both directions.

For more information, call the Public Works Department at 904.825.1040.

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.

Not too early to Get Ready to Vote!

October 9 last day to register to vote.

As a reminder – October 9th is the last day to register to vote for the General Election. Voter registration applications are available on the St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections Office website at www.votesjc.com. 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.

Voters who are uncertain of their registration status should visit the Supervisor of Elections website and click on “Voter Lookup” to verify your record. You may also call the Elections Office at 904.823.2238.

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.

Nights of Lights is just 49 days away…are your ready?

19th season begins with Light-Up! Night on November 17
Seen your neighbors checking their holiday lights? Seem a little early? Not really when you consider that the 19th season of Nights of Lights is only seven weeks away.

Recognized as one of the Southeast’s major seasonal events, Nights of Lights has brought holiday excitement to the Nation’s Oldest City annually since 1994. The 10-week long event begins each year with a simple flip of a switch on the Saturday before Thanksgiving known as Light-Up! Night. To read about last year’s opening night, click here.

Don’t be “left in the dark” when the Nation’s Oldest City is transformed into an enchanted city of light. For guidelines to participate in the Nights of Lights by adding displays to property in the city’s historic districts, click here.

For visitor information including dining, shopping, lodging, attractions, and tours, during the ten weeks of Nights of Lights, contact St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra on Florida’s Historic Coast by calling 800.653.2489 or visiting www.nightsoflights.com.
Agendas

Planning and Zoning Board meets on October 2. The agenda is available here.
City Commission meets on October 8. When available the agenda will be posted here.
The Code Enforcement, Appeals and Adjustment Board meets on October 9. The agenda is available here.
The Historic Architectural Review Board’s October meeting date has been rescheduled from October 18 until October 30. When available, the agenda will be posted here.

All agenda, minutes and GTV info

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.

Source: City of St. Augustine