St. Johns County Offices and Garbage Collection Labor Day Hours

Sep 1st

Posted by St. Augustine Channel 1 in St Augustine Channel 1

All departments of the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners, St. Johns County Administrative offices, branches of the Public Library, and the Pet Center will be closed Monday, September 3 in observance of the Labor Day holiday. All offices will resume standard business hours on Tuesday, September 4.

*Garbage, recycling, and yard debris collection schedules for the week will not be affected.

Source: St. Johns County

Bloomberg editor to speak on 2012 election at Flagler College forum

Sep 1st

Posted by St. Augustine Channel 1 in St Augustine Channel 1

No comments

With November inching closer, the 2012 election race is beginning to reach its boiling point.

Mark Silva, deputy managing editor for government news at Bloomberg News in Washington, believes the race may come down to the wire with states such as Florida being the decision makers.

“Florida’s long-fought 2000 election is what decided that election,” said Silva, who will kick off Flagler College’s 2012 Forums on Government and Public Policy lecture series at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11 in the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College. “Florida again will be among a handful of states that determine the outcome this year.”

The topic of Silva’s talk will be “Election 2012: Too Close to Call?”

At Bloomberg since 2010, Silva oversees a team of reporters and editors covering the White House, Congress and the 2012 election campaign, as well as other agencies such as State, Defense, Justice and the Supreme Court.

According to Silva, the upcoming election will be close despite playing out against the backdrop of a struggling economy and more than three years of unemployment running at over 8 percent.

“Presidents have not typically been reelected in modern times with that much unemployment,” said Silva. “Yet President Barack Obama enjoys a high degree of personal popularity — the public’s favorable view of him exceeding the job approval ratings he gets. At the same time, Romney is a disciplined and also well-financed candidate backed by super-PACs whose fundraising and TV ads have enabled the Republicans to go toe-to-toe with Obama on the air.”

And while Silva believes that economic factors and demographics across the country will play a part in who wins the 2012 election, it will be the voters in swing states such as Florida that will make the difference.

“Florida is a true swing state,” said Silva. “They voted for Obama in 2008, George W. Bush twice, Bill Clinton for reelection in 1996 but not election in 1992, George H.W. Bush twice, Ronald Reagan twice, Jimmy Carter once, but not for reelection.”

Silva says voters should also keep an eye on North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado, Nevada and Ohio.

“The economy is better in Ohio than it is nationally, and even in Florida, which has suffered among the worst in the collapse of the housing market, the economy has shown signs of improvement,” said Silva. “Ultimately, the way voters feel about their own economy in these swing states, and what they’ve decided about all this negative TV advertising, will determine who wins the White House.”

Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College is at 14 Granada St. in St Augustine. Forums are free and open to the public, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided. Call (904) 819-6400 for more information or visit the Forum on Government & Public Policy events website.

Source: Flagler College

St. Augustine news highlights – August 31, 2012

Sep 1st

Posted by St. Augustine Channel 1 in St Augustine Channel 1

No comments

City offices closed on Labor DayCity of St. Augustine offices will be closed on Monday, September 3 in observance of the Labor Day holiday, but there will be no change in the solid waste collection schedule.

Next step in 2012-2013 budget process: Public HearingsTwo public hearings on the City of St. Augustine’s 2012-2013 budget are scheduled for Thursday, September 6 and Thursday, September 20, each starting at 5:05pm in The Alcazar Room at City Hall, 75 King St. The 2012-2013 budget goes into effect with the start of the fiscal year on October 1.In preparation for the workshop, staff prepared a workbook for commissioners with a budget summary of each of the funds on which the city relies for operations. To view the workbook, click here.Additional budget information was made available to the Commission with a staff developed presentation. To see the presentation, click here.

City’s 447th anniversary to be commemorated on September 8

St. Augustine’s Founder’s Day, the annual commemoration of the founding of the city in 1565, is usually held on the Saturday closest to the city’s actual anniversary. This year that date is the actual founding day: September 8.

Held on the grounds of the Mission Nombre de Dios starting at 10:00am, the commemoration, as is traditional, will include a reenactment of the landing of Pedro Menendez de Aviles, the city’s founder, followed by a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Bishop of St. Augustine Felipe J. Estevez.

After the Mass, Dr. Timothy J. Johnson, Chairman of the Flagler College Humanities Department will offer a presentation related to the city’s founding. Activities then continue at the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park.

The Founder’s Day commemoration is sponsored by the Mission Nombre de Dios and the La Compania de Santiago, a member unit of Florida Living History, Inc.. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information contact Florida Living History, Inc. at 877.352.4478.

City’s Ceremony of Remembrance set for September 11

Annual observance of 9/11 set for city’s main fire station starting at 8:30am

The City of St. Augustine continues its annual recognition of the anniversary of 9/11 with its Ceremony of Remembrance, a community gathering to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The ceremony will be held on Tuesday, September 11 starting at 8:30am at the St. Augustine Fire Department’s main station, 101 Malaga Street. The ceremony is open to the public.
The city’s first Ceremony of Remembrance was held just two days after 9/11 and has continued each year on the anniversary of the attack. The 15-minute program will include a presentation of the colors by the St. Augustine Police Department Honor Guard, an invocation by Larry Clay, St. Johns County Fire Rescue Chaplin, musical presentations by Bob Patterson, and remarks from Vice Mayor Leanna Freeman.The ceremony will conclude with a minute of silence at 8:45am, timed to coincide with the time the first plane hit the first tower of the World Trade Center in 2001. Then after the Fire Department’s historic 1900 fire bell rings 11 times, once for each year since 9/11, the ceremony will end with the playing of Taps by Arthur Tenney, Florida National Guard Master Sergeant, Ret.For more information, call the Public Affairs Department at 904.825.1004.

Break Room topic: Where’s the right-of-way and why do I need a permit

One might think the only activity in the city’s right-of-way is driving, but that would be wrong. Utilities of all types pass under and over the area generally defined as “from the outer edge of the sidewalk on one side of the street to the outer edge of the sidewalk on the other side,” and activity in that narrow zone has to be carefully monitored.

That’s the responsibility of the city’s Construction Inspector, Xavier Pellicer, who stops by The Break Room this week to discuss his work and the this important space: the right-of-way.

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 Roomairs 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.

Public Works Department moving aggressively against “red water”The City of St. Augustine delivers three million gallons of water per day to more than 10,000 utility customers through a complex and intricate delivery system that includes more than 200 miles of pipe. That system, managed by a team of skilled professionals, ensures that every home, restaurant, school and hotel room receives quality water at the moment it is needed.Like every other municipal or private utility system, the City of St. Augustine’s system demands constant monitoring and an ongoing program of repairs and upgrades in order to maintain reliability and quality. Nonetheless, the city has had recent challenges from its aging distribution system and buildup of sediment from under utilized water lines resulting in “red water,” water that’s tainted because of corrosive pipes.
The Public Works Department has now launched an aggressive program of immediate actions, new procedures and a stepped-up construction plan of replacement lines all in an effort to eliminate “red water.”To learn more about these increased efforts and the source of increased funds available to update the city’s utility system, read High priority given to upgrading infrastructure and adopting new procedures to eliminate red water on the city’s web site.

St. Augustine Mobility Institute offers community avenue for input

Moving to and through St. Augustine, whether in a personal or commercial vehicle, is a challenge. The city’s compact historical district’s small, narrow streets draw millions each year, and when volume meets capacity, there can be gridlock.
In recent years there have been many studies by governmental and private entities evaluating the existing traffic systems and proposing ways to increase the ease of moving around St. Augustine. Some studies focused just on street use, others on pedestrians and bicycles, still others on light rail and shuttle services, but there has not been one with the complete, overall view that is likely to result from the St. Augustine Mobility Institute.
Running September 17- 21, the Institute is a week long intensive effort to learn about mobility challenges along the city’s three entrance corridors – King Street, San Marco Avenue, and Anastasia Boulevard – and by week’s end propose solutions based on input from a series of public workshops.

The Institute, a partnership between the City of St. Augustine and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization,(NFTPO) will be managed by the engineering consultation firm of HNTB. It was City Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline who, as a member of the NFTPO, became aware of the program and the with the help of the city’s Planning and Building Department was able to secure an allocation of $125,000 to cover the cost of the study.
For complete details and a schedule of the corridor, neighborhood meetings, read St. Augustine Mobility Institute set for September 17-21 on the city’s web site.

More recycling will Make St. Augustine Cleaner & Greener

City and Advanced Disposal partner on effort to boost both recyclers and recycled materials

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 & Greenercampaign 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.

Wanna be on the PZB?

The City Commission is currently accepting applications to fill two, three-year terms on the Planning and Zoning Board. Applicants must be city residents. Those wishing to apply much be city residents and submit a completed application by Friday, September 14. For more information on the Planning and Zoning Board, click here.

AgendasPlanning and Zoning Board meets on September 4.The agenda is available here.City Commission meets on September 10. When available the agenda will be posted here.

Planning and Zoning Board will hold a Special Meeting on September 11.The agenda is available here.

Code Enforcement, Adjustments and Appeals Board will meet on September 11. The agenda is available here.

Budget public hearings

First Budget Public Hearing — Thursday, September 6 at 5:05pm. When available, the agenda will be here.

Second Budget Public Hearing — Thursday, September 20 at 5:05pm. When available, the agenda will be 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