July 17 2019
Mandela’s daughter in
Ready4Work ceremony
Nelson Mandela’s oldest
daughter and granddaughter will
take part in ceremonies at the
future site of Operation New
Hope’s Ready4Work office, 83
Washington Street, at 4:30 pm
Friday July 19.
Dr. Makaziwe Mandela and her
daughter Tukwini will visit the
city as part of Nelson Mandela
International Day Jax, three days
of events around Mandela’s
birthday July 18.
The 4:30 pm public ceremony
and later invitation-only reception
at the Lightner Museum honor
Nelson Mandela International
Day and celebrate the ceremonial
launch of Operation New Hope’s
Ready4Work anti-recidivism and
job preparedness program in St.
Johns County.
The development center is a
temporary site for St. Augustine’s
Ready4Work program until start-
up funds are raised.
History’s Highlight
Swimming fire horses
From Tales of Old St. Augustine, a compilation of everyday stories gathered by the St. Augustine
Historical Society to provide a sense of what life was like in St. Augustine long ago and tell something
about the men and women who lived here.
One winter day some 100 years ago, strollers on the seawall were startled to see two old fire horses dashing
down Hypolita Street with the fire wagon careening behind them and the driver tugging frantically on the reins.
They charged across Bay Street, headed straight for the seawall, and when
the front wheels of the wagon hit the wall, the harness broke and both horses
went over the barrier and into the bay, dragging their driver with them.
It all came about this way according to a witness: Although the fire
department had, by then, motorized its equipment, the old horse-drawn
wagon was kept on standby and driven to all fires in case it was needed.
A city employee whose name has been lost in the mists of time was given
the job of driving the two old steeds to the scene of each blaze, but he was
warned in the strongest terms not to ring the bell, because that was the
signal to the two veterans of many a conflagration to take off at their fastest
gallop.
Alas, the first time he was called upon to perform his new duty he forgot, and the two horses, nostrils flaring
and hoofs striking sparks from the pavement, were off full tilt. There was no stopping them until they took their
unscheduled plunge into the bay.
The witness reports that they thoroughly enjoyed their swim, although Captain Ranti and Fireman Manucy
were not so happy about the four hours they had to spend trying to persuade them to climb the stone steps in the
seawall and get home to the firehouse.
The luckless driver was chastened by the experience and evidently promised to remember to keep the bell
silent on his next outing, because he was kept on the job. His next trip proved equally disastrous, alas, though it
was not nearly so much fun for the horses.
As he drove out of the firehouse, he kept his hands resolutely off the bell, and also the brake. The horses, this
time, only made it as far as the Elks Club on Bay Street. They stopped there utterly exhausted from pulling the
heavy wagon with the brake set. They were worn out, and so were the rubber tires on the firewagon, which
were scrubbed right down to the rim on both back wheels.
The wagon was out of commission for the next six weeks, but there is no record of the future career of its
driver.
Sea level rise in
planning workshop
The Planning and Zoning Board will weigh in on the challenge
of sea level rise as part of a workshop Tuesday July 23 1-4 pm in
the Alcazar Room at City Hall.
“Perils of Flood” Planning (Sea Level Rise) and the
Conservation and Coastal Management Element of the
Comprehensive Plan will be discussed with a presentation by
Public Works Director Mike Cullum.
Also on that agenda, discussion on the Draft Transportation and
Mobility Element of the Comprehensive Plan including Goals,
Objectives and Policies.
City ‘checking’ drainage
Master Stormwater Outfall Retrofit Plan to check tidal flooding
A five and a half foot diameter, 1,500 pound tide check valve rests on a flatbed on north City’s Rainey Avenue
before installation last week in the Rainey outfall of the Tolomato River, between the Florida School for the
Deaf and Blind and Fullerwood neighborhood.
“The City installed a 30-inch valve earlier this year,” says Project
Engineer Jessica Beach of the city’s Public Works Department. “Both
stormwater outfalls have a tide check valve to prevent tidal water from
backing up onto streets with saltwater.
“The two storm drains serve approximately 95 acres of drainage area that
are connected to these outfalls,” she says. “The 66-inch outfall is the largest
one within City limits.”
It’s part of a tide check valve program “to eliminate the nuisance tidal
flooding that happens frequently during the King Tides and/or Nor’easter
conditions. This is salt water that can cause the street flooding which also
accelerates road deterioration.”
Beach says the first phase of this program was in Davis Shores, the second the Macaris Outfall. “We have
retrofitted 31 outfalls so far and we are working on a Master Stormwater Outfall Retrofit Plan to prioritize the
remaining 72 outfalls so we can continue to install the valves and address the nuisance tidal flooding.
“The City went through a Coastal Vulnerability Assessment and it is projected that the nuisance tidal flooding
will only worsen over time, unless the City takes action to help address it,” says Beach.
“We are addressing this through retrofitting the City’s stormwater outfalls with these tide check valves.”
Find out more about the city’s resiliency and sustainability program here, a video about the tide check valve
program here and a “Report Flooding” tool here.
Bike share program seeks final HARB OK
The city goes to its Historic Architectural Review Board (HARB) Thursday, July 18, for approval to install
bicycle racks and wayfinding signs at more than a dozen locations for its bike share program.
The meeting begins at 1 pm in the Alcazar Room at City Hall.
HARB last month approved hub signage for the locations, which will have 100
bicycles with 150 racks.
If approved Burma Jade signage and racks will be installed at the City Marina,
Lincolnville Museum, City Hall, Plaza, Hypolita Street, Visitor's Center, West King
Business District, Anastasia Blvd, Lighthouse, Sevilla/Valencia Street area for
Flagler College, Malaga Street, and The Amp.
Another nine locations are on the drawing board, Mobility Manager Reuben
Franklin says.
Flagler Health + is sponsoring the bike share program which allows users to pick up a bicycle at any self-serve
bike-station or hub and return it to any other bike station within the system's service area.
Franklin hopes to launch the program in late August or early September.
The bicycles are called “E-assist bicycles,” says Franklin. “You still have to pedal the bike but there is a motor
that gives you a boost as you ride.”
Gotcha Group Vice President Griffin Blackwelder says the system will allow users to register at a location or
through a website or smartphone app to unlock a bike. Typical fees are $70 a year for annual membership or $8
an hour.
Living History Saunter on
St. George Street Saturday
Join living history interpreters
from the Historic Florida Militia as
they present a timeline of St.
Augustine's colonial history from
5:30-8:30 pm Saturday.
They’ll be strolling and interacting
with onlookers St. George Street
from the City Gate to Aviles Street.
The interpreters answer questions
related to St. Augustine's history
and pose for pictures.
Participants present themselves to
the general public in the garb and gear of the city's military and
civilian colonial environs from 1513 to 1784.
They answer questions related to St. Augustine's rich history,
pose for pictures with tourists and visitors, and provide
information about the Historic Florida Militia, which presents
the program in cooperation with the City of St. Augustine.
