Modern meets historic
concerns for our city
The city is tiptoing through historic guidelines to provide greater safety and cleanliness for its residents and
visitors.
To be presented to the Historic Architectural Review Board Thursday are plans to lower sections of the
parking lot wall along Hypolita Street for greater vehicle visibility at accesses, and designs for wraps to
disguise planned solar compacting trash receptacles at the Visitor Center and along St. George Street.
“Staff does not provide recommendations for city projects and looks to HARB for review and comment,”,
Historic Preservation Planner Kelli Mitchell noted on both applications.
Hypolita Street wall
Redesign of the Hypolita Street wall was continued from March meeting.
HARB members at the time questioned noted the unknown history of the
wall, questioned what amount of wall needed to be removed for safety
purposes and considered totally removing sections of the wall, rather than
shortening them.
trash receptacle wraps
And the city will ask HARB to consider five examples of wraps for solar
trash receptacles at the Visitor Center and along St. George Street.
In December 2017, the Board approved a certificate of appropriateness for
the receptacles, but asked that they be wrapped with a design approved by
the Board.
Five examples will be presented.
“The City is requesting that the Board select a design that they feel is appropriate for placement of the trash
cans on St. George Street and the VIC only,” the application states.
“If additional trash cans are to be placed in other HP districts the City would come before the Board again
to seek approval for a design.”
June 19 2019
Keepers of the Coast
“Day After” Cleanup
Keepers of the Coast, a local non-
profit dedicated to promoting
coastal stewardship and
conservation, is recruiting
volunteers, sponsors, and adoptees
for the 10th Annual “Day After”
Beach Cleanup Friday, July 5 from
8:30 - 10:30 am.
The purpose of the cleanup is to
restore the coastline following the
impacts of Fourth of July,
traditionally one of the busiest
beach days of the year.
Sites are available for adoption
include Mickler’s Beachfront Park,
Vilano Beachfront Park, St. Johns
Pier and A St. Beach Access
Details at keepersofthecoast.net
History’s Highlight
Battle of Bloody Marsh
The Battle of Bloody Mose in 1740, reenacted last weekend at Fort Mose, was followed by a second
British attempt to capture St. Augustine in early 1742, thwarted by the guns of Fort Matanzas south
of the presidio. Spanish forces took the battle to the English in Georgia, resulting in the Battle of
Bloody Marsh July 7, 1742.
An account drawn from Our Georgia History
The story of the Battle of Bloody Marsh is the story of two forts, Fort St Simon and Fort Frederica,
which lay about 7 miles apart on St. Simon Island. Between the two a "military road" ran, a path one
wagon wide, along which the army and nearby settlers in Frederica could receive supplies from Ft. St.
Simon.
The battle was for the British fortifications of Fort
Frederica and Fort St. Simons, with the strategic goal the
sea routes and inland waters they controlled. With the
victory, the Province of Georgia established undisputed
claim to the island.
Manuel de Montiano, governor of La Florida (Spanish
Florida) rode the tide into St. Simon on July 5, sailing
under the firing guns at Fort St. Simon, bypassing the fort
and landing more than 50 ships near higher ground
(Gascoigne Bluff). Oglethorpe withdrew from the fort
before the Spanish could mount an attack.
With some 3,000 troops of his estimated force of 4,500,
Montiano took the fort the following day and began to scout the island on foot for Oglethorpe and his men.
They quickly found the military road between Fort St. Simon and Fort Frederica, but dismissed it as a
farmer's path.
The Spanish began searching the leeward side of the island, completely ignorant of the existence of
Frederica. After realizing their mistake, Montiano ordered more than 100 men to scout the road, looking
for evidence of English forces or Frederica.
Oglethorpe had chosen Frederica because of its location - it was surrounded by marsh, and there were
only two ways to attack by land, through the dense forest to the north of Frederica or along the military
road to the south of Frederica.
Sticking to a defense planned 8 years earlier, Oglethorpe stationed a small group of Highlanders,
Rangers and marines under the command of Noble Jones to defend the road. Jones caught the Spanish
skirmishers at the head of the formation by surprise.
Jones ordered his men to fall back as he rode off to find Oglethorpe. When notified of the engagement,
Oglethorpe, according to legend, jumped on the first available horse and rode off down the road to St.
Simons. At Gully Hole Creek, Oglethorpe halted the orderly retreat of Jones' combined force and led them
in an attack against the advancing Spanish, routing de Montiano's men in a furious battle.
Knowing the Spanish would continue the attack, Oglethorpe followed the retreating enemy to an open
area in a marsh. Placing his men carefully around the open field as the Spanish regrouped, Oglethorpe left
to rally more support. A much larger Spanish force appeared and engaged Oglethorpe's men.
The colonists tore into the superior Spanish force, forcing them into a haphazard retreat.
Harking back to the British defeat in the Battle of Bloody Mose, this was called the battle of Bloody
Marsh.
North end of San Marco
in resurfacing project
Resurfacing of San Marco Avenue from Picolata Street (SR
16) to US 1 north is part of a resurfacing project in the north
city Fullerwood area getting under way today.
Included along with San Marco are Rainey and Douglas
avenues and Grant, Center and Pacific streets.
When San Marco Avenue, a state highway, was resurfaced
last year from King to Picolata Street it was determined the
northernmost stretch is city-owned, so it wasn’t included and
the city added the resurfacing to its budget.
The resurfacing will continue weekdays through Friday,
June 28, from 8 am to 4 pm. Vehicles parked on the street
obstructing resurfacing work could be towed at the owner’s
expense.
Other sections of the Fullerwood neighborhood were
resurfaced last year and the city contractor will move next to
Lincolnville.
City budget meetings continue through summer
City officials have long bemoaned the lack of public participation in annual city budget discussions.
Here is a list of upcoming Commission meetings during which next year’s budget will be considered. Some are special
meetings while others will have budget discussions as part of a regular meeting's agenda.
All meetings will be held in The Alcazar Room, City Hall, 75 King Street, and will be available for live and on-demand
viewing on www.CityStAugTV.com.
Monday, June 24, 3 pm (Special Meeting): Discussion of the 2020 budget assumptions with a focus on
revenues.
Monday, July 8, 5 pm (Regular Meeting): Adoption of the proposed millage rate and other budget-related
resolutions if needed.
Monday, August 12, 3 pm (Special Meeting): Additional discussion of the 2018 budget assumptions and the
five-year Capital Improvement Plan.
Monday, August 12, 5 pm (Regular Meeting): Public hearing on budget-related resolutions as necessary.
Thursday, August 22, 9 am (Special Meeting): Discussion and Approval of FY2020 proposed budget and
action items. Meeting may be continued to next day if necessary to cover all items.
Thursday, September 5, 5 pm (Special Meeting): Initial public hearing for FY2020 budget and tentative
millage rate adoption.
Thursday, September 19, 5 pm (Special Meeting): Final public hearing for FY2020 budget and tentative
millage rate adoption.
County Commission
OKs fare increase
for Sunshine Buses
The St. Johns County Commission Tuesday approved
doubling daily fares for the Sunshine Bus line in an effort
to close the gap in the public transit system’s budget.
The rate increase takes effect August 1. One-way daily
fare will increase from $1 to $2, the discounted base fare
offered to senior citizens and students from $.50 to $1,
daily passes from $2 to $4, and discounted daily passes
from $1 to $2.
Fares for the “white bus” paratransit buses for non-
emergency medical and other transportation needs for
disabled and low-income individuals are not affected.
The approval came in a 3-1 vote with Commissioner
Henry Dean opposed. An earlier motion for a 50 percent
fare increase was defeated in a 2-2 vote.
County Administrator Michael Wanchick said the cities
of St. Augustine and St. Augustine Beach have not
responded to a request to help fund the bus line, one
official noting the cities already pay county taxes.
In March, the County Commission approved an extra
$102,000 in funding but asked the St. Johns County
Council on Aging which runs the bus system to seek other
sources of revenue.
Council on Aging Executive Director Becky Yanni says
the per-ride rate hasn’t increased in the nearly two decades
the system has operated.
“We’ve been loathe to increase the fares, and we don’t
want to negatively impact the population we serve,” Yanni
says. “But we’ve come to the point now where that is a
necessity.”
