A Note from the President:

January 2012

 5^th annual Beach Blast Off biggest yet....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2012. The Civic Association will be meeting on Tuesday January 10^th at 7pm at City Hall. We welcome Heather Neville to speak about Velofest,. Velofest is a 2-day festival to increase awareness to cyclists and drivers alike about the laws, health benefits, lower carbon footprint, and social aspect of cycling as a past time and as a sport. Velofest is a new event for St. Augustine. Making a special appearance will be Mr. Henry Flager, portrayed by Robert Gill. Mr. Gill is one of the busiest and most respected professional actors in Florida, with credits in St. Augustine dating back to 1981, and continuing today with his acclaimed one-man shows of Mark Twain and Henry Flagler. The meeting is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

The Civic Association thanks everyone who made the 2011 Beach Blast Off a huge success.  The 2011 Beach Blast Off Committee, The City of St Augustine Beach, The St Johns County TDC, Sponsors and of course all of the wonderful volunteers.  The weather was warm, the fireworks show magnificent and the crowd was bigger than ever!  A special thank you to our City Pulic Works department for their outstanding work before , during and after the event.  The City now has a new portable perfomance stage and bandstand.  The Public Works staff researched, designed and fabricated the new stage and it worked flawlessly and looks great.  The new generator powered spotlight donated to the Police Department by the Civic Association was put to work for the first time at the event as well.  Hats off to all involved for another spectacular event!   

            The Civic Association's 10^th annual Surf Illumination celebration on December 3^th was  a wonderful community Christmas party. We would like to thank the following people for making the event so successful: Michelle Santorelli, event coordinator; John Reardon, emcee; Hal Stedman, Santa; Janet Smith and Cheryl Robertson, face painters; Sparky the Clown, balloon creations; Lisa Black, director Temple Bet Yam Chorus; Kerry Fradley, director St. Augustine Children's Chorus; Annette Danielson, director St. Augustine Community School of  Performing Arts; Jo Baker, director Allegro Bells; Bill Jones, sound and lighting; Mayor O'Brien, tree lighting ceremony; Vice Mayor Samuels and Commissioner Snodgrass, attending; and the great staff of the Public Works Department for decorating the Christmas tree and lighting the Pier Park.

            At the December City Commission meeting Police Chief Richard Hedges announced a new Reserve Officer Program for the department.  Our first officer is extremely qualified and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber. We welcome the new  reserve officer to our community.

            Gary Killam is a native Floridian (Ft. Pierce).  He has over 30 years of law enforcement experience, to include, 16 years in command level and management roles.  He started his career as a Police Officer for Plantation Police Department before being hired by the Davie Police Department where he was promoted through the ranks to Major.  He worked for a couple of years as the Deputy Chief with Duval School Police before his current position as the Criminal Justice Director at St. Johns River State College.  He has a Master of Education Degree from the University of Phoenix and is a PhD candidate in Criminal Justice Leadership at Nova Southeastern University.  He is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute Command Officers Development Course and the FBI National Academy.  He was awarded several law enforcement honors and has successfully completed numerous technical and leadership law enforcement courses.  He lives with his wife, Debbie, in St. Johns and has two adult children.

            He is the first Reserve Officer for the St. Augustine Beach Police Department and will assist with the implementation of programs. Reserves must be Florida certified officers and undergo a background check similar to regular officers. As volunteer workers, Reserves are not paid and have no employment rights. Reserves have the same authority as a regular officer and must abide by City/Department policy. Reserves may not ride solo patrol or work off-duty law enforcement jobs until they have successfully completed the Department’s Field Training Program which is 3 months.

            The last order of business at the Commission meeting was the selection of Mayor and Vice Mayor for 2012.Congratulations to Mayor Gary Snodgrass and Vice Mayor Rich O'Brien. Continuing business of the the City that will begin early in 2012 is the beach renourishment project, building new bathrooms at Pier Park, renovation and expansion of Splash Park, and installation of new energy efficient lighting at Pier Park. The commission will continue developing an RFP for a Grant Writer to obtain monies to enhance our city.  New policies that the commission will be reviewing in January  include absenteeism, annexation and prohibition of discussion by city staff and/or elected city officials regarding legal issues. Review of ordinances will also include trailers in commercial property. 

 Spring and Summer Event Planning nearly complerted...

Planning has begun for the Taste of the Beach and The Civic Association's 10th annual Music By The Sea Concert Series.  The Tase is an annual fundraiser tobenefit The Betty Griffin House and teh concert series is the crown jewel of the beach.  The 22 week concert series is set to begin on Wednesday May 16th and continue through September.  Check this site next month for a complete schedule of events.

Fresh Fruit, Vegetables, Crafts, Jewelry and more at The Wednesday Market

Don't forget to visit the Wednesday Farmers/Arts & Crafts Market at the Pier Park. We always have  new vendors joining the market. The produce is fresh, the food delicious and the shopping always unique.

A Note From the Presedent:  December 2011

A Note From the Presedent:  November 2011