Landscape work at bridge in full swing

Contractors were busily at work this morning when Historic City News Editor Michael Gold asked about the new palm trees and lighting being installed on the west end of the Bridge of Lions in downtown St. Augustine.

Yesterday, four new Canary Island date palm trees were seated around the rim of Anderson Circle; near the sidewalks that surround the too-long vacant memorial flagpole; a gift to the City by charitable donor Dr. Andrew Anderson, Jr. in 1923.

Across Cathedral Place, the same workers prepared new homes for additional, smaller palms, under the watchful eye of Ponce de Leon; a statue pointing north — perhaps to the location of his first landing nearly 500 years ago.

The Ponce de Leon monument was also a gift of Dr. Anderson — as was the recently resettled pair of lions found north and south of the bridge’s mainland approach.

Already in place are PVC boxes to accommodate electrical connections that we are told will power small lights to be strung in the palms, floodlights for the palms and statuary, and spotlights for Ponce and our memorial flagpole.

According to workers at the site, the plan is to return the American flag after the required lighting is in place.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News staff photographer