City-county workshop planned for April

Historic City News reporters were on hand as Assistant City Manager Tim Burchfield told city commissioners last night that St. Johns County has rejected a city offer to relinquish the West Augustine utility service area to them for $6 million.

“The county said it was out of their ballpark,” Burchfield said. “The possibility of swapping service areas won’t work either.”

Action to extend city sewer and water utilities along county-owned West King Street has been long-delayed. Burchfield had been hopeful that a sale might provide capital to complete those projects that have been left undone.

“When we got into it, it wouldn’t have worked for us, either,” Burchfield reported. “We’re looking at a joint venture to seek funding and a joint workshop the end of April.”

The county’s offer of $400,000 with the city taking over the Galimore Center pool, will likely be another major topic on a joint workshop agenda.

Expect the workshop to have a large audience from West Augustine and Lincolnville; whose residents gathered last week at a “Coming Together Community Forum” held at the New St. James Missionary Baptist Church.

Jobs and infrastructure dominated that forum, led by half a dozen ministers, one of whom said, “We spiritual leaders have to get beyond our egos, and if we can’t get together, the community still has to move forward.”

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News staff photographer