Complaints prompt City Manager to ask for meeting

A few St Augustine residents have been pushing to deny local hotelier Virginia Whetstone the right to install a fence; separating her property on Dolphin Drive from Anastasia Boulevard on the east-side approach to the Bridge of Lions — going so far as to engage in an e-mail campaign to members of the city commission and city staff.

Those complaints prompted Historic City News editor Michael Gold to visit the site of the fence and we published a report of our findings on May 1, 2013 titled “Fence flap vents steam – but little else”.

Substantially, we discovered that the property owner had obtained a fence permit from the city for the Anchorage Motor Inn to build the fence. “We have followed every requirement we are aware of to accomplish these renovations properly,” said Bruce Maguire, who manages the property for his wife, Virginia Whetstone Maguire. “I have all of our permits and it is our intention to comply with all construction regulations.”

In what appears to be an inadvertent error when the fence posts were originally set, we observed, photographed, and reported that the fence tapered from a maximum of 12″ down to only 1″ of variance between the original and updated surveyor’s marks.

Since that report, the minor adjustment was made to the angle of the fence, and a secure gate now allows Florida Department of Transportation employees access to walk over their easement — between a manhole in the highway, and a waste water cover; where street water drains into the oyster bed in front of the Anchorage Motor Inn, and, ultimately, into the Matanzas River.

According to a facebook group that was started to provoke support to deny the fence to stand, its creator, Deane Newsome, a local photographer, Ray Dominey, and an Anastasia Island resident, Penny Chamberlain, have been doing some “cat herding” as they attempt to press on with their cause. In a post pinned to the top of the “Mince the Fence” facebook group, Dominey tries to deal with some of the apparent fallout of trying to incite a mob, saying, “Rude comments, veiled threats, name calling and the like will not accomplish our goal”.

Over the past month, the City Manager’s office was forwarded the complaints that emerged; and, in what may be an attempt to keep peace for some, has decided to reach out to the property owner asking her to come in and discuss options for her fence.

Historic City News obtained a copy of the letter to Virginia Whetstone from City Manager John Regan. It reads:

May 22, 2013

Virginia A Whetstone
297 St George Street
St Augustine, Florida 32084

Dear Virginia:

Historic preservation has been adopted as a matter of public policy in the City of St Augustine as early as 1936 and the City has developed goals, objectives, and practices since that time which recognize buildings, archaeological sites, districts, and structures as significant elements of St. Augustine ‘s cultural patrimony. The meaning of adopting a historic preservation ethic in public policy is that the community recognizes our shared heritage exemplified in these physical symbols of history and we therefore are collectively responsible for their curation for generations after ours. It is thus emblematic of the community’s preservation ethic that complaints have arisen due to the construction of your fence right on one of these designated resources. My goal is to work with you to reconcile your private interests with the public interests.

The Bridge of Lions is a National Register listed resource and the reconstruction of the bridge followed the guidelines set forth in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation which required much policy oversight at the local, state, and national levels of government systems.

Furthermore, historic preservation has been documented to produce economic benefits and to enhance the quality of life. Reports on each of these ideas have been widely distributed and cited. Most importantly to this case, historic preservation creates a sense of place because the unique symbols of each community are not found elsewhere and the relationship of those structures to their environment cannot be duplicated. Again, it is only natural that the local community feels a sense of ownership to the relationship of the Bridge of Lions to the Matanzas River. The bridge, the approach, and the water contribute to the sense of place that has enriched St. Augustine since the bridge was built in 1927. It is a viewshed directly into the City and its natural environment. Obstructions to this viewshed at the base of the Bridge of Lions and along its fortification are viewed as an infringement upon the community’s natural and historic resource.

It is with this in mind that I am requesting a meeting with you to discuss options to the fence that meet your needs and maintain the historic character and view at the base of the Bridge of Lions. Please let me know when it will be convenient for you to meet with me and discuss such options.

Sincerely yours,

John P. Regan, P.E.
City Manager

cc:
Mayor Joe Boles
Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline
Commissioner Leanna Freeman
Commissioner Roxanne Horvath
Commissioner Don Crichlow
Tim Burchfield Assistant City Manager
Mark Knight Director Planning and Building
Ronald W Brown City Attorney

JPR/lf