Friends of Lincolnville asks City to adopt their 2014 plans

With less than six-months until the announced commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act in 2014, Sue Agresta, representing a group called “Friends of Lincolnville”, will appear before the St Augustine City Commission Monday evening to ask for adoption of her group’s plans.

Agresta, who is President of Lift Up Lincolnville Revitalization Corp., has been given ten minutes to make her pitch for creation of a historic display and time-line in the Galimore Center; together with a resolution adopting the project, an appropriate budget from the city, agreement for the city to pay for copying photos, interviewing subjects, cataloging and insuring artifacts, costs of creating and mounting the display, and help from the 450th staffers to best-realize the display.

“We want to focus on feel-good memories, interviews, pictures and artifacts everyone can agree on and be proud of,” Agresta wrote in her request to City Manager John Regan to be placed on the commission meeting agenda. “We believe much can be accomplished on a modest budget, but we want to be sure we have enough to create a first-rate display.”

No figures were included in documents provided to Historic City News Friday.

If you plan to attend, the City Commission Meeting will be held on Monday, June 24, 2013, beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the Alcazar Room of the City Hall Building located at 75 King Street in St Augustine. You can watch the meeting live on Comcast Government Television channel 3. New security measures will require attendees to empty the contents of their pockets, subject their bags to search, and submit to an electronic frisk performed by uniformed police using handheld wands at entry or re-entry to the meeting.

Not entirely linked to commemoration of the Civil Rights Act, Agresta says her group wants to build a time-line of the entire history of the southern tip of Lincolnville — including the rich history of boat building and other marine activities, history of the park and its many uses, functions, champions, sports-heroes, make application for the area to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as apply to the Florida Historical Marker Program.

In addition to Agresta and the Lift Up Lincolnville Revitalization Corp., the group includes Judith Seraphin and the Lincolnville Neighborhood Association, Dr. Casey Welch from Flagler College, President Emeritus Gwendolyn Duncan, of the 40th ACCORD and her daughter, President Dalonja Duncan, also of 40th ACCORD. Agresta also named a few “passionate neighbors” who she says will work with the Friends of Lincolnville; including Barbara Vickers, Deltra Long, Nancy Shaver, and Theresa Segal. Agresta says that “she hopes that David Nolan and history professors from Flagler will help”.

The City is also being asked to set up a meeting with Dana Ste. Claire to help formulate the budget and with Paul Weaver for assistance with the application for the National Register of Historic Places.

“Success will boost use of the park, the City’s biggest public green-space,” Agresta told Regan. “We can increase attention to the Galimore Center and the pool, helping to actualize them as profit centers.”

According to Agresta, these projects will give Lincolnville a historic feature — amalgamating the pool, the farmers’ market, community garden and Galimore Center as a new destination for the City.