San Marco community comes together in wake of hurricane disaster
San Marco merchants are beginning to see the silver lining, even the hint of a rainbow, as the Hurricane Irma recovery effort turns into an experience in community building. It was evident as people gathered Sept. 23 for San Marco Strong, a fundraiser in a parking lot behind Beer:30, along with other businesses that were […]
Proposed landmark home addition requires approval
Neighbors worry about setting precedents The owner of a landmark home on Challen Avenue is seeking a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission, but some nearby residents aren’t very happy about the proposed modifications. Virginia “Ginger” Harris requested a COA for a two-story rear addition which will attach to a newly-reconstructed garage. […]
Community rallies for landmark, plans underway for Memorial Park
Six months after Memorial Park re-opened following drainage and irrigation upgrades and installation of a new center lawn, Hurricane Irma swept through on Sept. 11, leaving downed branches all over the expansive greenspace and along the walkways. The park only lost one or two large trees, according to Michele Luthin, Memorial Park Association communications director. […]
Riverside business restores critical pieces for museum exhibit
Lightner Museum will host Downton Abbey An exciting new display at the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine will include Victorian Era furniture lovingly restored by a local family business. E.W. Nash & Son, of Riverside, moved Italian, American and French restored antiques to the Lightner Museum the end of September just in time for an […]
Cummer Gardens sustain extensive damage, suspend outdoor events
While the long-term impact of Hurricane Irma is still under assessment by public officials, many residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations, including the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, are also going through the painstaking process of damage evaluation. Destruction of landscaping is usually secondary to structural damage, unless the venue happens to be the Cummer […]
Downtown Dwellers encourages residents to ‘take ownership’ of Riverwalks
Downtown resident Sandra Fradd is on a mission to get people thinking of the Riverwalks as a neighborhood. In a new initiative, she’s urging residents of the five towers – Berkman Plaza and Churchwell Lofts on the Northbank and the Strand, the Peninsula and San Marco Place on the Southbank – to start walking. Fradd, […]
Avondale residents band together in wake of Irma
Even before Hurricane Irma made her presence known in Jacksonville, The ILRC (Independent Living Resource Center) under the direction Executive Director Tyler Morris was putting evacuation plans into place for its clients. On Sept. 9, The ILRC had staff and Disability Ambassadors in special needs shelters to offer extra support for disability sensitivity throughout the […]
Local men heed the call, rescue neighbors
Alex Sawyer’s mother, Duncan, called him at 6 a.m. on Sept. 12 to let him know she and his dad, Tom, had survived Hurricane Irma, but the flood waters were rising at their home on Yacht Club Road. Alex, who lives on higher ground around the corner on Pirates Cove Road, decided to drive his […]
