May 25, 2017 Volume 47, No. 21 75 cents PonteVedraRecorder.com WORDS OF WISDOM Dawn Wells returns to AT 100 The Alhambra Pages 49 MAY25, 2017 •SPECIAL SECTION •A“LEGENDARY”ESTATE Ponte Vedra •EXOTIC CUBA •AMEMORIAL DAYSOUTHERN FEAST RecorderNot your average newspaper,not your average reader PV2-LV38575 Sand Castles Pages 15-42 Photo by Jennifer Logue Business Weekly Council on Aging Board Member Bruce Barber (right) greets 103-year-old Minna Barnes – escorted by Landrum Middle School student Ian Aman – at the luncheon Pages 44-46 honoring local centenarians and nonagenarians. Guests at the luncheon shared their words of wisdom for living to 90 and beyond. Read more on page 8. Serving Ponte Vedra and the Beaches since 1969 0 9 5 8 3 V L - 3 V P SEE THE NEW LOTUS EVORA 400 www.LotusOfJacksonville.com | (904) 998-9992 2 COMMUNITY NEWS Ponte Vedra Recorder · May 25, 2017 Send us your news PUZZLE SOLUTIONS INSIDE We welcome submissions of photos, stories, columns and letters to the One of Us editor. Let us know what’s happening. E-mail submissions to Page 6 [email protected] bring them by our office at 1102 A1A N., Unit 108, Ponte Vedra Beach. Calendar Pages 10-11 Sand Castles Visit our website at Pages 15-42 www.pontevedrarecorder.com In the Arts Plus, find the Recorder on Facebook at Pages 47-49 www.facebook.com/ThePVRecorder WHAT’S THIS? Do you know what this is? Susan Griffin Publisher [email protected] Email your answer to [email protected] (904) 686-3938 by Monday at 5 p.m. All correct entries will be entered into a ran- Jennifer Logue Managing Editor dom drawing to win tickets for two adults and [email protected] two children to the Jacksonville Zoo. In order (904) 686-3943 to allow as many families as possible to win, Jon Blauvelt participants are only eligible to win a ticket Reporter/Production prize pack once every four months. Coordinator Solutions correspond to last week’s puzzles. [email protected] (904) 686-3939 Jasmine Marshall Five readers correctly identified last week’s Reporter/Office Assistant photo as the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure [email protected] Museum. (904) 686-3945 Rob Conwell Winner of the random drawing was Carl Circulation Manager Schuck – congratulations, Carl! You may pick [email protected] up your prize at The Recorder office during (904) 686-3936 regular business hours. Ed Johnson Senior Account Executive [email protected] ADOPT A PET (904) 686-3940 CAT OF THE WEEK DOG OF THE WEEK Kristin Flanagan My name is Moose and My name is Gracie and I am Account Executive I am a 4-year-old male a 3-year-old female mixed (904) 285-8831 cat who is looking for a breed who is looking for April Snyder new home. I was brought a new home. I was given Sales Assistant to the pet center by my to the pet center by my [email protected] owners because they owners because they could (904) 686-3937 could no longer care for no longer care for me. I am me. Will you make me heartworm positive, so my Leigh Mitchell Cary Howard part of your family? Come adoption fee and a portion Page Designers visit us today here at the pet center! #38000 of my treatment is sponsored by the Friends of the St. [email protected] Johns County Pet Center. Come visit me today! #19412 Any new pet being introduced to a new home will need time to adjust to their new environment. Please reinforce house-training and behavioral training and be mindful of interacting with other pets. U.S.P.S. (705-300) Periodical Postage Paid at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. 32082 Postmaster: Send change of addresses to: Ponte Vedra Recorder, P.O. Box 501, Ponte St. Johns County Pet Center Vedra Beach, FL, 32004. (904) 285-8831 Subscription Rates, Bulk Mail: One Cat adoptions at the St. Johns County Pet Center are $30 for males and $40 for females. Dog adoptions are $45 year, $35; six months, $20. Rates not ap- plicable in Canada or overseas. for males and $60 for females. Adoption fees include microchipping, neutering/spaying, rabies vaccinations To subscribe, call Circulation Manager Rob and shots. The pet center is located at 130 N. Stratton Rd., off US 1 between County Road 210 and International Conwell at (904) 686-3936. Golf Parkway. Business hours are Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The The Recorder is published every Thursday at 1102 A1A N., Unit 108 center is closed to the public on Sunday. On Monday, the office is open by appointment only to claim a lost Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 pet. For more information, please call the St. Johns County Pet Center at (904) 209-6190. PV2-LV38676 Ponte Vedra Recorder · May 25, 2017 COMMUNITY NEWS 3 Water shortage warning order CUSTOM BUILDING & REMODELING SINCE 1962 extends to St. Johns County RESIDENTIAL / COMMERCIAL The St. Johns River Water Management with local governments, utilities, agricultural District recently issued a water shortage interests and other stakeholders to communi- warning order for all 18 counties within its cate any requirements in relation to the warn- TOM TROUT, inc. jurisdiction, including St. Johns County, due ing, with permit holders in the affected area to extreme drought conditions in the area. receiving notification letters or emails. GENERAL CONTRACTOR 9 7 6 The order has expanded from seven of The district last issued a water shortage 8 3 V CBC026189 L - those counties listed in an initial warning is- order in 1999, which was modified several 2 V sued in March. Officials say the objective of times and then rescinded in 2006. P the order is to reduce water use and increase For more information on the warning and conservation efforts to prevent potential ad- water conservation, visit http://www.sjrwmd. (904) 737-5412 • tomtroutinc.com verse environmental and economic impacts. com/facts/watershortageorder.html. Contact us for a FREE consultation! Conditions have not yet reached a point where there is an expectation of insufficient water to meet anticipated demand and protect water resources, they say. Current Call today to schedule an appointment! conditions reflecting below-average rainfall, FREE ESTIMATES! groundwater and surface water flows that indicate a prolonged drought, however, do warrant the need for heightened water con- servation efforts. Officials say the largest water savings can be realized outdoors, where more than half of residential water is used on lawns and landscapes. As a result, landscape irrigation SAVE BIG on anew HVAC System! is recommended to occur between 4 p.m. AIR CONDITIONING • HEATING and 10 a.m. and not to exceed two days per REFRIGERATION week. According to the water management 904-713-9600 district’s website, the agency collaborates www.tropicaire.net #CAC057369 “Perfect Temperature Any Season” PV2-LV38673 ­ ­ ­ PV2-LV38697 4 COMMUNITY NEWS Ponte Vedra Recorder · May 25, 2017 gent synchronized traffic light system. The in one direction and it can be changed to ment will not reduce congestion. It will LETTER TO THE EDITOR same could be done on A1A. the other direction during the evening rush simply mean that cars will be stopped at Today, A1A’s traffic light sensors are hour. It will also consider special situations red lights in more lanes. I would rather Since the report about widening A1A, working without being networked. They like accidents and provide green lights for invest in technology than spend millions to I’ve been wondering why no one is looking only consider the street crossing at that par- an emergency vehicle. It is much easier for construct additional lanes and widen A1A beyond the solution of building additional ticular location and don’t take into account cars to give way for emergency vehicles with little positive result. lanes. Why not consider smart-technology overall traffic conditions. We all know this when they are moving and not stuck in By using technology, we can keep solutions for managing traffic? effect: When the traffic light turns green, traffic. the charm of Ponte Vedra Beach while My wife and I moved from Germany to you proceed to the next light and it imme- Traffic lights also can be synchronized reducing car emissions and the number of the United States in 2014. In other parts of diately turns red because there are vehicles to consider the average speed on the road accidents caused by stop-and-go traffic. In the world, traffic is steered and road capaci- waiting at the cross street. So, all the traffic and “shuffle” as many vehicles as possible short, traffic control by smart technology ties are adjusted based on real-time traffic comes to a halt again and creates more along A1A. There are many options to will make our roads safer, cheaper and pro- conditions and peak traffic periods during congestion. solve traffic issues using smart technolo- tect the environment while helping drivers the day. Sensors in the lanes and at traffic When traffic lights are controlled by gies. save time. lights measure traffic every second. This smart technology systems, green lights will Adding more lanes to the same road information is then used to create an intelli- be synchronized during morning rush hour without changing the traffic signal manage- Oliver Morgenthaler Ponte Vedra Beach Ponte Vedra residents to push for St. Johns County sales tax increase More revenue needed to prevent financial crisis, proponents say By Jennifer Logue up the (FY18) budget without borrowing online at http://www.sjcfl.us/OMB/media/ est total tax burdens in the state of Florida – a from the reserve fund,” said Cook, who was FY2018AdminHearings.pdf – notes that fact that Corlazzoli said has compounded the Spurred on by the sobering fiscal picture elected as the coalition’s new president at the since 2006, the population of St.