April 20, 2017 Volume 47, No. 16 75 cents PonteVedraRecorder.com NFTPO TRAFFIC STUDY: WIDEN A1A, MICKLER ROAD Golf cart bill passes Pages 7 Business Weekly: Featuring Home Design & Remodeling Pages 23-28 PVHS to present NFTPO photo ‘Guys and Dolls’ A draft copy of a new Ponte Vedra/Palm Valley traffic study recommends widening A1A, replacing the Mickler roundabout with a signaled intersection and other Pages 29 traffic improvements. Read more on page 3. Serving Ponte Vedra and PONTE VEDRA’S #1 LUXURYLIFESTYLE BRAND the Beaches since 1969 Member:Who’sWho in LuxuryReall Estate INTERNATIONAL 904.280.0050 V37407 Member:Institute forLuxuryHome Marketing PV3-L 2 COMMUNITY NEWS Ponte Vedra Recorder · April 20, 2017 Send us your news PUZZLE SOLUTIONS INSIDE We welcome submissions of photos, stories, columns and letters to the Calendar editor. Let us know what’s happening. E-mail submissions to Pages 8-9 [email protected] bring them by our office at 1102 A1A N., Unit 108, Ponte Vedra Beach. Business Weekly Pages 23-28 In the Arts Visit our website at Pages 29-32 www.pontevedrarecorder.com Sports Plus, find the Recorder on Facebook at Pages 32-36 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 Two readers correctly identified last week’s Reporter/Office Assistant photo as Ponte Vedra Fitness. Winner of the [email protected] random drawing was Matt Warnock – con- (904) 686-3945 gratulations, Matt! You may pick up your Rob Conwell prize at The Recorder office during regular Circulation Manager business hours. [email protected] (904) 686-3936 Ed Johnson Senior Account Executive [email protected] ADOPT A PET (904) 686-3940 CAT OF THE DOG OF THE Kristin Flanagan WEEK WEEK Account Executive Hi there! My My name is (904) 285-8831 name is Angus Gumby and I April Snyder and I am a am 1-year-old Sales Assistant 5-year-old male male dog who [email protected] cat who is look- is looking for (904) 686-3937 ing for a new a new home. I home to call was brought to Leigh Mitchell Cary Howard my own. I was the pet center Page Designers brought to the pet center by my owners because they as a stray. As this animal was a stray there may be [email protected] could no longer care for me. Please come visit me today some traits that are unknown at this time. Come here at the pet center! #37473 visit us today here at the pet center! #37464 Any new pet being introduced to a new home will need time to adjust to their new environment. Please reinforce U.S.P.S. (705-300) Periodical Postage Paid house-training and behavioral training and be mindful of interacting with other pets. at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. 32082 Postmaster: Send change of addresses to: Ponte Vedra Recorder, P.O. Box 501, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 32004. (904) 285-8831 St. Johns County Pet Center Subscription Rates, Bulk Mail: One year, $35; six months, $20. Rates not ap- Cat adoptions at the St. Johns County Pet Center are $30 for males and $40 for females. Dog adoptions are $45 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 Conwell at (904) 686-3936. and shots. The pet center is located at 130 N. Stratton Rd., off US 1 between County Road 210 and International The Recorder is published every Thursday 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 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-LV37460 Ponte Vedra Recorder · April 20, 2017 COMMUNITY NEWS 3 Traffic study recommends widening A1A, replacing Mickler roundabout with signal-controlled intersection Town hall meeting on study to be held April 25 By Jon Blauvelt Valley Road to Roscoe Boulevard, and new sidewalks and bicycle lanes along Palm Val- Widening A1A from two to four lanes ley Road. North Florida Transportation Planning Organization from Mickler Road to ATP Tour Boulevard Total construction costs of the proposed and from four to six lanes from ATP Tour standalone intersection improvements are Boulevard to Marlin Avenue are among the estimated to cost $3.4 million, while the CUSTOM BUILDING & REMODELING recommendations included in the North widening improvements are estimated at SINCE 1962 Florida Transportation Planning Organiza- $32.6 million. RESIDENTIAL / COMMERCIAL tion’s Ponte Vedra/Palm Valley traffic study, Conducted to identify improvements to a draft of which has been posted online in enhance traffic flow and safety on some of advance of an April 25 town meeting to Ponte Vedra and Palm Valley’s key road- discuss the findings. ways, the study analyzed current traffic Available online at http://northfloridatpo. counts, crash data and other traffic conditions TOM TROUT, inc. com, the draft report also recommends con- and concerns, as well as anticipated demand GENERAL CONTRACTOR verting the roundabout at Mickler and Palm in the area through 2040. According to the 4 5 4 7 Valley roads to a four-leg, signal-controlled study, between 2011 and 2016 1,082 crashes 3 V CBC026189 L - 2 intersection as well as widening Mickler occurred on A1A from Marlin Avenue to V P Road and the east-west segment of Palm Mickler Road and on Palm Valley Road, Valley Road from two to four lanes. Other Mickler Road and Roscoe Boulevard/Solana (904) 737-5412 • tomtroutinc.com suggested improvements include construct- ing a new westbound off-ramp from Palm Traffic Study continues on Page 4 Contact us for a FREE consultation! ­ ­ PV2-LV37477 4 COMMUNITY NEWS Ponte Vedra Recorder · April 20, 2017 The traffic study was sponsored by the Citizens Traffic Task Force (CTTF), which Traffic study was founded in 2014 by a group of citizens Continued from 3 and community leaders to gain consensus on how to address long-term traffic needs in the Road. That includes seven fatal crashes, 285 Ponte Vedra area. The report completes two accidents with injuries and 790 crashes that years of research by CTTF in collaboration involved damage to vehicles. Rear-end col- with NFTPO and its consultants, the North lisions were found to be the most common Ponte Vedra Beach Coalition (NPVBC), St. type of accident on A1A, accounting for 52 Johns County and the Florida Department of percent of the total crashes. Transportation (FDOT). More of the study’s findings will be shared “The results of the traffic study are only at the town hall meeting to be held Tuesday, one step in the process for developing April 25 at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. The short- and long-term traffic solutions for the event will begin with an open house from community,” said Jim Sabo, president of the 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., when attendees will have Ponte Vedra Beaches Coalition and a task the opportunity to review project exhibits, force member. “This is a long journey that ask questions, watch a video summarizing will need continued positive support from the project and provide written or verbal the community to have any results down the comments. A formal presentation will begin road. Decisions on how to go forward with at 6:30 p.m. followed by a public comment improvements, timelines and funding are re- Photos courtesy of North Florida Transportation Planning Organization period, with remarks limited to two minutes maining issues that will need to be supported Traffic study recommendations include constructing a new westbound off-ramp from Palm per person. to be successful.” Valley Road to Roscoe Boulevard. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Some many months ago, a group of men This traffic study group will be meeting terms of color and buildings, etc. We now school? What about them? in Ponte Vedra began meeting to solve with the Ponte Vedra community on April have an overlay district down A1A past How dare they even think of creating an the traffic problems on Ponte Vedra Lakes 25. What they came up with was to be a Mickler’s, Palm Valley Road, Roscoe, “ugly” right in the heart of Ponte Vedra? Boulevard. They met with and found out secret, I guess, but someone must have 2010 out to US1. We all cared how we To top it off, the men on this task force from the MPO there was nothing much told their wife, so it’s out. Their gift to wanted to look. (it was all men, please note) all live as far they could do. However, months later we us is six lanes and 10 lanes at the inter- Now some questions. from A1A as they could – in Marsh Land- find out this group and the MPO have sections, all down A1A.