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October 1, 2008

Commissioners;

I am providing to you a copy of a recent e-mail that was sent to me as President
of the Ponte Vedra Community Association (PVCA) regarding a proposed
sidewalk project in the Ponte Vedra community. The project would extend an existing
sidewalk along the northern segment of Ponte Vedra Blvd. to the county line allowing
for the connection with a sidewalk in Jacksonville Beach. This project has been under
discussion by the PVCA for at least two years with coverage of the same being in the
local papers as well as a survey having been mailed to the property owners adjacent
to the affected segment of Ponte Vedra Boulevard. For the reasons stated below the
PVCA  has voted to determine whether there is a consensus within the community to
see this project undertaken with the assistance of the County.

Recently an entity labeling itself as SJC WATCH LLC (a search of the Florida
Department of State Division of Corporations has revealed no such LLC as being
registered with the Department) has undertaken a vigorous campaign against this project.

This campaign has included ads in the Shoreline Edition of the Florida Times Union,
mass mailings and e-mails. I have been provided approximately five form letters from
property owners on Ponte Vedra Blvd. north of the Ponte Vedra Inn and Club expressing opposition to the project. ( I will be happy to provide copies of the same upon request.)
 In addition to the letter below I have had numerous residents within the community
express their support of the project. It is my understanding, based both upon
conversations with past Presidents of the PVCA and newspaper articles, that St. Johns
County would like to determine if their is a consensus within the community for this project.

In light of the recent opposition by a few of our residents the Board of the PVCA intends
to solicit the input of its entire membership on the project thru an e-mail request in the
near future. This e-mail request will ask our members to provide their position on the
project to both our website message board and to you the Board of County Commissioners.

I would also request that sometime in the near future a public meeting be scheduled at
a location within Ponte Vedra, perhaps the library, with representatives of the Public
Works Department and any Commissioners who would like to attend so that members
of the community can be educated about the project and allowed to ask questions,
express concerns or opinions on the same. If you should have any questions or
comments please do not hesitate to contact me.  
 
Sincerely Yours,

Mark M. Arnold

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September 27, 2008

Ponte Vedra Community Association and PV MSD

Members,

I received the attached email from Mr. Patrick Hines concerning “Sidewalk to No Where”, and felt compelled to offer my views on this subject.   I have lived on Ponte Vedra Boulevard since 1939 and have seen many changes.  At that time, PV Boulevard was A1A and there were only about 20 or 25 homes in the area.  We lived in a beautiful seaside wilderness and, even with oil on the beach from torpedoed ships and black-out curtains on the windows, we loved it.  The last time I heard the expression “…..to No Where” was in reference to JTB Boulevard. and this was true.  When JTB was completed, PV was still considered “No Where”.   How, things have changed.

A city planner once told me the way to determine the difference between a development and a neighborhood was whether it had sidewalks.  Sidewalks tend to imply, “you’all come by and see us this is our home”.   The sidewalk in front of my home on PV Blvd., as I recall, was partially paid for by homeowners.  Since it was installed, I see families on bicycles, mothers with strollers and neighbors walking on the Boulevard.    I wish it had been installed when my kids were learning to ride a bicycle.

Now I’ll admit I could not tell you how “cost effective” the investment in sidewalks will be.  Probably as “cost effective” as a park, or a community center, or, in fact, a person’s home.  I’m happy I don’t measure every action in life by its “return on investment”.  Many of my new neighbors seem to use this measurement when they select PV as the place to build.  Many of the new houses in the area apparently must have been built simply as investments instead of homes they are often owned by corporations and don’t appear to be occupied.

As a retired professional engineer, I would hope the $200,000 cost will insure the project will be done properly and with care.  The project is one of the few things the St. Johns County Government has offered the PV community without expecting us to pay the bill, and this approach pleases me.

In fact, maybe the JEA could put vacuum sewer lines under the sidewalk so those people living in the effected area can become “GREEN” as so many of us have.  I always felt those homes in the area of the proposed sidewalk should have the same opportunity to connect to a sewage system as we had.  It is apparent they produce as much sewage as the rest of us.

Sincerely,

George Tobi

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