ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Less than three months before the nation's oldest city holds a five-day celebration to celebrate its 450th birthday, organizers held the first of a series of town hall meetings to answer residents questions and concerns about the event.
St. Augustine's 450th Commemoration is scheduled for Sept. 4-8, and that is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to the city for a series of special events.
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St. Augustine Police Chief Loran Lueders, Celebrate 450! Commission Director Dana Ste. Claire and St. Augustine Amphitheatre general manager Ryan Murphy made presentations at the meeting Tuesday evening at the Casa Monico Hotel, then opened it up for questions.
"There will be lots of traffic; there will be lots of visitors," Ste. Clair said. "We have residents who are very interested in participating, but they also want to know how this will impact their quality of life."
Parking and street closures during the event was the top concern of those attending. Officials said public parking area could not be reserved for residents, but motorists with proof of residency would be allow to access streets that would be temporarily restricted as pedestrian-only zones.
Two other town halls are scheduled:
- 6 p.m. July 7 at the Visitor Information Center
- 5:30 p.m. July 14 at Blackfly Restaurant, Anastasia Boulevard
Similar town hall community meetings held before the Mumford and Sons event took over downtown St. Augustine in September 2013 were credited with helping the event be successful.
Residents with questions are encouraged to visit the Q&A section of the event's website: StAugustine-450.com.