«  Kristen Howe and Emily Iannotti will be dancing at the FSU School of Dance Summer Intensive Workshop under the instruction of an amazing faculty lead by Sheila Humphreys and Lynda Davis.

«  Addie Higgins will be dancing at the prestigious Young Dancer Summer Workshop at the American Ballet Theatre in NYC.  This workshop provides the opportunity for serious young dancers, ages 9-11, to actively flourish in a professional environment. Under the direction of Franco De Vita, Principal of ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the outstanding faculty members of ABT will provide unparalleled instruction.

«  Jackie Sullivan has a very busy summer ahead of her…first starting at the Sarasota Ballet Summer Intensive and then following up at the City Ballet of San Diego.  Jackie will be receiving instruction from the amazing David Howard and Gelsey Kirkland at the City Ballet of San Diego.

«  Rachel Jimenez will have an extremely demanding summer, starting with a week at Complexions in NYC under the direction of the remarkable Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden.  Following that with three weeks at the celebrated Julliard School of Dance Summer Intensive!  Finishing her hectic summer with study at Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary in NYC! WOW!

Two lawyers with Marks Gray received a designation reserved for only the top 2% of layers in the state of Florida. Florida Trend Magazine released its 2010 Florida Legal Elite list and Jeptha Barbour and Marianne Lloyd Aho were recognized in the Civil Trial category. Florida Trend‘s Florida Legal Elite list is voted on by lawyers across the state of Florida.

It is truly a peer recognition. Lawyers are asked to nominate attorneys that they would recommend or that represent best practices in their field. Nominations are then open to all Florida Bar members.

From their office on Riverplace Boulevard, Marks Gray practices banking, real estate, business law, probate, tax law, estate planning, immigration, workers’ compensation, commercial and professional liability, and tort defense litigation.

The Green Erth Bistro recently opened on Hendricks Avenue. Many of you probably read the Times-Union article quoting the proprietor of the Green Erth Bistro calling that stretch of Hendricks the “ghetto” of San Marco. Controversy aside, the owners are extremely kind people who cook great food.

And now for the good news. if you are out of work or looking for additional work, the Green Erth Bistro is hiring. If you need a job, stop in at 1520 Hendricks Avenue.

Have you eaten at the Green Erth Bistro yet? What did you think?

Last week, San Marco lost a dear friend and longtime resident, Barbara Puckett. The San Marco Preservation Society was in the process of establishing the first ever lifetime achievement award in honor of all of Barbara’s contributions to our amazing neighborhood. The lifetime achievement award was presented in memoriam to Barbara Puckett with her family accepting the award on her behalf.

The San Marco Preservation Society Lifetime Achievement Award read as follows:
Barbara Denmark Puckett was the heart of this community for the majority of her life.  She is truly a “native”, growing up on West Cove Lane and later returning in the 1970’s to raise her family at the corner of West Cove and River Oaks.

Our neighborhood flourished under the nurturing leadership of our own “Steel Magnolia”.  Barbara’s involvement in San Marco Preservation Society spans more than three decades. She was San Marco Preservation Society Membership Chair from 1986 until 1990.  She grew this organization from double digits to over 400 strong in a few short years.  She cleverly divided the neighborhood into color-coded zones with block captains and memorable zone parties.  Very few people could say “no” to Barbara!  She proudly publicized the beauty of the neighborhood as Beautification Chair and connected our neighborhood with the San Marco business community as Merchant Liaison.  Even after the honor of Director Emeritus was bestowed on Barbara in 1995, she relentlessly researched neighborhood history as the SMPS Historian.  Certainly, it was not uncommon to find Barbara digging around the city archives in the old library and later delving into online resources investigating old public records and photos.

Barbara Puckett will be remembered as a catalyst to the success of this incredible neighborhood.  All of us are daily beneficiaries of her dedication, her tenaciousness, her sense of beauty and her sincere love of San Marco.  Indeed, Barbara served all of us, mentored many of us and will remain forever in our hearts and we, in her debt.

Marks Gray P.A., located in the Stein Mart Building on Riverplace Boulevard, has been recognized by one of the top legal publications in the state. Eight of Marks Gray’s twenty-six lawyers were named to Florida Super Lawyers® magazine as some of the top attorneys in Florida for 2010. A remarkable accomplishment considering that only five percent of lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers.

Marks Gray attorneys honored include:
Victor M. Halbach
Gerald W. Weedon (this year is Mr. Weedon’s 5th consecutive year on the list)
Nicholas V. Pulignano, Jr.
William M. Corley
Jeptha F. Barbour
Allison H. Hauser
Susan S. Erdelyi
Marianne Lloyd Aho

Additionally, four Marks Gray attorneys, Giselle Carson, Paul E. Bueker, Stella J. Lane and Meagan L. Logan, were named to the magazine’s Rising Stars list for 2010.

Firm president, Jerry Weedon had this to say, “To have almost half of Marks Gray’s attorneys named to the 2010 Florida Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists is tremendous. I believe it is a testament to the dedicated and successful group of people we have working here.”

Artist Palette opens today in the space formerly occupied by European Art Garage (3821 Hendricks Avenue). European Art Garage is closing, but Reet will continue to exhibit her work at the new studio, Artist Palette.

Under the director of local artist Barbara Fryefield, Artist Palette will offer a wide variety of classes to all ages as a teaching studio. Currently you can enroll in the visual arts high school portfolio program, pottery, drawing, open studio, grisaille, painting for children and adults, jewelry knotting, mixed media, and summer art camps. You can also schedule private classes for groups of five or more at the studio or in the location of your choosing.

Classes begin today and you can sign up online or at the store.

Artist Palette is a welcome addition to our community. A place for people of all ages to learn new techniques and experiment with mediums they are unfamiliar with. With the heat of the summer rolling in, Artist Palette brings a refreshing break.

Sometimes finding parking in San Marco is like running the gauntlet. After a recent visit to the Town Center, parking forever away and walking for almost ten minutes to get to the one store I needed to go to, I starting thinking that parking in San Marco is not that bad.

In San Marco the coveted spots are the ones on San Marco Boulevard, right in front of the stores. I have often wished the merchants would auction off those spots and I could purchase my very own San Marco parking spot. Even within those coveted spots, some are more valuable than others. Usually I have a few stores to stop in when I am in the Square so I like to park in the middle of the strip, somewhere between the Loop and Hobby Horse. As rare as these spots are, I manage to find one more often than not.

If aa quick circle of the Square yields no parking, I head back to the parking lot behind Pizza Palace. The kind people at Southside Baptist Church have donated the spaces in their parking lot to the business in the Square for years. Their only request is that Square patrons not use the parking lot on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Lots of spaces and easy access to the Square makes this lot the second best choice for parking in the Square.

On the rare occasion I can’t find a space in front of the shops or in the Southside Baptist Church parking lot, I go to my last resort – the parallel parking available in the neighborhood surrounding the Square. Not all streets are zoned for on-street parking so double checking signs before parking is always a good idea. Even when I park in the neighborhood and walk into the Square, I am still no further away than a five minute walk. The perception is parking is so difficult in San Marco but the distance from car to shop is often less than that at places like the Town Center, which seem more convenient.

Where is your favorite place to park in San Marco? Do you have a secret spot that is always available?

The lions are taking the Click-It Pledge to buckle their seat belt. The Florida Department of Transportation has kicked off their Click It or Ticket campaign to increase awareness of the importance of wearing seat belts. Local ad agency, Brunet-García Multicultural Advertising & PR is buckling up statues around town to remind drivers to buckle up every day. The lions will be buckled up through June 5th.

The Florida Department of Transportation estimates that seat belts saved over 800 lives last year. Seat belt fines vary from county to county. A seat belt ticket can run you as little as $30 or up to $200. Sat belts can only save lives if they are wore. Buckle up and take the Click-It Pledge.

Buckling the Lions

In progress

The City Council is meeting today to review a bill that would remove funds from the Historic Preservation Trust  Fund to build a parking lot for The Landing. the Historic Preservation Trust Fund was established to preserve historic buildings and landmarks in downtown. The City agreed to build The Landing  a parking lot when Tony Sleiman purchased the property. The use of the historic Preservation Funds to fulfill this obligation is under intense scrutiny from preservation groups around the Jacksonville.

Representatives and members of the San Marco Preservation Society will be protesting the bill outside City Hall/The St. James Building today at noon. The press conference is open to the public.

2010 - 2011 Board Members

San Marco Preservation Society has announced the Board of Directors for 2010 – 2011. Congratulations to all.

Jon Singleton, President
Doug Skiles, Secretary
Mary Toomey, Treasurer
George Foote, Immediate Past President
Heather Riley, Beautifucation
Diane Martin, Events
Robin Robinson, Historic/Resources
Jan Bebeau and Susan Masucci, Membership
Forrest Brewer, Merchant Liason
Christina Parrish, Newsletter
Andrew Cordek, Nuisance Abatement
Kimberly Zlatanoff, Parks
Barbara Hall, Preservation Hall
Blake Retterbush, Zoning/Land Use
Richard Moore, JR., CPAC
George Foote, Website