(Source: LoriBoyer.org) San Marco Square is looking terrific and most reports are that traffic is flowing well, too. Last Thursday evening was the “soft opening” of the NEW Square and a grand opening is planned by San Marco Preservation on Saturday afternoon, October 26. San Marco Merchants Association and SMPS, who raised over $80,000 for improvements to the expanded park area, are now in the process of entering into an agreement with the City regarding their agreement to maintain the enhancements to Balis Park.

I am grateful to all of you who are members and all who support our merchants who made this possible. I believe your investment was timed perfectly with economic recovery and we will see the Square fully leased and bustling in the near future.

There have been a few signage adjustments on the roadway but the positive comments have far exceeded the concerns I have heard. Pedestrian safety was definitely improved and I have seen many more people crossing San Marco than I recall in the past. We have also encountered some electrical issues with streetlights, the lion fountain and park lighting.  JEA and the Parks Department have been working on those once the cut lines were repaired, and we anticipate everything will be working again within a few weeks.

Bicycle “sharrows” will be coming to the roadway north of the Square in the near future. The symbols are painted on the pavement to make motorists aware that bicycles are permitted to travel in the roadway. Because the lane width is too narrow to permit a bike lane on the side of the road, and the design included on-street parking in the right of way to accommodate merchants and residents, bicycles must travel in the traffic lane. Motorists are often unaware that a cyclist is following traffic safety laws in this behavior and the point of the sharrows is to make this known.