Guest Column: Record ignores Lincolnville, West Augustine issues

Guest Column: Record ignores Lincolnville, West Augustine issues



ANTHONY SERAPHIN
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 01/20/08


I have to shake my head with disbelief at the lack of the Record's coverage of the largest Lincolnville Neighborhood Association meeting ever held. On Jan. 10, 250 people from all over St. Augustine were there to express their outrage over illegally dumped hazardous waste, taken from Lincolnville and dumped in the old reservoir in West St. Augustine. Now our city commissioners have approved the trucking of the waste back to Lincolnville.

The Record failed again in to be an all-city encompassing newspaper. The lack of respect for environmental issues affecting Lincolnville and West St. Augustine shows the historic poor treatment of these two neighborhoods in this city. The Record had a chance to help usher in a new era of media involvement in the protection of these neighborhoods. Where are the articles on who did this to our neighborhoods? Why can they attempt to cover it up and blithely vote to spend $800,000 to cover over their glaring illegal mistakes?

They have no permits and they ignore the reports on the waste and Florida Department of Environmental Protection's recommendation to take this waste to a proper landfill.

The Record could have reported on the grandstanding by Errol Jones, the very same city commissioner who introduced the motion to bring back the waste. The $800,000 motion was voted on and approved Mayor Joseph Boles, Vice Mayor Donald Crichlow, and Commissioners George Gardner, Susan Burk and Jones. All this was with the approval of City Manager William Harriss, who initiated the original illegal dumping without permits. The first dumping cost the tax-payers more than $200,000, plus a $33,000 fine and thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend the official's illegal actions. If that's not news, I don't know a hound dog from a weasel and God help Lincolnville and West St. Augustine.

When these long neglected and dumped-on neighborhoods, which understand the city's contempt for them, can't depend on the news media to get involved in major issues affecting us, we ask why?

We what the lone city newspaper's relationship is with the powers to be in this town? Why doesn't a reporter see the opportunity to help expose the gross mismanagement of the city toward the two blighted neighborhoods? We pay the same taxes as the rest of the well kept city.

If ever a reporter needed a Pulitzer Prize story, it would be on environmental racism. St. Augustine is only a microcosm of this problem in America.

As Flagler College's tax-free real estate investments grow unabated, aided by the city officials, where is your newspaper on this most inequitable tax abuse by the college? Where were the public meetings for discussion of the three Florida East Coast Railway buildings that will be used for rooming their paying customers, (Students)?

These same buildings could have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes, in the form of offices, condos, or at the least, badly needed elderly facilities with medical care.

This major reconstruction project seems to have happened overnight, but it really took at least a year of planning by the college to get the permits, blueprints and contractor bids in. So let's get that straight and don't accept the statement by Vice Mayor Crichlow, that the college had no choice, that the FEC forced them to make a decision in less than 24 hours. He also said that no one else wanted them.

What a joke on the tax payers. Can anyone imagine a developer who wouldn't want to develop those wonderful three buildings? The gateway to our city now has three large rooming houses, tax free.

Lincolnville and West St. Augustine need what the rest of the city has, sidewalks, good streets, play grounds, code enforcement to get rid of the eyesore of boarded-up shacks owned by speculators; the elimination of drug dealers, rezoning to let small businesses open up. I am speaking of grocery stores, cafes, doctor's offices, and any other stores the other neighborhoods have.

We in Lincolnville and West St. Augustine are deeply hurt and offended by The Record's lack of respect and protection a true newspaper affords a community. Shame on you.



Anthony Seraphin is a businessman who lives in Lincolnville. He is a member of the Lincolnville Neighborhood Association.


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