450NEXT

Pilot Program to expand

2010-12-06T15:35:00.004-05:00

The results of our 21 day pilot program at Davenport Park are as follows. All three bins were used but never completely filled. The Plastic and Aluminum bins were close to half-way full and the Glass bin contained only a few bottles.

We have decided to expand our studies to include Lighthouse Park and Hamilton Upchurch Skate Park beginning this week. If you are out enjoying any of these parks in the month of December please recycle.

Thank You.

Pilot Recycling Program Begins at Davenport Park

2010-11-09T08:38:00.004-05:00

The 21 day pilot program has officially begun at Davenport park. Three large recycling containers have been placed at the park's entrance/exit, labeled "Aluminum", "Plastic" and "Mixed Glass". The containers will be checked daily by members of 450NEXT in order to measure the amount of recyclable items rescued from our trash, and eventually our landfills.

Project 2 Pilot Program will begin Monday, November 8, 2010

2010-11-06T21:40:00.003-04:00

450NEXT is set to deploy phase I of project 2 beginning Monday, November 8, 2010.

Davenport Park a.k.a. "The Carousel Park" will be the subject of this 21 day experiment and data collection exercise. 8 handsome recycling containers will be available for public use.

If you find yourself at Davenport Park in the month of November (maybe taking a few spins on the carousel) please recycle with a smile, knowing you did your part in helping keep unnecessary materials from our landfills. If we all work together, we can make a difference.

Project #2

2010-09-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

The 450 Next Committee has decided to tackle the lack of recycling awareness in the City and surrounding County. Only 43% of the city resident's recycle and we want to increase that percentage. Therefore, we are going to create, along with community children, recycling containers to be placed at four pilot parks (Upchurch, Davenport, Fullerwood and Lighthouse) to act as symbols for our awareness campaign. We have a lot of work to do to accomplish this goal so, any input is appreciated!

A recent appearance in The St. Augustine Report

2010-03-12T11:19:00.007-05:00

Public art for community - youth lead the way

It takes a village to raise a child - and a community to establish public art, like the recently completed mosaic wall at the entrance to the Calhoun Community Center.
The combined efforts of some 100 youth, under the guiding eyes of artists Wendy McDaniel and Corrie Borglund, created the mosaic tribute to youthful energy. They came from the after school programs at American Legion Post 194, Boys and Girls Club, Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park and Solomon Calhoun Center.
Groups supporting the three-month effort included county government, West Augustine CRA, and 450 Next (Young Professionals of St. Augustine), connected through the St. Johns Cultural Council.

Bright wall a group effort | StAugustine.com

2010-02-25T16:14:00.000-05:00

Bright wall a group effort StAugustine.com

Calhoun Center wall shining example of a community effort | StAugustine.com

2010-02-25T10:48:00.000-05:00

Calhoun Center wall shining example of a community effort | StAugustine.com

Saturday was AWESOME!

2010-02-22T09:54:00.005-05:00

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day. The weather cooperated perfectly and we had a great turnout. We got started at 9 am on Saturday with unpacking all our tools and materials and getting ready for an intense day of grouting.

We unpacked 3 bags of grout that we quickly went through. We were well short with only 3 bags of grout so we sent Meredith on a "Grout Run". She came through in a big way delivering 10 bags of grout from Home Depot but unfortunately the color was not a perfect match. We had to get creative if we were going to finish on Saturday. Wendy and Corrie came up with a creative solution of mixing 2 different colored grouts to match the first 3 bags of grout. With a full bag of light grey and 17 "Wendy handfuls" (almost a metric system), we were back to grouting.

Here is a picture of the crew getting back to work. We worked the rest of the afternoon until about 3 pm to get the wall complete. Meredith again showed her enormous worth by providing us with a huge bag of tacos from Taco Bell. They tasted so good with a little grout mixed in.

The wall turned out so well. The dark grey grout really made the colors stand out. At the end of the day, we were all worn out but proud of having accomplished so much.

We got a ton of compliments on how great the wall looked. George, a long time St. Augustine resident, also shared with all of us how this wall will give so many children a sense of pride. It was great to hear him share with us its importance to the community.

In all, it was a great day for all of the people involved in the project. I encourage everyone to ride by this wall to see what we all accomplished working together. I know we have more great things on the horizon for 450 Next.

From right to left: George, Leigh, Trey, Corrie, Meredith, Wendy and Rhett (sporting a 450 Next T-Shirt)

See all photos

Tile chips are flyin'!

2010-01-19T19:29:00.004-05:00

We're bustin' tiles! It's all part of the mosaic process.

Finally setup at the Calhoun Community Center! We'll be there with help from children of various after-school programs for the next three weeks, assembling the tiles like tiny puzzle pieces onto more than a dozen concrete boards which will eventually be mounted on the wall to make up the final design.

Check out some photos!

The Kid's tiles are complete!

2009-12-18T10:08:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Corrie, all 90 kids finished their individual pieces. Check out some photos!

American Legion Post 194 After School Program

2009-11-18T12:43:00.005-05:00

A few 450Next-ers stopped by American Legion Post 194 After-School Program to help out with production. Corrie Borgland instructed the group of approximately 12 elementary school-aged children on the details of creating mosaic art. Then the creative juices began to flow!

Check out the video!

450NEXT Public Mural Project 01 from Seth Ferreira on Vimeo.

Plans are under way!

2009-10-01T09:53:00.003-04:00

We're very excited with how the project is progressing.

Wendy McDaniel and Corrie have been chosen as our artists and managers. Their selected medium, Mosaic Tile! They will be involving the children of the West Augustine community in the process. It has been decided that the conference room of the Calhoun Center will be used as the studio to create the mural pieces. All materials will also be stored there.

The children from the Boys & Girls Club, American Legion and Calvin Peete after school programs will be driven to the Calhoun Center by their own buses to work on the project. Volunteers from 450NEXT and YPO will assist in the production.

Wendy and Corrie are now coordinating with Greg White to order and store the materials.

We got our wall!

2009-07-30T15:27:00.002-04:00

We are super excited to announce that our lunch meeting was truly divine intervention. Below are the photos of the wall. It is ready to go at the new Calhoun Community Center. Greg White, chairperson of the West Augustine CRA steering committee, was wondering what to do with the back of the wall when we started our lunch. During the lunch he decided we could be the group to coordinate a mural for the wall. He has money for paint, the children and Wendy McDaniel and another artist will help. Our contribution will be to fundraise to pay for the artist time. All of YPO can get involved if they are interested.

Juneteenth Celebration

2009-06-22T09:32:00.015-04:00

The Juneteenth Celebration was a success! The '65 Sport Van flew the 450Next banner in the parade to kick off the event. Our tent attracted kids immediately due to the 20 foot inflatable monster truck bounce house that rose behind it! The only requirement to jump, they had to paint a picture. And the paint began to fly! When the dust settled we saw some great talent! Sharks, houses, self portraits, hearts, boats and some very interesting abstract creations in an array of colors.

As the kids waited in line to paint, we were able to speak to the parents about our project and vision, and it was very well received. The only thing we wished we had was a "leave-behind" to pass out.

After sampling a few hot dogs and some garlic crabs we all agreed it was a successful day and look forward to the next step!

Here are some photos:

View Cheryl's Photos

Topic Chosen!

2009-06-19T16:45:00.004-04:00

After much debate and deliberation we have chosen a topic! The first 450Next project will be a public mural. We'll be calling upon the artistic talents of the children in West Augustine to help us paint our masterpiece.

Visit us at our table at the Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 20-21 at Collier-Blocker-Puryear Park at 10 N. Holmes Blvd. The parade starts at 10am, then stop by the table to paint your ideas for the mural! Bring the kids!

See ya there!

Top 4 chosen

2009-05-11T14:23:00.003-04:00

We have narrowed the list to 4.

Public Art
a. Lighthouse
b. Lion
Public Mural
Recycling Awareness
Local Recreational Sports Team

Bounce House!

2009-04-21T13:33:00.001-04:00

Set up bounce houses for young professionals that have small kids

Community farming

2009-04-21T13:32:00.001-04:00

Community farming

Local Artist Auction

2009-04-21T13:29:00.000-04:00

Sponsor a local artist auction.

Community service festival

2009-04-21T13:28:00.000-04:00

Community service festival

Ronald McDonald House

2009-04-21T13:26:00.000-04:00

Ronald McDonald House

Bars Open Later

2009-04-21T13:25:00.000-04:00

Last call at 12:30? C'mon people!

Live Music at the Pier

2009-04-21T13:24:00.002-04:00

Live music at the pier – charge more money and have vendors sell food.

Flyover

2009-04-21T13:24:00.001-04:00

Flyover at US1 and 312

Bridge from Vilano to Anastasia Island

2009-04-21T13:23:00.002-04:00

Over the inlet!

Waterpark

2009-04-21T13:22:00.003-04:00

Waterpark (i.e., aquatica)

Recreation Sports

2009-04-21T13:22:00.001-04:00

Local recreational sports teams i.e., paintball, kickball, bowling

Dance

2009-04-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

Dance instruction/classes

Wow, Check this one out!

2009-04-21T13:20:00.000-04:00

Graffiti all over the new bridge of lions- straight up gang signs!

City-wide WIFI

2009-04-21T13:18:00.000-04:00

always connected in the oldest city!

Hybrid buses and trolleys

2009-04-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

Re-route driving north of town and transport workers and tourists into town using hybrid buses and trolleys

Staffing Service

2009-04-21T13:16:00.001-04:00

Staffing service for the dog park, the farmer’s market, expand community volunteerism.

Artificial Reef

2009-04-21T13:15:00.001-04:00

Artificial surf reefs for coastal protection – no more dredging/filling

Hurricane Protection Plan

2009-04-21T13:14:00.000-04:00

Improve retention wall downtown. Improve drainage.

Energy

2009-04-21T13:13:00.000-04:00

Wave/tidal based local power generation or wind/marginal solar

Lion Sculptures around the city/county

2009-04-21T13:05:00.000-04:00

Local art classes could have competitions to design them.

Littering Awareness

2009-04-21T13:04:00.001-04:00

No more cigarette butts out of cans.

Public Recycling

2009-04-21T13:03:00.000-04:00

Place bins conveniently around the city beside trashcans.

Recycle Awareness

2009-04-21T13:02:00.000-04:00

Drive around on collection day and take note of households who don’t have bins and distribute them.

Water Taxi

2009-04-21T12:59:00.001-04:00

See the beautiful shores of our city's waterways and get where you need to go at the same time!

Children's Museum

2009-03-31T16:35:00.002-04:00

Launch a St. Augustine children’s museum highlighting the history of the area.

Ultimate Frisbee!

2009-03-31T16:35:00.001-04:00

Develop an ultimate Frisbee course!

Dog Park

2009-03-31T16:34:00.000-04:00

Create a dog park in a centralized location.

Sustainable Business Incentives

2009-03-31T16:33:00.000-04:00

Develop sustainable incentives for downtown businesses.

Downtown Drainage and Paving

2009-03-31T16:32:00.000-04:00

Assess the drainage and paving needs in the downtown area and improve as needed.

Brick Sales on new Bridge of Lions

2009-03-31T16:29:00.001-04:00

Betty Crosby's idea:

Organize brick sales/dedications for the renovated Bridge of Lions.

Fuel-Efficient Buses

2009-03-31T16:28:00.002-04:00

Create fuel-efficient public bus system that runs throughout the city.

LED street lights

2009-03-31T16:27:00.000-04:00

Convert street lighting to LED bulbs.

Recycling Awareness

2009-03-31T16:26:00.002-04:00

Increase recycling awareness and participation city-wide.

City Holiday

2009-03-31T16:26:00.001-04:00

Invoke a St. Augustine holiday celebrating the nation’s oldest city.

Civil Rights

2009-03-31T16:25:00.000-04:00

Determine a method for publicly displaying civil rights as they relate to the history of the city.

The Homeless

2009-03-31T16:24:00.004-04:00

Generate strategies for effectively addressing the substantial homeless population within the city.

Give jobs to homeless like cleaning up trash.

Wall Mural

2009-03-31T16:24:00.001-04:00

Rally local artists, organizations, and volunteers to collectively create a community wall mural.

Farmer's Market

2009-03-31T16:23:00.000-04:00

Organize a weekly Farmers Market between the Visitors Center and parking garage.

San Sebastian Entrance

2009-03-31T16:22:00.002-04:00

Create an entrance corridor over the San Sebastian arch.

Lincolnville Park/Playground

2009-03-31T16:22:00.001-04:00

Purchase a vacant lot in Lincolnville and develop land into a park/playground to build a sense of community within the neighborhood and invite new visitors to the area.

Hardees Property

2009-03-31T16:21:00.000-04:00

Transform Hardees property into an attractive intersection and entrance to the city.

Youth Fitness

2009-03-31T16:20:00.000-04:00

Develop an after school fitness program for underserved youth.

Street Performers

2009-03-31T16:19:00.000-04:00

Re-examine ordinance restricting street performers on St. George Street.

Pedestrian Traffic

2009-03-31T16:18:00.001-04:00

Limit area between Cordova and Menendez to pedestrian traffic.

Tour Guide Certification

2009-03-31T16:16:00.001-04:00

Require the completion of a course in Saint Augustine history of all city tour guides. I swear they're making half of that stuff up!

Entrance Signs

2009-03-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

Improve the landscaping around and appearance to entrance signs welcoming visitors to Saint Augustine.

Active Young Professionals

2009-03-18T15:01:00.001-04:00

My friend Lauren Titus' idea:

One thing this town needs is more publicity about the young professionals who are becoming active in the community. This is a very encouraging sign and we should be hearing more about positive news these days. Also, seeing that there is a thriving professional circle in St. Augustine does much to encourage other young people who are just starting out to stick around and participate in the town, the area...

One word

2009-03-12T02:06:00.002-04:00

MONORAIL!

What it is and Five Starter Ideas

2009-03-09T08:38:00.000-04:00

450 Next is a commitment to comprehensive community change in Greater St. Augustine through sustainable projects, with the involvement and for the enduring benefit of its citizens.

Some ideas are:
1. Develop a staffing service to manage and expand volunteerism community-wide
2. Create a historic trail to deepen the awareness and appreciation of our nation's oldest city through walking tours of various lengths and styles
3. Commission local artists and organizations to craft artwork (i.e., lighthouses or lions) for public display and auction off the pieces for selected charities
4. Launch city-wide wireless network
5. Boost tourism through monorail system that exits at various points of interest

The path that got us where we are

2009-03-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

My friend Michelle Robideaux Pent's idea:

When I was growing up in St. Augustine back in the sixties...San Marco was where it was happening (bakeries, resturants, tourist attractions... traffic came from the North to St. Augustine down San Marco... around the fort and down King street or over the Lions Bridge. It was simple...South Dixie Hwy picked up from King and continued South. I would love to see many of the vacant buildings on the old route before ( U.S.I. or Ponce blvd.) came in "realized" as wonderful veues once again...It could be called "The path that got us where we are"...

March 4th meeting

2009-03-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

The March 4th meeting was productive. We decided a blog would be the best way to communicate our progress and ideas. Feel free to join in on the conversation!