About 30 people attended the Dec. 4 meeting of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Tourism and Hospitality Council meeting at Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine at Mission Nombre de Dios to learn more about Vilano Beach Town Center being designated as a Florida Trail Town.
Sallie O’Hara, executive director of the Vilano Beach Main Street organization, and Vivian Browning, president, talked about plans to implement a 10-foot wide multi-use trail along Florida A1A from Vilano to Ponte Vedra Beach. A $150,000 grant has been secured to conduct a feasibility study in June for the stretch of A1A. The trail is intended to provide access for cycling, paddling, equestrian and hiking activities and augment accessibility to the town center to anchor Vilano Beach as a destination trail town.
O’Hara and Browning are focused on local trails, but also want to be sure the stretch from Ponte Vedra Beach to Vilano Beach is included in the bigger picture. The East Coast Greenway is a walking and biking route stretching 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida, connecting the nation’s most populated corridor. The trail is designed to transform the 15 states and 450 communities it connects through active and healthy lifestyles, sustainable transportation, community engagement, climate resilience, tourism and positive economic impact.
Locally, the River to Sea Loop would be an optional route that takes travelers inland and links five counties ― St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler, Volusia and Brevard. The loop is 260 miles of non-motorized trails. The portion of the trail from East Palatka along State Road 207 to the trail head at Vermont Heights is complete. Another segment on Anastasia Island is also complete from Pope Road south along Mickler Boulevard to B Street. The segment that will connect those two trails is partially funded for preconstruction, and will follow along the railway east to King Street, over the Bridge of Lions then south on Anastasia Island to Pope Road.
O’Hara and Browning are working with St. Johns County and the City of St. Augustine to ensure Vilano connects to the trails through the new “peanut” intersection at May Street, or by water taxi between the Vilano Pier and the City Docks. Both women have experience working with federal, state and local entities to achieve goals.
“The way to get things done is through consensus, compromise and keep moving forward,” Browning said.
When the meeting concluded, attendees were invited to tour an active archaeological dig on the Mission grounds. Kathy Deagan, professor of archaeology at the University of Florida, retired, led the tour of the oldest foundation of a stone church in America dating back to 1678. The eight-week dig produced artifacts from Native Americans and European settlers, revealing where the monks stored their wine.
For more information, visit www.vilanobeachfl.com, www.eastcoastgreenway.com or the Chamber of Commerce website at www.sjcchamber.com .
