St. Johns County joined the St. Johns Cultural Council and Vilano Beach Main Street on Wednesday, July 17, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the reopening of Vilano Beach Oceanfront Park, 2752 Anahma Drive, St. Augustine, following its $1.8 million renovation.
The renovation project included:
Matthews DCCM (formerly Matthews Design Group) and POND were the design consultants on the project, with E.B. Morris General Contractors Inc. leading construction. St. Johns County funded the renovation project’s $1,814,400 budget through park impact fees and the Tree Bank Fund.
District 5 Commissioner Henry Dean praised the community’s tireless dedication to seeing the park improved.
“When I first became a commissioner in 2016 and Vilano Beach was part of my district, [Vilano Beach community member Vivian Browning] called me and sat down with me and she was like a pit bull on a pork chop … and we got this done,” Dean said. “We now have a very, very vibrant Main Street, which has been very active in getting this project done.”
Linda LaCerva, president of Vilano Beach Main Street, emphasized the county’s collaboration with locals to ensure a shared vision was brought to life to everyone’s satisfaction.
“They had at least four community meetings to bring the community’s ideas together, three times before the Design Review Board, and they didn’t just have a conversation; they actually implemented what we wanted to do,” LaCerva said. “We can’t be happier than we are.”
Parks and Recreation Director Ryan Kane remarked how satisfying it was for his department to be able to help provide Vilano locals with another space to gather and enjoy their remarkable slice of St. Johns County’s 42 miles of beaches.
“The most important piece is the community, and this came together from community involvement,” Kane said. “There were concerts that used to be held down at the Airstream Row … and that’s why we’re sitting here today, because that [type of performance space] is coming back and hitting that need for the community.”
After the speakers were finished and the turquoise ribbon was cut, attendees enjoyed food, drinks and live music on the new stage courtesy of Vilano Beach Main Street.
