Funding for building a sidewalk along San Juan Drive has come into question after St. Johns County officials informed the Ponte Vedra Municipal Service District that there will be no money in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget for the project.
According to MSD chair Kitty Switkes, that was reiterated during a 30-minute meeting she had with St. Johns County Commission Chair Krista Joseph and Public Works Director Greg Caldwell.
She had asked both to attend the MSD meeting on July 14 to discuss it further, but due to scheduling conflicts they were not able to make it.
“Not much has changed since I talked to the board last month,” Switkes said. “There is no money from the county, but they will allow us to use the right-of-way for a sidewalk, but we have to fund it.”
It was a decision that did not sit well with much of the MSD board.
“I think it’s a mistake by the county,” MSD vice chair Al Hollon said. “We’ve probably spent about $15,000 doing all this based on what the county told us.”
Switkes stated that she believed there is $250,000 currently in the budget designated for sidewalks and possibly another $250,000 after Oct. 1.
MSD attorney Wayne Flowers informed the board that an extra amount cannot be added onto the contract for an additional project, but it would have to go through the bidding process.
“I don’t get it to be honest with you,” MSD trustee John Cellucci said. “I go down to Palm Valley Road and their spending millions on that road and known of the residents are paying anything for it. It’s still their right-of-way and it’s still a safety problem.”
Hollon suggested that the board consider retaining the services of a traffic safety expert to look at the feasibility study and do traffic counts with site visits to offer up an opinion about the safety issues present along the road and the impact sidewalks could have.
“I think it would help to clear things up,” Hollon said.
A feasibility study has been completed but its focus was more on the construction side of things and which side of the road a sidewalk would work better on and not analysis pertaining to safety.
According to Switkes, she went back and read the minutes from the first sidewalk feasibility public meeting and Joseph is on record at the end of the meeting saying that she talked to the county and that they would pay for a sidewalk, but the MSD just had to pick a side of the road to place it on.
“Based on all the presumptions and guarantees we proceeded to get all our studies and put the money aside for two years in a row, so we kept our end of the bargain,” Cellucci said. “Now they’re not, and they’re not even giving us a reason.”
There were three residents in attendance that stated their support and appreciation for the MSD getting the sidewalk project approved during the public comments portion of the meeting.
The board unanimously agreed with trustee Mickey White’s idea to continue with advancing the design and permit portions of the project so that they are at least ready and better positioned to go before the county and lobby for room for the project come budget time a year from now.
