The St. Augustine Record
Wednesday, July 10, 2002

County board votes for 2-lane Bridge of Lions
Resolution is merely political
By MICHAEL REED

The St. Johns Board of County Commissioners weighed in on the controversial Bridge of Lions issue Tuesday and called upon the Florida Department of Transportation to build a two-lane bridge that is wider than what is planned.

The board's recommendation is that the new bridge be architecturally similar to the old one.

The decision came in the form of a resolution adopted by a 3 to 2 vote in support of the bridge's replacement. Commissioners Mary Kohnke and John Reardon dissented. The DOT is not required to act based on the county's resolution.

Commissioners Nicholas Meiszer brought up the issue in Tuesday's meeting. It was not scheduled to be on the agenda, but he said it was time the county took a stand. The board discussed the issue in a public hearing in May and indefinitely tabled a decision.

"People said take a position," Meiszer said. "You can't be neutral forever."

Commissioner Marc Jacalone said he personally regretted that the commission didn't take a position earlier.

The DOT has held several public hearings and eventually developed an action plan that it is pursuing. The plan calls for extensive repairs and significant changes, but the bridge won't be entirely replaced.

Although the board discussed the issue without public comment Tuesday, residents are divided on whether the DOT should change the bridge as little as possible when making repairs or replace it entirely. Some say a new bridge will help with traffic and others want to save a historic structure.

The DOT's plan takes a middle road.

The commissioners supported building a new bridge because they believe it will help relieve the county's congested transportation network.

Kohnke and Reardon voted against the motion because the public was unaware that the issue would be discussed Tuesday.

"Nobody knows we are doing this except those poor souls who are sitting here and anybody watching on television," Kohnke said.

In fairness, the issue should have been put on the weekly agenda, Kohnke and Reardon said.

The other three commissioners believed the issue had been discussed in detail and the public couldn't add anything new.

"There's been ample notice," Meiszer said. "This matter has been under discussion for years."

The commissioners who dissented weakened the board's resolution in the eyes of the state, Meiszer said. He was skeptical of the resolution's effectiveness.

When the issue was discussed in May, Kohnke and Reardon spoke against the resolution. It was introduced by Chairman Jim Bryant and supported by Jacalone. Meiszer eventually made the motion to table the issue.