SMPS Annual Meeting draws leadership, award winners
Newly appointed SMPS President, Desiree Bailey of the San Marco Bookstore presents Immediate Past President Chris Woolston a plaque for his hard work and dedication as President.
San Marco’s most engaged and active stewards were on hand to celebrate a wrap up of accomplishments and goals attained during a year fraught with difficulty due to the pandemic. Despite many difficult decisions, the leadership persevered during a tough time for gatherings and fundraising.
It was a cool evening in Fletcher Park as wine, beer, refreshments and familiar faces greeted a new slate of board officers, award winners, new staff, as well as a handful of longtime supporters of the San Marco Preservation Society, May 20.
Those in attendance got a sneak peek of Stockton Cottage on the grounds of Fletcher Park, directly adjacent to Preservation Hall. Guests learned about past and future projects, new appointees and other progress that was made during the year, all while outgoing President Chris Woolston kept a sense of humor about his year at the helm during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m not going to mention the “C” word tonight,” he said, as he kicked off the meeting and began his presentation, which started with many ‘thank you’ messages to board members and other committed individuals to the cause. He also made announcements regarding some new faces in Board leadership as well as staff additions for SMPS.
Jackie Vadney was announced as Administrator, she’ll play a leading role alongside Jenna Jackson, who has been booking events and venue rentals, taking charge as the Preservation Hall Coordinator. Newly appointed board members were also announced as follows: President, Desiree Bailey; Vice President, Lauren Carlucci; Treasurer, Mack Volk; Secretary, Skylar Ramsey and Immediate Past President, Chris Woolston.
Woolston also mentioned the retooling of the website for a more user-friendly approach to browsing, digging into resources, and ease of backside management that makes the website (smpsjax.com) a valuable tool for the organization moving forward. Advocacy was one of the larger conversations discussed during the meeting, as many projects have had input from SMPS prior to construction and passage of zoning and planning phases of development, in many cases.
“We have put ourselves out there as a Society to engage with developers and designers to say, “What can we do that will make this the best for our area?,”” he said, as he made an argument for many of the aesthetic touches to the soon to be arriving PUBLIX supermarket as a recent example of how SMPS is advocating for better design and cohesion with the neighborhood. “We are the people that are starting to be the first of the line,” shared Woolston, as he beamed with excitement about relationships with developers and stakeholders, “…we can be a voice for the neighborhood.”
Woolston made light of the involvement of the organization, not just on immediate community projects, but for the future of River City Brewing, LOT J, the housing and developments coming to Philips Highway and more of the projects that impact the area, all while protecting the best interests of San Marco for future generations by remaining proactive.
His tenure ended on a high note with the successful Wine Down in the Parks event in April of 2021, following a successful rescheduling to the Fall last year for the first Wine Down dates that were rescheduled. “We didn’t just do it once this year, we did it twice!” he shared. After shifting in 2020, a postponement meant that the group had to move from the original dates the Fall in October of 2020. Despite early rains during setup, SMPS successfully held it again in 2021 on Saturday, April 21, both Fall and Spring events were sellout crowds. “That means people are aware of us, people are engaging with us, and we’re getting our message out there,” said Woolston.
Also brought to light was the success of Luminaria, Storytime in the Square and the tightening of the coordination and relationships with the San Marco Merchants Association, to prevent crime, better the community communication and collaboration.
Award winners presented during the event were handed to Janet Wylie and Frank Wise for the beautification and residential renovation of 1898 San Marco Blvd. “We love San Marco,” quipped Janet, as she was presented the Beautification Award for the residential renovation she and her husband Frank completed in 2020. “I didn’t know Jacksonville or San Marco from Georgia, we lived out at the beach,” said Wise, of his fondness for San Marco, “I would have moved here 17 years ago, had I known about San Marco.”
Other award winners for residential renovation awards went to 1734 Belmonte Avenue and 1622 Avoca Place, commercial awards were presented to Ashco, Inc. for the beautification of the San Marco Train Station property, while Community Awards were given to Riverfront Park for its renovation and reconstruction, as well as Angelina Danese Park, which underwent a facelift incorporating Kompan playground equipment and opened back up in April of 2021.
For more information about upcoming events in June, including the celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the completion of the Acosta Bridge, visit www.smps.com for more.
Committee Chairmen for SMPS Bryan Mickler - Beautification David Paulk - Membership Skylar Ramsey - Public Relations Robin Robinson - Historical Resources Debra Pataky - Safety Linzee Ott - Governance Jarrod Huntley, Events Lauren Carlucci - Planning William Michaelis - Legal Available – Traffic, Pedestrian and Bicycle
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