Rep. John Mica to Cut Ribbon on St. Augustine Parking Facility and Remodeled Visitor Information Center.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- U.S. Rep. John Mica will cut the ribbon on the Historic Downtown Parking Facility and remodeled St. Augustine & St. Johns County Visitor Information Center here, Friday, December 15, 2006.

The dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. at the west entrance to the Visitor Information Center is open to the public. Parking in the Historic Downtown Parking Facility will be free for those attending the ceremony.

Construction on the parking facility was complete in time for it to open on July 1. Now in its fifth month of operation, the nearly 1,170 space facility has had more than 85,000 vehicles take advantage of its convenient downtown location.

The Visitor Information Center reopens after a 10-month renovation period that saw the restoration of the interior to its original 1935 configuration and the addition of a west entrance to better accommodate those using the parking facility.

The two facilities are already working in tandem as a reception center for visitors to the city who need a central location to park and receive information and planning assistance for their stay whether for several days or just a few hours. The parking facility has been embraced by residents as well, both those who work in downtown businesses and those seeking a convenient place to park while shopping or to attend a special events.

Rep. Mica was instrumental in securing federal funding in support of the parking facility. Joining Mica for the ceremony will be St. Augustine Mayor Joe Boles, members of the St. Augustine City Commission, and Dan Sullivan, Chair of the city's Parking & Traffic Committee.

Last year, more than 83 million tourists came to Florida. Six million of them came to St. Augustine, the nation's oldest city, and St. John's County.

St. Augustine is located 40 miles south of Jacksonville and 60 miles north of Daytona Beach.

St. Augustine was founded by Spanish settlers in 1565, 42 years before the English colonized Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.

The historic city features Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, a stone fortress, and 36 buildings of colonial origin and another 40 that are reconstructed models of colonial buildings.

Earlier this year, AAA Travel named St. Augustine as one of the Top 10 "Most Walkable Cities in North America."

"The top ten cities include places for every type of traveler," said Bill Wood, executive editor of AAA Publishing. "The true beauty of these vacation spots lies in exploring them by foot, allowing travelers to absorb the personality and essence of the city - all while exercising, conserving fuel and saving money on gas."

Other cities cited were Old Town Alexandria; Boston; New Orleans; Downtown Los Angeles; Washington, DC; Charleston; Old Quebec City; Greenwich Village; and San Francisco.

It was growth in tourism that drove city officials to seek federal grant monies and float a bond issue to build the four-story Historic Downtown Parking Facility (HDPF) and remodel the Visitor Information Center at a cost of $20.5 million.

St. Augustine's Flagler College welcomed the new facility, offering students the option to purchase parking passes in their tuition package. The response was phenomenal with more than 80 percent of the school's 2,200 students purchasing parking passes, according to Flagler College spokesperson Donna Webb.

"We want the people of St. Augustine, as well as our visitors from throughout the region, to get to know this new facility," said the city's Chief Operations Officer John Regan.

The HDPF, which cost approximately $18.7 million, is a four-story, 400,000 square foot structure that offers 1,170 spaces, a 250 percent increase over the old Visitor's Information Center parking lot. Open all year, 24 hours per day, the HDPF features a fully automated payment system, 24 hour security, and connections to a free shuttle, sightseeing vehicles and horse-drawn carriage services.

The massive structure was built in a Mediterranean Revival architectural style, consistent with many of the 19th Century historic buildings in St. Augustine. The First Coast Chapter of the American Concrete Institute named the HDPF as a Significant Concrete Structure because concrete was used in a unique or innovative way and/or concrete was used because of its advantages over other materials with consideration to aesthetics, durability, cost and scheduling flexibility.

"We wanted a facility that blends with the historic aspects of St. Augustine yet provides a functional answer to our on-street parking dilemma," said Regan.

Convenient to both St. George Street and San Marco Avenue as well as the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, parking is inexpensive and plentiful.

Parking at the HDPF costs $1.25 per hour with a $7.50 per day maximum. Monthly passes are available for $32.00 and residents and businesses can purchase monthly passes for as little as $25.60 per month with group discounts.

"The Visitor's Information Center with the new HDPF provides our visitors with an excellent first stop," said Regan. "Visitors can park their vehicles and then walk over to the Visitor's Information Center to learn what St. Augustine and St. Johns County have to offer. From there, they can walk to many destinations or connect with a shuttle, sightseeing vehicle, or horse drawn carriage to take in the sights," he added.

The HDPF features bus bays for tourist buses and access points for the sightseeing vehicles that carry visitors around the historic city.

The project team included Walker Parking Consultants, prime consultant; Les Thomas, architect; Fred Halback and Associates, urban design and landscape architecture; and King Engineering, civil engineering. The contractor was Perry McCall.