In order to make it more convenient for St. Augustine residents to make donations for the victims of the recent devastating earthquakes in Haiti, the City of St. Augustine has designated its main fire station as a collection point for donated items.

Starting Monday, February 1, the city main fire station, located at 101 Malaga Street near the intersection with Ponce de Leon Blvd., will accept donations any day of the week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The donations will be collected from the fire station and transported to Haiti through the cooperation of Mission Harvest and the American Red Cross.

Specific items which may be donated are:

· Non-perishable food items, canned-food in pop-top cans, water and juices;

· Warm weather clothing, flat shoes or boots; towels, washcloths, lightweight quilts and blankets, sleeping bags;

· First aid type medical supplies, toiletries, insect repellent, candles, flashlights, batteries; and

· Tarpaulins, trash bags, plastic wrap, packing tape.

For more information call the Department of Public Affairs at 904.825.1053.

Our entire community is partnering with Foodforthepoor.org who have been in Hati for the last 25 years.

The St. Augustine Humane Society (SAHS) in conjunction with the First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP) in Jacksonville, will be offering low-cost spay/neuter services to the local community this Thursday, January 21st through their “Spay Shuttle” program.  The shuttle will take pets to the FCNMHP for same-day services and bring them home in the evening. Prices are $50 for cats and $75 for dogs, which includes a rabies shot in addition to the spay/neuter procedure. Additional vaccinations are also available at a reduced cost.

The shuttle operates every other week and will also be “launching” on February 4th and 18th. To reserve a spot for your pet, e-mail the following information to sbk@staughumane.org:

Your name

Your phone number

Your Pet’s Type (cat or dog)

Name

Sex

Age

Breed

Weight Estimate

What services you require

You can help support the services offered by the Spay Shuttle by participating in the SAHS Spay-ghetti Lunch and Dinner on January 26, 2010.  Visit the First United Methodist Church at 118 King Street in downtown St. Augustine between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to pick up your delicious meal including spaghetti (choice between meat sauce and marinara sauce prepared by Napoli’s), garlic toast, drink and brownie for $8.00. If you order five or more meals for your business or family, the SAHS volunteers will deliver your order free of charge. All deliveries must be scheduled in advance however by calling Barbara at 904-461-4096 before 4:00 p.m. on January 25th.

The St. Augustine Humane Shelter is still in the process of rebuilding after it was forced to close its doors in 2009. You can help with the rebuilding process by purchasing a memorial tile to be placed on the front desk of the new facility. Paw print tile kits are available for $150.00.

- OldCity.com

Here are some of the on-going FDOT projects in St. Johns County that may interfere with traffic patterns this week:

State Road A1A – Bridge of Lions (contact Laurie Sanderson:  904-825-3647 or 904-669-1165)

The channel beneath the Bridge of Lions in St. Augustine is scheduled to be restricted to 35 feet horizontal clearance each day 7:30 am to 8pm January 18-22, 2010, except for full bridge/channel openings provided at 7:00 am, 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm, and 8:00 pm each day. Each night during the same dates (January 18-22, 2010), the channel will be fully closed from 8pm to 7:30am. Also, the short slip ramp onto the temporary Bridge of Lions from northbound Avenida Menendez remains closed. Motorists may access the temporary bridge at the adjacent traffic signal. In addition, westbound traffic over the temporary bridge remains reduced to one lane at the intersection with Avenida Menendez. No additional lane closures are planned at the Bridge of Lions Rehabilitation Project during the week of January 18, 2010. Please visit the Bridge of Lions website at www.FDOTBridgeofLions.com for project information.

State Road A1A between Owens Avenue and SR 312

State Road A1A, between Owens Avenue and S.R. 312, may be reduced to one lane in each direction during the day while landscape crews work in the medians.

State Road A1A from Fairfield Boulevard/Sawgrass Drive to the Duval County line (Ponte Vedra)

State Road A1A in Ponte Vedra, from Fairfield Boulevard/Sawgrass Drive to the Duval County line, may be reduced to one lane in each direction during the day for installation of signal sensors and at night for paving.  Please note that the speed limit has been reduced to 40 mph throughout the limits of the project.

State Road A1A in Summer Haven

Possible short duration daytime lane closures at the south bridge for safety while crews remove portions of the old bridge.

Interstate 95 Exit Ramps onto State Road 207

There are no scheduled lane closures on this project the week of January 18 - 22.

I-95 interchange modification at C.R. 210 (contact: Mike Goldman 1-800-207-8236)

Southbound lane closings on I-95 may occur next week (Monday through Thursday) between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m.  This project will be finished in the early spring of 2010.

U.S. 1 from Moultrie Creek near Vail Point Road to State Road 207

Nighttime lane closures are scheduled on U.S. 1 between State Road 312 and State Road 207 Sunday through Thursday nights from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays and 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends for paving when temperatures remain above 45 degrees.

U.S. 1 south of Race Track Road near the Duval County line (Nocatee Flyover Project)

No new lane closures are scheduled the week of January 18 on the Nocatee Flyover Project.

State Road 16 from International Golf Parkway to County Road 16A

Traffic on State Road 16, between International Golf Parkway/Pacetti Road and County Road 16A, may be shifted onto the newly constructed lanes on the east side of the roadway as early as Monday, January 18 or sometime during the week of January 18. Motorists should use caution, particularly where County Road 16A enters State Road 16 at the curve and watch for motorists entering and exiting side streets and driveways until everyone is familiar with the new traffic pattern.

County Road 13 at Sixteen Mile Creek (contact Monica Reifeiss:  800-749-2967)

The roadway shoulder at Sixteen Mile Creek will be closed while crews continue to clear the area.  No lane closures are scheduled at this time.

Just a little over 900 miles from St. Augustine, the island nation of Haiti has fallen into the claws of a nearly unimaginable catastrophe on the heels of a massive earthquake. Millions of people have been affected by injuries, casualties and loss of shelter. As the world comes together to lend a hand, you may be wondering what you can do as one individual to assist a nation of people in such dire need. We have gathered here a few examples of reputable organizations who could use your help and how you can give it to them today.

- The American Red Cross: By simply texting “Haiti” to 90999 you can give $10 to the Red Cross, applied to your next cellphone bill. Already, the organization has raised $3 million through this text campaign. They estimate that 91 cents of every dollar donated to the Red Cross is actually invested in humanitarian aid. You can also donate redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

- UNICEF: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also working around the clock to bring aid to the citizens of Haiti. You can donate in any amount to their cause at unicefusa.org. Every little bit helps get much needed supplies to the desperate island nation.

- Yele & The Haiti Earthquake Alliance: Haitian native and world renowned recording artist Wyclef Jean is on the ground in his home country helping to rescue survivors from the rubble. In the meantime, his organization Yele, a foundation for raising money for Haiti, has formed an alliance of networks that have already been able to send four airlifts worth of supplies to Port-au-Prince. You can donate to the alliance through yele.org or text “Yele” to 501501 to make a $5 donation.

Internet technology is also offering the world a unique way to get closer to what’s going on and get a better understanding of how bad this devastation is. Two high school graduates from Jacksonville who have been doing some missionary work in Haiti have a blog that you can check out for their first hand accounts of the earthquake.

For more ways that you can help the relief effort, take a look at this article from CNN.com.

Our prayers continue to rest with the citizens of Haiti and the rescuers working tirelessly to help them.

- OldCity.com

OldCity.com, Old City Web Services, Aug.com and the rest of our business family are happy to welcome everyone into the new decade! It’s off to a chilly start for us here in Florida–we even might see a few flakes of snow in the sky over the next week. Wouldn’t that be a great way to start of 2010?

On the local front, these next ten years will be big for St. Augustine (and not just because we might finally get to see the end of the temporary bridge and the re-birth of the Bridge of Lions!). No, the big news is that we are quickly approaching our 450th year of continual operation in 2015. The festivities leading up to the big anniversary have already begun with the First America lecture series going on at the Flagler College Auditorium. The series encompasses not only the history behind the Nation’s Oldest Continually Occupied European Settlement, but many of the legendary people who have made it what it is today. There are four more scheduled events in the lecture series this year starting on January 7th with “The British Our Coming!” which will include members of the British Night Watch. All the shows begin at 7:00 p.m. and are free to the public.

The real festivities to celebrate St. Augustine’s unique history will kick off in April of 2013 when the city celebrates 500 years since Ponce de Leon arrived on Florida’s shores and continue up through the actual 450th anniversary date of Pedro Menendez de Aviles’ arrival in September of 2015.   Locals, visitors, history buffs and others should start making plans now for what is sure to be the biggest celebration this city has ever seen.

Outside of the city’s big events for 2010 and beyond, OldCity.com is also looking at an exciting year. Just before the end of 2009, we launched the first version of our St. Augustine iPhone App and we’re already up to well over 200 downloads and building. With its state-of-the-art GPS-enabled technology, this app is going to have a major impact for tourists, locals and businesses as it will make it much easier to get around downtown and offer businesses the opportunity to reach potential customers in a new way. The app also boasts a really unique tour of St. Augustine’s most popular haunts with the Shivers & Awe GPS Tour.  For more information, check out iphone.oldcity.com.

Speaking of OldCity.com, we are in the process of making a major overhaul to St. Augustine’s most popular web portal. We can’t give you all the juicy details on what’s on the horizon, but the new look will not only be a aesthetically pleasing, it’s going to make it a lot easier to access information on what’s going on in St. Augustine. Keep checking back with us as we get closer to launching that new version possibly later this year.

Well, we hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.  Good luck for a successful 2010 and beyond!

- OldCity.com

It’s been a long year in St. Augustine, across the nation and around the globe. We have soldiered on through war, a recession, unemployment, foreclosures, an epidemic, and so much more. Now is the time we draw our families and friends close at heart to celebrate our successes and dream of what the New Year will bring.

The OldCity.com family of businesses (including Old City Web Services and Aug.com), appreciate all of the support we’ve gotten this year from our friends and family in St. Augustine and around the country. We know that everyone has had their struggles, but we’ve helped each other make it through the year and now we stand on the precipice of a promising 2010.

We close out the decade on the verge of new technologies we could not even have dreamed of when we began the new millennium ten years ago. From 3D movies to GPS navigation to touch-screen phones, the world is pushing the evolution of technology. What new advances will 2010 and its new decade bring?

Outside of technology, the new decade brings with it a major milestone in St. Augustine’s history. In 2015, we will celebrate the 450^th anniversary of Pedro Menendez de Aviles’ discovery of our beautiful little town. It will be a momentous occasion and a source of tremendous pride for St. Augustine, and you be can sure the anticipation and preparation has already begun. OldCity.com is excited to be one of the many businesses and individuals who will come together to make this celebration possible.

It’s exciting to dream of the prospects awaiting us in the next decade, not only in technology but in all other aspects of our life and culture as well. Whatever comes along with 2010, we will get through it together just has we have all the decades before.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a very happy New Year!

Happy Friday, folks! For those of you in St. Augustine, I hope you are staying indoors today, it’s pretty wet out there. Had to go downtown this morning and I thought I might have to swim from the car to my destination! I don’t recommend heading down there unless you have to.

We’ve been getting a lot of great press attention for the unveiling of the St. Augustine iPhone App featuring the Shiversand Awe tour. I wanted to share some of it, along with the reviews it’s been getting.

Story on Historic City News

Blog from HauntJaunts.com

St. Aug News Story

The SOP Radio Network (includes audio interview)

Five-Star Reviews from iTunes:

This is a must have app.

by sOulbAit - Dec 18, 2009

This is a must have app. I live near St. Augustine and just love the ghost stories. Now I can carry my iPhone around and start and stop the tour at anytime. I can do part of the tour and then come back another day to finish the tour. The voice is very easy to understand, the map makes it super easy to follow the course to each of the destinations. To top it off, the app is FREE. I love it. Enjoy.

I love this tour

by a thorn - Dec 8, 2009

I am so glad to see this tour is now an app. Will go tonight.

great even for locals

by Rev. Neβie - Dec 10, 2009

im a local here in st. augustine, and this brings you to only the best parts of downtown…its great! no tourist traps either!

If you want more information on what the St. Augustine App has to offer, check out iphone.oldcity.com. You can download the app from iTunes for FREE a limited time.

-OldCity.com

Just a few days ago we introduced the idea of giving back this holiday season instead of giving gifts. Sure it might seem like a great idea to get a Snuggie for your Secret Santa at work or send your sister another bath gift set, but what if instead you took the money you’d spend on one of those items that would be used up and thrown away by next Christmas to be part of something much bigger than any of us as individuals instead.

Within the confines of the First Coast alone, there are hundreds of opportunities to make a difference by supporting a worthy cause or organization who serve the needs of others. We previously profiled the Haven Horse Ranch, an organization dedicating to helping children with mental disabilities and challenging life circumstances a chance to grow as individuals through horseback riding.

Today we want to highlight The Arc organizations of St. Johns and Volusia Counties. These community groups are dedicated to enriching the lives of citizens with developmental handicaps from children to adults. Though branches of the same national organization, the two groups in St. Augustine and Daytona concentrate on different areas and therefore have different needs.

The Arc of  St. Johns is currently in the midst of a major campaign to raise funds for a new building for their Therapeutic Learning Center (TLC). The TLC is an intensive program for children from birth to age five who need help in overcoming the challenges of a physical and/or mental disability. This is the only program of its kind and though it has been in operation for over 25 years, it has never had a permanent home suitable for long-term operation. A group of very dedicated citizens in St. Johns County have been donating their time and money to giving this program a permanent foundation and are now just a few hundred thousand dollars from their goal. No matter how large or small your contribution may be, it will have an impact on establishing this unique program that is desperately needed. For more information on how to donate, please visit: The Arc of St. Johns Website.

Just to our south, the Arc of Volusia is also doing a tremendous job improving the lives of others. Their branch of the Arc organization focuses on “Connecting Abilities to Opportunities” by giving individuals with mental and physical challenges the opportunity to garner some independence through their social entrepreneurship program. From animal snacks to document destruction, electronics recycling to arts and crafts, members of the Arc Volusia partake in activities on the group’s 15 acre campus that allow them to feel the joy and independence from doing something on their own. These products are sold through Arc Volusia and the individuals who put their hard work into making them are paid for their efforts. A weekly check might be something we all take for granted, but when it shows the proof that you are able to do things on your own, it can mean the world. You can learn more about these products and the wide array of other services offered by this wonderful organization here: Arc of Volusia Website.

We will be bringing you a few more profiles on worthy causes you can support this holiday season very soon!

From all of ours to all of yours, Happy Holidays!

- OldCity.com

New Technology for the Oldest City: Introducing the St. Augustine iPhone Application

Old City Web Services and SAGPS Adventure Tours are revolutionizing the way people discover the Oldest City with the St. Augustine iPhone App featuring the Shivers and Awe Tour available on iTunes and powered by GeoQuest Technologies, Inc.

St. Augustine – The Nation’s Oldest City is stepping into modern times with the new St. Augustine Application for the iPhone and iPod touch powered by GeoQuest Technologies, Inc. The application is available for free starting today, Wednesday, Dec. 9, on Apple iTunes. Developed through a partnership between local businesses Old City Web Services and SAGPS Adventure Tours, the exclusive application offers locals and visitors the ability to discover St. Augustine like never before.

“We’re thrilled to present this application to our customers and to the general public in and around St. Augustine,� said Old City Web Services president and CEO, Chuck Nusbaum. “Our goal is always to keep the Oldest City on the leading edge of technology to the benefit of local businesses, visitors and residents alike.�

The first phase of the St. Augustine App features a GPS-enabled tour of St. Augustine’s spooky side through the unique vision of the “Shivers and Awe� tour. With the help of an engaging narrator, visitors and locals alike can explore the macabre past of some of St. Augustine’s most popular destinations at their own pace.

“I am very excited to bring new and innovative entertainment using smart phone technology to the nation’s oldest city,� said Jeff Tabor, president of SAGPS Tours, Inc. “I believe that residents of northeast Florida, as well as visitors to our city and local businesses will find the St. Augustine iPhone application both entertaining and user friendly.�

The next phase of the application will act as an extension of OldCity.com, St. Augustine’s leading web portal. Just as locals and visitors can find a wealth of St. Augustine information on OldCity.com, users of the application will be able to surf through listings of local restaurants, shops and attractions with detailed descriptions and contact information.

This addition to the St. Augustine App will also offer a unique opportunity to local businesses looking for new ways to reach customers. Location-based and direct-to-consumer advertising will enable local businesses to guide customers directly to their doorstep. Advances in technology, such as smart phone applications, will help local businesses increase their visibility.

iPhone and iPod touch users are encouraged to go ahead and download the application from iTunes. Doing so will give them access to the Shivers and Awe tour, as well as prompts to download updates as they become available including the scheduled addition of the St. Augustine Trip Planner and much more.

“The Shivers and Awe tour on the iPhone is ideal for visitors and locals to enjoy,â€� said Jeff Swyers, President of GeoQuest Technologies. “Tourists and residents will be engaged and entertained by this tour of paranormal St. Augustine.â€�

GeoQuest is a Utah-based company that previously created an interactive iPhone application for Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.

For more information on all of the features of the St. Augustine iPhone Application and instruction on how to get your free download, visit OldCity.com.

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OldCity.com is St. Augustine’s most popular web portal with information on all the hottest restaurants, attractions, accommodations and events in the Oldest City.

SA GPS Adventure Tours, Inc. (“SAGPS�) based in St. Augustine, Florida, provides tourism entertainment using sate-of-the-art GPS technology. The company’s missions are to provide high quality experiences in St. Augustine, and beyond, while meeting unmet needs such as convenience, consistency with quality of experience, and the ability to take tours in multiple languages. For more information please visit www.sagpstours.com or call (904) 377-1447

GeoQuest Technologies is a Hurricane, Utah based company nestled in the shadows of Zion National Park. Beginning as an independent tour producer for the national parks of Utah and Arizona, GeoQuest Tech transformed into a global leader in producing educational and entertaining multimedia tours for destinations worldwide. The technology developed by GeoQuest Tech allows new destinations to be added rapidly without compromising quality. We partner with destinations who either have content they want turned into an iPhone application or we can help produce a new tour from the ground up. GeoQuest Technologies is dedicated to helping destinations “tell their story� in a unique way. You can reach GeoQuest Technologies at www.geoquesttech.com