The St. Augustine City Commission has dropped a plan to hire an external consultant to address Nights of Lights logistical concerns, The Citizen has learned.
Pelted by resident complaints over congestion during the Old City’s signature event, the panel initially opted to tap an outside firm to help formulate a response.
But City Manager David Birchim told The Citizen Thursday that that plan has been abandoned.
The City Commission will instead lean on local stakeholders – including officials, businesspeople and others — to develop solutions.
“We realized that we had already gotten far down the line on these initiatives and didn’t feel the need to hire a consultant,” Birchim said.
He noted that the city will likely tap a transportation engineer to vet any traffic calming proposals — including dedicated bus lanes and a greater reliance on remote parking lots.
Birchim said he hopes to collaborate with the St. Johns County Tourism Development Council to forge impactful Nights of Lights reforms moving forward.
TDC Chairman Irving Kass — owner the St. George Inn — has urged the city to emulate other heavily attended local events like The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach.
He has lobbied heavily for new bus lanes to help ferry festival goers from the city’s outskirts into the downtown area.
In an effort to draw a range of public opinion, the city is hosting engagement meetings this month to discuss Nights of Lights and other heavily attended events.
Separate gatherings will be held for residents and businesspeople.
The resident discussion will take place on May 20 and May 27 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the meeting for business owners will be on May 22 and May 29 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
An additional meeting will be held on June 10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for anyone unable to attend the other dates.
All meetings will be held in The Alcazar Room of City Hall, located at 75 King St.
