[Nfbf-l] FSDB Fighting Controversial Gas Station on corner of San Marco and A1A

[Lenora J. Marten]

Hey everyone,

This article just came out last night. FSDB is fighting a proposed 12 pump 7-11 Gas Station
on the corner of San Marco and A1A. This is a spot that O & M instructors and students 
with off-campus passes regularly use. The planned lack of a curb makes this project
dangerous to students. 



http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/School-fighting-controversial-gas-station/INVNXM5L40OyuIouYmHTXg.cspx

School fighting controversial gas station
Reported by: Noël McLaren
Email: nmclaren at ActionNewsJax.com
Published: 9/05 9:02 pm
Updated: 9/05 9:58 pm
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla.-- Within their campus boundaries, students at
the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind are prepared to
navigate different streets and sidewalks around local cities.
"This is one of the larger populations in terms of concentration of
deaf and blind individuals," said FSDB president Jeanne Prickett.
Prickett said so-called improvements to one intersection could
make getting around much harder for her students.
A 12-pump gas station and 7-Eleven have been proposed for the
intersection of San Marco and A1A, just blocks from FSDB.
Prickett says the plans for the project don't consider hazards for the
visually impaired, and a lack of a curb will make it difficult for a blind
person to navigate.
"When there's a wide expansive concrete that blends into the street
there's no curb nor any grass shoreline that the children use the
young people use for detecting with the cane," said Prickett.
She said the added truck traffic the new gas station would bring
would be just as dangerous for her deaf students.
"They're not going to hear if a driver assumes they should be hearing a honk that won't happen," she said.
If the project moves forward, Prickett said she may be forced to tell her students to steer clear of the popular historic district for
their safety. She says it's the last thing she wants to do, so she's pleading with the city to turn the project down.
"This is a big safety concern," she said.
Action News reached out to 7-Eleven for comment. Our calls have yet to be returned.







Lenora J. Marten, President
Florida Organization of Parents of Blind Children
Secretary, NFB-FL
Florida Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
bluegolfshoes at aol.com
904-229-9554