Group working to beautify historic Lincolnville homes

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Historic Lincolnville is about get a huge facelift, from home repairs to newly paved roads.

But before crews can get to work, a lengthy plan is underway to figure out which homes need repair the most.

Born and raised in Lincolnville, Richard Duncan said there is no better place to call home.

"I've seen a lot of changes over the years, some good, some not so good," Duncan said. 

But Duncan admits his hometown needs some help. That's where the Lincolnville Steering Committee comes in.

Chair Teresa Segal said one of the first things the group will do is to fix up boarded homes.

"That will bring up the tax revenue of the neighborhood it would bring it up economically," Segal said.

Segal said so far, there are about 30 homes that need to be repaired. The goal now is to identify low-income homeowners who need help.

"We offer small grants to low-income residents who own their homes, and would like to do some renovations and things," Segal said.

The entire project is funded through tax revenue based on tax increases.

Last month city leaders approved the budget to get started. So far they've raised $130,000.

But while Duncan agrees work needs to be done, he wants to see the historic structures stay in the hands of the original owners.

"We really work with the owners. We don't wanna go around and bulldoze and take down homes. These homes are very significant," he said.

The project is a 30-year long project. Segal said at the end of those 30 years they hope to continue raising money to keep Lincolnville beautiful. 

Lincolnville Steering Committee members say they hope to get started by the end of the year. The group is working on presenting a plan before the board in late August.

WJAX