By LINDA ANN McDONALD
Correspondent

A donor who wishes to remain anonymous has donated property to the Pregnancy Center.
Pam Pilkington, director of the non-profit organization, could not be any more thankful.
The donated property is located where Wakulla Life, is currently housed.

Story By
LINDA ANN McDONALD
Correspondent

The City of St. Marks held a workshop last week to ask the public for feedback and direction regarding growing concerns about Wakulla Street.
Wakulla Street is an undeveloped road with residential homes on one side and 18 city owned platted lots on the other side. The issue was discussed at a workshop at the St. Marks Yacht Club on Thursday, Jan. 15.
The City of St. Marks owns the right-of-way and shoreline along the Wakulla River. Some residents have expressed interest in purchasing portions of the public land to establish riverfront status of their property, while others want to keep the area public for access, fishing, and recreation.
Through time and different city commissions, some homeowners have encroached onto Wakulla Street, some with permission and some without.
Because this affects the whole community and the city-owned remaining waterfront, the city commissioners wanted to ask for input and to review maps before any decisions are made.
At the start of the workshop, City Manager Katherine Gatewood immediately debunked circulating rumors by stating, “There is no intention of the city selling or giving away property.” She added: “25 residents have contacted me regarding Wakulla Street. Of those, 22 were verbal contacts. One individual opposed the use of public funds to maintain a park and instead believes the property should be given to dock owners. The remaining contacts support the ideas of the land being used to benefit the entire city. Some noted that if the land were to be sold that everyone should have the option to buy it, not just the dock owners.”
Patrick Bisson, Chief Operating Officer of Bison Peak Ventures wrote, “On behalf of the ownership at Shell Island Fish Camp and RV Resort, I am in strong support for the proposed boardwalk project on the Wakulla riverfront. We believe this initiative will be a significant asset to the community and will greatly benefit local tourism. We are also planning to develop our own boardwalk and path around the Shell Island property, which we hope could potentially connect with the city’s boardwalk as part of our future development plans.”
Available at the workshop were pictures of what a futuristic boardwalk would look like if adopted.
Gina Hatcher wrote: “I am opposed to the city using funds to create another public recreation area. Our limited city funds need to be appropriated for much needed infrastructure improvements, not the additional expense of maintaining another unneeded recreation area.”
Resident Billy Bishop, who lives on neighboring Crabapple Lane, said at the workshop: “This land is useless, you can’t deny homeowners access to anything. Does the State of Florida own this land or the City of St. Marks?”
Gatewood confirmed the City of St. Marks is the owner.
“With the wetlands, there is still significant value as parcels,” said resident Ryder Rudd, husband of City Commissioner Sharon Rudd. “I think it should stßay public. To say it’s no value is ridiculous. Beautiful things have been built on boardwalks and could be of value to the city as a great revenue source. “
In past regular monthly city commission meetings, resident Corey Ingram asked to abandon Wakulla Street so he can gain a portion of the road.
Former St. Marks City Attorney Charles McMurry also shared extensive history regarding the property. “There is over 200 feet of marsh in front of the properties, you can’t fish. We need to see ways to make it more affordable to live here. All the grants we get (for projects) and we have to pay to maintain them. Yet, the idea to spend money on something unfunctional does not work for me. If it costs me money as a taxpayer, I don’t want to support it,” McMurry said.
City Manager Gatewood has been conducting extensive historical research on Wakulla Street.
“Record keeping issues have always been a challenge and numerous floods and storms make retrieving records a struggle,” she said.
The City of St. Marks will continue to host workshops for feedback only as a long-term planning process. The next discussion will be at the regular city commission meeting on Feb. 12 at 6 p.m.

Special to The Sun

Wakulla County native Natalie Brattain has been named to the Aviation Week Network 20 Twenties Class of 2026, which recognizes outstanding aerospace-focused university students. Aviation Week, the leading source for aerospace news, recognized Natalie, who is a senior majoring in Aerospace Physiology, for her research to design ways to protect astronaut health.
Brattain is majoring in Aerospace Physiology to design ways to protect astronaut health, focusing on human physiology, nanotechnology and spaceflight operations. She is a senior and was named a Goldwater Scholar in 2025.
Her main project involves the effect of spaceflight on astronauts’ vision, which is often impaired by intraocular pressure. She has developed a wearable, high-sensitivity biosensor to monitor that pressure using a self-healing polymer for which she proposed and implemented a fabrication method, demonstrating the potential of such materials for a range of biosensing applications.
She has also served as a co-lead on a project to build an International Space Station lab investigating the effects of UV and cosmic radiation on the genetics, cell structure and reproduction of tardigrades. Tardigrades are small invertebrates that are able to tolerate extreme environments, including high levels of radiation, and have been used in space experiments and studies of animal survival in space.
A first-generation student, Brattain worked diligently to adjust to college life and to do research.
“With no instructions, no guaranteed results and a lot of trial and error, I struggled at first. There were moments when I felt completely lost,” she said, adding that her challenges propelled her to create the Aerospace Physiology Peer Mentorship Program. “Looking back, each obstacle has shaped me into someone who doesn’t easily give up. Instead of letting challenges stop me, I’ve used them to build resilience and create opportunities for others,” she said.