Maitland City Talk

City Hall grand opening

On Thursday, Aug. 30, the city of Maitland will dedicate the newly completed Maitland City Hall located at 1776 Independence Lane. With a ceremony scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. at the front door of the new icon of downtown Maitland, city dignitaries and elected officials will cut the grand opening ribbon and welcome residents and guests into the impressive new public building.

¬Mayor Howard Schieferdecker, who will preside over the festivities on Thursday, has stated, “It is fitting that this state-of-the-art facility is not only a reflection of Maitland’s history, but it will provide an appropriate cornerstone on which to build our downtown.”

This, the newest of Maitland’s downtown structures, is three stories tall, encompasses 24,000 square feet of space and is constructed to qualify for LEED certification with the latest innovations in design and technology.

The City Hall grand opening marks the completion of a seven-year, three-phase process that began when funding for the project originated in July 2005. It was at that time that General Obligation Bonds approved by a voter referendum were issued by the city to provide funding necessary for a new police station located on Fennel Street, a new Fire Station located on Packwood Avenue and City Hall located on Independence Lane.

With the completion of City Hall, all general city service divisions are able to be available to residents under one roof. Previously, residents would have to find their way to multiple locations in the city to access services.

All are welcome to attend the grand opening festivities on Thursday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Following the grand opening ribbon cutting, guests will have an opportunity to hear city and local dignitaries speak and tours of the new facility will be available.

—Chuck Jordan

Leisure Services director

City Council Meeting of Aug. 27

The Maitland City Council met on Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers. Below is a synopsis of that meeting. The next regular scheduled Council meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 10.

Special Presentations:

• Engineer/ EMT William McGovern received a Retirement Resolution in appreciation of his 26 years of service as a member of the Fire Rescue Department.

• Proclamation presented to Sandy Bonus who worked so generously to make this year’s BASE Camp a success

• Proclamation presented to Vice Mayor Bonus on behalf of the Maitland Men’s Club for their compassion and commitment to Maitland in establishing the Love Pantries at our Maitland Schools

• Atlantic Housing Partners presented an update on their downtown project and answered questions posed by Council.

Consent:

• Various meeting minutes were approved as presented.

• Approved Change Order Summary CH 2012-8 to the City Hall contract with Wharton-Smith.

• Adopted a Resolution in support of the construction of Quiet Zones throughout the SunRail corridor in Central Florida as a part of the SunRail project.

• Authorized the purchase of a replacement Fire Engine from Emergency One Fire Apparatus at a total cost of $484,725.

• Authorize the transfer of $113,000 from the General Fund balance to the line item for Legal Expense in the city manager program budget.

• Authorized the city manager to negotiate a contract not to exceed $42,000 with Hylant Group for agent of record services for group health and other employee benefits.

Decisions:

• Adopted a resolution that would keep the same rate of $7.25 per equivalent residential unit per month for environmental storm water utility fees.

• Eliminated future interfund interest accruals for advances made to the CRA.

• Directed staff to provide other options to reduce the FY 13 budget and bring back to the Sept. 10 meeting for further discussion

• Adopted a resolution supporting a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program application by Ravago Americas, LLC, including a commitment of $15,000 over a six-year payout period, beginning FY 2015.

To listen to a recording of the meeting, visit www.itsmymaitland.com