Winter Park City Talk

Nov. 11 City Commission meeting

There will be a City Commission meeting Monday, Oct. 28, at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers located at 401 S. Park Ave. Below are a few topics of interest:

Consent Agenda

Approve the minutes of 10/28/13.

Approve contracts (for a complete listing, please visit cityofwinterpark.org/ccpackets).

Approve the Orange County/City of Winter Park Interlocal Utility Agreement regarding water/wastewater services.

Authorize the mayor to execute the electric power purchase and sales agreement by and between the city of Winter Park and Covanta Energy Marketing, LLC.

Action Items Requiring Discussion

Prioritization of recommendation from the WRT Study

Downtown parking update

Proposed settlement of auction rate securities claim

City manager’s 2014 performance evaluation

Public Hearings

Request of Aloma Avenue Holdings, LLC:

Second reading of the ordinance to change the existing zoning of Multi-family Residential District to Office District at 409 St. Andrews Blvd.

Second reading of the ordinance amending Section 2-48, General Rules applicable to subsidiary boards of the city.

You can find the City Commission’s full agenda on the home page of cityofwinterpark.org under What’s New > City Commission Agenda.

Honoring our Veterans

On Friday, Nov. 8, at 10 a.m. the city of Winter Park will be presenting its third annual Veterans Day Celebration. This event will be held in honor of all of the veterans of Winter Park at the Winter Park Community Center Ruby Ball Amphitheater located at 721 W. New England Ave.

We are calling all veterans that have served in any military campaign (World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom or Afghanistan) or have served in any military branch in honor of our nation’s freedom. The city is holding this event to pay tribute to your dedicated service to our country. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the VFW Post 2093 Community Band will be entertaining guests as they visit with organizations and services that offer resources specifically for veteran needs.

In addition, the Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department is once again supporting “Operation Gratitude,” a program designed to collect candy and letters of encouragement for American service men and women who are currently deployed in the remote regions of Afghanistan and other hostile regions of the world. Everyone attending this Veterans Day Celebration is encouraged to drop off candy and letters of support for our troops.

For more information regarding the city’s third annual Veterans Day Celebration, please call 407-599-3428.

City calls upon residents to support “Feed the Need”

The city of Winter Park is encouraging the community to donate to “Feed the Need,” a first of its kind communitywide fundraiser to end hunger in Central Florida. Winter Park has joined with Rollins College, Sodexo, Think Creative Inc., and the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce to create a powerful fundraising engine to raise money to help Second Harvest Food Bank provide food for those in need. The “Feed the Need” fundraising campaign began Nov. 1 and runs through Friday, Nov. 22.

Some important facts to know:

For every $1 donated, up to $9 worth of grocery products is provided for those in need.

And 96 percent of every dollar goes straight to feeding people.

Approximately 1 in 5 of our central Florida population — 732,000 people — needed food assistance last year. This is a 152 percent increase from 2006.

In this same area, 172,590 children struggle with hunger. When these kids have no food, we have no choice but to respond.

If you are able, please assist us in this worthy cause by joining the City of Winter Park Team and donating online at http://bit.ly/cityofwinterpark. Thank you for helping Winter Park “Feed the Need.”

Holiday ice-skating rink returns to West Meadow

Beginning Friday, Nov. 15, through Sunday, Jan. 5, the city of Winter Park will bundle up once again for “Winter in the Park,” the city’s annual holiday ice skating rink in Central Park West Meadow. The West Meadow is located at 150 N. New York Ave., on the corner of New York Avenue and Morse Boulevard, in downtown Winter Park. In honor of this being the fifth season, tickets on opening day will be just $5 per skater.

Snowflakes of all ages and skill levels are invited to chill out as they glide, spin and turn at “Winter in the Park”:

• Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

• Friday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.

See website for extended school holiday hours.

Snow angels are invited to skate all day for only $10 per skater (skate rental included). For a blizzard of 20 or more people, some cool group discounts are available for all this frigid fun. If you are interested in bringing your whole igloo to celebrate birthdays, special events, private parties or corporate holiday gatherings, the rink is available for rental opportunities. Advance reservations are required for private party and group reservations to avoid an icy avalanche of skaters at the rink.

Holiday music, games, carolers and so much more will flurry around you as you enjoy “Winter in the Park.” For more information, please call 407-599-3203 or visit cityofwinterpark.org/witp.

If you are interested in showcasing your business during the busy holiday season to the 30,000-plus expected attendees, please visit our website and click on the “SPONSOR” tab for information on how to become an ice rink dasher board sponsor.

Visit the city’s official website at cityofwinterpark.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and watch us on Vimeo.