Winter Park City Talk

Nov. 14 City Commission meeting highlights

There was a City Commission meeting held Monday, Nov. 14, at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers. Below are highlights of the decisions that were made.

• Mayor’s report

• Keep Winter Park Beautiful Awards for the Post Office landscape improvements and Azalea Lane Volunteer Project were presented.

• A proclamation declaring the month of November as “National Hospice and Palliative Care Month” was presented.

• The Winter 2011 Webisode produced in partnership with Full Sail’s SPARK program was presented and will be available on the homepage of the city’s website by the end of this week.

• Three appointments for the Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force were made with the remaining members to be made at the Monday, Nov. 28, City Commission meeting.

• The board appointment for the Board of Adjustments was approved.

• Consent agenda

• The minutes of the Oct. 24 City Commission meeting were approved.

• The piggybacking of the city of Sanford contract with Florida Bearings Inc. for repair of electric motors and pumps was approved and the mayor was authorized to execute the contract.

• The Civility Code as recommended by the Ethics Board was approved with a modification.

• The Monday, Dec. 26, City Commission meeting was canceled in observance of the Christmas holiday.

• The On-site Energy Audit Services Program Master Agreement with Progress Energy Florida was approved and the mayor was authorized to execute the agreement.

• Public hearings

• The two ordinances related to revising the public notice requirements for citywide notices that streamline the zoning approval process were approved with an amendment to each.
  

• The request of Bank First Realty Inc. on behalf of McDonald’s Corporation for Conditional Use approval to construct a McDonald’s Restaurant with a drive-thru service at 1282/1288/1302 W. Fairbanks Ave. and 1281/1289/1301 Gene St., zoned C-3 was approved with an amendment.

• Both resolutions regarding the undergrounding of electric/CATV (BHN) facilities on Dixie Parkway and Williams Drive were approved.

• The exchange agreement between the city of Winter Park and Progress Point LLC for the state office building was approved as presented.

• The first reading of the ordinance regarding the conveyance of the city-owned property located at 941 W. Morse Blvd. (State Office Building) was approved with an amendment.

A full copy of the Nov. 14 City Commission minutes will be available on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org the week of Nov. 28, pending approval by the City Commission.

Ice rink opens on Friday

Bring out your mittens, hats and scarves! On Friday, Nov. 18, the Winter in the Park holiday ice-skating rink in Central Park West Meadow will officially open! The West Meadow is located at 150 N. New York Ave. on the corner of Morse Boulevard and New York Avenue in downtown Winter Park.

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

• Monday thru 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, festivities 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 www.cityofwinterpark.org

Holiday season begins with OPO Holiday Pops in Central Park

The city of Winter Park and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra invite you to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season at their annual Holiday Pops concert, “Home for the Holidays” on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 4 p.m., in charming Central Park. This free public concert is made possible by the Charlotte Julia Hollander Trust. Bring a blanket and picnic for a concert program that has become a family tradition in Central Florida.

Conductor Albert-George Schram will lead the Philharmonic in a beautiful program of holiday favorites for all ages featuring the Holiday Singers, and the Florida Youth Program Singers under the direction of Robin Jensen. The program includes instrumentals such as “Chanukah Overture,” “A Brassy Holiday” and “Bassoon It Will Be Christmas,” and vocal selections including, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch!” featuring Holiday Singer baritone JC Fullerton, “A Musicological Journey Through the Twelve Days of Christmas,” featuring the Holiday Singers, and “Let There Be Peace on Earth” featuring the Florida Opera Youth.

In the spirit of the season, audience members are encouraged to bring non-perishable, canned or dry food items to help restock the pantries at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Over the past 10 years, the orchestra has helped collect more than 3,600 pounds of food for families in Central Florida.

For more information regarding this special performance, please contact the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at 407-896-6700 ext. 223. For more information about the orchestra and its programs, please call the box office at 407-770-0071 or visit www.orlandophil.org

New recycling bins on Park Avenue

The city of Winter Park celebrated “America Recycles Day” on Tuesday, Nov. 15, by placing 10 new recycling bins on Park Avenue. The bin placements came at the request of several Park Avenue merchants working with the city’s Economic Development/Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Department, in order to reduce recyclable waste on the avenue. This project is made possible by Waste Pro®’s Green Initiatives funding.

The recycle bins, which are evenly distributed on Park Avenue, will aid in Winter Park’s continuing efforts to become more environmentally conscious by helping reduce recyclable waste from local businesses, residents and visitors. Specific locations were chosen based on the presence of existing trash receptacles to avoid visual clutter and the ability to be within close proximity of high-traffic areas. Additionally, because the city promotes the “single stream” recycling method, all recyclables (including aluminum, paper and plastic) can be easily disposed of in one location.

Winter Park was recently awarded the Green Local Government Gold Level certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition. The recycling bins coincide with Goal #4 of the CRA’s adopted Park Avenue Area Strategic Plan, which calls for improved aesthetics on Park Avenue as well as expanding city-wide efforts to help Winter Park reach its goal of becoming the first city in Florida to achieve the Platinum Level certification.

The state of Florida recently mandated that local municipalities recycle a minimum of 75 percent of solid waste by year 2020. The city is currently exploring additional recycling concepts via the Sustainability Program, led by the city’s Public Works Department and Keep Winter Park Beautiful, for both residential and commercial uses.

For more information regarding the Park Avenue Area Strategic Plan or the city’s Sustainability Program, please visit www.cityofwinterpark.org

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