Maitland City Council approves utility easement agreements with condominium complex

In a brief meeting on Monday, Nov. 13, the Maitland City Council approved a number of items on their consent agenda.

One of those items was moving to execute an easement agreement between the city and a condo development.

In 2014, city officials discovered they had been repairing private water and sewer lines belonging to the Park Lake condo developments despite having no written agreement to do so. 

The developments in question were built in the 1970s. While the initial paperwork included an easement giving the city permission to repair the lines, the following development phases included no such legal protection.

Despite this lack of protection, repairs on the lines have continued ever since. City documents estimate these repairs have costed $173,000 since 1996, the first year on record.

The city chose to continue the repairs but with new paperwork to provide legal protection as well as reimbursement for services rendered. After years crafting new proposals with Park Lake, the city approved an agreement with Park Lake Villas, the first of five complexes. The city hopes to wrap up the rest by the end of the first quarter of next year. 

The city council also approved a resolution letting the Florida Department of Transportation improve a section of sidewalk along U.S. Highway 17-92 at the Maitland City Centre. The property is approximately 445 feet, according to city documents.

They moved to authorize the Public Works Department to piggyback off the Osceola County Contract for an additional $13,000 of bulk fuel purchases. Hurricane Matthew and Irma caused the city to go over their estimates for bulk fuel for the 2017 fiscal year.

They also approved the purchase of a replacement ambulance for the Maitland Fire Department. The new vehicle will cost $238,844.