Maitland City Talk

In memory of those Maitland K-9 officers who served with honor

With those few words, Maitland entered the ranks of only a select few cities with a dedicated K-9 Police Officer Memorial Garden. On April 6, Maitland officials consecrated a section of ground in the shadows of the new Edward Doyle Police Building, on Fennell Street, near the Maitland Little League ball fields, to be forever designated as the Maitland K-9 Officers Memorial Garden.

It was an honor to have been part of the ceremony. The decision to establish this space was the result of a nearly yearlong initiative undertaken by Councilman Phil Bonus, working in close cooperation with Maitland Police Chief Doug Ball. Councilman Bonus raised donations from the Maitland Men’s Club, and many individual donors throughout the community.

Chief Ball extended his full support for the idea, and used the opportunity to highlight the close fellowship of K-9 officers throughout Central Florida by inviting agencies with K-9 teams to come and be part of Maitland’s dedication ceremony. Members of the K-9 team from Ocoee, Apopka, Orange and Seminole County all attended. It was a moving tribute to the K-9 officers and their partners.

With the help of Mark Barton, Maitland’s head grounds keeper, the graves of four long-departed K-9 officers (Bear, Max, Sarge and Sivil) were lovingly moved from their old burial site off Independence Lane to the new Memorial Garden on Fennell. Councilman Bonus personally crafted new coffins for these dogs, and the essence of their spirit was carefully dug up and reburied.

The highlight of the event on April 6 was a eulogy to recently deceased K-9 Officer Alix, a veteran of countless dangerous missions and several heroic rescues. His partner, Sgt. Chris O’Halek, now a Maitland detective, presented a stirring tribute to Alix. Their deep mutual love for each other was evident in every word of Detective O’Halek’s heartfelt remarks. We thank him for sharing his private memories with us, and we send our condolences for his family’s loss.

It was a privilege to be part of this event, and I thank those fellow members of Council and Maitland community members who assisted in this endeavor.

Council Meeting

The Maitland City Council met on April 11 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, April 25. For updates, please check our website, www.itsmymaitland.com.

Special Presentations

Mayor Schieferdecker presented a proclamation to Brian Dierks, city arborist, proclaiming Sunday, May 1 as “Arbor Day” in the city of Maitland and urged all citizens to celebrate Arbor Day by planting trees and supporting efforts to protect our trees and woodlands. He also presented a proclamation to Jack Luckhardt, representing the American Society of Safety Engineers, proclaiming the week of May 1-7, 2011 as “North American Occupational Safety & Health Week” and May 4 as “Occupational Safety & Health Professional Day”, and encouraged all industries, organizations, community leaders, employers and employees to support activities increasing awareness of the importance of preventing illness, injury and death in the workplace.

Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Presentation

AECOM provided an overview of materials utilized in the preparation of the EAR-based CDP amendments as it relates to establishing density and intensity in downtown Maitland.

Consent Agenda:

• The Council minutes of March 24 and the Council/Maitland Art & Historical Association Workshop Minutes of March 7 and April 1 were approved as presented.

• Council received the Transportation Advisory Board Minutes of Jan. 13 and Feb. 10.

• Adopted a resolution to maintain Home Rule authority over Maitland’s right to enact, monitor and enforce more stringent local fertilizer regulations or grandfather our existing ordinance.

• Approved the First Amendment to the Orange County Interlocal Agreement concerning the commuter rail system that updates the terms and conditions for funding the maintenance, operation and support of the Maitland station.

• Authorized a contract with Multitrode, Inc. for the installation and implementation of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System in the amount of $247,134. This system generates an alarm to the central unit in the event pump station operating parameters do not meet preset levels and informs on-call personnel directly of the issues.

Decision Items:

Introduced on first reading, an ordinance amending Maitland City Code, Chapter 2, Division 4, Section 2-123 (4) relating to the city of Maitland, Municipal Police Officers and Firefighters Pension Trust Fund and set the Public Hearing date as April 25.

Discussion Items:

• Discussed the process for Member at Large selection for the Charter Review Committee. It was the consensus of the Council to have applications available on the city’s web site and appoint two Members at Large at a future council meeting.

After a discussion concerning promoting business development, the city attorney was asked to draft an ordinance for Council consideration that would provide tax incentives for new or expanding businesses in Maitland.