Maitland waits for face-lift

On Maitland Avenue, a small nondescript building stands right by the train tracks, its white walls bearing dirt and its interior showing its age — 54. Outside, slightly crooked lettering identifying the structure reads: “Maitland Chamber of Commerce.”

But the Chamber isn’t Maitland’s only civic building that has seen much better days, and although eager community members have planned renovations, the lackluster economy has put some of those hopes and dreams on hold.

A year ago, local citizens formed a coalition whose goal is to update the city’s Cultural Corridor, which is the area from Lake Lily to Packwood Avenue, to make the area more relevant and attractive to the community.

“As a community, we are in desperate need of a lot of stuff,” said Renee Stein-Charlan, who is a main player in the initiative. “We finally are getting a fire station, we’re finally getting a new city hall. But we need our downtown… There’re a lot of things we need to do.”

The new fire station broke ground is scheduled to be completed in March. The new city hall will be completed two months later.

With a SunRail station going in on the north side, the citizens want Maitland to become a destination for all of Central Florida. But they also want to make changes that the community can actually support.

“There are a lot of dreams, and I think the whole thing is that as the economy hopefully improves, that those dreams will start to come to fruition,” Charlan said.

Civic Center makeover

One dream has been realized. The Maitland Civic Center recently completed $40,000 worth of renovations, including new flooring, a new roof, new paint, all new kitchen appliances and Wi-Fi throughout the building.

Those renovations began in February, and there are more planned. The Civic Center is funded by the membership and from renting the building; a short-term loan was also used for the improvements. No tax dollars are used.

“We’re a victim to the changing times, as far as the number of people we can attract as members here,” Civic Center President Dick Howell said.

The building was already being used by several organizations, such as the Rotary Club, the Boy Scouts and Maitland Woman’s Club. It is also used for wedding receptions, art festivals, seminars and meetings, but the hope is that the renovations will draw even more of the community to the Civic Center.

“We’re just trying to get the word out about how we’re one of the best-kept secrets in Central Florida,” Civic Center Administrator Glenn Swigart said. “When people come here, they drive by… they see this building day after day, and they never know what it is.”

New home for Chamber?

That sentiment is shared by members of the Chamber of Commerce, whose building is in line for a complete overhaul.

“No one knows we’re here,” the Chamber’s administrative assistant, Pat Williamson, said.

The Chamber’s major renovations have not yet begun because of lack of funding. Small improvements have been made, such as some new paint on the interior. Members are looking for volunteers to donate time or materials.

There is not yet an ETA for a new building, but baby steps have been made. A design for a new building has been proposed to the Chamber’s board, but it is just a concept, and members are still waiting to hear from the construction company.

“We’re in the waiting game,” Williamson said.

She expressed a desire to see improvements to her building and all of downtown Maitland by the time SunRail starts moving folks through the city. Maitland will have its own station on U.S. 17-92 just south of Maitland Boulevard on the site of Northbridge Office Centre and Parker Lumber.

Push for performance hall

The Civic Center and Performing Arts of Maitland were able to raise some funds through an event organized by Charlan, the “Glitz and Glamour” gala. The fundraiser was held in the Civic Center in February and raised $2,000, with even more funds coming in since then. The Glitz gala is planned to be an annual event.

Joan Randolph, a board member for the Civic Center, said that with better marketing, the building can get even more support.

“There is a lot of pride that this community has for the Civic Center because it is one of the very, very few self-owned, not supported by any other funding other than what we generate here,” she said. “And that does make us very unique, and yet, after all these years, we are still here.”

Participants in the initiative also hope to work with Performing Arts of Maitland to build a Performing Arts Center. Jeff Flowers, president of Performing Arts of Maitland, said that the project is in the planning stages at this point. Before anything gets built, they need to know what the community would need from such a center.

“It’s all a planning thing right now,” Flowers said. “With the economic times being what they are, which is lousy, things are slowed up because of that.”

Library plans bookstore

The Maitland Public Library, one of the city’s historic buildings, is undergoing small renovations. It received new used furniture and some walls have been painted. Senior Public Services Librarian Melissa Phillips said that they plan to start work on a bookstore in the next month or so.

All of this is to make the library more open and attractive to the public, Phillips said.

The citizen group hopes renovations will allow the centers to forge a stronger connection with the locals.

“It took a lot to get them to make some of these improvements,” Charlan said of the Civic Center. “But they have, and they should be applauded for that.”

Learn more

For more information or to rent a room in the Civic Center, call 407-647-2111. The Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 407-644-0741. For the Public Library, call 407-647-7700.