Windermere OKs demolition for future parking lot

WINDERMERE – During the Jan. 9 council meeting, Windermere council members OKed a demotion quote amounting to $27,210.

The expenditure will allow for the demolition, removal and disposal of a 2,208 square-foot home located at 119 E. Fifth Avenue and a 2,535 square-foot home located at 300 Main Street owned by the church.

The demolition, which will be carried out by Edmonson Homes Inc, is to prepare the whole area to become a parking lot for the town, which is currently in design, Windermere Mayor Gary Bruhn said.

Bruhn said the town hopes to add at least 40 to 50 parking spaces with the new lot, which will be needed for big events.

"This worked out really well for us because we needed additional property and they wanted to get rid of it,” Bruhn said. “The church will lease to the property to us for a $1 a year. And the property will allow us to expand parking for food truck events and farmers markets because lack of parking has been an issue. But it'll be passive; it won't be paved. It'll just be mulch."

Residents who attended the meeting said they have no issues with the town’s plan to add a parking lot, so long as it is not lit up all the time.

Bruhn assured that would not be the case and that the town plans to hire a landscape architect to improve the parking lot’s aesthetics and protect the surrounding property.

 “And before we do anything, (Windermere Town Manager Robert Smith) wants to meet with the surrounding property owners just to show them what’s going to be there to make sure they don't get aggrieved about overnight parking or anything like that,” Bruhn said.

IN OTHER NEWS

• The candidate qualifying period for the upcoming March 2018 ended Jan 12. Windermere residents Chris Sapp and Loren “Andy” Williams will run unopposed for the two open council seats vacated by council members John Armstrong and Allen Pichon, who resigned late last year.
• Windermere Police Chief Dave Ogden was recognized for reaching five years of service with the Windermere Police Department.
• Town Clerk Dorothy Burkhalter was given a 25-year service award in recognition of her service to the town of Windermere.
• The council authorized the hiring of a part-time administrative and finance assistant at the rate of $15 per hour to aid the town in the workload increase observed in both the administration and finance departments.