Winter Garden to install surveillance cameras in parking garage

Winter Garden city leaders gave the go-ahead for a $70,000 camera surveillance system.

By Danielle Hendrix
| 11:55 a.m. March 15, 2017

West Orange Times & Observer
News

WINTER GARDEN At the March 9 Winter Garden City Commission meeting, city manager Mike Bollhoefer informed commissioners of an ongoing problem with vandalism and potential safety issues with teenagers in the South Boyd Street parking garage.

City staff displayed two photos evidencing the problems, including one showing two people chatting while perched on the ledge of the parking garage’s roof.

In Other News

Phil Cross was reappointed as the fifth member of the city’s Police and Fire Pension Board. He will serve another two-year term, ending Dec. 31, 2018.
Commissioners approved the site plan for a new Wendy’s location, just west of Wawa on West Colonial Drive and Dillard Street. The new Wendy’s will replace the current location one-quarter mile east of the property.
Commissioners also approved up to $41,000 total to take care of the following projects: repairing the interactive fountain step and ramp, replacing the sound system at Tanner Hall and making various interim repairs to Newton Park Dock.
City leaders again postponed the rezoning request for 2.29 acres of property at 555 N. Dillard Street from City R-1 to City PUD. The second reading will take place at the next scheduled commission meeting on March 23.

Bollhoefer said the vandalism issues primarily are related to teenagers who break the Christmas lights hanging along the roof of the garage and broken items.

“Sometimes we catch them (people) sitting on the ledge on the top,” he said. “Then there are skateboarders and bicyclists using it as a skateboard and bicycle ramp.”

City commissioners approved spending $70,000 to purchase and install a camera surveillance system. The system includes 56 cameras, a computer monitoring system, wiring and installation. The cameras will be able to detect motion and record up to 48 hours of footage. Additionally, Winter Garden police officers will have the capability to monitor them live.

Bollhoefer hopes to have the system installed within 30 days.

DANIELS PROFESSIONAL PARK

Additionally, city leaders unanimously passed the first reading regarding a request to amend the current Planned Commercial Development rezoning on 1.93 acres of land located at 1991 Daniels Road, on the northeast corner of Daniels and Roper roads.

At the last commission meeting on Feb. 23, city leaders approved the site plan for the project, Daniels Professional Park. The site plan proposes construction of five buildings which will host medical, professional and business offices totaling 17,750 square feet.

Most recently, the applicant sought to amend a May 2015 ordinance that does not allow MRI or imaging centers as a permitted use on the property in order to house a smaller MRI device within the medical complex.

Contact Danielle Hendrix at [email protected].