Winter Park City Talk

Jan. 12 City Commission meeting highlights

Mayor’s Report

• The board appointments to the Civil Service Board and Housing Authority Board were approved.

City Manager’s Report

• The potential acquisition of the United States Post Office Property was discussed and will be placed on a future agenda for direction on next steps.

Consent Agenda

• The minutes for Dec. 8, 2014, were approved.

• The execution of the following two agency grant agreements for improvements to the Mead Grove Wetlands was approved:

– Florida Department of Environmental Protection funding agreement

– Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation funding agreement

• The purchase order to Lou Bachrodt Freightliner for a 2015 Freightliner 18-yard dump truck was approved.

• The revision to the city of Winter Park Billing Adjustments Tariff Sheet, as relates to the calculation of the fuel adjustment factor (electric), was approved.

Public Hearings

• Request of the Avis Budget Group Inc.:

o No action was taken on the first reading of the ordinance amending Chapter 58, Land Development Code, Article III, Zoning, Section 58-74 Commercial District to provide for car rental agencies as a permitted use within a Commercial Zoning District.

o The first reading of the ordinance amending Chapter 58, Land Development Code, Article III, Zoning, Section 58-74 Commercial District to provide for car rental agencies as a conditional use within a Commercial Zoning District was approved.

• Requests of Sentio Investments, LLC - APPLICANT TABLED TO FEBRUARY 23 COMMISSION MEETING.

A full copy of the Jan. 12 City Commission minutes will be available at cityofwinterpark.org the week of Jan. 26, pending approval by the City Commission. Remember, if you are unable to attend the City Commission meetings, you can watch them live, gavel-to-gavel as they happen. During the meeting, simply log on to cityofwinterpark.org/cclive to easily stay tuned-in to official city business.

Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department receives second accreditation

The Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department has received accredited status with the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services. This award completes the department’s second independent accreditation process. Being conferred an accredited agency with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International since 2001, and now most recently with the CAAS, makes Winter Park only the second fire department in the United States to achieve these two independent accreditations and hold an Insurance Service Office Class 1 rating. The accreditation will be presented to the City Commission Monday, Jan. 26, at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers located at 401 S. Park Ave.

The CAAS was established to encourage and promote quality patient care in America’s medical transportation system. CAAS accreditation signifies that WPFD has met the “gold standard” as determined by the ambulance industry as essential to a modern, emergency medical service provider. These standards, which often exceed those established by state or local regulation, are designed to increase operational efficiency and clinical quality, while decreasing risk and liability to the city. The accreditation process includes a comprehensive self-assessment and an independent external review of the organization. The independent process provides verification that quality patient care is provided to the community. All ambulance systems including private, public, fire department and hospital-based systems are eligible for the three-year award of accreditation.

Unity Heritage Festival

The city of Winter Park is proud to present the 13th annual Unity Heritage Festival on Sunday, Jan. 18, and Monday, Jan. 19. The annual community festival will promote family history and raise funds for the Educational Fulfillment Fund for local economically disadvantaged youth. The festival begins Sunday, Jan. 18, in Shady Park at Hannibal Square located at the intersection of Pennsylvania and New England avenues from 1 to 5 p.m. Patrons are also encouraged to visit the Hannibal Square Heritage Center just across the street from Shady Park. The center pays tribute to the past, present and future contributions of Winter Park’s historic African-American community.

The festival continues in Shady Park on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Join Winter Park Vice Mayor Steven Leary at 10 a.m. for a special Martin Luther King, Jr., symbolic program. Exciting events and activities will continue throughout the day including food and music.

For more information regarding the 13th annual Unity Heritage Festival, please call 407-599-3275.

“Art in Chambers” exhibition featuring Chris Robb

The city of Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board is proud to announce the newest “Art in Chambers” exhibition “Points in time. Landscapes, emotions and memories.” featuring paintings by Chris Robb. His work builds upon the legacy and history of New York painterly abstraction and reflects Robb’s visceral memories of a landscape, moment in time, or sense of light. The exhibition will be open for public viewing beginning Jan. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Commission Chambers and the adjacent Chapman Room, in Winter Park City Hall located at 401 S. Park Ave. An artist reception open to the public will be held Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Commission Chambers.

Painter, filmmaker, creative director, Chris Robb’s creative talent has taken him all over the world. As an artist, his work has evolved over the past 30 years into an expressionistic abstraction. His large-format paintings are full of fresh energy and dynamic mark making. Robb says, “There is a specific set of memories that are ingrained growing up in Winter Park. The landscape of trees, lakes, sky, parks and people combine to create a beautiful place to live. All of this informs my art today.”

“Art in Chambers,” a project of the Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board, showcases works by local artists or works borrowed from local museums. “Art in Chambers” enlivens Winter Park’s public rooms and exposes residents and visitors to art, highlights the importance the city places on art and culture, provides city support to local artists and studios, and creates opportunities to educate the populace on the value of art and its place in a meaningful life.

For more information regarding “Art in Chambers,” please call 407-599-3498.

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