Winter Park City Talk

Feb. 27 City Commission Meeting highlights

There was a City Commission meeting held on Feb. 27, at 3:30 p.m., at the Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center. Below are a few highlights of decisions that were made:

• Mayor’s Report

• The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce presented checks to area schools from the proceeds generated from the December 2011 Pancake Breakfast fundraiser.

• February 27, 2012, was declared Sonya Baumstein Day in recognition of her receiving a world record for being on the first mixed-gender, four-person team to row 2,600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

• City Manager’s Report

• The city’s 90-day plan was presented, revised and approved.

• Non-action Items

• The Park Avenue Area Task Force downtown parking recommendations were presented and accepted.

• Consent Agenda

• The minutes of Feb. 13 were approved.

• The various purchases and contracts were approved (a complete list can be found at www.cityofwinterpark.org > Government > City Commission > Agenda Packets).

• Action Items Requiring Discussion

• The billboard agreement with CBS Outdoor at 600 Lee Road was tabled.

• The One-way Valet parking in downtown was approved with amendments.

• The Water, Wastewater and Reclaimed Water Rate Study was discussed and tabled.

• The architectural firm for the design of the Amtrak Station was selected.

• Public Hearings

• The second reading of the ordinance establishing parking restrictions at electric charging stations was approved.
  

• The following decisions were made on the requests of Windermere Winter Park Venture LLC:

• The first reading of the ordinance amending the comprehensive plan, future land use map to change the designation of Single-Family Residential to Medium-Density Residential on the property at 444 W. Swoope Ave. was approved.

• The first reading of the ordinance amending the official zoning map to change the zoning designation of Single-Family Residential (R-1A) District to Medium-Density Multi-Family (R-3) District on the property at 444 W. Swoope Ave. was approved.

• The conditional-use approval to build a new two-story, 10-unit, residential condominium building at 434 and 444 West Swoope Ave. was approved with an amendment.

• The first reading the ordinance annexing the property at 600 Lee Road and that portion of Interstate 4 contiguous to the property within the city of Winter Park at 2684 Lee Road was tabled.

• The resolution designating 1301 Pelham Road as a Historic Resource in the Winter Park Register of Historic Places was approved.

• The first reading of the ordinance amending the historic preservation section of the Land Development Code was tabled.

• The first reading of the ordinance amending Ordinance No. 2840-11, Moratorium for Pain Management Clinics, was approved.

A full copy of the Feb. 27 City Commission minutes will be available on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org the week of March 12, pending approval by the City Commission.

Mead Garden Public Meeting

Please make plans to attend this public meeting on Saturday, March 3, at 10 a.m., at Mead Botanical Garden located at 1300 S. Denning Drive. A closer look will be taken at the proposed Lease Management and Operational Plans being presented to the City Commission by the Mead Botanical Garden Inc. organization.

The meeting will also present the details of the proposed lease of a portion of the Mead Botanical Garden property and the operational agreement, which will transfer responsibility for some event and facility management from the city to the Mead Garden Inc. organization. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to view the proposed documents and current plans of “The Grove” amphitheater, which will be under construction. Public input will be taken and presented to the City Commission as part of the Mead Botanical Garden Inc. proposal during the March 12 City Commission meeting. For more information, please call 407-599-3277.

Park Avenue closed

The 33rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will make its way down Park Avenue on Sunday, March 4, beginning at 2 p.m. More than 75 units will participate. The celebration will also feature Irish music and step-dancing on the main stage in Central Park with demonstrations by the Tir Na Greine School of Irish Dance and the Watters School of Irish Dance. Irish music will be provided by the Tommy Doyle Band. This is one event you won’t want to miss!

Please keep in mind Park Avenue will be closed to traffic from Webster to Lyman avenues from noon until 4 p.m. Side streets will also be closed at the Park Avenue intersections along the parade route beginning at 1:30 p.m. In addition, New York Avenue will be closed between Canton and Webster avenues for parade staging.

Please make note of these road closures prior to traveling around downtown Winter Park on Sunday, March 4. For more information call 407-222-0648.

Call to artists

The city of Winter Park and the Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board announce a call to artists for Art on the Green 2012, a juried exhibition of eight sculptures in downtown Winter Park. The exhibition presented by the city of Winter Park and Massey Services®, Inc., will run from Saturday, Sept. 1, through Friday, March 1.

Olga Viso, Rollins College graduate and executive director of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, will serve as guest curator for Art on the Green 2012.

Artists nationwide who have participated in at least three previous juried shows are encouraged to submit entries for the competitive selection process through Friday, April 20. Complete details regarding artist entries may be found by visiting the home page of the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org and clicking on the “Art on the Green” button.

Winning entries to be included in the exhibition will be announced on Friday, May 18. Each selected artist will receive a $1,000 honorarium. There will also be a $500 “People’s Choice” award presented to the artist with the most votes from the public during the exhibition.

For more information call 407-599-3498.

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