Winter Park City Talk

Sept. 12 City Commission meeting highlights

There was a City Commission meeting held on Sept. 12 at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers. Below are a few highlights of decisions made:

Mayor’s report

The Fire-Rescue Department Accreditation and Playful City USA Designation were presented.

Non-action items

The financial report for July 2011 was accepted as presented.

Consent agenda

The minutes of Aug. 22 City Commission meeting were approved.

The various contracts and agreements were approved (for a complete list of purchases and agreements, please access the Commission Agenda Packet at www.cityofwinterpark.org > Government > City Commission > Agenda Packets).

The request for a waiver for temporary lighting at the old Department of Motor Vehicles property that will be used as interim parking for 2-3 years was pulled off the agenda and may be heard at a future date.

Action items requiring discussion

The Commission approved the advertising of an additional five-year extension of the Conditional Use approval for the residences at Morse Boulevard and Knowles Avenue.

Public hearings

The first reading of the ordinance adopting the millage rate was approved.

The first reading of the ordinance adopting the Fiscal Year 2012 annual budget was approved with an amendment.

Below is the decision made regarding the following request of the City of Winter Park:

The first reading of the ordinance amending Article I, “Comprehensive Plan” to update the Capital Improvement Element to reflect the revised 5-year Capital Improvement Plan inclusion within the data, inventory and analysis component of the Comprehensive Plan was approved.

The first reading of the ordinance amending Article I, “Comprehensive Plan” so as to eliminate the twice-a-year limitation on amendments to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, substituting for the current amendment procedures was approved.

The first reading of the ordinance vacating and abandoning a portion of the city utility easement located at 1680 Magnolia Ave. was approved.

Below are the decisions made regarding the requests of the City of Winter Park:

The second reading of the ordinance amending Article III, “Zoning” the standards for significant changes requiring conditional use approvals on buildings over 10,000 square feet, the standards for significant changes to conditional use approvals and the standards for building approvals in the Hannibal Square neighborhood commercial district was approved.

The second reading of the ordinance amending Article III, “Zoning” so as to revise the approval procedures for the approval of building projects on such waterfront lots was approved.

The second reading of the ordinance authorizing the refunding of the water and sewer Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2002 was approved.

The resolution authorizing the issuance of not to exceed $17,500,000 in water and sewer Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2011 was approved.

The first reading of the ordinance regarding the annexation of 54 acres for the Ravaudage project was tabled until the October 10 meeting.

A full copy of the Sept. 12 City Commission minutes will be available on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org the week of Sept. 26, pending approval by the City Commission.

CoffeeTalk featuring Commissioner Sarah Sprinkel

If you have “a latte beans to grind” or simply want to “espresso your thoughts,” don’t forget about Commissioner Sprinkel’s CoffeeTalk session on Thursday, Sept. 15, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Winter Park Welcome Center located at 151 W. Lyman Ave.

This is your opportunity to talk to Commissioner Sprinkel and ask her questions in a casual, informal environment about any city-related topics.

City Commission work session

There will be a City Commission Work Session on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to discuss the State Office Building property.

The public is invited to attend; however, no public comment will be taken.

Install the new SaveMyCity app now!

Thank you for your interest in our new SaveMyCity app, the city’s latest initiative to help you shop local and save money. The app has been modified to improve your savings experience. If you downloaded the app before Sept. 7, please delete it and reinstall the latest version of SaveMyCity from the iTunes App Store.

If you are an iPhone, iPad or iTouch user and have not yet downloaded the SaveMyCity app, please visit www.SaveMyCity.com/winter-park-fl and start your savings today. The savings are also available on the SaveMyCity website mentioned above.

We look forward to bringing you more deals as you shop, visit and dine in Winter Park.

Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department meets all criteria to receive accreditation

The Winter Park Fire-Rescue Department (WPFD) has once again received “accredited agency” status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI). In order to receive accreditation, WPFD had to meet all criteria established through CFAI’s voluntary self-assessment and accreditation program. The accreditation was presented to the City Commission on Sept. 12.

WPFD was first accredited in 2001 and was one of the first in Central Florida to achieve this status. Along with Orange County Fire Rescue and the City of Maitland, Winter Park remains one of only 14 accredited agencies in the state. Accredited agency status is updated annually and renewed every five years. Mayor Ken Bradley and City Manager Randy Knight joined Chief Jim White in presenting the fire department for consideration to the CFAI at their meeting in August.

According to White, “the agency’s achievement of continued accredited agency status demonstrates the commitment of the city and the agency to provide the highest quality of service to our community.” Chief White also said, “We have been able to use CFAI’s process as a proactive mechanism to plan for the future of the agency and locate areas where we can improve the quality of service we provide.”

The CFAI is dedicated to assisting fire and emergency service agencies throughout the world in achieving excellence through self-assessment and accreditation in order to provide continuous quality improvement and the enhancement of service delivery to their communities. The CFAI process is voluntary and provides an agency with an improvement model to assess their service delivery and performance internally. It then works with a team of peers from other agencies to evaluate their completed self-assessment.

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