Winter Park City Talk

Congratulations to newly elected City Commissioners Steven Leary and Sarah Sprinkel, who were sworn into office on March 14 at their official “Oath of Office” ceremony. I look forward to working with you in continuing to make the city of Winter Park the best place to live, work and play in Central Florida.

March 14 Commission meeting highlights

There was a City Commission meeting held on March 14 at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers. Below are a few highlights of decisions made:

NON-ACTION ITEMS:

• The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and Financial Report was presented and accepted by the Commission.

CONSENT AGENDA:

• The minutes of Feb. 28 City Commission meeting were approved.

• RFP-5-2011 Bond Counsel Services was awarded to Bryant Miller Olive, P.A.

• The Orange County Vendor Payment Agreement for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program was approved.

• Ratification of the police union contract was pulled from the agenda and will be presented at a future meeting.

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

ACTION ITEMS REQUIRING DISCUSSION:

• City staff was approved to work with the city attorney to create a city ordinance that regulates pain management clinics.

PUBLIC HEARINGS:

• The resolution supporting pension plan reforms was approved.

A full copy of the March 14 City Commission minutes will be available on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org the week of March 28, pending approval by the City Commission.

Click It or Ticket to help save lives

The Winter Park Police Department (WPPD) will be joining state and local law enforcement agencies and highway safety groups in supporting an aggressive statewide “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign. Stepped-up law enforcement activities will be conducted during the 2011 “Click It or Ticket” mobilization period now through Thursday, March 31. Officers will be focusing their traffic enforcement efforts toward unbelted vehicle occupants both night and day during this campaign.

Seat belts clearly save lives. Regular-seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. When worn correctly, seat belts have been proven to reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent, and by 60 percent in pickup trucks, SUVs and minivans, yet nearly one out of five Americans still fails to wear a seat belt when driving or riding in a motor vehicle.

The most recent NHTSA statistics show that in one year, more than 14,000 unbelted people died in passenger vehicles crashes. Nearly half of those were during the daylight hours. And 63 percent of those died in crashes during the hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. More regrettably, seat belt discussions too often revolve around adults in the front seats of vehicles. Child safety seats are often overlooked. Kids have to be buckled up, too. Your child seat can be installed by a certified police officer at the WPPD by appointment. This is a long-time service that the department has been providing for years at no cost to the public.

The WPPD encourages everyone to wear their seatbelts and use proper child safety equipment at all times and is asking drivers to have a heightened sense of awareness during the enforcement campaign. The department is encouraging compliance in lieu of having to issue citations as costly reminders of a law that everyone should be following every time they get in a vehicle.

City hosts Third Annual Bike from Park to Park

The city of Winter Park supports March as Florida’s bike month and the City of Winter Park’s Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Board will celebrate by hosting the 3rd annual “Bike from Park to Park” on Friday, March 25, at 8 a.m. Bicyclists will begin their ride through scenic Winter Park at Mead Garden, located at 1300 South Denning Drive, and will conclude in Central Park’s West Meadow with refreshments and camaraderie. Bike from Park to Park supports the mission to promote a viable and safe pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly infrastructure.

The City of Winter Park’s “Green Local Government” initiative is an environmental action agenda designed to transform Winter Park into one of the most conservational cities in America by encouraging environmentally-friendly lifestyles through alternative transportation modes such as bicycling. Today, millions of Americans engage in bicycling because it is a viable form of transportation, an excellent form of fitness, and it provides quality family recreation.

Investing in road improvements such as bicycle lanes, bicycle routes, off-road trails and bicycle parking to enable safe access for all users are all ways the city encourages bicycling. “Bike from Park to Park” is an additional way to encourage and promote alternate forms of transportation.

Those interested in participating in this fun, green event are asked to please RSVP by Tuesday, March 22, via e-mail to [email protected] or by calling 407-599-3233.

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