Winter Park City Talk

Mayor’s Oath of Office Ceremony

A reception was held at the Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center on Feb. 13, celebrating the re-election of Mayor Kenneth Bradley. Immediately following the reception, Mayor Bradley was sworn in by Lydia Gardner, Orange County Clerk of the Courts, as he took his official Oath of Office. Congratulations Mayor Bradley!

Feb. 13 City Commission Meeting highlights

There was a City Commission meeting held on Feb. 13, 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 board appointments to the Code Enforcement Board and Winter Park Firefighters Pension Board were approved.

City Manager’s Report

The City Commission Strategic Planning Session was scheduled for Wednesday, April 4.

Non-action items

The December 2011 Financial Report was presented and accepted.

Consent Agenda

The minutes of Jan. 23 meeting were approved with a modification.

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

The purchase of a Cisco Router necessary to enhance police department dispatch connectivity was approved.

The purchase of computer software required operating systems and four desktop computer workstations for the police department was approved.

Free electric vehicle charging services for an initial promotional/evaluation period with the fees to be reviewed semi-annually in accordance with the fee schedule was approved.

The agreement for transfer of Wastewater Service for 2021 N. Goldenrod Road and authorize the mayor to execute the agreement was approved.

Action Items Requiring Discussion

Street musicians and performers on Park Avenue were discussed and the issue was directed to be reviewed further by the CRA Advisory Board and the Park Area Avenue Task Force.

The Urban Land Institute Technical Assistance Panel Program for West Fairbanks Redevelopment Evaluation was approved.

The proposed on-street dining for Hannibal Square East was discussed and a trial period until April 29 for this request was approved and will be reviewed at the conclusion of the trial period if any modifications or changes need to be made.

Public Hearings

The following decisions were made on the request of Denning Partners, Ltd., for the property at 861 W. Canton Avenue:

The first reading of the ordinance changing the designation of Single-Family Residential to High Density Residential was denied.

The first reading of the ordinance changing the designation of Single-Family Residential to Multi-Family was denied.

The resolution calling for a public hearing — ad valorem assessment for properties abutting Via Salerno and Mayfield Avenue to fund the installation of underground electrical/BHN facilities was approved.

The resolution delegating authority to the Code Enforcement Board and under emergency conditions forward to the city manager to negotiate code enforcement liens and to execute satisfactions or releases of code enforcement liens was approved with revisions.

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

The conditions of approval for extension of conditional use for the parking garage expansion at 655 W. Morse Blvd. pursuant to the settlement agreement was approved.

A full copy of the Feb. 13 City Commission minutes will be available on the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org the week of Feb. 27, pending approval by the City Commission.

Electric usage monitors

Wondering how much electricity that new 60 inch flat-screen TV you got for Christmas uses? Check out an electric usage monitor at the Winter Park Public Library and find out. Stop by 460 E. New England Ave. today.

City’s website has gone mobile

When any smart phone user logs on to the city's website by entering www.cityofwinterpark.org, they will automatically be redirected to the new mobile version of the city’s site. The main purpose of this mobile version is to provide a more viewer- and user- friendly version of the site via a smart phone.

The mobile site provides easy access to the most popular web pages as viewed from a smartphone in addition to providing additional information regarding board meetings and other official government meetings. Another unique feature is allowing smartphone users the ability to report a power outage directly from their smart phone under the “utilities tab.”

Because the use of smartphones is growing and will continue to grow, the city is responding to this technological growth and offering an easier way to access city information via this tool. Just in 2011 alone, about 51,500 mobile users visited our site using nine different operating systems with the iPhone, iPad and Android as the most frequent visitors.

Visit the city’s official website at www.cityofwinterpark.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.