Community bulletin

New rail system

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and All Aboard Florida (AAF) have reached agreement on the terms of a lease for portions of the state’s State Road 528 right of way in Central Florida, which AAF will use to build and operate intercity passenger rail service between Orlando and southeast Florida.

The terms call for a 50-year lease with an option to renew for another 49 years. AAF will pay FDOT $275,000 per year, adjusting annually for inflation – the appraised, fair market value of the lease. The payments are structured to allow AAF an opportunity to get the service built and operating.

Top scholars

Chase Richey of Winter Park graduated from Union College on June 16 during the College’s 219th Commencement exercises. Richey, a Managerial Economics major, received a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, Ind., named Stephanie O’Sullivan to the dean’s list for the spring 2013 semester. Stephanie is the daughter of John and Denise O’Sullivan of Winter Park.

Matthew Worswick of Winter Park has graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. Worswick earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing.

Amanda Horbert, a Chemical Engineering major from Maitland, earned a bachelor’s degree at Florida Institute of Technology’s spring commencement.

Entrepreneur shacks up

Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business today announced that Peter McAlindon, Ph.D. has joined the school as Entrepreneur-in-Residence, bringing 20 years of successful entrepreneurial venture creation to the program. Dr. McAlindon will also serve as a full-time instructor of entrepreneurship, drawing upon his experience as an inventor and serial entrepreneur to mentor individuals and teams of students.

New robot surgeon

In an event that literally moved walls, Florida Hospital Cancer Institute installed the latest invention in non-invasive brain surgery to treat conditions that previously were considered inaccessible or inoperable. Elekta’s Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion will reduce treatment time, increase precision, and treat multiple brain lesions in a single treatment session. The machine weighs an impressive 25 tons and required the outer wall of the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute to be temporarily removed so cranes and a team of several dozen workers could install the machine.

Helping trees

The Kenneth and Rachel Murrah City of Winter Park Tree Fund presented a donation check to the city of Winter Park on June 24 as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the city’s tree canopy.