Winter Park City Talk

On behalf of the city of Winter Park, warmest wishes to everyone for a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend.

Important Memorial Day reminders:

City Commission meeting canceled

Due to the Memorial Day holiday, the Monday, May 27, City Commission meeting has been canceled.

City Hall closed

City offices will be closed on Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day. Household garbage, yard trash and recycling collection services will not be provided by Waste Pro. Normal services will resume on the next regularly scheduled collection day.

The community center pool opens this weekend!

The Parks & Recreation Department of the city of Winter Park is pleased to announce that the pool at the Winter Park Community Center, located at 721 W. New England Ave., will re-open for the season on Saturday, May 25. The free celebration from noon to 6 p.m. will feature fun for the entire family, including swimming, music and dancing. The pool will also be open on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, from noon to 5 p.m.

For additional event information regarding the Winter Park Community Center pool, please call 407-643-1650.

Hurricane season is approaching

The city would like to remind you to be prepared for the upcoming hurricane season by following the steps below to keep you, your family and property safe:

Step 1: Assemble an emergency preparedness kit and “to-go bag”

Step 2: Prepare your family, home and business

Step 3: Stay informed

Online resources

cityofwinterpark.org > Info at Your Fingertips > Hurricane Preparedness

OR

Departments > Fire-Rescue >Emergency Management

Facebook: cityofwinterpark.org/facebook

Twitter: cityofwinterpark.org/twitter

Other important resources

Non-emergency information line 407-599-3494

(goes live upon Emergency Operations Center activation)

Message Center Information email [email protected]

(goes live upon Emergency Operations Center activation)

Winter Park Electric Utility power outages > 1-877-811-8700

Winter Park Water & Wastewater Utility outages > 407-599-3219

Sign up for OUTREACH messages

OUTREACH is the city’s emergency notification system that uses today’s technology to send out notifications such as extreme weather conditions, boil water alerts, power restoration status and hurricane/tornado warnings directly to you. Upon hearing the tornado siren, you should tune in to local media for specific weather information. In addition to outdoor warning sirens throughout Winter Park, OUTREACH will notify residents and business owners of impending emergencies via their home phones, cell phones and/or email. To sign up, please log on to cityofwinterpark.org, click on the OUTREACH button and follow the sign-up instructions. The city can then keep you immediately informed of any major emergency situation that may impact you, your business and your neighbors.

Great weekend to fly our flags

City flags are available for purchase at the Winter Park Country Club & Golf Course ProShop located at 761 Old England Ave. Two sizes are for sale: 3-by-5-foot large flags for $50 and 4-by-6-inch mini desktop flags for $5. Pick up a flag, play a round of golf and enjoy Winter Park at its best.

Click It or Ticket!

The Winter Park Police Department (WPPD) is joining state and local law enforcement agencies all across the nation for the 2013 Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement wave. Stepped-up law enforcement activities will be conducted during this enforcement wave, which runs through Sunday, June 2. Officers will be focusing their traffic enforcement efforts toward unbelted vehicle occupants around the clock during this time.

Seat belts clearly save lives. In 2011 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives nationwide. Regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Motorists are 75 percent less likely to be killed in a rollover crash if they are buckled up. From 2007-2011, 53 percent of the 121,507 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were unrestrained.

In 2011, of the 21,253 passenger vehicle occupants killed in motor vehicle crashes nationwide, 52 percent were not wearing seat belt at the time of the crash. Regrettably, seat belt discussions too often revolve around adults in the front seats of vehicles. Child safety seats are often overlooked — kids must be buckled as well. Your child seat can be installed for free by certified WPPD personnel by appointment.

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

Remember it’s “Click It or Ticket!” Buckle up and encourage your loved ones to do the same.

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