Ocoee Commission moves $83,560 for Founders Day overage

OCOEE — Finance Director Wanda Horton reported an overage of more than $83,560 from the 2013 and 2014 Ocoee Founders’ Day festivals, mostly due to labor costs, at the June 2 meeting of the Ocoee City Commission.

“Adequately funding the event remains a challenge due to some sponsorship checks being received after the event has ended,” Horton said. “The commission increased funding for the 2015 event. However, we need to clear up the existing deficit. 

“To do this, staff recommends $44,153 be transferred from departments’ (overtime or salaries) per the attached agenda item, and the remaining $39,407 be funded from General Fund contingency,” she said.

Reallocations from departments include $24,287 from police, $11,258 from Parks and Recreation, $2,063 from water and sewer operations and $2,528 from solid waste.

The commission funding increase was $20,000 for 2015, putting its contribution at $95,000.

Johnson wondered why the Founders’ Day finances had not been closed out sooner. Horton said a report was not presented to the commission to do so.

The commission approved the staff recommendation, 5-0.

RESIDENTIAL 

DEVELOPMENTS

The commission unanimously approved the final site plan for a 240-apartment complex of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.

This complex, called Arbours at Crown Point, will be built on West Road just north of State Road 429, with the Fountains West shopping center to the west, the West Orange Trail to the east and a clearing to the north. It will include a community building, a pool, a barbecue area, a car wash area and a direct connection to the West Orange Trail, which will have 25 dedicated feet along the north end of the property to connect to Ocoee-Apopka Road to the west.

The overall parcel is 28.1 acres, with the units taking 17.64 acres, according to plans of the developer, Arbour Valley Development.

Representatives of the developer said rent prices would be in line with the area, ranging from about $1,000 to $1,400, with no subsidies and occupancy rates averaging 94%.

District 3 Commissioner Rusty Johnson said although these apartments might be relatively expensive, he had seen similar apartments the developer had created in Gainesville, which were of a high quality.

“It’s going to add quite a bit over there,” District 1 Commissioner John Grogan said. “We still have some of that commercial property that’s across from Westyn Bay (Boulevard), and with more people, better things get built, such as the restaurants everybody’s looking for. Instead of the Burger Kings and McDonald’s, people are going to start planting some real restaurants in there and some real stores.”

The commission also unanimously approved Standard Pacific of Florida’s 309.38-acre Arden Park Community Development District between Hobson and Ingram roads near Lake Sims.

“The subdivision is in the second phase of construction presently of five phases,” City Planner Mike Rumer said.

Mayor S. Scott Vandergrift commended the developer for its conservation practices, including the transplantation of seven large oak trees at a cost of $30,000 each, butterfly gardens and saving 32 of 99 acres of conservation space.

Establishing a community development district sets up a five-member special-purpose board of supervisors to deliver urban community development services within that district.

MAGUIRE ROAD 

CONSTRUCTION

Developer Maguire Roberson received commission approval for city funding of $498,010.06 to go with the developer’s $128,866.67 to finish construction near the intersection of Maguire and Roberson roads.

This project includes adding turn lanes at the intersection, a left-turn lane into Casa Mirella and storm water collection; tapering back to the western two-lane section; and extending city reuse systems on Roberson Road.

ORDINANCE READINGS

Two public hearings on ordinances are scheduled to occur at the next commission meeting, June 16.

The first pertains to the annexation and zoning as A-1 of a 2.23-acre parcel at 1042 Ocoee-Apopka Road known as the Sorenson Property.

The second regards changing Ocoee’s municipal election to coincide with the Presidential primary date of March 16, 2016. Estimated savings from adopting this ordinance are $60,000-75,000.

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IN OTHER NEWS

• The commission appointed Valerie Odom to the Human Relations Diversity Board and Code Enforcement Board, Richard Firstner to the Citizen Advisory Council for Ocoee Fire Department and Jacob Dorn to the Board of Adjustment.

• Commissioners passed a traffic enforcement agreement for the police to enforce in Spring Lake Reserve, which also received approval for upgraded streetlights at its expense.

• The commission approved a fire department trade-in of 28 air packs with bottles, 44 voice amps and 50 masks for new air packs with Pack Tracker.

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Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].