Winter Park City Talk

Aug. 22 City Commission meeting

There will be a City Commission meeting Monday, Aug. 22, at 3:30 p.m. in City Hall Commission Chambers. For the most up-to-date agenda, please visit cityofwinterpark.org under What’s New. Below are a few topics of interest:

Mayor’s Report

• Presentation – 2016 Historic Preservation Awards

• Presentation – Rollins College Women’s Golf National Championship

• Proclamation – Brett C. Railey Day

• Winter Park Historical Association annual update

City Manager’s Report

• Confirmation of appointment of police chief

• Budget discussion

Consent Agenda

• Approve the minutes for Aug. 8, 2016.

• Approve purchases, contracts and bid solicitations (for a complete listing visit cityofwinterpark.org/ccpackets).

Action Items Requiring Discussion

• Review and approval of five new proposed historic preservation incentives.

• Permitting process and policies for temporary signage on public property.

Public Hearings

• Request of Walter Ray for the property at 2281 Nairn Drive:

— First reading of the ordinance amending official zoning map to change from Single Family Residential District zoning to Low Density Residential District.

— Conditional Use Approval under the cluster housing provisions of R-2 zoning to build a three-unit, cluster housing project of two-story townhouses.

• Request of Ron Scarpa and Bob Walker:

— Subdivision or lot split approval to divide the property at 2098 E. End Ave., into two, single-family building lots.

• Request of the Interlachen North Partners, LLC:

— Conditional Use Approval to redevelop the property at 503 N. Interlachen Ave., with an eight-unit, three-story residential project.

• Request of New Hope Baptist Church:

— Conditional Use Approval to use the portable buildings on church property for Sunday school classroom space and Fellowship Hall activities in conjunction with the church at 274 N. Capen Ave.

• Resolution – Approving and authorizing the execution of a Landscape Construction and Maintenance Memorandum of Agreement between FDOT and the city concerning landscaping improvements within a portion of the right of way of U.S. Highway 17-92.

Remember, if you are unable to attend City Commission meetings, you can watch them live, gavel-to-gavel as they happen. During the meeting, simply log on to cityofwinterpark.org/cclive to easily stay tuned-in to official city business.

Keep water meters clear

For all Winter Park water utility customers, the city occasionally has to access your meter to log a reading or address water emergencies. To ensure accessibility, please keep your meter boxes clear of any obstructions such as plants, weeds and grass.

New bike lanes on Lee Road

With the newly resurfaced Lee Road from Interstate 4 to U.S. Highway 17-92, the city has gained almost two additional miles of bike lanes along this corridor. These bike lanes will help cyclists ride safely on Lee Road as they travel to their ultimate destination.

The city has a Transportation Advisory Board that continually looks for ways to encourage alternative modes of transportation, of which bicycling is one of them. Please visit cityofwinterpark.org > Residents > Cycling & Walking for more pedestrian and bicycle information.

Soles4Souls

There are 46.5 million people living in poverty right here in the United States and 16.1 million of those are children. Soles4Soles, a not for profit global social enterprise is committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing.

Gently-used shoes and new shoes can be donated at the Winter Park Community Center located at 721 W. New England Ave., now thru Sunday, Aug. 28. The shoes that Winter Park collects will be delivered to Soles4Souls. Every used pair of shoes collected will be converted into value-added social currency to achieve positive change, both humanitarian and economic. For more information, please call 321-303-4875.

Algae along Lake Baldwin shoreline

The accumulation of large volumes of plant material and algae on the shoreline of Lake Baldwin is due to an infrequent but naturally occurring process. Lake Baldwin has an extensive coverage of eelgrass, a beneficial aquatic plant. Eelgrass goes through growth and temporary die back stages as a normal function of its life cycle. In most cases the die back (known as senescence) occurs gradually or in small portions of the overall plant population. This year, Lake Baldwin is experiencing an entire lake die-off of eelgrass that is producing the huge amount of material that is collecting on the shore.

During senescence, the plants release nutrients into the water. This fuels the growth of filamentous algae on the surfaces of the plant. The material you are seeing along the shoreline is primarily comprised of eelgrass blades coated in a layer of algae, and the odor that is associated with the mass of plants is due the decomposition of the eelgrass and algae.

Once the die back is over and the plant is in an active growth mode, the conditions should improve quickly. Unfortunately, there is still a significant amount of rooted eelgrass that is going to come up, so the process could last another month or more. Cooler weather and/or regular rainfall could help to reduce the algae accumulation.

For more information regarding the city of Winter Park, please visit the city’s official website at cityofwinterpark.org. Like, follow and watch us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, and YouTube.