Winter Garden considering properties for future parks, soccer fields

Commissioners voted unanimously to allow city staff to move forward with negotiations to purchase properties for the city’s Parks and Recreation program.

By Eric Gutierrez
| 12:20 p.m. April 13, 2018

West Orange Times & Observer
News

New Winter Garden Police Officers Jonathan Woodcox, left, and Heriberto Rivera were sworn in at the Winter Garden City Commission meeting on April 12.

WINTER GARDEN — Winter Garden may be adding new parks in the coming years.

City leaders voted unanimously to move forward with negotiations to purchase properties for the city’s Parks and Recreation program during the April 12 city commission meeting.

“We’ve come across some great opportunities for the city for our parks and (recreation) program long-term,” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said. “One of the properties is located between Newton Park and Bradford Park along Lake Apopka, and the other property is adjacent to the Church of Christ, which is on Daniels Road and Winter Garden Vineland Road.”

Bollhoefer said although the property near Lake Apopka is between two parks, the property is currently not a park. If the city moves forward with the purchase, the property would eventually be turned into one.

“We will be able to combine Bradford Park and Newton Park to have one long park along Lake Apopka,” Bollhoefer said. “It will be the only opportunity we have to expand those parks. If we miss it now, that opportunity is gone forever.”

The property near the Church of Christ would be used for soccer fields, which have been in high demand for years, Bollhoefer added.

“We have an unbelievable demand and need for soccer fields and we’ve had people ask for soccer fields for many years,” Bollhoefer said. “We’ve been looking at options for years. We’ve worked with the Church of Christ. It’s a great piece of land … it will be a great location for soccer fields.”

IN OTHER NEWS

Commissioners approved the second reading of Ordinance 18-04, which carries over appropriation funds totaling $28,428,329 to the current fiscal year budget. The funds will support costs for projects, machinery, equipment and other items that were budgeted but not purchased during the fiscal year ending in 2017.
The first readings of two rezoning ordinances were approved by the commission. Ordinance 18-17 seeks to rezone a 0.625-acre property located at 227 S. Main St. from City R-2 Residential District to City R-NC Residential Neighborhood Commercial District. Commissioner Lisa Bennett abstained from voting because her company has the property for sale. Ordinance 18-19 seeks to rezone a 4-acre property generally located at 2001 Avalon Road from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to Planned Commercial Development (PCD).
Commissioners unanimously approved a site plan involving property located at 670 Garden Commerce Parkway.
Commissioners approved a bid proposal from Connected Workplace Solutions to provide the licensing, software and hardware to upgrade the city's phone system for $102,605.02.
Commissioners awarded a contract to T.D. Thomson Construction Company for the Tremaine Street Bricking project for a price not to exceed $71,714.50, which also includes at 10% contingency. They also awarded a contract to Atlantic Civil Constructors Corporation for the Stoneybrook West Parkway/Roberson Road/Windermere Road roundabout project in the amount of $2.4 million, which includes a 10% contingency.
The commission also approved a proposal from Tetra Tech for professional engineering and construction administration services for the western storage and pumping facility project for $133,225.33.”
Commissioners extended the contractual agreement for it holds with American Medical Response for emergency ambulance transportation services.

Both purchases are estimated to cost about $1.6 million, each. Funds for the property near Lake Apopka will be pulled from recreation-impact fees, and funds for the property near the Church of Christ will initially come from street-impact fees and be later reimbursed by recreation-impact fees, Bollhoefer explained.

“To pay for this (property near the Church of Christ), we wouldn’t have the impact fees from recreation as of now, but we would borrow the funds from our street impact fees — where we have sufficient funds — and then pay it back as recreation-impact fees come in,” Bollhoefer said.