By Marc Crail
District 4 Mount Dora City Council Representative

Our January 19th City Council meeting was relatively brief, about 2 hours long. We will also have Work Session from 10:00-4:00 on Thursday 1/21. I've selected several items from our discussions and agenda to tell you about. Please remember that I'm not representing Mount Dora City Council when reporting to you. I'm just doing so as an individual.

We heard a report on on the ongoing COVID-19 immunizations that are being provided at St. Patrick Church. First, some background information; we approached the Lake County Health Department about hosting a vaccine location locally so our residents wouldn't need to drive to Clermont or Leesburg. Our St. Patrick location is a cooperative effort. The church has volunteered their campus which is great. Eustis, Tavares and Mount Dora each have provided police to help manage traffic. Mount Dora has had our fire/paramedics there each day along with a contingent of volunteers. We were open Monday-Thursday last week and Tuesday-Thursday this week. Immunizations begin at 11:00 but plan to arrive by 7:30 or so in order to get in line.

Each day so far we have had 600 doses of Pfizer vaccine allotted to us but by careful conservation of precious vials we have managed to stretch those 600 to about squeeze out between 650- 709 doses per day.  Last week we gave about 2,700 shots and today we gave another 709 shots bringing our total immunizations to well over 3,300. That's a good start. More options and more locations are sorely needed as are more doses of vaccine.

We are hopeful that we will be able to continue this St. Patrick program and possibly even expand our efforts to provide service to even more people by providing shots at underserved locations that may include churches, apartment complexes, condos and other residential developments. None of this is not set in stone yet but we are hopeful we can continue to expand our efforts through cooperation with our partners.

We approved 2 Resolutions today that will authorize engineering and design services for important park projects. One project will be renovations to Cauley Lot & Lilly Parks and another to do the create a brand new park/playground in cooperation with Lake County Schools on the campus of Triangle Elementary School.

Lakes of Mount Dora neighborhood residents will be seeing another Traffic Signal Warrant Study take place in February at the intersection of S.R. 44 and Lakes of Mount Dora Blvd. We can expect the results of that study by the end of March. Depending on the traffic count numbers a traffic light there might be recommended. I'll keep you posted about the results but the good news is that the City requested this study meaning that residents' concerns have been noted. We are also looking into other options for safer ingress/egress to the neighborhood including a request for the State to reduce the speed limit on S.R. 44.

The rollout of our new version of recycling is due to begin in early February. Residential Waste Management customers will be able to use both their yellow top (recycling) cans and their green top (garbage) cans for any kind of waste materials. Your pickup day will not change and you will get more information with you next "water" bill. One truck will come by your house on trash day rather than three. All trash will be incinerated to produce electricity.

Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King Day. I've shared quotes by Rev. King with you before but today I'd like to give you a quote about Dr. King provided by Bob Woodson. "We honor King not for his victories that are incomplete. We honor him for his vision and his sacrificial commitment to that vision. He saw what we might be capable of as an individual and as a nation. He held it high so we could all see."

Thanks for your interest in our wonderful City.

By Marc Crail
District 4 Mount Dora City Council Representative

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​

A new drive-through COVID-19 vaccination site will be open January 12  through 14 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church located half a mile south of the City of Mount Dora.  The free vaccines are available to people 65 years old and older, as well as to  front line workers on a first-come, first-served basis.  There is no residency requirement and no appointments are currently available.  Appointments are expected to be available for the second dose.

DOH-Lake is anticipating to have approximately 550 to 750 doses available each day at the Mount Dora area site and will administer vaccines while supplies last for each day.  The site will be open this week at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and will remain open until the vaccine supply for that day is administered.

The church campus is large enough to hold the number of vehicles for the amount of vaccines available and then the entrance will be closed.  A one to two-and-a-half hour wait in a line should be expected.  Face masks are required to be worn in cars.  

St. Patrick’s Church is located at 6803 Old U.S. Highway 441 in Orange County.  Further scheduling will be listed on Lake.FloridaHealth.gov and MountDoraBuzz.com .

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​

​Beginning on Wednesday, December 30, the Florida Department of Health in Lake County (DOH-Lake) will begin offering free COVID-19 immunizations to high-risk frontline health care workers and residents 65 and older.

Appointments are required for the two locations available .
Vaccination sites and schedules for Wednesday, December 30, 2020 through Saturday January 2, 2021 are as follows:

LAKE SUMTER STATE COLLEGE
9501 US-441 in Leesburg
9:00am to 4:00 pm based on availability

COOPER MEMORIAL LIBRARY
2525 Oakley Seaver Drive in Clermont
9:00am to 4:00 pm based on availability

Lake County residents must register to an immunization appointment by calling (352) 742-4830 Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Likely due to a high demand, callers were experiencing a difficult time getting through by phone today.

Residents must bring identification to their appointment and healthcare workers must bring a copy of their medical license, ID badge or a current pay stub. There may be an opportunity for walk-ins based on cancellations and availability of appointments.

As per Governor Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-315, the first phase of vaccinations will be for long-term care facility residents and staff, persons 65 years of age and older, and
healthcare personnel with direct patient contact

As of this afternoon all DOH-Lake Covid-19 Testing Sites will be by appointment only in order to meet vaccination demand. Call (352) 272-9284 for a DOH-Lake testing appointment or schedule a free PCR test with CVS or Curative Labs, or call your private healthcare provider.

Enjoy!  And please remember, don’t drink and drive.  Happy Holidays!  For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​

Lake County’s hospitals began receiving vaccines last week to immunize their healthcare workers. Approximately 3,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine arrived in Lake County today.  

The Florida Department of Health plans to visit the facilities that are not covered by the Walgreens and CVS immunization roll-out so that residents and staff can be immunized as quickly as possible.

In an Executive Order issued Dec. 23, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed that the priority population for this initial phase shall be long-term care facility residents and staff, persons 65 years and older, and health care personnel with direct patient contact.

Currently, Lake County doesn't have a registry available to sign up.. Once vaccines become available, the County will  provide more details on the distribution process.

For the foreseeable future, Lake County will receive an unspecified amount of vaccines to immunize the priority groups as identified by the governor. The Federal government’s goal has been to get vaccines to the general public through commercial providers (pharmacies and physicians) as soon as they become available.

Lake County Office of Emergency Management has worked closely with the Florida Department of Health in Lake County to prepare for the expected immunization doses, including preparing storage infrastructure by purchasing an ultra-cold freezer.

When more information is available from the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Health, Lake County will inform the public and Mount Dora Buzz will update its information. To sign up for the latest emergency notifications regarding COVID-19, text COVIDUPDATE to 888777.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​

By Dr. Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council, District 4 City Council Rep.​
​
Our December 15, 2020 meeting is the last scheduled City Council meeting of the year. I've selected several discussion and action items to tell you about. What I'm reporting to you is from my perspective and not on behalf of City Council as a whole.

We heard complaints from several residents of Tangerine and Sullivan Ranch neighborhoods who spoke of noxious odors that they think may be emanating from our nearby wastewater treatment plant. These odors come and go but when they are present it is difficult for affected neighbors to enjoy opening up their windows or sitting outside in their yards or on their patios. Our public works department will be stepping their efforts to identify where those odors are coming from as there are several possible sources.

Mount Dora has been working for some time now to create a plan for a potential bike & hike trail that would run from the Tremain St. Greenway to Plymouth-Sorrento Rd. (C.R. 437) connecting to the Seminole Wekiva Trail. This proposed trail would be called The Innovation Trail. It would be a great asset to Mount Dora and an important economic development tool. There would be multiple trailheads, parking, restrooms and other amenities. The trail would be 12 to 14 feet wide and paved.

Like any great idea this would be an expensive project but we would be partnering with Lake County, Sorrento, Mount Plymouth, the Lake-Sumter MPO and the State. This newly completed trail planning study will be a good tool to use as we continue to look for funding to make it all possible.

We passed a Resolution providing for engineering services to drill a third drinking water well at our water plant #2. We have 2 water plants serving our city. Plant #1 currently has the capacity to produce enough drinking water for the entire city but plant #2 can not. If something would ever happen that would take plant #1 offline we would not have the capacity at plant #2 to satisfy the city's needs. By drilling a third well at plant #2 we would have redundancy in the event of emergency and the capacity to handle future growth. All of the money for this estimated $750,000 project would come from impact fees. The engineering part of this project has been included in this year's city budget and should take about 6 months. Then we would be able to begin drilling.

We also passed a Resolution approving an amended agreement for architectural services to continue the designing of  a new fire station (Station #35) to be located on County Road 19. The motion passed 6-1 with Austin Gunther voting no. The estimated cost of this new station is $4,511,472. The design team has been asked to sharpen their pencils to see how these costs might be reduced. For now we have only approved the continuation of the design process.

This is the time of year when we count our many blessings and wish one another Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year. Here's hoping 2021 is going to be healthier and happier for one and all.

My quote for you today comes from Miami Dolphins coach and John Carroll University graduate, Don Shula. "One thing I never want to be accused of is not working".

Dr. Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Rep.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here.  ​​​​ For local things to do, click here and for the area's free mobile app, click here. ​​

By Dr. Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council, District 4 City Council Rep.
​
Mount Dora's City Council held a "Work Session" from 1:30 to just after 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday 12/8.  A work session is a public meeting but it is for discussion purposes only, no votes are taken. Normally I don't report to you about items that haven't yet been acted upon but the things we discussed today could well become action items in the upcoming weeks or months. As usual please keep in mind that I have not been appointed by City Council to report to you on their behalf. I'm only one of seven council members and what follows comes from my perspective. Allow me to take a deep dive into recycling which will be on our next meeting agenda...

Waste Management  (WM) is our vender for picking up and disposing of trash, recycling and yard waste. In my estimation WM has done a good job and are very service oriented. The market for recycled materials has radically changed over the past couple of years. Here's the problem.

Until a few years ago China provided a market for all sorts of recycled items including paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastics, etc. As an example, in 2017 China accepted recycled wastepaper that contained up to 10% "contamination" but due to tightening environmental regulations in China, their new standard is a maximum of 0.3% contamination and at the same time the price they are willing to pay for recycled materials has dropped by about 2/3 or more. With falling prices and much higher quality standards recycled materials have changed from a money maker for WM to a money loser.

As a result ,WM is going to charge Mount Dora residents an additional $1.82 per month ($21.84 per year) if we choose to keep our current recycling program. WM presented us with an alternative that would help to mitigate that price increase.

 There is a company called Covanta that currently operates a Waste to Energy facility that burns waste products. That facility is located in nearby Okahumpka, FL. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals would still be recycled at their plant but the garbage, yard waste and the other things that we currently put in our recycling bins would be burned to create electricity. EPA tests indicate that the Convanta facility's particulate emissions average over 90% below EPA's allowable amounts because of advanced scrubbers and high temperature burning. The State of Florida recognizes this type of Waste to Energy as a viable alternative to to recycling. Approximately 50% of all materials entering the Waste to Energy program are credited as recycling under State of Florida guidelines which is about 20% higher than traditional residential recycling programs in Florida.

 I am a big proponent of recycling so I had been skeptical of this alternative but there are some additional benefits. This proposal would reduce our solid waste by 90%. That is important because WM trucks our trash all the way to a Georgia landfill which requires a lot of fuel. Currently our recycled materials are trucked from Mount Dora to WM's recycling facility near Tampa. Once sorted in Tampa those bottles, cardboard, glass, paper, etc. are shipped all the way to China.

Other nearby communities that have already begun utilizing this Waste to Energy program include The Villages, Lady Lake and Wildwood. This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about trash. I sorry to be so long winded but we will discuss and vote on this alternative at our 12/17 council meeting.

Several other topics were also discussed including; Building Department permitting services, the future uses of city owned properties and various financial items.

I've got a quote for you today from Dakota Meyer who said; "Don't take criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from."

Please stay safe, keep wearing your masks, social distance and don't become a COVID statistic.

Marc Crail
District 4, Mount Dora City Council Rep.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.  ​

Residents providing informed input to city leaders is key to good policy making.  Those policies can make a community thrive.  Currently, there are several openings on Mount Dora’s  Advisory Boards and Commissions composed of citizens who want to help shape the future of their community. These boards allow residents to discuss their ideas and have a say in how the City grows and maintains the charm that makes it  “Someplace Special.”

 The CIty of Mount Dora is seeking to fill volunteer seats on the following boards.  No prior experience is necessary. 

Planning and Zoning Commission
Helps shape smart growth and development in the city.
 
Redevelopment Agency
Helps establish economic and social viability for the community.
 
Northeast Community Redevelopment Advisory Committee
Helps shape economic and social viability and housing issues in the Northeast area of Mount Dora.
 
Historic Preservation Board
Helps with the historic preservation of the City through codes, review of future projects, property protection and public programs.
 
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Advises the City Council about the city’s parks and recreation facilities.
 
Public Arts Commission
Helps make decisions about public art, encourages creativity, as well as art education and appreciation throughout the city. 
 
Library Advisory Board
Helps advise the Library Manager about development of the library and library programs.

All of the boards are looking for three new members.  A resident can serve on one or several boards on topics that are of interest where they seek to make an impact.   Anyone interested in serving can fill out an application on the City’s website or in person and submit it to the City Clerk’s office at City Hall.

​For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online event calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​