It’s been anxiously talked about for years.  Now the final five miles of Central Florida Expressway Authority’s (CFX) section of the Wekiva Parkway opens March 31.  This portion of State Road 429 will provide a crucial expressway connection to State Road 46 and communities throughout Lake, Orange and Seminole Counties.

The newly completed sections are located between Kelly Park Road and State Road 46, and between Round Lake Road and Mount Plymouth Road. The opening of this stretch means more than half of the entire 25-mile parkway is open to traffic.

Work on these sections began in 2016 and cost $168 million to construct. In all, CFX has built five parkway sections totaling 10 miles and more than $271 million in construction costs. The entire $1.6 billion Wekiva Parkway will complete Central Florida’s beltway in 2022.  

The road’s opening will be celebrated from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on March 31 with a 5-K race and Family Fun Run/Walk.  There will also be environmental and community booths, entertainment and a ribbon cutting.  The road will open after the festivities.

The Wekiva Parkway was designed to protect the natural resources surrounding the Wekiva River.  Environmental protections include purchasing 3,400 acres of land for conservation along the corridor, building nearly 1.5 miles of wildlife bridges, limiting the number of interchanges, elevating the parkway to reduce collisions between vehicles and wildlife, and providing wildlife jump-outs, bat houses and special fencing.  All proceeds from the Grand Opening event are being donated to the Florida Wildlife Corridor non-profit organization.

Learn the 10 things you need to know about the Wekiva Parkway here.  For more local business and real estate articles, click here.   

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To assist getting the large delivery trucks in and out of downtown before the height of business, four new loading zones will be added to be in effect from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Each loading zone will occupy up to five parking spaces during the designated time. Those zones will be located at 4th Avenue near Alexander Street, 4th Avenue near Donnelly Street, Third Avenue west of Donnelly Street, and Fourth Avenue near Baker Street.  ​

​Although members of the CRA Board inquired about using the under-utilized pedestrian section of 4th Avenue as a one-way delivery zone to improve two-way traffic on downtown’s narrow streets, Mount Dora's Public Works Department stated the weight of vehicles could damage the pipes under the roadway.  It’s unclear whether the current monthly food truck event located on the same portion of the roadway could also cause infrastructure damage.

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council Member, District 4
​
Your City Council had both a 3:00 p.m. Work Session and a 6:00 Regular Meeting on Tuesday, March 20. I've selected some items to report on. Remember that I'm only one of seven City Council members and my views don't necessarily reflect the view of City Council as a whole.

A Work Session is a meeting where the public is invited to attend but since no votes are taken during Work Sessions there is no public comment just reports and lots of discussion. Two topics which were discussed were an Economic Development quarterly progress report by Dr. Richard Levey and an update on downtown parking.

Economic Development is a work in progress. There is interest on the part of an institution of higher learning and a hospital system who would partner to provide technology training for medical education in a clinical environment at the Wolfbranch Innovation District. That's a long term project but in the near term, there appear to be a couple of digital software creative firms that are interested to locating in Mount Dora. They would most likely come to the "in-town" area to begin with. Dr Levey believes that Mount Dora has a unique marketing position due to our quaint downtown (old Mount Dora) and the prospect of "new' Mount Dora at the Wolfbranch Innovation District which will eventually compliment downtown. Taking our time and getting it right will be critical!

Several downtown parking projects will launch over the next few weeks. These include 4-hour parking time limits for on-street parking in the core downtown area from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Delivery trucks will have designated loading zones in the downtown area between 7:00 and 11:00 a.m. There will be free golf cart shuttles running from First United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, etc. where there will be free public parking to designated downtown locations from Thursday-Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Each of these new parking and shuttle ideas will be evaluated and tweaked as needed over the next several months. I hope you'll try parking remotely and taking the new shuttles to enjoy downtown without the hassles.

Several Resolutions and Ordinances were approved during the Regular Meeting.

Earlier this month the City of Apopka approved an agreement to provide us with up to 1 million gallons per day of reclaimed water for irrigation. We approved that agreement tonight. We anticipate that St. Johns River Management District will chip in about half of the cost for this project. This will eventually help us avoid seasonal shortages of reclaimed water during dry months. This will definitely benefit Mount Dora neighborhoods like Lakes of Mount Dora that use reclaimed water for lawn irrigation. More new developments are going to be coming online in the next several years and they are likely to raise the demand for reclaimed water which is a fraction of the cost of potable water.

We approved an amendment (change order) for additional engineering services needed for the repair and restoration of Magnolia Ending cul-de-sac at Dogwood Mountain Reserve. FEMA has not yet approved our disaster claim request but we will proceed with the repairs asap in order to shoreup the embankment and roadway there before the summer rainy season begins in June.

We approved the first reading of an Ordinance amending the Comprehensive Plan for future land use at Lakes of Mount Dora. This  proposed change from the current 950 units to 1032 units will be forwarded to the State for their review which is likely to take six months. In April after our city staff and Planning & Zoning Commission review we will also consider a companion ordinance to amend the PUD (Planned Unit Development).

We are working to accomplish the goals set out in our Strategic Plan. I'm proud of the discipline and perseverance of my fellow city council members who each in their own ways are working toward our common goals. Thanks for the opportunity to represent you.

The resent passing of Steven Hawking shined a light on the extraordinary life of this brilliant man who contributed so much despite his physical disabilities. Hawking once wrote that; "The thing about smart people is that they seem like crazy people to dumb people."

Marc Crail
District 4, Mount Dora City Council Representative

Hundreds of Mount Dora High School students walked out onto the expansive campus courtyard for a non-political memorial organized by fellow students.  It was  obvious the respectful gathering was not a social one.

​Senior Class President Ashley Mabrey wrote a moving speech that eloquently fostered remembrance and kindness toward others.  Mabrey concluded her speech by saying, “We had an abundance of reasons to change campus culture before, and these 17 beautiful lives lost give us even more of a reason to change. It’s time to reflect on how we treat others, and step up to ​step in if someone is being treated poorly.”   ​

The Mount Dora Police Department received a generous donation from a resident to purchase active shooter vests for officers.


About a year ago, ‘Lefty’ Bruce, a resident of Mount Dora, approached Deputy Chief Robert Bell and Public Safety Director John O’Grady about donating money to the Mount Dora Heroes Foundation, from his own foundation called “Lefty’s Hopes and Dreams.” The donation was to be used specifically for active shooter vests. 

The vests cost approximately $400 each and contain steel plates capable of stopping high velocity bullets from weapons that an officer’s normal ballistic vest is not capable of stopping.  Officers can don the gear in a rapid fashion during an incident.

Four vests were purchased from Bruce's donation and will equip officers should there be an active shooter situation.  

“We’re excited to have them,” said Deputy Chief Robert Bell.  “Lefty’s been a great supporter of the community and the Mount Dora Heroes Foundation.”

The Mount Dora Heroes Foundation is a non-profit that was established three years ago to support families of fallen officers, the K-9 Program, as well as support medical expenses for retired K-9s, officer safety projects and crime prevention programs.

If anyone is interested in donating to the The Mount Dora Heroes Foundation, please go to www.mountdoraheroesfoundation.com

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The largest literary celebration in the world brings a first to Mount Dora.  Susan Lilley, the first person to be honored as the city of Orlando's Poet Laureate,  will join Mount Dora's "Poetry in the Garden" event on Sunday, April 8 at 2:00 p.m. 

​Lilley will read selections of her work and address the gathering.  The event celebrates National Poetry Month which is the largest literary celebration in the world. 

A local poetry contest is also underway in as part of the annual event.  Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three entrants in two age groups, below 18 years of age and 18 or older. Honorable Mention commendations will also be made. Winners will read their poems at the prize ceremony in the Nunan Butterfly Garden at the W. T. Bland Public Library in Mount Dora. 

The contest is sponsored by the W.T. Bland Public Library and Writers One Flight Up, a local writers' group.  The deadline for submissions is March 25.  Get more information  on submission and prizes here. 

Follow Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook for breaking news.   Get free monthly issues of Mount Dora Buzz with news for Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis  here.​​  For more area news download the free mobile app.