Government & Education news

NEW PRINCIPALS NAMED FOR MOUNT DORA, TAVARES & EUSTIS SCHOOLS

6/18/2019

ABOVE: Principal Jacob Stein

Students at some local Lake County schools will be greeted by new faces when classes resume in August. Here are the new principals the School Board assigned for Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis schools.

Chad Frazier, principal at Eustis Heights Elementary School, will serve as the next principal at Mount Dora Middle School, replacing Jacob Stein. Frazier began his teaching career at Carver Middle School. After having made significant schoolwide improvements at Eustis Heights, he is excited to return to his middle school roots.

Tiffany Scott, Ed.D., has been named principal at Eustis Heights Elementary School, replacing Chad Frazier. Scott has served Lake County Schools for more than 10 years at both the elementary and middle school level. She has been a teacher and instructional coach and is the current assistant principal at Eustis Heights.

Jacob Stein, principal at Mount Dora Middle School, has been named principal at Tavares High School. He will replace Dr. Janice Boyd who is retiring at the end of June. Stein was chosen as Lake County’s 2019-2020 Principal of the Year.

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BRIDGE WORK REQUIRES NIGHTTIME DETOURS ON SR 46

6/17/2019

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Heads up! Crews are scheduled for three days to close State Road (S.R.) 46 at U.S. 441 at night to work on the new flyover bridge over the travel lanes. On June 20, June 26, and June 27 traffic will be detoured via Wolf Branch Road and Round Lake Road. The work will occur only at night from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.

During the detour times S.R.. 46 between Round Lake Road and U.S. 441 will be open to local traffic only. Electronic message boards are in place and law enforcement officers will be on site to help direct drivers. This schedule may change due to weather or other unexpected conditions.

This activity is part of Wekiva Parkway construction of Sections 3A & 3B, which began in October of 2017. Work is scheduled to finish in spring of 2020. This 3-mile stretch of non-tolled road improvements includes widening S.R. 46 and U.S. 441 to six lanes, sidewalks and other pedestrian improvements, and building a flyover ramp for the heavy traffic that will be trying to get to the parkway.

Sign up for the free Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates here. For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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NEW UPDATE ON DOWNTOWN MOUNT DORA PARKING SOLUTIONS

6/1/2019

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Although the wheels of progress may move slower than many would like, there are a few updates to downtown Mount Dora’s parking shortage.

The Post Office location
The property owners declined to sell and only want to lease the property for $65,000 a year.   The City decided that an appropriate deal wasn’t in the cards, so they have abandoned negotiations to focus efforts on other locations.

Lakefront Parking
At a City presentation at the lakefront to residents and the Parks Advisory Board last month, reaction was swift against the City’s option of converting coveted lakefront greenspace to parking.   The opposition was predictable since it was only last year when the City was poised to convert greenspace at Gilbert Park into parking and the public quickly cried foul.

Surface Lot
The City is proceeding with creating a surface parking lot with the land it purchased at 3rd and Baker last year. When complete, the lot will have approximately 45-50 spaces, down from the original 60-85 spaces originally estimated last August.

Sign up for the free Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates here.  For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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TOP 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE TAV-DORA TRAIL

6/1/2019

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It’s all the buzz. Residents have been expressing great enthusiasm about the potential for a bike and walking trail to connect downtown Mount Dora to neighboring downtown Tavares. The project is currently being studied for its feasibility, so Mount Dora Buzz wanted to find out more about the process and how long it could take. We sought out valuable insight of impassioned Tav-Dora trail expert, Tavares City Manager John Drury, and T.J. Fish, a community planner and advocate for the Wekiva Trail for over a decade.

TOP TEN

1. When is the study expected to be complete and who is doing it?
The completion date is set for May 30th 2020. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) contracted Alfred & Benesch & Company to do the project.

2. What will the study include?
It will evaluate the feasibility and cost of developing a paved non- motorized (bicycles, rollerblading and walking) trail to connect downtown Tavares to downtown Mount Dora with a connection to the Golden Triangle YMCA along the Old 441 corridor in one of the following three (3) locations:

In the railroad bed (“Rail-to-Trail” project).
In the railroad right-of-way next to the railroad (“Rail-and-Trail”)
In the Old 441 right-of-way

3. Why does the study take a year?
The first phase of the study will include evaluation of existing conditions, data collection, identification of natural resources, rights-of-way assessment, plus crash, traffic and drainage data. The first phase will also develop base maps and an existing conditions report.

The second phase (also scheduled for completion on May 30, 2020) will develop three alternative locations (as above), map out the alternatives, evaluate each one on utilities, drainage, cost and environmental impact, and develop a comparative analysis report. This phase will also develop a public involvement process on selecting the preferred alternative, as well as contain a final report on the preferred alternative and develop preliminary cross sections.

4. What will a bike trail do economically for Tavares and Mount Dora?
A 2011 Orange County study found that the West Orange Trail, connecting Apopka, downtown Winter Garden and Clermont, had 1.7 million annual trail visitors that spend an average of $20 per trail visit at local businesses. Trail visitors’ total annual spending was $32.6 million. A Pinellas Trail study cited 1 million annual trail users. The numbers would be less for the Tav-Dora Trail due to the lower regional population, but it would still be significant.

5. Is it feasible to have the train resume service next to the trail or just construct the trail on the railbed?
The study will answer that question, however Drury doesn’t believe the railroad will permit a trail next to an active rail.

6. If Tavares, Mount Dora and Lake County agree to pursue the Tav-Dora Trail, what are the chronological steps in the process?

Do the Study (in progress).
Find out if the communities want to pursue it.
Get Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to identify it as a priority project.
Get the funding lined up with the State of Florida.
Do an environmental Impact Study.
Purchase property or right-of-way (ROW) needed for the project.
Do a Preliminary Design and Engineering Study (PD&E).
Design the project.
Build the project.

7. What is the earliest residents could expect to see the Tav-Dora Trail completed? What is the more likely timeframe?
Fastest would be five years. Most likely would be 8 years.

8. What will likely be the greatest obstacle?
Cost

9. Drury has been the driving force behind the trail. We asked him what makes him so passionate about it?

Improves the Quality of life for Mount Dora’s, Tavares’s and Lake County’s people.
Improves economic conditions in both downtowns
Cleans up and beautifies the old 441 corridor

10. Fish is an expert on the Wekiva Trail, so we asked him what is the separate status of the Sorrento-Mount Dora section of the Wekiva Trail which would connect downtown Mount Dora to the existing Central Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail?  (That trail spans more than 200 miles from Cape Canaveral National Seashore to downtown St. Petersburg)
The Sorrento-Mount Dora section was supposed to enter into design phase last year, but the City of Mount Dora and Lake County returned the funding to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and decided to delay considering the trail until the acquisition of the rail right-of-way was assured. This effectively resulted in the trail stopping at Sorrento for the foreseeable future.

“Dealing with FDOT and two railroad companies is daunting, but it can be done,” said Fish.

The City may study other trail routes, which would add years to the project. Meanwhile, a previous study indicated the proposed trail corridor from Sorrento to Mount Dora was best option.

Sign up for the free Mount Dora Buzz' monthly updates here.  For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, visit the area's website and download the area's free mobile app.

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MOUNT DORA RESIDENTS SHARE THEIR PRIORITIES

6/1/2019

.In a recent survey, Mount Dora residents gave their input on three big potential projects that have folks talking. Some Mount Dorans’ wish lists include a bike trail, while others push for a parking garage and the return of the vintage passenger rail.

In reality, this isn't an ‘either-or’ choice for taxpayers or a scientific survey, it merely gages taxpayers' interest. All of the projects have various funding options, a few of which were provided in the survey. Other potential funding options available like grants and public-private partnerships are unique to the individual projects.

Here are the survey results:

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