By Dr. Marc Crail, District 4 City Council Member
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 It would be a good idea for me to remind everyone that I'm not reporting to you in any official City Council capacity, I'm just one City Council member and I'm only speaking for myself. I've selected some items from our agenda tonight that I think you might like to hear about.

During almost every council meeting we take some time to recognize the hard work and extra special contributions of our city employees. I'm always impressed with their dedication. Firefighter Heather Churchwell was recognized tonight for 10 years of coordinating our local Toys for Tots campaign. Countless deserving Mount Dora kids have awoken on Christmas mornings for a decade now with toys and clothing provided by Toys for Tots thanks to Heather Churchwell and her helpers. They make Mount Dora someplace very special.

We also recognized Cathy Hoechst who opted not to seek re-election to city council in November. Cathy is a dynamo who has served as our mayor, a city council member and as a volunteer in many capacities over the years. We will certainly miss her and she will continue to serve in other capacities. Thanks Cathy!

We got an update on the Parks & Recreation Master Plan that is due to be finalized in February. Over 1,400 residents completed online surveys regarding our parks and our recreation programs. Over the next few weeks the masterplan will be reviewed and I'll give you more details. This will serve as a blueprint for providing multigenerational recreational activities in parks throughout the entire community. I am really excited about this because right now there are several parts of our town that lack parks within safe walking distance. Stay tuned for more on this topic in February.

We gave preliminary approval for 166 new single family homes (Phase 4) at Summerbrooke which is just off U.S. 441. The new homes will be located behind the Renningers property.

Months ago we approved an ordinance restricting the retail sale of cats and dogs in Mount Dora. Lake County Commissioners have approved a similar regulation but we needed to sync up the language in our ordinance to exactly match the County's. This was a first reading but I'm confidant that it will get final approval at our next meeting.

There are 2 ongoing city projects that are nearly finished but have been somewhat delayed. The Gilbert Park playground completion date has been stalled by the need to obtain some backordered parts. The reconstruction of the roadway and embankment on Magnolia Ending cul-de-sac in the Dogwood Mountain neighborhood which was a casualty of Hurricane Irma is significantly  behind schedule. It is critical that the contractor gets his work done asap so the street can be reopened. We were told that both projects should be wrapped up by month's end.

The holiday season is upon us. I've got a quote for you from Rabbi Lord Jonathon Sacks who said; "For though my faith is not yours and your faith is not mine, if we each are free to light our own flame, together we can banish some of the darkness of the world."

Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas.
By Dr. Marc Crail, District 4 City Council Member

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A seed was recently planted in Mount Dora.  One that could significantly grow the number of downtown parking spaces.

At a September 27 workshop, representatives of G3 Development presented the City Council with a preliminary public-private partnership (PPP) proposal to build a parking garage with 488 spaces.  The site combines contiguous lots currently being acquired by G3 with the city’s existing parking lot adjacent to the railroad tracks between Tremain and Baker Streets. The small part of Baker Street that dead ends and sits between the parking lot and the soon-to-be G3 lots would be the only other property included.  
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PPPs are often used to bridge funding gaps for costly government projects. These partnerships vary greatly, but allow a government access to a private company’s resources, which can include financial, design, construction, technical, management, and operational expertise according to its specific needs.    A well-negotiated PPP marries the strengths of the city and its corporate partner to add quality and cost-effectiveness to a project. 
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A prior study by the City of Mount Dora cited a parking shortfall of 275 spaces in the downtown core.   However, G3 estimates that 45,000 square feet of commercial space is currently vacant, and as more of that space becomes occupied, the parking deficit would probably increase.

The PPP is still in its embryonic stage, so it’s premature for renderings or detailed site plans.  However, Gerry Guenther and his son, Austin, of G3 Development, stated the structure would have entrances on Charles and Baker streets to reduce impact on the residential neighborhood to the east.  Additionally, the garage could remain within downtown’s critical 35-foot maximum height restriction.   To accomplish this, the structure would be two covered levels with a third uncovered rooftop level.

G3’s presentation included cost comparisons of two other parking solutions the city is already considering. The PPP garage would alleviate the current parking shortfall by yielding 488 parking spaces at a cost of approximately  $17,500 per parking space plus a 10% contingency.  The total estimated cost would be $8.5 million.

According to the developer’s presentation, a public parking lot at the post office site would yield 37 parking spaces, cost over $33,000 per parking space based on a land purchase price of $910,000, and incur a construction cost of $317,488 totalling over $1.2 million.  Another option, the Gobie property on Third Avenue, would cost $924,000 and yield 43 spaces at a cost of approximately $21,500 per parking space.  Both of those options would cost the city future property tax revenue and do not fill the city’s 275 space deficit. Additionally, each of those could have a 30% contingency, according to Gerry Guenther, however the City's amount could differ.

By Marc Crail
District 4 City Council member
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​City Council held an afternoon Work Session which included discussions on several items. No Resolutions or Ordinances are voted on during Work Sessions so I'll concentrate on telling you about some of the more important items on our Regular Meeting Agenda which was jam packed. Please keep in mind that I am providing you with my own impressions of this meeting. I'm not speaking in any official capacity for Mount Dora City Council.

If you've gone by Gilbert Park this week you've probably noticed that the outdated and unsafe 28 year old wooden play structure on the south side of the park has been demolished and the site is being prepared for the installation of a cool new Intrepid Pirate Ship, a Jungle Dome climbing activity structure, a Spinner Plate, Double Balance Beam, Swings and Stilts. Despite what you might have heard or read elsewhere rest assured that this play area for kids aged 5-12 meets or exceeds all ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards so that children with a wide variety of disabilities can enjoy and participate in the activities and fun there. The new playground should be ready for kids of all ages in about a month.

Three Resolutions were finalized completing the months long budget building process. The millage rate will remain the unchanged at 6.3 mills for 2018-19. The city will collect an extra $400,000.+ due to increased property values. The final 2018-19 budget was approved as was the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan. The capital or building projects in the next year will feature the replacement of our public works building and storage facility that will cost about $12 million but is sorely needed.?

For the majority of Mount Dora residents and businesses who are served my Mount Dora Electric (not those of us get our electricity from either SECO or Duke Energy) will see a decrease in their monthly electric bills next month. Due to lower fuel costs their bills will go down by 2.2% or about $2.55 per month.

You might have read or heard about a proposal before the Lake County Commissioners to accept a bronze statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith which would be housed in Tavares in a County owned facility. Smith was born in St. Augustine and lived out his later life in Tennessee. He had nothing to do with Lake County and in my estimation Lake County should not under any circumstances accept this monument to a man who was a traitor to the United States and a supporter of slavery. The consensus of the council and those in the audience who spoke was that a resolution to that affect should be drafted and passed at our next meeting on October 4. The Lake County Commissioners will make the ultimate decision but Mount Dora will very likely join several other cities voicing our opposition.  Housing General Smith's statue in Lake County would be a huge mistake and a step back to the bad old days.

I appreciate your interest in your City government.

What do you think of this Tibetan Proverb? "The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple and love without measure."

By Marc Crail
District 4 City Council member

BELLAMY:  I honestly want to do some more research on this topic before I give my final answer.

STILE:  Near term: 

1. Three fully operable fire stations
2. Parking garage (7th Ave. and Donnelly St.)
3. Public Works building

Long Term:  

1. Finish downtown streetscape
2. Develop further the Innovation District
3. Wekiva Trail to connect us to the C2C (coast-to-coast trail).

STROUD: The City is about to embark on a five-year capital improvement plan that could exceed $170 million. We need to spend on what we need, not what we want. My top three priorities for two years is [sic] as follows:

1. Build the cities third fire station
2. Rehab the Public Works complex
3. Continue expanding surface parking lot by building the lot at third Avenue and Baker Street.

For five years:  

1. Complete the purchase of the post office 
2. Connect to the Wekiva Trail
3. Improve our road maintenance

By Dr. Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Rep.

I've selected several of the items from our Mount Dora City Council meeting held Thursday evening 9/13 that I thought you would want to hear about. Regular readers know my often repeated admonition that I am just one of seven City Council members so what follows are my thoughts which don't necessarily represent City Council as a whole.

The most significant decision to come out of our meeting was to establish our new Fire Assessment Fee at $219 for residences. This is up from $50 Fire Assessment Fee we've had over the past 3 years. The money collected from the soon to sunset $50 fee has been earmarked for the lease/purchase of 2 new fire trucks. Those new trucks have been in service now for about a year and they replaced 2 old vehicles which were outdated and costly to maintain. The $219 annual fire fee will be used to build 3 new fire stations over the next few years. Our fire and EMS response times are more than double the national response times recommended to keep our residents and our homes safe. Our response times are getting worse due to higher traffic volumes and the poor location of our 2 fire stations currently in operation. This is a big increase but public safety is our top priority and after a year of study and ongoing discussion this difficult decision had to be made. The vote was 6-1. For comparison Fire Assessment Fees in some nearby locations are Tavares $142, Lake County $193, Osceola $212 and Fruitland Park $213.

Another fire related resolution was the acceptance of a $1.29 million S.A.F.E.R. (Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response) Grant which will help cover the cost of additional fire fighters and EMS personnel. This grant was provided by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security. That is good news.

We approved the purchase of property located at the corner of N. Baker and E. 3rd. Ave. which will become a surface parking lot for about 60 cars and will have restrooms for downtown visitors. This is one step in the quest for more convenient downtown parking.  The cost of this property is $795,000. Community Redevelopment funds and Discretionary Sales Tax Funds will be used to pay for this purchase.

The lengthy project to rebuild the cul-de-sac on Magnolia Ending (Dogwood Mountain) that was severely damaged during Hurricane Irma is finally nearing completion. The estimated road and drainage completion date is the end of October. FEMA funding should eventually help pay for the lions share of this work.

I'd like to share a quote from Booker T. Washington who said; "A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good just because it's accepted by a majority."

Thank you for allowing me to serve as one of your representative on City Council. Tonight was an example of how tough some decisions are to make. Trying always to make the best use of tax dollars while providing for the safety of our residents is a balancing act.

Dr. Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Rep.

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