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.

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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.

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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.

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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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MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL UPDATE: May 21, 2019

5/22/2019

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On May 21 we held a 3:00 Work Session meeting jointly along with the Charter Ad Hoc Review Committee so that they could present their recommendations for updating our City Charter. A city's "Charter" is its constitution.

Our Charter Review Committee is made up of seven members, each one appointed by the seven City Council members. The group was chaired by Steve Guch and vice-chaired by Paula Tucker. The other members are Doug Bryant (my appointee), Glenna Burch, Cathy Hoechst, Kate Ondrasik and Mark Slaby. This group has been working along with our city attorney over the past several months to comb through the City Charter and ultimately to recommend changes which if approved by City Council will be voted upon by Mount Dora residents.

The Charter Review Committee did an admirable job and reached near unanimous consensus on several proposed changes ranging from some minor "clean-up" or clarification items to some substantive changes. We owe these volunteers a debt of gratitude for their time and effort.

City Council members were impressed with the Charter Review Committee's work and will soon be considering ordinances to adopt those proposals and get them on the ballot, some this November and some next fall. I will give you more details in the next few weeks as the process continues.

The second half of the meeting double feature was the 5:30 Regular Meeting and wrapped up shortly after 10:00. I've picked out a few of the most important items to share with you. You already know that I'm only one of seven council members and this report is just from me as I don't represent City Council in any capacity. I speak for myself here.

We passed a Resolution to authorize negotiations to eventually select an architectural firm to design our three new fire stations. Three firms are on our short list. We also passed a Resolution to select a construction management company to serve as our representative during the construction projects. Four companies are under consideration.

Related to these two items we also passed a Resolution to purchase 8.15 acres of property adjoining our water well field on Limit Ave. The purchase is $645,000. The parcels are large enough to accommodate both a new fire station and our public works facility. I'm excited.

The W. T. Bland Library will once again host a summer lunch program this year for kids. They averaged serving 35 lunches per day last year and anticipate higher participation this summer. By the way our library will be providing 120 summer learning programs this year. Amazing!

In my last report to you I mentioned that we were considering amending an existing Ordinance to change the "Qualifying Period" for City Council Candidates. Qualifying will now be between noon on the Monday of the second full week in August and noon on Friday of that week. This makes for a shorter campaign window but still provides for 80+ days for candidates to conduct their campaigns.

Our progress always seems to me to be in fits and starts (one of my grandmother's favorite phrases) meaning two steps forward then one step backward but things are moving ahead which will make our town even better, safer and more special. Thanks for allowing me to be a small part of this process!

Hollow Horn Bear was a Lakota Sioux who lived between 1850-1913. He once said; "Someday the earth will weep, she will beg for her life, she will cry with tears of blood. You will make a choice, if you will help her or let her die, and when she dies you too will die." Let's take his words to heart before it's too late.

By Dr. Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Member

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MOUNT DORA'S CITY ATTORNEY ACCUSED OF DEFAMATION

5/16/2019

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She first came on the scene to defend the City of Mount Dora in the van Gogh mural lawsuit, which claimed the City violated the homeowners’ Constitutional rights. The protracted legal action concluded with a widely foreseen favorable settlement for the homeowners, and a national black eye for the City.

Now that same lawyer, Sherry Sutphen, whom the City Council later contracted to be the City Attorney, stands accused of defaming a volunteer member of the City's Planning & Zoning Commission (P & Z).

The dispute stems from an April 17th P&Z meeting in which the City was applying for a zoning change from “residential” to “mixed use” to accommodate a new parking lot. The all-volunteer commission had never considered that particular type of zoning change request, so member James Homich, appointed by City Councilman Harmon Massey, asked a lot of detailed questions. including many about the potential negative effects on the neighboring properties.

At one point during the meeting, a property owner in attendance commended Homich for his concern and thoughtful questions, stating that no one else from the City had inquired how the zoning change would affect them.

After the lengthy and sometimes tedious discussion, Homich made a motion to deny the rezoning based on negative impact to the surrounding area. The motion was seconded by another volunteer member, Bill Carpenter, but the motion failed to pass.

The rezoning ultimately passed with a 5-2 vote, Homich and Carpenter voting against it.

At the next regular City Council meeting on May 7th, Sutphen made the unusual move to publicly seek Homich’s removal from the P & Z Commission. Typically, the city council member that appoints a particular volunteer will remove or replace them without incident.

It’s unclear why Sutphen chose such a public platform to allege that during the hour-long April 17th P & Z meeting, Homich had acted inappropriately, disloyalty and mistreated the Planning Director among other accusations. Sutphen presented no supporting documentation to the City Council for any of her allegations.

After an exhaustive review of the P & Z meeting’s audio file uncovered no instances of Homich, or any other volunteer, acting unprofessionally, disrespectfully or disloyal. On the audio file, Homich remained professional after being on the receiving end of a slight barb from the city's Planning Director.

Although the topic was not on the City Council meeting’s agenda, Sutphen allegedly contacted council members about her accusations against Homich prior to the council meeting. A few of the council members listened to the complete audio of the P & Z meeting and none of them advised the volunteer of Sutphen’s claims or provided him an opportunity to refute her allegations.
The city council voted 6-1 to remove Homich. Councilwoman Laurie Tillet cast the lone vote against it, expressing her opinion that he should have been allowed an opportunity to hear and refute the claims.

After the city council meeting, media outlets, including Mount Dora Buzz, made public records requests to the City of Mount Dora for documents to support Sutphen’s claims, but those requests for information went unfilled.

In a letter to Sutphen dated May 15, Homich maintains all eight of her allegations are provably false, defamatory and were put forth vindictively. He stated that he hopes to resolve the issue without litigation, providing Sutphen issues a public apology and resigns as the City Attorney.

Two City Council members and a resident allegedly publicly and recklessly repeated Sutphen’s alleged falsehoods, so Homich is also seeking their apologies, as well as donations to the Anti-Defamation League from the two Council members.

Sutphen works for Bell & Roper, P.A., the Orlando law firm which the CIty Council engaged after allocating $140,575 for legal fees in the approved 2018-2019 City budget. The law firm’s invoices totalled over $186,800 in the first seven months of the fiscal year, while averaging $26,691.71 per month. If that average continues, the annual amount would exceed $320,000, which is over double the original amount budgeted.

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MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL UPDATE: MAY 7, 2019

5/8/2019

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By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council Member, District 4

We actually had a series of meetings on May 7th beginning at 1:00 and wrapping up shortly after 8:00 p.m. I have selected several items that I thought would be of interest to you. I'm reporting not as a designee of City Council in any official capacity, I'm only one of seven members and what follows is only from my prospective.

Our day began with a very interesting Work Session. We heard a report from our city's lobbyist about the recently concluded session of the Florida Legislature. While the legislature continues to try to erode "home rule" those efforts fell short this time around with the failure of proposals attacking our ability as a city to regulate vacation rentals (HB 987/SB 824) and attempts to eliminate Community Redevelopment Areas that cities utilize to help reverse blighted areas (HB 9). I count those as victories for cities all around Florida.

We should be closing soon on 2.73 acres of property located on Old Rt. 441 near Eudora Rd. That property costing $400,000 will become the home of one of our new fire stations. You might recall that we will have three fire stations coming on line in the next couple of years. These will replace our two current fire stations and will help reduce our emergency response times city wide.

We continued to discuss our Capital Improvement Budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year which begins October 1, 2019.

We have been trying to purchase the current post office property when the post office moves out late this summer to make that property into a parking lot. The owners have declined to sell and only want to lease the property to us for $65,000 a year. We have decided that a deal will not be possible so we are abandoning our negotiations. We will concentrate our efforts on other potential sites.

City staff had floated an idea to help address our downtown parking issue by adding street parking on Charles Ave. near the lawn Bowling Club and the Mount Dora Marina and possibly on Tremain between the railroad trestle and the lighthouse. We visited that area along with members of the Parks & Rec. Advisory Board, several interested business owners, neighbors and representatives of the Lawn Bowling Club. The consensus was that most attendees were opposed to that idea. Several speakers spoke in favor of a parking deck structure.

During the regular meeting we had a first reading of a proposed Ordinance that would set the city council election qualification period as the second full week in August. That timing would allow council candidates 80+ days to campaign which I believe should be sufficient.

The city manager reported that we will revisit the railroad tracks/train/trail issue in early June as new information should be available by then. It appears that a bike/hike trail may be more likely than repairing the tracks for passenger train service to resume.

Council voted 6-1 (Ms Tillett opposed) to remove a member of the Planning & Zoning Board for conduct that was described as demeaning and inappropriate.

I read a cute quote recently attributed to the Peaceful Warrior Black Belt Club; "Whatever you're doing today,

do it with all the confidence of a four-year-old in a Batman t-shirt". I like it!

By Marc Crail
District 4 City Council Member

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TAKE THE SURVEY! MOUNT DORA PARKING GARAGE, TRAIN OR A BIKE TRAIL?

5/2/2019

There is no doubt that folks don't always agree on the City of Mount Dora's priorities or how it should spend taxpayer money. As the City Council starts considering funding and priorities for the new budget, there are three big-ticket items that have garnered the most chatter from residents: a downtown parking garage, the return of the vintage train, and the bike trail along the train tracks.

How would you like to see Mount Dora spend its money? What are your priorities and how would you like them funded? That's exactly what Mount Dora Buzz is asking the City’s residents in a new survey. Give us your opinion and we'll share the results. Go to residents' survey here.

PUBLIC HEARING FOR ROUND LAKE ROAD WIDENING SET FOR MAY 7

5/1/2019

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Lake County is hosting the public hearing for the Round Lake Road Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study as part of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners meeting on May 7.
The recommended Build Alternative would widen the existing Round Lake Road from the Orange/Lake County line to Wolf Branch Road and continue the improvements on a new alignment north of Wolf Branch Road to north of State Road 44. The project length is approximately five miles.

This hearing will provide residents an opportunity to voice their comments concerning the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the proposed Round Lake Road improvements.

The public hearing will be held as an agenda item as part of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners meeting scheduled on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at the Lake County Administration Building in the Board Chambers (2nd floor), located at 315 W. Main Street, Tavares. The County Commission meeting will begin at 10 a.m. with the public hearing to be held after that time as determined by the Board meeting agenda.

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.