MOUNT DORA CITY COUNCIL RECAP: August 19 meeting

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council, District 4 City Council Representative
​ 
Your Mount Dora City Council met on August 19th. I've selected several items from the agenda that I think might be of interest tto tell you about. Keep in mind that I'm not reporting to you on behalf of city council in any official capacity.

We heard about several pending projects.

Expect construction to begin this fall on a new electronic information kiosk to be located on the corner of Donnelly St. and 5th. Ave.

Our quest for a federal grant to purchase the railroad property to build a rail-trail has been stalled again this year. We will keep trying.

Drive down Lincoln to check out the beginning of construction of our Community Resource and Recreation Center. Dirt is being moved.

We heard about plans to expand the capacity of the historic Simpson Farmhouse located next to the library adding more space. That project is a couple of years out.

We approved a Task Authorization for design services that will help prevent flooding along Pine Ave.

We will be holding a parking meeting to discuss downtown public parking on Monday September 8.

Lake County Commissioners voted last week to purchase property on Britt Road so that the washed out roadway can be repaired.

You may have noticed a couple of model homes currently under construction in a new 143 acre property that will eventually have 158 single family homes, called "Lochside". It is located on the north side of SR 441 between ABC Liquor and the Country Club of Mount Dora. This development (like the apartments being built across 441 on the south side) were approved by Lake County because those former orange groves were in unincorporated Lake County, not in the city limits. Now, the Lockside property owners are asking to be annexed into the city. By annexing the development, we will collect the development fees and property taxes.

We had an extensive discussion about our ongoing negotiations with Lake County regarding a new Joint Planning Area (JPA) agreement. We will be asking for a time extension in order to resolve language issues.

We've got a quote today by none other than Dr. Seuss from his book, "Oh The Places You'll Go"... "You oughta be thankful a whole heaping lot, for the people and places you're lucky you're NOT. Did I ever tell you how lucky you are? You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."

Thanks for your continuing interest in our wonderful city!

By Marc Crail
Mount Dora City Council, District 4 City Council Representative

Sign up for Mount Dora Buzz