WP Goes Virtual
Dry Run for Special Commission Meeting Monday, March 30
by Anne Mooney / March 27, 2020
Work Session on City Response to Coronavirus Lockdown
The meeting was a live-streamed Work Session on the City’s response to the coronavirus situation. Participating from home but visible and audible on computer screens across the City were Mayor Steve Leary, Commissioners Carolyn Cooper and Todd Weaver, soon-to-be-former-Commissioners Sarah Sprinkel and Greg Seidel, Commissioners-elect Sheila DeCiccio and Marty Sullivan and City Manager Randy Knight with key city staff.
Exec Order from Governor
The meeting was made possible by an Executive Order from Governor Ron DeSantis suspending the Florida statute that required a quorum to be present in person at a specific place. The Executive Order allows local governments to utilize media technology to hold meetings.
As with any Commission Work Session, there were no Commission votes or public comment.
Dry Run for Monday’s Commission Meeting
Yesterday’s Work Session was a dry run for a Special Commission Meeting Monday, March 30 at 5:00 pm. At that meeting, the Commission will vote and take public comment. If you missed last night’s meeting, you can tune in Monday at <cityofwinterpark.org/cclive>
Register in Advance to Participate
In order to participate, you must register in advance. Space is limited, so do not delay. Go to <cityofwinterpark.org> and click on Access Virtual Commission Meeting Live Video Broadcast & Instructions. You will find all the information you need to register and participate.
Public Comment Will Be Taken Monday
Public comment will be taken at the 5:00 pm hour, as usual. You can comment in advance of the meeting by emailing mayorandcommissioners@cityofwinterpark.org Emailed comments will become part of the record, but will not be read aloud. You can also comment by phone, and your comment will be recorded and will be audible on the live stream. The public comment line, which will be activated Monday at 5:00 pm, is 407-599-3410. Live comments will be monitored in accordance with City standards of decorum.
Meanwhile, although City Hall is closed to the public, the City itself is Open for Business.
Police and Fire-Rescue Departments are at full staffing. The Police Department reports a decline in criminal activity and calls for service, due to fewer people being on the streets.
Fire Chief Dan Hagedorn reported that, as of yesterday, there were 2,235 reported COVID19 cases in Florida, with one fatality. Two cases have been reported in Winter Park – one is a resident and one a non-resident. Emergency crews who transported these patients to the hospital are on 14-day quarantine as a precaution, but are showing no symptoms.
Parks & Recreation Director Jason Seeley reported that the March 13 order of a 10-person-group limit marked the drawdown of City recreational programs. Playgrounds are now closed, but open spaces such as Central Park and Mead Botanical Garden are open, with social distancing required. Monday’s Commission meeting will likely see decisions to close the Dinky Dock boat ramp and the Winter Park Golf Course. Citizens may enjoy continued lake access from their private docks.
Infrastructure departments such as the Electric Utility, Water & Waste Water, Code Enforcement and the Building Department are open and active.
City Budget
In his discussion of the budget, City Manager Randy Knight acknowledged that the City anticipates a drop in revenue, but said it is difficult to tell at this early stage how great or small that will be or how long it will last. Knight said he does not anticipate cutting essential services for residents. He plans to present the Commission with a revised budget for this Fiscal Year.
City Assistance to Residents & Businesses
Utility cutoffs for non-payment have been suspended, and staff is working on programs to assist residents and businesses with utility payment plans. City Staff will work with the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce to help local businesses apply for loans and other financial assistance. Restaurants are allowed to offer takeout and delivery services.
City staff is working to develop virtual programs for youth and seniors. The City is considering creating a micro-loan program for businesses in the CRA. And the City Manager is looking into acquiring Federal assistance available to state and local governments.
Thanks for this summary.
The following info about the next video meeting confused me: “In order to participate, you must register in advance. Space is limited, so do not delay.”
If space is limited, then the meeting is not fully public. With in-person meetings, when the room is at capacity, an overflow room with video is provided. When the meeting itself is by video, how is overflow accommodated?
Thanks.
Orange Avenue Overload
Open Letter to Mayor and Commissioners
I support repealing adoption of the Orange Avenue Overlay and instituting a moratorium on future OAO applications. I drive Orange Ave every day. I see the traffic patterns.
The elephants in the room are traffic and development rights. These are difficult and complex issues that are critical for our community’s future long-term success.
Although the traffic engineering consulting firm looked at existing conditions and met minimum industry standards, the scope provided by the City did not allow them to produce a discrete model to include impacts on parallel facilities or neighborhood streets. This preliminary study did not dial in any impacts from anticipated new development. Until we conduct traffic modeling exercises, we won’t know what impact these new developer entitlements will have on our traffic.
In the rush to approve the OAO before the election, important information was either omitted or lacking. No visual treatment or 3-D modeling was provided to citizens despite requests. No mailing to the public detailed either scale or massing. The public input protocol—taking comment after midnight and as late as 2:30 am—was an affront.
This is a major decision for this community. It needs to be slowed down and given a much more complete vetting — one that citizens, not just developers, can support.
No citizen I have spoken with has said, “I want to see more scale and massing on Orange Avenue. I want to see 5-7 story buildings. I want to see more traffic.”
Repeal the OAO and re-initiate the process. Adopt a moratorium on all future applications in the OAO until baseline data on traffic has been developed.
Break the OAO district up. Segment it into three distinct geographies, instead of treating it as one organic monolith. Phase these segments in over a longer time and provide citizens with the answers to how much traffic will be generated before granting entitlements to developers. Add Progress Point to our inventory of green space. It is an asset. Do not sell it.
Why not steer development interests in general to West Fairbanks and West Lee Road where it is needed? Didn’t we just spend major dollars to underground utilities and sewer on Fairbanks to prepare for such opportunities?
Charley Williams
Winter Park Citizen
Can someone clarify how the staff got 3 nods to put the repeal ordinance for the OAO on the agenda for Monday. The 2 new commissioners had not been sworn in during the virtual test run work session on Thursday. Did I miss something during that meeting. If they were not sworn in until Friday am in a private setting, how and when did staff get 3 nods to get this repeal written up and on the agenda a couple hours later. Transparency is questionable.