by Anne Mooney | Sep 10, 2021 | News
City Adopts COVID Vaccine Policy
Protects City Workers & Residents
by Anne Mooney / September 9, 2021
On Sept. 9, the Orlando Sentinel reported a story titled “Unvaccinated employees face firing.”
In fact, termination of employment would be the last resort, and would not take place without due process. The City’s COVID-19 vaccination and testing policy is clearly laid out in a document in the September 8 Commission Meeting Agenda Packet. Highlights of that policy are below, and are anything but draconian.
COVID-19 Requirements
The City’s COVID-19 testing policy states, “All City employees are required no later than September 20, 2021 to either (a) establish that they have been fully vaccinated . . . or (b) produce weekly negative COVID-19 test results . . . . Vaccination and/or testing is required even if an employee previously tested positive for COVID-19. . . . To facilitate employees receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, the City will allow employees to attain the vaccine while on duty. . . .”
Testing Procedures for City Employees
City policy goes on to state: “Employees who do not provide documentation establishing that they are fully vaccinated shall be required to undergo diagnostic testing once weekly. . . .”
Testing will be scheduled by the City, paid for by the City at a City-approved location during the employee’s working hours. An employee who prefers to be tested off-hours at their own expense must use an FDA approved PCR or antigen test and provide the results to Human Resources.
Employees who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Failure to comply
Effective September 27, employees who do not provide proof of full vaccination and who fail to provide a negative COVID-19 test weekly may be placed on unpaid leave until they provide proof of full vaccination and/or a negative test result. These employees may be subject to discipline up to and including discharge from employment. Employees seeking medical or religious accommodation should contact Human Resources. Falsification of immunization documentation, test results or accommodation request will be grounds for dismissal.
City falls short of 65 percent goal
On August 2, the City announced a voluntary employee COVID-19 vaccination incentive to encourage unvaccinated employees to become fully vaccinated by September 20. Education and incentives, however, failed to convince enough employees to become vaccinated. At the September 8 Commission meeting, City Manager Randy Knight reported 218 City employees had submitted proof of full vaccination – 35 employees short of the 316 employees it would take to reach the 65 percent threshold of 316 employees.
Acknowledging its responsibility to its employees to provide a work environment conducive to the safe delivery of City services, the City has implemented the policy outlined above.
What is ‘herd immunity’?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) website, herd immunity occurs when a given disease ceases to spread among a population. In terms of population percentage required, herd immunity is different for each disease. Herd immunity for measles is 95 percent, while for polio the threshold is 80 percent. No one yet knows what herd immunity is for COVID-19, only that we’re nowhere near it.
Asked for his opinion about the current vaccination policy, Commissioner Marty Sullivan had this to say. “From a personal standpoint, polio extremely affected our family when my sister got it in 1948. After that, there was no question about vaccines. When they became available, we just did it. No questions asked.
“The Salk vaccine eradicated polio in this country because, all at once, everyone got the vaccine. If we had all gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 early on, we could have avoided the Delta variant breakthrough.
Sullivan went on to explain, “The Salk vaccine was released in 1955. By 1957, after mass vaccinations, the number of cases recorded annually in the U.S. fell from 58,000 to 5,600 cases. By 1961, the U.S. recorded only 161 cases. We will be living with COVID-19 for as long as people refuse to get vaccinated. Not a good prospect for us.”
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by Anne Mooney | Aug 19, 2021 | News
City Urges Employees: Get Vaxxed!
by Anne Mooney / August 19, 2021
At the July 28 Commission meeting, City Manager Randy Knight was asked to develop an incentive program to encourage City employees to become vaccinated against COVID-19. On Monday, Aug. 2, Knight introduced a voluntary incentive program that awarded any employee with proof of full vaccination a $150 bonus plus a day off with pay. To qualify for the incentive program, employees would have to produce proof of full vaccination by September 15.
Weekly COVID tests required for unvaccinated employees
Beginning September 20, employees who are unable or unwilling to present proof of vaccination will undergo mandatory weekly testing. Any unvaccinated employee who is unable to provide a negative COVID-19 test result each week will be placed on leave without pay until they are able to produce a negative test result.
65 Percent by September 15
The City’s goal is for 65 percent of employees to be fully vaccinated by September 15. If fewer than 65 percent of employees participate in the voluntary vaccination program, the Commission will call a special meeting to determine next steps.
The City employs a total of 540 people; 472 are full-time, 47 are part-time, and 21 are seasonal or temporary. The 65 percent threshold, to be achieved by September 15, translates to 351 employees. According to Communications Director Clarissa Howard, as of August 18, 224 employees had provided proof of full vaccination.
KN95 masks available on request
In the meantime, KN95 masks are available to all employees upon request, and the City is following CDC guidelines for wearing face coverings while in public indoor facilities where 6-foot social distancing cannot be observed.
What is ‘herd immunity?’
The goal of vaccinating 65 percent of employees is based on an arbitrary estimate of vaccination levels required to reach ‘herd immunity.’ The percentage of people who need to be immune to achieve herd immunity varies with each disease, and the medical community does not yet know the level required for COVID-19.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “herd immunity against measles requires about 95% of a population to be vaccinated. The remaining 5% will be protected by the fact that measles will not spread among those who are vaccinated. For polio, the threshold is about 80 percent.”
“The proportion of the population that must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to begin inducing herd immunity is not yet known,” according to the WHO website. “This is an important area of research and will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritized for vaccination, and other factors.
“Until we better understand COVID-19 immunity, it will not be possible to know how much of a population is immune or how long that immunity will last, let alone can we make future predictions.”
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by Anne Mooney | Aug 6, 2021 | News
Open Letter to Mayor & Commissioners
Keep It Green!
by Guest Columnist Charley Williams / August 6, 2021
I invite this commission to put on their long-range visioning glasses and gaze five to ten years into the future — though many would say that falls short of “long-range.”
Orange Avenue Overlay will evolve
In 2030 I envision Orange Ave. as a walking mall, with no cars but plenty of cafes and other dining options. In fact, the OAO could evolve into a second downtown. If large property holders move forward we could have a hotel with outdoor seating, food and music.
Should the Jewett holding be sold to a retail development arm, we could have an entertainment zone as an anchor. Time will tell. Significant property ownership transfers are already underway.
Evolution requires green space
These pressures bring into sharp focus the need for passive, quiet green space, not just for existing neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity, but also for the tenants of new condo and rental properties still in the planning phases.
Link in the Emerald Necklace
Let’s zero in on the 4.5 acres at Progress Point — a logical keystone in the evolving ‘green necklace’ of the pedestrian-bike trail that will connect Mead Garden with Denning with MLK, Jr. Park and beyond. Progress Point is the poster child for how that plan can emerge and blossom. It’s a brand identifier for our community.
What do citizens want on Progress Point?
The question now is on asset development of the Progress Point real estate. What do citizens want? We’ve heard references to retail space ranging from 7,000 to 13,000 square feet to upwards of 40,000 square feet—the size of a Publix. But none of these recommendations came from residents.
We run the risk of setting up an East End Market scenario, which often turns into a drive-by because there is overtaxed parking capacity and a plethora of ‘attitude’ signs from the neighbors warning against illegal parking.
Original purpose of Overlay was to benefit existing business
How do you control noise and congestion with a micro-brewery and rooftop live music after the sun goes down? Not to mention overflow parking and traffic pressures for the immediate nearby neighborhoods and parking displacement for the existing businesses on the avenue. Wasn’t that the original objective to begin with – to protect and benefit the existing businesses? Why the mission drift?
Are you putting residents first?
What’s now being proposed can totally change that neighborhood character. Is this what this Commission wants to be saddled with—when many of your campaigns promised to put residents first?
A 14,000-square-foot venue drives the need for more parking. Why do that? We have already identified parking as a priority service for existing businesses. Let’s address the needs of existing Orange Avenue businesses first, before taking any action on new development.
Test your assumptions with the voters
To date, the Commission has spent months putting crayon marks on a Progress Point master plan, but not once have they invited citizen input.
There is no other existing Winter Park park with a retail component within its boundaries.
How about a Pilot Program
One possible compromise would be to pilot the micro-retail experiment first with Cady Way Trail and Showalter Field to give cyclists, joggers and sports enthusiasts options for food and drink. There is a much larger park footprint to work with there.
How has this commission changed from the last one?
Many of us watched as two structures ate up 26 percent of MLK, Jr. Park and occasioned the removal of over 50 mature trees that provided much-needed shade. One result of that long and torturous fight was the demonstration of the will of the citizens to change the direction of the Commission. At least now, there is not a four-story office building with associated parking structure of equal size slated for Progress Point.
Keep it green!
But it’s time to swing the pendulum further. Keep what we have green and start looking for more future sources of open greenspace.
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by Anne Mooney | Jul 15, 2021 | News
Free Vaccinations at the Farmer’s Market
Saturday, July 17 & Saturday August 7
by Anne Mooney / July 15, 2021
The City of Winter Park is partnering with the Orange County Health Department to provide COVID-19 vaccinations at the Farmer’s Market this Saturday, July 17th. Vaccinations are available free of charge to Winter Park residents and guests 12 years of age and older.
Free grocery coupons for the first 50
The first 50 people to receive a vaccination will also receive a $10 grocery coupon.
Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines available
On Saturday, July 17, Health Department personnel will be offering first doses of the Pfizer vaccine. They will also have limited quantities of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If you get there early, you can choose which you want to receive. The City of Winter Park will have standby medical personnel on site.
Second Pfizer doses available August 7
On Saturday, August 7, medical personnel will administer for 2nd doses of the Pfizer vaccine and will, again, have limited amounts of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“So far we’ve received a lot of positive feedback,” said Fire & Rescue Chief Dan Haggedorn. “It couldn’t get better or easier.”
Winter Park Mayor Phil Anderson said, “We are happy to partner with the Florida Department of Health in Orange County to bring vaccinations to our community. We want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to protect themselves during the challenges we’re experiencing with COVID-19.”
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by Anne Mooney | Jun 29, 2021 | News
Randall Robertson Takes Over Winter Park Institute
Winter Park Institute to Find New Home at the Library-Events Center
by Anne Mooney / June 29, 2021
Effective July 1, Randall B. Robertson will become owner and executive director of the popular Winter Park Institute (WPI). WPI, the speaker series that has brought many celebrities to Winter Park, was created by Rollins College in 2007. WPI hosted speakers such as Maya Angelou, Ken Burns, David McCullough, Jane Pauley, Itzhak Perlman, Gloria Steinem and Winter Park’s very own 2-term U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins.
The Institute ceased operation last year when the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to live events. In order to keep the program alive, Winter Park Publishing Company (WPPC), owner of Winter Park Magazine, took over the Institute’s operation during lockdown.
WPPC conducted two virtual events during 2020, with the goal in mind of finding community partners as the pandemic receded and live events could return. At the top of the list of possible partners was Randall Robertson, who for the past 12 years has operated Gladdening Light, a Winter Park-based non-profit that sponsored an annual symposium that drew speakers and attendees from all over the U.S.
“The more I talked to Mr. Robertson, the more it became obvious that to ensure the continuity of WPI in a way that honors its tradition and delivers what Winter Park residents expect, he should be the person to run it,” said Winter Park Magazine editor and publisher Randy Noles. “Happily for everyone, he was at once committed and enthusiastic.”
Robertson said he is a long-time fan of WPI because it provided a forum for citizens “to hear from thought leaders in the public square, challenging us to stretch our thinking.”
“We want to continue attracting visionaries and extraordinary people from the arts and humanities, the sciences and literature, to advance public themes in education, society, the economy and politics,” said Robertson.
Robertson, himself a WPI speaker in 2012, said the new Winter Park Public Library and Events Center will be WPI’s official home, and that most of its events will be in one of the venues at the complex. “The Institute represents a beautiful opportunity to showcase Winter Park to the world,” he said.
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by Anne Mooney | Jun 27, 2021 | News
ARPA Funds Available to Non-Profits
Funding for non-profits that do not already receive City funding
by Anne Mooney / June 27, 2021
In May, the City announced it would receive about $13 million in COVID-19 recovery funds over the coming year. In addition to the dozen or so not-for-profit entities that already receive City subsidies, the Commission has allocated $200,000 for any 501(c)(3) in the City, subject to certain restrictions.
Application posted on City website July 1
Beginning July 1, any not-for-profit 501(c)(3) in good standing that is headquartered in Winter Park, whose annual operating expenses do not exceed $2 million, may apply for organizational funding support from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA). Applicants can begin the application process by going to cityofwinterpark.org/ARPA.
Successful applicants must have been in operation for at least the past three years. The organization must have a Board of Directors responsible for oversight, and it must provide a service. Applicants must demonstrate a detrimental impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grants up to $25,000
This is a grant program, not a loan. The maximum amount available to each organization is $25,000 or one-half the annual operating expense, whichever is less.
The grant process is designed to assist not-for-profits in their recovery efforts and to ensure that allocations of public funds are used to offer services that can be provided to greater advantage by not-for-profit community organizations.
Non-profits already receiving City funding
ARPA funds also have been set aside for a dozen non-profits that receive annual Organization Support as a line item in the City’s budget, but those ARPA funds are separate from this $200,000 pot. The 501(c)(3)s that already receive City funding include the Winter Park Public Library, Historical Association, United Arts, Polasek, Winter Park Day Nursery, Blue Bamboo, Welbourne Day Nursery, Enzian Theatre, Winter Park Playhouse, Depugh Nursing Home and the Heritage Center (Crealde).
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