April 25, 2008 - City News

Mayor's Message

Dear Friend,

For the past 16 years, District 2 Commissioner Betty T. Wyman has made a difference in our community by serving her constituents with honor and pride, providing a voice for both old and young and demonstrating true leadership. It is for these reasons and many more that, with the unanimous support of the entire City Council, I proudly appointed Commissioner Wyman to the honorary position of City Commissioner Emeritus. This special title is shared with few others, and truly serves as a lasting reminder of her outstanding citizenship and service.

Commissioner Wyman will remain part of the City family as she continues her involvement with the After School All Stars program. Currently, this program is enriching the lives of more than 800 children in the City of Orlando by teaching invaluable life skills and providing enriching activities in six middle schools and 14 recreation centers.

As my new term serving as your mayor begins, I invite you to join me, District 2 Commissioner-Elect Tony Ortiz and District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan at the Oath of Office ceremony on May 1 at 2 p.m. at the Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola Park. I hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Buddy Dyer
Mayor
 

This section of City News provides public safety updates on new and ongoing City initiatives and opportunities for citizens to become engaged in their neighborhoods.

With hurricane season right around the corner, now is the time for residents to ensure they’re prepared. While it is important to prepare for hurricane season, it is also important that residents are ready year-round for potential disasters.

Mayor Dyer is hosting Orlando Prepares! to help give Central Florida residents the resources to prepare before a disaster strikes, This free event will include a health and information fair, disaster preparedness training and a mock disaster drill. There will also be free parking, free refreshments, free prize drawings, free entertainment and a kids zone.

Orlando Prepares! will be held on Saturday, May 3 at the Orlando Fire Department Training Center, Primrose Plaza, 595 N. Primrose Drive. For more information, visit cityoforlando.net.

 

Tree City USA

For the thirtieth consecutive year, the City of Orlando’s Families, Parks and Recreation Department has received the Tree City USA Award sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation. This program recognizes communities that prioritize its urban forestry program ensuring a viable tree management plan. Orlando has continually met the four standards established by the Arbor Day Foundation and National Association of State Foresters.

These standards include:

• Conducting an annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

• Maintaining a tree care ordinance.

• Maintaining an active tree board or department.

• Committing at least $2 per capita to its tree canopy.

For the seventeenth consecutive year the City has received the Tree City Growth Award for outstanding achievements in the areas of:

• Education and Public Relations

• Partnerships

• Planning and Management

These awards represent a significant achievement and reflect the commitment of the Mayor, City Council and staff in exceeding the highest principles of urban forestry through professional forestry programs, education, public awareness and pride in our tree canopy.

Orlando Awarded STRATUM Grant

A $35,792 grant has been awarded to the City of Orlando by the State of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Forestry.  Through this grant, Orlando will be the reference city for a STRATUM (Street Tree Research and Analysis Tool for Urban Forest Managers) study on the Central Florida climate.  Approximately 200 randomly generated research plots (roughly 900 trees sampled) will yield the raw data which will then be scientifically analyzed under the direction of Dr. Greg McPherson at the Center for Urban Forest Research located in Davis, California.  This research study will provide a quantitative basis for assessing impacts of increased tree canopy cover on storm water runoff, energy use, air pollutants and human health. 

We Are a Solar American City

The City of Orlando, with Orange County Government and the Orlando Utilities Commission, has been selected as one of 12 Solar American Cities by the U.S. Department of Energy and will receive a grant of $200,000 for two years to increase the use of solar technology and the amount of renewable energy.

The City in partnership with Orange County Government and OUC will develop a strategic energy plan with a focus on sustainable urban growth strategies. The final outcome of the project will be a master solar plan that will lay the foundation for a viable solar market and provide a model of sustainability for other communities throughout the State of Florida.

This grant is a result of the Green Partnership Pledge that was signed in October 2007.

Green Up Day at Lancaster Park

The City of Orlando, Green-up Orlando and Keep Orlando Beautiful in partnership with Lancaster Park Beautification will host a green up project in the Lancaster Park neighborhood! Please join us on Saturday May 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the 1200 block of Lancaster Drive (big oak tree on the lake).

Volunteers are needed to help plant greenery in public spaces, scatter wood chips under trees, benches and pick-up lakeshore debris. The City of Orlando will provide plants, wood chips, bags & other necessary tools. For more information call Danella Schuler at 407-898-2297 or Roger Dressen 407-898-2295.
 

Small Business Week

In celebration of National Small Business Week, Mayor Buddy Dyer has proclaimed April 21-25 Small Business Week in the City of Orlando.  The proclamation recognizes and salutes our community’s small business owners for enhancing our communities and expanding opportunities for all through vision, innovation, hard work and new jobs created, which sustain Orlando’s diverse economy. 

The City of Orlando continues to be recognized nationally as the place for small businesses.  In March, the City was named as one of the nation’s best places in the United States to live and launch a new business by Fortune Small Business Magazine. The City has also recently been acknowledged by Bizjournals as the “Number One City in the Nation to start a Small Business” and ranked “Number One City for Entrepreneurs” by Entrepreneur Magazine.  

The City of Orlando is also home to the Disney Entrepreneur Center, one of only two Entrepreneur Centers in the nation, which provides technical assistance and mentoring to prospective and current business owners along with the City’s Business Development Division and our local economic development organizations. 

Mayor in the Community

Thursday, Mayor Dyer visited Lake Nona‘s Science & Technology Park as they celebrated another important milestone.  Construction crews hoisted the final steel beams into place at Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona. The term topping out is used by ironworkers when the final piece of steel has been placed on the building, signifying that the project is not complete but has reached its maximum height.

Burnham‘s 175,000-square-foot east coast research facility will be comprised of two major structures—a two-story administrative wing and a three-story research wing, which will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification. 

The new Burnham facility will be one of the key anchors of the 600-acre Science & Technology Park at Lake Nona, where the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Health Sciences Campus is scheduled to open in 2009. The Burnham Institute is temporarily headquartered at Florida‘s Blood Centers.

Did You Know?

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Traci Blue, Volunteer Program Manager, at 407-246-2082 or traci.blue@cityoforlando.net, or visit our website at www.cityoforlando.net/volunteer.


Burnham Research Briefing – Community Forum

The Burnham Institute for Medical Research is a key component of the Medical City that is rapidly developing in Lake Nona. Come discover the cutting edge research being conducted in the fight against chronic diseases with Dr. Robert Liddington, Director of the Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center. This is a free event that is open to the public and will be held at the Orange County Agriculture Center Auditorium, 6021 South Conway Road, on June 4 at 6 p.m.

For additional information visit www.burnham.org.

Free Educational Workshops on Foreclosure Prevention and Predatory Lending

The City of Orlando is hosting a series of seminars designed to educate residents on the resources available to mitigate the impacts of foreclosures and predatory lending practices. A team of experts will speak on the issues of foreclosure proceedings, tax implications, predatory lending tactics and more.

Each household that attends one of the seminars will receive a one-on-one counseling session, at a later date, to discuss issues pertinent to that household.
The four-hour sessions will be held on Saturdays, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., throughout the City.

Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Northwest Community Center
3955 W.D. Judge Dr.

Saturday, May 17, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Rosemont Community Center
4872 Rose Bay Dr.

Saturday, May 31, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
J.R. Smith Neighborhood Center
1723 Bruton Blvd.

Saturday, June 14, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Engelwood Neighborhood Center
6123 La Costa Dr.

For additional information, call 407-246-2708 or visit cityoforlando.net.

Community Venues Minority and Women-Owned Business Event

On April 29, Mayor Buddy Dyer and District 5 Commissioner Daisy W. Lynum invite minority and women-owned businesses to learn how they can benefit from the largest public building project in Central Florida’s history – the Community Venues.

This is an opportunity to:

• Learn the process for obtaining contracts for the Events Center.
• Network with contractors pursuing prime contracts for the Events Center.
• Enroll in the Turner School of Construction Management program at no cost. This course, taught by industry professionals, provides participants with broad-based knowledge on how to plan and construct projects using proven techniques for successful project management. Any firm looking to improve the bottom line will benefit from participating in this program. The course runs from April 29, 2008 - June 10, 2008.
Please RSVP for the networking reception and/or the Turner School of Construction Management program to 407-246-2085 or email: Judy.Dorman@cityoforlando.net.
The event will take place April 29 at 5:30 at the Citrus Bowl – Varsity Club, 1 Citrus Bowl Place.

 

Upcoming Events

Road Closure

City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
Fax: 407.246.2842
Email:
buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net