College Park Resident Marie Rose celebrates her 85th birthday!
College Park resident Marie Rose is a frequent, popular customer at Walgreens on the corner of Edgewater Dr. and Par Ave. Friends and family surprised her with an 85th birthday celebration on Jan. 19 at the store that she enjoys so much for its shopping pleasure with the "best friends in town." Thanks to the folks at Walgreens for giving Marie her 15 minutes of fame! She says it was "the best birthday ever."
A + Share The Warmth
The recent cold weather, and its impact on students who didn't have the resources to stay warm inspired A+ Tutor U Academic Coaching Academy to be a drop off location for warm clothes for College Park. They mobilized an effort and got all schools and businesses rallying to donate warm clothes for the children.
Because we had such success (for example, one College Park neighbor dropped off 5 bags of coats, hats, and blankets!), we're going to remain open now as a collection spot for goods we'll supply to the people of Haiti. You can donate to the earthquake victims at A+ Tutor U Academic Coaching Academy at 3900 Edgewater Drive.
Click picture to enlarge. [left to right] Miss Young (Washington Shores),
Riki Kouly (A+ Tutor U),
Sherry Samuels (A+ Tutor U),
Shanae Hall (A+ Tutor U),
Principal Jeraldine Sims (Washington Shores),
Tasia Hamilton (A+ Tutor U),
Miss Noble (Washington Shores)
JANUARY 2010 NEWS
Each year, Santa can be spotted in College Park at Holiday on the Drive, bringing neighbors and friends together on Edgewater Drive to celebrate the start of the holiday season. Merchants along Edgewater Drive were open for shopping, and the restaurants were packed full for dining throughout the evening. Santa arrived with lights and sirens in the fire truck, making everyone stop and cheer. Children waited eagerly to get their picture taken with Santa. It showed everyone that College Park is a spirit filled community where friends and neighbors love to meet, greet and celebrate together!
Many thanks to everyone who worked on the event, and brought the holiday spirit to College Park.
Many thanks to the Sponsors of Holiday on the Drive:
Amazon Hose and Rubber
Community Paper
Infusion Tea
Lancaster & Associates
Regions Bank
SMW GeoScience
Holiday on the Drive is sponsored by the College Park Partnership, an organization dedicated to the promotion of business in College Park. Visit their website at www.OnTheDrive.org
What will happen to Edgewater High School? By Kathleen Skambis... more
November 2007 Top Stories The Tap Room at Dubsdread Hosts Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
In Orlando for the dedication of the new federal building on Friday September 21, Clarence Thomas was treated to lunch at The Tap Room by his hosts at The Office of The Clerk of the Court.
The Tap Room received a call shortly before lunch began on Friday inquiring whether they could accommodate 20-30 people at 1:00. What wasn’t mentioned was that the Secret Service were already on their way to secure and approve the area.
“All of a sudden we had several very serious gentlemen in the dining room telling us where we could and could not place Mr. Thomas – all during our normal busy lunch crowd,” says Steve Gunter, owner. “Our guests were intrigued and a little excited – as were all of us here at Dubsdread. The Secret Service Men were incredibly professional and gracious to me, our guests, and our staff – but they weren’t kidding around.”
Steve said, “It’s always exciting when someone well known from out of town comes to your restaurant, but for us, the real high point was that they told me they were looking for a restaurant that would represent them well as hosts – and they chose us!”
“They said they wanted somewhere that had great food – and was unique to Orlando. So it was a very nice compliment to our staff – we were thrilled.”
Tap Room at Dubsdread is located at 549 W. Par. Call 407-650-0100 for reservations or for more information visit their website at www.TapRoomAtDubsdread.com
(above) Victim - (CPNA Secretary) being treated for "injuries" in the planned College Park Disater.
(above) College Park CERT team transporting a "victim" to the treatment area.
On Saturday, July 23 the recent graduates of the Orlando Fire Department Community Emergency Response (CERT) Class had an opportunity to practice their skills at a mock disaster drill held at St. Michael's Church in College Park.
The recent graduates of a class of Guardian Angels joined the College Park class. Twenty-one rescuers had an opportunity to respond to twenty-five victims who had been moulaged to look like victims. Some injuries were minor, others were classified as life threatening. The team members assessed the situation, triaged the victims and then began medical treatment.
The Orlando Fire Department had three personnel on hand to assist the rescuers to make sure safety procedures were followed. College Park Fire Station #3 had a rescue truck and engine on scene to add to the realism of the situation. Lieutenant J. J. O'Connell of station #3 briefed the rescuers after the exercise with some helpful suggestions on how they could do better and commended them on their efforts in a very stressful situation.
Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart had an opportunity to see the team in action and thanked the residents for giving their time to take the training classes.
The College Park is one of the oldest and most active CERT programs. Due to the fact that people move and are no longer able to be active, there is need to add more people to the team.
Team Leader Bill Jennings is planning to have another class in the spring of next year. If you are interested please contact Bill at 407-898-2946 or e-mail CERTCollegePark@aol.com. You do not need to be a CERT graduate to attend the monthly meetings of College Park CERT held during the hurricane season at the College Park Community Center the 4th Monday night of each month.
(above) Dubsdread Neighborhood Watch Captain Patti Riva surrounded by Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart and District Liaison Officer, Officer Kevlon Kirkpatrick.
(above) Samantha Colon surrounded by Off. Kevlon Kirkpatrick and some of Orlando's Finest at the National Night Out Party at Brandywine East Condominiums.
(above) Orlando City Commissioner Robert Stuart surrounded by Ardsley Manor/Radclyffe Terrace's Representatives Cindy Chandler and Jennifer Spell at the National Night Out Party on Roosevelt St.
(above) Maury Road and Palomar Area Neighborhood Watch had their National Night Out party at Lee Middle School. (below) You are never too young to learn about keeping your neighborhood safe!
National Night Out is an annual, nationwide campaign to promote community building, teamwork, and crime prevention. National Night Out events give you a chance to socialize with your neighbors and local law enforcement officers, while making your communities stronger and safer. National Night Out was held on Tuesday, August 7th!
This community-oriented event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, brings neighbors together for a crime and safety awareness night. Last year, Orlando came in third place nationally for the number of neighborhood groups and residents participating in the event. Crime watch groups around the City will hold rallies within their neighborhood to increase program awareness.
This year, a kick-off party was held in front of City Hall starting at 4:30 p.m. Mayor Buddy Dyer was joined by the Police Chief Mike McCoy, Fire Chief Jim Reynolds and City Commissioners while he read a proclamation for National Night Out. The party was open to the public and featured radio station Z88.3, various mascots, children's activities and refreshments.
College Park residents participated in National Night Out by leaving their outside lights on, getting to know their neighbors and reporting suspicious activity. For more information on how to set up a neighborhood watch in your neighborhood contact Laura Velez at (407) 246-2644 or Laura.Velez@cityoforlando.net.
College Park had a great turnout as part of the National Night Out on August 7, 2007. District 3 hosted nine neighborhood parties and College Park hosted four! Special thanks to Samantha Colon (Brandywine East), Patti Riva (Dubsdread), Jennifer Spell (Ardsley Manor/Radclyffe Terrace), and Craig O'Neil (Maury Road/Palomar) for their efforts in coordinating our best parties yet!
The Maury Road and Palomar Area Neighborhood Watch Organizations (pictured left) held a block party to participate in "National Night Out." The event took at Lee Middle School, just down the street from CVS store #2829 at the corner of Maury Road and Edgewater Drive. They invited people from CVS's headquarters to attend. They have been working with the head office of CVS to make it a safer place for residents to shop. They were very pleased that City Commissioner Robert Stuart and Orlando Police Office Kirkpatrick attended their National Night Out Block Party. They also passed along their gratitude to Chief McCoy, and the entire Orlando Police Department for their hard work battling crime every day in this City. They plan on working closely with the police to continue the good work to protect our neighborhoods. Block Captain for the Maury Road and Palomar Area Neighborhood Watch is Craig M. O'Neil.
Earlier this summer, Scout Troop 200 embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. Every year they go on a trip and this one was the biggest of them all. The troop went to Philmont Scout Ranch, a 137,493 acre ranch that is the supreme destination for Scouts and Explorers who come each summer for rugged and scenic wilderness expeditions. - by Drew Cryar... more Tap Room at Dubsdread Wins More Awards - Course redo has not slowed down popular College Park eatery...more
Orlando's John Morgan was voted into the top 4 as he impersonated George Bush on ABC's "The Next Best Thing"
On Wednesday, July 25th, America voted for George Bush!
Well, actually they voted Orlando's own John Morgan into the top 4 of the best impersonators on ABC Television's The Next Best Thing! John beat out thousands of contestants from Orlando, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas to sweep the nation with his humorous portrayal of George Bush, which included playing guitar and harmonica to add to the viewers' delight!...See the cover version by clicking here
An Innovation in Health Care Opens in College Park Central Florida Urgent Care, Inc. Provides Quality and Convenience for Local Residents
The national need for quick, convenient, quality health care has never been more in demand, but for one Orlando-native, changing this system has become his life's mission....more
• Orlando Police Department News - Don't be surprised to see more police officers out on the streets in the coming months. On Monday June 11, 2007 Chief McCoy and Mayor Dyer announced a new initiative to better patrol areas of the city that have been plagued by high crime rates. ...more
June 2007 Top Stories COLLEGE PARK TEAM - HELPS SOLDIERS COPE AFTER COMING HOME
No matter your position on the Iraq war one thing is clear, our young men and women that are serving us over there deserve our support. There are plenty of opportunities to do that, but Mike Conklin of Danville, Califorinia saw a unique need. Because of advances in medical technology, more of our military are surviving what in the past would have been fatal injuries. These heroes or as Mike calls them, Sentinels, return home severely injured. Many are missing arms and legs. These brave citizens spend a year or more at military hospitals going through intense rehabilitation before receiving medical retirement from the military. Then they return home, or to a location of their choice, to start a new life with new limitations. Mike realized that this is the point where the community needs to come together to provide the support systems to enable these Sentinels have the support they need to get their new lives off to a positive start.
He has done this with six returning Sentinels in California with good success. His formula for success was to involve the community, including corporate sponsors such as Wells Fargo, UPS, Chevron, Braddock & Logan Services, Shapell Industries of Northern California, and others. Each Sentinel is supported by a mentoring team made up of ten individuals that include a doctor, a financial consultant, chaplain, retired field grade military officer, and other community leaders.
The Scholarship as it is called is for a four year period and includes housing, car, job placement, educational counseling, financial counseling, and other services that are tailored to the need of the specific Sentinel.
About two years ago Mike's program came to the attention of RE/MAX International and Mike became a part of the RE/MAX network, and then this March at the International convention, RE/MAX announced that it was going to become a primary sponsor of the charity with enough funding to take the program national. In April ninety business leaders from around the country received training on the program and returned home to begin setting up their team in anticipation of receiving a Sentinel in their community. Three teams are being formed in the Orlando Metropolitan area including one here in College Park.
David Rose, a local RE/MAX agent and community activist learned about the program at the International Convention and was one of the ninety people trained in April to stand up teams in their communities. David has lived in College Park for almost fifty years and has a long history of community involvement. In reaching a decision to bring this program to College Park he reviewed all of his work for the community and realized that his efforts before this was to strengthen the neighborhood. College Park is in fact a very strong viable community. It was time for David to change his focus and to rally his community to support a single individual that needs to draw on the community's strength. David's goal for the ninety days is to build a team and resources necessary to be certified to receive a Sentinel.
As Mike Conklin would ask, does College Park have room for one more at our table?
WINTER PARK FIRE-RESCUE DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS AMERICAN TROOPS THROUGH OPERATION SLUGGER II
Fire-Rescue Department (WPFD) is asking for help from the community to support Operation Slugger II, a morale booster for the men and women who are serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operation Slugger II is a partnership between Louisville Slugger® and USA Cares, Inc., to provide new and gently used sporting equipment to military personnel. The equipment donations will provide the opportunity for leisurely sporting activities and relief from the everyday stress and tension our troops experience while on duty. Sports can provide a break from the challenges our service men and women face each and every day.
The WPFD is asking citizens to donate new and gently used sporting goods to support this worthy cause. Items in need include baseball gloves, wood and aluminum bats, baseballs, softballs, footballs, basketballs, volleyballs, Frisbees, and flag football equipment. Baseball hats are also recommended, but they must be new. Corporate logos and notes of gratitude are strongly encouraged.
Please deliver all sporting good donations to the drop-off site in the lobby of the Winter Park Public Safety Facility located at the corner of Virginia and Canton avenues, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. All donations must be received by Thursday, June 21, at 5 p.m.
Louisville Slugger® is the official bat of Major League Baseball, a name that is synonymous with America's favorite pastime. USA Cares, Inc., is a Kentucky-based 501c3 charity which serves to provide military families of all branches and services with financial support.
The WPFD is proud to assist in this effort to help the men and women serving in the United States military.
For more information on how to support Operation Slugger II, please visit www.usacares.us/slugger or call 1-800-773-0387.
For more information regarding the City of Winter Park, please visit the city's official Web site at www.cityofwinterpark.org
CERT RECEIVES GRANT
Allstate Insurance Agent Dale Revels presents a $500 grant to District Chief Anibal Saez for use by College Park CERT for disaster preparedness. Lt. Leon Poke and the firefighters from Orlando Fire Station #3 along with the current CERT class that is being held at St. Michael's Church took part in the presentation. Bill Jennings, College Park Team leader said the money will be used to helpthe College Park CERT Ham Radio team purchase additional equipment. For questions or to register contact College Park CERT Team Leader, Bill Jennings 407-898-2946, or e-mail CERTCollegePark@aol.com
ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR APPOINTS FIRM PARTNER TO THE CENTRAL FLORIDA REGIONAL COMMISSION ON HOMELESSNESS
Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty has appointed firm partner Brian Wilson to serve as a County representative on the Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness. Currently, Wilson is vice chair of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, where he has served on the board of directors since 2004.
The Commission will assess the economic and social impacts of homelessness on the Central Florida region and prepare a cooperative plan to present to the elected boards of Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties and the City of Orlando. The final report is expected by January 2008.
Wilson is board certified in civil trial law by the Florida Bar and AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, a peer recognition of the highest level for skill and integrity. His practice includes personal injury, wrongful death, automobile accidents, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, defective products, premises liability and insurance company bad faith.
Dellecker, Wilson, King, McKenna & Ruffier, llp (www.dwklaw.com) is a referral-based personal injury law firm dedicated to serving clients who have suffered serious injury through the negligence of others. Founded in 1989, the firm has six attorneys and 14 support staff, and practices in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, nursing home abuse, insurance bad faith and business torts. The firm serves clients located throughout the State of Florida.
May 2007 Top Stories SENIORS NEED RELIEF...
Emotions are still running high in College Park as the residents of the College Park Leisure Home Park at 850 Maury Road fight for what they feel is an injustice because they are losing their homes due to the impending eminent domain of the property by Edgewater High School. Some of the residents of the park have lived there for 20-50 years, the majority of are over 65 years old, many are ill, have Alzheimers, and thought their homes would be theirs for the remainder of their lives. Most residents own their mobile homes, but rent the space on which the homes sit. They are represented by attorney Raymer Maguire (see his letter here). At this time, they have no lease, no definite financial settlement, and are anxious to know what the future holds for them. They are confused, frightened and just need to know what to expect.
The property was purchased for approximately $7 million in July 2006 by Edgewater 3348, LLC, a subsidiary of Demetree Builders.
Ronald Schwartz, who represented the developer at a meeting with the residents in September of 2007, suggested that the developer's plans for the property included a combination of commercial space, office space and condominiums, which would require a zoning change.
The Orange County School Board had the options of moving the entire school to John Young Parkway, or purchasing the property from the Demetree's, or to acquire the property by eminent domain, which could run at least $26.7 million. At a meeting of school board members on Thursday, April 27th, it was decided NOT to move the school. Instead, the board chose a modified version of the plan it has been deliberating for months: nearly doubling the size of the 29-acre campus by acquiring both of Demetree's properties - the shopping plaza (between Edgewater High School and the mobile home park) and the mobile-home park.
The Edgewater High Reconstruction Task Force, which includes many concerned members of the community, is working to make sure the rebuilding of Edgewater High School is an improvement for the students and their neighborhoods.
Whether it be Demetree or the Orange County School Board, the final owner of the park will bear the responsibility of paying the existing mobile home park residents. Florida Statutes Section 73.071(3)C (2006) states: Where the appropriation is of property upon which a mobile home, other than a travel trailer as defined in s. 320.01, is located, whether or not the owner of the mobile home is an owner or lessee of the property involved, and the effect of the taking of the property involved requires the relocation of such mobile home, the reasonable removal or relocation expenses incurred by such mobile home owner, not to exceed the replacement value of such mobile home. The compensation paid to a mobile home owner under this paragraph shall preclude an award to a mobile home park owner for such expenses of removal or relocation. Any mobile home owner claiming the right to such removal or relocation expenses shall set forth in his or her written defenses the nature and extent of such expenses. This paragraph shall not apply to any governmental authority exercising its power of eminent domain when reasonable removal or relocation expenses must be paid to mobile home owners under other provisions of law or agency rule applicable to such exercise of power.Read what Attorney Raymer Maguire III states, and David Rose's "Every Coin Has Two Sides" statement
The City of Orlando is growing! We are expected to grow in population by nearly 50% in the e next 20 years. The current City projections are that we will add over 100,000 residents by the year 2027. That is like adding a city about the size of West Palm Beach to Orlando.
The City's Planning Department is now conducting an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) to address this growth. This process is required by the State of Florida. It is completed every 7 years and is designed to look ahead for the at least the next 20 years.
The EAR is to identify new goals and policies that the City will need over the next 20 years and to review existing goals and policies to see if they are still relevant. The City has identified six topic areas so far that are particularly important for our future quality of life. ...more
DON BUSBY, SR. DAY AT EDGEWATER HIGH SCHOOL
On April 18, 2007, players, coaches and friends honored Don Busby for 40 years of working with and teaching baseball to the youth of College Park. He started in 1966 with teams in College Park Little League. From there he moved on to coach at Lee Middle and Edgewater High. He has taught sons of some of the original little leaguers!
Coach Busby saw his own sons and grandson play through all these organizations. He has worked tirelessly on the Edgewater High School basebell field for many years, keeping it in top condition. Needless to say, he LOVES the game!
"Edgewater Crew wishes Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere working hard to make their kids' dreams possible."
When the Bishop Moore girls soccer team won the Class 4A State Championship in February, it was a particularly sweet reunion and victory for seven of the 11 players -- all graduates of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School.
The seven players -- Jessica Deese, Melissa Biber, Lauren Sanchez, Sandy Durfee, Deanna Dempsey, Mallory Meads and Lauren Reen -- last played together four years ago when St. Charles lost in the CMAC (Catholic Middle School Athletic Conference) championship game.
For most of the Final Four tournament games, the majority of the 11 players that Bishop Moore fielded were the St. Charles grads.
"So this year it was sweet to see all seven on the field together during the final minutes of their high school state championship," said Tom Reen, father of Lauren Reen, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Lauren and another St. Charles grad, Jessica Deese, were also team captains and were named first team All-Orange County and All-State. Jessica also was named Orange County Player of the Year.
"The entire St. Charles school community can take pride in this achievement," Tom Reen said. "Each of these girls played for and learned from great coaches at St. Charles in Vic Uvalle, Peter Tresnan and Joe Biber, but they also learned valuable lessons from all of their teachers, staff and all of the other people, such as the Athletic Association, who make St. Charles such a special place."
The fact that all seven players were together in that final game is even more remarkable considering that Mallory Meads had started high school at Winter Park, moved with her family to Las Vegas more than a year ago and returned to Orlando in the fall of 2006, this time attending Bishop Moore Catholic High School. Mallory scored one of the goals in a semi-final game that Bishop Moore won 2-0.
Bishop Moore's Lady Hornets won the Class 4A State Championship on Feb. 10 in Fort Lauderdale in a fierce 2-1 victory over Gulf Breeze. The team ended the season with a17-7-3 record as they captured the school's fifth state championship and its first since 1998.
Photo by Ronald Oppenheim
Edgewater Crew competed in the 34th annual Miami International Regatta on March 17th against teams from Miami, Sarasota, Orlando and as far away as Peru, coming away with gold, silver and bronze medals.
• Orlando's "Running Realtor" to Compete in Boston Marathon This coming April, Orlando resident Sandy Fox, known as the "running realtor" will participate in the Boston Marathon to support Goodwill's youth programs. Fox has been a realtor for six years and with Olde Town Brokers for the past three years.
As a member of Goodwill's Running for Great Kids marathon team, Fox is required to raise a minimum of $3,000. Donations will benefit youth programs designed to help children with limited opportunities gain self-confidence, develop strengths, set career goals and improve academic performance.
Dubsdread Golf Course Closing in March Dubsdread Golf course will be closed beginning in March, 2007. The course's redesign includes replacement of the greens and tees, incorporation of a new pond system, a new practice area, fairway sculpting and a new irrigation system. The project with all the proposed improvements has an estimated cost of $8.1 million. The City prefers to do the entire golf-course redesign at once, which would mean closing the course for eight to nine months. HOWEVER, Tap Room at Dubsdread Restaurant will remain open to serve you delicious meals and cater your parties!
City Commissioner supports Orlando's Illegal Gun Bounty Program Pledges first $1,000 reward... more
PARK GRAND VILLAS CREATES NEW,
ELEGANT GATEWAY IN TO COLLEGE PARK... more
May 2006 Egg Hunt Winner! The Easter Bunny, along with Egg Hunt Organizer Tom Jaeger, congratulate the Bicycle Winner Chance VanDyke - click here to read all about it!
SUNDAY IN THE PARK was a HUGE success, as always this year! This annual event, hosted by the College Park Neighborhood Association, brings College Park merchants and thousands of College Park residents together for a day of fun and entertainment. Vendors line the park with all kinds of items from bows to Kettle Korn. Entertainment is provided by local schools, churches, and independent entertainers. There are games galore for the kids, including pony rides, moonwalk, dunk tank, inflatable slide, train ride, high strikers game, caterpillar crawl, obstacle course, and carnival games. Read more about it by clicking HERE.