January 2009
Community Paper
copyright ©2009 by Community Paper College Park, Inc. All rights reserved.


From the Desk of City Commissioner Robert Stuart

IWhile writing this District 3 update, I continued to think about the past year and the changes that have taken place around the City. In last month’s letter, I got a chance to share about many of the big accomplishments of 2008. So, as we embark upon 2009, I thought it might be good to talk now about the small, but also very important, things that occurred this past year.

Last month, I had the opportunity to mention the opening of the revitalized Dubsdread Golf Course, the progress of the Edgewater Drive Vision Task Force, the increased support for Orlando’s Finest with resources in manpower and video surveillance, and the year-end Holiday activities here at City Hall and in our neighborhoods. But, there is much more that was accomplished in 2008 that I hope encourage you and your neighbors.

For example, in May, the Mayor announced that the Orlando Fire Department achieved the highest ISO rating of 1. ISO is an independent organization that provides information about risk and virtually all U.S. insurers of homes and business property use ISO’s classifications in calculating premiums. All fire departments in the United States receive an ISO rating, from 1 to 10, with one being exemplary and ten being the lowest. Only 55 fire departments out of more than 46,000 throughout the country received this top rating.

Also, in 2008, I was honored to host our inaugural District 3 Picnic. Thanks so much to all those who came out to enjoy the festivities. My hope is that we can continue this tradition in 2009 and that even more District 3 residents will be able to come and enjoy meeting City staff as well as their neighbors. During the picnic, we held the dedication ceremony for our newest green space, Orlando Cultural Park in the Loch Haven area. The park, which covers more than 3 + acres, now serves as the gateway to Loch Haven. Just a few weeks ago, a 14+ foot tall, two-thousand pound bronze statue, aptly named the Family of Acrobats, has finally been installed in the corner of the park to remind passers-by that the Loch Haven area is a great place to spend quality time outdoors with friends and family.

With 470 reports of scrap metal theft in the City in 2007, Orlando was part of a team that worked hard to get state-wide legislation passed during the 2008 Legislative session. This legislation increases the penalties for these types of crimes and strengthens the reporting requirements for those who purchase these secondary metals. Our police department is glad to have these additional tools in their tool belt as they work hard not only to get bad guys of the street, but also to keep career criminals behind bars where they belong.

One of the most important, and sometimes one of the most difficult, aspects of emergency operations is effective communication, especially during a natural disaster, such as a hurricane. Since 1994, the City is proud to have Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) that work closely with our City’s Fire Department in order to make sure that there are trained residents in every City neighborhood that can assist during emergency situations. College Park has a great CERT program, led by Bill Jennings and Jerry Porter, which works hard to be prepared all year round. One thing that they needed is a ham radio base station so that they can keep the emergency command center appraised of the needs and conditions in the College Park community during an emergency. In February, I was able to donate a ham radio base station to the College Park CERT and present it to Mr. Jennings and Mr. Porter during a City Council meeting. I am confident that with this donation, CERT will be able to serve even better the residents of our College Park neighborhood during emergency situations.

As we look ahead to 2009, with an economy that continues to bring with it uncertainty, I know that it may be a year where many of us may have to make difficult decisions on behalf of our families and our businesses. But it is truly my hope that the silver lining of this rain cloud will be that during this new year, we can all get back to the basics and remember that we are part of a strong, community-minded neighborhood called College Park and also part of the great City of Orlando. If my office— District 3 aide, Jessica Stead, District 3 Police Liaison Officer Kevlon Kirkpatrick or myself, can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. As always, thank you for your continued support.

Robert
Robert F. Stuart, District 3 City Commissioner
400 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407-246-2003; e-mail Robert.Stuart@cityoforlando.net
or check out Orlando's website (www.cityoforlando.net)