Winter Park commissioners at their March 26 meeting gave conditional approval for an extension of the Florida Department of Transportation’s “Safe Routes to School” program, aimed at improving pedestrian and bike access to Eatonville’s Hungerford Elementary School.
The statewide program promotes pedestrian safety by upgrading sidewalks, crosswalks, and bike lanes along school routes. The Hungerford project includes sidewalk repairs on the south side of Monroe Avenue, the north side of Fitzgerald Drive, the west side of West Avenue, the north side of Ruffel Street, and the east and west sides of South College Avenue. Crosswalk beacons will also be added at the Monroe Avenue crossing and the intersection of South College Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard.
While the route falls within Maitland and Eatonville city limits, Public Works & Transportation Department Engineer III, Hongmyung Lim, stated it is part of Winter Park’s inter-local agreement with both jurisdictions and is used by city residents and Hungerford students residing in Winter Park.
Project funding comes from a $390,000 federal grant and additional money from MetroPlan Orlando, meant to bridge the gap between the grant and the estimated $1 million in construction costs. However, a boilerplate agreement states that local governments share the burden of costs not covered under federal grant requirements. City staff estimate that total to be $28,297 for the acquisition of easements and the construction of additional pedestrian safety measures.
While the shortfall would be covered by a Capital Improvement Project budget for citywide pedestrian and bike improvements, Mayor Sheila DeCiccio suggested the contract be modified to reduce the city’s financial liability. The agreement also came under fire during public comments when Winter Park resident Gigi Papa said taxpayer money should not go toward improvements that fall outside city limits and that the project “in no way benefits Winter Park.”
Seat 4 Commissioner Warren Lindsey, who was sworn in at the start of the March 26 meeting along with newly re-elected Seat 3 Commissioner Kris Cruzada, asked whether the city of Maitland had been asked to contribute to the project. Lim responded by stating the Hungerford route improvements were first recommended to city commission in 2015 as a means of assisting Hungerford Elementary students living in Winter Park. Public Works and Transportation Director Charles Ramdatt added that, to his knowledge, no Maitland students use that route to school.
The agreement was unanimously approved with the caveat, recommended by Ramdatt, that city staff meet with FDOT and MetroPlan Orlando to discuss additional funding that would remove the city’s financial liability. If no additional funds are offered, commissioners could opt out of the project. The matter will be updated at a future commission meeting.
Chamber of Commerce lease inquiry
The March 26 meeting also ended the controversy over the Chamber of Commerce lease of the Welcome Center at 151 West Lyman Ave.
Former Seat 4 Commissioner Todd Weaver previously suggested the chamber could be subletting or assigning the lease to its affiliated political committee, Winter PAC, which shares the same West Lyman address. City attorney A. Kurt Ardaman stated at the start of the meeting that there was nothing to indicate the chamber was subletting or that the terms of the lease had been broken.
Weaver did not seek re-election and was replaced by Lindsey, who won Seat 4 as the only candidate to qualify before the January 21 deadline. However, Weaver will serve on the Utilities Advisory Board after being appointed by Lindsey.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for April 9. City meeting agendas, live streaming, and an archive of meeting recordings can be accessed at cityofwinterpark.org/meetings.
