PEOPLE's BUSINESS

The People's Business

It is the duty of each citizen to be informed about public policy, the actions of public officials and how the media portrays them.

Pine Hills Transfer Center... Closer To Becoming A Reality

It’s been eight years since site selection and due diligence started in 2012 to obtain FTA screening, approval and funding grants for a long-needed community Lynx Transfer Bus Hub. Lynx purchased the property in 2017 from the Central Florida Urban League, which allowed for community design charrettes, conceptual designs and legal agreements to move forward. However, it took a full year for the Urban League, Orange County and Duke Energy to come to an agreement! Now the final design agreements are within

reach and are planned for completion in November

ADVANCED OPTICAL

“Nothing is more precious than eyesight.”

2830 North Hiawassee Road Orlando, FL 32818 407-296-2020 407-294-0074 fax

State-of-the-Art Eye Care

Hours: Mon 9:30-6:00 Tues-Thur 9:00-6:00 Friday 8:30 -1:00 PM myadvanced optical.com myadvancedoptical@gmail.com with review by Orange County and FDOT for permitting by the end of the year. Bids for Phase 1 site and construction are expected to begin in January of 2021 with awards in April. Construction will take 14 months with completion in 2022. Initial funding allocations for 2021, including sitework, canopy and Pine Hills Trail, with one-half of the Belco/Silver Star improvements, are budgeted for $4,942,000. The remaining sitework, owner furnished items and roadway improvements total $1,821,000, with the building scheduled in Phase 2 for approximately $1.3 million. The whole project is projected to tap out well over $8,000,000. Changes were made to the initial conceptual plan providing more maintained green space within the power corridor. The proposed building footprint is approved for 50,000 square feet, but is considered a Phase 2 project. A driver restroom, breakroom and customer service counter are also planned for Phase 2. Planned improvements include the center bus platform with the approved waving canopy (like the

The People’s Business ~

one downtown at LYNX Central Station), with the ability to berth 29’ to 60’ buses at 8 bus bays. The Pine Hills Trail is expanded northward through the site. It will start at Silver Star Road and go through the western and operational, the Transfer Hub will add tremendously to the evolving Pine Hills Town Center vision!

More People's Business Updates at page 16

Lynx Bus Services Building

side of the site. It then bears eastward at the northern end of the site going along the north side of Belco Road to Pine Hills Road

Lynx Bus Platform

The Center will also have CCTV with live feed, arts and cultural elements. When totally completed

H e a l t h &

W e l l n e s s Preventing Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is on the rise. AfricanAmericans are at the greatest risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. There are many factors leading to this situation. One of the most frequently occurring risk factors is diabetes. We know there is Type I diabetes and Type II diabetes. Given the way these diseases affect the brain, Dr. Suzanne de la Monte, a researcher at Brown University first used the phrase, “Type III diabetes.” In using this term, the realities of the negative effects of diabetes on the brain was driven home. Where once nearly unheard of, children are now developing Type II diabetes, again with greatest frequency in African American children, especially adolescents. Insulin resistance is the primary problem in Type II diabetes, whereas insulin deficiency is the primary danger in Type I diabetes. Both of these issues are factors in the brains of persons who have developed Alzheimer’s disease. The brain is damaged by both of these biochemical effects, in that the brain loses the ability to metabolize glucose (sugar) efficiently. This inability to metabolize sugar happens very early in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, often before symptoms are seen. We know now, through many research studies, that avoiding the development of Type II diabetes is an effective way to avoid the development of Alzheimer’s disease. If someone has already developed Type II diabetes, then getting that disease under control is critical. What we eat, how much we exercise, how well we sleep are some of the factors that we can use to avoid the development of Type II diabetes, or get it under control. As we learn the nutritional choices that work for our individual situations, how much exercise will make a difference, and how to get restorative sleep, among other lifestyle choices, not only do we sharply reduce our risk of developing Type II diabetes, but also Alzheimer’s disease. Let’s talk about what Alzheimer’s disease is for a minute. It is much more than “loss of memory.” The entire cognitive process is under assault by this disease. Yes, difficulty with remembering is a classic symptom, but understanding language, using language in a way that others can comprehend, getting lost in familiar places, having problems managing one’s finances, experiencing hallucinations, paranoia, increased physical problems, lack of balance, vision changes, and the inability to focus attention are just some of the additional problems that are caused by Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to the AfricanAmerican community being at greatest risk for this disease, it is important to know that between 2013 and 2017 there has been an 83% increase in the development of young onset Alzheimer’s disease. Not just a disease of the “elderly,” the development of this disease is now seen with increasing frequency in persons 30 to 64 years of age, with a large portion of this group being in their 40s. The good news is that we can PREVENT Alzheimer’s disease! One of the most effective ways to prevent its development is to avoid the development of Type II diabetes. All the strategies necessary for avoiding that disease, or controlling it well if it has already developed, work to protect our brains, the organ that controls every single thing about us, from Alzheimer’s disease. 

Edith Gendron

Chief of Operations