01.04.18 Windermere Observer

WINDERMERE

Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

VOLUME 3, NO. 13

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

2018 FORECAST

SPORTS HOLIDAYS ON THE HARDWOOD Basketball teams from local schools spent their holiday on the court.

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YOUR TOWN WOLVERINES READY FOR 5K

People and stories to watch From overcrowded schools and traffic woes to new leadership and strategies to improve education, Windermere promises to be chock full of news in 2018. SEE PAGES 3-13.

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Join the Windermere High School cross-country team for its inaugural 5K fundraiser. The run-walk begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at the Independence clock tower, 14213 Pleach St., Winter Garden.

The first 500 participants will receive a limited-edition glow-in-the-dark T-shirt, glow bracelet and necklace.

Food trucks will be set up at the finish line.

Race entry is $30 this week and $40 the week of the race. Packets can be picked up on race day starting at 4 p.m.

Funds raised will help the boys and girls teams in their 2018 season. Register via school pay at Windermere High and Bridgewater Middle schools or at localraces.com/whscrosscountryteam/light-up-thenight-5k. Checks made payable to WHS, with XC 5K on the memo line, can be mailed to the school Attn: Coach Boylan/5K registration, 5523 Winter GardenVineland Road, Windermere, FL 34786.

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WINDERMERE OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JAN. 4

YOUR CALENDAR

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

TUESDAY, JAN. 9

CUISINE CORNER: TRANQUIL MOMENTS 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4, at the Windermere Library, 530 Main St. Celebrate Hot Tea Month with a cup of stress-relief tea. Karon Cannon of Tea Craze shares tips on blending teas to get the perfect cup, and participants will blend their own tea to take home. Enjoy a sampling of Karon’s stress relief tea called Tranquil Moments. Registration required at (407) 835-7323.

SPANISH BOOK CLUB 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Windermere Library, 530 Main St. Join this Spanish-language book club to discuss literature, art, music and more. All are welcome. (407) 835-7323.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 10

LITTLE CHEF: ICE, ICE IGLOO 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Southwest Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando. Can apples and marshmallows turn into ice and igloos? Take your little one to learn cooking skills such as kitchen safety, layering, measuring, smearing, tasting and presentation as you interact with a delicious recipe. This class is a “Mommy or Daddy and me” event. Ages 3 to 5. Space is limited. Registration required at (407) 835-7323.

MONDAY, JAN. 8

RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEETING 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden. At the Central Florida Railway Historical Society meeting, Warren Jennison presents “Railroad Lineside Structures.”

Free. (407) 656-0559.

SMARTER SENIOR SERIES: HOME SERVICES 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 10, at the Southwest Library, 7255 Della Drive, Orlando. Looking for a home services professional you can trust? Mike Flahaven, a certified senior housing professional, will discuss creating a list of trusted resources as service individuals such as plumber, roofer, handyman, electrician and cooling/heating professional. Light refreshments will be served. This event is part of the ongoing Smarter Senior Seminar Series. For information, visit yourfloridahaven.com. Registration required; contact Mike Flahaven at (407) 340-5291.

THURSDAY, JAN. 11

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT 5K 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, beginning at the Independence clock tower, 14213 Pleach St., Winter

Garden. Join the Windermere High School cross country team in its inaugural 5K fundraiser.

First 500 participants receive a limited-edition glow-in-the-dark T-shirt, glow bracelet and necklace. Food trucks will be set up at the finish line. Race entry starts at $30, and packet pickup will be available on race day starting at 4 p.m. Funds raised will help the boys and girls teams in their 2018 season. Register via school pay at Windermere High and Bridgewater Middle schools or at localraces.com/whscrosscountryteam/light-up-the-night-5k.

SATURDAY, JAN. 13

SANDY SHUGART IN CONCERT 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Sandy Shugart, the multi-talented president of Valencia College, returns with his tight-knit group of musicians

to create a warm blend of folkinfluenced, acoustic coffeehouse-style sounds. Tickets are $25 ($15 with Valencia College ID) and can be purchased by calling the theater box office at (407) 877-4736 or online at gardentheatre.org.

SATURDAY, JAN. 20

CULINARY BASICS & MARKET TOUR CLINIC 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Winter Garden Masonic Lodge, 230 W. Bay St. The Kids Cooking Connection, in Windermere, is hosting the clinic for children ages 7 and older. Class begins by walking the Winter Garden Farmers Market. Chefs will learn how to select the best produce and learn kitchen safety with a focus on knife and chopping skills on their produce. Participants will create a dish and receive a chef knife. $100. (321) 677-2991.

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EMERGENCY CONTACTS BY MUNICIPALITY ORANGE COUNTY n Orange County Fire Rescue Headquarters P.O. Box 5879, Winter Park (407) 836-9000 n Orange County Sheriff’s Office P.O. Box 1440, Orlando (407) 254-7000

Lessons learned After Hurricane Irma, local city and county leaders reflect on what improvements they can make for the 2018 hurricane season.

DANIELLE HENDRIX BLACK TIE EDITOR

After weathering Hurricane Irma — which experts have called the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade — and many before it, Orange County leaders know a thing or two about disaster preparedness.

Hurricane Charley, which made landfall in the state as a Category 4 in 2004, was previously the strongest storm to hit the area. But after Irma tore through Central Florida in September, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said the storm damage was far greater than Charley’s aftermath.

Charley was a more powerful storm, but Irma was much larger in breadth. With more than $51.5 million in damage countywide, Irma was a force — one that had residents bracing for the worst.

Although basic emergencymanagement protocols are similar, no two municipalities are exactly the same.

ORANGE COUNTY

Although the county itself made minor changes in areas such as sandbag distribution and traffic signal maintenance, as well as mass sheltering, operational plans, resources and policies in place have remained largely the same since 2004.

Keith Kotch, assistant manager of the Orange County Fire Rescue Department and Office of Emergency Management, said although preparedness planning is important and there are common threads among storms, each incident is unique and presents its own challenges.

“Hurricane Irma brought the similar issues of widespread power outages; areas of flood-

learned’ from the past couple of hurricane seasons, especially from Irma, include: sheltering issues such as pet-friendly sheltering, medical specialneeds sheltering, issues caused by extensive and long-term power outages, flooding mitigation efforts and joint public/ private response and recovery efforts,” Kotch said.

He encourages residents to take the time now to prepare for future disasters by developing a personal and family disaster plan.

“The time to plan and prepare is now when we are enjoying blue skies, not when storm clouds are on the horizon,” Kotch said. “Being prepared is not just a hurricane season thing, it’s a thing for all seasons and all types of disasters.”

IRMA BY THE NUMBERS 55,332 yards of debris in Winter Park 77 days to clean up storm debris in Winter Park 25 days to clean up storm debris in Windermere 5 confirmed deaths due to Irma in Orange County

$51,676,838 total

verified storm damage in Orange County

3,001 Orange County

properties with verified storm damage

300,000 approximate

WINDERMERE

number of homes that lost power

ing; and food, water and ice needs, but the extent or scale of the issues was more unique,” he said. “The fact that the majority of the state was impacted the same way added to the apparent slowness of recovery, as service providers and vendors were affected as they had not been before. Not being able to count on quick resupply of local grocery stores and restaurants was a new challenge, as was the issue with protecting life amongst area health care facilities that had lost power.”

Effective and progressive emergency management and preparedness activities are always based upon post-hurricane evaluations and lessons learned, Kotch said.

“Some areas that are being re-evaluated due to our ‘lessons

“THE 4% TEAM”

Windermere might be small, but its preparation and recovery efforts were mighty.

Town Manager Robert Smith said the town has a standard procedure in place for all hurricanes, but it still dealt with challenges posed by Irma. This included relocating police personnel to the Ocoee Police Department during the storm because of inadequate facilities and difficulty with communications because the town does not have an operational EOC. “Staff worked hard, and we were able to clear the debris within 25 days of the storm,” Smith said. “Residents need to be aware that during and immediately after a storm event such as this it is better to stay indoors until they receive an all clear from local officials. Families were walking around with downed power lines, trees and hanging limbs.”

WINDERMERE n Windermere Police Department 620 Main St., Windermere (407) 876-3757

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

To prepare for this season, the town will be looking into establishing redundant emergency contracts for debris clean-up.

Town staff plans to provide radios for Public Works staff and continue to enhance existing facilities. It is also looking to create an app to better communicate with residents.

“I think we did a great job and key to the results we achieved was having contracts in place with debris clean-up companies and making sure they were top-notch companies that had the resources to do the job,” Mayor Gary Bruhn said.

WINTER GARDEN

In the days leading up to the storm, Winter Garden was among many local municipaliWINTER GARDEN ties that provided sand bags for n Winter Garden Fire its residents. But the city also Rescue Department encourages its residents year 1 E. Cypress St., Winter round to prepare for disasters by Garden making a kit, sticking to a plan (407) 877-5175 and staying informed.

“Emergencies or disasters n Winter Garden can strike at anytime with little Police Department warning and may force you to 251 W. Plant St., Winter decide to evacuate your curGarden rent location or stay where you (407) 656-3636 are,” Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department wrote in its emerOAKLAND gency preparedness flyer. “It n Oakland Police is important to consider what Department an emergency or disaster could 540 Oakland Ave., Oakland mean for you and your family, (407) 656-9797 as everyone’s needs and abilities are different.”

OCOEE Winter Garden Fire Rescue n Ocoee Fire Department recommends all citizens who 563 S. Bluford Ave., Ocoee use a cellphone as a primary (407) 905-3140 contact register their number in the CodeRED registry n Ocoee Police Department located on the Winter Garden 646 Ocoee Commerce Police Department’s website.

Parkway, Ocoee This matches your cellphone to (407) 905-3160 your home address, making it easy for emergency dispatchers OTHER EMERGENCY to contact you with information RESOURCES in case of an emergency. n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: emergency.cdc.gov n CodeRED registry: Cities such as Winter Garden and Winter Park use this database, which matches your cell phone to your home address, allowing emergency dispatchers to contact you with pertinent information in an emergency. To sign up or see if your city used CodeRED, visit your local police department or fire rescue’s website. n Federal Emergency Management Agency: fema.gov n NOAA Hurricane Center: nhc.noaa.gov n OCFL Alert: Download this app for emergency updates from Orange County.

Sign up for emergency texts and emails at ocalert. net. n U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: epa.gov/ hurricanes

OCOEE

Ocoee’s Emergency Operations Center is located in the Ocoee Fire Department headquarters and serves as the central location for government officials and primary and support agencies to establish their command post in the event of a major event or disaster.

In the aftermath of Irma, the city hired a debris management contractor to collect storm debris citywide. Contractors worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week, to collect the debris — a process that was anticipated to take two months.

Although Ocoee planned to pay for the $1.2 million contract from its reserves, it also expects to be reimbursed by FEMA in the future.

In the days leading up to Irma, Ocoee distributed more than 2,000 sand bags to residents and also opened Ocoee High School as one of Orange County’s five host shelters for South Florida and coastal evacuees.

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2018 FORECAST

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Observer

Getting to work

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek “Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Publisher / Dawn Willis, dwillis@OrangeObserver.com Executive Editor / Michael Eng,

Since elected as the House Representative for District 44, Bobby Olszewski has filed five bills, three appropriations and plans to run for re-election in 2018.

meng@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Senior Sports Editor / Steven Ryzewski, sryzewski@OrangeObserver.com News Editor / Gabby Baquero, gbaquero@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Danielle Hendrix,

BRITTANY GAINES

dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Contributing Writer / Brittany Gaines,

Stepping onto the House floor for the first time, a sense of pride and gratitude filled Bobby Olszewski, the recently elected District 44 State Representative. It was a moment that had been months in the making.

After serving two terms as the District 3 Winter Garden commissioner, Olszewski ran for the District 1 Orange County Commission seat in 2016. It was only after he lost the race that he set his sights on Tallahassee.

“I believe everything happens for a reason, and although we all have moments where we know we could have done better, I would not change a thing,” Olszewski said of the path that took him to Tallahassee.

After winning the special election Oct. 10 and replacing Eric Eisnaugle, who resigned in 2017, Olszewski wasted no time in getting to work. By Oct. 11, he was in Tallahassee working on policies and legislation.

“It has been an exciting few months being up in our state capitol participating in committee meetings and drafting legislation to prepare for the upcoming session starting in January,” Olszewski said. “I have enjoyed meeting and working with all of my colleagues, as well as House leadership, to make a positive impact in both District 44 and throughout our state.”

According to Olszewski, it was his time spent serving on the Winter Garden City Commission that helped prepare him for his new role.

“I was blessed to have been elected to two terms as a Winter Garden commissioner, where I was already tested as a public servant,” he said. “I worked with my constituents to ensure all voices were heard, and I am doing the same thing as a state representative, except now on a larger scale.

It is truly important to me that I represent all of the people I serve, which is why I have always tried to make myself accessible to all of my constituents. These experiences allow me to represent our community up in Tallahassee with passion each and every day.”

SETTLING IN

Over the last two-and-one-half months, Olszewski has been hard at work and already has filed five bills and three appropriations.

“To be a great public servant in the Florida House of Representatives, you have to work hard for your constituents, prove yourself to colleagues and form great working relationships to get

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bgaines@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Executives Michelle Gentry, mgentry@OrangeObserver.com Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@Orange Observer.com Creative Services Tony Trotti, ttrotti@OrangeObserver.com Courtesy photo

Florida State Rep. Bobby Olszewski balances time in Tallahassee with time at home with daughter, Reagan, and wife, Allison.

“Becoming a father makes our community even more special to me because this is where Reagan will grow up, and I want her, and all of the families in District 44, to have many opportunities.”

— State Rep. Bobby Olszewski

things done for your community,” he said. “Serving in the Legislature is truly a team sport, and I want to be a valued colleague and an influential lawmaker for my constituents. It is refreshing to work with many talented individuals from around our state with the goal of making our quality of life in Florida even better for generations to come.”

There are several causes in particular that Olszewski holds close to his heart: removing government regulations, helping small businesses succeed, animal welfare and education.

“As the son of a retired public school teacher and the husband of a current OCPS teacher, I’ve been raised to understand the importance of an education and how knowledge can open doors for your life,” he said. “I believe we need to empower parents to make the best educational choices for their children, making sure they have the right resources invested to fulfill their children’s unique educational goals and circumstances.”

FAMILY AFFAIR

Since winning the special election, life for Olszewski has been become a balancing act between serving in Tallahassee and supporting his family at home, but he largely credits his wife with keeping his busy schedule balanced.

“My wife, Allison, is the CEO of our household, so she deserves

all the credit for helping me balance my time to ensure I am not neglecting any area during this exciting journey,” he said. “There have been a lot of wonderful curve balls thrown at us in our life lately, and we work together as a team to ensure I do not over-serve one need only to miss out on another important one.”

And one of Olszewski’s top priorities is being a father to his 1-year-old daughter, Reagan.

“Waking up every day knowing Allison and I are responsible for the health, well-being and care of our child is an overwhelming honor and responsibility,” Olszewski said. “There is no greater gift than being Reagan’s dad, as she is an endless source of pure joy and love. Her smile lights up a room, and it is so fun to watch her learn something new every day.”

READY FOR MORE

Although his term only lasts until November 2018, Olszewski already has filed for re-election.

“I … would be honored to continue to represent District 44,” he said. “My current focus is the legislative session and getting as much done as possible for our community, but expect me to be knocking at your door again very soon asking you once again to Vote Bobby O in 2018.”

Until then, he plans to continue collaborating with his fellow legislators to ensure the upcoming session helps District 44 thrive.

“We need to instill sound public policy that allows our community to meet its challenges head on and continue to grow in a way that meets the many needs of our residents, businesses and communities,” Olszewski said.

“I will be our community’s advocate in Tallahassee, because I will work collaboratively with all of our state legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle to protect what makes our community and state so great. District 44 can be assured we have a legislative representative who knows this community forward and backward and is advocating exclusively for our community’s success.”

See bills and appropriations filed by Olszewski at OrangeObserver.com

A WIFE’S PERSPECTIVE What is it like being the wife of a politician?

Bobby is a wonderful husband and the best dad to Reagan. He always knows how to make her laugh. We work together as a team in everything we do, because this is our hometown community, and it feels great that we get to help make it even better for our daughter.

We also get to meet many interesting people and share unique experiences because of his public service.

I guess it goes with the territory of being a wife of an elected official, but just like all spouses, I could do without the negative attacks on my husband. Bobby is a good and honorable man, so when the same blatant lies are used over and over again during campaigns, it is hurtful and exhausting. However, the great majority of public service is very inspirational.

The best part is seeing the passion that Bobby has when working so hard for our community and being able to hear directly from people who he has helped.

How do you balance supporting your husband’s career with being a mother and teacher?

Bobby is so supportive and encouraging of my career at Orange County Public Schools (for which) I am currently teaching at Independence Elementary in Horizon West. I love teaching and serving families in our community. As a family, we are truly a team. We make family time a priority. We also like to take Reagan with us to most community events. We are excited for her to meet new people and see different places. Sometimes, the events are a little too late for her and she gets to spend time with her grandparents, which she absolutely loves, too.

Ultimately, we are blessed to be a great team and have our wonderful family nearby.

Customer Service Representatives Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Katie Rehm, krehm@orangeobserver.com

CONTACT US

The Windermere Observer is published once weekly, on Thursdays. It provides subscription home delivery. The Windermere Observer also can be found in commercial locations and at our office, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden. If you wish to subscribe to, visit our website, OrangeObserver.com, call (407) 6562121 or visit our office, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden.

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SEND US YOUR NEWS

Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements. To contact us, send your information via email to Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com.

WINDERMERE OBSERVER The Windermere Observer (USPS 687-120) is published weekly for $40 per year ($50 outside of Orange County) by the Observer Media Group, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden, Florida 34787. Periodical postage paid at Winter Garden, Florida.

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Thinking ahead

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

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Windermere Town Manager Robert Smith has big dreams for the town of Windermere, including new facilities and utilities.

BRITTANY GAINES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

If Town Manager Robert Smith has one goal, it’s to bring the town of Windermere into the 21st century while still retaining its small-town charm. But there’s a long list of projects still to be done before that goal is complete.

“That’s one thing I’ve never been afraid of — taking on a challenge,” Smith said.

When Smith first arrived in Windermere in 2011, his list of challenges was longer than he expected. After working as the manager for the city of Wildwood in Sumter County, he was familiar with the quirks of a rural, small town.

“I had to make a lot of changes and adjustments once the housing boom went down the tubes,” Smith said. “The previous town manager (of Wildwood) pretty much had everything going up.

He had a $20 million budget, but when I took over, I had to knock out probably about $11 million to $12 million in six months.

I had to do some layoffs and transitions of moving different aspects of the city, but I was able to get us on track, and they’re really financially healthy now.”

When Smith arrived in Windermere, he assumed things such as facilities, utilities and IT development were already in place.

“I thought it was going to be night and day going from rural where they didn’t have a lot of stuff, like purchasing policies, personnel policies, facilities,” Smith said. “When I came here, I thought they were going to have everything pretty much set up.”

But he was met with myriad issues from Day One — including finding a police chief willing to repair the department, which struggled with a history of corruption. And the challenge wasn’t just repairing the department’s reputation but also restoring the town’s standing in West Orange.

“I wanted to try to re-establish Windermere as a strong voice in the West Orange community,” Smith said. “Not only was the police department looked at as a bad police department, but also I think the community took a hit. But (David Ogden) is prob-

Michael Eng

ably one of the best hires I’ve (made) in my career. He took that department from what it was to one that continuously receives awards.”

THE NEXT STEP

Now, Smith’s biggest challenge is updating the town’s facilities, utilities and roads — projects that will take years to complete.

“There’s several major issues that the town has to come to terms with,” Smith said. “No. 1, we need new facilities for the admin and for the police department. No. 2, we have to figure out how we’re going to get utilities into town. Water would be the No. 1 priority, wastewater No. 2, and underground utilities would be No. 3. And those are huge ticket items. We’re talking $30 million to $40 million.

Then it’s dealing with traffic in the roads.”

Traffic concerns have long been a issue with Windermere residents as traffic through the downtown averages between 18,000 and 20,000 vehicles per day.

“We are surrounded by water bodies, even though we are among the lakes and you really

“There is a lot of passion, a lot of pride in the town of Windermere.I love that. For the most part, the residents love this town. It’s a fantastic place to live and raise your children. …”

— Robert Smith

can’t see them, we are the cutthrough for people to get to Disney, to get to Restaurant Row,” Smith said. “And we have seen a drastic increase in cut-through traffic on our small, dirt residential roads because people don’t want to sit in traffic on Main Street. We have no intention on increasing that roadway to four lanes, because then you kill your downtown, so we’re kind of stuck trying to figure out how do we control that traffic.”

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MONEY MATTERS

With a long list of projects still to tackle, Smith now is faced with raising the money needed to fund the various projects for the town.

“We’re very tight on how we spend money, which is a good thing but also puts us in a bind when we need to fund certain things,” he said. “I can’t shake that money tree. It’s going to have to come out of (the residents’) pocketbooks.”

Although residents may face a tax increase over the next several years, Smith said any increase would not be a major hit to their tax bill.

“When people hear of tax increase, they think the local government taxes are the highest taxes that you pay in your tax bill, which is completely false,” he said. “Ours is so incremental, so minor compared to what they’re paying in other taxes.

Our ad valorem rates are the lowest in the county, so when people think I have all this money, I don’t.

“This is not a one-year fix,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been working on for the last couple of years. It’s, ‘Is there an easy way to

solve these problems?’ And the answer is no. There’s huge cost and a lot of change, and people are apprehensive to change.”

PRIDE AMONG THE LAKES

Smith said the residents are deeply passionate about their community.

“There is a lot of passion, a lot of pride in the town of Windermere,” he said. “I love that.

For the most part, the residents love this town. It’s a fantastic place to live and raise your children. There are generations of people who live here. There are people who have left and come back because they just love this town, and you typically don’t see that.”

Although Smith isn’t a Windermere resident, he feels the residents have accepted him as a member of the community.

“My wife and I adopted 18 months ago, and the residents threw us a baby shower,” Smith said. “That’s something you don’t see in, like, Orlando or Winter Park. Not only did they throw this party, but I felt like I was being adopted as a resident of the town of Windermere.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

Relief incoming Through the county’s INVEST program, several West Orange thoroughfares are slated for improvements.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

It’s difficult to hop in the car to make a quick run anywhere in West Orange. As more people visit the area and decide to call it home, the capacity of the roads cannot keep up with the amount of traffic traveling them.

Traffic nightmares seem to be all around us, but the good news is Orange County continues to make road infrastructure improvements. Drivers just need to be patient with the process.

“Our roadway takes about eight years from conception to completion,” said Raymond Williams, Engineering Division manager with Orange County’s Public Works Department, as he explained the process.

“The first part starts at Transportation Planning,” he said. “They look at the entire county and the congested roads ... then they prioritize ... it goes to (the Board of County Commissioners) for approval, and then they do a Roadway Conceptual Analysis … (which is) a study with a lot of public participation.

“After they go through that process, they come up with a recommended alignment and improvements,” Williams said.

In the next step, the project goes to Williams’s department. A consultant is brought onboard for the design portion, which takes about two years.

Right-of-way acquisition is next, and this takes two years, as well, Williams said. Construction is the final step.

“It takes eight years, and that’s if we have the money,” Williams said. “We find that it takes much longer.”

What road improvements can West Orange residents expect to see in the coming years? Williams provided information on several projects in the Roadway Capital Improvement Program.

FICQUETTE ROAD

Improvements will be made on Ficquette Road from Summerlake Park Boulevard to south of Overstreet Road. Orange County is about to start final design to widen this segment of road from two to four lanes.

Right-of-way acquisition will follow, with construction scheduled to begin in 2021.

The existing roadside ditches that carry stormwater will be replaced with a closed drainage system.

A raised median will separate opposing traffic flows, and there will be sidewalks and roadway lighting.

The project is funded through Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs’ INVEST Initiative and is currently estimated to cost up to about $18 million.

REAMS ROAD

Several infrastructure projects have been planned along Reams Road, one of which is from Summerlake Park Boulevard to Taborfield Avenue, about 3.1 miles. This is contiguous with the current Reams Road widening that is under construction.

The county currently is conducting a Roadway Conceptual Analysis, which Williams describes as a preliminary engineering study with significant public input. Inwood Consulting Engineers Inc. is the consulting firm on this phase of the project.

The RCA will be followed by right-of-way acquisition, with construction expected to begin about 2022.

The scope of work is similar to the improvements to Ficquette Road: a divided, fourlane roadway.

This project also is funded through the mayor’s INVEST Initiative and is currently estimated to cost up to $36 million.

Stakeholder and general public input in community meetings will play a key role in

MAYOR’S INVEST INITIATIVE Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs’s $300 million initiative, INVEST in Our Home for Life, begins a series of projects across the county.

Announced during the mayor’s 2015 State of the County address, INVEST will provide infrastructure, new public-safety facilities, vibrant neighborhoods and affordable family housing, enhanced recreation opportunities, safety improvements for pedestrians and transportation connectivity throughout Orange County.

Conservative county budgeting and an improved economy will allow Orange County to use existing resources to fund INVEST.

guiding the development of the study recommendations.

Reams Road is currently a two-lane facility with housing and commercial development flourishing in the surrounding areas.

COUNTY ROAD 545 /AVALON ROAD

Road-widening and realignment improvements are being planned along County Road 545/Avalon Road following Orange County’s approval of a preliminary design study in 2015. The Roadway Conceptual Analysis of C.R. 545/ Avalon is under way and the data-collection process is approximately 60% complete, Williams said. The RCA should be done by August.

The county is getting ready to conduct an RCA for the

segment of C.R. 545 between the Turnpike bridge and State Road 50.

Avalon Road is proposed as a four-lane divided roadway within a 120-foot right-ofway. The roadway segments included in this study comprise a major component of the critical roadway network required to support Orange County’s vision for the Horizon West Planning Area. The study limits began approximately 1,300 feet south of the intersection with the south leg of the proposed Loop Road, which is an existing two-lane section. The end of the study is approximately 1,300 feet north of the intersection with Schofield Road.

SAND LAKE ROAD

A Roadway Conceptual Analysis has been completed for Sand Lake Road, a 1.3-mile segment from Apopka-Vineland Road to Turkey Lake Road. A secondary road, Wallace Road from Apopka-Vineland Road to Turkey Lake Road, about 1.5 miles, also will be evaluated for conceptual improvements.

The operational capacity of the existing four-lane sections of Sand Lake Road was evaluated, and operational enhancements to reduce congestion and improve travel times and safety were recommended.

This includes a multi-use shared path on the south side of the corridor, enhanced pedestrian crossing features at the Dr. Phillips Boulevard intersection and continuous eastbound/westbound outside lanes for right-turning vehicles between Rialto and Dr. Phillips Boulevard.

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Orange County has earmarked several major West Orange roads for improvement.

addressed through lane enhancements, median enhancements and roadside improvements including a new shared-use path.

To address the access management concern at the uncontrolled median opening at the entrances of The Fountains and Plaza Venezia, one alternative offers either a directional median opening or a new signalized intersection, which would require a future traffic signal warrant study, according to the county.

A 10-foot-wide shared-use path is being considered for the south side of the project corridor.

STONEYBROOK WEST PARKWAY

Orange County is participating in a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Stoneybrook West Parkway/Roberson Road

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and Windermere Road with the city of Winter Garden through an Interlocal Agreement.

The city will be responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the roundabout.

In February, the city began work on the County Road 535 widening project at the intersection of Stoneybrook West Parkway, State Road 429 and Daniels Road.

Winter Garden funded this work, and the improvements will tie into upcoming work the Central Florida Expressway Authority will be performing on the northbound S.R. 429 on-ramp.

Work will be performed by the city’s contractor, Atlantic Civil Constructors Corporation.

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The final design is expected to commence this year. Funding and scheduling for construction are still in the works.

Traffic volumes establish clear segmentations of the corridor, with the heaviest traffic volumes occurring at the far eastern end of the corridor and tapering off as traffic passes the Dr. Phillips Boulevard intersection, where about one-third of the traffic turns right northward onto Dr. Phillips Boulevard.

The corridor currently has fivefoot sidewalks located toward the back of the right-of-way. There are no dedicated bicycle facilities, such as on-street bike lanes, and the nearest transit service stop is on Turkey Lake Road.

The most congested segment of the roadway, Dr. Phillips Boulevard to the Rialto signal, is

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

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2018 FORECAST

Playing catch-up When trying to accommodate West Orange’s growth, Orange County Public Schools officials are tasked with looking at more factors than you realize.

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DANIELLE HENDRIX BLACK TIE EDITOR

As the fourth-largest school district in Florida — and the ninth largest in the country — Orange County Public Schools is no stranger to accommodating a growing student population.

However, doing this is no easy feat, and there are no inherently simple solutions.

OCPS already oversees 188 traditional K-12 schools — along with a Capital Improvement Plan that outlines the schedule of renovating, replacing or building new schools over the next 10 years.

As of Dec. 15, more than 207,000

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ELEMENTARY Bay Lake* 1,048 791 Bay Meadows 643 801 Citrus 577 683 Dillard Street* 615 562 Dr. Phillips* 718 581 Frangus 512 541 Independence* 1,048 786 Keene’s Crossing* 1,284 812 Lake Whitney 541 566 Maxey* 278 167 Metrowest 688 786 Ocoee 718 725 Palm Lake* 662 648 Prairie Lake* 847 809 Sand Lake 729 768 Spring Lake* 585 572 SunRidge 734 796 Sunset Park* 887 753 Thornebrooke* 779 636 Tildenville 546 682 West Oaks* 595 552 Westbrooke 736 785 Westpointe 759 786 Whispering Oak* 997 659 Windermere* 739 726 MIDDLE: Bridgewater Chain of Lakes Gotha Lakeview Ocoee Southwest SunRidge

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DETERMINING NEED

Before the district can even begin to think about building, renovating or replacing schools, the areas in question must demonstrate a need for it.

And it takes teamwork, too.

OCPS’s Department of Facilities Planning is responsible for ongoing coordination with Orange County and its member governments.

There is a multitude of factors that must be considered when determining effective solutions for the county’s schools, and this includes coordination of the following: gathering information on growth and development; implementation of interlocal agreements; negotiating capacity enhancement agreements and school concurrency agreements; securing land entitlements for new schools; and coordinating planning activities with other OCPS departments.

Gathering information on growth is the first step, especially in OCPS’ fast-growing District 4, which covers much of west and southwest Orange County. By 2022, District 4 will have gained three relief elementary schools, a middle school and a high school in the span of four years.

But the need is not exclusive to the west side of the county. Since 2003, OCPS has sited, built and opened 49 new schools to accommodate growth and relieve overcrowding. And through the 201718 school year, an additional 108 existing schools will have been replaced or renovated.

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students are currently enrolled at those 191 traditional schools, and the number keeps growing as more families decide to call the Orange County area home.

And the growth isn’t stopping anytime soon, either. According to projected population statistics from the Orange County Planning Division, by 2020, the total population of students — ages 5 to 19 — will have grown by 25% since 2000.

With the ever-increasing volume of students moving to Orange County, reduced availability of suitable land to build schools on, the current funding available and even neighborhood opposition, more than ever, OCPS staff now are faced with the dilemma of how to accommodate the communities they serve as efficiently as possible.

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2017 IN REVIEW n Windermere High School, which relieved West Orange High School n Westpointe Elementary School, which shares a campus with MetroWest Elementary and relieved overcrowding there 2018 n Frangus Elementary replacement school. This includes construction of a new prototype elementary school building with the latest classroom technology and updated classrooms, administration, art, music, kitchen, cafeteria and media center.

2019 n 37-M-SW-4 (Horizon West/Lakeside Village Area), intended to relieve Bridgewater Middle School n 25-E-SW-4 (Horizon West/ Lakeside Village South), intended to relieve Bay Lake and Sand Lake elementary schools n 49-E-W-4 (Horizon West / Village “H” South), intended to relieve Independence and Keene’s Crossing elementary schools

According to OCPS, the district also is involved in reviewing residential development applications.

This is to assess the availability of school capacity for projects seeking a future land-use map amendment or rezoning that increases residential density.

As part of its Capacity Enhancement review process, the district looks to mitigate the overcrowding issue at schools past capacity, especially if they would be affected by additional units created by a land-use changes or rezoning.

PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

Once a need has been determined, it’s time to find a suitable location for a new school. Projects must also be prioritized depending on the areas with the greatest needs.

Sometimes, a relief school might not be needed, but an older facility is due for upgrades, renovations or even a total replacement.

There is no cutoff rate or formula alone that determines when a school will be relieved.

New schools are scheduled to

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3. School locations are targeted and projects designed (school type, size, etc.).

4. Projects are prioritized based on competing needs districtwide.

5. Limited fiscal resources, including taxpayer dollars and fees from developers, are allocated to purchase land, hire an architect and construct and furnish new schools.

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These openings reflect either new relief schools or replacements for schools in the District 4 area.

open when enrollment is sufficient to support an additional school.

Schools needing relief could be temporarily overcrowded while new schools are designed and built.

All plans to accommodate growth are detailed in a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan. However, although the need for relief at schools such as Bridgewater Middle — currently at 200% capacity — might be apparent, there still are limited fiscal resources.

“With the volume of students coming in to OCPS each year, it is literally not possible to build schools that quickly based on current funding,” said OCPS spokeswoman Lauren Roth. “We opened 13 new or rebuilt schools this year and have 11 next year, which makes our program the most aggressive school-building program in the country. But (because) some of those are rebuilds/renovations of existing schools, they don’t all add capacity.”

Primary fiscal resources include the half-penny sales tax, property taxes and impact fees. Sales taxes pay for school renovations, while impact fees pay for new schools.

Relief-school openings must also be timed to ensure the school doesn’t open half empty, resulting in operational inefficiencies.

Schools aren’t cheap, either.

An elementary school prototype includes 830 student stations and costs $20 million. Middle schools include 1,215 student stations and cost between $35 and $40 million.

High schools, which can accommodate 2,776 students, cost $90 million.

Additionally, finding suitable land on which to build new schools is becoming more of a challenge as development countywide continues. Potential sites must meet state and local regulations, and many factors are taken into account: minimum size requirement, cost, whether land is flat and dry, lot shape and size, connectivity to infrastructure, compatibility, opportunities for joint use and future land use and zoning.

“The district has an obligation to all of our communities — both growing and established — to make sure students are in modern, wellequipped facilities,” Roth said. “So that means we need to both rebuild existing schools that are aging and build new schools to accommodate growth at the same time.”

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Although constantly building new schools to alleviate overcrowding might seem like a simple solution, it’s not that easy — or that fast. The district must identify areas of need, acquire and entitle school site, set zones and then design and build new schools. Here’s an overview of the process, according to OCPS:

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This rendering shows a potential design of the Bridgewater Middle relief school.

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Making Orange County affordable To combat the lack of affordable housing, Orange County is brainstorming ways to incentivize developers to build more variety of housing types.

GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

As many know through firsthand experience, finding an affordable home is a daunting task in highly populated areas.

And Orange County is one of them, which is why Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs launched a regional affordable-housing initiative in October 2016 that featured a series of workshops with architects and experts from local universities to inform policymakers on how to steer the private sector toward more affordable housing.

“From accessory dwelling units to innovative design, as well as the use of imaginative products and building concepts, we have the chance to make a real impact by creating a marketplace with a variety of high-quality affordable housing options,” Jacobs said. “And in keeping with our commitment to collaboration, we’re working with partners from throughout the state and region to bring forth a set of policies that will guide a regional approach to creating communities with a variety of housing types and incomes.”

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“The biggest challenge is not that we don’t know how to create affordable housing,” Glasser said. “I think the biggest challenge is that the demand so far exceeds our supply, especially on our rental side, that it’s hard for us to compete in this environment when people can build marketrate apartments and pretty much charge a premium price. Those forces are difficult to counter when you try to encourage someone to build affordable.

“On the homeownership side, before the recession, we had a certain number of developers that specialized in building affordable housing,” he said. “But after the recession, the market came back and now the only ones we have that are consistently trying to build affordable are nonprofits.

So trying to get the private sector back into the game of building affordable is a challenge.”

FINDING A SOLUTION

But to counter those market forces, Orange County is hoping to use

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Jacobs said the housing problem has intensified since the end of the recession. According to City-data. com, in 2016, the mean price for a detached single-family home was $287,901, and in November 2017, the average rent for an apartment in Orlando was $1,363, according to rentjungle.com, which collects rental data for about 80% of all listings in the country.

Mitchell Glasser, the manager of the Orange County Housing and Community Development Program, said the most significant challenge in tackling the situation in Orange County and surrounding Central Florida counties boils down to demand versus supply.

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certain incentives to encourage developers to construct a greater variety of housing types catered to low-income families.

“We’ve been talking about different mechanisms that governments in other areas of the country use to encourage affordable housing or to encourage developments to include a certain number of their units as affordable,” Glasser said.

The county is considering everything from the use of community land trusts, subsidies for developments that build affordable units, and other financial and regulatory incentives.

The objective is to sort out what strategy will work best in each county and identify which are the most suitable areas that are near public transportation, jobs, schools and services.

“Say you’re building near a transportation corridor like SunRail — a regulatory incentive would be to allow less parking spaces because the development is near transportation, meaning a family might not need to have two cars because someone might be using mass transit more,” he said. “So if you’re building near areas where there are good transportation and jobs, maybe there could be some flexibility in parking requirements.”

A financial incentive could involve density bonuses, which

cerns in Orange County regarding intense development. But Glasser emphasized that vibrant cities in the country all lean toward dense development with smart design.

“Go to any vibrant city in the United States, even in Florida, and you’ll notice the trend is to move back into the cities and be near transportation,” he said. “Density is not necessarily a bad word.

Good design and good layouts of communities can make an area very vibrant. I think one of the main purposes of this is to try and get our community and the private sector to develop more variety of housing types to offer more housing options.”

Jacobs has since hosted two workshops on the issue, with an upcoming third workshop set for later this year that will be focused on the strategies to increase affordable housing in the Central Florida region. The end goal is to use the knowledge to create better policy.

“Once we’re finished drafting a set of policy recommendations, rather than stick it on a shelf and let it collect dust, we’ll work on both short-term and long-term objectives — whether it be changes to the land development codes, the creation of certain programs, or the use of advocacy and outreach initiatives, we’ll implement the policies,” Glasser said.

Courtesy photo

Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs launched an affordable-housing initiative in 2016.

would offset a developer’s overall construction costs assuming it builds a certain percentage of units designed for low-income families. Another possible incentive could take the form of a subsidy of the required impact fees if the developer builds single-family homes ranging between $160,000 to $210,000 or rental units that cost around $675 a month for a one-bedroom unit or about $750

for a two-bedroom.

Also under possible consideration for inclusion in the county’s future policy recommendations are what have been termed “inclusionary zoning ordinances,” which Glasser said has grown more popular within other highly populated and expensive areas.

“We’re also looking at inclusionary zoning ordinances, where you require all developers to build

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

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a certain percentage of affordable units,” he said. “They are usually done in more expensive areas of the state, but we’re starting to see that pop up more in South Florida.”

THE ‘D’ WORD

Glasser is aware some of the policy solutions under discussion require developments to increase residential density, despite strong con-

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61 Feature of any great athlete 62 Devoured 64 Mariner’s safer direction 65 Actress Lupino 68 Places for making soaps 69 Children’s dentist in “oddest to pin” 71 Slangy summons 72 King James Bible suffix 73 Ireland of poetry 74 Daily hotel fees 75 Topple 76 Crate up 79 Stereo’s predecessor

80 House style of old England 81 Cap brim relative 83 Latex source in “err but beer” 88 Anger 89 One of South America’s longest rivers 92 Be educated 93 Royal Opera House solos 95 Barbie-esque in “sew a spit wad” 97 ___ de corps 100 Mix-up or confuse 101 Singer Minogue 102 Seeing ball

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“FBT LVOM LM IXF / EPMG FBT ZVCO RBBOKFM / VCG’S SPVS V ZPVLM? / LF SMVXZ HMAA ACDM XVCG.”

– HVSZ OBLCGB

“VX’G ISX ZCS BSP ZLIX XS GNFIA HOVALB IVKCX ZVXC. VX’G ZCS BSP ZLIX XS GNFIA LMM ALB GLXPOALB ZVXC.”

– ZSSAB CLOOFMGSI Puzzle Two Clue: K equals G

STUFF IN MIX-UPS by Timothy B. Parker

Puzzle One Clue: R equals G

CROSSWORD

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Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2018 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

1-4-17

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

FAST FACTS n Born in Atlanta but raised in Central Florida n Holds three degrees from the University of Central Florida: bachelor’s (1983), masters (1986) and EdD (1996) n Has been in the field of education for 30 years n Orange County Public Schools superintendent since 2012 n Has won numerous awards for her role in education, with the most recent being named the Florida Superintendent of the Year (2017)

Super Woman Dr. Barbara Jenkins has earned numerous accolades during her five years as Orange County Public Schools’ superintendent.

TROY HERRING ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Every morning, Dr. Barbara Jenkins wakes up to a day filled with work.

Agenda meetings, board meetings, school visits, community activities — the list is seemingly never-ending and feels like the kind of schedule that would take an army to complete.

But there she is, a figure of poise and pure drive to do her job — and do it well.

It takes that kind of grit to oversee the ninth-largest school district in the country. She’s at the helm of an operation that educates 207,000 students across 191 schools. It’s an enormous task that comes with an equal amount of responsibility.

But it also comes with the potential of unparalleled satisfaction.

“I love teaching and learning — I’m always learning myself, so it’s just something that I’m drawn to,” Jenkins said. “It’s also because I believe in young people.

“I’m invigorated — I just feel energized when I visit schools and when I’m around our young people,” she said. “I so believe in their potential and in their future, and I want to be a part of making sure that they are successful.”

FIRST LOVE

Jenkins’ love for all things teaching has always had a strong presence in her life, even when she was a child.

While other children dreamed of becoming firefighters or astronauts, as a first-grader, Jenkins already had made up her mind on becoming a teacher, thanks to the inspiration that came in the form of one of her teachers.

“That was my first love,” Jen-

kins said. “I’ve never veered from wanting to be in (this) profession.”

After graduating from Winter Park High School, Jenkins enrolled at the University of Central Florida, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and administration in 1983. She followed that with a master’s degree in administration and supervision in 1986 and, finally, her EdD. After finishing her undergraduate degree and during her time working on her master’s, Jenkins started her first teaching job at Spring Lake and Conway elementaries from 1983 to 1987.

Over the next decade, Jenkins climbed the OCPS ladder — from her staff development resource teaching position at Lakemont and Killarney elementary schools to a role as senior director of elementary education from 1993 to 1998.

Also in 1998, Jenkins took her first major role helping to oversee a school system, but unlike her previous jobs, this one wasn’t in her own backyard.

For eight years Jenkins took over as the assistant superintendent for human resources for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, she juggled numerous tasks for a district system that included 14,000 staff members and 120,000 students.

It was a satisfying, challenging position — and one that Jenkins didn’t want to leave.

“I actually didn’t expect that I would come back to Orange County,” Jenkins said. “I got this phone call from Ron Blocker, who was superintendent at the time, and he said, ‘It’s time to come home — I need you to come be my chief of staff,’ so I agreed to come back here and

then chief of staff later became deputy superintendent.”

During that time, Jenkins thought she was going to just take this role under Blocker and help as his deputy superintendent, but there was more to Blocker’s plan.

“What Ron Blocker didn’t tell me at the time was that he shortly thereafter announced a two-year notice of his retirement,” Jenkins said. “So during that period of time — the entire four years I was deputy — he gave me lots of opportunities and included me and let me have a lot of experiences. It made me a pretty strong candidate when the board decided to put out a search for a new superintendent in 2012.”

The rest, as Jenkins put it, “was history.”

VIEW FROM THE TOP

The job itself has been a rewarding adventure for Jenkins in more ways than one. Not only is her role as superintendent allowing her to continue her dream of helping oversee the education of local youth, but also it’s earning her and OCPS plenty of recognition in the process.

In 2014, under Jenkins’ leadership the district won the Broad Prize for Urban Education, which brought in $500,000 to

“I’m invigorated — I just feel energized when I visit schools and when I’m around our young people. I so believe in their potential and in their future, and I want to be a part of making sure that they are successful.”

— Superintendent Barbara Jenkins

Courtesy photo

go toward student scholarships from the Elie and Edythe Broad Foundation. Of everything Jenkins has accomplished as superintendent, she considers the Board Prize to be one of the highlights.

The county also has received the Governor’s Sterling Award in 2014 and 2015, as well as the Sustained Excellence Award in 2017.

In the last year alone, Jenkins has earned herself two impressive honors — a presidential appointment as the director of the National Board of Education Sciences in January 2017 and the title of Florida Superintendent of the Year.

“I was in shock to be a finalist, because we have so many fine superintendents all across the nation and certainly in Florida as well, so I was honored to represent Florida superintendents,” Jenkins said. “I didn’t get the national superintendent of the year, but to be one of the four finalists, I was so honored and pleased for the state of Florida and any recognition that my peers and I could receive from that.

“Most importantly, that recognition is in honor of my board and my leadership team, and all the people who actually do the work here in Orange County — I didn’t earn that by myself,” she said.

With her family firmly nestled in the Orlando area — her husband, Harold, is a Realtor; her daughter, Hillary, works as an attorney at Holland & Knight; and her son, Harrison, is finishing his last year at UCF — Jenkins has no plans to leave her post any time soon.

“I get calls periodically about other opportunities and other possibilities for jobs in the education field, and I will tell you nothing has attracted me more than Central Florida and the tremendous work being done by our entire community,” Jenkins said. “While we have gotten some great accolades, but there is so much more work to be done here.”

n Has served on a number of boards and councils, including the Orlando Economic Partnership, the Commission for Homelessness and the Winter Park Health Foundation Board of Trustees.

TEACHING HISTORY n Superintendent, OCPS (2012 to present) n Deputy superintendent, OCPS (2010 to 2012) n Chief of staff, OCPS (2006 to 2010) n Assistant superintendent for human resources, CharlotteMecklenburg Schools (1998 to 2005) n Senior director of elementary education, OCPS (1993 to 1998) n Principal, Brookshire Elementary School (1989 to 1993) n Assistant principal, Lakemont/Killarney Elementary Schools (1988 to 1989) n Staff development resource teacher, OCPS (1987 to 1988) n Teacher, Spring Lake and Conway elementary schools (1983 to 1987)

WINDERMERE OBSERVER

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

13

New adventure Eileen Hannigan is the first head coach for the new softball program at Windermere High School.

STEVEN RYZEWSKI SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR

Eileen Hannigan has had trouble staying away from the diamond since about the time she could walk.

“My mom and dad will tell you I could hit a ball pitched to me at 18 months,” said the first head coach for the Windermere High softball team. “I was born to play the game.”

Of course, at first, that game was baseball.

Growing up in northern Virginia, Hannigan played baseball — not softball — until she was a freshman in high school.

There, she traded the baseball diamond for the softball diamond, and although there were some challenges within the tradeoff, it wasn’t long before the passion translated.

“I think it was the friendships that I built in the first six months of playing the game (softball),” Hannigan said. “It was something that I saw a new opportunity in.”

In the two decades after that decision, the new opportunities have continued to come: A scholarship to play college softball at Colorado State University, a career training youth softball and baseball athletes and coaching club softball, a stint as an assistant coach at Purdue University and — most recently — the task of building the Wolverines program from scratch.

THERE AND BACK AGAIN

When her playing career ended, Hannigan finished her undergraduate studies at Colorado University in 2003 with a degree in sports psychology.

Taking some time away from the game after an injury in 2001 had ended her playing career, she continued her studies at Boston University, earning a master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis in sports psychology.

It wasn’t until 2005 that she returned to the sport through Frozen Ropes, where she began to coach and teach the game in the Boston area.

“It kind of turned into that I could make a career and living teaching kids the game I love,” Hannigan said.

In 2006, when Frozen Ropes opened a franchise in northern Virginia, Hannigan took the opportunity to relocate to her home state, where the softball scene was much more robust.

Four years later, she parlayed her experience into opening her own company, Goin Yard, a softball instructional company through which she worked with teams and individuals.

COACH AT HEART

It was during her time working on the training side of things that Hannigan also began to coach travel softball.

At first coaching for the Vienna Stars, she eventually began coaching with the Jersey Intensity, a well-known trav-

Steven Ryzewski

“My goal is always to make you a better athlete and human in the time I spend with you.

If we win some softball games, obviously that’s good — and when I say ‘some,’ I mean a lot.”

— Eileen Hannigan

el program. That experience helped build her résumé, and in 2015, she took on the role of an assistant coach at Purdue University. There, in addition to focusing on the team’s defense, she also got the chance to be on the other side of the recruiting coin from her role as a travel coach — this time hitting the road and looking to bring in recruits, in addition to immersing herself in the minutiae of the game.

“The experience I have from being at the college level is just how to almost break the game down to an exact science,” Hannigan said. “It’s hard to do, but there are always patterns you can find and things you can look for.”

WINDING UP AT WINDERMERE

When Kim Schuette, the head coach who had hired Hannigan at Purdue, resigned in July 2015, Hannigan took the opportunity to relocate to the Orlando area and work for Diamond 9, a softball and baseball events company. She also resumed coaching for Intensity at the

program’s national level.

It was during a period when she was looking to add to her plate that coaching for an actual high-school program came on her radar. Hannigan got a tip about the opening at Windermere as the school was preparing to open in the fall of 2017 and, although she wasn’t interested at first, the idea lingered, and she eventually called a trusted friend to seek out some guidance.

“I said, ‘I’m really bored — what do you think of me taking on high-school softball?’”

Hannigan said. “My friend said to me, ‘I think you’d be amazing at it, and I was actually going to suggest it.’”

This was in early May 2017, and from there, things moved quickly. Told to contact Fred Priest, Windermere’s current football coach and the school’s athletic director at the time, it was only a few days later when she sat down with Priest, Windermere Principal Doug Guthrie and current Athletic Director (then assistant athletic director) Michael Grenci.

“She (Hannigan) came in, and her personality just lights up the room,” Grenci said. “We sat down, and we looked at her résumé and realized how much experience she has — it was a no-brainer.”

Hannigan said she received a phone call within a few hours of the interview’s conclusion and was offered the job. Then came the latest unexpected opportunity — originally figuring she would be an off-campus coach, an opportunity arose given her academic expertise to teach Advanced Placement Psychology.

“A couple months in, I think (teaching is) the greatest deci-

sion I ever could have possibly made,” Hannigan said. “(The kids) make my day amazing.

Getting up at 5 a.m. was not something I ever wanted to do, but yet I look forward to it.”

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

After a meet-and-greet with interested players the second week of school, Hannigan put together a fall team for the Wolverines and that group of mostly sophomores and freshmen went 7-1 during an eight game season.

Now, in addition to her teaching duties, she is hard at work rounding out the preparations for the team’s first season this spring. From picking out uniforms, offseason conditioning and strength training with the team, to coordinating with Windermere High baseball coach Eric Lassiter on how to improve the complex the school’s baseball and softball programs share, Hannigan has been busy laying the foundation for a program — something she hopes her athletes embrace, too.

“The one thing I want them to know is we get to start it all,” Hannigan said. “What we set, the precedent we set, is kind of how the program hopefully will go.”

Coming to the Horizon West/ Windermere area and being familiar with the success of the Windermere Wildfire travel organization, as well as that of neighboring West Orange High — the school which many of her players would otherwise have been zoned for before Windermere opened — Hannigan said she understands how important her program will be to the community.

She also understands she will

be coaching a program with many players with aspirations of playing at the next level and — given her experience in travel ball and at the college level — said she is ready to do what she can to help.

“I see the value in travel ball and … the amount of time that those coaches and those athletes spend working together, I’m appreciative of it,” Hannigan said. “Travel ball still is very much how these girls are going to get to that next level, and my job is to work with those coaches and help these girls have opportunities. We all (coaches) should be going it as, ‘If they want to get there, how can we help?’”

While trying to focus on player development and setting a solid foundation for a first-year program with no seniors, Hannigan is also eager to win from the start. More importantly though, the new leader of the Wolverines softball program is hoping to have a program whose athletes make their community proud.

“My goal is always to make you a better athlete and human in the time I spend with you,” Hannigan said. “If we win some softball games, obviously that’s good — and when I say ‘some,’ I mean a lot.”

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MAY BELL JOHNSON BRYANT DIED THURSDAY, DEC. 28, 2017.

May Bell Johnson Bryant, 93, went to meet her heavenly Father on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017. She was born on May 29, 1924, in Coffee County, Alabama, to George Madison and Molly Idell Johnson.

She married the love of her life, Walter Frank Bryant, on Dec. 30, 1950. They moved to Winter Garden in 1951, where they raised their children and called it home until the Lord called them home.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Frank;

son, Danny; her parents; eight siblings; and grandson, Matt Bryant.

May Bell was a stay-at-home wife and mother who was selfemployed as a seamstress for many years. She was a quiet servant of God who loved doing things for others and for her church, Garden Cathedral Church of God. She will be greatly missed by her children, Sue (David) Robertson, Eddie (Kathy) Bryant and Teddie Bryant. Her grandchildren, who were privileged to call this special lady their “Granny,” are Valerie (Carlos) Tellez, Corrie (Nick) Mastin,

KIMBERLY DYAN DODGE DIED MONDAY, DEC. 25, 2017.

Kimberly Dyan Dodge, 36, currently from Richmond, Texas, passed away on Monday, Dec. 25, 2017.

Kimberly was born in Winter Garden on Nov. 17, 1981, to David and Karen Dodge. She grew up in the Winter Garden community, attended Dillard Street Elementary and Lakeview Middle School and graduated from West Orange High School in 2000.

She met the love of her life, Eduardo, in 2010, and they married in Las Vegas on July 18, 2015. Although she and Eduardo weren’t blessed to have children, they had their dog, Stilton, whom they love very much.

She had a very outgoing personality, an infectious laugh and a beautiful smile that will be missed by all who knew her.

Kimberly was predeceased by her paternal grandparents, Ernest Ailor and Anna Mae Dodge; and her maternal grandparents, Bobby and Ernestine Peters.

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MARY B. ROOT DIED WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20, 2017.

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She moved with her family to Winter Park, Florida, in 1950.

Mrs. Root taught kindergarten and was a secretary, homemaker and a loving Mom. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles A. Root.

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Kimberly enjoyed watching baseball, specifically the Atlanta Braves. She learned to love baseball while watching her two brothers play ball her entire life.

She also enjoyed hanging out with her “crew,” Jamison Pitzer, Laura Williams and Kimberlee Doyle-Signor.

A celebration of Kimberly’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at Temple Free Will Baptist Church, 1208 E. Story Road, Winter Garden, Florida.

Bloom & Grow Garden Society.

Her survivors are: son, Clyde “Skip” Hughes (Robin), in New Smyrna Beach, Florida; daughter, Linda Bridges (Gary); three grandchildren, Danielle Dotson, Carson Bridges and Christopher Hughes; and four greatgrandchildren, Eric and Nacole Dotson and Nixon and Taggart Bridges.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oakland Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 38, Oakland, FL 34760; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101.

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Felecia Bryant, Jeremy Bryant and Chad Robertson; as well as her nine great-grandchildren.

She loved us all selflessly and was a pillar of strength and humbleness. What a perfect example of a Godly woman who loved her family unconditionally!

Thank you to the special staff members of Health Central Park who loved and cared for our mother during the final stages of her earthly journey. A funeral service was held at BaldwinFairchild Funeral Home in Winter Garden, followed by burial at Winter Garden Cemetery, on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018.

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