Times& WEST ORANGE
Observer WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
FEBRUARY 26, 2015
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WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
OUR TOWN
THURSDAY
INSIDE
NEIGHBORHOOD
SPORTS
Blues & BBQ fest set to sizzle in Winter Garden. PAGES 11A
Dads and daughters hit the dance floor at 2015 Westbrooke ball. PAGE 9A
Southpaw Juan Hillman leads Olympia baseball. PAGE 1B
OCOEE DEVELOPMENT by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Commission OKs assisted-living facility The 150-bed FKA Inspired Living facility could open in March 2016 on Tomyn Boulevard. OCOEE — A three-story, 150-bed, 102,729-square-foot FKA Inspired Living assisted-living facility could open as soon as March 2016 on Tomyn Boulevard, following a unanimous approval of the final site plan from the Ocoee City Commission.
Commission members and nearby residents had concerns about lighting, a lack of fences and traffic lights, the speed of the project, tree removal and security of the back of the neighborhood just east of the site, Blackjack Oak Street. Members of the develop-
ment team were present to address these concerns and agreed to the commission’s approval with the condition that the developers meet with residents after installing a fence on that eastern side of the property. To the north of the property
OAKLAND — At Saturday’s open house at the Oakland Nature Preserve, visitors can learn how to weave palm fronds, try out a bow and arrow, find out about geocaching and get an update on Lake Apopka. The annual event takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 28 and gives residents a chance to explore the grounds, learn the area’s history and see how far the preserve has come in its restoration efforts. Free presentations will be made throughout the day, including Jim Peterson’s Lake Apopka update, an overview of the lake’s North Shore Project by Jim Thomas, Peggie Lantz’s talk on wild edible
+ W.O. Chamber offers orientation
SEE OAKLAND / PAGE 4A
The West Orange Chamber of Commerce will host a new-member orientation and refresher from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at the chamber, 12184 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden. To RSVP, visit wochamber.com or call (407) 6561304, Ext. 2.
This week’s winner is
Barbara Stanczak. See the photo on PAGE 8B.
SEE OCOEE / PAGE 4A
Courtesy
Timucuan tribe member and child, courtesy of Theodore Morris. Learn about Lake Apopka’s earliest settlers in a 10 a.m. program in the ONP education classroom.
hands-on learning by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Foundation Academy builds award-winning robotics program A high-school course just began; the middle-school program is in its third year.
+ JCCF to host charity tourney
WO
Assistant City Manager Craig Shadrix presented outlines of a plan to grow busi-
Oakland preserve to host open house
Two families celebrated the births of their new children recently. Matthew and Le Ann Key, of Winter Garden, are the parents of a baby boy, Levi Allen Key, born Oct. 21, 2014. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and measured 20-and-one-half inches long at birth. Levi joins an older brother, McCoy. Grandparents are Gary and Debbie Edmondson, of Windermere, and Brenda Key, of Winter Garden. Jacqueline and Sean Hirst, of Ocoee, welcomed their first child, Maximus Bennett Sebastian Hirst, on Dec. 24, 2014, at Winnie Palmer Hospital, in Orlando. Maximus weighed 7 pounds, 5 ounces and was 20 inches long at birth.
I
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND MASTER PLANNING
ness and revitalize downtown Ocoee, with three key items: a new downtown master plan, an economic development program targeting high-wage jobs and a strategy for commercial marketing and retail.
OUTDOORS by Amy Quesinberry Rhode | Community Editor
+ Welcome to the world!
The fifth annual JCCF Charity Golf Tournament will take place Monday, March 9, at the West Orange Country Club, 3300 West Orange Country Club Drive, Winter Garden. Tickets are $100 per player; register at jccancerfund.org. The public is invited to join the JCCF for a pork dinner that evening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The silent auction will be open from noon to 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit JCCF.
is Patriots Point Drive; to the west, Warrior Road; and to the south, Windermere Road.
Michael Eng
Samara Muller was pretty in pink at the Metrowest Elementary School PTA Color Run, held Feb. 21 at Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake. For more photos, see page 7A or visit wotimes.com.
WINTER GARDEN — Not even three years ago, Foundation Academy introduced its first robotics class for middle-school students. Next month, one of its two teams will go to a state robotics competition, putting it among the top 48 teams among 538 in Florida.
Team Elite Ostriches, coached by Jessica Sullivan, Sean Fitzpatrick and Shannon Albertson, won first place in core values Feb. 7 at the FIRST LEGO League Regional Tournament, advancing to the FIRST LEGO
SEE ROBOTS / PAGE 6A
MILLER’S TIME by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Ocoee welcomes new fire chief John Miller served as Orlando’s fire chief since 2010. He will take the reins in Ocoee next month. OCOEE — A man with 30 years of experience and leadership as a Florida firefighter will officially assume command of the Ocoee Fire Department on March 23. Ocoee City Manager Robert Frank appointed John Miller, Orlando’s fire chief since 2010, as Ocoee’s new fire chief. Before Miller, 52, joined the Orlando Fire Department, he
was a fire lieutenant with the city of Newberry in the Gainesville area and then worked at the Kissimmee Fire Department. “My wife — we’ve been together 36 years — talked me into it,” Miller said. “I stopped going to college and went to fire school. I have risen through the ranks of the organization all the way to fire
chief. The only reason I’m leaving Orlando is because I’m retirement eligible. Ocoee is a great opportunity to help it grow and develop. It just seemed like a great challenge for me. I have at least 10 good years left in me.” In his responsibilities as Orlando fire chief, Miller oversees around 600 people, he said, with chief officers allowing him to advance as they wit-
SEE CHIEF / PAGE 6A
Zak Kerr
Team Mystified won the Judges’ Award Feb. 7 at the middle-school FIRST LEGO League Regional Tournament. Front row, from left: Jacob O’Brien, Bryson Boast, Ryan Baltodano, Braxton Tomecek. Second row, from left: Preston Pankalla, Luke Eazer, Logan Estrada and Josh Albertson. Back row, from left: Pete Valdes, Callum Ingram-Knepper and Sadat Kasem.
INDEX Arts & Culture.......................11A Classifieds..............................6B
Community Calendar..............2A Crossword...............................8B
History..................................15A Obituaries.............................15A
Sports.....................................1B Weather..................................8B
Vol. 82, No. 9 , Two sections
WOTimes.com