Times& WEST ORANGE
Observer WEST ORANGE COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER FOR 109 YEARS
THURSDAY
APRIL 30, 2015
FREE
WINTER GARDEN, FLORIDA
SPORTS ARTS
INSIDE
Friendships bolster Windermere Prep pitching staff. PAGE 1B
Westbrooke boys, moms team up at tailgate bash. PAGE 12A
OUR TOWN
Garden Theatre flies high with ‘Peter Pan.’ PAGE 13A
growth by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
West Oaks Mall owners consider redevelopment Ideas for the center include making it open-air and adding a residential component, office space and a hotel.
+ Preserve to host insect safari Have you ever been bitten by a bug you couldn’t see? Think you may have bed bugs? Learn how to be your own bug detective and find these secret-agent insects for yourself during Oakland Nature Preserve’s monthly Insect Safari at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 2, at the preserve, 747 Machete Trail, Oakland. Admission is free. For more, call (407) 9050054.
OCOEE — With plans for development in Ocoee gaining steam, one of the biggest targets for reinvigoration is West Oaks Mall, which is ap-
proaching its 19th birthday late this year. Ocoee officials have begun talks with representatives of Moonbeam Capital Invest-
ments, the group that owns the mall, on potential redevelopment, including the possi-
WEST OAKS / PAGE 8A
This fountain could become the centerpiece of West Oaks Mall’s redevelopment.
FINISHING THE FIGHT
+ We’re looking for the best mom!
U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster spoke at the opening ceremonies.
Do you have the best mom in West Orange? If so, we want to hear from you for a chance to win fabulous prizes in our Mother’s Day Contest. Entering is easy! Just submit a handwritten letter that states why your mom is the best, and she will have a chance to win a $100 gift card, dinner for two at The Big Easy, a bouquet of flowers from Shaw’s Florist and a spa gift certificate from Asian Retreat. The contest is open to kids ages 5 to 12. Submit your entries by 9 a.m. Monday, May 4, to the West Orange Times & Observer office, 720 S. Dillard St., Winter Garden. For more, call (407) 656-2121.
RELAY FOR LIFE by Michael Eng | Executive Editor
I
WO This week’s winner is
Dwight Carter.
See the photo on PAGE 9B.
HEALTHY DEBATE by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
West Orange alliance plans to sell building The West Orange Healthcare District hopes to dissuade the alliance. WINTER GARDEN — When the board of the West Orange Healthcare District bequeathed the lot at 1210 E. Plant Street to the West Orange Health Alliance in June 1999, the leaders of both organizations had intentions to make the building a destination for the underinsured and underserved people of West Orange to receive medical assistance. Although the boards of both organizations have maintained a desire to serve such populations, their opinions on what to do with that property now differ. Whereas WOHD board members would like WOHA to keep the property under the management of a nonprofit, WOHA board members are
+ Ocoee High to host fair Ocoee High School will host its annual Curriculum Fair from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, in the school cafeteria, 1925 Ocoee Crown Point Parkway, Ocoee. Parents and students are invited to meet the teachers of the school’s Advanced Placement and elective courses. This will also be the only time students will be able to request a schedule change for next school year. The fair is open to our incoming middle school students and parents, as well.
Courtesy
SEE ALLIANCE / PAGE 8A Local cancer survivors — decked out in special Relay for Life 2015 shirts — kicked off the Relay with the Survivors Lap.
N
early 350 participants representing 29 different teams took to the streets for the annual Relay for Life of Winter Garden April 24 and 25 in downtown Winter Garden. The annual Relay, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, began with a moving
testimony by Tisha Rambaransingh, a breast cancer survivor and West Orange High School teacher, followed by the Survivors Lap and Caregivers Lap. The Relay concluded at 8 a.m. Saturday with the ceremonial final lap and closing ceremonies. Courtesy photo
SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 4A Donna Wolfenden received many compliments for her purple hair.
The West Orange Health Alliance has plans to sell this East Plant Street building to Toowoomba LLC.
DEVELOPMENT by Zak Kerr | Staff Writer
Ocoee Commission passes preliminary plan for City Center The project could bring $200 million to $300 million of economic impact to the West Orange city. OCOEE — The Ocoee City Commission passed the preliminary site and subdivision plan for the City Center West Orange project at its regular meeting April 21.
This project incorporates a 54.74-acre plot that is along Maine Street, east of South Bluford Avenue, north of West Colonial Drive and partially adjoins Lake Bennet.
In the one parcel on the lake among four parcels on the property, 15.84-acre Parcel 2, developers from Park Development Corporation proposed a 2.4 million-square-
foot mixed-use commercial, office and multi-family development accessible by Richmond Avenue and Ocoee Town Center Boulevard extending from South Bluford Avenue
Community Calendar..............2A Cops Corner............................8A
Crossword...............................9B Obituaries.............................19A
Sports.....................................1B Weather..................................9B
INDEX Arts & Culture.......................13A Classifieds........................... 10B
from the southwest. The other three parcels will be reserved for right-of-way, open space, stormwater abatement and
SEE OCOEE / PAGE 6A Vol. 82, No. 18 , Two sections
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