Narcoossee nears completion
Many of you will remember the years of effort to start construction on Narcoossee Road. And, many of you will remember the years of effort to finish construction. The widening of Narcoossee Road (C.R. 15), from the BeachLine Expressway (S.R. 528) to Lee Vista Boulevard, is almost completed now.
The contractor is on-site working on the final “punch list.” The project also includes improved storm water drainage, medians, landscaping, sidewalks and bike lanes. The City of Orlando added other improvements including a sanitary sewer line and a reclaimed water line along the whole length of the road and an underground duct-bank for communication utilities. The road has been designed so that it can be expanded to six lanes in the future. Many thanks to the city staff responsible for getting this done.
New Valencia campus breaks ground
On June 22, Valencia College held the groundbreaking ceremony at its Narcoossee Road campus in Southeast Orlando. Valencia is building an 85,000-square-foot academic building right next to Lake Nona High School. This will be the first of four buildings at this campus. This new campus facility aims at enabling more people to pursue their education and get jobs. It is scheduled to open for classes beginning August 2012.
Redistricting
The Orlando City Commission is divided into six districts. The districts are based on population so that each is about equal. However, since 2002 when the districts were last drawn, the population of the city has changed dramatically. Redistricting occurs every 10 years, following each national census, so it is time to adjust the district boundaries. A Redistricting Advisory Board (RAB) has been established to make recommendations to the Commission about the new district boundaries. Citizen input is critical, so the board will hold public hearings in each of the six commission districts so that all residents can be heard. The RAB also has a Web page on the city’s Web site, which provides information about the public hearings, the redistricting process and ways for the public to get more information. Visit www.cityoforlando.net/cityclerk/boards/redistricting.htm
Contact me
From time to time, I send e-mails to keep people up to date on District 1 issues and events. If you would like to be added to or removed from this list so that you can also be up to date and receive these e-mails (or removed from the list), please e-mail or call.
If you have any other questions, comments or concerns, please call me at 407-246-2001 or e-mail me at phil.diamond@cityoforlando.net. My aide, Jeanne Wilson, can be reached at 407-246-3011 or e-mail at jeanne.wilson@cityoforlando.net and police officer Edgar Malave can be reached at 407-246-2513 or e-mail at edgar.malave@cityoforlando.net. Our Web site is www.cityoforlando.net/district1