A
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF
2007
STATE OF THE
NOVEMBER 13, 2007
The
Lake County Board of
OFFICIATING
Commr.
Welton G. Cadwell, Chairman, Lake County Board of
INVOCATION
Mr.
Ken Harley, Public Transportation Manager, gave the Invocation.
PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE
Sheriff
Gary Borders led the Pledge of Allegiance.
2007
WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
Commr.
Jennifer Hill explained that the Lake County Women’s Hall of Fame was created
by the Board of County Commissioners in 1995, and 21 women were now enshrined
into it. She announced that the Lake
County Women’s Hall of Fame inductees for 2007 were Ms. Antoinette (Minnie)
Viti, a volunteer for 43 years at the South Lake Hospital Volunteer Services;
and Ms. Barbara Mittermaier, President of the Performing Arts of Lake and
Sumter Counties (PALS). She provided
brief narratives on the accomplishments of Ms. Viti and Ms. Mittermaier, who
were both presented with plaques commemorating their induction into the 2007
Women’s Hall of Fame.
PRESENTATION
OF PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS AWARDS
Commr.
Stivender, as the liaison to the Arts and Cultural society, presented the Performing and Visual
Arts Awards to the following individuals, giving a brief narrative on the
accomplishments of the individuals and the groups they represented:
Ms. Amy Griffin, Executive Director,
Ms. Christina Padgett, Executive
Co-Chair for
Ms. Kristin Van Dorn, Executive
Director of the
Ms. Audrey Sanders, Executive
Director of the
Ms. Sue Thomas, Vice President for
the Melon Patch Players
Ms. Beverly Steele, Founder of Young
Performing Artists
Ms. Elizabeth Drew Scholl, Executive
Director of
Ms. Janice E. Shelton, Executive
Director of Moonlight Players
Mr. Robert Acosta, Executive Director
of Icehouse Theater
Commr. Stivender noted that
STATE OF THE
Commr.
Cadwell presented a video presentation and referred everyone to the annual
report in the booklet that was handed out.
He pointed out that all of the materials were done in house in what he
believed was the best community outreach effort in the State of
The
video mentioned some of the new projects that were unveiled by various County
Departments this year. One of those was
a new team of park rangers from the Parks and Trails Division in December of
2006, who secured and promoted the County’s 37 parks, boat ramps, trails and
Blueways and developed educational activities including guided hikes, kayak
trips, and bird watching tours. Also,
the Boundless Playground, the construction of the four-mile long South Lake
Trail, and the Arnold Brothers recreational facility were all completed in
2007. With the efforts of the Public
Lands Acquisition Advisory Council (PLAAC) working with the County, the County
closed on seven properties totaling 1,231 acres in sensitive land in two
recognized environmentally-sensitive areas, which were the
The
County garnered awards in several different departments. The Flood Plain Determination and Mapping Program
earned a National Association of Counties Achievement Award; this program
provides property owners with accurate data and allows staff to add or revise a
flood plain. Public Works earned a team
award from the Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents
for completing the special assessment project at the Hilltop Sorrento
neighborhood, which was done in house for a savings of nearly half a million
dollars. Also, the Department of
Information Outreach received five Red Baron Media Awards as well as several
printing awards for the Citizen’s Handbook and the County’s new official
stationery.
There were other note-worthy
accomplishments for the County during 2007, including the introduction by the
Building Services Division in 2007 of a software package for building
inspectors enabling them to use BlackBerry cell phones to view inspection
schedules, research inspection and contractor histories, create new
inspections, and instantly submit completed inspections. Also, the Office of the
The County and other partners quickly
responded to the tornadoes of February 2 in Lady Lake and Lake Mack, including
the conducting of search and rescue operations and setting up the Emergency
Operations Center. While the Department
of Public Safety led the disaster response, numerous other County departments
assisted with the operation. The Department of Public Safety continues to
prepare for future emergencies and had conducted a large disaster multi-agency
drill in July with the Sheriff’s Office, Fire Rescue Division, Health
Department, Lake Sumter EMS, and
ADJOURNMENT
There
being no further business to be brought to the attention of those present, the
State of the
____________________________________
WELTON
G. CADWELL, CHAIRMAN
ATTEST:
__________________________
NEIL KELLY, CLERK