January 2, 2009 - City News

Mayor's Message

It’s hard to believe another year is upon us. While 2008 was a historic year for our country with the election of Barack Obama as president, the year also brought economic challenges. Yet, the City of Orlando was able to persevere and celebrate some successes in 2008, including beginning construction on a new events center, breaking ground on the Medical City in Lake Nona, securing the VA Hospital in Orlando, launching Orlando STOPS – the red light camera system, and swearing in a new Chief of Police.

I look forward to building on these successes in 2009. While I know many of our residents continue to face difficult times, I am committed to working with the community to ensure Orlando withstands the current economic downturn and is prepared for future opportunities.

Happy 2009!

Sincerely,

Buddy Dyer
Mayor
 

This section of City News provides public safety updates on new and ongoing City initiatives and opportunities for citizens to become engaged in their neighborhoods.

Orlando Police Officers Bring Holiday Cheer Round-Up

On December 18, the Orlando Police Department hosted “Shop with a Cop.” This event provided local youth with an opportunity to purchase gifts for themselves and their family at the Kirkman Road Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart chose several local elementary schools and provided $40 gift cards to the children to use during their shopping trip with the Orlando Police Department’s School Resource Officers.  

On December 19, members of the Orlando Police Department’s Parramore Bike Unit, West Neighborhood Patrol Unit and the Community Involvement Section hosted the annual Jackson Community Center Christmas party.  The party provided a gift and Christmas dinner to more than 200 children in Parramore and surrounding neighborhoods.  The success of this event was made possible by the generous contributions from residents and local businesses.

Hug a Bear

The Waterbridge Elementary School student council donated 100 stuffed bears to the Orlando Police Department to be used for the Hug a Bear project. The bears were distributed to various sections within the police department who work closely with child victims, such as the Crimes Against Children Unit, School Resource Officers and the Patrol Unit. Officers will give the bears to children who have been victimized or witnessed a tragic event.
 

If every household in America switched five regular light bulbs with five compact fluorescent bulbs, it would be the equivalent of taking a million cars off the highways for a full year. Compact fluorescent bulbs use 70 percent less electricity to provide the same amount of light and will last approximately 10,000 hours compared with 1,000 hours for the typical incandescent bulb.

This simple task will continue to save you money on your electric bill month after month. Take an inventory of the lights in your house and which ones are used the most and replace those with compact fluorescent bulbs. And of course – remember to turn off the lights when you are not using them. Keeping your electric bill low and helping the environment can be as easy as changing a light bulb.
 

Watch the progress of the construction of the new Events Center with the Events Center Webcam. Showing a bird’s eye view of the two blocks south of Church Street and west of I-4 which will become the home of the City’s new venue for sports, music and entertainment, this camera takes a picture every 15 minutes and saves the photos so viewers can watch the progress like a movie. The webcam can be found online.

Community Venues Construction Update
 

Mayor In The Community

• On Saturday, December 27, Mayor Buddy Dyer attended the Champs Sports Bowl, where Florida State University defeated the University of Wisconsin at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
   
• On Tuesday, December 30, Mayor Buddy Dyer participated on the City of Orlando’s float in the Orlando Citrus Parade in Downtown Orlando. The parade was broadcast by tape-delay nationally and aired in Orlando on Thursday morning on ABC.
   
• On Thursday, January 1, Mayor Dyer attended Orlando’s second bowl game, the Capital One Bowl, where the University of Georgia defeated Michigan State.

Did You Know?

Parramore Tennis Program

In collaboration with the City of Orlando, United States Tennis Association (USTA) of Florida partnered with the University of Central Florida Tennis Foundation to introduce tennis to the children of Parramore at the Dr. J. B. Callahan Community Center. This year, 30 children were introduced to tennis using the new QuickStart format of play, which provides a way to bring kids 10 and under into the game by utilizing equipment, court dimensions and scoring that is tailored to their age and size.

The eight-week program took place every Tuesday for two hours and recently ended its last session on December 16. The QuickStart Tennis format of play was popular with the children because they could immediately pick up a racquet and play with their friends.

Every child from the program will go on to participate in the 2009 Spring USTA Jr. Team Tennis season at the Orlando Tennis Center. The children will play in the eight and under QuickStart Tennis division, which is the first time it will be offered as part of the USTA Jr. Team Tennis league in Orlando.

In addition, the UCF Tennis Foundation paid for USTA memberships for all 30 participants. With these USTA memberships, every child received a youth Wilson US Open tennis racket, EZ Hit foam tennis balls, a USTA membership card and a one-year subscription to Smash and Play Tennis Florida magazines.

It is the goal of all the organizations involved to reach more children at the Callahan Community Center and have them play the lifetime sport of tennis. In addition to the 2009 Spring USTA Jr. Team Tennis league, USTA Jr. Team Tennis leagues will be offered in the summer and fall. For more information on City of Orlando youth recreation programs, visit cityoforlando.net
 

Upcoming Events

City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
Fax: 407.246.2842 Email: buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net