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September 4, 2009
- City News |
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Mayor's
Message |
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Dear Friend,
On Friday, September
18, the City will kick off Hispanic Heritage
Month with our third annual celebration in the
City Hall rotunda at 5 p.m. Hispanic Heritage
month runs from September 15 to October 15 and
coincides with the anniversary of Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua
declaring their independence in 1821 as well as
the independence days of Mexico and Chile.
Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to
remind us of the contributions Hispanics have
made to our community and nation.
Other community
activities celebrating the month include the
Orlando Hispanic Film Festival, running from
September 16 to September 20 at the Plaza Cinema
Café in Downtown Orlando. This cinema event
features films by independent filmmakers from
around the world and showcases their work right
here in Orlando.
The City
recognizes the important role our Hispanic
community plays and continues to reach out to
Hispanic residents through our Hispanic Office
of Local Assistance (HOLA). Located at 595 North
Primrose Drive, the HOLA Office provides
Hispanic residents with information about our
community and services, as well as access to
computers.
For those of you
reading this in English, you may not know that
the City also provides City News in Spanish on
Orlando en Español, the Spanish version of
CityofOrlando.net In addition to providing my
message and the other sections of City News each
week, Orlando en Español also provides
information on city departments, initiatives and
programs.
Our Hispanic
residents have brought culture and traditions to
our City from many different countries. I
encourage you to make some time this month and
participate in some of the exciting activities
planned for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Sincerely,
Buddy Dyer
Mayor |
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Labor Day
Holiday Notice |
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City Offices will be
closed on Monday, September 7 for the Labor Day
holiday. All regular scheduled garbage and
recycling pick up will be collected on September
7. It is important for residents to have their
garbage out before 6 a.m. to ensure pick up
as routes tend to run ahead of schedule on
holidays. |
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Buy
Local Orlando Highlight
 Buy
Local Orlando is under way and each week
we want to make sure you know that you can get
great deals, discounts and offers. There are
more than 150 merchant members participating in
the Buy Local Orlando campaign
offering special offers and discounts
exclusively to Buy Local Orlando
consumers.
- Arepas &
More Café (207 North Bumby) offers Buy Local Orlando
consumers a 15% discount on all fruit
shakes. Call 407.894.5262 for more
information or visit arepasandmore.com for a
full menu.
- Specializing
in carpentry, John Silva Construction
offers Buy Local Orlando
consumers 15% off kitchen or bath
installation. Call 407.797.1113 for more
information or to see photos of their work,
visit http://www.facebook.com/kitchenbathinstall.
- Stop by
Colonial Photo & Hobby (634 North Mills
Avenue) today to view their unique blend of
photography and hobby products. Buy Local Orlando
consumers receive a free lens cloth with
camera purchase, $20 off any train starter
sets of $100 or more, 10% off any custom
picture framing order and $10 gift card with
any helicopter, r/c car or plane purchase of
$100 or more. Visit cphfun.com or call
407.841.1485 for more details.
For more
information on the Buy Local Orlando
program, please visit
buylocalorlando.net.
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September 11 Memorial Service
 On September 11,
the Orlando Fire Department will host a
candlelight memorial service to honor the 343 New York
City firefighters who lost their
lives in the September 11, 2001 attack, paying
the ultimate sacrifice for the job they loved.
The public is
invited to attend this ceremony featuring the
Orlando Fire Department Honor Guard and the
Orlando Firefighters Pipes and Drums Corps who will
lead the annual tribute to the brave men who
perished on that tragic day eight years ago. The
lighting of 345 candles, one for each
firefighter lost on September 11, and the
poignant strains of Amazing Grace will highlight
this event at 7:30 p.m. at Orlando Firehouse 1,
439 South Magnolia Avenue. |
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Tips to Lower Your Utility Bill
You can help lower
your bill by taking a free online home energy
audit. The Orlando Utilities Commission’s (OUC)
free Online Home Energy Audit provides
residential electric users - OUC customers and
non-OUC customers — with detailed tips on saving
energy based on the household information you
provide. Find this and other energy savings tips
at
ouc.com.
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Turner School of Construction Management
Graduation Ceremony
On Tuesday, 95
local business owners graduated from a six-week
construction management training course offered
by the City of Orlando’s BLUEPRINT Program
Office in partnership with Turner Construction.
BLUEPRINT is the
City’s initiative to ensure that maximum
opportunities are awarded to local, small and
disadvantaged businesses, as well as minorities
and women, in the areas of job creation and
training, business development and the
procurement of goods, professional and
construction services in association with the
construction of the new Community Venues.
Class topics
included an estimating boot camp, project and
budget control, strategic business planning,
risk management, construction accounting and
other elements vital to the success of
construction-related businesses. Previous
graduates from the class have included IROK
Construction, Gracicarl’s Construction and Ortiz
Plumbing, all of which have been awarded
contracts on the Amway Center.
Amway Center Webcam
 You
don’t have to drive downtown to see the progress
of the Amway Center. Watch the progress of the
construction with the Amway Center Webcams.
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, the cameras
take a picture every 15 minutes and save the
photos so viewers can watch the progress like a
movie. The webcams can be found online.
Community Venues Construction Update
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The City Commission will hold two public
hearings on the City’s 2009-2010 budget at 5:01
p.m. on Monday, September 14 and Monday,
September 21 in the City Commission Chambers,
second floor, City Hall. For information on the
proposed budget, visit
cityoforlando.net/budget. |
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Did You Know? |
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POW-MIA Ceremony at City Hall
 Join
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and his Veterans
Advisory Council, September 18 at 11 a.m. in
the City Hall Rotunda. This year’s ceremony
will be conducted by the Cadets of AFROTC
Detachment 159 from the University of
Central Florida. This moving ceremony will
remember those in our military who have been
taken as prisoners of war or are still
missing in action while fighting to defend
our freedom. For more information click
here.
New
“Live, Work and Play in Orlando” Video
Online
 You
can catch numerous City videos featuring
events and City services online at the
City’s website or on YouTube. Currently, the
City is highlighting our “Live,
Work and Play” video, featuring the
lifestyle and many amenities of our City.
Donate to Help Save Lake Eola Park Fountain
 The
Lake Eola Park Fountain is currently
inoperable due to damage from a lightning
strike. This historic fountain has been the
central feature of Lake Eola Park and
Downtown Orlando since its installation in
1957. The outpouring of concern for the
state of the Lake Eola Park Fountain has
been a testament to its significance as a
local landmark. The City appreciates its
residents’ desire to help in this situation
and would like to address the fastest and
most effective way people can make a
difference.
People can make
a tax-deductible donation specifically for
the Lake Eola Park Fountain. The City’s
Families, Parks and Recreation Department
manages
Orlando Community and Youth Trust, Inc.
(OCYT), the 501(c)(3) non-profit fundraising
arm of the organization. If you are
interested in supporting the Lake Eola Park
Fountain restoration project, go to the
OCYT
website to donate either using PayPal or
check or contact Brenda March, the
President of OCYT at
Brenda.March@cityoforlando.net or
407.246.4295.
Watch a history of the Lake Eola Fountain.
Washington Shores
Community Planning Day
 Please
join Commissioner Samuel B. Ings and staff
from various City departments for a
Community Planning day to envision the
future of Washington Shores on Saturday,
September 12, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
at the Hope Church, 3032 Monte Carol Trail.
Washington Shores citizens, business owners
and property owners are invited to attend. A
wide range of topics will be discussed,
including future development opportunities,
traffic, housing, parks, urban design and
security issues.
More information
regarding a Vision Task Force that is
participating with the community can be
found online. Contact Michaelle Petion, City
Planner, at 407.246.3837 or
Michaelle.Petion@cityoforlando.net to
RSVP. Light breakfast will be served.
Veterans Day Parade
 The
City of Orlando is now accepting applications for the
2009 Veterans Day Parade. The parade will be held at 10
a.m. on November 14 in Downtown Orlando. If you are
interested in participating in this year’s Veterans Day
Parade, please
click here. Applications and fees are due
on October 9.
Represent Orlando in the Urayasu
Half-Marathon
 The City of Orlando and the Orlando Runners Club
participate in a cultural and friendship
exchange each year with our sister city,
Urayasu,
Japan and the Urayasu Runners Club. As part of the
exchange program, four runners (one male and one
female over the age of 40 and one male and one
female under the age of 40) are selected each
year to travel to Japan to run in the Tokyo Bay
Urayasu City (Half) Marathon, tentatively
scheduled for February 3-9, 2010. The
deadline for entry is September 11.
Please
click here for more information on the run or
click here
to download an application.
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Mayor in the
Community |
- On
Wednesday, Mayor Buddy Dyer met with Kyle
Post and Stacey Doornhos, winners of the
Orlando-Orange County Convention and
Visitors Bureau 67 Days of Smiles contest.
The two New York City residents will visit
100 attractions in Central Florida in a
little over two months. They will stay in a
Downtown Orlando condo and use social media
outlets to share their experiences.
- On Friday,
Mayor Dyer recognized the significant
contributions of the Arnold Palmer Medical
Center to the Central Florida community at
its 20th birthday celebration.
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Upcoming
Events |
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City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
Fax: 407.246.2842 Email:
buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net |
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