“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals,” author Melody Beattie once wrote.
For Lake County, government officials have a lot of new goals in mind for 2016 and some existing ones they hope will come to fruition this year.
In Lake County, officials hope to receive state funding for the Center for Advanced Manufacturing, a new center to train workers in manufacturing, welding and welding at Lake Technical College. The center is key to bringing high-wage jobs to the region, according to county officials.
The center would serve as a manufacturing incubator and advanced manufacturing and IT training program within the county, according to county documents.
The Center for Advanced Manufacturing is a partnership between Lake Technical College and the county. The center’s curriculum will be tailored to existing companies and companies the county hopes to target in light manufacturing, clean manufacturing and technology.
County commissioners also hope to finalize a plan to transform 15,481 acres in the southeast corner of the county into a hub for high-tech, high-wage health care jobs and other industries. The Wellness Way plan envisioned by Commissioner Sean Parks and business leaders has been called the largest piece of undeveloped property left in Lake County.
The tract runs east of U.S. Highway 27 along the Orange County border, running south from State Road 50 to U.S. Highway 192. The plan is a collaborative effort between numerous landowners, the city of Clermont and the county. The county recently approved a settlement agreement with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to finalize the plan.
In Leesburg, Venetian Gardens will be getting a $1.3 million facelift this year that includes a 3,300-square-foot splash pad for children along with a new Kids Korner playground, a pavilion, landscaping, additional parking, sidewalks, and renovation and expansion of existing restrooms. Construction will get underway by late summer.
In Tavares, officials are looking forward to getting started this year on a new Public Safety Complex to house the city’s police, fire and emergency operations. The $10 million project will be built on Alfred Street.
Other projects in the works in Tavares include a $1.2 million Veterans Clinic, which is under construction across the street from Florida Hospital Waterman; Tavares Square, which is expected to be a minimum of $10 million in private investment; and a downtown hotel, a $3 million, multi-story facility.
In Eustis, Housing Trust Group, a real estate developer based in Coconut Grove, hopes to have most of Valencia Grove completed this year. The $21 million, 144-unit affordable housing community, targeting families, is being built on about nine acres north of Huffstetler Drive.
Also underway in Eustis are Ferran Park Phase 2 improvements. Pending are Palmetto Plaza Phase 2 improvements, Marsh Park improvemens and the new Eustis Retail Center on U.S. Highway 441.
In Mount Dora, the Tremain Street Greenway project is picking up speed, while work is underway on phase III of the Downtown Improvement Project in the historic downtown commercial core.
In Umatilla, the Orange Avenue stormwater and utility project is nearing its completion after nearly three years of planning and construction.
In Fruitland Park, more than 100 homes have been built so far in The Villages of Fruitland Park, with as many as 4,000 planned at build out. As a result, city officials want to spend about $2.5 million to build new facilities to pump the city’s sewage to Lady Lake’s regional wastewater treatment plant. They see this as a key to bring in more residential and commercial development along County Road 466A, which is being widened.
In Clermont, a lot of attention this year will focus on the Clermont Arts and Recreation Center. The Performing Arts Center inside the building kicked off its inaugural season just three months ago and, with the city now managing the facility, will begin bringing in more diverse entertainment.
Next to the Arts and Recreation Center is where construction is taking place for the city’s new $7.3 million police station, slated for opening next year.
Last March, the city passed a master plan that will guide Clermont’s development for the next 10-20 years.
“You’ll be hearing more about this in 2016,” City Manager Daren Gray said in a holiday newsletter.
Mascotte will hire a new police chief this year after former Chief Rolando Banasco resigned a few weeks ago amid complaints from police officers and departmental staffers.
After years of planning, a new LakeXpress commuter bus service from Mascotte to Winter Garden also was kicked off a few weeks ago and officials expect as many as 36,000 riders this year.
In Groveland, the massive 2,500-acre Villa City development is scheduled to break ground this year, with build out in 2035. When completed, the new development, located on Villa City Road and U.S. Highway 27 near a portion of the Florida Turnpike, will include a mixed-use town center, 1,610 single family dwellings, 900 multi-family apartments, an active adult community featuring 3,054 senior adult dwellings, offices and an industrial park, 245,000 square feet of shopping and general office space and an 18-hole golf course, according to planning documents.
More fireworks are expected in Groveland this year as plans progress for realigning State Road 50 north of the city. Several residents have hired attorneys after learning they will have a major highway in their backyards.
In Mascotte, officials this year hope to complete a pipeline that will connect Mascotte to Groveland’s wastewater treatment plant, allowing a change from septic to sewer, a move officials hope will attract new businesses to town.