Horizon West residents hear library update

Residents of Horizon West were brought up to date on the state of their community during a town hall event, hosted by Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson, Nov. 17, at Horizon High School. Public service representatives were on hand to give overviews and updates on projects, plans and offerings.

“This is really about all the pieces and parts that come together for our community,” said Wilson. “And it’s about you, it’s about your concerns and your issues.”

Danielle King, chief branch officer at Orange County Library System, updated the audience on the status of the Horizon West Library. The OCLS Board of Trustees voted in July to approve a proposal, from the City of Orlando and Orange County, to lease property next to the Horizon West Regional Park. “This is very exciting for us,” she said. “Originally we would have had to purchase 17 acres and now we have the option of having a ground lease, and a 20,000 square foot library building on approximately one to three acres.” The project is contingent upon approval from the library board, City of Orlando and Orange County.

The ground lease will be for 30 years with three, five-year options. OCLS would pay for building construction, parking lot and access roads. The library also will have an outdoor event area. “None of our other libraries have this,” said King. “We can do amazing environmental programs out there… we’re very excited about having this option.”

According to King, OCLS has been discussing contract details with the county and city officials every other week since July. A formal request for architect proposals was made in October and the final list of three firms will be brought before the library board next month. 

“We also put out a request for the construction manager,” said King. “This went out in November  and they will be sending their proposals to us in January.” After review, the top three candidate proposals will be brought before the board.

Residents are invited to take a survey at OCLS.info/libraryexpansion to express their views on what they want included in the new library.

OTHER ITEMS

District 4 School Board member Pam Gould mentioned the return of Generation Wow: a high-energy, impact program that began in 2018 open to professional women who are interested in mentoring teen girls. The event will be held virtually in 2022, details are forthcoming.

Humberto Castillero, traffic engineer with Orange County Public Works, gave an overview of recent speed control strategies including: speed limit reductions, raised crosswalks and speed humps. Castillero also mentioned several traffic light installations had been delayed due to supply chain issues.

Orange County Fire Department Division Chief Anthony Rios gave a progress report on four stations: Fire Station 32 at 14932 East Orange Lake Blvd., relocating to Hartzog and Avalon Roads in 2022-23; Fire Station 44 at 16990 Porter Rd., relocating to Summer Lake Park Blvd. and Reams Road in 2022; Fire Station 48 to be temporarily relocated to 16990 Porter Road in 2022; Fire Station 49 planned for Avalon and Seidel Roads, no target date.