Road work continues in Oakland

The hot topic of road paving continued at the March 18 Oakland Town Commission meeting.

During a discussion at the previous meeting, Public Works Director Mike Parker and staff were tasked with locating funds to either pave or place millings on specific town roads.

Parker reported back last week.

“We were fortunate in finding some funding, and that funding will be utilized in the Oakland Shores neighborhood,” he said. “That’s where we had actually placed, for lack of a better term, the Windermere dirt, which didn’t really work out that well.”

The town has been working to cut down on dust by experimenting with various road coverings, including crushed shell and dirt similar to what covers the roads in the town of Windermere. Nothing was a viable solution until the town tried recycled asphalt millings that are screened before being applied with a paving machine and roller.

A consultant hired will determine the priority list of roads and best material for each project.

The town also is paving several high-traffic roads. East Henschen Avenue received a conventional hot-mix paving Monday, March 17.

“That road we identified as a critical need to pave because (it is a) high-traffic road and a conduit to the charter school,” Mayor Shane Taylor said. “That road was really bad as far as dust.”

Parker and finance director Gabrielle Leon provided a memo in the meeting packet outlining the project:

“Given the nature of the project, we have explored the possibility of utilizing Impact Fees to support the initiative. At this stage, we are unable to provide a precise cost estimate due to several variables, such as road length, material type, and the number of roads to be completed. We are collaborating with one of our consultants to finalize the remaining project priorities and determine the most suitable material (either asphalt millings No. 2 or conventional paving) for each road segment.

“In the current budget year, we plan to pave East Henschen,” the memo stated. “Any remaining funds from (Fiscal Year) 2025 will be utilized in the Oakland Shores neighborhood, in the form of paving or asphalt millings No. 2, as recommended by our consultant.”

It will be a multi-year process, Parker said.

Town Manager Elise Hui said the town needs to look at speed deterrents, such as stop signs, speed bumps, speed humps or chicanes, because town officials expect to see an increase in speed on the treated roads.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• Oakland Mayor Shane Taylor honored former Town Commissioner Rick Polland with a proclamation and a plaque for his years of service to the town. Polland moved to Oakland in 2000 and began his service on the Board of Zoning Appeals and Adjustment from 2005 to 2011 and with the Parks and Recreation Committee. He was elected to the commission in 2012 and retained his seat until his resignation in December 2024. He also served as a board member of the Oakland Nature Preserve and the Friends of Lake Apopka.

• Taylor also proclaimed April Water Conservation Month, April Child Abuse Prevention Month and April 4 Wear Blue Day.

• The Town Commission approved the consent agenda. This included a memorandum of agreement between U.S. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement and the Oakland Police Department, which requires local law-enforcement agencies to assist ICE in performing certain immigration enforcement functions.

“At no time will Oakland PD officers be expected to conduct immigration enforcement independently when not working in the presence of ICE employees,” the MOA read.

• Lou Lambros, the town’s community outreach coordinator and public information officer, accepted his appointment to serve on the ONP board of directors.

• Public Works Director Mike Parker agreed to take a look at more than one dozen trees planted near the sidewalk in the new The Grove neighborhood after a citizen complained of their location.

“Those trees are about a foot and a half away from the sidewalk,” Scott Hren said. “It won’t take long for those trees to grow up and destroy the sidewalk and then the town will be responsible for replacement.”

• Parker also provided in the agenda packet a report on other projects. His department is working with Florida Metal Craft on the long-awaited all-metal acorn sculpture for the roundabout at Oakland Avenue, Old State Road 50 and J.W. Jones Road. The town has been replacing the street signs in the older sections of town with signs depicting the new branding style. Since 2017, the town has provided potable water to 102 homes in the Lake Apopka Sound neighborhood, located in a portion of Lake County; in return, the town of Montverde provides sanitary sewer service to 18 homes in Oakland. Eight years after the first customer went online, Oakland’s Public Works Department maintains 383 manhole structures, about 68,500 feet of gravity sewer, nearly 26,000 feet of force main sewer and 13 lift stations that pump an average of 150,000 gallons per day of sewage operation.