HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006 09 25 Reports Document Read by Mayor Bush
Date: September 25, 2006
The attached was read by Mayor Bush during
"Reports" at the September 25, 2006 City
Commission Regular Meeting.
As Mayor of Winter Springs, I get the opportunity to talk to residents from
every neighborhood in our city. More than ever before, I am fmding one
theme that has emerged as an overriding concern of virtually everyone I
talked with who lives and works in Winter Springs. That theme is the
preservation of our green spaces and the protection of our city from the
effects of careless overdevelopment. Because of our solid fiscal foundation,
I believe that Winter Springs is in a unique position to take a bold step
towards ensuring the city's quality of life for generations into the future.
I am recommending that the City of Winter Springs explore its options for
preserving our valuable green space, including aquifer recharge areas. The
options we should explore include the possibility of purchasing certain
targeted areas including the Winter Springs Golf Course and certain lands
along Lake Jesup, as well as other environmentally significant areas that
might be identified by the city.
Through an approach like this, we could enlarge the trails system in our city
to compliment the Cross Seminole Trails, providing more options for
pedestrian and cycling activities. Winter Springs could also provide
significant opportunities for environmental study for our children.
The city's fmancial health means that we have a variety of options at our
disposal for fmancing this initiative. I am recommending, as a first step, that
the Commission empanel a committee of our citizens to review our available
options.
These are bold steps but they are ones I believe Winter Springs can and
should take to make certain that the quality of life in this city remains among
the best in the region. In fact, Winter Springs is poised to lead the region in
this initiative that is so important to the citizens of Winter Springs.