HomeMy WebLinkAboutBaby Steps to Recognition-1982 Winter Springs takes baby step
along the road to recognition
By Sid Kirchheimer
e„„ : rvE, e,A.: t Ya al_ �s • tm Longwood
First there was W.C. Fields and Philadelphia. 4 Winter $pg S.
Then, Johnny Carson took to quips about Bur
bank. And now, it seems,there is another city that } •
is getting about as much respect as Cleveland and •yp i `� O nj � - pgS. $ 1111
Newark. .::
Welcome to Winter Springs. '
It's really not such bad place. In fact, it could It 1 st a
be classified as a suburban Shangri-La.
It has the lowest crime rate in Seminole County, ra
along with one of the lowest tax rates, and is the r (
fastest-growing city in the county and the one r ''
with the largest land area. It is efficiently run with ' ' ;, +
relatively few problems. Some of the county's
most beautiful and expensive homes are located 510 n,ncnssiMesrserv.weL
there, along with some of the area's most influen- A little recognition
tial citizens. . . . . but is it a sign of respect?
But when it comes to getting respect, the 14,000
people living there might as well all be named "I'm thankful we got a sign on the off-ram
p'
Rodney. says Torcaso. But I think we still should have
Case in point: When the new Rand McNally gotteq some mention on the interstate.” But ac-
Road Atlas was released a few months back, Win- cording to DOT,nobody is interested in coming to
ter Springs was apparently forgotten and left off Winter Springs.
the state map. Still another case in point: When county corn-
Sure, all other six county municipalities were missioners recently discussed where to put a new
each given a dot. Even unicorporated areas such Post office, guess what city wasn't considered?
as Geneva, Chwuota and Midway saw ink in the No, it wasn't Altamonte Springs, already with
bible of highway travelers. one post office at 201 N. Longwood Ave. No, it
But in place of Winter Springs — smack dab be-
tween Geneva and Oviedo—was Snow Hill. miles away. Both are very probable locations.
Snow Hill? Even the old timers can't remember And there are two in the Sanford area. Cassel-
Snow Hill. berry and Fern Park each has one, located one
To make matters worse, Winter Springs didn't mile from each other. Even Oviedo, Forest City,
Lake.Mary and Geneva have post offices.
even get a mention in the index. In its place was
. . . get this,Winter Beach,population 800. That leaves only one place without one, Winter
-
That's really no respect.
Springs. r
Of course, the county commission wants to put
"I just don't understand it," sighs city commis- the new post office on the west side of 1-4. And
sinner and candidate for mayor John Torcaso. Winter Springs is on the east side.
Another case in point: Torcaso, angry that Win- But even if Winter Springs were on the other
ter Springs wasn't mentioned on any sign along side of the interstate, chances are it wouldn't get
Interstate 4, attempted to get his city a little rec-
ognition on the highway. its own post office. After 23 years of existence,the
city only recently got its own ZIP code.
"Sorry," said the folks at the Florida Depart- "Before we got our own ZIP code, the people in
ment of Transportation. Your city just doesn't Tuscawilla were getting their mail with a Maitland
rate."So Winter Springs got no sign on 1-4. ZIP code," said Torcaso. And the rest of the city
Only after Torcaso discussed the issue with six had a Casselberry ZIP code. I know it's not great
state lawmakers and had letters of support from that we got our own ZIP code,but it's a step in the
the Florida League of Cities, the Seminole County right direction."
Commission and Longwood-Winter Springs Charm So, maybe the tides are turning. Maybe Winter
ber of Commerce, was the city finally mentioned Springs will get a little of the respect many think
on highway signs. it deserves.
However, the signs are not on 1-4, but rather on And, 32708 seems as good a place as any to
the off-ramp of the State Road 434 exit. And Win- start
ter Springs must share the sign with two other
cities, Longwood and Altamonte Springs, each of Sid xrchheimer is a reporter m the Casselberry bureau of The
which has its own exit and oodles of signs. Orlando Sentinel.