Hello Clermont Champions!
I hope you are enjoying all the colors and fragrances that come with springtime in Clermont!
Progress continues on Streetscape 3 along W. Montrose Street. The contractor is working west from West Avenue and remains on schedule to complete the work later this year.
Our new Public Services facility on Hancock Road is really taking shape. Once completed, the operations from the original buildings on 12th Street will be relocated to the larger, more efficient facility.
Data is being collected and design work continues on the 8th Street Pier redevelopment plan. We had a great turnout at the community meeting on March 8. Thank you to all who took the time to attend and share you concerns, questions and compliments.
We now have rental paddleboards at Waterfront Park for everyone to enjoy. Council approved this last year, but the company was impacted by the nationwide supply-chain challenges so there was a delay. It is a self-serve kiosk at Waterfront Park and I encourage you to check it out.
Springtime also means legislative season and I will be in Tallahassee for updates and meetings with our legislators. Because of this trip, my April “Lunch with the Mayor” will be held on Friday, April 7. We will meet at the Clermont Brewing Company at noon for lunch and conversation on all things Clermont. May’s lunch will return to the first Tuesday (May 4) at Corelli’s Pantry.
You have likely heard the Council approved a 5-year plan to increase rates for water/wastewater customers by an average of $5 per month. I am pleased to share that even with this increase we still have the lowest rates in Lake County. This adjustment is necessary because we must expand our wastewater treatment plant to meet the growing service demands and mandatory Florida Department of Environmental Protection requirements. Our facility was built in 1995 and treats about 3.4 million gallons of wastewater each day (MGD). We are currently at 85 percent capacity and this expansion will increase that to 6.5 MGD.
A plant expansion has been part of the City’s Treatment Master Plan since 2014 and in 2017, the cost was estimated at about $20 million. Now, as we prepare for actual construction, the cost has increased to an estimated $48.7 million. Plant operational costs, such as power, supplies and labor, have also increased between 65 and 75 percent over the last few years. Existing impact fee funds, this rate adjustment and an impact fee increase for developers will be used to pay for the expansion.
In March, I attended a special event celebrating 40 years of triathlons here in Clermont thanks to Fred Sommer and his development of Sommer Sports. In 1983, when Fred and his running buddies didn’t have enough races to run, he organized the first “Great Clermont Triathlon” and he didn’t look back. Sommer Sports has produced nearly 300 triathlons in the last 40 years and has made Clermont the “World Triathlon Destination. Since 2017, more than 136,000 athletes from 15 countries and all 50 states have participated in Fred’s events.
I was also invited to help celebrate Senninger Irrigation’s 60th Anniversary with a groundbreaking event. Senninger has been a member of the Clermont community for nearly 25 years and plans to double its location, increasing its local economic impact. Senninger remains a leading designer and manufacturer of quality agricultural irrigation products used worldwide who gives back to help others and we are proud they call Clermont home.
Thank you to both of these long-time Clermont businesses for your dedication and commitment to our community.
I encourage you to visit our website at www.ClermontFl.gov to learn more about your City and for upcoming meetings, events, activities as well as career opportunities.
Please continue to let me know what questions or concerns you have about things in Clermont. You can always reach me at tmurry@clermontfl.org.
Until next time,
Mayor Tim Murry
