Orange City outlines infrastructure gains, approves permanent fire station

City Manager Christine Davis presented Orange City's State of the City, detailing repairs completed after Hurricane Milton, water-treatment upgrades and several park, sidewalk and signage projects while announcing approval of a permanent two-story fire station.

"I'm city manager Christine Davis, and we are so excited to share the progress Orange City has made over the past year," Davis said, opening the presentation. She said city staff responded quickly after Hurricane Milton to design and complete repairs on Monastery Road between South Silverstone Court and Piney Court, and that "the project is now fully operational and the FEMA reimbursement process is ongoing."

Davis described a major utility upgrade at the main water treatment plant, calling the Green Sand Filter project a long-term investment in water quality and reliability. "New treatment technology reduces naturally occurring compounds in the groundwater," she said, adding that the work included new pumps, a backwash storage tank, chemical analyzers, shelters and improved SCADA communications.

The presentation listed several completed or near-complete capital projects: a City Hall roof and envelope restoration that, Davis said, has stopped prior water intrusion and allowed interior renovation planning ahead of the building's 100th anniversary; drainage and sidewalk work on East Lansdowne Avenue that is on schedule for substantial completion this spring; and a citywide signage and wayfinding upgrade nearing final closeout.

At Mill Lake Park, crews installed a reinforced gravel lot that adds 28 parking spaces, including two handicap-accessible spaces, to expand public and utility access. Davis also summarized the city's grant activity, saying Orange City "collected nearly $4,000,000 in grants" over the past year, and that the largest single award was a state grant of $1,240,000 for the septic-to-central-sewer project. She said more than 11 federal grants were received and seven grants remain in process at the federal, state and local levels.

On public safety infrastructure, Davis said, "The city has now approved a permanent 2 story fire station located at the South Water Treatment Plant site." She added that final design is underway and the city will pursue grant funding to advance the project.

Looking ahead, Davis described planned active-transportation and park projects: a half-mile, 12-foot-wide shared-use path on West French Avenue that will connect Worley Veil to Valentine Park and will move to bidding after Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) approval; and Coleman Park improvements driven by a recently approved recreation master plan, with designs nearly complete and grant-seeking continuing before bidding.

Davis closed by thanking residents, elected officials, community partners and staff for their roles in the projects and investments announced.

Votes at a glance

Approval: Permanent two-story fire station at the South Water Treatment Plant site — outcome: approved (motion details and vote record not specified in the presentation).