Celebrators Start Year on a Cruise
April 11, 2010 by Jim Siegel
Filed under Around Town
Nearly 100 members of the Celebrators Club recently returned from their second annual cruise to Nassau and the Bahamas aboard a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship.
One of the highlights of the four-day cruise was an interactive Murder Mystery written by Earlyn and Con. Suspects included Kenny Zisel, Jan McChesney, Pat Wells, Harold Kollman, Shearer Richardson, Bob Sublet, Sal Negro, Fred Bartok, Ann Fitzpatrick, Coach Rich, Pat McGoldrick, and Mary Orr. The identity of the perpetrator remains a carefully guarded secret to protect the guilty.
Other activities included a treasure hunt organized by Susan Lovely and her mom Barbara, bridge, and a rousing series of mah jongg. Said Ann Fitzpatick, “ Fun and fellowship abounded. Everything about the ship was great, including the entertainment, shopping, and of course the food.”
To the disappointment of some of the more adventurous (such as Bill and Catherine Pelaia), no pirates in an 18th century brigantine were spotted, and no buccaneers in leather cavalier hats and carrying razor-sharp cutlasses attempted to board the vessel. On the other hand, guests were warned of piracy among the merchants of Nassau.
The Celebrators Club is open to residents age 50 and over. Their mission is to continue life-long learning, do volunteering and socialize with others in Celebration, both young in age and young in heart. They meet on the first Wednesday of each month, usually at Heritage Hall, at 9 am.
Among their next outings are dinner at Seasons 52 on Sand Lake Road on February 25, and another dining experience (location TBD) on March 25. Those interested in joining should contact Herb Winfield at 407-566-8933.
Originally posted 2010-03-04 10:38:15.
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Celebration Gets Proactive Water Pressure Strategy
March 31, 2010 by Jim Siegel
Filed under Around Town
The Celebration community water company, formally known as the Enterprise Community Development District (ECDD), has recently announced steps to help residents with high/fluctuating fresh water pressures. These steps will not only inform residents regarding how to reduce the possibility of water damage to their homes, but also will result in the installation of equipment that should fix the water high/fluctuation problem permanently.
This issue began attracting wide-spread attention of residents several months ago as a consequence of information exchanges posted by homeowners on the Front Porch website. This thread revealed:
* Many Celebration residents have experienced a variety of plumbing problems in their homes, ranging from blown seals to burst pipes.
* Local plumbers, called to repair damaged plumbing, seemed to agree that many of these problems stemmed from unusually high or highly fluctuating water pressure entering the houses in Celebration. They have recorded pressures over 100 psi and as high as 125 psi. In contrast, the usual maximum recommended in building codes and standards is reportedly about 80 psi. Home plumbing systems are not designed to withstand these higher or widely fluctuating pressures.
* To remedy these conditions plumbers have been installing pressure reduction valves (as opposed to pressure relief valves) in many homes, at a cost of $150-250. Unfortunately, many of these homes had already sustained considerable water damage and expense, as much as $50,000 to replace furnishings, carpet, drywall, and hardwood flooring.
ECDD’s Brian Smith explained to residents during and after a recent CROA meeting that on many occasions he warned builders to install pressure reduction valves on dwellings built in Celebration, consistent with established and well-communicated ECDD policies. Some people believe that such devices could have helped reduce the unusual rash of incidents involving water leaks or plumbing damage in Celebration dwellings.
Thankfully, the ECDD has offered to insert a warning in the next water bills mailed to homeowners, along with instructions on how to identify whether their dwelling has a pressure reduction valve (a relief valve is not sufficient). They also agreed to consider sending an email blast to all residents. Further, they have offered to measure the water pressure at the homes of any residents that call their office.
After the meeting Smith elaborated on planned actions to install variable frequency drives (VFD) in the water system, equipment that will reportedly control water pressure variation from one point in time to another within a much tighter range. According to the ECDD, “Currently as the system demand exceeds the capacity of the jockey pump (which produces up to 500 gpm at 75 psi discharge pressure), the high service pump will start and the system pressure at the pump station would rise in the vicinity of 110 psi based on a suction pressure set point of 50 psi at the pressure regulating valve. Based on this, the current range (of pressure delivered to residents) is generally 75 to 110 psi (plus/minus). If the TOHO pressure drops below 50 Psi then the low end of the pressure will lower accordingly. With the (planned) VFD and pressure set point control, the system pressure range can be expected to be 75 to 90 psi depending on the desired operating set point. In addition to controlling the range, the variation in pressure with VFD will be much smoother.
The date when residents can expect the new equipment to be fully operational is somewhat vague. In response to that question, the ECDD said, “We have evaluated two options for the VFD addition. One is to retrofit the existing panel to accommodate the new VFDs and the other would be to provide separate enclosures for the VFDs. In both options, the motors will have to be rewound to make them compatible for the VFD. We have been trying get the optional prices from the ECDD desired control shop since mid December. Finally they have promised price early next week. Per Florida Bearings, the retrofit option can be implemented in 3-4 week from NTP, while the other option may take 8-9 weeks due to longer delivery times.”
Until equipment installation is complete, local plumbers and other knowledgeable individuals recommend installation of a pressure reduction valve to help decrease the possibility of potential related problems.
The next public meeting of the ECDD Board is February 17, 4 pm, at the 851 Building. According the ECDD charter, residents are welcome to attend and comment.
Originally posted 2010-02-14 05:49:51.
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Celebration Residents Scramble for Boil Water Alert
March 22, 2010 by Jim Siegel
Filed under Around Town
Celebration, Florida and other area residents recently scrambled to cope with a water main break nearly ten miles east of Celebration near U.S. 192. Although water pressure was reportedly quickly restored, the local water authority warned residents to boil water as a precaution for several days, setting off a run on bottled water at local supermarkets. Such water problems have been rare in Celebration. The episode was a reminder that abundant supply of fresh water is another modern convenience that’s easy to take for granted until it’s suddenly taken away.
About 12:30 pm on Thursday January 26, 2010, a major 20” water main break occurred near the corner of Carroll Street and John Young Parkway. The main belongs to the Toho Water Authority, the organization that provides water to Celebration’s Enterprise Community Development District. Construction of some sort was reportedly underway in the area of the break, but the cause of the break had not been officially determined as this issue went to press.
In a Friday evening interview, Toho’s Utility Information Coordinator Mary Guidone explained that within a half an hour of the break Toho had issued a press release and notice to many local municipal officials as well as the media. News bulletins on local Orlando TV and radio stations did not specify Celebration as included in the affected area, causing initial uncertainty and confusion among residents. She acknowledged that Toho had received many calls from Celebration residents on Thursday evening and Friday. She explained that she and her Toho colleagues felt bad that so many Celebration residents had not received notification for so long after the break occurred. A formal, all-residents notice was distributed to Celebration residents on Friday morning about noon as the lead story of the regular weekly Celebration Town Hall email newsletter.
The area affected roughly paralleled the U.S. 192 corridor, bounded by I-4 on the west, Osceola Parkway on the north, Michigan Avenue on the east, Orange Blossom Trail on the south, with some other limited areas in the southeast corner of that quadrant.
Asked why the County’s Reverse 911 System was not used to inform residents, Ms. Guidone explained that because the number of affected was so high (about 45,000), it was decided not to use it. According to County sources, the system is capable of making about 1500 calls per hour, meaning that thirty hours would have been required, causing thousands to be called in the middle of the night.
The water main break was repaired by about 11 pm on Thursday night. Early Friday morning, water-testing samples were collected at eight locations in the affected area, including a point at which Toho’s water flows into the Celebration system. Results had been expected early Saturday afternoon, and it was anticipated that shortly thereafter Toho would issue a notice to its usual large distribution. If appropriate that notice would have included further recommendations or cautions to residents. If necessary, Toho might have flushed the pipes in certain areas or added more chlorine to the water.
By Friday evening, the bottled water shelves were bare at the local Publix supermarket. By Saturday, Publix had restocked the shelves, in spite of strong demand.
Some residents reported that they learned of the Boil Water Alert on Friday evening from the Town’s internet website, called the Front Porch Forums. Others were informed at work on Friday.
Reunion resident Peggy Samulowitz first learned of the alert in the Saturday morning yoga class at the Celebration Fitness Centre. “As far as I know, there was no notification to Reunion homeowners.” she said.
Fortunately, Toho announced on Saturday afternoon about 1:15 pm that the boil alert had been lifted. Life in the area with respect to water supply resumed to normal.
Originally posted 2010-02-15 06:16:54.
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Celebration Students in State Concert
March 14, 2010 by Jim Siegel
Filed under Around Town
Two Celebration high school students recently participated in an annual concert sponsored by the Florida Music Educators’ Association and held in Tampa. The concert not only features the best high school musical talent in the State but also raises awareness about the importance of the Arts in a well-rounded education. The four-day event included intensive instruction and coaching by several renowned conductors.
North Village resident Camilla Tassi performed in the final event of the week, the All-State Concert Chorus which highlighted both vocal and orchestra high school performers. Camilla graduated from Celebration K-8 School a few years ago and is now a junior at Winter Park High School. Winter Park’s Music Department was recently named a Grammy Signature School Finalist, one of seven in Florida and about 100 nationwide. Camilla is a student in the prestigious International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, performs in 3 of the school’s choral groups, is an accomplished pianist, and sings in the Corpus Christi Church Choir. Last year Camilla was among 150 high school vocalists chosen to perform Mozart’s Kronungsmesse (Coronation Mass) with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2009 Florida Choral Directors Association Honor Choir.
In the All-State Concert, Camilla performed with the mixed chorus Star Spangled Banner (John Stafford Smith), Soul of the World (Henry Purcell, arr. Holland Jancaitis), Hanacpachap (17th Century Peruvian, arr. Oscar Escalada), Laudate Pueri (W.A. Mozart), Vereih uns Frieden (Felix Mendelssohn, arr. John Rutter), Somewhere (Leonard Bernstein, arr. Robert Edgerton), and with the All-State Symphonic Band I’m Seventeen Come Sunday (Percy Grainger).
Kalen Mercer, a Celebration High School sophomore who also graduated from Celebration K-8 School, won a B flat clarinet position in the All-State Concert Band in a highly competitive statewide audition. Only 32 were selected from over 1000 applicants. Confided Kalen, “When I joined band in the middle school, I was given the opportunity to try out all the instruments to see which one I liked best. I found that I had a natural talent for the clarinet. However, I also play the guitar and saxophone for fun.” Kalen, who is also a member of the National Honor Society, is the first musician in the history of Celebration High School to be selected for All-State honors.
At the All-State Band Concert, Kalen joined his fellow performers in Fanfare and Hymn: A Mighty Fortress (Jay Bobcook), Mock Morris (Percy Aldridge Grainger) , Forever Holding Close the Memories (Richard L. Saucedo), Four Dance Episodes for Band (Gary P. Gilroy), and Italian Rhapsody (Julie Giroux).
Said Kalen of the Tampa event, “It was inspiring to be there with other talented musicians my age. The event gave me insight to what it might be like to be part of a professional ensemble later in life.” Added Camilla, “The best part was so many talented musicians coming all together to make music. During the last few days there we would rehearse in the morning, go watch other groups perform in the afternoon and then sing on stage in the evening. I wish every day could be like this, filled with music — whether it’s studying, playing, or listening to it.”
Originally posted 2010-02-11 07:49:25.
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