TAVARES — All offices of the Lake County Board of County Commissioners, Clerk of Courts, Property Appraiser, Sheriff’s Office, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector will be closed Monday, September 6th, to observe Labor Day.

All Lake County Library System libraries will be closed September 6th. All libraries will reopen on Tuesday, September 7th. The Fruitland Park Library will also be closed Saturday, September 4th. The W.T. Bland Public Library in Mount Dora and the Umatilla Public Library will be closed September 4-6.

All facilities of the Lake County Solid Waste Division will be closed on September 6th. All facilities will resume normal operations on September 7th.

Residents in unincorporated Lake County will not have garbage or recycling pickup on September 6th in observance of the Labor Day holiday. Residential collection will resume on the next regularly scheduled pickup day for garbage and recycling. Residents living within city limits should contact their city for any questions concerning garbage and recycling collection services.
 

The Clermont-Minneola Lions Club speaker, Chris Schramm, V.P. Hancock Bank, was introduced by Club President, Nick Jones, at their 6:00 pm dinner meeting held Thursday, August 26th at Golden Corral.  Mr. Schramm spoke on various changes in banking rules and credit in the banking industry.  As a post note after the meeting, Mr. Schramm noted that the FDIC has reinstalled the $250,000 guarantee on individual bank deposits.  Starting in September, regular luncheons will be held at the Wesley Center, First United Methodist Church downtown, Thursdays at noon.

Please visit the Clermont-Minneola Lions Club website for more information.

GROVELAND — When tourists to Lake County stop in at the Welcome Center, located at 20763 U.S. Highway 27 in Groveland, there’s even more to catch their eye than the area’s prominent rolling hills and sparkling lakes.
Lake County Tourism & Business Relations received two donated sculptures from Red Thread Inc. of Eustis and recently erected stone markers and plaques honoring the donors and artists.

“Our visitors really appreciate the public art; they have said it enhances their ‘welcome to Lake County,’” said Kathy Pagan, Lake County Tourism Specialist.

Doug Hays’ “4th of July” sculpture is made of stainless and mild steel and is anchored on Florida rock. It was erected at the Welcome Center’s butterfly garden. Doug Hays’ and Brenda Heim’s “Poppy Cluster Field” is a bouquet of kinetic, metal “poppies” that enhances the Welcome Center sign on U.S. Highway 27.

For more information about Lake County vacations, call (800) 430-LAKE, log on to www.lakecountyfl.com or visit the Welcome Center, located at 20763 U.S. Highway 27 in Groveland.

TALLAHASSEE – This week the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Clean Vessel Act (CVA) grant program launched a new awareness campaign, Pitch In-Pump Out, to inform marinas and boaters about keeping Florida’s waterways clean through proper disposal of boater sewage. Boaters should use pumpout stations at marinas and boat ramps or have their boats serviced by a pumpout boat. Marinas can do their part by installing pumpouts for boaters to use and by operating pumpout boats.

Captain Rick Murphy, the official spokesperson for Pitch In-Pump Out, is a well-known Florida sportsman and host of Sportman’s Adventures with Captain Rick Murphy on SunSports. He will be featured on television and radio ads airing statewide spreading the message to pitch in and pump out.

“We are very excited to begin this campaign with Captain Rick Murphy and encourage boaters and marinas to be active in protecting Florida’s waterways,” said DEP Interim Secretary Mimi Drew. “It is important that boaters know how to properly dispose of sewage, and that marinas know about the grant money available right now to help them purchase and operate pumpout equipment.”

Marine facilities can take advantage of CVA grants that reimburse 75 percent of the total costs of approved pumpout projects, leaving the marina responsible for only 25 percent of the total in matching funds. To offset out of pocket expense, the program also allows facilities to count in-house labor costs and pumpout boat trade-in values toward meeting the required match. With an average cost of $12,000 – $75,000, pumpout projects allow sewage to be removed from a boat and then disposed of through established treatment procedures.

The remodeled Pitch In-Pump Out website, www.PitchIn-Pumpout.com, provides easy access to all grant application forms and clear, easy-to-follow steps through the application process as well as an online application for marinas. The site also provides tips for boaters on proper pumpout techniques and a listing of pumpout stations in Florida.

With more than 2,000 marinas, Florida has the largest number of marine facilities in the country. Drawing millions of visitors each year, Florida’s clear waters, world-class beaches and coral reefs support a $60.8 billion tourism industry, an $18.9 billion boating industry and a fishing industry that injects more than $7.5 billion a year into Florida’s communities.

When sewage is sent overboard, it can negatively impact both the environment and human health. Sewage contains disease-causing microorganisms and can reduce oxygen levels in water that fish and other aquatic species need to survive. To date, more than 10.5 million gallons of raw sewage from boats has been prevented from being discharged into Florida waters because one of the state’s 411 pumpout facilities were used.

About the Clean Vessel Act Grant Program

The Clean Vessel Act of 1992 was signed into law to reduce pollution from vessel sewage discharges, prohibiting the discharge of raw sewage into fresh water or within coastal salt-water limits. The act established a federal grant program administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which to date has awarded more than $172 million for states to install thousands of sewage pumpout facilities. Grants are available for construction and installation of sewage pumpout facilities at marinas or the purchase of pumpout boats.

As an emerging artist, Stephen AG Carey, 21, of Orlando, stormed the art world in 2009. His assemblage “My First Crib on Mars,” took the first place purchase award in Lake Eustis Museum of Art’s inaugural, international competitive exhibit PaperWorks 4 Me I.

Carey returns to Lake County’s only art museum August 27 – September 19, with his first solo exhibit, “FUTURAMA DRAMA: STEPHEN AG CAREY.” Carey will give an artist talk at the 6 – 9 p.m. opening at the museum, where he will also create an interactive installation, which will give some guests a free piece of Carey’s conceptual art to take home.

Carey, a student of graphic design, was singled out for media attention in his first group exhibits last year with experienced artists and his personal artist-mentors at Orlando Museum of Art First Thursday and Maitland Art Center’s RS 21. His art was also featured in Gulf Coast press for a Tampa group exhibit.

He combines dramatic painting, drawing and assemblage of found objects to put heart and soul into provocative works that eloquently speak of today and tomorrow. Carey, a member of the texting generation, masterfully commands an astoundly complex and beautiful visual language.

“My art is like my journal. A good piece of trash and a story that’s personal to something that’s going on with me that I need to get out converts to its own entity from the original inspiration,” Carey says. “Drawing is something I’ve always been good at, but never tried to be great at. Things that are different kind of inspire me. I like things to be different. To be original and at the edge and to push the limits, that’s my goal.

Lake Eustis Museum of Art, 200 B East Orange Ave., 352-483-2900, is open Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 4, and weekends at noon – 4. Adult non-members are asked for a $5 donation. The museum sponsors a coinciding Central Florida Watercolor Society exhibit with an Aug. 27 opening reception at Eustis City Hall across the street from the museum. “SHADOW & LIGHT,” featuring Ken Austin, Alice Dressner, Jacqueline Molsick, Carol Ancona and John Koehler, runs through Oct. 24.

TAVARES — The Lake County Board of County Commissioners at its regularly scheduled meeting on August 17th approved a High Value Job Creation (HVJC) Program award for $12,000 and Business Assistance Program (BAP) award up to $25,000 to Beacon College of Leesburg.

“The economic impact of this and providing an educated workforce are certainly two important goals that we have,” said County Commissioner Linda Stewart.

Beacon College, an accredited, not-for-profit institution of higher education, is actively involved in a multi-phase project to increase enrollment from 135 students annually to about 250 over the next few years. To accomplish this, the College is finalizing plans to build a new administration and student assembly building and a new academic building and is pursuing land acquisition options near campus to increase student housing.

The increase in facilities and student enrollment will require an increase in hiring for the College. Using a ratio established in higher education planning of 12:1, if the College enrolls 120 new students, up to 10 new professors will be hired. Annual wages (salaries and benefits) would be 150 percent to 200 percent above the average annual wage for Lake County. In addition, up to 20 new educational specialists and administrators will be hired.

“The economic impact of these new 30 jobs would be $4.6 million annually and that doesn’t take in account the economic impact of the construction. In addition, it doesn’t take in account the additional students living in Lake County,” said Cary Pierce, Business Development Coordinator of the Lake County Economic Growth & Redevelopment Division.

Staff recommended the award the HVJC incentive for $12,000 and the BAP incentive for $25,000 to Beacon College to offset their development costs. This would help Beacon College with their expansion and for the creation of high-wage jobs in Lake County.

For more information about the Lake County Department of Economic Growth & Redevelopment, call (352) 343-9866 or log on to egr.lakecountyfl.gov.

Eustis, FL – Marcia Arnold is obsessed with dolls. Growing up in a poor Minnesotan family, she anxiously awaited each Christmas morning, hoping in vain that her parents had somehow found a way to buy her a doll. Instead, she would take her youngest brother to the local five and dime and they would spend hours picking out all the toys they would buy if they had the money.

As an adult, Arnold has amassed a dizzying collection of dolls and become an expert in doll repair. She will share her love of dolls with visitors to the Eustis Historical Museum during their latest temporary exhibit, “All Dolled Up.” Mrs. Arnold’s dolls will be displayed along with figures from the museum’s archives and those on loan from area collectors. A special section of the exhibit will highlight the Chatty Cathy doll, which holds a special place in Arnold’s collection.

“I remember seeing a Chatty Cathy doll when I was ten and just knowing that I had to have her,” says Arnold. “But we were still poor and I was told that I was too old for dolls.”

Mrs. Arnold’s collection started with the purchase of three undressed, broken Chatty Cathy dolls bought from a shop that was going out of business. “It was a very belated eleventh birthday present to myself,” says Arnold. Other dolls followed, along with membership in the Chatty Cathy Club and time spent learning doll repair and restoration in a doll shop.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable member of our preservation society,” says Eustis Historical Museum curator Tammy Treadwell-Morris. “She’s not only sharing her antique dolls for the exhibit, but she’s offering free doll valuations to visitors.”

Treadwell-Morris is planning a special “Tea Party Social” on Saturday, August 28th to open the exhibit. Visitors are welcome to join Arnold and other society members for an old-fashioned tea party with the dolls. Those who loan a doll to the exhibit will receive a special gift from the museum for participating.

To loan a figure or for more information, please contact curator Tammy Treadwell-Morris at the museum at (352) 483-0046.

The Eustis Historical Museum and Preservation Society, located at 536 North Bay Street, is a 501c3 tax-exempt organization that relies on memberships, grants, donations, fundraisers and assistance from the City of Eustis to maintain the museum and local historical artifacts for future generations.

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson today announced that consumers can now go online and check the complaint history of any company or business that has generated complaints to his department.

Residents can visit the Division of Consumer Services’ website at www.800helpfla.com and access the complaint data by choosing a box on the left hand side of the page entitled “Business/Complaint Lookup.”

In addition to providing the complaint history of a company, the database also provides information on the kind of license, if any, the company has with Bronson’s department.

Before now, consumers could obtain the information by calling the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ toll-free hotline – 1 800 HELP FLA (435-7352). That service remains available, but those with access to a computer can now check out businesses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We’re excited and pleased to be offering this enhanced service,” Bronson said. “We recommend that all residents who are considering doing business with a company with which they are not familiar check the organization’s complaint history with our department.”

While the new service is designed to provide consumers with instant access to a company’s complaint history and licensing information, it also enables businesses to track complaints against them and lets them know when their licenses are scheduled to expire and therefore need to be renewed.

The Division of Consumer Services regulates and licenses a broad array of business entities in Florida, including auto repair shops, interstate moving companies, health studios, dance studios, travel companies, business opportunities, pawn shops, charities, game promotions, professional surveyors and mappers, and commercial telemarketers. In addition, it mediates disputes that consumers have with those businesses, as well as disputes that consumers have with unregulated businesses.

The website – www.800helpfla.com – that residents can use to access a company’s complaint history can also be used to file a complaint against any company.

The Division of Consumer Services also administers the state’s “Do Not Call” program and Florida’s Lemon Law in conjunction with the state Attorney General’s Office.

The Clermont-Minneola Lions Club at their Thursday luncheon had Matt Griffin of Crossfire Marketing discuss the many internet services Towndigger.com has to offer the community and the Club expects to take full advantage of this by posting their planned events.  The great staff at Towndigger can be contacted via: info@towndigger.com.  

The next speaker to address the Club will be Chris Schramm of Handcock Bank on Thursday, August. 26, 6:00 PM at the Golden Corral in Clermont.  Starting in September, the Lions Club will shift their luncheon meetings to the Wesley Center, First United Methodist Church, downtown, corner of SR 50 and 8th St.  

The Clermont-Minneola Lions Club now has a web site:  http://www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/ClermontMinneola/
 

MOUNT DORA — The start time of LakeXpress’ Route 3 in downtown Mount Dora will be changed beginning Monday, August 23rd, to one hour earlier at 6:38 a.m., Monday-Friday.

“This adjustment is designed to better accommodate the students in the Mount Dora area,” said David Hope, Fixed Route Coordinator for the Lake County Public Transportation Division.

LakeXpress, the County’s public transportation service, includes four routes. Route 1 runs from The Villages to Eustis, primarily on U.S. Highway 441. Route 2 circulates in downtown Leesburg. Route 3 circulates in downtown Mount Dora. Route 4 runs from the Altoona Post Office on State Road 19 to the community of Zellwood on U.S. Highway 441 where passengers can transfer to LYNX route 44.

LakeXpress operates Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Fares for LakeXpress are $1 for all trips. Half-fares are available for riders 60 years or older, students and individuals with disabilities (buses are equipped with lifts). Free fares are available for children under five years of age, who are accompanied by a fare-paying chaperone.

For more information about LakeXpress or to view a bus schedule, call (352) 326-8637 or log on to www.RideLakeXpress.com.