On September 13, 2018, Orange County Parks and Recreation held a public input meeting for the park coming to Taborfield Ave, adjacent to the new elementary school and also to Mabel Bridge HOA amenities. Approximately 25 people were in attendance including residents from Mabel Bridge and Thornhill. Here’s a review of what was covered at the meeting:

General Info – Neighborhood Park

Orange County Parks and Rec have recently built 4 parks in Horizon West. There are 11 more to go to fulfill the master plan for the area. 

The Taborfield Park is 6.5 acres, which classifies it as a “Neighborhood Park.” $200,000 is dedicated for its design and engineering and $1M is dedicated for construction, Neighborhood Parks have:

• No parking
• No lights
• No bathrooms

And neighboring schools typically will allow parking during non-school hours

Officials provided some examples of possible amenities for a Neighborhood Park including:
-Dog park
-Community garden
-Playground
-Gazebo
-Shade trees benches walking path
-Flexible with movable furniture
-Open field
-Skateboarding
-Bike racks
-Exercise stations

They also provided examples of amenities that are not considered in Neighborhood Parks:
-Athletic fields and courts (basketball, tennis)
-Gyms
-Pools and splash pads

The park will not have a fence surrounding it, but there will be a fence around the school property and bus access road, which will directly abut Mable Bridge property.

Public Input
A survey was made available to ask residents what amenities they are interested in for this particular park. They received 177 responses, which was a higher than usual response rate. The survey will be open until 9/27, but there was discussion about reissuing the survey with a requirement for respondents to provide physical home addresses. (UPDATE: It seems they updated the existing survey rather than reissuing it. The survey now asks for your address)

Public input requested the following during the meeting:
-Parking (off street)
-Dog park
-Basketball
-Tennis
-Pickelball
-Fitness/Exercise stations with shade
-Playground for ages 5-12 (this is also planned for Phase II at Lakeside Village Park)
-Shade trees (keep existing)
-Community garden
-ADA compliant swing
-Grill at pavilion
-Bike racks
-Drinking Fountain

Timing 

This was first of series of meetings planned for the park. The next meeting is scheduled for November 15th. Please mark your calendar. At the November meeting, a draft of the master plan will be presented and landscape architects will be on hand as well. If a third meeting is deemed necessary, it will be in January.

Construction is expected to begin in Oct 2019 and last approximately one year. They intend to open the park at the end of 2020.

Contacts – More Info

Remember to complete the survey if you haven’t already: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TaborfieldPark 

This message is provided by the HOA to help keep you informed. We are not involved in the development of the park or any decision making surrounding it. If you have questions or comments, please contact the Parks Dept directly: Email parks@ocfl.net.

Orange County has sent a crew out to trim the street trees in Mabel Bridge. Workers tell us that they will be trimming all day today starting June 4th and hope to be finished by the end of the day on June 5th.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please direct them to Orange County by dialing 311 or (407) 836-3111.

Attention Homeowners and Residents,

We are aware there are several downed and leaning trees throughout the neighborhood due to Hurricane Irma. This message is to remind you that the HOA is not responsible for any of the trees on your property.

It is your responsibility to clean up and repair your property, including right-of-way trees (between the street and the sidewalk). We will allow homeowners extra time to repair or replace trees without incurring violations, but all tree repairs/replacements need to be completed within 60 days — by Sunday, Nov 12, 2017. After this date, violations will be issued. If you are a renter with a downed or leaning tree, please contact the owner of your property with this information.

Tree Repair or Replacement

Please make arrangements with Orange County or with a private contractor to repair or replace any damaged trees in the right-of-way (between the street and the sidewalk). Right-of-way tree replacements must be Live Oak species. Please try to replace with a  tree of similar size, if possible.

If you plan to make changes to trees that are not located in the right-of-way or any other landscaping changes, you must submit an Architecture Review Board Application, which can be found on our website at https://www.mabelbridgehoa.com/community-documents/  

Disposing of Debris

It is also each homeowner’s responsibility to prepare debris in order for it to be hauled away by Orange County. Alternatively, you may drop off debris at the citizen drop off locations. Information on debris collection and drop off is listed below.

Debris Collection:

On Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017 Orange County’s Debris Removal contractors will begin pick up of vegetative debris only. Residents may bring vegetative (trees/limbs etc.) to the curb for pick up. Vegetative debris must be separated from construction materials, household hazardous waste (e.g., paint) or large electrical goods (e.g., refrigerators) when placed on the curb.

Debris Drop Off:

If you prefer to drop off debris,  residents of Orange County may only bring vegetative (trees/yard waste) debris to one of these 10 locations from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents will need to provide proof of Orange County address to gain access. Debris drop-off sites are:

• Barnett Park – 4801 W Colonial Dr.
• Conway Water Treatment Plant – 3590 Manatee St.
• Cypress Grove Park – 290 Holden Ave.
• Fort Christmas Park -1300 Fort Christmas Rd.
• Harrell Road – 8503 Trevarthon Rd.
• Meadowoods Park – 1751 Rhode Island Woods Cir
• NW Water Treatment Plant – 701 W McCormick Rd.
• Rose Place Park – 8200 Old Winter Garden Rd.
• Across from Renaissance Senior Center – 3800 S. Econlockhatchee Trl.
• West Beach Park Addition – 9227 Winter Garden Vineland Rd.

Thank you for your prompt attention to restoring our community. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our professional Community Association Manager (CAM) at Leland Management.

Thank you,

Mabel Bridge HOA Board