Ground broken for park improvements

Osceola County Commissioner John Quiñones, along with county staff, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning to mark the start of improvements to the county’s Walk-N-Sticks park in Buenaventura Lakes.

Improvements to the 33.6-acre park will take place in phases, with the first phase to include a pedestrian pathway, a playground, restrooms, a pavilion, enhanced landscaping, irrigation, im-proved parking, an entrance sign, signage throughout the park and open green space.

Residents abutting the park also will see improved drainage with enhancements to stormwater ponds, county officials said.

“I am very excited for what this project will bring to our community by providing healthy recreational areas for wholesome activities that will bring fitness and life enrichment,” Quiñones said.

Construction of the first phase will begin in mid-October with a budget of approximately $450,000. First-phase work is expected to be completed in mid-January.

Park improvements at the former nine-hole golf course are geared toward passive recreation and there will be no organized sports at the facility. Buenaventura Boulevard, Florida Parkway, Poinsettia Drive, Pansy Court and Larkspur Court border the vacant golf course.

Osceola County purchased the former golf course from Pitzel Inc., of Coral Gables. County officials in the past said the park would be developed using county funds, not those from local BVL taxing districts.

Quiñones previously said having a second park in BVL geared toward passive recreation would relieve pressure on Archie Gordon Park, perhaps opening up more space there for organized sports.

For more information, contact the Osceola County Public Information Office at 407-742-0100.

Training on School District proposals

Osceola County School District’s Purchasing Department will host a training session on how to improve proposal submittals for solicitations issued by the district today from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Media and Instructional Technology Department Training Room 1, 817 Bill Beck Blvd., Building 2000, Kissimmee.

The session will provide an overview of the key areas that should be addressed in submittals to the district, and attendees will have the opportunity to meet district staff after the presentation for further assistance.

In addition, a brief over-view will be given on VendorLink, the district's new automated solicitation notification system.

Political forum on tap

The Osceola County Business and Taxpayers Association at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, will sponsor a free and open to the public political forum for the Osceola County School Board district 5, County Commission district 4 and Florida House of Representatives district 79 races.

The forum will be at the Heartcry Chapel, 2244 E. U.S. Highway 192, Kissimmee (in the old Kmart Plaza, just east of Simpson Road.

County jobless rate not improving

Osceola County’s jobless rate in August was the same as July, at 12.5 percent, according to the latest report from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation.

The rate for the Orlando metropolitan area, which stretches from Kissimmee to Sanford and includes Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, was 11.9 percent in August compared to 11.8 percent in July. The August rate for Orange County was 12 percent, up 0.2 percentage point from July.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate throughout Florida in August was 11.7 percent, 0.2 percentage point higher than in July, which represents 1,084,000 jobless out of a labor force of 9,229,000.

Liberty County had the state’s lowest unemployment rate in August, (7.5 percent) followed by Walton County (7.8 percent). Hendry County had the highest jobless rate (20.6 percent) for the month followed by Flagler County (16.4 percent).

In August, there were 51 Florida counties with double-digit unemployment, compared to 49 counties in July.

Taste of Hunter’s Creek Saturday

The third annual Taste of Hunter’s Creek will be Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. at Loop West.

There is no admission fee to the event, which is geared toward all ages. There will be tasting provided by Miller’s Ale House, Wishes Brew Tea House, Signature by the Lake, Chick-fil-A, Tropical Smoothie, Young Chef’s Academy, Abuelo’s, Ben & Jerry’s, Bonefish Grill, Macaroni Grill and more.

Visitors can enjoy an evening out and sample food from local restaurants and visit local businesses’ display tables. Patrons can purchase “Taste Bucks” the evening of the event to try the food from the restaurants.

Hoagland Boulevard repaving has begun

The city of Kissimmee Public Works & Engineering Department has announced that Hoagland Boulevard from Florida Coach Drive to Palmer Drive will be resurfaced, beginning today.

It will take work crews approximately one week to complete the project, city officials said. During the work, drivers will have to negotiate a somewhat rough base material, prior to the asphalt pavement being applied. Drivers are reminded to slow down while driving on this section of road.

For more information, contact the Public Works & Engineering Department at 407-518-2170.