St. Cloud celebrates Building Safety Month
The City of St. Cloud is celebrating Building Safety Month throughout May, part of the International Code Council’s 42nd annual celebration designed to raise awareness about the importance of building codes in ensuring public safety.
Houses and other structures that are built in compliance with safety codes – and the officials who enforce those codes – are essential to helping communities be affordable, resilient and energy-and water-efficient.
Throughout the month, the City will be posting information on its social media pages about Building Safety Month. The Building Department is holding a coloring contest for 1st and 2nd grade students, and the Building Department will have drawings and giveaways for customers throughout the month.
New St. Cloud solid waste franchise agreement
Commercial garbage haulers who do business in St. Cloud will begin paying 15 percent of their gross revenues to the City under terms of a new solid waste franchise agreement approved at last week’s City Council meeting.
This move will not affect residential customers or most commercial customers.
City Public Works Director Don Edwards said the city can capture additional revenue to help fund operational needs by having the Solid Waste Franchise Agreement with contract garbage haulers who do business in the City providing roll-off containers, typically on construction sites.
“This applies only for temporary waste collection and hauling,” Edwards said. “For example, for new subdivisions that are under construction, this would apply to the companies that the builders contract with to haul away the construction debris.”
Edwards told Council members that it is common practice in the industry for those haulers to pay a fee to the local governments, noting that the City of Kissimmee and Osceola County both have had similar franchise agreements in place for many years.
In other news, a wastewater agreement was signed to pave the way for a new Dairy Queen location to be built on Narcoossee Road north of Jones Road.
Joshua Stevens DAR presents Good Citizens Award
The Joshua Stevens Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution of St. Cloud, FL honored their Good Citizens Award Winner, Chalisa Budhai, of Harmony High School at their April chapter meeting. Budhai was awarded a certificate, pin and $500 scholarship.
At the meeting, Ms. Budhai read her winning essay, “Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility for Preserving It.” At school, philosophy class is her favorite subject. Chalisa is president of Key Club and in her spare time, she enjoys argumentative writing. She has been accepted at University of Florida and Howard University. Chalisa plans on majoring in political science with a pre-law track.
Llanos, Conzett named to All-Florida Academic Team
Florida College System (FCS) Chancellor Kathy Hebda announced the 2022 All-Florida Academic Team at Valencia College, honoring 144 college students from across the state. Each year FCS recognizes Florida’s highest achieving community college students along with Phi Theta Kappa, the nation’s premier honor society at associate degree-granting colleges. All-Florida Academic Team members were selected based on their academic achievement, leadership and service to their communities.
Kevin Llanos and Corey Conzett attend the Osceola Campus.
Members are eligible for future scholarship opportunities at Florida Universities.
