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News Briefs -- April 14, 2024
Kissimmee
Federal government on board at Haven on Vine with $1.8M HUD grant
The City of Kissimmee has been allocated $1.8 million through the Community Project Funding process, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and earmarked for the city’s affordable housing project, The Haven on Vine.
The converted hotel project will feature 83 units designated for affordable housing and 40 allocated for emergency/bridge housing.
"The Haven on Vine marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts to address homelessness and housing insecurity in the City of Kissimmee,” Kissimmee Deputy City Manager Desiree Matthews said. “We are working towards creating a more equitable and supportive community for all residents through strategic partnerships and targeted funding."
City officials say the project is “progressing swiftly,” with a phase of renovated two-bedroom apartments already complete. The grant will assist in funding the next phases: the conversion of former hotel rooms into studio apartments, which is currently in the final design stages and slated for completion by late fall. The final phase, an Emergency Service Center and Bridge/Emergency Housing, is expected to be finalized by the end of 2024, city officials said.
KUA honored with national safety award
Kissimmee Utility Authority has earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2023.
More than 160 utilities entered the annual Safety Awards for 2023. Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on the most incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2023. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2023, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“KUA is proud of its safety record,” said Brian Horton, KUA’s President and General Manager. “This award is a testament to the hard work that goes into ensuring that our team members go home safe to their families every day.”
KUA recorded a 1.83 Incidence Rate (IR) for 2023, which is the lowest IR in the utility’s history of tracking recordable injuries for 25 years.
St. Cloud
Flood vulnerability study discussed at April 16 meeting
The City's Floodplain Management Office will hold a community meeting to present results of an assessment of the city's flood risks and vulnerabilities.
Many residents participated in the city's Vulnerability Assessment, as part of the Resilient Florida Program, via community meetings and an online survey conducted in 2023. This project evaluated current and future flood risks and vulnerabilities and identified ways to become more resilient to flooding.
The study findings will be presented in a community meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the Magnolia Room at the St. Cloud Community Center. A copy of the report is available online at www.resilientstcloud.com.
City procurement department wins award
The City of St. Cloud has received the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials Award of Excellence in Public Procurement for 2024.
"We are proud of Procurement Director Leslie Flores and her entire team for winning this award," said City Manager Veronica Miller. "St. Cloud is one of only 22 agencies in the state to earn the award this year, and it is a testament to the professionalism of the city's Procurement team."
The Award of Excellence in Public Procurement recognizes agencies that meet or exceed benchmarks and best practices in the procurement profession. The award is achieved by organizations that obtain a high score on a rating of standardized criteria.
The program is designed to measure innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity, and leadership attributes of the procurement function.
