AVON PARK — with David Flowers’ Resignation Effective SEBRING — in a Downsizing Oct
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HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Thursday, September 26, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 269 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun AP mayor Sebring seeks Elks lodge expeditious for sale in city manager downsizing search effort By MARC VALERO By MARC VALERO STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER AVON PARK — With David Flowers’ resignation effective SEBRING — In a downsizing Oct. 18, the City move, the Sebring Elks Lodge Council will 1529 has its lodge and property be tasked to up for sale with a price tag of find a new city $899,000. manager. Elks Board of Trustees Mayor Garrett Member Chris Hanchey is Anderson said handling the property listing Wednesday there COURTESY PHOTO through Hometown Realty Pros. SUTHERLAND will be a formal hiring process The Durbano Family is seen here working hard on Saturday at the Lake June Ball Field. The lodge is looking to sell starting with its current property at 2618 a job opening Kenilworth Boulevard and then announcement find a suitable smaller location, and the council he said. will be seeking An early home run The property on Lake applicants for a Jackson is at the intersection of certain period of Lakeview Drive and Kenilworth time. Miracle League spruced up for season Boulevard. The appli- The membership has gone ANDERSON cants will be By KIM LEATHERMAN Placid. He was able to secure about $75 worth down with the average age in reviewed by the STAFF WRITER of mulch from Keep Lake Placid Beautiful. the mid to upper 70’s and as City Council during a “hiring He works at the ball field a lot and will have the snowbirds go back north, meeting,” similar to what has LAKE PLACID — The season has not even access to maintain the garden. some pass away and some been done in the past, and begun but The Miracle League for Highlands “I don’t want Miracle League to be forgot- decide to stay up north and not then council will select one, he County has already gotten a home run. The ten about,” Harry said. “All the other teams come back, Hanchey said. said. Durbano Family on Saturday spent hours come play and they have plenty of funding. “We used to have over 1,000 “David’s last official workday weeding, planting, designing and creating a Everyone knows about them. When we went members and now we have is Oct. 18,” Anderson said. beautiful baseball-themed landscape feature to purchase the plants at Robbins Nursery, the 400 and something, and the “It is paramount that we get just outside the fence line of the outfield. owner didn’t even know what Miracle League amount of actual members is in somebody in that position Harry Durbano, his wife Ann, the couple’s was.” just the double digits,” he said. so we don’t have too much 15-year-old son Jacob and daughter Makenzi, Bobby Heffner, owner of Robbins Nursery, It’s an 18,000-square-foot of a lapse time between city 16, took an overgrown site with weeds and ended up donating about 100 Mexican tulips building and there are 40 managers and try to find the created a beautiful site. The Miracle League to the landscape project after Durbano people doing the majority of best applicant that everyone sign was put up and a garden around it some explained the League’s mission. the work. It gets to be a little can agree on.” years ago, but due to an unreliable irrigation “What a great cause. I could tell Harry was too much for that small group, Councilwoman Maria system and just plain neglect, the area did not working hard, volunteering his time and very Hanchey said. Sutherland said Tuesday she look like the Durbanos wanted it to for the devoted to Miracle League,” Heffner said. “I The property, which is will respect the majority vote athletes and volunteers of The Miracle League. don’t have time but I can help with decorating about two acres with the on how to proceed in the city Miracle League is a baseball league for and with plants.” adjacent parking lot, has great manager search. children and adults with mental or physical Durbano also constructed an announcer’s access with the traffic light on Sutherland believes the handicaps. Teams play in Lake Placid on a booth with shade in November 2017 after WW Kenilworth Drive so there are City Charter has been part special rubberized diamond. Lumber donated the supplies. a lot of possibilities, he said. It of the problem in retaining a “My wife, myself, and my two kids decided Teenagers could learn a thing or two from has a boat ramp. manager. we wanted to give back to the Miracle League the Durbano kids. Makenzi explained why she The asking price is well “For years we have had for all they do for the handicapped communi- wanted to help: “I know how important the below the appraised value. The issues with lack of control ty,” Harry Durbano said. field is to the kids, teens and adults who are appraisal was done about one despite the voters believing The family donated about six hours of heavy involved with the Miracle League.” and a half to two years ago. we have it as a council,” labor and and $200 of their own money for Jacob seems to be getting some good The Highlands County she said. “Not being able to plants and materials. Harry Durbano is also Property Appraisers website communicate with employees the recreation supervisor for the Town of Lake MIRACLE | 4A shows the total building value or them with council is a true at $973,736, total land value hindrance. at $204,375 and total extra “I barely ask how their day is features value at $39,729 for a going without worrying about total value of $1.2 million. a charter violation. Many of The main portion of the lodge our employees are hesitant to building was constructed in voice concerns and perhaps 1960, with additions in subse- changing our charter could quent years, Hanchey said. help empower them.” He went on to say there are Sutherland likes how the some prospective properties City of Sebring has worked where the Sebring Elks might their way into a liaison-coun- relocate. cil member for each of its “There are a couple of departments. prospects out there, but I really “Employees like having an don’t want to disclose those,” advocate,” she said. “We don’t Hanchey said. “It is subject to have that except through the change. If somebody came in union and if the union is not and bought it today, it would active, they have no collective probably be us scrambling to voice.” COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO locate the perfect thing, but the In the search for a new city overall thing is just to down- The Miracle League for Highlands County’s garden A major turn around after four people, working six size with our downsizing in SEARCH | 4A became overgrown at the Lake June Ball Field hours on Saturday, cleaned up the Miracle League membership.” complex. garden area. Three to be one Lake Placid Fire to get new station, location By PHIL ATTINGER replace the three-build- Placid Fire Department driveway to the narrow STAFF WRITER ing station on Interlake sits on a busy road, with street is flanked by trees, Boulevard between the the north wall of the fire too tight to maneuver a LAKE PLACID — Work CSX Railroad tracks and station flush up against a fully loaded fire engine, should start this fiscal Main Avenue, where sidewalk. tanker or ladder truck. year on a new station for Highlands County Fire Vehicles are stored in a The alley to the east Lake Placid Fire Station Rescue Chief Marc separate building off the has access to Interlake 36, a top priority for fire Bashoor finds a myriad of roadway across a grass between two buildings, service improvements in problems. and shell lot behind the with no clear view of the PHIL ATTINGER/STAFF Highlands County. The new $1 million fa- administrative offices, street. Aerial 36-1, Lake A proposed new cility should have enough with only a couple of Placid Fire’s ladder truck, Highlands County Fire Rescue Chief Marc Bashoor measures three-acre facility will room to circle trucks and shell-road driveways would not be able to pull Aerial 36-1 to confirm its length at 45 feet, which includes the sit on Hillcrest Avenue, both train and house giving access out to a out without blocking all 8-foot overhang of the bucket atop the extendable roof ladder. one block off U.S. 27 personnel for 24-hour single-lane alley and a lanes of travel. The 1994 engine at 25 years old should be retired, based on behind South Highlands shifts, Bashoor said. narrow street. national fire safety rules, but it’s been well maintained and is Shopping Center. It will Where it is now, Lake The rutted shell LP FIRE | 4A one of the few big ladder trucks available in the county. Classifieds ......................B4-8 Obituaries ........................ A4 Viewpoints ....................... A6 Good morning To Comics ................A7-8, B9-10 Sports ............................ B1 Weather .........................A10 Roy Anderson Lottery ........................... B8 TV Listings ....................... A9 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | September 26, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com AP CRA discusses Crash results in one Brickell Building vehicle on its side By MARC VALERO By JIM ERVIN STAFF WRITER CORRESPONDENT AVON PARK — The city AVON PARK — A is still waiting on word of two-car collision early insurance money for its Wednesday morning expenses on the Brickell resulted in a vehicle roll- Building from Hurricane over in the northbound Irma damage.