Chef's inside DELAND/LAKE HELEN DELEON SPRINGS PIERSON Corner Find the best pizza in town Page B2 @HometownNewsVolusia @Hometownnewsvolusia @HVolusi Vol. 7, No. 25 Your Local News and Information Source • www.HometownNewsVolusia.com Friday, July 27, 2018 Community State RX--0059404 Neighborhood Center All types of Hurricane Protection Notes • Screen Rooms • Replacement Windows • Seamless Gutters • Custom Sunrooms Public meeting adds more housing on plans to widen • Vinyl Siding • Pool Enclosure By Gina McKee earmarked for men in transition or at risk of Vote Now! Best Screen Enclosures! Orange Camp Road [email protected] homelessness, according to information pro- Schedule an in-home estimate today! vided by the center. Residents of GAP House 2012 - 2016 D Volusia County’s Engineer- Community members, civic leaders and represen- must have income, pay $100 in rent per week EA ER R S ’ 386-775-4915 ing and Construction Division C tatives cheered a ribbon-cutting ceremony at The and be in the process of transitioning to per- H O I C E EDSENEZALUMINUM.COM will host a public meeting to 2017 Neighborhood Center of West Volusia Wednesday manent supportive housing or independent EADER R S ’ present the design for a pro- as officials officially opened a new branch of the housing. C H posed widening of Orange center’s services. Rent includes utilities, water and food, and resi- f e l t O I C E Camp Road from 5:30 to 7 “This is a new transitional housing program dents can remain at GAP House no longer than 12 importance to p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, in the called the GAP project. GAP stands for Growth and consecutive months. DeLand City Commissioner Jessica Sanborn Activity Center at Achievement Project,” said Susan Clark, executive “Our staff has played a huge role in making this Davis, who was on-hand for the ceremony. Earl Brown Park, 815 S. Ala- director. “It’s a 12-bed facility for individual, single happen,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re “I take this project personally, because of how I bama Ave., DeLand. males. We have folks ready to come in right now.” impacting West Volusia in regards to ending the grew up. I was house to house, 13 public schools, The limits of the proposed Housed in the completely remodeled former thrift homelessness issue.” and although I wasn’t officially maybe living under four-lane project extend from store at 224 S. Florida Ave., DeLand, the 12 beds are The project is one of personal interest and heart- See CENTER, page A4 just west of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Beltway to Interstate 4. Exhibits depicting the pro- posed improvements will be on display, and public com- ments forms will be available. Tropical sites Tractor Supply For information, call Civil Engineer Travis Terpstra at (386) 736-5967, ext. 12511, or store gets email [email protected]. SunRail new schedule initial OK, begins next week SunRail begins running with questions service on a new schedule beginning Monday, July 23. The new schedule features By Gina McKee cery store and various small- more mid-day time slots, as [email protected] er attached tenants, accord- well as running later at night. ing to the City Commission DeLand City Commis- Service is increasing from the agenda. sioners initially approved a current 18 round trips per day The requested ordinance, zoning change for a Tractor to 20 round trips per day. Sun- which was read for the first Supply Co. store, but have Rail runs a 32-mile daily ser- time, includes changing the concerns that must be vice, stopping at 12 stations, zoning designation for that addressed before final Monday through Friday, from portion of the property to approval. the DeBary Station in Volusia allow a proposed Tractor The property, which is County to the Sand Lake Road Supply store outdoor over- about half of the former Station south of Orlando. night storage, along with Kmart building and parking A new southern expansion sales of vehicles. These uses area on the west end of the will begin passenger service are not permitted under the Northgate Shopping Center, July 30, adding 17 miles and property’s current C-2 zon- is at the northeast corner of four new stations; Meadow ing. East International Speedway Woods in Orange County, To accommodate the per- and North Woodland boule- Tupperware, downtown Kis- manent sidewalk display vards. It does not include the simmee and Poinciana in Randy Barber/staff photographer area, the applicant proposes out parcels occupied by Sun- Osceola County. to expand the existing side- Visiting from North Carolina, Verdonna Ashley, left, gets her picture taken Trust Bank, Taco Bell and Pet For more information, visit walk to 12.75 feet in width with her sister-in-law, Martha Ashley of DeLand, by Arnette Sherman during Supermarket or the parcel sunrail.com. and place a four-foot-tall alu- the MainStreet DeLand Association’s Tropical Nights on Friday, July 20. containing the Publix gro- See TRACTOR, page A3 Make a miniature house at Deltona library Learn about the world of Add some miniature houses and then See NOTES, page A2 balloon flair Personal Finance A8 PLAN STRONGER to your event By Gina McKee and pieces, his favorite are the Something [email protected] more elaborate creations must be sometimes requested or done required by his clients. about Lewis Salter’s artistry is nation's more than just air. “I offer a bespoke service, debt The DeLand resident but can also have generic recently brought his passion designs that I have created,” for balloon artistry to a new he said, adding that anything level, opening his own busi- is possible with the right ness, Pride in Balloons by vision. “I look forward to Entertainment B1 Blossoms. meeting new customers, and “After some great and especially to bringing a smile FESTIVAL ARTIST to everyone’s face.” inspiring recent events that I Photo courtesy of Pride in Balloons have had the pleasure of sup- The business, at 122 Sad- porting, and after several dlebook Way, DeLand, is a Lewis Salter, a DeLand resident, is a self-taught balloon designer who has requests, I have brought back dream come true for the taken his hobby to the next level with his new business, Pride in Balloons by Pride in Balloons,” Mr. Salter Volusia County native, who Blossoms at 122 Saddlebrook Way in DeLand. said. “It’s something that I did likes to find the whimsical in the past for fun, and it side of inspiration from real loon sculptures and creations he said. that brought him back into brings joy.” life and fantasy. to fit just about any budget or For a business born from a the business, he said. From classic archways for His creations can take theme, for any party, event, or hobby, the sky could be the More than that, however, Etcher picked to provide pageants and other events, to hours or even days to com- contest that wants to add a limit for Mr. Salter’s new ven- it’s really just a whole lot of icon of art columns, shapes and more plete if they are complex, and unique and whimsical ele- ture, especially since balloon fun, Mr. Salter said. complex designs, if it can be others can be done much ment to the atmosphere. designers are fewer and more “I find balloon artistry Index dreamed up, Mr. Salter will more expediently. Rates will vary depending far between. But it’s really just inspiring and fun to do,” he find a way to make it come to With a variety of designs on a number of factors, such a love of creating, along with said. “Who wouldn’t want to Business A7 Out & About B1 life. pre-planned, as well as a fun as the amount of balloons requests following events he play with balloons all day?” Classified B6 Police Report A5 Crossword B5 Sports B5 While he said he enjoys approach to the more time-in- used, the complexity of the has participated in generating For more information, call Horoscopes B1 Viewpoint A6 making all types of shapes tensive designs, there are bal- design and the overall scale, requests for more business, Mr. Salter at (386) 843-8678. RATED #1 Out of 30,000 Senior Communities - SeniorAdvisor.com The Cloisters offers: • GATED ACCESS • ANYTIME DINING • HOUSEKEEPING • LAWN CARE www.thecloistersretirement.org (800)738-1222 | 400 East Howry Ave., DeLand • WASHER/DRYER IN EVERY APARTMENT HOME A Retirement Housing Foundation Campus • AND MUCH MORE A not-for-profit community - ALF#8340 A-2 • West Volusia Hometown News Friday, July 27, 2018 Events manager seeking to boost center’s activity By Lori Carter activities,” she said. “It’s a nice Gaudio earned her bachelor’s For Hometown News compliment to the rest of my degree in foreign languages career.” and Latin American studies Lucinda M. Gaudio, the The city is thrilled to have and diplomatic affairs from events manager at The Center Ms. Gaudio on board. Hartwick College in New at Deltona, has been on the job “Lucinda’s extensive back- York. for a couple months. ground in the hospitality and “When I graduated from Ms. Gaudio, who has 30 lodging industry in New York college, my father asked, years experience in the hospi- City brings major market ‘What do you plan to do with tality industry, said she’s been experience with events and this very expensive educa- re-evaluating staff, making customer service to the Center tion?’” she said. “I wasn’t quite adjustments of distribution at Deltona,” City Manager Jane s u re .” and labor, and now is looking Shang said.