Changes in the Town of Winter Park! - by Shanna Lalley

The Town of Winter Park has been busy this past summer approving permits, awarding grants, coordinating road work and planning for Winter Park's future. Now, during the shoulder season, we are seeing some of the fruits of their labor. There are afew big changes that you will notice in downtown Winter Park.Watch out for thenew stop light at the intersection where The PUB and Hernandos are located. This will help control traffic through town by causing drivers to slow down to the speed limit of 35MPH,it will allow for easierleft hand turns when coming out of the Hi Country Haus condo complex or when leaving the restaurants and will give pedestrian traffic a much safer road crossing. McDonald's is undergoing a complete renovation - inside and out. The Ditch restaurant (located above Epic Sports in theTown of Winter Park ) has taken advantage of a matching grant program offered by the Town of Winter Park to replace and improve their deck. And this past summer the iconic Gasthaus Eichler sold to the owners of Devil's Thumb Ranch. Look for a change of name & signage to the Vasquez Creek Inn and a new restaurant. The biggest project that the Town has been working on are development plans for approximately 12 acres located along Hwy 40 at the north end town. This land is currentlya campground located to the north of Hernandos and the vacant lot to south of Telemark Condos and Strip & Tail Restaurant. The Town held a public meeting on October 25th to present the project to the public. There are two more public meetings scheduled on November 5th at 5:30pm and November 19th at 8am. For more information visit the Town of Winter Park website.