By Christine Moore, Orange County District 2 Commissioner

Happy Thanksgiving! This next week we remember the hardships suffered by the Pilgrims as their ship veered far north of their planned Virginia destination to Massachusetts. The Native Americans and Pilgrims shared a meal to commemorate the acts of charity which fostered the group’s very survival.  

This story reminds me to be grateful for the many volunteers who participated in the Corridor of the Year contest, Maine & Old Dixie cleanup, and the state constructing the final leg of the Coast-2-Coast Trail down Clarcona-Ocoee Road in North Pine Hills. 

These past five years I have developed a program that was widely embraced in the unincorporated areas of District 2. A hundred citizens come out monthly to pick up trash, report code violations, ask for county public works to trim trees and repair sidewalks, and erect placemaking art installations.  

In Lockhart, all five major corridors have been improved, Easter Egg and Fall Festivals offered, and monthly training and engagement meetings held at Lockhart Baptist Church.  

The Clarcona-Ocoee or North Pine Hills group has done likewise and their Coast-2-Coast mural at the corner of Pine Hills and Clarcona-Ocoee roads was recently rewarded with the state paying for the Clarcona Connector Trail along the road, part of the prestigious trail which traverses across the state from Titusville to St. Petersburg right through their community.  

The Southern Apopka group cleaned up Sheeler and Clarcona roads. They maintain a beautiful garden at the corner of Sheeler and Apopka Boulevard, which is being rewarded by the county with new sidewalks, crosswalk signalization, and a roundabout. The newest team, People of Northern Apopka, could use more help, so call us at 407.836.5850.  

Pastor Larry of Dayspring Church, Jason and Merry Lovern, and Robert Woods did a remarkable job on Old Dixie/Highland. They trimmed trees, painted church buildings, erected cup art, and upgraded two fences. 

Clerk of Court Tiffany Moore Russell sent volunteers to assist my PONA (People of Northern Apopka) team at Maine and Old Dixie. If you haven’t noticed, I’m on a mission to clean up this historic corridor – in the unincorporated areas. Thus, this group worked on an area behind the Wawa at Maine and New Hampshire along Old Dixie Highway. We picked up nearly a hundred bags of trash, moved dumped items to the right of way for county public works removal, trimmed trees, and mowed grass.  

This week, at my final quarterly meeting as your District 2 County Commissioner, I awarded the teams from Lee Road, Lockhart (People of Lockhart), North Pine Hills (People of Clarcona-Ocoee), Southern Apopka (People of Southern Apopka), and Northern Apopka (People of Northern Apopka). Stay tuned for announcement of the winners in next week’s column or notice the celebratory signage placed along their routes.  

District 2 never looked better thanks to the partnership between residents and Orange County government.