- April 20, 2024
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The Volusia Flagler YMCA hopes to get an ECHO grant to build a dog park and other improvements at the facility on Sterthaus Drive in Ormond Beach.
Volusia County’s Environmental, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor Advisory Committee will meet at 9 a.m., April 19, at the Lifeguard Headquarters and Administration Center, 515 Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. Members will conduct the meeting as the Grant Review Panel to rank the 2015/2016 ECHO applications and make award recommendations to the Volusia County Council for final approval in May.
There are several applications, including one submitted by the YMCA for $400,000 to build a dog park, expand parking and begin work on a fitness trail at the Ormond Beach location. The city of Ormond Beach committed $500,000 last year to help build the dog park. Matching funds are necessary for ECHO grants.
The YMCA used ECHO grants to enlarge the swimming pool, which was completed last year.
Applications for ECHO can be viewed at volusia.org/echo-current-grants.
The City Commission has limited panhandling/solicitation activities at the intersection of Interstate 95 and North U.S. 1 and expanded the current buffer zone at I-95 and Granada Boulevard. These activities are seen as dangerous by the city near the intersections because of the heavy traffic, according to city documents.
In 2014, the officials created the buffer zone on Granada Boulevard from Williamson Boulevard to Interchange Boulevard. The new ordinance extends this buffer down Williamson Boulevard 1,050 feet.
The new zone on North U.S. 1 that bans panhandling extends from Broadway Avenue to Destination Daytona Lane, which includes the I-95 intersection.
Municipalities can ban panhandling and solicitation in an area where the practice can be dangerous, according to city documents.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has issued a scam alert after two people were tricked out of money by a phony IRS agent. Combined, the victims, a 73-year-old Deltona woman and a 69-year-old woman who lives near Ormond Beach, were scammed out of $700, according to a spokesman.
In the first report, the victim told deputies that a man called her and claimed to be an investigator with the IRS. He told her that she owed back taxes and would be arrested if she didn’t pay up. The scammer correctly cited the woman’s Social Security number.
The victim was then instructed to purchase a $100 iTunes gift card and then call back with the card’s serial number. After the woman did as she was instructed, she found out that it was a scam. According to the victim, Apple tried to block the card from being accessed, but the card had already been debited.
The second victim was also instructed to buy iTunes gift cards. In both cases, the scammer asked the victims how much they could afford to pay immediately as partial re-payment of the debt.
Anyone who receives a call like this is urged to hang up the phone immediately and then contact their nearest law enforcement agency to report the incident, the Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.
