- February 7, 2025
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The Port Orange University may have just started, but the 29 residents who signed up for the nine weeks of sessions are already getting a closer look at how the city they live in runs.
On Monday, Sept. 25, the group of citizens spent two hours learning about the Port Orange Parks and Recreation department. This was the second session since it first started on Monday, Sept. 18. The university was originally slated to start a week before but Hurricane Irma forced officials to delay the start until the following week.
The session, which began at 6 p.m., started out with a discussion about the city parks, athletics and other related topics such as special events and administrative functions. The group then hopped on a bus to take a tour of the area parks.
"I had no idea there were so many parks here, there's a lot of activities," Mary Serlick said. "I'm excited. I'm learning a lot."
Serlick moved to Port Orange with her husband a year ago and they now live behind City Center. She said because her grandchildren could eventually be growing up in this area she found it nice to know where she can take them.
Serlick's husband, Ira Serlick, said when he found out the city was offering these classes he decided he wanted to know about everything that is happening in his new home.
"I want to see the inner workings of the city," he said. "I'm new. I don't know anything about the city but I love everything that goes on here."
As for the reason behind this academy, it all started with the annual Citizen Survey done by the city. This year's survey, conducted between January and February, included asking residents if they would be interested in attending interactive sessions to learn about the functions and services provided by the city. More than 300 people responded with 242 saying yes, they would be interested in doing this.
The city also asked how often interested citizens would like to have the classes offered. Almost 150 people responded that they would like the class to be weekly and last for two hours.
"I think it's been a long time coming, I'm glad it's a program we put together," Assistant Parks Director Peter Ferreira said. "It really shows that there are some citizens out there that want to know more about each department."
Some residents had been in the area for several years and were hoping to be better acquainted with their city.
"We just wanted to learn more about how the city government functions," Rhonda Snyder said. "We've been here 13 years and so far, the second night of the program, it's been wonderful."
Snyder added that the sessions have allowed them to not only know about the city itself but about the people who work in each department.
For Port Orange resident Dave Brown, the university is a way to better understand the city he has been living in for the past 14 years. "I've worked in Daytona Beach and I know more about Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach, where I work now, than I do about Port Orange," Brown said. "I'm here to find out all the ins and outs of city government and how the city is growing and maybe how I can participate."
