Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 1151 - 1175 of 1246
The long-delayed completion of the Walesbilt Hotel redevelopment project is no doubt as frustrating for city officials as it is for many residents. Now it seems that personal frustrations stemming from that delayed project may threaten yet another potential redevelopment concept. When the City of Lake Wales finally gained clear title to the Walesbilt Hotel in 2007, it seemed that a solution to the long-vacant building was on the horizon. Yet city fathers bungled the opportunity, and whiffed on the chance to seriously consider...
City of Lake Wales officials continue to restrict access to the condemned 1929 Seminole Hotel in downtown Lake Wales to the frustration of developer Ray Brown. A code enforcement officer and three police officers met Brown at the site Tuesday, April 30 and threatened him with arrest for trespassing if he entered the hotel building. Brown says he has a contract to purchase the hotel and notarized permission to enter by the current owner. Brown was there Tuesday to meet senior...
Lucille Wagner, 96, of Lake Wales passed away Monday, May 27 at Water's Edge in Lake Wales, where she was a resident for 9 years. She was born October 14, 1922 in Todd, NC to the late Julius L. and Laura (Tatum) Miller. She was a resident of Boone, NC and spent the winters in Haines City before moving and making Water's Edge her home in 2010. She was a homemaker. Lucille loved her family, all her friends and staff at Water's Edge and enjoyed cooking. Her family really...
City lakes will soon have a cleaner, and perhaps healthier, appearance, thanks to an ambitious weed-harvesting effort that began on Thursday. The work is being performed by a contractor working under an agreement approved by the City Commission in April. Clearing started on Lake Weader, also known as Lake Weaver, where the city operates a large fountain. The lake borders US 27 and Central Avenue in Lake Wales. Shifts in wind direction have recently been moving a large mat of...
Lucille Wagner of Lake Wales passed away Monday, May 27, 2019 at Water’s Edge in Lake Wales, where she was a resident for 9 years. She was born October 14, 1922 in Todd, NC to the late Julius L. and Laura (Tatum) Miller. She has been a resident of the area for 9 years coming from Haines City. She was a homemaker. Lucille loved her family, all her friends and staff at Water’s Edge and enjoyed cooking. Her family really appreciated the care she received at Water’s Edge and through Good Shepherd Hospice. She is preceded in de...
One hundred thousand tons of coal ash being hauled from Puerto Rico to a Central Florida landfill have resulted in a raging controversy that affects Lake Wales, as a candidate tied to the project seeks to represent the city in the Florida House. The coal-ash controversy led to more than an hour of agitated public comments at a recent County Commission meeting in Osceola County. At that meeting Commissioner Fred Hawkins Jr. found himself the target of much of the ire. Hawkins,...
To continue focusing on its mission and to promote brand awareness the Lake Wales Museum and Cultural Center has been renamed the Lake Wales History Museum. The Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, May 21 approved the name change, recommended by Museum Director Jennifer D'Hollander. "As an established resource in the Lake Wales community, the museum has included many different activities over the years. Today, the museum looks to the future as a focused, vibrant center focused...
Developer Ray Brown took his frustration with city staff directly to the Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday May 21 and left the meeting with a commitment to at least discuss how to move forward his plans to restore the historic Seminole Hotel. After some "he said, she said" banter that left commissioners expressing their own frustrations, City Planning and Development Director Kathy Bangley assured the commission "we will do everything to accommodate their team." Vice Mayor Ro...
As the Class of 2019 at Lake Wales High School counts down to graduation May 24, school officials are still celebrating the stellar accomplishments of the Class of 2018. Despite a nearly 71 percent poverty rate - students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch - Lake Wales High School graduated more than 92 percent of its seniors in 2018 – the third highest rate of all high schools in Polk County. The State of Florida defines graduation rate as the percentage of s...
Lake Wales City Commissioners Tuesday, May 14 kicked off budget talks for the 2019-20 year by sharing their priorities and opinions with city staff. There was clear consensus that the report from urban planners Dover Kohl, expected in mid-June, will drive spending decisions, particularly use of Community Redevelopment Agency trust funds. Vice Mayor Robin Gibson, who chairs the CRA, said he expects Park Avenue in historic downtown to be the top priority and to set the standard...
The Lake Wales City Commission will meet Tuesday, May 14 to discuss priorities for the 2019-2020 budget. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the City Administration Building, after the commission meets at 5:30 p.m. serving as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency According to the budget workshop agenda by Finance Director Dorothy Eklund, "as the City Commission begins the annual budget process, it is customary for the City Commission to first hold 'priority setting workshops'...
Rick Gonzalez is passionate about restoring historic buildings and he loves Lake Wales. The South Florida architect finally got his first look last week inside the Seminole Hotel and now he's ready to not only create a detailed restoration plan but also to become a financial partner with developer Ray Brown. "I've been doing this work for 30 years and I've seen all types of conditions for historic buildings. This building is just like many others - there's nothing...
City Manager Ken Fields was named Public Servant of the Year at the May 9 Annual Awards Gala of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. The award was presented by last year's winner, Kathy Bangley, the city's director of planning and development. She said when she won the award she didn't realize she'd be presenting the next one to her boss. She cited his 30 plus years' experience in government and the private sector. "To be a public servant...
Longtime local attorney Jim Weaver was named Citizen of the Year Thursday, May 9 by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. Weaver was surrounded by his wife Kay and other family members after being surprised with the award at the end of the annual awards gala held at the Lake Ashton Country Club. In presenting the award, last year's Citizen of the Year Linda Kimbrough cited not only Weaver's extensive community service and leadership but...
Orvid Eugene Johnson, 91, of Lake Wales passed away Saturday, May 11 at his residence. He was born October 25, 1927 in Kansas City, KS to the late Oliver Barber and Sarah (Jurkovich) Johnson. He has been a resident of the area for 20 years coming from Miami and Sebring. He was Emeritus Professor of music at The University of Miami. Gene was a veteran in the U.S. Navy. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Kansas and was a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal...
Three individuals, two businesses and one service organization will be honored Thursday, May 7 at the annual fundraising gala hosted by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. The event theme is "Feeling Groovy," and many attendees are expected to dress in costumes from the 1970s. The event is scheduled from 6-9 p.m. in the Lake Ashton Banquet Hall. Tickets are $75 for individuals and $1,000 for a table of 8. Other sponsorship levels are...
The historic Seminole Hotel in Lake Wales is in "good condition and solid enough to restore," according to Architect Darrin Engel, who has more than 30 years' experience in historic building restoration. A senior project manager with REG Architects of West Palm Beach, Engel did a walkthrough assessment April 30 along with his assistant, Brian Lara. "I've been in some very dangerous buildings that do require care but that is not one of them," Engel said. "I was comfortable...
The Lake Wales City Commission changed slightly Tuesday, May 7 with the installation of new City Commissioner Al Goldstein. Goldstein was elected without opposition for a two-year term after Commissioner Tonya Stewart failed to qualify when her collection of signatures fell short. With wife Shirley at his side, Goldstein was installed by state Rep. Melony Bell, who also swore in Mayor Eugene Fultz, who won re-election in April and will serve three more years. Several family...
Gayle S. Reeder, 75, died April 27 in Lake Wales. She was born December 10, 1943, in Mebane, Alamance County, NC to Roy Clifton Smith, Sr. and Lottie Corene Blackard Smith. She moved with family to Lake Wales, Florida, in 1959. Gayle graduated from Lake Wales High School in 1962, married Dennis Reeder August 3, 1962. Their son William Luke Reeder was born 1970. She was predeceased by her husband, Dennis Reeder, and parents, Roy C. Smith, Sr. and Lottie Corene Blackard Smith...
Lake Wales area people of faith gathered at noon Thursday at the City Administration Building for the National Day of Prayer. Many prayers were lifted calling upon God to have mercy on America and "heal our land." John Motis, co-director of the Business, Civic and Ministry Coalition of Lake Wales, welcomed the 100-plus attendees and put the day in historical context: President Harry Truman in 1952 called for a National Day of Prayer and President Ronald Reagan made the first...
People embarking on a travel adventure do research and consult professionals. Janet Farmer says new parents also should be fully prepared for what she calls the adventure of childbirth. "I feel like birth is the trip of a lifetime. It's an epic adventure and it takes preparation," Farmer said. That's why Farmer opened her new "gathering place," Bellies-2-Babies, in the historic downtown Lake Wales arcade, where she'll offer "workshops and doula services to help families...
I've said it often and focused on it previously in this column space, but it bears repeating: Economic development - successful and robust economic development - really is a team effort. It's a fact borne out weekly. Though the EDC arm of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council is tasked with primary responsibility for local economic development efforts, our work has the help and support of dozens of government agencies, utilities, business...
New restaurants, coffee shops, micro-breweries and grocery stores planned for the heart of Lake Wales are eligible to take advantage of up to $50,000 from a new CRA grant program to help get them off the ground. The grants are designed to stimulate the development of new food-related businesses in Lake Wales' two Community Redevelopment Districts. They are administered through the City's Community Redevelopment Agency. Targeting a variety of food and beverage businesses, the...
Where Kathy Bangley sees rodent droppings, leaking water and rotten wood, Ray Brown sees a solid, old building with great potential. Where Kathy Bangley sees an old hotel in "horrific" condition, Ray Brown envisions new studio apartments. Where Kathy Bangley sees trash, Ray Brown sees treasure. Kathy Bangley is the pragmatic director of planning and development for the City of Lake Wales. Ray Brown is a visionary historic preservationist and developer. Brown wants to restore t...
Developer Ray Brown wants to purchase and restore the historic 1929 Seminole Hotel on First Street in Lake Wales but he says the city is anti-development and throwing up roadblocks. Brown, who also is in the process of restoring the historic Walesbilt Hotel, says the Seminole is a solid structure with great potential. He plans to partner with architect Rick Gonzales from West Palm Beach, who has extensive experience with restoration of historic buildings and serves as vice cha...
