Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A Lake Wales tradition for more than 90 years, the annual Easter Sunrise Service will be held this Sunday morning, April 17 at Bok Tower Gardens. The event is free to the public, and gates will open at 6:00 am. Free admission to the service will continue until 8:00 am. The service "quite literally helps the sun get over the horizon on Easter morning," according to Curtis Bok, son of the garden's founder Edward Bok. The Easter Sunrise Service has been an annual tradition since...
A small crowd gathered Monday morning on Third Street near the shores of Crystal Lake to witness a historic moment for the city as officials formally broke ground for the long-anticipated "Park Avenue Trail." The location was perhaps an indication that the marketing name may not last long, as the trail will eventually encircle Crystal Lake and encompass parts of three streets and two parks. Outgoing Mayor Eugene Fultz called the event "historic," noting that the $1.4 million...
More than 40 young magnolia trees will once again grace the length of Lakeshore Boulevard's western stretch when work is completed this week on the replacement of the missing trees from the historic Olmsted landscape. The original trees, planted more than 90 years ago, were mostly lost to hurricanes over the decades. The project is the work of Lake Wales Heritage, the local group that has dedicated itself to restoring the historic "City in a Garden" streetscapes designed by famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. at the...
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is warning Floridians to take extra precautions against possible cyber attacks on their computers and systems by Russian actors following its invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Government has also warned that the U.S. homeland may be at a heightened risk for malicious cyber activity. Evolving intelligence indicates the Russian Government may be exploring options for potential cyberattacks in response to recent economic...
The unofficial vote tabulation is completed and It is apparent that Jack Hilligoss and Danny Kreuger will fill the mayoral post and that of city commissioner. With the votes tabulated, Jack Hilligoss has apparently won the three-way race for mayor, with almost 44% of ballots cast. Under the Lake Wales City Charter there are no run-offs in city elections, so a plurality is sufficient for victory. In the City Commission race, Daniel Krueger defeated James Loydd by less than 100...
An anonymous YouTube post surfaced Saturday attacking mayoral candidate Curtis Gibson with a video his campaign manager said he'd created more than a decade ago, when he was an aspiring professional wrestler. In the video, which was viewed dozens of times within hours Saturday, Gibson appears threatening and uses offensive slang. Chevon Baccus, his campaign manager, said he was acting in character as Bad Boy, his wrestling persona, before an upcoming match. An email sent to...
Most Lake Wales voters have received a pair of deceptive postcards mailed by two out-of-town political committees that have caused Sheriff Grady Judd to issue a statement denying that he is supporting any candidates in Tuesday's city elections. The postcards, taken together, falsely imply that Judd has endorsed candidates for mayor and city commission. "I did not and am not endorsing any local candidates," Judd said in response to an email request for comment from Chevon...
An apparent impropriety in the mayoral campaign financing of City Commissioner Jack Hilligoss has caused yet another twist in the closing days of the election. A letter from Lake Wales attorney Richard McKinley addressed to City Clerk Jennifer Nanek, the candidate, and his campaign treasurer Bonnie Barker demands "any and all documentation related to the itemized expenditures" listed on Hilligoss's March 18 campaign finance report. That report, filed with Nanek last week,...
A Thursday-morning ceremony in downtown's new linear park saw plenty of smiles as a crew representing T Mobile presenting a mock-up giant check representing their company's grant of $48,623 that was awarded to pay for landscaping the park, which borders Scenic Highway opposite the public library. The grant is part of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants Program to help communities across the country kickstart development projects that will enhance the area and help enrich the lives o...
A vital channel of communication between downtown merchants, the Community Redevelopment Agency and Lake Wales Main Street was opened at a breakfast meeting at the MarketPlace Café Thursday morning, The meeting was part of an effort to familiarize the group about the pending impacts of construction of the Lake Wales Connected revitalization project. Some thirty downtown businesspeople and property owners gathered to hear a presentation from Main Street Manager Karen Thompson,...
Downtown Lake Wales is seeing a significant uptick in property transactions that some see as the result of ambitious street renewal plans being advanced by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA plans to invest some $18 million in renovations across a wide swath of the historic city center. In the latest transaction Monday, investors Stephen and Tammy James have acquired four additional parcels from the Park Avenue Building Company. The couple had purchased...
The public is invited to join officials and staff of the City of Lake Wales for the groundbreaking of the Park Avenue Connector Trail on Monday, April 4. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11:00 am on Third Street, behind the library. A portion of that street between Crystal Avenue and Park Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic to become a part of the new trail, which will link the Lake Wailes Trail with the downtown commercial district's restaurants and...
An unexpected third election forum for candidates for Lake Wales mayor and city commission has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 29 at the Lake Wales Arts Center, 1099 SR 60 East. The event was revealed by Chamber President and CEO Skip Alford, who said that the Chamber has a responsibility to the citizens to make sure they are well informed. This will be the third forum of the election cycle. Three candidates for mayor, and two for city commission seat 4, have been invited to...
Some 100 guests and supporters of the Lake Wales Main Street gathered Monday morning for a 90-minute session and left filled with not only lunch but inspiration. City planner Ed McMahon visited Lake Wales from his home in Maryland to tout the assets and potential of the city, which is facing unprecedented growth. McMahon is a Senior Resident Fellow at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC. "People in small towns don't like change," McMahon told the assembly, including...
Converting downtown streets into a shady pedestrian oasis through the Lake Wales Connected plan got a financial boost as the City of Lake Wales has received a Federal grant. Congressman Darren Soto (Dem, Kissimmee) arranged an $800,000 infusion for downtown street rehabilitation in the bi-partisan Infrastructure package approved by the US Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. Those funds will aid in fulfilling the Lake Wales Connected plan, augmenting Community...
More than 70 guests gathered Monday evening at the Lake Wales Woman's Club to hear all five candidates for election to two city posts discuss issues and answer questions. Speaking from the stage all five candidates received polite applause following most of their answers, but there were also moments of division. All five candidates were asked the same questions. Mayoral candidates Curtis Gibson, Jack Hilligoss and Tammy James generally agreed on most issues, including that...
On Jan. 27, 1931, residents along Tillman Avenue in Lake Wales got good news. The oak trees would be saved. A plan drawn up by the world renowned landscape-architect Frederick Olmsted Jr. for extensive tree planting in the city had called for some of their nearby oaks to be removed. Residents petitioned Olmstead to reconsider, and he did. As noted in a letter from his firm on that date, Olmsted's plan took many things into consideration, simplicity being chief among them....
Local Resident J. Lawton Lilly has completed his initial training assignments and has been assigned to the Navy's Seventh Fleet in the Pacific. He shipped out 3/16/22 as a US Navy Sailor to the Yokosuka, Japan Naval base outside of Tokyo. Lilly has been assigned to the USS Howard, a guided-missile Destroyer supporting Carrier Strike Group Five, consisting of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, supported by the guided missile cruisers USS Antietam, USS Chancellorsville and...
Several new large-scale residential developments took shape in presentations heard by the Lake Wales City Commission during their Wednesday workshop, at which only three commissioners were present. The poor attendance at two meetings this week prompted complaints from Mayor Eugene Fultz. The rapid growth of Lake Wales in the face of multiple large-scale development projects has concerned many citizens as judged by questions submitted at recent elections forums. The latest...
Some 300 Florida native plants and 1,052 Florida friendly plants have been planted in select areas by the City of Lake Wales Horticulture Department, and more are on the way, part of the city's new emphasis on reclaiming its original status as "a City in a Garden." New plants are now gracing various parts of the city including the Stuart Avenue and Scenic Highway parking lot, downtown Linear Park and the Lake Wales Family YMCA. "We're kicking up the charm in the city," Lake...
Lake Walk-in-the-Water has been revealed to contain a tagged bass, one of several Florida lakes to have received a trophy bass bearing a special pink tag. The tag and documentation will earn one lucky fisherman an entry into a state-wide contest sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Lake George, Newnans Lake, and Lake Talquin also host one of the tagged fish, with two other lakes to be revealed later in the contest, which runs through...
Dining choices in Lake Wales have expanded recently, and the official grand opening of one new restaurant drew a happy crowd of diners to celebrate. Wales Pointe, already a popular spot for brunch, lunch and dinner. was welcomed to the business community at noon Thursday by Lake Wales Mayor Gene Fultz and Chamber of Commerce officials. A formal ribbon cutting ceremony at the stroke of 12:00 saw more than 30 crowding to be included in the celebratory photos. Wales Pointe is...
As a pair of contested city elections move toward a climactic vote on April 5 citizens will have another opportunity to see and hear the five vying for the two open seats. A forum will take place Monday afternoon, March 14, beginning at 5:00, a time chosen by organizers to allow working people to stop in before heading home, according to Juanita Zwaryczuk, co-president of the sponsoring American Association of University Women. The cosponsoring GFWC Lake Wales Women's Club...
A new agreement being struck between the City of Lake Wales may result in fairer bills for sewer service. The plan comes after complaints from area residents after the county took over the operations of the sewer system in 2001, and the city purchased the water system. Those purchases came about after the original operator fell into default and was unable to operate the system, which had caused a spill of raw sewage into Crooked Lake, which is rated as Outstanding Florida...
Private investment in the Lincoln Avenue commercial district, one of the goals of the Lake Wales Connected plan, seems to have begun even before the first spade of dirt is turned. In a presentation before the Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday, representatives of restaurant operator Whadda-Wing LLC and NuJak Construction described their plans to construct a new restaurant building on a parcel at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and A Street. It's the third new...
