Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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With a minimum of discussion, the Lake Wales City Commission this week unanimously approved a Special Exception Use Permit to allow a multi-family Planned Development Project for the redevelopment of the aging 120-unit Grove Manor public housing project. "We've been working on this a long time," said Mayor Jack Hilligoss as he called for a vote. The long-awaited project is the first phase of a multi-phased Master Plan which will take place on 24.74 acres of land that...
The future redevelopment of the Walesbilt Hotel and the ongoing Lake Wales Connected effort would be placed at serious risk if the Florida Legislature adopts a pair of bills currently being considered. Florida House Bill 991 and Senate Bill 1242 would put severe restrictions on Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) in Florida, effectively stopping their efforts to address declining neighborhoods. “This is serious,” said Lake Wales CRA chairman Robin Gibson. “It is incon...
What has undoubtedly been the ugliest Lake Wales municipal election campaign in memory is coming to a conclusion on April 1, when voters will have a last chance to help select a mayor who will serve a new three-year term. Incumbent Mayor Jack Hilligoss is being challenged by former city commissioner Curtis Gibson. The campaign has been marked by a series of attacks using both direct mail and text messages funded by a "dark-money" political action committee based in Tampa. The...
A ruling by Circuit Judge Jennifer Swensen this month has brought the City of Lake Wales and the city's Community Redevelopment Agency significantly closer to reclaiming the title to the landmark Walesbilt Hotel, bringing redevelopment of the building within reach. The legal battle over control of the historic structure began when the city filed the suit in February 2022. The most-recent ruling dismissed a counter-suit and appeal for summary judgement filed by defendant...
Two new restaurants are among the immediate results of the investment in a renewed downtown historic district by the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Lake Wales. The city recently celebrated the opening of the re-imagined Park Avenue which, along with stretches of First Street, Scenic Highway, and the Market Plaza, have been turned into lush gardens lining brick streets intended to create an attractive setting for dining and retail. The Thirsty Dragon, an...
A celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for Friday evening in downtown Lake Wales will mark the successful completion of the biggest element to date in the city's pursuit of the Lake Wales Connected plan. The transformative redevelopment of Park Avenue and the Market Plaza will be celebrated by residents, business owners, and city officials alike, all of whom are eager to show off the beauty of the new streetscape. The event will be held in the expanded new Market...
After months of intensive reconstruction, the intersection of Park Avenue and Scenic Highway is expected to open to traffic this week, marking the end of one phase of an expansive Lake Wales Connected project to reconfigure and beautify the urban core of Lake Wales. Merchants, residents, and visitors alike are ready to celebrate the opening of the refurbished Park Avenue, which features wider, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks with room for outdoor café seating, as well as lush la...
Prominent Lake Wales business and community leader Edwin Morris Friedlander passed away peacefully in his home on January 19 at the age of 93. Friedlander was well-known among area business and civic circles, having participated in a number of non-profit boards and community efforts, including Lake Wales Hospital, the Chamber of Commerce, and Rotary. He was among a group of business leaders who helped lead a privately-funded urban renewal project in downtown Lake Wales in the...
The sight of street resurfacing has been welcomed this week in Lake Wales, but nowhere more than at the intersection of Scenic Highway and Park Avenue. The work is the final step in the complete reconstruction of Park Avenue in accordance with the Lake Wales Connected plan to reinvigorate the city's urban core. Crews moved closer to completing the reconstruction of that intersection, which has been closed to traffic for three months. New road surfaces were put down this week...
Restaurant choices for Lake Wales area residents continues to increase as four new operations are poised to begin serving in January. Two are well-known national chains while two are locally-owned. The city's sparkling reimagining of the downtown area, known as Lake Wales Connected, is attracting new investment in the form of two new restaurants, both in an extensively-remodeled building just across from the US Post Office. The Thirsty Dragon will open in a matter of weeks at...
A new bicycle and pedestrian trail will connect the Lake Wailes Trail and the Lake Wales Trailway paths with Bok Tower Gardens as a result of a newly-awarded $282,380 grant. Plans for the development of the new multiuse trail along Tower Boulevard include the construction of a 12-foot-wide surface to connect Lake Wales Park Trail to Bok Tower Gardens. Five park benches, trash receptacles, bike racks and directional signage will complement the trail. Lake Wales was one of four...
The City of Lake Wales has earned the designation of Tree City USA, joining a list of more than 160 communities in Florida who have won that designation from the National Arbor Day Foundation. "This is a prestigious honor for our city," city Horticulturist Kevin Polk said. Polk now leads a team of parks employees who are planting and maintaining hundreds of trees and thousands of shrubs across the city. Lake Wales met all criteria to qualify for the designation by operating a...
The long construction project to turn the once-desolate Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales into an attractive pedestrian magnet is apparently approaching a conclusion. Once completed, the entire length of Park Avenue will be open for two-way traffic for the first time in nearly two years. Traffic on Scenic Highway has been detoured around the construction site since late October. The project timeline suggested a 90-day closure, but that schedule may be surpassed if progress...
The prospect of a transformative high-end development along SR 60 west of Lake Wales advanced with a unanimous vote in favor of the annexation of about 558 acres that will be the site of the proposed Lake Wales Commons at the most recent city commission meeting. Lake Wales Commons could host as many as 3,200 new dwelling units, along with more than a million square feet of light industrial and warehouse space on about 558 acres fronting along SR 60 West, Old Bartow Road, and W...
A tour of Lake Wales by an influential group of specialty builders may lead to interest in new "traditional neighborhood" housing in the area, according to organizers of the event. Several dozen members of the National Town Builders Association arrived by motorcoach to visit the area, with stops at Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wailes Park, and a walking tour through the downtown area. The group was led by Victor Dover, principal of the planning firm of Dover, Kohl & Partners,...
The $11 million Park Avenue reconstruction project is entering its final phase with the reconstruction of the intersection of Scenic Highway with the important downtown street. The work will require the closure of Scenic Highway at that location for approximately 90 days, according to construction plans and officials. A statement issued by the City of Lake Wales says that the closure will begin Tuesday, October 22. Once this final phase in completed, the entire length of Park...
The ongoing construction work on Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales has had serious financial impacts on many businesses along the three-block stretch, but new assistance is being provided by the City of Lake Wales to help them survive the challenges. Restaurants, salons, and retail establishments dependent upon foot traffic are eligible to receive individual business-retention grants of $5,000 to help offset the disruptions they have faced. The Lake Wales city commission...
A new 30-day closure of West Park Avenue will begin this Monday, September 16 to allow construction crews to enhance the stormwater drainage system and remove and reinstall the brick pavers on Park Avenue between Wetmore Street to First Street, starting Monday, September 16th. The work will include modifying a drainage system design that proved inadequate during heavy rains earlier this year, while also addressing problems with pavers "crawling" out of alignment on the...
A controversial high-density development involving Lake Wales Country Club and Oakwood that was nixed by city planners earlier this year is returning with new designs even as new information emerges about Falgun Dharia, the principal behind the project, who had introduced himself last year as Frank Ghandi. (See our stories below.) The new conceptual site development plan still combines the two golf courses but relies more heavily on single-family home sites. Many residents at...
Several area construction projects continue to affect traffic circulation in southern and eastern Polk County. A four-block stretch of State Road 17 (Scenic Highway) remains closed in Lake Wales at Hillcrest Avenue, forcing traffic from the state road onto the city's 4th Street in front of McLaughlin Middle-High School adding to school-hour traffic and congestion there. The project, begun in June, was announced as a 30-day effort to correct drainage Issues adjacent to Lake...
Lake Wales City officials and residents gathered Friday morning at the intersection of Florida Avenue and F Street in the Northwest Neighborhood to celebrate the upcoming sidewalk and street-tree planting project with a groundbreaking ceremony. The effort is expected to beautify the long-neglected area, coupling with the ongoing Community Redevelopment Agency housing rehabilitation and affordable home construction programs. The groundbreaking followed only hours after a Thursd...
The long-awaited opening on a second stretch of a reconstructed Park Avenue in downtown Lake Wales is a reality after construction crews removed barriers, allowing traffic to flow on the newly-bricked street. Along with the new travel surface comes a lush new landscape of oaks and ornamental plantings and new wider sidewalks designed to accommodate sidewalk dining. Still to come are new streetlights to create the proper evening ambiance. Merchants have struggled during the...
A long-awaited effort to add sidewalks and street trees throughout the Northwest Neighborhood is set to begin in coming weeks, and city officials want to make certain that residents of the area are prepared for what's to come. Most of the streets in the area will see some impact during construction. An August 22 public meeting at the B Street Community Center will give residents an overview of the project and a chance to ask questions. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m....
Avoiding the likelihood of an expensive lawsuit, the trustees of the Lake Wales Charter School have accepted a settlement of issues connected to their abrupt June 7 termination of the system's former superintendent. Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich had served just under two years at the head of the seven-school system when he was cited for one or more "grievances" filed by employees. Details of the accusations have not been made public but based upon statements made by both Rodolfich...
A new city effort will see the construction of about a mile of new sidewalk and the planting of scores of new street trees in Lake Wales. The long-neglected Northwest Neighborhood of Lake Wales, subject of a two-year Community Redevelopment Agency effort to improve housing, will soon benefit from an investment in new sidewalks and street trees. Residents will see some disruption as the improvements are made. The project is only the first portion of the two-phase project, City...
