Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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An $18.5 million bond issuance received final approval from the Lake Wales City Commission on Tuesday, completing the funding of the award-winning Lake Wales Connected project. The approval in back-to-back meetings of the Community Redevelopment Agency and the City Commission was the final step necessary for the city's bond counsel firm of Ford and Associates. It is expected that the bonds will be offered on the market almost immediately. Ford and Associates has guaranteed...
A long-desired re-do of the aging Grove Manor housing complex north of downtown may be closer to reality if the recent actions of the city commission bear fruit. Commissioners, on a 4-0 vote, approved allotting all of the original funding, once spread over several phases of a reconstruction project, to be assigned to phase two of the 300-unit project. Commissioner Daniel Williams was absent. Housing Authority Executive Director Albert Kirkland Jr. and construction management...
The Lake Wales Connected plan took a major step forward this week as the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) voted Tuesday to award a construction contract for the Park Avenue reconstruction. Work on the multi-million dollar project is expected to begin in January. "This is the showpiece project of the Lake Wales Connected plan," City Manager James Slaton told city commissioners sitting as the CRA board. "It's been at least a couple of years to get to this point."...
The City of Lake Wales finished the 2021-2022 fiscal year in better-than-expected financial shape, based upon figures included in a year-end budget amendment approved by city commissioners. The fiscal year ended on September 30, but final balances were not available for a few weeks. City Budget Director Dorothy Abbott presented the documents to the commissioners, explaining that the changes in the numbers reflected the needed final look back at the year concluded. The General...
After rejecting the only response received from a private developer regarding the Seminole Hotel, the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is taking a completely different approach. The building features prominently in plans for downtown revitalization in the Lake Wales Connected plans. "We're going to do it all over again," said City Manager James Slaton of the failure of the Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Despite multiple expressions of interest in the...
The City of Lake Wales has been cited as a significant cultural landscape in the 2022 Landslide report issued by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF). According to the national organization, the city's origins and Olmsted patrimony place it among the cultural treasures recognized in the annual report. The report, which was distributed to national media this week, salutes the work of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who "completed a comprehensive plan for...Lake Wales,...
Redevelopment of a long-vacant apartment building on Park Avenue is awaiting final action by the Lake Wales City Commission next Tuesday. An agreement allowing the Lake Wales Care Center to close on the purchase of the property at 282 East Park Avenue is the next required step to the potential remodeling and reuse of the apartment building . If the deal moves forward, it will bring new life to the downtown area and boost the city's goal of "strategic density" in support of...
On a 3-2 vote, Lake Wales city commissioners almost approved a controversial new subdivision plat that creates 907 new building lots on the near south side before a last minute reversal. The project, called Orchard Hills, is proposed sprawl across former citrus groves stretching east of Scenic Highway and north of Passion Play Road. The proposal exceeds the city's minimum requirements for open space, primarily due to the stormwater ponds, but was criticized by residents and a...
Major improvements to a wide variety of city facilities are included in the new Five Year Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) being considered for adoption by the Lake Wales City Commission. The plan includes total expenditures of $117,518,667, of which about $17 million is anticipated to come from state and federal grants. A large portion of the remainder will be provided by Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funds, some of which are being used to obtain about $18 million in...
As the City of Lake Wales and Polk County prepare to finalize their annual budgets and set tax rates for the new fiscal year, both are benefitting from a substantial rise in property values. The changes could lead to further reductions in millage rates for property owners. In Polk overall, values have risen to $51,391,150,529, an increase of 17.75 percent, nearly doubling last year's sharp increase of 9.03 percent. That represents a current-year increase of more than $2.2...
Construction is progressing rapidly on the Park Avenue Connector Trail, a 3000-foot multiuse trail being constructed by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency. The project is a key element of the Lake Wales Connected plans which are expected to transform and revitalize the city's center in coming years. Construction of the new trail is utilizing about one-half of the right-of-way of Park Avenue, which was 24 feet wide despite being a one-way street. The new design featu...
A 312-acre parcel expected to host the Mayfair development nearly two decades ago is now the proposed site of a 1,020-unit project dubbed Ridgecrest. The Lake Wales City commission on Tuesday will consider the application for a preliminary subdivision plat and a special exception use permit for a residential Planned Development Project (PDP). Ridgecrest is planned to be constructed in three phases and will fill in a large blank in the city's residential areas stretching from R...
A divided boulevard featuring median plantings, turn lanes, sidewalks, bikeways, and efficient traffic roundabouts may be in the future of Buck Moore Road, depending upon the cooperation of Polk County in improving the county-maintained road. The corridor has been a concern for area residents as traffic has grown in recent years, and another 684 single-family homes are planned for construction along the one and a half mile connector link between SR 60 and Burns Avenue. The roa...
A $1.2 million contribution from the City of Lake Wales will empower a new business incubator designed to increase the number of new businesses and entrepreneurs in Lake Wales. Funds for the project will come from the American Rescue Act which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden last year. The city received some $7 million which must be directed to economic development projects. The funds will be directed to the operations of "Bizlink," which will...
Efforts to re-imagine the urban core of Lake Wales as an attractive and shady pedestrian oasis filled with new businesses and restaurants continues to draw the support of both the public and private sectors. Congressman Darren Soto has announced that he is requesting a $1 million Federal grant to support street restoration in downtown Lake Wales. This project, one element of a multi-faceted effort, would revitalize 1st Street, which is a critical connector, unifying the...
Money to fund the extensive Lake Wales Connected plan has not been threatened thus far by rising interest rates, according to a presentation to the city commission sitting as the board of the Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA is anticipating issuing bonds to raise about $18.5 million to fund the transformational project. After hearing a report from Will Reid, representing the city's bond counsel firm of Ford and Associates, commissioners had plenty of questions about...
The future of Lake Wales Charter Schools was described in sparkling terms in a 30-minute presentation by the new superintendent of schools, Dr. Wayne V. Rodolfich at a packed Lake Wales Arts Center Luncheon Thursday. "On the concept of a 'power lunch,' everything is connected," Rodolfich said, then cited no less than a dozen "super powers" that the community can bring to the schools to assure future greatness. His presentation before a sold-out crowd was sponsored by the Lake...
New housing development in the Northwest Neighborhood, an area receiving significant upgrades and improvements through the Lake Wales Connected effort, will also get improved an water supply as a result of city commission action. "We've seen consistent growth in the area in response to the City's affordable housing program," City Manager James Slaton said. A new 12-inch water main will link together two additional 12-inch water mains previously installed. CHA Engineering is...
Plans to build sidewalks and plant scores of shade trees to enhance the Northwest Neighborhood, part of the Lake Wales Connected plan, received a major boost last week with the announcement that the City of Lake Wales was awarded nearly a $1.2 million grant. Lake Wales is one of ten Florida communities awarded funding through the Rural Infrastructure and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. "This...
Citizens interested in learning the details and impact of the city-reshaping Lake Wales Connected plan are invited to attend any of four luncheon meetings on the topic beginning Tuesday, May 17. The plan, which is expected to include more than $20 million in infrastructure improvements in the city, will be the focus of four weeks of meetings hosted by the Lake Wales Noon Rotary Club at the Lake Wales Country Club, according to club spokesperson Bob Peppel. The first speaker...
The conception of the Lake Wales Connected plan and the growing awareness of the city's strong connections to the works of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. have combined to make Arbor Day an increasingly important event in Lake Wales. To mark the date this year the City of Lake Wales, in partnership with Lake Wales Heritage, is planting a 100-gallon cathedral live oak to observe the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day. Local residents are invited to witness the planting of the large oak...
Voluntarily suffering hardships may seem an unlikely choice for most people, but for hundreds of young students at the local Heart program it's been a pathway to self-discovery and a way to help others. A recent tour of the rustic facility, led by program executive director Phil Murphy, offered the Leadership class of Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce a look at the conditions of life in much of the world, where electricity and running water are often luxuries. The Heart...
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...
Lake Wales area residents dealing with foot ailments due to the effects of diabetes should know that it is a serious health problem that demands treatment, according to Dr. Prerna Mall, a podiatrist who specializes in diabetic foot care along with her regular practice. “Diabetic foot ulcers are one of the most common complications in patients who have diabetes which is not well controlled. These ulcers are usually caused by poor sugar control, underlying peripheral n...
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,...
