Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The re-imagining of downtown Lake Wales and the application of the Connected plan is now inspiring some significant proposed changes to Central Avenue between Scenic Highway and First Street. In keeping with the concepts advanced in the award-winning Lake Wales Connected plan, a new pavement configuration which will add a bike lane to the north side of the street was approved at Tuesday's Community Redevelopment Agency meeting. The board will enter a $35,000 contract with...
Saturday night is when we will turn our clocks ahead one hour. The time change is also a good time to make sure irrigation system timers are set correctly to ensure that the systems operate consistently with year-round water conservation measures. The Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) is reminding residents to check the timers on their irrigation system controllers this weekend, which is the beginning of daylight saving time. All 16 counties throughout the...
Keeping ahead of the numerous development proposals is a concern for city leaders and residents alike as some ten thousand new dwelling are at various stages of the lengthy approval process. City planning staff has been increased, but creating an overview is the goal of a new land use study The approved by the City Commission this week The action authorized funding for S&ME, an engineering firm, to evaluate land in the city's designated utility service area surrounding Lake...
Word that Polk County residents won't receive pick-up of their recycling is sweeping social media around the Lake Wales area, but the alarm is unfounded. East Polk residents will continue to receive their collections service as normal. The serious collections issues that have plagued a different contractor serving Polk west of US 17 has led the county to call for the one month suspension of recycling collections in order to allow the trucks and crews to try to catch up on the...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been notified by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory of confirmed cases of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strain: H5 2.3.4.4 in a lesser scaup, black vultures and other avian species. There is a low risk of HPAI transmission to humans and, to date, there have been no known human infections in North America. The FWC is currently investigating bird mortalities in Brevard, Indian River and Volusia...
A well-attended reception Thursday evening offered the Lake Wales community its first opportunity to meet the four remaining candidates for superintendent of the Lake Wales Charter Schools system. More than 100 interested residents attended, taking the opportunity to become personally acquainted with the finalists. The candidates, including Emilean Clemons, Andy Oguntola, Wayne V. Rodolfich, and Anuj Saran, were introduced one at a time, giving them an essentially private...
The Lake Wales Charter School Board of Trustees is expected to choose a new superintendent of schools Tuesday to run seven local schools and maintain the standard of excellence achieved by former Superintendent Jesse Jackson. Jackson, who built an award-winning program with the help of principals and staff members, resigned in February, leaving the trustees to find a replacement. The fraught selection process continues to generate community concern. A nationwide search for...
A small but vocal group has been a significant influence on the process of selecting a new superintendent for the Lake Wales Charter School system, a simple reading of documents reveals. (See Related Story Here) The Polk County chapter of the Ohio-based County Citizens Defending Freedom has been involved in the process at numerous points and has consistently acted to promote the selection of Andy Oguntola. Two speakers who sought to end the national search in Lake Wales in...
Shaken community confidence in the search for a new superintendent to lead the Lake Wales Charter School system has generated a wave of criticism from educators, community leaders and parents, amid suggestions that the system may see a "mass exodus of quality employees." Following a stunning revelation last week that Lake Wales High School Principal Donna Dunson has retained legal counsel in the face of "harassment," others involved in the school system are questioning the...
Keep Polk County Beautiful, Inc. invites you to participate in this year's Great American Cleanup Event kicking off March 1st. The Great American Cleanup is a nationwide cleanup initiative led by Keep America Beautiful. This cleanup event has taken place across the country for the past 36 years throughout the months of March, April and May annually. The first 1,500 volunteers, who pre-register will receive a FREE T-Shirt and ticket to Bok Tower Gardens (while supplies are...
No sooner has work been completed on the railroad that caused the closing of Hunt Brothers Road this week than crews will move south to begin work on the grade crossing at the Golfview Park Road at Bryan Road in Babson Park. Work there will take place on Thursday and Friday. Detour signs will be erected at SR 17 in Babson Park, requiring traffic to bypass the shortcut leading to the east side of Lake Wales. Crews working for Florida Midland Railroad Company, Inc. will require...
Four finalists for the position of superintendent for the Lake Wales Charter Schools system are participating in the interview process today. The day's agenda includes one-on-one meetings with members of the Board of Trustees and a tour of facilities and the general community by a volunteer. The finalists are Emilean Clemons, Andy Oguntola, Wayne V. Rodolfich, and Anuj Saran. The four were left after the withdrawal of PJ D'Aoust immediately after he was selected as on of the...
An effort by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to increase the availability of affordable housing through public/private partnerships is producing significant results. The recently-completed Phase Two of the program's participation with the Keystone Challenge Fund added more housing to the historic Northwest Neighborhood. The City partnered with Keystone to build two additional houses on B Street, complementing the adjacent homes that were developed in the...
EDITOR'S UPDATE: Dr. P.J. D'Aoust has withdrawn from the selection process after being selected as one of the finalists for Charter Schools Superintendent. After a lengthy and contentious final meeting, a recommendation has been sent to the Lake Wales Charter School Board of Trustees from the ten-member Citizen's Superintendent Search Committee. In a nearly two-hour meeting, the committee members submitted their final choices to be forwarded to the board. Coming out on top...
Even though the 2022 Olympics are on the other side of the globe, decisions made by governments, sponsors, and media organizations will be seen and felt here in Polk County The Olympics used to be a happy, friendly, celebration of amateur athletics. It was all about the games themselves and the great, human stories behind the athletes. Who can forget the fantastic story behind the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team that was loosely portrayed in the movie, Cool Runnings (1). But for...
The year just ended saw a wave of filings for growth projects in the city, with more than a dozen subdivision, townhome and apartment complex proposals now on the books. The new year has begun at the same frenetic pace, but the City of Lake Wales Development Services Director Mark J. Bennett is expanding his team to support the unprecedented amount of development. In order to meet current demand, and in anticipation of more projects being added to the growing workload,...
Multiple paid positions are open to help run the elections process in Polk County this election year, according to Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards. Polk County residents are invited to apply to become election workers during an informational meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 2nd. "These are paid positions working at polling places on Election Day," explained Edwards. The informational meeting will be held beginning at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, February 2nd at the...
It took only a few months working in the Development Services Division at the City of Lake Wales for Autumn Cochella to realize she had found her passion and a life-long career path. After six years on the job she recently earned a coveted certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners. "This is my hometown," Cochella said. "I get it. The responsibility is more personal because I care on a different level. She stepped into the role in a bigger way recently...
Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards announced today that the Florida Supervisors of Elections (FSE) will award four $1,200 scholarships to Florida students in 2022. Applicants must be: - Registered to vote in the State of Florida - Be a Citizen of the United States - Enrolled as a full-time student in a senior college or university in Florida - Majoring in Political Science/Public or Business Administration or Journalism/Mass Communications Applicants must also...
The energy demands of the Sunshine State are rising apace of our booming population. New homes, schools, and businesses need electricity in plenty. The problem for Florida is that generating most of that electricity requires vast amounts of water to cool the generators. Water is in increasingly short supply. Enter a solution: solar electric energy. Power from solar panels is used in ever larger percentages across the state and requires no water for cooling. Rooftop solar has c...
An initiative by Congressman Darren Soto may bring help for a problematic sewer system that may be polluting surface waters. Rep. Soto was involved in the passage of the INVERT Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which he called the "biggest infrastructure investment in America since Eisenhower." Soto described his previous work with the Lakeshore community, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma a few years ago. "We were really worried about how long it might take to get...
With the recent rains and changing temperatures, fish are on the move around southeast Polk. Lakes large and small are seeing good activity. On Lake Kissimmee, always a hot spot, Bass have moved in shallow. When you think you're shallow, go a little bit shallower, into the pads and flags. Throw an Ol' Monster or Junebug for good reactions. On Walk-in-the-Water, Speck fishing is heating up at night using minnows. Drift with a light until you draw their attention. Bass are up...
Wanda Gail Ward passed away December 19, 2021 at the age of 67 in Tampa Florida. She was born Feb 5 1954. A life-long resident of Florida, she was a house wife and a long-haul truck driver for Airtec Sprayers. Gail was born in Ozark, Alabama on February 5, 1954. Her family moved to Florida when she was very young. She went to college for business and financing and drove for Polk County school systems. Gail was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and all around great...
The year just completed saw a number of big stories that impacted the Lake Wales community, and we've taken a look back at them through the perspective of the new year. Here's how our staff ranked the biggest stories of 2021. 1) A development surge saw multiple projects brought forward for consideration by the Lake Wales Development Services and the City Commission, including the long-dormant Winter Haven Corporation project which is expected to include more than 6,000 new...
Barbara Cox Reeves passed away on Friday, January 7, 2022. She was born on July 9, 1926 in Homerville, Georgia to Sherman and Clayra Nesbit Cox. The family moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 1936. Barbara graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida, Stetson University in Deland, Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and from the University of Florida with a master's degree. In 1948, Barbara married Walter L. Reeves. They lived in Jacksonville where...
