City of Lake Wales

The Lake Wale Municipal Airport secured a fuel truck which will make it easier for bigger planes and jets to refuel right here in Lake Wales rather than having to go elsewhere. The new truck will be able to bring the fuel directly to planes. This solves a logistics problem: jets have a massive wingspan. Many could not get close enough to the old holding tanks to get fuel, so they would have to fly to another airport that was more accommodating. Lake Wales will no longer lose those fuel sales. This also encourages airport patrons to stay in the area and to spend their money locally. "The airport is definitely making strides to compete with all the other airports around here," said Airport Director Amanda Lomneck. The improvements could have a far reaching economic impact on the area. As the facility becomes more sophisticated, it becomes more attractive to larger companies to eventually open an operation here. That would mean new jobs for residents and more tax money coming into city coffers. So the new fuel farm and new fuel truck are a great investments in the area's future. And it didn't cost the city one red cent. The Florida Department of Transportation paid the 1.1 million dollar bill.

Commissioner Carol Gillespie was awarded a Certificate of Completion for attending the Florida League of Cities Institute of Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO). This training provides elected municipal officials with the skills and knowledge to govern their municipalities effectively. Florida League of Cities serves the needs of Florida’s cities and promotes local self-government.

City of Lake Wales Horticulturist Kevin Polk and his crew are adding a new and improved irrigation system to Downtown Linear Park by the library. These improvements will sustain new plants, flowers and plant sculptures that are planned for the park. Kevin says, “Planning and preparation of the soil are vital with projects like this, so the plants thrive long-term.” Stay tuned for more updates as we grow our “City in a Garden!”

Chick-fil-A, Chipotle & Starbucks are looking to set up shop in Lake Wales. Starbucks just received site plan approval by the City’s Growth Management Department. Chick-fil-A and Chipotle are in the predevelopment stage, gathering information, locating land and drafting up conceptual designs. Chick-fil-A, known for its crispy and grilled chicken sandwiches, nuggets, waffle fries and milkshakes is exploring land on HWY 27 next to WaWa. Chipotle, famous for its bowls, tacos and mission burritos is exploring property on HWY 27, south of the new Slim Chickens restaurant next to Hampton Inn & Suites. Starbucks is targeting a corner lot across from the entrance to Eagle Ridge Mall in between the DyerChevy car dealership and Slim Chickens restaurant.

Community members got the chance to see the draft conceptual plans for future City parks, trails and recreation facilities. The public meeting was geared to capture feedback from citizens. Staff in the Parks & Recreation department and consultants with Catalyst Design Group presented draft designs of Lake Wailes Waterfront Park, Crystal Lake Park, Kiwanis Park, Lake Wales Northwest Park, Olmsted Heritage Park, Lake Wales Soccer Complex and the Lake Wales Family Recreation Center.

The City of Lake Wales was awarded a $22.9 million grant to fund the redevelopment of four road segments in historic downtown Lake Wales. The funding was awarded by the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. First Street, Central Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and A Street will be redeveloped into complete streets according to the City’s award-wining Lake Wales Connected Plan. The City’s project plan is one of 148 nationwide projects to be awarded funding by the RAISE program. “This grant greatly impacts the core of historic Lake Wales, accelerating the revitalization of the downtown district and northwest neighborhood,” City Manager James Slaton said. The plan comprises a road diet, separated cycle track, expanded ADA accessible sidewalks, safety enhancements at sidewalks and railroad crossings, increased shade tree canopy cover and raingardens, lighting, underground high-speed fiber and streetscaping. “Lake Wales beat out other major cities throughout the nation,” Lee Hale, civil engineer and grant writer with Hale Innovation said. Other projects within the Lake Wales Connected plan include the recently completed 3,000-foot multiuse Park Avenue Connector Trail that connects Lake Wailes Park to downtown, and the construction of an $18.5 million revitalization project on Park Avenue, scheduled to be completed this fall. The RAISE program provides funding to projects of local and regional significance, such as multimodal and multijurisdictional road, rail, transit and port projects.

Check out the newly enhanced City website. www.lakewalesfl.gov Convenient access to City information and easy navigation are now available. City staff based the new enhancements on feedback from citizens. We also identified which content was most visited by users and removed various steps to access the information. More enhancements will be revealed in upcoming promotional videos. Staff in the communications department wants to hear your feedback on the new enhancements. Three question survey: https://lnkd.in/gZPVYTzv

City leaders and members of the community attended a ceremony to celebrate with home owner Josierene Randall. The Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) enhanced Mrs. Randall’s home with various upgrades, such as new windows, new exterior doors, new shutters, new sod, exterior paint and new fascia & soffit. A raised planter designed to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers was built and donated by the students and teacher, Ray Cruz from Roosevelt Academy. Seniors living in the northwest neighborhood, who are interested in qualifying for the Legacy Housing Program are encouraged to contact CRA Specialist Cheryl Baksh at (863) 678-4182 Ext. 1337 https://lnkd.in/g-J5p3ZH

Sheriff Grady Judd discussed safety initiatives, mental health issues and other new initiatives taking place in Polk County at this year's Power Luncheon held at the Vanguard School. The annual event is organized by the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development Council. This year's sponsor was Oakley Transport Inc. Guests enjoyed lunch, participated in a raffle and captured photos with the Sheriff.

A breath of fresh air will do you good. I am sure you've heard that. Well, it's true. A breath of fresh air is good for turf as well. No one knows that better than J.C. White, the City of Lake Wales new Athletic Turf Superintendent, who is in charge of making our sports fields look their very best. One way he is doing that is by mechanically making holes in the fields to aerate the soil. Aeration breaks up hard ground and allows the grass to breath. The process is similar to us breathing. Aeration encourages an exchange of gases between the air and the soil. As oxygen enters the soil, carbon dioxide, which is the byproduct of microbial activity and plant root respiration, escape. It also allows water and important nutrients to penetrate the soil. J.C. plans to aerate the fields off season twice a year. It is only part of his new plan of attack to make the fields lusher and greener. Since accepting the newly created position last spring, J.C. has been re-adjusting sprinklers, cutting back time on some areas and doubling it on others. He is applying organic fertilizer to increase the nitrogen in the soil, and is big on using a prescribed treatment plan. "You want to target the pests to attack," White said. "With chemicals and fertilizers at an all-time high cost, precision and timing is important,” White added. Since Lake Wales has never had one person specifically assigned to bring the city's athletic fields into tip top shape and keep them that way, J.C. has almost a blank slate to put together his own master plan that will serve the city well into the future. "You can't just settle for average," he said. He says there's a lot to do before the fields actually look the way he envisions them.