Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Meg Smith calls herself "the luckiest girl in the world." She says she's filled 10 bucket lists by being blessed to play her violin with the likes of famous musicians Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman and for noted composer John Williams. For nearly a decade she's played in the orchestra on tour with opera singer Andrea Bocelli, whose voice is considered one of the finest in the world. Smith's newest endeavor is directing an adult stringed orchestra sponsored by the Lake Wales Arts...
At the end of a tense, 3 ½ hour city commission workshop on community policing and the prospect of police wearing body cameras Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields summarized his marching orders: Bring back a plan and budget for implementing body cameras and develop a better system for citizen complaints. Police Chief Chris Velasquez made a lengthy and detailed presentation citing his department's service-based community policing philosophy and commitment to building...
Lake Wales City Commissioners Feb. 4 approved lease and operating agreements to pave the way for purchasing the Lake Wales Family YMCA. Commissioners at their Jan. 20 meeting approved the purchase of the property for $565,000, but still had some contract language they wanted modified before proceeding. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson, an attorney, helped revise the contracts with the YMCA of West Central Florida and said Tuesday he was satisfied. The city in December agreed to...
CenterState Bank and South State Bank have announced plans to merge, with John Corbett of Winter Haven to serve as Chief Executive Officer. Their combination will create a leading Southeastern-based regional bank with a market value of approximately $6 billion. The combined company will operate under the South State name and trade on the Nasdaq stock market using the South State ticker symbol SSB. The company will be headquartered in Winter Haven, and will maintain a...
The president of the newly formed Lincoln Community Development Corporation is calling for Lake Wales police to start wearing body cameras to document interactions with suspects and the general public. Attorney Sara Jones said she also would like to see police get more training and make a stronger commitment to community policing to enhance relationships with citizens, especially in the northwest community. To discuss Jones' requests, city commissioners will hold a workshop...
For the second time this month the city's plans to purchase the Lake Wales Family YMCA hit a roadblock that pushed the whole deal further down the road. Commissioners at their Jan. 20 meeting approved the purchase of the property for $565,000, but that sale will only go forward if both sides can agree to the lease and operating agreement with the YMCA of West Central Florida. In December they agreed to borrow $900,000 for the purchase, related costs and renovations. It's...
The Lake Wales Little Theatre production of Single Wide: The Musical opens Friday, Jan. 10 for a three weekend run. The play is about Katy, a third generation single mother who doesn't let the fact that she lives in a tiny trailer in an even tinier trailer park, stop her from having enormous dreams for herself and her 10-year-old son. Single Wide is a story of challenge, determination, grit and hope, all played out to a toe-tapping country-pop score. "The entire cast, crew,...
The Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, Jan. 14 approved $150,000 in incentives to help a taproom locate downtown and a café open on Lincoln Avenue. Since the two commitments would deplete their $200,000 incentive fund budget for 2019-20 commissioners agreed to make another $300,000 in Community Redevelopment Agency funds available for future food-related businesses seeking support. Lake Wales Main Street Director Karen Thompson said the two projects would serve as catalysts t...
Lake Wales Main Street Director Karen Thompson is so excited about the possibility of a tap room breathing life into downtown Lake Wales that she's asking city commissioners to allocate $100,000 in incentives for a proposed "specialty tavern" that would feature a self-serve, high-tech "beer wall" with 40 taps. That's half of what the city budgeted for incentives for the entire 2019-2020 year. Operating as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, the commission will consider...
Facing vocal opposition to eliminating the citizen Code Enforcement Board, Lake Wales city commissioners expressed support for a hybrid system where they would keep the board but also hire a magistrate to handle more complex quasi-judicial issues. City commissioners Terrye Howell and Curtis Gibson at their Jan. 7 meeting opposed the staff recommendation to eliminate both the Code Enforcement Board and Board of Appeals, saying they wanted to encourage more citizen involvement...
City Commissioner Curtis Gibson was in elementary school when Chuck Galloway became the Lake Wales city attorney 26 years ago. Gibson says it's time to at least consider whether the city might be better served by a new attorney. During the commissioner comment time at the end of the Jan. 7 meeting Gibson made a motion to put out a request for proposals for legal services, and Commissioner Terrye Howell seconded the motion. Gibson said he would encourage Galloway to submit his...
The six-month warning period for texting while driving is coming to an end. Law enforcement officers will begin citing violators Jan. 1, with fines of $30 for the first offense. Texting while driving became a primary offense July 1, meaning law officers can now pull over drivers they see texting. In the past, officers needed another reason to make the stop. The texting ban does not apply to a driver using a navigation device or to a driver whose vehicle is stationary. The...
Lake Wales Assistant City Manager Kathy Bangley is asking city commissioners to eliminate the citizen-staffed Code Enforcement Board and Board of Appeals and turn their duties over to a special magistrate. The change would require two public hearings to change city ordinances related to the boards. The first public hearing will be at the Jan. 7 commission meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. in the city municipal building. The current ordinance calls for a Code Enforcement Board...
A Wawa convenience retail store manager who completes 25 years can retire a multimillionaire because of the company's lucrative profit-sharing program, according to George Wood, who will become the company's chairman of the board next June. Wood will take over from his brother Dick, who is also his next door neighbor in the exclusive gated community of Mountain Lake, just outside the Lake Wales city limits. The brothers are the third generation to own homes in Mountain Lake,...
Betty Hill only jumped once herself, but she brought thousands of skydivers to Lake Wales in the more than two decades she operated the Florida Skydiving Center. Friends, family and aviation sports enthusiasts began mourning her death Dec. 16 after a valiant 19-year battle with cancer. Hill was the brains behind the business and tirelessly promoted skydiving for more than 40 years. Instead of going to college, she and first husband George Kabeller opened their first skydiving...
A North Carolina company that manufactures air filters, air filtration products and equipment is expected to bring 200 jobs to Lake Wales in early 2020. Pamlico Air will be located in the old Findlay Industries manufacturing plant at 1230 N. Scenic Hwy. In announcing the good news, Kevin Kieft, president & CEO of the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, pointed out that the Findlay building was the last manufacturing site of any significant siz...
Editor's Note: Memorial is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13 at 1st United Methodist Church in Lake Wales, with musical prelude starting at 1:30 p.m. The grand lady in red, white and blue, Lake Wales legend Mimi Hardman died Friday, Dec.13. A driving force for historic preservation and celebrating the pioneers who built Lake Wales, Hardman left behind an extraordinary legacy. Her service as chair of the Bicentennial Commission led to the opening of the Depot Museum on July...
Greg Massey invested in a house in August and made plans to renovate it and rent it out. Unwilling to give him the extra time he requested to submit restoration plans, the City of Lake Wales had it demolished. The demolition took place on Tuesday, Dec. 17 – the same day City Manager Ken Fields knew Massey planned to address the city commission to seek their help. The demolition permit, issued Dec. 3, was good through Jan. 17. At the commission meeting Massey detailed the t...
The life of David McArthur Smith Sr. was celebrated Dec. 21 by a large crowd filled with his law enforcement brothers and sisters and many, many friends. Sheriff Grady Judd told of his close working relationship with Smith, affectionately called "Junebug." Various classmates, family members and fellow church members remembered the large man with a big heart who left a lasting imprint on the Lake Wales community. Smith died Dec. 9 after a lengthy illness, seven years after his...
Lake Wales City Commissioners and the mayor may be getting a pay raise, but it will be April 2021 at the earliest. Commissioners at their Dec. 2 meeting asked City Manager Ken Fields to look into the possibility of a significant boost in pay. The current annual rate is about $4,817 for commissioners and $7,226, who by charter gets 50 percent more, plus he receives a $300 per month car allowance. They also are eligible for city health insurance and the get whatever cost of...
Lake Wales NAACP Chapter President Wanda Howard died Sunday of cardiac arrest after an 18-year battle with cancer. "This is a very sad day for the City of Lake Wales. Wanda was such a bright light for our community. She will be missed in so many ways," said Mayor Eugene Fultz. Howard became NAACP Branch 5109 president in January 2017, the first female to serve in that capacity. She was named branch president of the year at the state conference in September. She joined the...
The Lake Wales hospital cafeteria filled with people Sunday bidding a fond farewell to Dr. James Nelson and his wife Janie, who are moving to Southwest Georgia. There were hugs, tears and stories about what the doctor meant to them and in some cases how he saved their lives. Former patients talked about the deep relationships Nelson built, taking time to talk about not only health issues but their shared faith in Jesus Christ. Several related how Nelson helped them through...
Reading, writing, math and other academic subjects are important, but Principal Gail Quam wants to make sure students also leave Polk Avenue Elementary with leadership skills. That's why the school for 10 years has been participating in the Leader in Me program, patterned after Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Polk Avenue is a Leader in Me Lighthouse School, incorporating a schoolwide process that develops staff and students as leaders, transforming...
The ink on the incorporation papers barely dried before Lincoln Community Development Corporation President Sara Jones accepted her first challenge: Open up communications and help build trust between officials of the recently reopened Elks Lodge and Lake Wales police. Jones stepped in after Elks Exalted Ruler Terry Christian complained to the city commission Tuesday, Nov. 5 that he felt six police officers showing up at the lodge Saturday night was a waste of city resources...
The stakes are high, but the leaders are optimistic. Unless McLaughlin Middle & Fine Art Academy raises its state grade this year the school faces the possibility of being closed, turned charter or run by a private company. Co-Principals Sharon Chipman and Debra Wright-Hudson are reaching out to the greater Lake Wales community to share their goals for improvement and to ask for help. The school on Nov. 5 hosted its first Community Assessment Team meeting of the year, sharing...
