Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Recognizing her increased responsibilities in development services as the City of Lake Wales experiences a growth spurt, Kathy Bangley recently was promoted to assistant city manager for planning and economic development. Bangley's promotion carries with it an annual salary of $98,000, a pay increase of 10 percent over what she was making in July. Bangley's office has been extremely busy working with numerous developers planning new restaurants, retail establishments and...
The Green and Gold Foundation Nov. 2 honored retired school teacher Gladys Howell for her dedication and contributions to the Lake Wales community. Howell was surprised with a tribute at the foundation's gala, which raised funds for the B Street Community Center. Howell and her school teacher husband, Robert, moved their family to Lake Wales in 1964. She started her local career at Roosevelt High School and then taught at Polk Avenue Elementary, retiring in 1992. She earned...
An unofficial advisory committee working toward redevelopment of the city's northwest section is now incorporating as the Lincoln Community Development Corporation. On the heels of the City adopting a Northwest redevelopment plan, recommended by urban planners Dover Kohl and Partners, Lake Wales attorney Sara Jones is organizing the group to help ensure the plan's successful implementation. "Organization and community input are vital to the success of the redevelopment plan...
On the heels of his promotion to Lake Wales deputy city manager, James Slaton has completed a prestigious and intensive two-year leadership program conducted by the International City Managers Association. Slaton was in a class of 15 municipal government leaders who graduated from the ICMA program Oct. 23 at the organization's annual conference in Nashville. He became one of only 180 city officials to complete the program since its inception 12 years ago. "This was truly a...
Sam Jones drives from his home in Vero Beach every month to visit the grave of his daughter and stop by the downtown Lake Wales mural of the Highlander Band that contains her likeness. The mural was dedicated in April 2006, one year after Amber Jones and her best friend Alena Violette died in a tragic car crash on their way back to Florida State University where the 18-year-olds were freshmen. Amber and Alena were Scottish dancers featured front and center in the mural. Jones...
Thirty-eight days into AdventHealth's takeover of Lake Wales Medical Center, new Chief Executive Officer Brian Adams shared about the company's mission, vision and values at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Lake Wales. Before assuming the Polk County position Sept. 1 as CEO of both AdventHealth Lake Wales and AdventHeart Heart of Florida in Davenport, Adams was CEO of AdventHealth Tampa. He has worked for AdventHealth, formerly called Florida Hospital, for 19 years. Adams said...
Adverse childhood experiences often have a lasting impact, resulting in negative health and economic outcomes throughout adulthood, according to Dr. Lyn Jones, who has worked with hurting people for many years. A Babson Park chiropractor and longtime psychiatric nurse, Jones shared her expertise in domestic violence, other abuse and neglect at the recent annual meeting of the GFWC Lake Wales Woman's Club. The Woman's Club has adopted domestic violence abuse and prevention as...
State Attorney Brian Haas has a big job, dealing with more than 43,000 criminal cases annually in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. He told Lake Wales business leaders Friday that in any given year his office in Polk County alone may deal with 10,000 felony cases and 50 active first degree murder cases. Haas was guest speaker Oct. 11 at a Power Breakfast sponsored by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council. He said he enjoyed his eight...
Retired U.S. Marine Kathryn "Kat" Gates-Skipper got used to being a female trailblazer throughout her 20-year military career. So it's not surprising she will become the first female Marine inducted into the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame. State Rep. Mike LaRosa nominated the Lake Wales veterans activist and Gates-Skipper was chosen one of 16 inductees in the Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Since it was created in 2013, the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame has inducted 70 veterans,...
After 30 years and countless volunteer hours for candidates and issues, Becky Wynkoop of Lake Wales finally earned recognition Friday Sept. 27 as the 2019 Marlene Duffy Young Polk County Outstanding Democratic Woman of the Year. "She has truly been a mentor for me and a leader in the Polk County Democrats," said Kathie Sutherland, chairwoman of the Polk County Democratic Executive Committee. "She just has so much history. It's about time she got this award. She's very...
The City of Lake Wales now has an ambitious plan for the redevelopment of its historic downtown and the Northwest business district. City commissioners, in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency, started their new fiscal year Oct. 1 with the adoption of the Community Connected plan developed by Miami urban planning consultants Dover Kohl & Partners with extensive public input over the last year. "Now the work begins," said Karen Thompson, assistant CRA and Lake...
More than 65 volunteers gathered Saturday, Sept. 28 to help renovate a church parsonage to provide a home for homeless students attending Polk State College. A majority of the volunteers were from seven Polk County Rotary Clubs including Rotary on the Ridge, a regional service club that meets in Lake Wales. The home at 122 Ave Q N.W. in Winter Haven is being leased to the nonprofit Heart 4 Winter Haven by the Living Word of Faith Assembly. Polk State College will identify...
Terry Schulze grew up in a "blue home" where he watched his father head out daily to protect and serve the community. Becoming a police officer was a natural choice for the 19-year-old, whose father Troy is the Lake Wales Police Department's deputy chief, now approaching 25 years on the job. Terry entered the profession with open eyes, having served nearly three years as a volunteer patrol cadet before completing 770 hours of training at the police academy at Polk State...
Rotary Clubs from throughout Polk County are partnering with Heart 4 Winter Haven to renovate a church parsonage to provide a home for homeless students attending Polk State College. Club members and other volunteers will hold a work day starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 at the home at 122 Ave. Q N.W. in Winter Haven to paint, repair fascia, install snap-in vinyl flooring, work on landscaping and possibly complete other work. Living Word of Faith Assembly will lease the...
Estefany Arenas was born in Mexico and came to Lake Wales at the age of eight. Her family worked in agriculture and had very limited means, and "Things didn't come easy. It was very hard." "College wasn't really on my radar until I went to Lake Wales High School," said Arenas, noting her International Baccalaureate diploma in 2015 helped her attend Stetson University in DeLand on a fully paid scholarship. "I was incredibly inspired by my IB teachers who helped me all the...
Most people know about the Boy Scouts, but its water-related affiliate, the Sea Scouts, is far less known. But 20-year-old Ron Cain from Lake Wales is working to change that. "We're the premier aquatic program in the country," said Cain, who is serving as Southern Region Boatswain, an ambassador and national board member for the co-ed program that serves young people ages 14-21. "They always say it's like the best kept secret in scouting." Cain joined Sea Scouts at age 16,...
David Waller, coordinator of the U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Campaign of Polk County, recently attended the annual Toys for Toys Training Conference in Washington. Waller was recognized as "Coordinator of the Year for 2018" for the Southeast United States and also served as a mentor to new coordinators. Waller grew up in Lake Wales and now lives in Lakeland. After retiring from law enforcement and selling his paver business Waller said he was looking for a...
Lake Wales History Museum Curator Bartholomew Delcamp worked tirelessly for the last three-plus years cataloguing nearly 20,000 items, organizing collections, creating new exhibits and assisting in educational programs and tours. His hard work and dedication to the history of Lake Wales were recognized Sept. 17 when he was named 2019 Outstanding New Professional by the Florida Association of Museums. Delcamp started as an intern, then served as a part-time museum assistant...
Leadership Lake Wales Class 24 kicked off its 10-month program Wednesday, Sept. 18 with a class retreat at Bok Tower. The program is coordinated by the Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and EDC through its nonprofit Lake Wales Area Foundation. Class 24 has 20 members, representing various businesses, nonprofits and government agencies in the area. Alumni from some of the previous 23 groups came to meet the new class, reflect on their participation and offer suggestions on...
Cynthia Crofoot Rignanese is a world traveler extraordinaire, recently completing an arctic adventure that took her to her 109th country and 7th continent. This trip was particularly exciting as she became the first person ever to set foot on Cape Yalik, a remote site on one of the 192 uninhabited islands of Franz Josef Land in the Russian High Arctic. The Lake Wales attorney, with a law office in Winter Haven, works hard so she can devote about two months each year to her...
"See something or hear something, say something." That's the advice Polk Sheriff Grady Judd gave Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce members at a breakfast Thursday, Sept. 12 as the most effective way to avoid an active shooter situation. Judd said prevention is key because a "nut" with a gun can do tremendous damage within the first two to five minutes, before most law officers can even arrive on scene at a crisis situation. Judd also advocated having more trained "good guys" carr...
Lake Wales City Commissioners will hold their second and final public hearing Sept. 24 to adopt a $55 million budget for 2019-20, with a slightly lower property tax rate. Commissioners approved the budget at their first hearing Sept.10, with a millage rate of 6.9339, or approximately $6.93 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. This is considered the "rollback rate" that based upon anticipated growth can be expected to generate the same amount of tax revenue as this...
Lake Wales Breakfast Rotary Club's plans to plant 200 southern live oaks around Lake Wailes lake hit a snag recently when homeowners along Lakeshore Boulevard South complained that the trees eventually would block their view of the lake. Club member Dick Howell on Aug. 21 updated the city commission about the project, noting the 50 trees planted in the spring of 2018 on the north side of the lake were "thriving nicely." After the second 50 trees were planted in May of 2019...
George O'Neill III has traveled the world, but he still has a heart for small cities like Lake Wales where he grew up and played youth soccer. The 25-year-old University of Florida theater major has created a tool to help local businesses, cities and organizations promote their events and expand their reach. He's holding a pre-launch mixer Aug. 28 to introduce his PROMO app to potential early adopters in Polk County. O'Neill recognizes the frustrations of people who create a...
Michael Sargent is the only member of his family to graduate from college, so he knows a four-year degree is not the only way to build a successful career. He's literally bustling with energy and enthusiasm as he prepares to share engineering principles and high paying career options with students at Lake Wales High School. Sargent will be creating the school's new Applied Engineering Technology Academy, and he's clearly up to the challenge. He was recognized in July by...
