Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 151 - 175 of 183
EDITOR'S NOTE: Dover Kohl consultants will present their plans to the Lake Wales City Commission, serving as the Community Redevelopment Agency, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the City Administration Building, 201 W. Central Ave. You can view and download the plans online at https://www.doverkohl.com/lakewales- The City of Lake Wales has hired Dover Kohl & Partners Town Planning to draft and propose a comprehensive redevelopment plan called "Lake Wales Connected." This plan...
Since I became a Lake Wales City Commissioner in May of 2017 I have always fought for the little people. This summer of 2019 I came up with a concept that would give lower paid city employees a higher percentage increase in their pay. What the city manager was introducing was a 3 percent raise across the board that amounted to just $609 for the city's lowest paid full-time employee, but it would give the highest paid employee, not counting the city manager, an increase of...
Lake Wales Interim City Manager James Slaton has hired certified planner Mark Bennett to become the city's new Development Services director. "I'm coming home so to speak," said Bennett, who has been a Lake Wales resident since 1998. In addition to being a certified planner, Bennett is a certified redevelopment specialist with more than 20 years of public and private sector experience. For the last eight years he has served the City of Haines City as Deputy Director of...
The Lake Wales City Commission, in its role as the Community Redevelopment Agency, will consider at its July 14 meeting offering $150,000 in incentives for two proposed downtown restaurants. James Ellis of Ava Properties in Heathrow is asking for a $100,000 grant - double the amount specified in the city's restaurant incentives program – to help him fund the Corner Café at One Scenic Central, a combination coffee shop and fine dining restaurant. His company purchased the tw...
This is the eighth installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the private enterprise segment of a successful community redevelopment effort. Florida's Community Redevelopment Act illustrates the point. The very first section of the Act is entitled "Encouragement of private enterprise." The Community...
Shock, stunned disbelief blanketed Bartow last Sunday, June 7, as the community learned Ken Riley, 72, died suddenly from a massive heart attack. Heartbroken tributes posted on Facebook paying tribute to the NFL all-star demonstrated how beloved and well-respected he was, and showing the fragility of life. "He was at the Solemn Assembly yesterday and seemed fine," wrote Richard Dreyer on his Facebook page, as Riley was among the more than 100 people gathered. "Yes, a great per...
Lake Wales Finance Director Dorothy Abbott tried to calm commissioners' fears at the first 2020-2021 city budget workshop June 3. She said she's been preparing city budgets for 19 years and if she's not panicking over the likelihood of reduced revenue, neither should they. "Everybody just stay calm, tell us what you would like to see and trust your staff to bring back a budget document," Abbott said. "If I'm not too worried yet, please don't be too worried yet." Abbott said sh...
This is the second installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Robin Gibson is a city commissioner and deputy mayor, who chairs the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency.A Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is a proven commodity adopted in 44 states and over 220 areas in Florida. CRAs can be the vehicle for spectacular success or they can be badly abused. Succeeding articles will cover Lake Wales' history of CRA mistakes, lessons learned, and the way we can turn...
This is the fifth installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. Dover, Kohl & Partners is an internationally known town planning firm working out of South Miami. Among their many achievements are nationally recognized revitalizations of traditional communities much like Lake Wales. Victor Dover is co-author of the definitive work on the subject...
This is the third installment in the Lake Wales Renaissance series. Lake Wales City Commissioner Robin Gibson serves as deputy mayor and chairman of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. CRA Created. Lake Wales formed its own Community Redevelopment Agency in 1985. The original purpose was to build on the downtown improvements completed in 1973 by capturing the benefits coming from the CRA's unique Tax Increment Financing tool. (The difference between property values befo...
March 20 will be a day not soon forgotten by Steve Manwell. It was the first day he and his wife opened Melanie's Seafood Company at 120 Park Avenue, becoming the inaugural local eatery to take advantage of the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency's Restaurant Incentive Program. It also so happened to be the same day Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the state's new stay-at-home guidelines. Suddenly, months of planning and renovation work at 120 Park Avenue seemed...
The Lake Wales City Commission in its role as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) April 14 agreed to sell the old school property off Seminole Avenue to the Lake Wales Charter Schools system for $575,000. Charter system officials say they plan to invest upwards of $7 million to turn the property into the permanent site for Bok Academy North. "They are under some time pressure but they hope to open by fall," said City Manager Ken Fields. Bok Academy North is leasing...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools system is offering to buy the city's old high school property north of Seminole Avenue for $575,000 to turn it into a permanent site for Bok Academy North. The City Commission in its capacity as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will consider the proposal at an April 14 meeting. Due to coronavirus concerns the meeting will be held online beginning at 6 p.m. via video teleconference and live streamed on the city's website at...
In addition to his wife Jean, Robin Gibson has two major loves – the Lake Wales Charter Schools system he helped create and historic downtown, which he is committed to help redevelop. It was a tough choice, but Deputy Mayor Gibson announced at the March 3 city commission meeting he will give up his job as general counsel for the charter schools to avoid an ethical conflict. His resignation takes effect March 15. Gibson said the potential sale of the city's 1919 school p...
Lake Wales city commissioners in their role as the Community Redevelopment Agency authorized the city manager to explore the possible sale of the 1919 school property to the Lake Wales Charter Schools to become the permanent home of Bok Academy North. But commissioners raised several issues they want resolved during negotiations. Deputy Mayor Robin Gibson left the room during the discussion to avoid any ethical conflict since he serves as legal counsel for the charter system....
Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields is asking city commissioners, in their role as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, to allow the Lake Wales Charter Schools to lease the old high school property off Seminole Avenue for one dollar for one year so they can proceed with plans to locate Bok Academy North there for the 2020-21 school year. The CRA meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18 at the city administration building, 201 W. Central Ave. The CRA agenda item asks...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools are looking to breathe new life into the old high school complex by locating Bok Academy North on the site off Seminole Avenue. Charter Schools Superintendent Jesse Jackson said his staff is working with Lake Wales City Manager Ken Fields and may have a proposal for the city commission at their next meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency Feb. 18. The charter schools approached the city two years ago asking for a donation of the school...
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...
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 City of Lake Wales incentive program to draw new restaurants to downtown has reeled in its first big catch. Melanie's Seafood Co. is scheduled to open in January at 120 Park Ave., thanks in part to $50,000 in grant funds from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency. The 35-seat eatery will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the site of the former Pedro's Downtown Deli, and will be owned and operated by Steve and Melanie Manwell, a couple who spent 17 years in a partnership at...
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...
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 City officials are reviewing the 100-plus page draft "Neighborhood Plan for the Core of Lake Wales" in preparation for its official presentation Aug. 13 by urban planners from Dover, Kohl & Partners. "Lake Wales Connected is more than just a plan for improvements to a single street, district or neighborhood; it is a strategy for revitalization of Lake Wales' historic Downtown and one of its most important close-in neighborhoods. Together, the Downtown and Northwest...
Lake Wales City Commissioner Curtis Gibson may be bucking for a new nickname: Robin Hood. It wasn't exactly robbing the rich to give to the poor, but at the July 16 commission meeting Gibson did propose giving the higher paid city staff members smaller raises this year in order to give more to the city's lower paid workers. Commissioner Terrye Howell immediately supported the idea, but other commissioners said they would withhold judgment and wait for further analysis and a...
