Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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After 27 years with the Lake Wales Police Department, Deputy Chief Troy Schulze is stepping out on faith and making a career change. May 15 will be his last day on the force, as he leaves for a management position with Chemical Containers, Inc. His role there is still being defined, but Schulze says he is enthusiastic about the new opportunity. "It's exciting to me. I am very excited, (wife) Kami's excited, but it's difficult too," Schulze said. Schulze said he expects to...
About 75 people gathered in Lake Wales at noon Thursday, May 6 for the annual National Day of Prayer observance. The event took place outside in the breezeway of the city administration building at 201 W. Central Ave. This year's theme is "Lord, Pour Out Your Love, Life, and Liberty." It is based on the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:17, which says "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." The program was opened in prayer by John Motis, deacon at Episcopal Church of...
The final public workshop to help create the city's Recreation Master Plan is planned for Tuesday, May 11. Engineering and planning consulting firm S&ME was hired by the city to put together the master plan. The firm has been working with city staff and meeting with various recreation-related groups and is now ready for the public input phase. The May 11 workshop will be online only via ZOOM from 6-8 p.m. Earlier workshops April 22 and April 29 were in-person and via ZOOM....
The public is invited to help create the city's Recreation Master Plan by attending one of three public workshops in the coming weeks. Engineering and planning consulting firm S&ME was hired by the city to put together the master plan. The firm has been working with city staff and meeting with various recreation-related groups and is now ready for the public input phase. The first workshop will be in-person from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 22 at the James P. Austin Community...
Lake Wales commissioners will be tackling a big issue in the coming months, looking to ensure the city has an adequate supply of water for decades to come. City leaders recently heard a presentation from representatives of the Polk Regional Water Cooperative, which has settled on a plan to drill into the lower Floridan aquifer to provide a new alternative water source for local municipalities. Those wells will be up to 1,800 feet deep – about three times deeper than wells i...
Eleven shovels broke ground Saturday, May 1 to signal the ceremonial start of an affordable housing initiative in the city's northwest community. "I hope you feel as optimistic as I do about the future of Lake Wales," said Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton. "We are providing hope to families to move into beautiful homes." The groundbreaking was for the first two homes being built as a partnership of the Keystone Challenge Fund, the city's Community Redevelopment Agency,...
When the Lake Wales City Commission on Feb. 16 approved a pilot program to purchase eight police worn body cameras, Mayor Eugene Fultz predicted that eventually every officer would wear one. Now less than three months later commissioners may be moving forward with full implementation. City Manager James Slaton is recommending the purchase of 24 additional body cameras for a total of 32, which would make them available to all officers who regularly interact with the public....
Lake Wales area pastors invite the public to gather at noon Thursday, May 6 for the annual National Day of Prayer observance. The event will take place outside in the breezeway of the city administration building at 201 W. Central Ave. This year's theme is "Lord, Pour Out Your Love, Life, and Liberty." It is based on the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 3:17, which says "Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." The featured speaker offering a brief devotional will be Col....
Edith Blanche Anderson, 95, of Indian Lake Estates passed away Thursday, April 29, 2021 at Grace Healthcare in Lake Wales. She was born July 22, 1925 in Jennings to the late Allen and Susie Gill; she moved to Indian Lake Estates from Hollywood 14 years ago. Edith was a retired CNA from Lake Wales Hospital and was of the Protestant faith. Edith was preceded in death by her first husband, Rufus Phillips; second husband, James Anderson; daughter, Susan Nelson; and son, Rufus Phillips, Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Edith...
At the end of his last official meeting April 20, City Commissioner Curtis Gibson announced plans to run for Lake Wales mayor in 2022, saying he is "excited for new adventures." Gibson decided to not seek re-election this year, saying he wanted to spend more time with family – including an infant son – and complete his bachelor's degree this summer. Mayor Eugene Fultz has publicly stated he plans to step down in 2022. Gibson and outgoing Commissioner Al Goldstein will be rec...
Lake Wales Main Street's most recent mural project at Scenic Highway and Stuart Avenue called "Slice of Happiness" is about to get a whole lot happier. With a new full-time horticulturist hired by the city, Lester Gulledge is making one of his first priorities the beautification of the area around the nearly 100-foot long mural that was completed by artist Gillian Fazio late last fall. "If you go out there right now, you're going to see some piles of debris and dirt. That...
The City of Lake Wales now has a Building Division Contractor online portal. This can be accessed through City Website on the Building Division Landing Page ( https://www.lakewalesfl.gov/241/Building-Division ) or direct by using the following link. http://secure.lakewalesfl.gov/permits/ The purpose of this is for Building Permits. The portal allows contractors registered with the City of Lake Wales Building Division to register for an online account to be able to view the...
Sandy Dent never gave up hope, and after more than nine months her missing chihuahua, Valdez, is finally home. Dent regularly checked lost pet sites and posted photos on social media, hoping someone would recognize Valdez, who ran off last July 4 after being frightened by fireworks. As it turns out, Valdez has been well cared for by three different women and even added three pounds to his former 9-pound frame. "I said I would not give up, and I didn't," Dent said. "This is...
The Water Department will be flow testing all fire hydrants in the City of Lake Wales starting on Tuesday, April 27. Two technicians will be performing the work. It will continue until the city completes flow testing for all city fire hydrants. This could take approximately 3 months to flush all hydrants. Customers who experience brown water are encouraged to flush the plumbing for 5-10 minutes to clear any brown water issues....
The Ranch Taproom and Coffeehouse in downtown Lake Wales officially opened April 16 with enthusiastic crowds and rave social media reviews. Owners Jessica Garrett and her mother, Cathy Becton Garrett, were pleased with the successful opening. "Opening weekend was incredible and the support we received from the city, Mainstreet and the community was greatly appreciated," Garrett said. "Being Lake Wales natives we are excited to be a part of downtown. We look forward to being a...
Dr. Debra Wright-Hudson is on a mission. The acting principal of McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy is reaching out to the Lake Wales community to share the good news about her students' success. Like the school's phoenix mascot, McLaughlin has spent the last two years rising from the ashes of an F-rating from the state. Wright-Hudson said she expects the school to soon achieve at least a C rating, and possibly be in reach of a B, while striving for an A grade....
Music, food, vendors, a ceremonial tree planting, informational booths and a mayor's proclamation will all be part of a special family event planned for Friday, April 30, when Lake Wales will become one of hundreds of cities nationwide marking Arbor Day 2021. The event will run from 5-7 that evening. Lake Wales Heritage will join with the Lake Wales Woman's Club, The Family Literacy Academy, and Rotary on the Ridge to sponsor the free Friday evening festival along the city's...
City commissioners at their April 20 meeting consented to Mayor Eugene Fultz's appointment of Marcus Kirby to the Lake Wales Charter School Trustees. Kirby is transitional housing coordinator for the Lake Wales Care Center and a part-time associate pastor of High Point Church. He served in the U.S. Navy for six years and has lived in Lake Wales for 15 years. Commissioner Terrye Howell challenged Fultz's contention that he didn't need to seek input from commissioners or offer t...
Despite a recent change to the City Charter requiring more input from city commissioners on appointments, Mayor Eugene Fultz did not involve them and is bringing forth only one name for an opening on the Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees. In an exchange at the end of an April 14 commission workshop, Fultz told commissioners the charter trustee position was “my spot” and he alone had the authority to choose. Commissioners could then vote to accept or reject his app...
Collaboration between different city departments is a daily occurrence at Lake Wales City Hall. But one of the more unique partnerships help show the good side of Lake Wales and is an important tool in putting bad guys behind bars. A city police drone is one of the latest tool's in the department's crime fighting tool kit. But part of the purchase price was covered by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, which uses the drone to provide aerial video of projects like...
Still stinging from his April 6 defeat by just 32 votes, Lake Wales City Commissioner Al Goldstein came out swinging the next morning – citing racism as a primary factor in his loss and suggesting the city is "on the cusp of destruction." Goldstein said he is not convinced his successful opponent, Kris Fitzgerald, will be a good commissioner and said she won on the coattails of Daniel Williams, who defeated Ricardo Navarro for Seat 2 by 15 votes. Goldstein said in two years h...
Lake Wales voters April 6 approved by wide margins, ranging from 82 to 92 percent, all seven proposed changes to the City Charter. City commissioners appointed a Charter Review Committee, which studied the issues, got public input and recommended seven changes to city's governing document. AMENDMENT 1 - MISSION STATEMENT: More than 88 percent of the voters approved adding the following mission statement to the city charter, by a vote of 1,662 to 218: The mission of the City...
Editor's Note: More analysis of the city election will be included in future stories. In the closest races in recent history, Daniel Williams and Kris Fitzgerald won election to the Lake Wales City Commission Tuesday, April 6. Fitzgerald beat incumbent Al Goldstein by 32 votes, and Williams bested Ricardo Navarro by just 15 votes. Williams was one vote ahead of Navarro when the in-person vote tallies came in, but pulled further ahead when vote by mail ballots were added....
Lake Wales City Commissioners have adopted a new incentive program to encourage redevelopment or restoration of distressed properties. Commissioners earlier this month approved a memorandum of understanding that can be used as a framework for future redevelopment agreements. The program would allow redevelopers access to funds they provided to purchase publicly owned properties or to pay off code enforcement liens. Instead of the city keeping or spending the funds, the...
The Lake Wales Public Library's Intelligent Locker System is up and running. Located outside at the library's main entrance, the locker system is connected to the library network and allows customers access to safely pick up the books, movies and audio books they've placed on hold 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The City Commission in November approved using $25,950 in library impact fees to purchase the 20-locker system. After the purchase the city still had about $290,000...
