Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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The realization of a "Big Green Network" of environmental lands that will forever form limits to the potential urbanization of the Lake Wales area drew a step closer this week. Lifelong Lake Wales resident and member of a pioneer family, Edwin Friedlander has offered his 749-acre ranch property for acquisition through the Polk Forever program, approved by voters in 2022. The property was assessed by a "technical advisory team" before being approved by the Conservation Lands...
In nothing less than a transformation, the formerly dreary stretch of Park Avenue west of First Street is swiftly becoming an attractive green oasis intended to help draw pedestrian traffic to the heart of Lake Wales. The three-block-long stretch of the street west of Scenic Highway is the heart of the $20 million investment being made by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency to reinvigorate the city's urban core. Conceived as "Lake Wales Connected" by a team of...
Although it's only early November, hundreds of people from Lake Wales and far beyond are preparing for the area's biggest festival of 2024. The 40th annual Lake Wales Mardi Gras celebration will reach a climax on the busy weekend of February 10 when more than a dozen parade "krewes" will step off in colorful costumes and festooned floats to present the annual parade, the traditional high-point of weeks of celebration. "Mardi Gras" is French for "fat Tuesday," the day before...
A large-scale redevelopment proposal that includes both Lake Wales Country Club and the adjacent Oakwood golf course community is raising passions among residents, some of whom have differing responses to the concept, which merges the two golf courses into a single 18-hole course. A new hotel would accompany hundreds of townhomes, apartments, and single-family homes, a total of 1,424 dwelling units spread across 522 acres. Nearly 152 acres would remain as open space under the...
A CRA grant will help a local not-for-profit save an aging historic building that serves as an important civic space in downtown Lake Wales. The Lake Wales Woman's Club was awarded a $50,000 grant that will help the 100-year-old organization pay for a new roof for their auditorium at 275 East Park Avenue. The funds will also help remediate mold, according to CRA staff. The grant meets three of the goals cited in the Lake Wales Connected plan recommendations, Assistant City...
The deadline for entering a float in the Lake Wales Christmas night parade is fast approaching, according to members of the sponsoring Rotary on the Ridge. Those interested in being a part of the event have until November 30 to send in their entry forms. The theme of this year's procession is "Toys on Parade," and numerous entries are expected to feature toys, some on a gigantic scale. The parade will follow a modified route through the city this year after lining up at Polk...
A newly-renovated Family Recreation Center is now open to the public with a full line-up of new equipment and freshened facilities. A ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by city officials welcomed the first crowd of enthusiasts on Saturday. The newly-refreshed building features new vinyl plank flooring flooring in the entry, lobby, rear hallway, childcare area, and the Turner Center meeting room. Those same areas have been freshly painted, along with walls in restroom and shower...
There's still time for you to be one of our 26 winners who get a free "all-the-works" pizza just by sharing a news story on your social media feed. Yep, you can earn the large pizza of your choice from Pizzano's of Lake Wales just by sharing the important stories we publish about our community. Pick an impactful story from our sections about Schools, Fun, Ridge Life, Business, it's all up to you! Just know that you could very well be enjoying one of our delicious prizes. Two...
Even as the Lake Wales area enjoys pleasant and mild weather, it's important to keep a weather-eye out for late-developing tropical storms and hurricanes that could threaten to disrupt our idyllic autumn days. Now two long-range models are depicting just such a potential. Hurricane season runs through November 30, and there have been occasional storms that have developed even after that date. The unusually-warm water in the Atlantic basin, coupled with unseasonable warmth,...
Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. has officially confirmed that it will build a new, state-of-the-art pipe manufacturing facility in Lake Wales. The company plans to break ground in 2024 on a 100-acre site with frontage on both South 11th Street and Hunt Brothers Road. The plant will manufacture corrugated plastic pipe, adding to the company's existing manufacturing presence in Florida. "This advanced manufacturing facility is an important investment in a key region for ADS,"...
New life is being breathed into a significant building in the historic center of Lake Wales after actions taken by the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday. The city commission, sitting as the CRA board, also agreed to a new loan program to help local investors fund the renovation of five downtown retail units. "This is new, this is the first one," CRA Executive Director James Slayton said of the $100,000 loan toward a First Street property owned by Tammy and S...
A major resurfacing project is expected to disrupt traffic flow on US 27 during the coming months as contractors undertake improvements to about seven miles of the six-lane thoroughfare stretching from Waverly Road in Lake Wales north to Kokomo Road in Lake Hamilton. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the project involves removing and replacing the asphalt roadway surface, as well as reworking shoulders. The project also includes widening and adding a new...
More than 80 community leaders and interested citizens were present Thursday night for the premier showing of the documentary film "Lake Wales Envisioned," which lays out the case for changes to development codes that may redefine future development in the rapidly-growing community. The film is among the final work products of the city-funded project known as Lake Wales Envisioned, an effort to guide the city through a future fraught with both opportunities and perils. The...
In the high-energy future facing Lake Wales there's little doubt that high-energy management is required to keep up. As Lake Wales faces a wave of growth, with about 15,000 new residences planned to be built here in the next several years, Assistant City Manager Deena Drumgo may be the ideal person to help the city face the challenges ahead. Drumgo, the former city manager of Dundee, came to Lake Wales from Winter Haven, where she oversaw that city's community redevelopment ag...
Currently enrolled Polk State students will have a head start opportunity fo enrolling in the Spring 2024 semester. Enrollment for the spring will begin on October 30 with priority registration for students who have completed at least 50% of their program requirements. Open enrollment will begin on November 6 and classes will start on January 8. Polk State College operates multiple facilities around the county, including a Lake Wales campus located on Central Avenue in...
A continuing rise in readership and community reach is evidence of the growing awareness and trust of LakeWalesNews.net among residents of the Ridge area. The expansion of readership and advertising is powering an expansion of news coverage as well as the News increases coverage of events in Frostproof, Babson Park, Indian Lake, and surrounding communities through the hiring of new staff and correspondents. Analytics provided by Google indicate that LakeWalesNews.net is the to...
Major improvements are underway at the Lake Wales History Museum that are expected to make the facility a center of community activity as well as a draw for residents and visitors alike, according to Executive Director Melissa Stoller. The ongoing project includes needed repairs to the 98-year-old building as well as reimagined and refreshed exhibits. The non-profit museum is seeking volunteers with carpentry skills to help with the ongoing reconfiguration. Stoller promises...
As the City of Lake Wales prepares to begin a major tree-planting effort as part of the Lake Wales Connected effort, a long-vacant horticulturist spot has been filled by a long-time Lakeland gardening expert. Kevin Polk, a certified horticulturist who spent several years supervising the landscape at the City of Lakeland's Hollis Gardens, will take the reins overseeing plans to revive the landscapes in the city's historic core. After spending years reviving the 1928 landscape...
In a major step toward addressing the challenge presented by an enormous wave of growth, the Lake Wales city commission voted to adopt a resolution in support of the Lake Wales Envisioned plan. Facing development proposals that would readily triple the population of the city, the board had agreed to fund the planning study in January, leading to months of effort by planners, residents, and city staff. The project included numerous public meetings, open workshops, webinars,...
Bill Redmon has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2023 Pioneer of the Year for the annual Pioneer Days festival, which will take place at Lake Wailes Park on October 29 and 29. Redmon's extraordinary dedication to his community and his outstanding achievements make him a true pioneer in every sense and led to his selection by the board of the Lake Wales History Museum, sponsors of the long-standing and popular festival. Only 50-year residents of the Lake Wales...
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new Health Sciences Center at Webber International University drew a large crowd of students, supporters, and alumni eager to tour the facility. The Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce and EDC co-hosted the ceremony alongside the institution. The first phase of the Center is home to the University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) programs. T...
It's time to start digging out the jackets and sweaters. The long-awaited seasonal cooldown after the end of an exceptionally hot summer will arrive in earnest next week after the passage of a series of reinforcing cold fronts. Heavy rains are expected over Florida beginning Wednesday night, and rain will linger for several days before a series of fronts sweeps in a colder air mass that will leave morning lows in the 50's for the Lake Wales Ridge area. The potential for...
Winners of the first week of a 13-week contest sponsored by Lake Wales News.net and Pizzano's Pizza and Grinderz have been have announced, and tasty awards await, ideal for that football gathering, birthday party, or other get-together. Susan Coyne and Samantha Bourke were chosen as winners of a large pizza of their choice, enough to feed a family of four. The winners gained entry simply by sharing a story from LakeWalesNews.net on their social media. To be sure that we don't...
Pathways leading to college or directly to highly-paid careers are open to students at Lake Wales High School thanks to the seven "Career Academies" offered at the school. Assistant Principal Jasmine Ansley heads the career academy program and was happy to report that 1,039 of the school's students are now enrolled in one of the pathways. The program helps keep students engaged in what they like to do at school, resulting in a lower drop rate, she said. A recent special...
Lake Wales Charter School Superintendent Dr. Wayne Rodolfich has announced the appointment of April Barnhardt to become the new principal of Edward Bok Academy South. The appointment was confirmed by the Charter School board. Barnhardt has for the past two years served as the assistant principal of Hillcrest Elementary School, one of several local schools she attended as a child. She will take over the role from Dr. Julio Acevedo, who has served on a temporary basis the...
