Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 55
I am happy to be a Lake Wales resident and City Commissioner. I was born in Rochester NY, and moved to Lake Wales at the age of 12. I fell in love with Lake Wales less than a year after moving here in 1998. I started going to First Assembly of God, which is Impact now. My mentor was Pastor Shawn Rudy who took me in as his own child. I learned so much and gave a lot of my time back to my community. I never thought about becoming a city commissioner, but I knew Lake Wales needed...
I remember my excitement a few months ago, when I received the call. A mere 16 hours from that call, I was getting to do my First (unlikely my last) paramotoring flight, the purest form of flight for a human! I was SO Excited! I had been trying to do this for two years! Several people made that day possible. It started with Evan Purdy, for planting the seed in my mind two years ago. Next was Terri Awesome Miller for facilitating and inspiring. And, best of all, Bob and Eric...
Twenty world class skydivers dropped onto the golf course at Lake Ashton Saturday Feb. 22, paying tribute to Betty Hill, the former owner of the Florida Skydiving Center at the Lake Wales Airport. Hill died Dec. 16 at the age of 66 after a valiant 19-year battle with cancer. About 200 friends, family, neighbors and skydiving enthusiasts gathered to celebrate Hill's amazing life. She only jumped once herself but brought thousands of skydivers to Lake Wales and introduced countl...
Dorothy Elizabeth (Stanley) Kenney, 92, of Lake Wales passed away Tuesday Feb. 18, 2020 at Bon Secours Manor in St Petersburg. She was born April 28, 1927 to the late Arthur Paul and Margaret Elizabeth (Molter) Stanley in Lake Wales. She was raised on Twin Lakes in Lake Wales where much of her life was influenced by water. She water-skied on barrow slats tied to her feet, learning to swim before she could walk. As a young woman she would ride her bicycle out to the local municipal airport where she took flying lessons and...
U.S. Army Reserve Captain Alexander Vacha will soon be returning to his post as the director of the Winter Haven Airport, but first he has an important engagement to keep with a class of preschool students at the Lake Wales Family YMCA. Dr. Marc Hutek, CEO of the Coalition, said is thrilled to have the special guest coming to read. "We're so glad to be able to have such an outstanding individual take time out to come and read to our children," said Hutek. "Captain Vacha is a...
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...
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...
Lake Wales City Commissioners got their first look Tuesday at a proposed balanced budget for 2019-20 that includes a slight reduction in the property tax rate. Finance Director Dorothy Abbott told commissioners that the city is in good financial shape and staff feels comfortable recommending 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...
Thirteen area residents completed their 9-month program June 6 and became graduates of Leadership Lake Wales Class 23. After enjoying a pasta dinner at the American Legion at Eagle Ridge Mall, the classmates talked about learning many new things about Lake Wales and forming bonds that will last well into the future. The Leadership Lake Wales group held an opening retreat in September and a closing retreat in May and met monthly for a daylong session devoted to a particular top...
ALSIM, one of the world's premier manufacturers of flight simulators, has announced plans to locate a new North American assembly and support facility at the Lake Wales Commerce and Technology Park. The company announced it will be hiring multiple staff for the Lake Wales location, which beginning in September will house technicians and items like spare parts. "Lake Wales is extremely proud to be part of the growing aerospace industry in Polk County," said City Manager Ken Fie...
Lake Wales is well-represented at the world's largest air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin this week as Eric Farewell and his Aviator PPG team take to the skies to show off their paramotor flying skills. Wearing what look like large, round fans on their backs and dangling from parachute canopies, the four-person team again is sharing some of the aerobatic maneuvers that delighted audiences in May at the Sun 'n Fun Air Show in Lakeland. "It's a great honor for us to be invited back,"...
When I met Roberta "Bobbie" Halfacre, director of The Vanguard School Summer Camp program, she explained it is named "Beyond..." because students, faculty, indeed anyone associated with this school for gifted and lifted young people with individual challenges definitely do not think inside the proverbial box. This philosophy starts from the top down and everyone works to make life better for those who need it most. Teaching and learning take on a whole new meaning here, and...
During their second budget workshop July 9 Lake Wales city commissioners asked questions about staff spending priorities while acknowledging they still need much additional information before they are ready to adopt a new budget for the 2019-20 year that begins Oct. 1. City Manager Ken Fields twice tried to reinforce his position that commissioners need to just concern themselves with policy and the city's overall direction and leave spending decisions on how to get there to...
Lake Wales City Commissioners Tuesday, May 14 kicked off budget talks for the 2019-20 year by sharing their priorities and opinions with city staff. There was clear consensus that the report from urban planners Dover Kohl, expected in mid-June, will drive spending decisions, particularly use of Community Redevelopment Agency trust funds. Vice Mayor Robin Gibson, who chairs the CRA, said he expects Park Avenue in historic downtown to be the top priority and to set the standard...
The Lake Wales City Commission changed slightly Tuesday, May 7 with the installation of new City Commissioner Al Goldstein. Goldstein was elected without opposition for a two-year term after Commissioner Tonya Stewart failed to qualify when her collection of signatures fell short. With wife Shirley at his side, Goldstein was installed by state Rep. Melony Bell, who also swore in Mayor Eugene Fultz, who won re-election in April and will serve three more years. Several family...
"The road to progress is always under construction," Lily Tomlin reminded us many years ago, and that is no less true around Lake Wales. Keeping up with the rapid growth of the Lake Wales area will require major changes in how we travel. Several major road construction projects are planned. With them, of course, will come many disruptions. How will they affect you? Let us count the ways. The biggest changes will be along our major highways, US 27 and SR 60. Those projects...
The Lake Wales Airport has a bright future and the potential to attract more tenants and corporate jets, according to an update presented by the city's longtime airport consultant. Wilbur Mathurin, vice president of Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, told Lake Wales City Commissioners at their April 16 meeting that aviation is a huge economic driver in Florida, contributing $175 billion to the economy. Citing a March 2019 report by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Mat...
Richele Floyd got the ride of her life this week in the back seat of a U.S. Navy fighter jet, courtesy of the elite Blue Angels. A pilot herself, the Lake Wales native serves as education director for Sun 'n Fun, which is hosting nearly 200,000 aviation enthusiasts April 2-7 during its 45th Annual Fly-In & Expo at Linder Airport in Lakeland. "Best day of my life," Floyd enthused, relating the one-hour experience that included rising straight up into the air, flying upside...
Of the legion of exhibits, aircraft, and fly-in planes of all shapes, sizes and colors on display at the 45th annual Sun 'n Fun International Fly-IN & Expo (www.flysnf.org) continuing in Lakeland through Sunday Apr. 7 one exhibitor stands out from the crowd: Lakes Wales based Aviator Paramotor (www.aviatorppg.com). Local resident and owner Eric Farewell is riding the current wave of popularity and growth that has spiraled his sport into the stratosphere. Through continuing...
The 45th Annual Sun 'n Fun Fly-in and Expo is winding down with air shows scheduled Saturday afternoon and evening and finishing Sunday afternoon, April 7. In addition to the many fly-bys and aerobatic stunts, the show offers literally thousands of planes and exhibits to view. Areas of the 2,200-acre Linder Airport in Lakeland are sectioned off for various types of aircraft; restored warbirds take up a large swath of land, while other areas feature home-build crafts,...
John "Lites" Leenhouts loves all things aviation and his enthusiasm is contagious. He's getting ready for the biggest week of his year April 2-7 when he welcomes about 200,000 people to the 45th annual SUN 'n FUN International Fly-in and Expo. The retired Naval aviator is finishing his eighth year as president and CEO of the Fly-in and the Aerospace Center for Excellence. His office in Hangar A at the Linder International Airport southwest of Lakeland is filled with photos,...
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS STORY: An earlier story underreported the total projects to SEMCO, citing $1.1 million, but incorrectly stated all projects were awarded without bids. The City did put out requests for proposals on hurricane-related projects, but only one other company bid on one project, the water plant repairs. SEMCO met the stricter FEMA requirements and was awarded the contracts. For the downtown trail project the City received four proposals. One firm retracted...
For its third exhibit since opening in October 2018, the Gallery at Melange is bringing together two artists who have never met, but have a great deal in common. Both majored in the arts in college, and both have enjoyed long careers as teachers. Both have simultaneously created art for most of their adult lives, and have each chosen a similar approach to blending reality and fantasy with an emphasis on re-imagining and intertwining the flora, fauna and common elements of the...
When Lake Ashton resident Al Goldstein became the only candidate to qualify for April's District 4 City Commission election, he won automatically, leaving plenty of Lake Wales residents wondering: "Who is Al Goldstein?" In a rambling two-hour conversation, Goldstein revealed much about himself and his strong opinions about several pending issues but left plenty hidden as well. Critical of some proposals before the Commission, Goldstein offered his respect for the positions...
