Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Think of 25 people you know. One of them is likely atheist. And probably afraid of you finding out. We know that there are even nonbelievers working in governments and sitting on Boards or holding other elected positions who feel their nonreligious identities must remain hidden because they are made to feel as second class by things like discriminatory invocation practices and some of the public response we saw this week in Lake Wales, FL. A few weeks ago, I was approached by...
Are we reading words that genuinely challenge our current thinking? Do we read books, blogs, posts, and news feeds that only tend to be in line with our world experiences? Are we drawn to read organized printed thoughts (which are likely edited for maximum impact) that really only infuriate us to the point of more solidly reaffirming our preconceived world view? We are blessed to have the ability to actually read and comprehend meaning in printed symbols. There is so much...
Whether it is the half-anniversary of when the pandemic shutdowns began in full in Lake Wales, the 19th anniversary of September 11th, or listening to the rhetoric with being less than two months from "the most important election in our lifetime," or all of these and much more, life may seem scary and unprecedented these days to some. To the majority of others in the world (and even people in Lake Wales) daily life was extremely challenging before the pandemic, actually...
In 2016, I was compelled by something deep inside me to right a wrong. The wrong, I felt, was how I had been treating other people my entire life. At the time, Lake Wales News, print newspaper, was still in operation and I thought I would write a letter and submit the letter to the editorial department in hopes it would get published. I had never sent a letter to a newspaper before, but I had a heavy heart and I wanted to apologize. I was raised in the same town I live in even...
A lot was different about this year's "Shop With A Cop" event, except for one very important thing – dozens of local families will have a much merrier Christmas because of the Lake Wales Police Department. In fact, a total of 70 area children will have presents under the tree and holiday food on the table thanks to the annual program, run by the Lake Wales Police Officers Association. Normally, children and their families meet at the Lake Wales Wal-Mart to pick out C...
Responding to complaints from downtown visitors, Lake Wales commissioners have unanimously approved the first reading of a new panhandling ordinance for the city. The new law is patterned after a similar statute from Osceola County, which has not been legally challenged since it was passed about five years ago. City Attorney Chuck Galloway said finding an ordinance that would hold up in courts is an important part of the new proposed law. "Several years ago, there was a United...
Holiday shoppers looking for a locally grown or handmade gift will revel in the news that the Lake Wales Farmer's Market is once again re-open in the city's historic downtown district. The market returned with almost 40 vendors on Nov. 14, and is expected to host upwards of 50 or more vendors on Saturday, December 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market operates on the second and fourth Saturday each month, and will be open Dec. 26 as well. Market manager Lynn Greenfield said the...
An active swimmer since age 5, Mary Leigh Hardman dreams of some day competing in the Olympics. The Lake Wales High School freshman moved closer to her goal last weekend by winning Florida state swimming championships in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle events. "This is my first ever high school win. I'm very excited," said Mary Leigh, noting "I just knew I was going to do my best." Mary Leigh is following in the footsteps – or swimming strokes - of her mother, Molly Magill H...
City leaders are continuing to cast an eye towards improving the quality of life by approving the creation of a master plan for parks, trails and open spaces in Lake Wales. Commissioners have approved the hiring of S&ME to come up with the plan, a process that will involve a number of public workshops and meetings, and should take around 10 months to complete, according to the Orlando-based firm. "A master plan will serve as a guiding tool in order to elevate the current...
The Lake Wales City Commission will give a final look Nov. 3 to seven proposed changes to the city charter that would go on the April 2021 municipal ballot. Commissioners decided to hold their meeting early at 10 a.m. at the city administration building to avoid election day conflicts. Two weeks ago commissioners approved seven ordinances to place before the voters changes recommended by the five-member Charter Review Committee. They decided to define the duties of city...
This is the twelfth 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. Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. is recognized as the founder of the profession of landscape architecture. In the late 1800s he set a standard of excellence that continues to influence landscape architecture today. His two sons carried on and expanded the legendary work of the Olmsted firm wel...
City commissioners will be getting a bump in pay next year after a salary increase was approved at the group's meeting Sept. 22. It is the first raise in commission salaries since the last one was approved in the fall of 2013. Currently commissioners are paid $4,917 a year, while the mayor's post pays $7,310. The new annual salary will be $6,323 for commissioners and $9,484 for the mayor. The raise brings salaries in line with what other local cities of similar size pay their...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated by Executive Editor Chevon Baccus after the Sept. 16 CRA meeting. City commissioners agreed to invest $460,000 to help finance a proposed redevelopment of the 140-unit Grove Manor public housing complex. Pantheon Development, which in 2018 formed a partnership with the Lake Wales Housing Authority to do the work, requested the money from the city's Community Redevelopment Agency as part of a plan to help finance the construction of six...
For the first time in almost a decade, Lake Wales is proposing a small increase in its development impact fees. City commissioners have approved a first reading of a new fee structure, which not only includes an overall impact fee increase of just over $95 per new residential household, but also significantly reallocates in which category those fees will be collected. That's important because those funds can only be spent on projects for which they are specifically...
The Lake Wales Charter Review Committee is ahead of schedule and looking for public input on changes that can make city government operate better. The next Committee meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 at the city administration building, 201 W. Central Ave. People can attend in person or join online by registering at https://www.lakewalesfl.gov/Register The current Charter, which was last reviewed in 2010, can be found online at http://lakewales.e...
Lake Wales City commissioners are looking to reduce or eliminate a small increase in the city’s fire fee when the first reading and public hearing on a proposed 2020-21 budget is held on Sept. 9. The overall plan totals $47.9 million – and actually trims the city’s millage rate to the rollback figure of $6.9747 per $1,000 in assessed valuation – which included a five percent increase in the city’s fire fee assessment. The residential cost was projected to rise $16 a year, fro...
This is the eleventh 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. Nations strive for a positive trade balance, where they sell more products than they buy, thereby receiving increased capital and creating a higher standard of living for their citizens. The same holds true for any economic unit. Let's take Lake Wales downtown for example. It's a...
Lake Wales City Commissioners got good news at their second budget workshop Aug. 12. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic's negative impact on the economy, projected state revenue is about $100,000 higher than originally expected. Budget Director Dorothy Abbott said she is confident that the City can adopt a balanced budget at a slightly lower "rollback" millage, the rate that is expected to generate the same amount of property taxes as this year. The current rate of 6.9339 may be...
The Lake Wales Public Library, with the assistance of lakewalesnews.net, has revived a tradition that existed in our local weekly newspaper for many years, the publication of a sampling of new books available at our library. The list will be updated weekly. The Lake Wales Public Library continues to offer safe door-side pickup of materials during our current hours of operation. Call the library to request that holds are placed on items for pickup at the Lake Wales Public...
Lake Wales City Commissioners have given the green light to fund two positions largely concentrated on improving the quality of life in the city's northwest community. Acting as the board members of the Community Redevelopment Agency, the group unanimously approved the hiring of a police community liaison officer for District 3 of the CRA, which covers the northwest area, as well as a CRA coordinator for that district. The action came during the CRA meeting on July 14. The...
Ben Hill Griffin, III, 78, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 25, 2020, at his home in Frostproof. Ben Hill was born on March 3, 1942 in Lake Wales to Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. and L. Frances Griffin. He was a lifetime resident of Polk County. He graduated from Frostproof High School in 1960, received his Associate of Arts degree from College of Central Florida in Ocala and attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. He also served with the Florida Army National...
This is the tenth 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. Best Bang for the Buck Trees are the best. Their mere presence improves individual property values. Collectively they improve the town's tax base as a whole. The improved value comes from the purchaser's desire to buy the advantages of appearance and aesthetics. Not only do trees...
This is the ninth 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. Victor Dover and his co-author have poured their careers as town planners into what has become the definitive handbook entitled Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns. The book recounts the history and experience of a wide range of different situations across the globe that...
Lake Wales commissioners are hitting the pause button on their search for a new city manager. Interim City Manager James Slaton will stay in that position while a new 2020-21 budget is being crafted this summer. The new spending plan must be in place by late September, with the Lake Wales fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Commissioners heard from Ken Parker – a senior advisor from the Florida City-County Management Association -- during a July 1 workshop, who said it wouldn't b...
Lake Wales city commissioners are expected to discuss reviving the long-dormant Citizens and Police Community Relations Advisory Committee during its agenda workshop session at 3 p.m. July 1. The committee was created in 2011, and originally contained two residents and one police department representative. Residents were appointed by the mayor with approval of the other city commissioners, according to Interim City Manager James Slaton. The group met monthly, and was expanded...
