Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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A pair of proposed apartment developments near Eagle Ridge Mall may add 824 new dwelling units to the city, but in each case developer proposals to reduce required parking created some heartburn for city commissioners. The first and most prominent of the pair is proposed for a site directly behind Shoppes on the Ridge, on the north side of Chalet Suzanne Road and across from Wawa. It would consist of six four-story buildings containing 272 units on a 12.1 acre site. Tentative...
The City of Lake Wales finished the 2021-2022 fiscal year in better-than-expected financial shape, based upon figures included in a year-end budget amendment approved by city commissioners. The fiscal year ended on September 30, but final balances were not available for a few weeks. City Budget Director Dorothy Abbott presented the documents to the commissioners, explaining that the changes in the numbers reflected the needed final look back at the year concluded. The General...
The top-seeded Lake Wales Highlander football team advanced their 2022 playoff hopes Friday night at Legion Field with a decisive 34-10 victory over the eighth-seed Auburndale Bloodhounds, making a small step forward to their season-long goal of a state title that has proved elusive. The Highlanders have advanced as far as the championship game in past seasons, but never brought home the trophy. Their hopes are riding high this year on the strength of their undefeated season,...
Two new apartment complexes totaling 824 units may bring a burst of new economic activity to the city's booming north side. The Lake Wales City Commission will consider action on the two projects Tuesday after discussing the proposals at their agenda workshop. Hillpointe, the larger of the two projects, is proposed to include 552 units 137 acres lying north of Chalet Suzanne Road and the existing Serenity Luxury Apartments. The construction would take place on the...
A missing woman, a distressed family, and decades of rumors have led the Lake Wales Police Department to reopen a "cold case" investigation that has many questioning why it's taken so long. At Tuesday's City Commission meeting, two residents came forward to challenge an official narrative about the case, stating that the family is "still grieving" and needed closure. The issue was raised only days after a private search and rescue team found evidence that a murder victim likel...
There are no shelters designated to open in the Lake Wales area, according to Polk County and Polk School System officials. No explanation has been offered for that situation. Available shelters in Polk County will open Tuesday at the following locations: • Horizons Elementary School, 1700 Forest Lake Dr, Davenport • Sleepy Hill Elementary School, 2285 Sleepy Hill Rd, Lakeland • R. Bruce Wagner Elementary School, 5500 Yates Rd, Lakeland • Chain Of Lakes Elementary School....
As Hurricane Ian threatens Florida and the Lake Wales area, Polk County has announced that thirteen shelters will be opened across the county, None are in Lake Wales. The only designated shelter in the city, located at Spook Hill Elementary, will apparently not be opened despite the demand from those living in several large mobile home communities in southeast Polk. The LakeWalesNews.net had highlighted this continued neglect of the region in a story published at the start of...
On a 3-2 vote, Lake Wales city commissioners almost approved a controversial new subdivision plat that creates 907 new building lots on the near south side before a last minute reversal. The project, called Orchard Hills, is proposed sprawl across former citrus groves stretching east of Scenic Highway and north of Passion Play Road. The proposal exceeds the city's minimum requirements for open space, primarily due to the stormwater ponds, but was criticized by residents and a...
While two independently owned and operated new restaurants are planned for opening on Highway 60, including Locorrito and Brake Burger Garage, and two more are planned to open on First Street downtown and on Lincoln Avenue, three more are aiming for construction on US 27 near the Eagle Ridge Mall. All three new restaurants will be located on the east side of US 27, and will occupy among the last of the rapidly-filling mall outparcels. A Starbucks coffee outlet is planned for...
More than eighty community and business leaders were in attendance this week as the Dyer family celebrated the grand opening of their second new auto dealership across from the Eagle Ridge Mall on US 27 in Lake Wales. The ribbon-cutting ceremony at Dyer Chevrolet marked the official dedication of the new 28,000 square-foot facility, which cost more than $5 million to construct. The Chevrolet operations stands adjacent to their recently-constructed Kia dealership. Guests...
Bob Johnson of Lake Wales was born on 0ctober 21, 1958, to Helen Roe Johnson in Racine Wisconsin. As a child they moved to Ohio, then to Kentucky, where he has nieces and nephews. In 1972 after the loss of his mother at age 12, he moved to Lake Wales with his aunt and uncle. Bob graduated from Lake Wales High school class of 1978, and Ridge Voc-tech in 1980. His more than 44 years in the workforce was as a welder- foreman in the trucking industry, with Oakley Transport and,...
A popular and long-running community event returns this year, and organizers are offering plenty of advance notice to those wishing to participate. The 15th annual 39-mile Yard Sale will be held on Saturday November 5, 2022. The event runs from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm. and sees thousands of shoppers descend upon the route of State Road 17 between Frostproof and Haines City. With its central location, much of the activity focuses on the Lake Wales area. The Ridge Scenic Highway...
A 312-acre parcel expected to host the Mayfair development nearly two decades ago is now the proposed site of a 1,020-unit project dubbed Ridgecrest. The Lake Wales City commission on Tuesday will consider the application for a preliminary subdivision plat and a special exception use permit for a residential Planned Development Project (PDP). Ridgecrest is planned to be constructed in three phases and will fill in a large blank in the city's residential areas stretching from R...
The crush of development pressure that has been applied to Lake Wales by the owners of large tracts surrounding the city has raised alarm in many quarters. Ownership of land conveys many rights. Landowners are aware that resources are limited, and that commitments for water and sewer capacity are best reserved well in advance of their need. The deluge of annexations and platting doesn't mean all those new homes will be built anytime soon, but that's small comfort to area...
A pair of forums offering voters a chance to hear from seven school board candidates has been moved to an online event due to the recent upsurge of Coved cases in Polk County. The event had been scheduled for the James Austin Center in Lake Wales with a capacity of 100 guests. The event will now take place via Zoom, with a link to be posted for interested guests. The August primary election will be the final chance to vote in some local races, including those for new school...
The August primary election will be the final chance to vote in some local races, including those for new school board members for four different seats on the seven-member board. A total of nine candidates are seeking spots on the board, which governs more than 100 local schools. The two events will take place on Monday, July 18 and Thursday July 21., The public is encouraged to come hear the candidates discuss the challenges facing public education, and the important role...
Helen Marie O'Donnell, age 93, passed away Thursday, June 30, 2022. She was born August 24, 1928 in Lake Hamilton, FL to W.E. & Bertie Slocumb, Marie was a Nurses Aide for 20 years at Lake Wales Hospital. She was a member of Ridge Community Church of God in Dundee. She was a talented seamstress. Helen was preceded in death by her two husband Ray Summers & Jim O'Donnell, two brothers Bud Slocumb & Corky Slocumb and three sisters Earlene Parrish, Jean Williams & Evelyn Dorsey....
Depictions of the beauty and diversity of Polk's county-managed environmental preserves are the focus of a juried art competition being organized by Polk Forever, a local grassroots non-partisan organization. The best works submitted will be displayed in September and October at locations including Lake Wales Art Center, Ridge Art in Winter Haven, and a third site that is yet to be announced. "The idea behind the exhibition is to bring to light the places we have already...
The concept of "community service" is alive and well in Lake Wales, as evidenced by an award presented to one of three local Rotary Clubs this week. Rotary on the Ridge received a membership award from Rotary District 6890 Governor Deborah Williams after the club doubled its membership in 2021-22, achieving the highest rate of growth among District 6890's 32 clubs. The club, which meets in Lake Wales, grew from 30 to 60 members in the year to end June 30. Williams presented...
The parade of development proposals that have stirred citizen concerns of runaway changes to Lake Wales continued to be evident at the most recent city commission meeting as details emerged for several more projects. A calculation by LakeWalesNews.Net staff has indicated that more than 12,000 new single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, and mobile homes are included in developments already on the drawing table. At least three other projects have been proposed but remain to...
Richard Wagoner Sr. was born in LaFollet, Tn. on January 29, 1931. His mother Lottie Long Wagoner, father Joshua Wagoner, and son David preceded him in death. Dick graduated from Feitshans High School in Springfield, Il. in May of 1949. He was a self-made man, starting as a paperboy and ending his stay on Earth as a very successful retired automobile dealer. He married Mary Palmer Foutch in August of 1949 and they enjoyed many happy years together. They had been married for...
Fearing damage due to Florida's summertime temperatures and humidity, the Lake Wales History Museum is reaching out to supporters and potential donors to raise funds to improve the 1916 railroad depot which houses many thousands of important documents and historical artifacts at the not-for-profit facility. According to Anderson Hanna, the museum's interim director, the historic Seaboard Airline railroad depot is "an optimal location" to house what he describes as "an...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include clarifying comments from City Manager James Slaton. Lake Wales City Commissioners will consider the possible development of new apartments on a sprawling tract of land north of Chalet Suzanne Road Tuesday at Tuesday's meeting, beginning at 6:00 PM.. Hillpointe LLC, acting as the agent for owner Star Lake Inc. is requesting a zoning change on approximately 195.23 acres of land to allow HDR-High Density Residential...
The gradual expansion of the Lake Wales Business Community is receiving another boost as the Dyer Auto Group prepares to open their new Chevrolet dealership on US 27 North across from Eagle Ridge Mall. Dyer's new $5 million dealership is a significant expansion from their current location two miles south, according to General Manager David Dlugokecki. The new location will also allow the family-owned business to co-locate their two local new-car dealerships. Dyer Kia moved int...
After five years of rising success in the film and television industry, Lake Wales actor and screenwriter Jeff Herman will undoubtedly be there in person Monday night for the release of his new feature-length film when it premiers at the Regal Eagle Ridge Cineplex at 7:00 pm. The film, entitled "No Vacancy," stars Dean Cain, who played Clark Kent in the TV series Lois & Clark, along with roles as the host of Ripley's Believe It or Not! and the sports drama series "Hit the...
