Public Meeting Will Offer Overview of Upcoming Million-Dollar Sidewalk, Street Tree Project

A long-awaited effort to add sidewalks and street trees throughout the Northwest Neighborhood is set to begin in coming weeks, and city officials want to make certain that residents of the area are prepared for what's to come. Most of the streets in the area will see some impact during construction.

Courtesy City of Lake Wales

A public meeting on August 22 will offer residents a chance to learn about the project that will see numerous blocks of new sidewalks and hundreds of street trees added to the area.

An August 22 public meeting at the B Street Community Center will give residents an overview of the project and a chance to ask questions. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The first phase of the project will include repairing existing sidewalks and constructing new ones along the blocks of streets in the area bounded by Florida Avenue and Dr. J. A. Wiltshire Avenue, between G and E Streets. New sidewalks will also increase safety for students walking to J.H. Wilson Elementary School, located on Florida Avenue.

A second phase to follow will address streets to the east of the targeted area.

The effort was identified as a community need during the Lake Wales Connected planning process. Many residents of the Northwest Neighborhood walk and use public transportation for basic needs. The lack of sidewalks forced many to walk in the streets, creating an unsafe situation.

The project is being funded by a Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) grant of $1,193,660 to fund the effort. The project will include planting new street trees along more than 20 blocks of the area.

Courtesy City of Lake Wales

An outline map of the streets included in Phase One of the project shows both new and repaired sidewalks.

The contract was awarded to Garcia Civil Contractors of Orlando, the lowest of six bidders who responded to the city's request. That bid in the amount of $536,436.73 will require only half the grant that has been awarded. The project will be extended to the balance of the Northwest Neighborhood within city limits in a second phase, according to city officials.

A survey of the area, conducted as part of the grant application, indicated that 241 households and 486 individuals will benefit from the improvements.