Celebration of Park Avenue Project Completion Happens Friday

A celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for Friday evening in downtown Lake Wales will mark the successful completion of the biggest element to date in the city's pursuit of the Lake Wales Connected plan.

The transformative redevelopment of Park Avenue and the Market Plaza will be celebrated by residents, business owners, and city officials alike, all of whom are eager to show off the beauty of the new streetscape. The event will be held in the expanded new Market Plaza, which features lush landscaping among its many new charms.

Robert Connors

The beautified Market Plaza will be the scene of a celebration and ribbon-butting ceremony Friday evening, marking the completion of the complete reconstruction of Park Avenue and its intersection with Scenic Highway.

"We are one giant step closer to creating the most beautiful and vibrant downtown in central Florida," said Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton.

The project is a major element in a stated effort to recreate the founders' intentions to create "a city in a garden" in keeping with the popular garden city movement of the early 20th century.

The dedication event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on March 7 and include a "Taste of Downtown" featuring free samples of foods, wine, and other flavors of businesses located in the central business district.

Lake Wales Connected is a $50 million project to reimagine the city's aging core area as an attractive pedestrian oasis. The work on Park Avenue includes a new brick-surfaced street, rain gardens, street furniture, lighting, and rows of street trees. The effect of flowers and shrubbery has transformed the perception of the area.

The Connected project is expected to spark millions of dollars in private investment, raise property values, and generated significant increases in tax receipts for the Community Redevelopment Agency, which has funded a significant portion of the work.

Several new construction projects in the downtown area have been inspired by the CRA investment, with new businesses already occupying renovated buildings restored to historic appearances. The Thirsty Dragon tavern, Smokin' DJ's barbecue, Every Skin Spa, and a new bridal and formalwear shop are among businesses that are occupying newly-improved buildings in the area.

The Lake Wales Connected effort, a product of a months-long, community-wide envisioning effort, will continue for the next several years, addressing several other aging streets. Most of the work still to come has been funded by a variety of grants from federal agencies. Those dollars will pay for improvements to First Street, Orange, Crystal, Lincoln and Central Avenues, as well as an expanded network of bicycle and pedestrian trails linking city neighborhoods.

Included in the recent work on Park Avenue was a realignment of Scenic Highway to make pedestrian crossings easier, linking city parking lots with the shopping district.

Parking has been a frequent concern expressed by downtown business operators. The city is responding with improvements to existing parking areas along Scenic Highway and Orange Avenue, as well as Park Avenue.