Mark Your Calendar

February will be a busy month! Let’s take a look at just a few of the activities, meetings, and events planned for this month:

• Thursday, February 5, 5:30 pm, City Hall: the regular meeting of the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. Agenda items include a discussion of the feasibility of applying for a grant to fund the next section of the trail that now ends at Buck More Road.



• Friday, February 6, 6 – 9 pm, in the Park Ave. Rhodesbilt Arcade: James R. Hahn Productions presents “A Taste of Lake Wales” featuring drinks, food, art, and music, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Vanguard School Performing Arts Center project. Tickets are $25 and are available at the Gallery at 230 E. Park Ave or by calling 863-241-3852.



• Friday, February 6, 5:30 pm, City Hall: a meeting of the City’s Finance Committee. The agenda will include:


• a discussion on the feasibility of applying for $200,000 swimming pool construction grant. While the City has over $1,000,000 in the swimming pool construction fund, there is not an available revenue source to pay for the operation and maintenance of the pool. City staff recommends passing on this grant opportunity until there are more funds built up in the pool fund. The cost of construction is over $800,000, and user fees are not likely to support the on-going costs of operating the pool. This item will come to the City Commission for the final decision on this grant opportunity at the February 17 regular meeting;


• Paul Simmons will discuss the requested donation to the Winter Haven Area Transit (WHAT) system of over $5,000 for the route that serves Winter Haven and the area around the Eagle Ridge Mall. Mr. Simmons is also on the February 17 City Commission meeting agenda to formally make this request.


• Saturday, February 7, 9:00 am – 1 pm, City Hall: Polk County will hold its annual Household Hazardous waste drop off event in conjunction with Keep Polk County Beautiful. Area residents can bring a variety of hazardous items to City Hall and dispose of them for free. The items accepted include cleaners, polishes, solvents, automotive products, aerosol cans, insecticides, disinfectants, paint products, batteries, and pool chemicals. Residents can drop off up to five electronic items per household, including computers, monitors, keyboards, terminals, televisions, stereos, printers, fax machines, VCR/DVD players, video cameras, and video game consoles. Business waste will not be accepted. If you are planning on buying a new television to prepare for the changeover this month to the digital signal, this would be a good place to take your old television. In addition, up to 10 standard vehicle size tires without rims will also be accepted per household with a photo ID and proof of Polk County residency. For further information call (863) 284-4319 or (863) 399-2689, or visit the Polk County website at www.polk-county.net, or call Keep Polk County Beautiful at 676-7019 for questions about tires.



• Saturday, February 7, 10 am, Kiwanis Park: the Grand Opening of Barney’s Dream, the new playground constructed at Kiwanis Park by the Lake Wales Kiwanis Park for children of all abilities. Kawanian Barney Moore initiated this project and the Kiwanis Club raised the money through a variety of fund raising efforts to see the project to reality. Congratulations Barney and the Lake Wales Kiwanis Club for an outstanding job!



• Monday, February 16, 6 pm, City Hall: I will give the “State of the City Address” as requested by the Mayor and everyone is cordially invited. This address was given to the Chamber of Commerce at their January luncheon. Arrangements are being made to televise the address on Comcast Channel 33. (I will also give the address at the coffee meeting in Lake Ashton on Monday, March 23.)



• Tuesday, February 17, 6 pm, City Hall: The City Commission will hold their regular meeting.



• Thursday, February 19, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, City Hall: The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold its anticipated Open House on the proposed project to construct medians on State Road 60 from 11th St to Capps Road. Consultants to FDOT have stated that they will be mailing a notice to all property owners along this route, as well as distributing flyers.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an official national holiday observed on the third Monday in January. This date is around the time of Dr. King’s birthday, which was January 15. After a lengthy campaign to have the day recognized as a national holiday, the holiday was first observed in 1986. However, some states initially resisted observing the holiday by calling it a different name or combining it with other holidays. It was not until 2006 that all 50 states officially observed the day.

In Lake Wales the day was officially recognized as a holiday by the City Commission at the November 19, 1985 Commission meeting. The first day that it was officially observed was on January 20, 1986.

This year’s celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will be very special. The event committee has a record seven events planned, and everyone is cordially invited to participate. The events are in a variety of locations and are spread out from Friday, January 16 through Sunday, January 19. Let’s take a look at what the committee has put together for us:

· Friday, January 16, 7 pm - Oratorical Contest/Talent Festival, Allen Temple AME Church, 241 C Street

Any Student from first thru twelfth grade is eligible to participate, and prizes will be awarded. This event is free.

· Saturday, January 17, 8 am - Unity Walk, Kiwanis Park, Lakeshore at Tower Blvd.

This walk will present an opportunity to fellowship with someone you do not know. The starting point of Kiwanis Park was chosen as it is where the black workers at the turpentine still lived in 1911. In 1914 the Wetmore Brothers built the first frame house in the “quarters”, now known as the Northwest area, for Mr. E.C. Stuart’s workers. Walkers will take the trail from Kiwanis Park to Spook Hill Elementary School, and then take the sidewalk on Dr. Joseph Wiltshire Blvd to Stuart Park. This event is free and you may contact Linda Kimbrough to sign up: 679-3896.

· Saturday, January 17, 7 pm - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lake Wales Country Club Commemorative Celebration, 2925 SR 60 East - Inaugural Ball

This fun filled night will feature food, speakers, and a variety of musical styles. Tickets are $30.00 per person or $250.00 per table. The proceeds will benefit the NAACP Scholarship fund. For tickets or information contact the B Street Center: 679-8091.

· Sunday, January 18, 2009 4 pm, Gospel Fest, Lake Wales Legion Field, Lakeshore Blvd. at North Wales Drive

Choirs, Individuals, Groups, and Praise Dancers will be performing. This event is free. Anyone wishing to perform may contact Minister Daniel Williams 534-7996, Tremayne Thombs 667-8688, Jackie Jackson 521-8508, or Rob Quam 676-6678.

· Monday, January 19, 9 am - Legacy Breakfast, Austin Community Center, 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.

This event is sponsored by the J.A. Wiltshire Foundation. This will be a momentous event showing how the honorees of this breakfast were inspired by the founding fathers of Lake Wales to become pillars of the Northwest Community. This event is free.

· Monday, January 19, 11 am - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Austin Community Center, Annual Celebration Program

A number of presentations will be given including Rob Quam’s recitation of the “I Have A Dream” speech. This event is free.

· Monday, January 19, 3:30 pm - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Austin Community Center, Annual Parade

The parade line-up will begin at 2:30 pm and will kick-off at 3:30 pm. The parade route begins at the Austin Center and goes to D Street, and then on to Lincoln Avenue, to A Street, to First Street, to Park Avenue, and back to the Austin Center. The entry fee for the parade is $10.00 and entry forms can be picked up at the B Street Center, or call 679-8091 to request that a form be faxed to you.

I hope that you will attend and participate in one or more of these events!

Mark Your Calendar. . .

Within the next 30 days there will be two important City events! The budget process will draw to a close in anticipation of the start of the new fiscal year on October 1; and the new soccer/multi-purpose park will open on September 13.

City Budget Meeting

The draft of the City’s fiscal year ’08-09 budget was discussed at a budget workshop on Wednesday, August 20, at City Hall, and will be discussed again at a budget workshop to be held in the next week (probably either Wednesday or Thursday at 6 pm in the Commission Chambers).

The preparation of this year’s budget was particularly difficult, given the effects of two waves of tax reform and the poor condition of the economy. Despite a shrinking general fund revenue picture, there are some bright spots:

• The draft CRA budget contains funding for a community policing effort in the Lincoln Avenue area. The effort is another facet of the revitalization of neighborhood commercial in the area. In the past 12 months there has been one new business, Massey’s Meat Store that has opened on Lincoln between C and D streets. The barber shop building a block away has been sold, and the new owners are remodeling the interior and plan to open soon. Improvements are also planned for the 2 story building at the SW corner of C and Lincoln which is owned by the CRA. When completely renovated, the building will provide 5 apartments, a police sub-station, and professional offices on the second floor;


• Capital improvements in the draft budget include the following:


• A modest allocation for Police Department replacement vehicles;


• The Twin Lakes water level pump station project, to keep the water level low so that rainfall does not raise the lake level above the stormdrain system on Grove Ave;


• Several water utility improvement projects, including Phase 2 of the downtown water main replacement, and the Southside water tower near the corner of Hunt Brothers Road and Scenic Highway; and


• The replacement of the blue light poles on Lincoln Avenue and the installation of the standard black pole, “acorn” lens lights similar to those downtown.

Grand Opening of the New Soccer/Multi-Purpose Park

The grand opening of the new soccer/multi-purpose park on Hunt Brothers Road, between US 27 and SR 17, is scheduled for September 13 at 10:00 am. Following the ribbon cutting, the Ridge Soccer League has scheduled a game for an under-17-year-old team. The park has been in development for several years, beginning with a donation of 18 acres by Feltrim Developments, a $400,000 grant from the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, a $200,000 grant from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, and a significant donation from the Breakfast Rotary Club.

The park features four soccer/multi-purpose fields, a concessions/storage building with a covered picnic area, and a parking lot. One field is lighted at this time.

City Charter

Just a quick note on the City Charter, as there seems to be some confusion expressed in a recent letter to the editor. The city charter is included with the city’s code of ordinances and appears as Part 1 of the code. The charter and the entire code is available for review at City Hall, at the public library, and on the City website at http://www.cityoflakewales.com/. The website can be viewed at one of the public access computers in the public library.

Changing the City charter requires a public referendum. City staff is not working on any proposed changes at this time.

Mark Your Calendar. . .

There is an annual family event just around the corner, as well as many recreational opportunities for our young scholars who are off for the summer. Let’s take a look at what is available:

• City July 5th celebration: yes, this year we will be celebrating July 4th on Saturday, July 5th, at the Lake Wailes park. In addition to fireworks (courtesy of some community-minded business people) in the evening, Parties by Robert will again host the day’s music and activities. In addition there will be crafts, food vendors and pony rides for children.


• Free Children’s Movies: The City has again paid Eagle Ridge Cinemas to host free children’s movies at the mall theatre every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10:00 am. The movies for June 17th and 18th are Mr. Magorium, and Firehouse Dog. For more information and listings go to http://www.regmovies.com/


• The Lake Wales Care Center “Stay at Home Work Camp”: This long-running camp provides work opportunities for several different age groups throughout the summer. Please call 676-6678 for further information.


• YMCA – The YMCA pool and other Y facilities are open to non-members for a charge of $5 per day for children and $8 per day for adults. Please call 676-9441 for further information.


• Ridge Soccer League British Challenger Soccer Camps: From June 23rd to June 27th. Ages 4 to 6 years from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., cost $102. Ages 6 to 16 years from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., cost $117. Camps are held at East Central Park in Dundee on Scenic Highway. Fee includes a t-shirt and a soccer ball. Register on line at http://www.challengersports.com/ or call Robbie Shields at 676-3304.


• Lake Wales Little League: The All Star Tournament will be from July 7th through July 14th at the little league complex on Lake Shore Blvd. For information call 676-1943.


• Kirkland Gym: open for basketball and weight-lifting everyday: Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Located at 400 N 3rd St. Call 678-4088 for further information. Free admission.
  
• Lake Wales Care Center’s Heat Retreat: Middle and High School students Monday through Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. through August 8th at the Youth Coffee House at 205 Park Ave. Free admission. Call 676-6678 for details.


• Lake Wales Care Center’s Youth Coffee House: Activities every Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for high school students. Activities include music performed by local bands, billiards, board games and video games. Free admission.


• Lake Wales Care Center’s College Fellowship Night: every Wednesday night through July 30th from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Youth Coffee House. Free admission.


• Lake Wales Arts Center Camps: from July 7th through August 1st, each two week camp for $25.00, for students 6 to 12 years of age. Classes include Theatre Camp, Clay Creations, Collage, Wood Sculpture, Modern Dance Camp, Medieval Stained Glass, World Dance Camp, Optical Art, Flower Jungle Painting, 3-D Mask Making, Clay Creations, Wood Sculpture, Bookmaking, and Greek Pottery. There are a few openings available for the session starting June 16th and running through June 27th. Call the Lake Wales Arts Center at 676-8426 for information.


• Lake Wales Arts Center’s “Artrageous”: a hands-on exhibit running until August 8th at the Lake Wales Arts Center, 1099 SR 60. Free admission.


• Lake Wales Library: Every Monday is craft day, and special activities are held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Story times are scheduled throughout the week, and every Saturday at 11:30 is Chess for Kids. Please call 678-4004 for further information.

CITY MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Tuesday, June 24, two meetings:
  
• The City Planning and Zoning Board will hold a public workshop on Tuesday, June 24 at 6 pm to begin the process of updating the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will be held at City Hall; and The City Recreation Advisory Committee will host a Recreation Summit at the Boys and Girls’ Club, corner of Seminole and 4th St, at 6pm.


• Thursday, June 26, Budget Workshop and preliminary discussion of the fire assessment fee proposal: 5:30 pm, Lake Wales Arts Center, corner of SR 60 & 11th St.

Spring Break Activities

Hey Moms and Dads! Spring Break is fast approaching! What activities are available for kids during Spring Break week, March 31 – April 4? Here are a few ideas:

• City Spring Break Camp: open to 6 to 12 year olds, from 8 am to 4:30 pm at the Boys and Girls’ Club, corner of 4th St and Seminole Ave. Cost: $15, includes a tee-shirt. Sign-up forms are available on-line (www.cityoflakewales.com) or come to City Hall (corner of Central Ave. and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd downtown) from 8 am – 5 pm, Monday thru Friday. Sign up and pay at the cashier’s desk.



• City Basketball Clinic: open to 5 to 15 year olds, from 9 am to noon at the Albert Kirkland Gym, on Third Street near Seminole Ave. Cost: $20. Sign-up forms are available on line or at the cashier’s desk at City Hall as noted above.



• City Library: open from 9 am to 6:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday; from 9 am to 5:30 pm on Wednesday and Friday; and from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, on Crystal Ave near Scenic Highway downtown. Activities include:
  
  • Movie for kids: Open to all children on Monday, March 31, 3 pm.
  
  
  • Chess for kids: Open to all children every Saturday, 11:30 am.
  In addition, our library has an extensive collection of both Children’s and Young Adult books, as well as video tapes, CDs, and DVDs to loan for free! There are also magazines, reference materials, and 12 computer stations.



• Open basketball play: Open to all children afternoons and evenings from 1 pm to 8:30 pm weekdays at the Albert Kirkland Gym, and 1 to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Looking ahead to this summer, some of the activities being planned are as follows:

• Challenge Summer Soccer Camp sponsored by the Ridge Soccer League: June 23 – 27, East Central Park in Dundee just off Scenic Highway near the Dundee Ridge Middle School. Open to 4 – 6 year olds for the morning sessions, and 6 – 16 year olds in the evenings. Sign up on line at www.challenge.com or call 676-3304.



• Boys and Girls’ Club Summer Camp: open to 5 year olds who have just finished kindergarten through age 18. Dates are yet to be arranged. Registration will be at the Boys and Girls’ Club, corner of Fourth and Seminole Ave. as follows: the first two weeks in May for members, the last two weeks for non-members.



• Camp Rock at Hillcrest Elementary School sponsored by Polk County Leisure Services: June 16 – Aug. 8 from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm (four, two-week sessions). Recreation based summer camp program, includes arts & crafts, games, field trips, and special events. Call Brandy Gray at 534-4340 for more information.



• Title 1 Summer Camp: Janie Howard Wilson Elementary School for selected 3rd, 4th and 5th graders from June 9 - 27 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am or July 28 - Aug. 8 from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. This camp offers tutoring for the next grade level requirements. Call Beverly Lynne at 678-4211 for more information.



• Gnats Summer Camp: Babson Park Elementary School for K through 5th graders from Monday, June 9 - Aug. 8 from 7:30 am to 6 pm. Activities include arts & crafts, music lessons, swimming, outdoor recreation, nature hikes, tutoring, and computer lab. Call 678-4664 for more information.

Mark Your Calendar

Coming off the heels of our town’s fabulous exposure on Tampa’s Fox Channel 13 last Friday morning, March is shaping up to be a busy month with some exciting events for every age group:

• Wednesday, March 5, at 8 a.m. at the Albert Kirkland Gymnasium, near the intersection of Third Street and Seminole (one block east of the Scenic Highway): the Polk Senior Games will hold the basketball shooting contest, one of many events to be held throughout the County. For further information call Jennifer at the Depot Museum at 676-4209.



• Wednesday, March 5, at 5 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall: CALLING ALL SKATEBOARDERS! City staff will seek input on the final design of the skate park being built in Kiwanis Park (at the corner of Lakeshore Blvd and Tower Blvd.) Our skate park will be similar to the skateboard area in Mary Holland Park in Bartow, consisting of a large, smooth concrete slab which is currently being constructed. The specific skateboarding elements, such as rails and ramps, will then be selected, purchased and bolted to the slab. The park is being funded by a grant from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, and by a generous donation from the Jahna Corporation here in Lake Wales. City staff will have catalogues of skateboarding elements for skateboarders to review. Please participate in the design of your park!



• Saturday, March 8, 10 a.m., at the 1919 building across Third Street from the Kirkland Gymnasium: Open House at the 1919 building hosted by De. Gabe Statom. Representatives of the architect, contractor, and City will be present to answer questions regarding design, construction, and financing of the project. Everyone is cordially invited to hear Dr. Statom’s exciting vision for this magnificent building, which is expected to become both a premier performance venue for our town as well as Central Florida and a community center for music education. This will enhance our tradition of superior student music performance at the middle and high school level. Everyone is also invited to see for themselves the progress that is being made, and to view the section of the south exterior wall that is being reconstructed. A brick column between two second floor windows in this section was found to have buckled, and it was inspected by a structural engineer. Following the engineer’s recommendation, that section of the wall was taken down by the contractor and is being re-built.



• Saturday, March 15, 2-6 p.m., downtown in the Marketplace between Stuart and Park Avenues: The World Dance Bazaar, an event featuring a variety of dancing exhibitions. This will be followed by a street dance party from 6-9 p.m.

This last item deserves special attention: It is one of a number of events that is sponsored by our Main Street organization. It would be a perfect opportunity for individuals who have not been downtown lately to come and see the dancers and check out what Channel 13 found last Friday: that we have an inviting, interesting, and charming downtown.

The Main Street organization is dedicated to preserving our downtown and is seeking new members. You need not be a downtown business owner to join –everyone is invited for membership. This organization has a particular appeal to those who grew up, as I did, in a community with a historic downtown. You are cordially invited to join the preservation effort. Please call the Main Street manager, Dolly Pelletier, at 678-4182, extension 270, for more information, or visit the Main Street section of the City website.

Mark Your Calendar

Each month the City hosts a number of regularly scheduled meetings. The month of January will be particularly busy with the addition of special events and additional meetings. All of this activity indicates that our town is at the threshold of a great year, a year in which a number of projects that were mere conjecture not so long ago are getting closer to reality!

The regular meetings and special events planned for our busy January include the following:

• Wednesday January 9, 5 p.m., City Hall: The City Planning and Zoning Board will host a public hearing to make a recommendation to the City Commission on a comprehensive plan amendment for school facility planning.



• Thursday January 10, 5:30 p.m.: City staff will discuss the proposal for a fire assessment fee to be levied to all properties within the city limits;



• Saturday January 12, 2 p.m., Lake Wales High School: Board of County Commission representatives will host a forum on the January 29 tax reform vote;



• Monday January 14, 5 p.m., City Hall: Code Enforcement meeting



• Tuesday January 15, 6 p.m., City Hall: regular meeting of the City Commission. The agenda is scheduled to include the fire assessment fee.



• Friday January 18, 11:45 a.m., First Baptist Church: The topic of the Chamber lunch meeting will be the “State of the City” address, with a look at the achievements of 2007 and the prospects for 2008. This presentation will feature views of downtown using the latest computerized mapping software.



• Friday evening, January 18, downtown: Friday Night Live!!!



• Monday January 21, 11:00 a.m., James P. Austin Jr. Community Center – a program of activities to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The parade will begin at 3 p.m. from this location and go past Roosevelt Academy and up Lincoln Ave to A street, and around to First Street.



• Wednesday January 23, 6:00 p.m. at Lake Wales High School: City staff will hold an open forum on the January 29th tax reform vote featuring a video from the Florida League of Cities;



• Thursday January 24, 6 p.m., Lake Wales Art Center: a repeat of the open forum held January 23.



• Saturday, January 26, 9 a.m., beginning at City Hall: The City Commission will tour the areas where funds from the CRA bond will be used to re-surface streets, address drainage problems, and re-build utility lines;



• Monday, January 28, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall: The regular meeting of the Parks and Community Appearance Board will discuss improvements at Crystal Lake Park and parking near the Pram Fleet Building.



• Tuesday January 29, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the locations listed below: Statewide presidential primary election and tax reform referendum. Polling places include:


• B Street Community Center - 230 B Street


• Lake Ashton Clubhouse - 4141 Ashton Club Dr


• First Methodist Church - 230 N 5th St


• Holy Spirit Catholic Church - 644 9th St South


• James P. Austin Jr. Community Center - 315 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Please call the County Supervisor of Elections office for further information on the election.