June 2015 - Access Lakeland

STORM SEASON IS HERE ARE YOU READY?

ADDRESS MARKERS

Red, White & Kaboom 2014

30290-I-0157

VISIBILITY MEANS SAFETY

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

ANGIE CARBONE PUBLIC WORKS

REFUSE TO LOSE

T. M IM

GANG TASK FORCE UPDATE

RP. O SC

The City of Lakeland is pleased to announce that the T.Mims Corp. Red, White & Kaboom Independence Celebration will take place with live music at Lake Mirror along the Frances Langford Promenade on Friday, July 3rd from 6:00 p.m. - 9 p.m. with a breathtaking fireworks display dazzling the crowd at 9 p.m.

CITY OF LAKELAND NEWS & EVENTS

JUNE 2015

Clemons Road

A live concert featuring the energetic Clemons Road blending Country music with an island feel, the band always starts a party as soon as the first note rings! Pulling their influences from Sublime to Alan Jackson, Dave Matthews to Jimmy Buffet or Lynyrd Skynyrd to Zac Brown Band, Clemons Road will keep heads bobbing and feet moving. Clemons Road features an extremely talented and charismatic front man, grammy award winning music producer Cliff Brown on lead vocals and guitar. He is backed by a formidable group of highly talented and seasoned professional band members that are ready to light up the stage! Their sound includes fiddle, banjo, piano, guitar, bass and drums that will keep the audience dancing and having a great time! "We want to be a band that crosses cultures and breaks age barriers. We want to make people feel good and give them songs to use for the soundtrack of their lives!," said Brown.

Tom Mims, President of T. Mims Corporation said, “We are very excited to sponsor Red, White & Kaboom again this year. It is an excellent opportunity for our community to come together in celebration of our great country and it is free to the public."

Mims added, "We will be continuing our Chow for Now canned food drive to benefit Volunteers in Service to the Elderly so we want each spectator to bring at least one can of food for VISTE." There will be Chow for Now volunteers with grocery carts circulating through the park collecting canned goods.

Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE) is a community-based, non-profit organization serving Lakeland, Bartow, Mulberry and Ft. Meade. Established in 1983, the primary goal of VISTE is to enable elderly persons to continue living independently and safely in their own home.

During Red, White & Kaboom there will be a variety of food trucks around Lake Mirror so bring a blanket, bring your appetite and enjoy the festivities in celebrating our great nation. The event will conclude with a dramatic display of fireworks over the lake. The evening is free to the public and everyone attending is encouraged to bring at least one food item to benefit Chow for Now. All City parking garages will be open for T.Mims Corp. Red, White & Kaboom.

JULY 3, 2015 • 6-9PM Frances Langford Promenade At Lake Mirror

www.lakelandelectric.com

PORTABLE LAKELAND GENERATORS ELECTRIC CAN BE DEADLY! IS READY FOR ALWAYS: STORM SEASON.

ARE YOU?

The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season has begun and early forecasts suggest 2015 could be one of the quietest seasons on record.

However, even though the number of hurricanes is expected to be low this year, it only takes one major storm to cause widespread issues.

As a valued Lakeland Electric customer, we want make sure you have the information you need no matter what is predicted. We have a culture of safety here at Lakeland Electric and ensuring both our customers and our employees are safe is our number one priority!

Important City of Lakeland Phone Numbers Outage Reporting 866.834.4248

Customer Service Call Center 863.834.9535 Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 8 pm (EST) Fallen Power Lines/Water Outages 866.834.4248 TDD Number (Hearing Impaired) 863.834.8333 Medically Essential Program 863.834.1555 Tree and Lawn Debris Removal 863.834.8773 Lakeland Police Department (Non-Emergency): 863.834.6900 Lakeland Fire Department (Non-Emergency): 863.834.8200

Official Emergency Broadcasting

Radio Stations WONN 1230 AM and WPCV 97.5 FM are designated as the primary emergency broadcast system stations for Polk County. Lakeland Electric does its best to keep these and other stations informed on the most up-to-date news regarding power outages. Please DO NOT call these stations to report outages or ask for utility status information! Travelers Information: 1610 AM

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Run a generator in an open, well-ventilated area Use good condition electrical cords, rated for the current required by your connected devices Keep children away from a generator Use an isolation device between your generator and our service conductor. A “double throw switch” or transfer switch meets this requirement Read and follow the generator owner’s manual Have a qualified, licensed electrician make any electrical wiring modifications Call your local electrician if you have any questions

NEVER: •

• • • • • •

Feed power from a generator directly into your electrical system or any wall outlet. This type of connection can cause a dangerous electrical backfeed into our power distribution system that can cause serious injury or death to our repair personnel Operate a generator near combustible materials or expose it to water or rain Leave excessive lengths of cord coiled while carrying current. This can cause a fire Refuel a generator while it is running; allow it to cool before refueling Store fuel indoors Leave a running generator unattended Operate a generator indoors, within an enclosed space, or by a window that cannot be opened.

Generator engines emit deadly carbon monoxide fumes that are odorless and can kill.

Failing to properly and safely connect your generator delays electric service restoration to you and your neighbors.

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HIGHLY VISIBLE ADDRESS MARKERS

MEANS INCREASED SAFETY The Lakeland Fire Department would like to remind all residence and business owners to update and maintain their address markers so that in the event of an emergency, Firefighters and Emergency Medical Responders can find your location as quickly and efficiently as possible.

An accurate and easily visible address is vital for rapidly locating a home or business in any emergency requiring fire, ambulance services or law enforcement.

ADDRESS MARKERS SHOULD BE HIGHLY VISIBLE, NEAR THE ROADWAY AND REFLECTIVE.

“When the call for an emergency comes in, we want to get there as quickly as possible to begin helping. Thanks to prepared callers and smarter phone systems we often have the exact address of where we are needed, but not being able to find the address on the building once we arrive in the vicinity can delay our response.” says Battalion Chief Jeff Wharton, who too often sees this problem. “Every second counts, so a building owner can help us tremendously by making sure their location is clearly marked with an easy to see address marker that is highly visible during the day or at night.”

The Lakeland Fire Department would like to encourage everyone to check their address markers and ensure that they are: •

Large and easy to see from the roadway from both directions

•

High enough off of the ground that they will not be covered

•

Reflective, painted with reflective paint or white against a dark background to ensure visibility day or night

•

If you have an electronic gate, please make sure that it is equipped with Knox Box® key override so that it can be opened in the event of an emergency

Homes often have address markers on the structure itself but can sometimes be set back from the road. Visible, easy to read, address markers near the roadway will help responders find the location and allow Lakeland’s Firefighters to focus on their response when every second counts.

CITY OF LAKELAND EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

ANGIE CARBONE ENGINEER II • PUBLIC WORKS Meet Angie Carbone, an Engineer II in the Public Works Department for the City of Lakeland. As an Engineer II, Carbone is responsible for design work on Capital Improvement Projects which include road widening, bicycle lanes, sidewalks, intersection redesigns, new drainage systems and drainage retrofits to correct existing issues. Two current projects she is involved with are the Mall Hill Drive widening and adding an additional terminal to the Rose Street bus bay. Carbone says “Everything my Department does is part of a long range plan that is for the betterment of the City.” What Carbone loves most about her job is that every day is different. Some days you can find her in the office all day working on plans and other days she is in the field getting to see her plans come to life. “Seeing the projects start as an idea on paper and then coming to fruition in the real world is extremely satisfying,” says Carbone.

After graduating from George Jenkins High School, Carbone continued her education at the University of South Florida. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering then obtained her Engineering Intern Certification through the State of Florida. The next step on her career path is to acquire her Professional Engineering (PE) License. To do this, Carbone must work under a Professional Engineer for four years. October 2015 will conclude those four years and upon successful completion of the PE exam, Carbone will have her license. A four year employee of the City of Lakeland, Carbone plans on working as an engineer for the City until she retires.

Carbone shares her home with her five year old son Brandon and their miniature pinscher, Kahlua. As if working as an engineer does not keep her busy enough, raising a five year old keeps her hopping. Their new activity is baseball, where Carbone is "that mom," the one that is at all the games, providing snacks and cheering from the sidelines.

Also, one night a week Carbone and her son have a date night, planned

by Brandon himself. Whether it’s Family Fun Center, Picassoz Art Café, the park or Cobb Theater, it is just a special night for mom and son.

Monday night however is reserved for grocery shopping and Carbone has perfected shopping with a five year old. The first stop in the grocery store is the deli department where Brandon gets to pick his meat and cheese for the week. Brandon happily munches on his samples from the deli for the duration of the shopping trip. If all goes well, the last stop is the bakery where he gets his cookie to eat during check out. This plan ensures a happy shopping experience for all! When a night out is called for, Kobe Japanese Steakhouse is Carbone’s favorite place to dine, although her favorite food is BBQ. Nothing makes her happier than a big ol’ plate of ribs, baked beans and macaroni and cheese. Her favorite band of all time is Maroon 5 though Creedence Clearwater Revival and Conway Twitty are among her favorites as well. Ziplining and kayaking are two activities Carbone hopes to venture into in the near future. She hopes to get back into running soon; though keeping up with a five year old should qualify.

Thank you Angie Carbone for helping make Lakeland a great place to live, work and play!

When Mayor Howard Wiggs took office January 2014, he asked the City Commission to think about administering a number of task forces to address issues that were affecting the community.

As part of this effort, the City of Lakeland developed a Gang Task Force under Commissioner Phillip Walker to combat the rising gang violence that was plaguing the community in 2014. The City had an increase in gang related crimes during that time as well as a number of homicides that were directly related to gang activity. The Gang Task Force membership includes a number of concerned citizens, representatives from the Polk County School Board, law enforcement, City of Lakeland staff and faith based organizations. The group focuses on three areas: Prevention, Intervention and Suppression.

The task force starting meeting February 2014 and since then the group has met 14 times, held two public forums and assisted in three neighborhood outreach events that targeted high impact areas where gang violence had occurred. According to the Lakeland Police Department, four known gangs committed most of the recent gang violence in the City of Lakeland. The three-pronged approach included a number of programs designed to help keep middle school and high school aged students busy and off the streets.

Due to the shortage of mentors, the task force focused on helping build mentor programs. Many of the school aged children that are looking at joining a gang come from single-parent homes and a mentor can help guide a troubled student in the right direction. The Lakeland Police Department has School Resource Officers dedicated to middle schools and high schools that assist in mentoring but it’s not enough. The Polk County School Board, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Police Athletic & Activities League (PAL) and the City’s own Simpson Park Community Center are always looking at pairing children with mentors. The demand is much larger than the supply!

A very successful program that was introduced last year and will continue is the Summer of Safety where middle school aged and high school aged students can ride the Citrus Connection buses for FREE. High school students show their student IDs as part of the COLTS program and middle school students can sign up at Simpson Park Community Center. The program runs June 1 – August 31.

The Lakeland Police Department introduced a program targeting middle school and elementary school students called G.R.E.A.T. This national program is built around school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curricula and it offers components to help students avoid using delinquent behavior and violence to solve problems. During the 2014/2015 school year 535 students are expected to have completed the program at three middle schools and four elementary schools. Additional schools will come on-line for the next school year.

The Lakeland Police Department has concentrated on the most violent gang offenders and has initiated multiple operations related to gang suppression during spring break and over the summer. Since January 2014, 427 guns have been seized. Six of the eight gang related homicides have been solved and over 240 truancy violations have been issued.

There will be a fourth community outreach event taking place October/November 2015. The Gang Task force will partner with Southeastern University, volunteers and faith based organizations, as part of the outreach to the Crystal Lake Neighborhood. If interested in volunteering for the event, please email communications@lakelandgov.net It takes a village to raise a child and together, the community can make a difference. Please visit the City of Lakeland website for more information regarding gang issues. There is information on how to be a mentor and a database that outlines existing programs, camps and opportunities for school aged students over the summer.

www.lakelandgov.net/refuse-to-lose

STAY CONNECTED

Online | www.lakelandgov.net ­ In Person | City Hall • 8AM – 5PM • Monday-Friday facebook.com/cityoflakelandfl | twitter.com/lakelandgov | youtube.com/cityoflakelandfl | instagram: cityoflakelandfl Listen Lakeland • First Sunday • FM 97.5 WPCV @ 8:30AM | FM 98.3 WWRZ @ 8AM | AM 1430 WLKF @ 8AM | AM 1230 WONN @ 9AM Public Meetings | City Commission Meetings • First and Third Monday • 9AM | Utility Committee Meetings • First Monday • 1PM Live Broadcast on LGN | Channel 643 (Brighthouse) | Channel 43 (Verizon FiOS)

IMPORTANT NUMBERS:

City Hall • 863.834.6000 Lakeland Electric Customer Service • 863.834.9535 Power or Water Outages • 863.834.4248 Pollution Hotline • 863.834.3300 LPD Crime Tips Hotline • 863.834.2549 LPD (Non-Emergency) • 863.834.6900 PAYING YOUR UTILITY BILL: ONLINE | www.lakelandelectric.com BY PHONE | 863.834.9535 IN PERSON | Lakeland Electric has partnered with over 50 local businesses including area AMSCOT offices to accept your utility payment.