LOCAL NEWS

WORDS Barry Friedman/LkldNow.com

FAST-GROWING SOUTHWEST LAKELAND WILL BE GETTING A LARGE COMMUNITY PARK

Seven years of talks with a landowner finally landed a deal for property near Lakeland Linder Airport, where the city plans to build its next large park. The flat pasture with two ponds is south of West Pipkin Road and west of Medulla Road. The area is teeming with new houses — and lots more planned — but few formal recreation facilities. The sale price was $7 million. Next step: Come up with a master plan to decide what kinds of recreation is most suitable for the community. The opening is a good three to five years away, city Parks Director Bob Donahay says. It could take longer if the city doesn’t find a philanthropic partner to help with build-out costs.

FIRST FUNDING APPROVED TO UPGRADE THE I-4 INTERCHANGE AT STATE ROAD 33

Improvements are coming to the obsolete interchange of I-4 and State Road 33 near Bridgewater, but construction could be several years away. A congressional infrastructure deal set aside $20 million to rebuild the interchange; it won’t cover the estimated $70-80 million price tag, but local officials hope it will be an incentive for state transportation planners to advance the project from 2028 to 2024. Among other issues, traffic exiting I-4 sometimes backs up into the traffic lanes because there are no traffic signals to let vehicles onto S.R. 33. The interchange hasn’t been updated since it was constructed in the 1960s and the once-rural area now has homes, business parks and a state university nearby.

LAKELAND LIBRARY PLANS FULL RE-OPENING MARCH 21 WITH NEW HISTORY AND CULTURE CENTER

March 21 is the date when the city’s main library on Lake Morton is scheduled to fully open again. It also marks the opening of the new Lakeland History and Culture Center in the center of the building. The focus of the center’s exhibits will be the various cultures and ethnicities that contributed to Lakeland’s development. A committee promoting the center has raised more than 85% of its $150,000 goal, said committee chair Gow Fields, a former mayor. The center’s initial exhibit will focus on the years 1885 to 1925, Fields said.

PLANNED CONDO NEAR SOUTHGATE BRINGS COHOUSING CONCEPT TO LAKELAND

An oak-shaded lot near the entrance to the Southgate Publix is the site of a planned “co-housing” community for seniors and adults with disabilities. Residents of the 11 condo units at Harwood Village will live independently but share meals and socialize in a common area. They will also share chores such as helping maintain the community garden. Design elements helpful to both seniors and people with disabilities include wide sidewalks, minimal stairs, elevators and covered walkways.

PLEASANT SURPRISE FOR STEPHANIE MADDEN: SHE IS RE-ELECTED TO COMMISSION WITHOUT OPPOSITION

Stephanie Madden had geared up for a major campaign for re-election to a second term on the Lakeland City Commission. At one point, two other people had said they were running for her at-large seat. But when candidate qualifying ended at noon Sept. 17, she found herself reelected without opposition. One of the potential opponents had decided to run for mayor instead, and the other one apparently decided not to run. Now there will be three races, not four, on the Nov. 2 city ballot: Bill Mutz vs. Saga Stevin for mayor; and two City Commission races: Allyson Lewis vs. Sara Roberts McCarley; and Mike Musick vs. Shandale Terrell.

BURLINGTON AND FIVE BELOW WILL REPLACE STEIN MART AT MERCHANTS WALK AFTER PEAKING IN AUGUST, POLK COVID NUMBERS DECLINED IN SEPTEMBER

Stein Mart was a standby for more than two decades at the Merchants Walk shopping center until the discount chain closed all its stores last year after a bankruptcy filing. Now we know what will be replacing it: offprice retailer Burlington — formerly known as Burlington Coat Company — and Five Below, a discounter that keeps most prices between $1 and $5. The new tenants follow a string of discounters in that space; Stein Mart was preceded by Phar-Mor, a low-price drug store popular for its inexpensive video rentals. September was the month when Polk County’s steepest COVID-19 surge started to subside. The weekly numbers of new cases came down steadily after peaking at 7,510 during the last full week in August. Likewise, the proportion of tests coming back positive also started heading downward. At Lakeland Regional Health, patients testing positive for COVID topped out at 443 in late August — more than half of the hospital’s bed capacity — before starting to decline in September. The number of Polk residents who have received at least one dose of vaccine is now over 60%.

CAR-POOLING, RIDE SHARING APP HITCH MAKES ITS DEBUT IN POLK COUNTY A PANDEMIC PIVOT ADDED TO THE POPULARITY OF THE DOWNTOWN CURB MARKET COMING UP DOWNTOWN: PARKLETS, MORE EVENTS AND PEDAL PARTIES

Hitch, a ride-sharing/car-pooling app aimed at inter-city trips, has expanded from its Texas base to parts of Florida, including Polk County. Rides between Lakeland and Tampa or Orlando start at $20 for carpooling, the company’s founder, Kush Singh says. For premium service, such as doorto-door travel, costs start at $99, according to ridehitch.com. Pricing is typically lowest during rush hours because that’s when potential rides are most plentiful. Drivers can sign up to earn money on their out-of-town commutes or trips of 50 to 350 miles. The Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market is stronger than ever after a pandemic-driven pivot proved popular. That’s the word from Julie Townsend, head of the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority. The market shut down for 11 weeks after the pandemic struck, but then reopened with a much broader footprint to allow for distancing. The larger market got rave reviews from the public, vendors and South Kentucky Avenue businesses, Townsend said. With a rotation of 160 vendors, the Lakeland market is one of the largest ones in the area and regularly draws visitors from Tampa and Orlando, she said. Here are some things to look forward to in downtown Lakeland, according to a presentation at a recent City Commission meeting: Parklet platforms for outdoor dining will be installed soon in parking spaces outside Frescos Southern Kitchen & Bar and Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grille. Events will be expanded with three holiday night markets planned for Saturdays in December, six repeats of the successful Buena Block Parties in 2022, festive flicks on the Lake Mirror Promenade and game nights in Munn Park. And we could see pedal party vehicles plying downtown streets on weekends now that regulations have been approved.