The long-term improvement effort for Lake Wales downtown streets is expected to take a step forward in coming months as work begins on Orange and Crystal Avenues and the adjoining portions of Market Street. Lake Wales City Manager James Slaton has confirmed that city officials are “hoping to break ground by the end of the year.”
The new phase of the Lake Wales Connected streetscaping program has been delayed by the Florida Department of Transportation bid process, which twice rejected the only two bids received. The delays, according to a city official, were due to the lack of a third bidder, and a subsequent failure to advertise the second-round bid process in a printed newspaper. The third-round bidding is now beginning following a pre-bid meeting last week in Bartow, but officials expect only the same two bidders to respond.