by James Coulter
The City of Lake Wales is considering repaving several downtown streets and the parking lots at the city library if it approves spending roughly $937,000 on its resurfacing program.
At their workshop on Wed. Jan. 14, Lake Wales city commissioners reviewed a proposal to authorize pavement preservation and resurfacing services with Asphalt Paving Systems, Inc., through which the city has an existing contract.
This year’s proposed projects include resurfacing the Lake Wales Public Library’s parking areas and improvements along 3rd Street South, 5th Street North, Seminole Avenue, 3rd Street North, 4th Street North, Kissimmee Avenue, Tillman Avenue South, 1st Street South, and Russell Avenue.
The city’s budget for the current fiscal year includes $750,000 for resurfacing and $100,000 for striping. The remaining $87,319 needed to fully fund the program would come from unrestricted transportation funds.
City commissioners could opt not to approve the resurfacing plan, but Public Works Director Sarah Kirkland cautioned that postponing the work could accelerate pavement deterioration and lead to far higher repair costs later.
When Commissioner Carol Gillespie asked for documentation supporting the expenditure, Kirkland clarified that the request was not for a new contract but for approval of the dollar amount needed for this year’s resurfacing work.
Kirkland added that the estimate was developed using a detailed spreadsheet outlining each street’s length and width. She noted that the formal proposal listing the exact $937,319.03 cost was “inadvertently omitted” from the initial agenda packet, but she confirmed it is complete and will be provided to commissioners.
City Commissioners will vote on this agenda item at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Tues. Jan. 27 at 6 PM at Lake Wales City Hall.
