In recent weeks, Lakeland residents had signed a petition to save the branch. In their press release, the USPS did not address why specific branches were off the list. At the start of the process, the USPS examined approximately 3,300 branches. As of December 14, 2009, 170 branches are now part of the USPS “Station/Branch Optimization/Consolidation (SBOC) Initiative.”

photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local

Dixieland Post Office Off Closing List

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The arch was completed ahead of time. The public is invited to the dedication this Thursday, April 2nd, at 5pm at the SW corner of Munn Park. (Before view of the corner.)

George Harris Memorial Arch Dedication Set for Thursday

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From ABC 28 News: LAKELAND, FL — The attorney for one of the suspects in Monday’s bomb scare says his client and two others were actually making a commercial for Mountain Dew.

Kenneth McCollom says the suspects are three drama students who were shooting a commercial for a contest sponsored by the soft drink maker called “24 Seconds to Save the World.”

Just when we get past the cheerleader beatdowns, the netherworld reels us back in, courtesy of a couple of would-be Michael Bays. (Honestly, what a thing to would-be.) This will not help combat the old Polk is a nuthouse meme. Sigh.

Here’s the contest in question. The winner gets his or her commercial played on the “24″ season finale. You too can blow up/maim swarthy terrorist types for entertainment.

On a serious note, I do hope cooler heads prevail here. Dangerous and stupid yes, but there appears to be little intent to harm. Our jails already cost too much and house too many people for these guys to face conviction on second degree felonies.

H/T Matt Wengerd, or somebody in the Twitscape I thought was Matt Wengerd.

First Torture, Now Mountain Dew Bombs: “24″ Rocks

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Those two holes are the first visible indication of a prominent addition to Munn Park, the George W. Harris, Jr. Memorial Arch. Designed to mirror the arch at Main & Kentucky, the memorial will also include a bust and plaque honoring Harris. Community leader, philanthropist, and CEO and chairman of the board of Citrus & Chemical Bank, Harris was an important figure in downtown Lakeland for many years until his death in January 2006.

Anne Furr, the director of the Lakeland Downtown Development Association, credits Harris with taking the first step toward revitalizing Lakeland’s downtown when he brought Citrus & Chemical’s headquarters to the area.

The Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland’s project goal of $150,000 hasn’t been met, but construction started thanks to donations of labor and design. Furr said companies such as Olson Construction and Furr & Wegman Architects donated labor and design costs to help insure the project movds forward. Furr said she expects the arch to be completed in late April or early May with a dedication ceremony to follow soon after.

The Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland is still collecting donations to create a fund for upkeep of Munn Park. Anyone wishing to donate may contact the foundation online or at 863-683-3131.

George Harris Memorial Arch Construction Begins in Munn Park

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I’m not sure two posts constitutes a media blitz, especially when the second primarily points to the first, but here we go…

I sat down this evening to write a post about a project Lakeland Vision has undertaken. I usually start such endeavors with a little research. I didn’t need to search long as I found Cat Carter had already written what I’d hoped to write. That isn’t the first time, but let me get back on topic…

Carter’s first paragraph concludes “Everyone seems to have an opinion about the future of our City.”

Don’t they now?

I’m one of those “everyone.” It’s one of the reasons I was happy to meet with the driving force behind Lakeland Vision, Shannon Lanier. As the Executive Director, I’m sure Lanier has many duties. One I’ve experienced firsthand is convincing Lakeland residents to get out from behind their desks, off their couches, and out of their gardens to do something about driving this city toward goals.

But what goals?

The great philosopher Joe Jackson once sung, “You can’t get what you want till you know what you want.” That’s what Lakeland Vision is doing. Helping the residents of Lakeland codify what we want for our city. It’s easy to sit in the back seat and and complain about our politicians, companies, and media, but the complaints fall on deaf ears if we citizens aren’t driving the car. Through boundless imagination, focused planning, and cooperative effort, caring citizens can drive Lakeland. At least until it’s time to hand the keys to our children.

I’m participating in the process. I will act as one of the many discussion facilitators during the Idea Gathering stage. Lakeland Vision is holding a series of six meetings designed to involve as many citizens as possible. It’s time to collect some of that boundless imagination.

Above is a map of the locations and times of the six short meetings. There is one near you. Please attend. There is one near that co-worker who complains incessantly about city government. Print out Cat Carter’s post and tape it to his monitor. There is a meeting at lunch time. There are meetings after dinner. The only way it could be easier to attend would be to have a meeting at your house. Call Lakeland Vision…maybe they’ll even set up a meeting there. You’ll need snacks and parking for 50.

You know where Lakeland needs to go. Help plan the trip.

photo credit: Lakeland Vision

Plan the Trip

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The Lake Hollingsworth area is getting road resurfacing this week. Lake Hollingsworth Road Drive is up first and then a couple of side roads after. You might want to stay out of the area for the next few days.

The seven-year old report of the milling machine? “Cool!!”

Lake Hollingsworth Drive Resurfacing

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The signs were developed because the Dixieland CRA advisory board wanted a way to promote the district to those driving down South Florida. Looking at a map (see below) the popular road appears to e the Dixieland CRA’s spine. A graphic artist worked with the agency to develop street signs that would showcase the area. The final design included the Dixieland name, a distinctive “swoosh”, and a red and white color scheme. None of the items were traditional to the area, but their combination received a favorable response from the board. The new signs are just the beginning to a revitalized effort to promote the area.

Logo proposals are in the board meeting minutes from March 2007 (pdf) and May 2007 (pdf). More recent board minutes are not currently available, but should be online later today or tomorrow.

For more information about the Dixieland CRA call 834-6011 or visit their website. The Community Redevelopment Agency’s FAQ contains other helpful information.

Approximate Boundary Map of the Dixieland CRA

View Larger Map

New Street Signs Promote Dixieland

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I’ve created a Lakeland Neighborhood Boundaries Map based on the LCDD’s map. It isn’t perfect. The LCDD uses official city parcel maps to fix the neighborhood boundaries. However, the map full city map isn’t that detailed. I also had to draw the boundary lines freehand and approximate when the Google map didn’t match the LCDD map. I did try to match the colors of the LCDD map when possible. All-in-all you should be able to use my map as an online version of the LCDD map.

Currently, clicking on a neighborhood only gives the name, but I’ll add photos and other information as time goes by. As Lakeland Local continues, I’ll occasionally refer to this map and give the neighborhood name where appropriate.

Here’s a list of the neighborhoods on the map:

North West
Harmony Hills
Jewel Avenue
Kathleen
North Florida Robson
Orange Wood
Paul A Diggs
Pinehurst
Valencia Heights
Webster Park North
Webster Park South

North East
Edgewater Beach
Granada
John Cox
Lake Parker Park
Lakeshore
Swannanoa
Tigertown
Watson

South West
Beacon Hill
Camphor
Central Avenue
Dixieland
Imperial
Lake Beulah
Lake Hunter Terrace
Munn Park – Downtown
North Lake Bonnet
South Lake Bonnet
North Lake Wire
Southwest
Westgate

South East
Crystal Lake
Lake Bonny
Lake Bonny Park
Lime Street
Parker Street
Shore Acres

South Central
Biltmore
Cleveland Heights
Cumberland
East Lake Morton
Edgewood
Florida Southern College
Lake Bentley
Lake Hollingsworth
Lake Horney
Lake Somerset
Peterson Park
Raintree
South Lake Morton

The image above is a screen capture of the map.

Lakeland Neighborhoods

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