Lakeland - Winter Haven Development News

[HeartofFlorida]

Originally Posted by WeatherChannel

Is this near the area where they wanted to build the cargo airport?

Not far from it. Makes you wonder....

[HeartofFlorida]

http://www.streamsongresort.com/

Can a phosphate and fertilizer company build a "world class" golf resort?

The Mosaic Co. intends to do just that in its first venture into the real estate business, and now the firm's planned resort has a name: Streamsong.

Mosaic officials unveiled details of the project Wednesday, saying construction will begin in fall 2011 with the resort's opening scheduled for fall 2013.

The sprawling lakeside property, located in Southwest Polk County on 16,000 acres of former phosphate land near Fort Meade and the Hardee County line, is expected to employ a full-time staff of 200 and several hundred workers during the construction phase.

Mosaic expects the property to attract discriminating golfers and travelers from across the nation and possibly overseas. Despite the current economic downturn, company officials said the resort's debut should come at a time when business and leisure travel is rebounding in the U.S.

"This type of project can prosper in this region," said Rich Mack, Mosaic's executive vice president and general counsel, during a presentation Wednesday at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. "We believe this resort is well-timed."

Mosaic's cost estimates for Streamsong are currently estimated between $70 million and $80 million, said Parker Keen, the company's assistant vice president of land management. Keen said the project represents a new approach for Mosaic in finding economic uses for reclaimed phosphate land.

The Minnesota-based firm owns roughly 250,000 acres of land in Central Florida.

"In a state that's fully immersed in tourism there's a place for this project in Central Florida," Keen said.

Streamsong's features include:

One-hundred-forty oversized guest rooms, with potential to expand to more than 200 rooms;

Five private villas;

A 15,000-square-foot full-service spa;
Two 18-hole golf courses;
A three-meal casual restaurant, a freestanding fine dining restaurant, and two lounges;
More than 20,000 square feet of meeting space;
A rooftop veranda and air-conditioned roof pavilion;
A 4,000-square-foot ballroom.

Lead architect for the project is Alberto Alfonso of Tampa's Alfonso Architects. He will be joined by three noted golf course designers in Tom Doak of Michigan-based Renaissance Golf Design and partners Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw of Texas-based Coore & Crenshaw.

Construction of the two courses began this year, and they are scheduled to be open for limited play by late 2012.

Mosaic officials said Streamsong will offer outdoor activities including bass fishing, hiking, and a sporting clays range. The resort will also offer "personal enrichment" programs covering topics such as culinary arts and wine.

Polk County Commmissioner Bob English said Streamsong will be a boon for the county's tax base, which has declined in recent years because of falling property values. In addition to adding jobs, English said the resort should be successful in attracting broad groups of golfers, eco-tourists and corporate events.

"We'll become more recognized throughout the country and when people come to Polk County, they'll realize what our potential is," English said.
Mark Jackson, Polk's tourism and sports marketing director, said the county is fortunate to have two premier tourism projects - Legoland Florida in Winter Haven, and now Streamsong - happening amid a weak economy.

"It creates an awful lot of visibility that we wouldn't otherwise have," Jackson said. "This is going to be a tremendous asset for us."

More details to emerge soon.... http://www.streamsongresort.com/

[HeartofFlorida]

LAKELAND | A downtown Lakeland church is poised to begin a $9.5 million expansion that would give it the second-largest sanctuary in Polk County.

Family Worship Center, 1350 E. Main St., broke ground Sunday on a new complex that will include a 3,200-seat sanctuary. The project will add almost 50,000 square feet to the church's existing property.

When complete, the sanctuary will be larger than the sanctuaries at Victory Church or First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland and second in size in Polk only to the 9,000-seat sanctuary occupied by Without Walls Central Church in North Lakeland. It is expected to be finished in January 2012.

Reggie Scarborough, senior pastor of Family Worship Center, said the church has been contemplating expansion for the last three years. About 2,600 people attend services on Sunday, and the current 1,777-seat sanctuary is full to overflowing at the 11 a.m. Sunday service, he said.

"Families are unable to sit together. We can't go any further unless we do this. And if you don't make it significantly bigger, why do it?" he said.

The new 42,500-square-foot sanctuary, designed by Ernie Staughn of Straughn Trout Architects, will have a modern glass and stone facade, and civic-center style semicircular seating with two 18-foot-wide video screens. Scarborough said it will allow room for growth but also a more dramatic and technologically sophisticated worship service.

"The way we do church today, with more music, more praise, the lights -- we just don't have the stage for it," he said.

Scarborough said the new sanctuary would have the equivalent of a theatrical black box around the stage that could be used for live dramas if needed. Aisles in the sanctuary will be wider than usual to permit worshipers the freedom to participate in the sometimes-freewheeling style preferred in the Pentecostal congregation.

"I put a big emphasis on prayer language. I'm a big believer in that," he said, referring to the practice of speaking in tongues.

Family Worship Center is an independent church, begun by Scarborough in 1985. After a few years of rapid growth, the church purchased the 1,200-seat sanctuary on East Main formerly belonging to First Assembly of God. In 2002, the church added 500 more seats to accommodate a Sunday morning attendance of more than 2,000.

The church will leave its current sanctuary in place, to be used for possible alternative services, and build on five acres recently acquired across a side street. The church currently has a children's center next to the new property, and the construction project calls for part of it to be taken down and the remaining center, which will be renovated, to be joined to the new sanctuary.

The current economic situation has hit many churches hard, with some having to cut back on staff, but Scarborough said Family Worship Center had managed to stay even in its giving. He said the church has already received more than $2 million in pledges since March toward the construction project.

Rodda Construction of Lakeland will be the contractor, and Scarborough said the project would help the local economy.

"In this economy, it's not a good time to build, but it is if you think about people out of work. Interest rates are as low as they're going to be. We're building the building for less than what we could have built it earlier because people need work," he said.

Scarborough said he did not see the expansion as overreaching.

"I'm totally confident or I wouldn't be doing it. I've spent many hours praying about this decision," he said. "It's a step of faith, but anything you do is a step of faith."

Contrary to the article stating that the church is downtown, it's still a good project for the eastern edge of downtown and will help with the aesthetics in that area,

[HeartofFlorida]

LAKELAND | Past sleeping cows and leafy oaks, a dirt road leads toward the northwest corner of the University of South Florida Polytechnic's future campus near Interstate 4.

Despite the deceptively placid landscape in place now, the school's first building is scheduled to open in that highly visible corner in summer 2013. Construction on the building is due to start next fall and take about 20 months to complete.

Crews already are building roads that will provide access to USF Poly from State Road 33 and the Polk Parkway. Due to the lack of rain, they're ahead of schedule.

"I think it's going to be the crowning jewel in the county down the road," said Auburndale Commissioner Jack Myers, whom USF Poly hired earlier this year as a consultant.

The I-4 campus is adjacent to property where Myers and other elected officials in Central and East Polk envision a high-speed rail stop. An opposing faction favors putting the Polk rail stop, if it comes, farther west in an already developed area of Lakeland.

Getting the rail stop as a neighbor would be icing on the cake of USF Poly's plan to be a drawing card in and beyond Florida.

With or without it, however, Myers and USF Poly Chief Executive Marshall Goodman said the polytechnic will attract students from around the United States. And Polk isn't the only county in which it intends to have a presence.

RUNNING OUT OF SPACE

As architect-engineer Santiago Calatrava completes work on the infrastructure and first building of the I-4 campus, Myers will be talking with government officials in Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto counties about USF Poly's expansion plans.

He's now helping USF Poly find more space within Polk County to accommodate administrators and office employees who need to vacate the USF Poly campus in South Lakeland. They're moving to make space for new instructors who are being hired at a rapid rate.

Twenty-two new faculty were hired in the last academic year along with about six staff members. Thirty-seven faculty seats are being added this year, as well as accompanying support staff, said Alice Murray, USF Poly associate vice president in charge of facilities and campus planning.
"We're growing and hiring so many people we are out of space," Murray said.

Space for the previous year's new hires was found at USF Poly's existing campus, the property it shares with Polk State College. That won't be possible for the 37-plus coming this school year, Murray said.

Faculty are needed now, in advance of opening the first building in 2013, to expand USF Poly's class offerings.

"We're building the programs now," Murray explained. "We're expanding programs."

Some of that relates to USF Poly's ongoing effort to get separate accreditation for itself instead of remaining under the umbrella of the USF system. USF Poly also will be adding a small cadre of freshmen and sophomores in fall 2012, with more coming as the new campus emerges.

Murray and Myers looked last week for office space to rent in Lakeland and Winter Haven. They spent much of Tuesday in and around downtown Lakeland. Vacant space in Center State and SunTrust banks, along with a Marco Bay building at the corner of Cedar Street and Massachusetts Avenue, were among the places they examined.

USF Poly already is renting space at Interstate Commerce Park on Frontage Road south by I-4, the former Kraft plant. Two of the 22 faculty hired last year need lab space there now and others will be needing it soon, Murray said.

The two are Jeane-Pierre Edmond, dean of the College of Technology and Innovation, and Cecilia Nunes, assistant professor of nutrition and food science. Edmond also is a professor of agricultural and biological engineering.

LABS AND CLASSROOMS

Laboratory space is going to be an increasing need as USF Poly keeps bringing in a different type of instructor.

"We are becoming a very strong applied research and applied teaching campus," Murray said. "Previously, we were really focused on teaching."
Applied teaching has more emphasis on using information learned to solve problems, she said. Applied research tests theories or findings of pure or basic research, as well as seeking solutions to specific problems.

At the first functioning lab on USF's Frontage Road site, Nunes and research assistant Yun-Pai Lai work on projects intended to measure and improve the quality of fruits and vegetables.

Lai, for example, works part time for USF Poly and part time on a project for Innovative Fresh, a European company that monitors the market price and quality of fruits and vegetables.

Nunes, while at the University of Florida, worked with Publix on projects like determining what causes fruit to lose its moisture and shrink.

"We would go back to the store(s) and literally dig in the trash can to see what was the waste and what was the cause," she said, explaining that this type of applied research is valuable to the business community.

WAITING FOR VERTICAL

At some future point, when USF Poly has multiple buildings on its I-4 campus, some of these rental offices and labs won't be needed. The campus will have room for its people.

Right now, however, the main focus is getting the land ready for that first building.

Even with maps and photos of architect Calatrava's ultimate plan for the campus, Myers said it can be difficult getting people to envision buildings rising on undeveloped land.

They've even discussed having a preview center as a way for visitors to see sketches and models showing how USF Polytechnic will look as the buildings rise.

"Everyone's dying to see vertical," said Murray, who has shepherded the project through years of alternating setbacks and victories in getting funded.

"They have to remember this was virgin land. There's no infrastructure there."

Summer 2013 would be one year later than the opening date predicted 13 months ago. That was when Calatrava unveiled his vision for the campus to the overall USF system's trustees.

In the intervening time, the amount of state money USF Poly would receive for construction, infrastructure and faculty seesawed as Gov. Charlie Crist and state Sen. J.D. Alexander, a Lake Wales Republican who was Senate budget chief, sparred this spring.

Crist ended up vetoing $46 million allocated for the first phase of the new USF Poly campus, a pharmacy college building and planning for an excellence-wellness center. But USF Poly's operating budget nearly doubled from $17.4 million in 2009-10 to $33.4 million in 2010-2011, giving it money to hire new faculty and develop programs.

USF Poly has the money it needs to do the physical infrastructure, things like power lines and utilities, that need to be in place before the building goes in. It also has money to pay for designing the new building, said Gene Engle, who chairs the USF Poly campus board.

Calatrava should have the schematic, general design of the first building ready for the USF Poly board to review by March of next year, Murray said. It would have 78,000 square feet, not including things such as hallways and bathrooms.

SPREADING TO OTHER COUNTRIES

The main University of South Florida in Tampa arguably is better known in Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto counties than USF Poly. It's the mothership with the football team, extensive growth and the preponderance of classes.

USF Poly is likely to start developing more awareness, however, as its Polk campus begins having buildings.

Facilitating that, USF Poly has an Internet cafe in Sebring that focuses on middle-school and high-school students. Goodman sees them as potential future students for his campus and others in the USF system.

It's preparing to open a combination student cyber cafe and quasi incubator in Hardee County's Wauchula, which Murray said is going to be a little different than the USF Poly business incubator models in Lakeland and Winter Haven. USF Poly is working with economic development officials there to determine what they feel is needed.

As for DeSoto County, USF Poly is considering the prospect of turning the building abandoned years ago by the G. Pierce Wood mental hospital into a research facility.

Still slowly chugging along....

[FLAWDA-FELLA]

Just got back from a weekend stay in Lakeland at my dad's and was really impressed at how much had been developed in South Lakeland since the early 2000's. I was also surprised to see the amount of retailers that still occupies Lakeland Square Mall because I assumed that many had left because of the economy. I also drove past Lakeland Regional Airport off of W. Pipkin Rd. and didn't see a whole lot of development going on like I thought. Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I saw a 4-5 story tower going up on North U.S. 98 and the I-4 westbound off ramp?

[HeartofFlorida]

Originally Posted by FLAWDA-FELLA

Just got back from a weekend stay in Lakeland at my dad's and was really impressed at how much had been developed in South Lakeland since the early 2000's. I was also surprised to see the amount of retailers that still occupies Lakeland Square Mall because I assumed that many had left because of the economy. I also drove past Lakeland Regional Airport off of W. Pipkin Rd. and didn't see a whole lot of development going on like I thought. Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought I saw a 4-5 story tower going up on North U.S. 98 and the I-4 westbound off ramp?

The occupancy rate at Lakeland square is between 88%-91% and that's with the closing of the movie theater and all of the northside stores still in business. I think that is the reason developers believe that Lakeland can support another large-scale shopping development (Gateway Commons) directly across the street from Lakeland Square. I only wish Lakeland was more than a north/south city.

As far as the airport goes, I would say check back in 10-15 years as projects begin to take off and mature. I can't think of the last time I saw a hotel associated with an airport that doesn't offer commercial air service but that's Lakeland-Linder. With terminal expansion starting in January and Sky King's presence, you will start to see a lot more activity. There's also been discussion of another air carrier coming to Lakeland sometime next year. Also underway on the southside of the airport in conjunction with Kathleen High School is the new Central Florida Aerospace Academy scheduled to receive the "Certificate of Occupany" on February 28, 2011. Here students can study one of the aeronautics and engineering disciplines as well as earn college credit and FAA certifications.

You've got me on the 4-5 story tower on North U.S. 98 and the I-4 westbound off ramp. I'll be able to check it out for myself when I venture down that way in a couple of weeks to visit my mother. For some reason, I only remember a hotel in that area next to an IHOP.

[HeartofFlorida]

City on verge of signing extension for terminal's construction, but economy, commuter rail could affect plans.

WINTER HAVEN | For the first time Wednesday, a top Winter Haven city official expressed doubts publicly about whether the CSX intermodal facility will be built.

"I'm 75-25 it's going to go," Mayor Jeff Potter said Wednesday morning during a workshop with CSX officials at City Hall.
"But it might not happen," Potter said.

The city is on the verge of signing a contract extension, through June 2013, with CSX to build the facility. Commissioners, restless for construction, couldn't vote during the work session, but are expected to do so unanimously Monday night at the regular commission meeting.

The original contract that was approved in January 2006 expires Dec. 31.
For the CSX terminal to be built, one of two things must happen: commuter rail in eastern Central Florida or a better economy.

The state would have to come through with $641 million pledged by the Florida Legislature for a commuter-rail system that would stretch from DeLand to Poinciana. That money mostly will be used to pay CSX for 61 miles of track.

If the funding happens and commuter trains are up and running, there would be a shift in freight-train traffic that would cause CSX either to abandon its rail terminal in Orlando for the one to be built in Winter Haven or to cut back its Orlando operation.

That shift in rail lines used by CSX is a worry to Lakeland officials, who have said freight trains could divide the city in two.

On Wednesday, Lakeland had even more reason to worry because of a report that plans for a commuter rail in metro Orlando are back on track.
U.S. Rep. John Mica said the agreement was reached at meeting among Amtrak leaders and federal, state and local officials.

The agreement allows the SunRail project to close on track property that had been held up during the dispute.

But funding for commuter rail is no sure thing. Gov.-elect Rick Scott may see what he thinks are better uses of that transportation money.

CSX officials have said they intend to build the intermodal facility on 1,250 acres in South Winter Haven regardless of whether commuter rail ever happens east of Polk County. The company has invested about $15 million, Winter Haven officials say.

That's still the case, CSX's Rick Hood said.

But, if commuter rail doesn't happen, Hood said, the company has to wait until the economy is in better shape to create the demand for more freight traffic and thus the new intermodal terminal.

Commissioner Jamie Beckett said he would go along with the contract extension, but with reservations.

"I'm concerned about how long this has dragged on," he said. He pressed Hood for a date when construction will start.

Hood said he couldn't guarantee a date, but, "I think at some point, this will be built."

The city closed with CSX on 318 acres of city land for $6.75 million for the intermodal facility in September 2007.

A second closing, which has yet to take place, is for 932 acres at $14.9 million.

The intermodal facility is to be built in a first-phase of construction for about $125 million.

The second phase will include development and employment centers. CSX hasn't stated a price for it.

There are some requirements attached to the extension, including a payment from CSX of $100,000 non-refundable deposit before June 11 and a $250,000 nonrefundable deposit from the company within five days of when the land is rezoned.

In a recent memo to city commissioners, Community and Economic Development Director Dave Dickey wrote CSX has so far invested $15 million, including the money for the land, Pollard Road right-of-way, Development of Regional Impact approval, permitting and legal costs.
Dickey and City Manager Dale Smith negotiated with CSX.

The city didn't get everything it wanted from CSX in the contract, nor did CSX get all it wanted, Smith said.

"But we got what we needed."

WOW! I hope works out for Winter Haven for all the turmoil it caused...

[HeartofFlorida]

LAKELAND | A few minor tweaks by an architect and the old downtown Federal Building will be approved for restoration.

That was the word from the state's Division of Historical Resources in a letter to city officials in October.

MidFlorida Federal Credit Union plans to renovate the building, the city's first post office, to restore its 1919 style.

"Under the current circumstances we find your justification for the demolition of the 1931 addition acceptable," wrote Laura Kammerer, deputy state historic preservation officer. "However, it is still the opinion of this office that the demolition of the 1931 addition of the Lakeland Federal Building will constitute an adverse effect on the historic property and the Munn Park Historic District."

Kammerer also wrote that the patio on the east side of the building should be more modern.

Kevin Jones, MidFlorida's president, said the initial design attempted to make the patio more original.

Once that revision is complete, Jones said, the bank and city will work out the lease.

The city plans to lease the property to MidFlorida for at least 40 years for $1 per year.

Jones predicted Wednesday that construction could begin in about six months.

MidFlorida plans to spend an estimated $800,000 to $1 million for the renovation.

Construction of the building at Tennessee Avenue and Lemon Street began in 1917, and the building, about 4,000 square feet, was dedicated in 1919.

In 1931, the building doubled in size. That addition wasn't built well and has been badly damaged by water.

The cost to renovate that would be too high, officials said.

Jim Studiale, director of community development for the city, said the original 1919 restoration will be easier to maintain.

The space in the Old Federal Building will be used for meetings and conferences, Jones has said.

Knocking down the 1931 addition would create an additional 20 parking spaces.

Earlier this year, MidFlorida competed with Arabella's Ristorante for the Federal Building, which is owned by the city.

I've never favored this particular building but a good save for downtown if it's put to good use.

[HeartofFlorida]

LAKELAND | The University of South Florida Polytechnic expects to turn in its application for separate accreditation before the end of December in hopes of receiving it by June 2012 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

USF Poly is accredited now under the multicampus USF system, but its move to a more independent status makes separate accreditation from SACS' commission on colleges important.

As the formal approval process and site visits for accreditation occur, work will be ongoing on USF Poly's future campus along Interstate 4 and the Polk Parkway, college officials told the USF Poly campus board at a lengthy meeting Wednesday.

Work on the university's Polk Parkway connection and on the East-West Road, which is likely to get renamed University Parkway, should be completed by the end of 2011, said Alice Murray, associate vice president of campus planning and facilities.

She and Judith Ponticell, the senior associate vice president in charge of getting USF Poly through the accreditation process, were among several officials briefing the board on activities ranging from wildlife to worldwide contacts.

"The quality of the educational aspect is not being forgotten," Board Chairman Gene Engle said.

Theoretically, work to clean and remove muck from a small portion of the land on which USF Poly will build should be coming soon.

That's providing the last gopher tortoise is found and removed. Almost 40 already have been moved to another home and, when the weather gets warmer, another eight should be on their way, Murray said.

As for the worldwide contacts, India and France are areas of keen interest for Marshall Goodman, USF Poly's campus executive officer.

France is where he and local development interests have linked with several colleges and universities.

India is where the USF system overall is considering opening an office.
USF Poly expects to benefit from that by getting foreign exchange students.

"Coming to the United States is highly, highly attractive for Indian students," said Naomi Boyer, assistant vice president for the extended university.

Tying in with all their work, the USF Poly student affairs program has new programs to ensure students — whether from the United States or foreign countries — will find a more supportive environment to keep them in school.

That includes USF Poly's first freshmen and sophomores, some of whom will be on board in fall 2012, said Dean Jan Lloyd, who also is acting vice president for student affairs.

A larger number of freshmen and sophomores is due in 2013.

Quietly moving along.....

[HeartofFlorida]

Studies are needed to determine how much land is fit for building.
The Landings...

WINTER HAVEN | Plans to develop "The Landings" on what is now city land at U.S. 17 and Cypress Gardens Boulevard are on hold for at least a month until it can be determined how much of the land can be developed.

The city and the project's potential developer will share the expense of geotechnical studies to determine whether the land is suitable for building.
City officials say they don't know whether there are 30 acres suitable for development or 60 acres and say a deal for the land can't be finalized until the number is known.

A purchase price for the land has been established in a tentative agreement that calls for a property sale of at least $10 million.
The developable land will cost for $215,000 per acre or $10 million, whichever figure is higher.

On hold while the study is done is the fate of Orange Dome and Chain of Lakes Stadium.

A clear majority of the five city commissioners prefer to see both venues knocked down for a development similar to, but probably smaller than, the Lakeside Village open air mall in Lakeland.

But the study could show neither place — particularly the stadium — has a suitable foundation for building.

.... I'm really at a loss for words on this one. Again, I hope it works out for Winter Haven. Being the 2nd largest municipality in Polk County, it doesn't look good when your residents travel to Lakeland/Lake Wales to satisfy shopping needs.

[HeartofFlorida]

A Laser show lights up the Six Ten Plaza in Winter Haven during the launch of the Florida Lambda Rail on Wednesday. FLR is a national high speed research network initiative for research universities and technology companies.

WINTER HAVEN | The city's fast-growing, high-tech downtown business community Wednesday night celebrated its recent connection to the Florida LambdaRail research and education network.

Business community members say they think the new network will draw more businesses to downtown, like a snowball rolling down a hill.
LambdaRail has been in the city for about a month.

About 200 people, from people who own or work at high-tech businesses to *leaders from the city and higher education were there. It was hosted by Inland Fiber & Data and held mostly outside in the Plaza Courtyard downtown. People were treated to a laser light show, food and drinks.

LambdaRail is one of the several networks that provide super-high-speed communication with fiber optics capable of transmitting huge files with precise definition.

LambdaRail is associated with state universities, including the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of South Florida.

City business officials say they think the network will help foster business expansion downtown, where they say there are already fiber-optic lines in most places.

LambdaRail is a part of the Internet2 wave, the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Internet2 provides cutting-edge network capabilities.

Bill Sands from Elephant Outlook, an e-mail security company, said the Internet is in its infancy and LambdaRail offers downtown Winter Haven opportunities to be in the forefront.

"Think of the Internet as a baseball game," Sands said. "We're at a critical point, but we're still in the first inning."

The believers say the possibilities of the network are enormous. LambdaRail is mostly connected along both of Florida coasts, from Pensacola to Jacksonville, but not so much in the inland areas.

Winter Haven Hospital President Lance Anastasio said the network will be used to help with microsurgery.

The network will also be used to quickly transmit medical history files from one doctor's office to another and from a doctor's office to an emergency room.

More good news for downtown Winter Haven, actually the entire city of Winter Haven.

[FlaNatv]

Interesting, my Dad worked in that building back in the early 80's when it was GTE...

[HeartofFlorida]

Saddle Creek Corp. has acquired ProLog Logistics, a San Diego-based warehousing and fulfillment company. The acquisition is the second in just over a year for Lakeland-based Saddle Creek, a nationwide third-party provider of logistics, warehousing and transportation services. Saddle Creek spokesman Tom Collins said ProLog will continue to operate under its name as a wholly-owned subsidiary. The company has about 60 employees, all of whom are being retained, Collins said. Saddle Creek operates 33 locations in 12 states, employing more than 2,000 people. In November 2009 Saddle Creek purchased Buena Park, Calif.-based ServiceCraft Logistics.

It's great to see Saddle Creek venture west....

[HeartofFlorida]

LAKELAND | A handful of businesses at Merchants Walk are being shuffled around to make room for the area's first Hobby Lobby store.

A spokesman for Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. says the chain expects to open its Lakeland location in the fourth quarter of 2011.

City permits indicate the store will be a newly built space measuring more than 50,000 square feet, housed on the east end of Merchants Walk.

"We feel that the market is underserved and that we can bring a very unique shopping experience to the area. We are looking forward to being a part of the Lakeland community," said Vince Parker of Hobby Lobby.

The targeted location is currently home to a Firehouse Subs, Sports Clips barber shop, HobbyTown USA, and the defunct AMC movie theater.

The three active businesses are being moved to vacant spots in Merchants Walk before demolition takes place to make way for Hobby Lobby.

"They're projecting end of January that we'll be able to move," said Lakeland HobbyTown owner Mark Umlauf, who is relocating to the west side of Merchants Walk in a space formerly occupied by the Fantasy Factory. New York-base Kimco Realty handles leasing activity for Merchants Walk but declined to comment for this story.

Despite the similarity in names, Umlauf said his business focuses on models and items such as remote-controlled cars and airplanes, and won't compete with Hobby Lobby, which mainly deals in crafting supplies.

Bill Cork, owner of the Firehouse Subs at Merchants Walk, said his business is relocating to an empty space near Rack Room Shoes. He's upbeat about the change and expects to be operating from his new location by mid-February.

"It actually moves me down into the heart of the shopping center," said Cork, who said he expects more foot traffic at the center once Hobby Lobby arrives.

Finally, a Sports Clips employee said the business will be moving to the south side of Merchants Walk near the Spice Thai & Sushi restaurant.

Glad to see a new merchant (no pun intended) filling the void at Merchant's Walk.

[HeartofFlorida]

Initial phase of $51 million project, set to begin Jan. 10, will expand highway between Bartow, Lakeland from 4 lanes to 6 lanes.

BARTOW | Construction is expected to begin next month on a five-year, $51 million project to expand U.S. 98 from four to six lanes between Bartow and Lakeland.

The initial phase, scheduled to begin Jan. 10 and totaling $14 million, will widen the highway from Manor Drive in Bartow north to County Road 540A, totaling about 3.7 miles.

Shortly after work starts on that segment, a second crew will begin working at the Polk Parkway overpass to expand U.S. 98 to six lanes there. That phase will total $2 million.

Next summer, crews will begin widening the roadway from the Polk Parkway north about a mile to Edgewood Drive, totaling $6 million, and later in the fall, work will commence to repave U.S. 98, or North Broadway Avenue, and Van Fleet Drive in Bartow. Construction on Van Fleet Drive will continue east to U.S. 17. The $13 million segment was recently added to the project.

By the end of 2011, most of U.S. 98 will be under construction, but transportation officials are hoping to limit headaches for commuters by scheduling any lane closures during the nighttime hours, said Lauren Hatchell, spokeswoman for the Bartow-based District 1 office of the state Department of Transportation.

While those four segments are under construction, transportation engineers will continue working on the design for a fifth phase, beginning at CR 540A and moving north to Winter Lake Road, near the Polk Parkway. That span includes an existing bridge over Banana Creek, just north of Highland City, which requires additional design work. Project managers expect those plans to be completed by 2012, with construction scheduled soon after that.

The final phase of the construction from CR 540A to Winter Lake Road is expected to cost about $16 million, but that funding hasn't been budgeted yet, Hatchell said. Funds for the remaining phases, totaling $35 million, are included in the DOT's long-range spending plan.

Currently, U.S. 98 has two lanes in either direction, separated by a grassy median. Crews will be adding one lane in each direction on the outside of the existing roadway.

Each of the five phases is expected to take about two years to finish, carrying the project well into 2014, Hatchell said. Lane Construction in Lakeland has been hired for the initial phase from Bartow to CR 540A. Construction at the intersection of CR 540A and U.S. 98 will be limited because the county just completed work at that crossroads, Hatchell said.

The department plans to hold a public workshop in early January to explain construction details, she said, and will have a website so residents can monitor the progress of the roadwork.

Start already!

[HeartofFlorida]

City wants land to build townhouses, but two owners holding out.

LAKELAND | It should have been a simple eminent domain case.

The city of Lakeland pays two residents for property it needed for townhouses and condominiums.

Instead, the case has dragged on for nearly five years, cost the city $168,000 in lawyer's fees and led to major problems for two holdouts.

In 2007, Shirley Beall and John Whitesides had planned to sell their property north of the Lakeland police station to the city.

Beall was expected to receive $240,000, while Whitesides was due $130,000. Beall said she's received about $160,000 from the city, but is still due an additional $80,000.

"It has been one delay after another caused mainly by the property owners," said Mark Miller, the lawyer for the city. "Lakeland made a generous offer in 2007."

"They should have settled three years ago."

Miller said the $168,000 in fees is the total amount for the eminent domain case involving the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency's plans to build 449 townhouses and condominiums.

But the majority of those fees are because of the city's ongoing battle with Whitesides and Beall, Miller said.

Whitesides said a settlement would have been reached this past August if it hadn't been for Miller.

At issue in August was who would pay the fees for expert witnesses, such as land planners or engineers. Miller agreed to pay for the three witnesses used before the attempt to settle in 2007.

But since Beall and Whitesides turned down the settlement in 2007, Miller said the city wasn't required to pay for expert witnesses after the proposal to settle.

Brent Geohagan, a lawyer representing Beall and Whitesides, said that Miller changed the terms at the last minute.

"We thought we had it settled," Geohagan said.

Now, two written proposals for settlement have been sent to Circuit Judge Karla Wright.

Geohagan's proposal would require the city to pay the estimated $30,000 in expert witnesses, while Miller's proposal asks Beall and Whitesides to pay.

Wright has not made a decision on the case, but both sides said that negotiations to settle the dispute continue.

The lengthy dispute has upset Beall, 68, and Whitesides, 65. Beall had her house moved to 1335 Walnut St.

It has no roof, and she planned to use the additional $80,000 in settlement money to fix the house.

Whitesides lives in a motel in Winter Haven.

He said he plans to rent if he receives a settlement.

The two have gone through several lawyers who will be owed money once a settlement has been reached. Geohagan was only hired to help with the settlement.

As the Whitesides and Beall struggle, the property where their homes once were remains vacant.

The CRA needed 59 parcels for the 14.6-acre community.

Kevin Cook, a spokesman with the city, said the project has been delayed because of the economy.

"There is a surplus of housing stock on the market right now and developers are timid in starting new projects," Cook said.

Despite the lack of development, Miller said the area has been cleaned up.

"The slum and blighted conditions have been eliminated," Miller said.

At least we now know why just project has been held up. The problem is who do we believe? It seems like a breach of contract on the city's part but I could be wrong. Why else would two landowners "hold out" when they agreed to sell but have yet to receive promised dividends to move on? Unless provisions in the initial agreement called for the two parties involved to receive a "percentage" of the settlement in exchange for forfeiture of the properties, Lakeland loses this one.

[HeartofFlorida]

LAKELAND | Imagine in five years a bustling Lakeland Linder Regional Airport with international flights to Europe.

Domestically, a carrier would fly daily from Lakeland to about five cities for about $65 one way.

Sounds far-fetched for an airport that recently was losing money, has a checkered past and is known mostly for a spring event.

But Eugene Blair Conrad, the new 35-year-old director of Lakeland Linder, has big dreams and a history of running airports.

"This was a forgotten asset for awhile," Conrad said of the airport. "There are 1,700 acres and we're between Tampa and Orlando."

The airport was in a funk before Conrad arrived.

John DuBose's stint as director ended in August 2009 amid criticism that he lacked the background to run the airport. His predecessor, Charles Gunter, resigned in September 2003, months before he was convicted of fraud and bid-rigging.

The airport lost $300,000 in 2010, but is expected to see a $140,000 profit in 2011.

Some of that profit is a result of the city's new contract with Sky King, the charter jet service that recently moved from California to Lakeland.
The city spent $250,000 on modifications for 44,000 square feet of hangar and office space for Sky King.

But Sky King will pay the city $5,000 per month for the first year, $7,333 per month for years two through five and $9,166 per month after that.

Some say the attitude has changed with Conrad's arrival.

"There was pretty low morale among tenants and employees," said pilot Bob Knight, a businessman who has an office at the airport and serves on the airport advisory board. "We were constantly getting complaints on the board."

Knight said Conrad's outgoing attitude has been a welcome change.

"He's been a breath of fresh air," Knight said.

Lakeland City Manager Doug Thomas said he recognized Conrad's passion for the aviation business during his interview for the job.

"He's a rising star with a great foundation," Thomas said.

Eugene Blair Conrad was born Oct. 10, 1975, in Oshkosh, Wis., to Blair and Nancy Conrad. He's the youngest of three children, with two older sisters.


THE BIGGEST AIR SHOW

His father was the airport director at Oshkosh, the home of the largest air show in the nation. The Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland is the second biggest in the nation.

The Oshkosh air show wasn't all fun.

He remembers as a young boy riding with his father to bloody crashes and mangled wreckage.

The images left an impression on him, and to this day, Conrad has never flown a plane.

Conrad declined to elaborate on particular crashes he may have seen but said, "I saw things I shouldn't have seen. It spooked me a little bit."
Conrad loved planes as a child.

He remembers as a child when the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In was growing and beginning to compete with the Oshkosh air show for the highest number of people and airplanes. As a boy, Conrad counted the planes from aerial photos of both air shows to validate that Oshkosh's was still the biggest air show in the country.

When he was 11, the family moved to Huntsville, Ala., so his father could take a new job as the airport director there.

It was difficult for the kid with a Yankee accent to move to the south.
He made friends through basketball and played some at Grissom High School before graduating near the top of his class.

He first attended Auburn University but transferred to Ohio State University to follow his father when the elder Conrad left for Dayton International Airport to become the director.

He graduated from Ohio State, worked briefly at the Port Columbus International Airport as airports coordinator, then began working under his father in Dayton.

It was around that time that Conrad learned his father suffered from cancer on his spine.

All forms of cancer are horrible, but Conrad said the five years of spinal cancer his father suffered was especially debilitating before he died at 58.

A Vietnam veteran who flew an Army Mohawk during the war, the elder Conrad taught his son much about the airport business.

"I moved forward and dealt with knowing he was dying," Conrad said. "I was able pick his brain and work under him on several air service initiatives."

After his father's death, Conrad moved in 2008 to Branson, Mo., where he became deputy director of marketing and air service.

In 22 months, Conrad helped build a new airport that brought in Air Tran and Sun Country Airlines.

It was a grueling job with 14-hour work days, seven days a week and little time to see his newborn son, Gunnar.

"I missed a lot of time with him," Conrad said.

The work paid off and when a director's spot opened in Lakeland he applied.


LEADING THE AIRPORT

A lot has happened at Lakeland Linder since Conrad started on Jan. 19, 2010.

During a recent interview, his office shook from construction while workers began putting down new pavement for a new airport ramp.

He's full of ideas on how to improve the airport.

"We've been impressed with his marketing skills," Lakeland City Manager Doug Thomas said.

Soon after Conrad started, he helped bring in the new restaurant, Earhart's Runway Grill, Thomas said. Conrad has much bigger plans.
About 40 people have been hired to work at Sky King and another 60 were expected to be hired at the Flightline Drive facility at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport this year.

Conrad continues to prepare for commercial flights.

On Jan. 3, city commissioners approved the $700,000 construction of a new fixed based operator facility.

A baggage claim, ticketing and security for Transportation Security Administration officials will be located in the previous fixed based operator facility.

A $2 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation will pay for the expansion.

By May, a carrier should be operating and flying to several cities. Lakeland has been in talks with Springfield, Ill., and Hagerstown, Md., about flights.
Eventually, he wants to see five to 10 departures a day.

"We're not taking in a massive amount of debt, and revenues are huge for a carrier service," Conrad said.

By 2016, he said Lakeland should fly internationally to Europe "a couple of times a week."

He said flights to and from Lakeland could take many Europeans who come to the northeastern part of Polk to vacation and live.

He said Lakeland has what bigger airports to the east and west want: easy navigation, cheap parking and affordable places to stay.

The part that really got my attention was:

By May, a carrier should be operating and flying to several cities. Lakeland has been in talks with Springfield, Ill., and Hagerstown, Md., about flights.

Eventually, he wants to see five to 10 departures a day.

"We're not taking in a massive amount of debt, and revenues are huge for a carrier service," Conrad said.

By 2016, he said Lakeland should fly internationally to Europe "a couple of times a week."

He said flights to and from Lakeland could take many Europeans who come to the northeastern part of Polk to vacation and live.

He said Lakeland has what bigger airports to the east and west want: easy navigation, cheap parking and affordable places to stay.

We'll see how this turns out!

[Lakelander]

Interesting. I have my doubts but we'll see what happens.

[HeartofFlorida]

Originally Posted by Lakelander

Interesting. I have my doubts but we'll see what happens.

Yes we will! I'll believe it when I see it but I really can't wait to see how this will eventually unfold.

[HeartofFlorida]

WINTER HAVEN | Legoland Florida will aim to stimulate children's imaginations, yet at the moment it takes some imagination to envision a world-class theme park arising from what is largely a rolling expanse of bare dirt.

Where a 40-foot castle will stand, a grid of steel bars and a foundation of gray cinder blocks provide a basic outline.

Two linked circles of flattened clay inside a wooden framework hint at what will be a pool in which children will race around on jet boats.

Near the park's north end, a cement slab bordered by curving, 42-inch wooden walls offers a glimpse of what will be an artificial pond for more gentle boating experiences.

With nine months until the planned opening of Legoland Florida, general manager Adrian Jones said construction is proceeding on schedule.

"We are on budget and on time," Jones said.

Merlin Entertainments Group, Legoland's corporate owner, bought the former Cypress Gardens property last January for a reported $22.3 million, designating it to be the world's fifth Legoland park. Last August, Legoland selected PCL Construction Services as lead contractor for construction work. PCL, headquartered in Denver with an office in Orlando, has overseen construction of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort and the Jungala exhibit at Busch Gardens.

Employees from PCL and sub-contractors, wearing bright-green shirts and hard hats, toiled throughout the 150-acre property Wednesday afternoon. At the foundation for the Dragon Coaster, an indoor-outdoor roller coaster that passes through a castle, workers hammered steel reinforcing bars into place and used a power saw to slice up cinder blocks. Masons from a fittingly named sub-contractor, Castle Construction, fitted cinder blocks into the footing of the castle, which will be visible from Old Helena Road to the east.

In what will be the Land of Adventure, a worker pushed a plate compactor to smooth out dirt in preparation for pouring the cement floor of the AquaZone Wave Racer ride.


LOCAL CONTRACTOR

A local company, Tucker Construction and Engineering of Winter Haven, is working as a direct contractor for Legoland. Mark Atterson, a project manager, said Tucker is doing renovations to "back of house" buildings that Legoland Florida will use for facilities, maintenance and administration.

Atterson said Tucker Paving, a division of the company, is doing demolition and other work as a sub-contractor for PCL. He said Tucker has had 20 to 25 employees on site in recent days and will be working at the property until the summer.

Jones, the general manager, previously oversaw the opening of Madame Toussads Hollywood and construction of the Legoland Discover Center in Illinois. As Jones sat in his modular office at the property's south end Wednesday afternoon, a 10-foot long architect's overall master plan for the 150-acre property was taped up on a wall.

Tacked to the wall beside it was an aerial photograph of Cypress Gardens, Legoland's predecessor attraction, showing red, yellow and white flowers in full bloom.

Jones said he hung the vintage photo as a reminder to himself of the property's heritage and his quest to imbue Legoland Florida with unique visual appeal.

"We want this to be the most beautiful Legoland in the world," Jones said. "That's already impacting everything we do. We're making decisions with that in mind."

As an example, Jones said he had ordered a change in the design of the parking area to save two trees.


TREES MOVED

Legoland's commitment to maintaining flora is apparent elsewhere on the property. Crews will relocate some 660 trees during construction, many of them mature oak trees that must be dug up and replanted the same day to ensure survival. Mature oaks can weigh 65 tons and can have root-balls 14 feet across, said Craig Riebel, Legoland's construction supervisor.

One such move occurred Wednesday. An oak dangled in the air, its root-ball saddled in ropes held by the 200-foot boom of a crane. Workers were moving the oak a short distance in the south end of the park, the area to be called The Beginning.

Other trees on the property were surrounded by orange webbing and signs that read, "Tree Protection Zone."

Workers have relocated several trees from an expanse near the center of the property that will become Miniland USA, the heart of the attraction. Miniland will feature replicas of national and local landmarks constructed from millions of Lego bricks.

Jones said landscaping around Miniland is nearly completely, and the cement base will be poured in the next few weeks. He said Legoland employees at other sites are already building the Miniland models, which will be delivered and installed in a few months.

Jones said the first model builders based at Legoland Florida will arrive soon. He said the builders will devote themselves to setting up a shop, in which they will eventually construct models from Lego bricks to be used throughout the park and in marketing efforts.


MANY BUILDINGS STAY, BUT REDONE

Legoland Florida will retain many buildings from Cypress Gardens, though many of them are being thoroughly renovated. Jones said all of the restaurants and restrooms have been gutted, in some cases down to the bare frames. Some buildings, particularly around the former Cypress Gardens radio museum, have been demolished to reduce congestion.

The new owners have removed many of the Cypress Gardens amusement rides, but two major structures remain: the wooden Triple Hurricane roller coaster, to be renamed Coastersaurus, and the Swamp Thing suspended metal roller coaster, to be renamed Flying School.

Jones said the wooden coaster's five cars have been sent elsewhere to be refurbished.

During the construction, Legoland is reusing 18,000 tons of concrete from sidewalks and foundations of Cypress Gardens. A contractor is using a 15-ton machine to pulverize the concrete, which is being used as a base layer for new sidewalks.

At the less visible level, Jones said crews are replacing outdated pipes and wires and installing a fiber-optic communications network throughout the park.

High wooden walls line the perimeter of the property, and access is tightly restricted. Water access from Lake Eloise makes it difficult to seal the property completely, especially at night, but Jones said Legoland is adding more security guards and installing video cameras to prevent intrusions that could create liability issues.


HIRING IN SPRING

Legoland has about 60 employees working on the property, mostly in administration, landscaping and operations jobs. Legoland expects to employ about 1,000 people, but Jones said most of the hiring won't take place before late spring.

Jones praised Winter Haven and Polk County officials for quickly approving construction permits.

"The community and county have been absolutely amazing," Jones said. "I think the county commissioners need commending on how efficient and helpful they've been. I say that with my experience in working on other projects in other cities. This has been the best example of how a city has been extremely helpful."

Opening date is just down the road as 2011 seemed like a long time coming.