Construction Update

In November 2022, the Community Redevelopment Agency and City Commission approved a construction agreement with Gomez Construction.

In accordance with procurement procedures, the City of Lake Wales went through an extensive process that has resulted in the selection of Gomez Construction as the recommended contractor to lead construction of the Park Avenue / Market Plaza Streetscape project.

The City held two rounds of competitive bidding:

1.       RFQ 22-507 "Pre-Qualification for Park Ave Streetscape Project" resulting in eight submittals and six bidders being deemed qualified to bid on the project.

2.       ITB 22-510 "Park Avenue / Market Plaza Streetscape" resulting in two qualified submittals and a low bid of $12,072,834.18 by Gomez Construction.

In accordance with the Lake Wales Connected Plan, the CRA designed a full streetscape treatment to Park Avenue from Scenic Highway to Wetmore Street. At the recommendation of staff, the CRA added Market Plaza to the project to ultimately save funds on design and construction costs.

Elements of the streetscape include brick pavers, enlarged sidewalks, two-way vehicle travel, hanging flower baskets, enhanced lighting, and "City in a Garden" landscaping. Landscape plans call for 97 cathedral live oaks, 10 sabal palmettos, and 40 Muskogee crepe myrtles among other new plantings.

It is the Community Redevelopment Agency's ultimate goal to encourage redevelopment and activation of the City's Historic Downtown District. By leading the way with this significant public infrastructure investment coupled with utilizing proven streetscape techniques, staff believes that these goals will be realized.

Regular construction updates will be provided as they occur.