LAKE WALES, Fla. — The city of Lake Wales continues to build new trails and improve their streets as the area grows.
Thanks to a new state grant, one new trail will connect to the city’s biggest attraction, Bok Tower Gardens.
David Price, president of Bok Tower, says that it’s coming at a good time.
“As traffic has gotten heavier, it would be nice to have a way for people to walk or to ride up to the gardens,” Price said.
That’s the idea of the new Tower Boulevard Trail.
It will connect Bok Tower Gardens to Lake Wales Park.
It’s all part of bigger plans to connect the city through a trail system and improve existing streets.
“These trails are part of a big project we started about seven years ago, called Lake Wales Connected and Lake Wales Envision,” said Mayor Jack Hilligoss. “That’s what we’re trying to create. A beautiful, lush spot where people can get out in nature, walk and take it all in.”
The new trail will be paid in part by a grant of $282,380 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Recreational Trails Program. The city will contribute another $70,595, according to a news release.
That grant comes after a major $22.9 million grant from the United States Department of Transportation last year to help the city fund its Complete Streets program.
Plans for the Tower Boulevard Trail call for a 12-foot wide, multi-use path.
Price hopes that means easier access to Bok Tower Gardens for more visitors.
“For decades, people have biked here to the Gardens,” Price said. “But some of the roads have gotten faster. So, creating these trails will be a safer system to get here and also more beautiful.”
City officials say planning for the trail will take place over the next few months with construction expected to be done by 2027.