Barnett Park Splash Pad Has Re-Opened
Repairs of the splash pad, which was closed for more than a year, cost about $70,000; future repairs won’t take as long because electronics have been moved above ground, The Ledger reported.
Recreation / Sports
Former LHS Coach Recalls Chris Sale’s Early Years
Lakeland native Chris Sale, just the third MLB pitcher to start three consecutive All Star games, didn’t seem destined for greatness, his JV coach from Lakeland High School says. He was “a good pitcher, nothing great, didn’t stand out,” Ron Nipper said. “What did you see in him that made you think he’d be a major leaguer? I said, ‘Nothing.’ ” But Nipper said Sale showed intensity and was fearless as a sophomore when pitching against Andrew McCutchen, then a Fort Meade player and now an MLB hitting star | Check the WFLA video
Bonnet Springs Park Developers Eye City Property
Plans to develop a massive urban park west of downtown Lakeland could get a boost from city commissioners Monday. City staff is recommending the City Commission sell 2.3 acres of land and some right of way to the private developers of the Bonnet Springs Park. The appraised value and asking price: $424,601. But commissioners have the option of reducing that amount, a memo from the city attorney notes.
The triangle-shaped, city-owned property is south of the intersection of George Jenkins Boulevard and Kathleen Road and just north of the abandoned Florida Tile site. Lake Wire Development Co. plans to offer both parcels to an outside developer for a commercial/residential/office complex. Proceeds would complement the multi-million-dollar fund-raising being undertaken to build the 180-acre park.
Realtor David Bunch, who is joined by retired city Parks Director Bill Tinsley in spearheading Bonnet Springs, told The Ledger (“only half joking,” the paper said) that while the city is fair in asking $424.6k, “A fair price to us would’ve been a donation.”
Flooding Fix Closes New Large-Dog Park a Week
The large-dog section of the city’s new Dog Leg Park will be closed for about a week starting today to solve a flooding issue, Lakeland Patch reports.
Winning Her First Marathon, Teacher Qualifies for Olympic Trials
Lakeland resident Sydney Devore, a former track athlete at the University of Florida and a fourth-grade teacher at Spessard Holland Elementary School, qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials by winning a marathon in Pittsburgh, the first one she attempted.
Preview Se7en Wetlands Before Saturday’s Opening
Mobile link: If you go, open the Lakeland ParkFinder on your smartphone to navigate Se7en Wetlands via GPS.
Exhibitors: Scroll down for a list of sponsors at Saturday’s 10 a.m. grand opening.
Former SEU Golfer, Now a Firefighter, Playing First Masters at 30
Matt Parziale became a firefighter in Brockton, Mass., in 2014, partly because the job would give him time to work on his golf game. He earned three All-American honors and an individual championship when he golfed at Southeastern University from 2006 to 2009. He qualified for the Masters by winning the U.S Mid-Amateur Championship last October.
ALSO: Parziale’s SEU coach and a roommate/teammate tell ESPN about his college days.
Spring Training Replants a Bit of Michigan in Lakeland
And a companion article at the same link: Ty Cobb may be the greatest Tiger ever, but fans hold special reverence for Al Kaline, the player whose name appears on the street entering Tigertown.