Lakeland Highlights

All trash and recycling pickup for the week of May 26 to May 31 will be scheduled one day later than normal. This includes both recycling and regular trash pickup.

Lakeland City Hall will be closed Monday, May 26.

Recycling for Lakeland Estates and Windward Slopes residents will change to a new schedule due to the increased recycling and increases in housing. (Congratulations Lakeland on the increasing recycling!).

Residents of Windward Slopes and Lakeland Estates recycling pickup schedule will change to every other WEDNESDAY rather than every other TUESDAY.

EFFECTIVE DATE is Wednesday, May 28. However, since Monday, May 26 is Memorial Day and a Holiday for All Star, all trash and recycling is delayed one day during this week. For this week only, All Star will pick up recycling on both Wednesday and Thursday in this area.

On the next pickup day, (Wednesday, June 11), recycling will be picked up on Wednesday only.

This is expected to resolve some of the recent problems with late pickup of recycling bins.

Construction is proceeding on the landscaping for the Canada Road median from Highway 64 to I-40 within the next 30 days and is expected to be completed by August.

The project includes removal of the existing dirt and installation of new soil and an irrigation system and planting of a variety of native trees, plants, bushes, and flowers.

Askew Hargreaves Harcourt and Associates (A2H), a local architectural firm, completed the plans and assisted in bidding the project. Eric Bridges, Lakeland Natural Resources Director, and Philip Stuckert, Lakeland City Engineer coordinated the project and process.

The median landscaping will be a “work in progress” for several years as the plants, trees, flowers and bushes grow to their mature size.

The next phase of Canada Road is for walking and biking trails along both sides of Canada Road. The City has submitted a grant request to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for one phase of the walking/bicycling trail, which is on the east side of Canada Road from Highway 64 to Canada Trace Mobile Home Park.

The draft or a proposed final Transportation Plan for Lakeland will be discussed at a Special Meeting at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at Lakeland City Hall, 10001 Highway 70. Residents are encouraged to attend and comment on the draft plan. After considering residents comments and suggestions, the draft Plan will be finalized and submitted for approval to the Lakeland Municipal Planning Commission and the Lakeland Board of Commissioners later this year.

The City of Lakeland adopted a final Transportation Improvement Study (Major Road Plan) in 2004. The Report, prepared by Kimley Horn and Associates, evaluated the ability of the existing and planned roadway system to accommodate future traffic volumes upon ultimate build out of the City of Lakeland in accordance with the existing Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The Plan also identified existing and predicted traffic congestion areas resulting from current and future development.

Philip Stuckert, City Engineer, commented that “A new study (the 2007 revision and update) will expand on the 2004 report and give us a more accurate picture of our transportation needs here in Lakeland, both current and for the near future. A lot has changed since the first report was completed in 2004. We have new residential and commercial development, as well as new land annexations and a new landuse plan that was adopted in March 2006.” In December 2007, Lakeland held a public meeting to ascertain transportation issues here in Lakeland. This information was compiled by the consultant to assist us in identifying critical transportation concerns for the near future.

Lakeland residents are encouraged to attend this meeting and comment on the draft Transportation Improvement Study. Representatives of Kimley Horn and Associations and the City Engineer, Philip Stuckert, will be present to review the Plan and discuss any aspect of the plan.

The City has received a Notice to Proceed from the Tennessee Department of Transportation on the alignment of New Canada Road between Interstate 40 and Highway 70. The existing Canada Road will be maintained as a local street.

This will include the environmental study, the Context Sensitive Solution action, including a "Stakeholders" Committee to make recommendations in selecting the alignment, amenities etc.

The first step is selecting an Engineering Consultant and this is proceeding immediately. City Engineer Philip Stuckert expects to have the Consultant selection process completed by the July meeting, so the Board can select a Consultant at (or before) the July meeting and start this phase started shortly after the selection.

This phase includes only the alignment, not the construction plans. The Tennessee Department of Transportation requires that the City contact with a Consultant who is qualified to perform the Environmental Studies for the project and who can lead the Stakeholders in selecting the alignment most sensitive to the land, natural resources, property owners and residents.

The Lakeland Board of Commissioners, at the request of the Lakeland Civic Club, has waived some garage/yard sale regulations for the Additions/Neighborhoods participating in the Citywide garage sale only.

The waiver includes the following:

-One sign may be placed at the entrance to the neighborhood/addition entrance indicating participation in the Citywide garage sale. Individual garage sale signs are still limited to one sign placed on the property itself.

-Balloons and streamers are allowed on mailboxes, again only in neighborhoods/additions participating in the Citywide garage sale and only for the hours the garage sale is actually open on Saturday, May 3, 2008. This includes the following subdivisions:

1. Woodland Park

2. Lakeland Estates

3. Windward Slopes

4. Plantation Hills

5. Stonebridge

6. Fairway Meadows

7. Herons Ridge

8. Oakwood

9. Woodland Hills

10: Evergreen Hills

11. Memphis-Arlington (houses along Memphis Arlington Road)

Except for the one day waivers noted above, the following regulations are enforced for garage/yard sales:

City of Lakeland regulations allow one regulation size “Garage Sale” sign on the property of the Garage Sale. No flags, banners, balloons etc. are allowed to call attention to the Garage Sale. No permit is required for a Garage Sale or a Garage Sale sign.
Signs are not allowed on public property (intersections, street right of ways) and garage sale signs on public property will be removed.

We appreciate your cooperation in complying with the Lakeland community requirements on garage sale signs.

Specific regulations are:

Yard Sale Signs (14-404.2(20))

Signs for yard sales shall be allowed provided that:

(a) Only one (1) such sign shall be on the lot where the yard sale is located;

(b) Such sign shall not exceed five (5) square feet in sign area per side and 48 inches in height measured from finished grade;

(c) Such sign shall be removed immediately upon conclusion of the yard sale;

(d) No such signs shall be placed in such as manner as to obstruct visibility or be attached to utility poles, directional or regulatory signage, or trees; and

(e) Such sign shall not be placed closer than 15 feet from the edge of pavement or five (5) feet behind a sidewalk, whichever is greater.

City Hall will be closed Monday, May 26, 2008 due to the Memorial Day Holiday.

The Lakeland Board of Commissioners Work Session (normally scheduled for Monday, May 26) is rescheduled to Monday, June 2, 2008.

The Lakeland Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting (normally scheduled for Thursday, June 5) is rescheduled to Thursday, June 12, 2008.