Good Morning Lakeland!

With yesterday's holiday and a shorter work week this week, I believe we're all due for a shorter lead-in to this week's CMU as well. So let's take...

A Look Back at Last Week

Public Meetings

There were none last week. Simple enough...

RightFiber: Oakwood and The Grove, and Coming Soon

Early last week, Mayor Roman reached out to me over resident concerns in Oakwood and The Grove subdivisions related to the construction work Ritter Communications has underway in those areas. The Mayor requested that we set up a meeting with Ritter and representatives of these neighborhoods, and Ritter was very responsive to our request. The meeting took place Friday at noon, and representatives of Ritter, each neighborhood, the Mayor, and I and our City Staff were there. 

Ritter is installing fiber-optic lines in the City of Lakeland. At times, subcontractors make mistakes, hit water lines that are not marked, and/or stray outside of the designated right-of-way areas. Each resident's property has utility easements, which would be indicated in the paperwork from when you bought your house, and we have documentation of these areas as well. The product being installed is for Ritter's Internet service, Right Fiber. In City Staff previous meetings and conversations with Ritter representatives, they have been responsive to concerns and worked to ensure all property is returned to pre-construction status before they leave a neighborhood. 

Ritter has a video showing what to expect when they move into a neighborhood: https://youtu.be/KiJeRODdFYo?si=qWlhbBgVasLCGcIN

However, you may have specific issues or concerns related to your property. If so, Ritter has provided a "RightFiber Construction Hotline" noted below - which is how you can contact Ritter to report a concern, which they have committed to addressing and correcting. 

RightFiber Construction Hotline

833-565-1994

Ritter is continuing their expansion efforts in Lakeland, and we are working with them to determine the best public notification methods that respect our solicitation policies while also providing you with adequate notice of what to expect in your neighborhood.

A Look Ahead to This Week

Transportation Plan Committee Meeting

Before the Lakeland P.U.L.S.E. Comprehensive Plan began, the City had started work on an update to our transportation plan. There is a Transportation Plan Subcommittee Meeting today at City Hall at 4pm. The agenda can be found at lakelandtn.gov/agendas and all are welcome to attend this working session.

Board of Education Meeting

The Lakeland School System Board of Education is holding a business meeting tonight at City Hall as well, at 5:45pm. The agenda, as well as a link to watch live on YouTube, can be found here.

Board of Commissioners Meeting

The Board of Commissioners meets this Thursday evening at 6pm at City Hall. The full agenda and materials will be posted at lakelandtn.gov/agendas before 6pm tonight, but here's a preview of what's to be included as of now (which may change with items added today):

• Appointment of a District 1 representative to the Community Advisory Board
• Approval of funding applications, agreements, and other documents for the State Revolving Fund loan in the Sewer Fund for a supplemental loan on the interceptor project due to costs over initial estimates
• Date change of a November BOC meeting, sponsored by Commissioner McCarter
• A discussion of regulating short-term residential rentals (i.e. AirBnB and the like) in Lakeland, sponsored by Vice-Mayor Wright

Please be sure to watch for the full agenda to be posted later today, as there will likely be a couple of additional items added. 

EconoLodge

As reported in my update last week, Lakeland is set to take possession of the EconoLodge site this Thursday at 5pm. At that time, construction fencing will be installed to secure the site and work will begin shortly thereafter to clear the site of buildings and improvements.

Other Important Information

Pavement Preservation

Beginning September 6th, the City's pavement preservation project will be taking place in Plantation Hills, as well as some warranty work being done in The Grove related to the preservation project from 2021. These projects are designed to increase the life span of streets and roadways, and are a part of the City's overall road maintenance program. 

Residents in Plantation Hills will receive post cards telling of the plans and dates. This schedule is also provided to and coordinated with emergency management services, the Lakeland School System, and the U.S. Postal Service. Only sections of the roads will be closed at any given time, and these closures are from 7am until 7pm on the scheduled date, pending reschedules due to weather. The timing is crucial to the project, as the contractor can complete a coat a day with our current humidity and tree canopy (in other words, extending the schedule may result in a failed application). The City's trash collection service will be on schedule during the work, picking up these areas at 7am on the scheduled dates. For any other questions or concerns, please reach out to us at engineering@lakelandtn.org, even as we apologize in advance for the interruption this service may cause.

Website Notifications

The "Notify Me" function beside any news article or calendar item on lakelandtn.gov is a great place to manage your email notifications of additions to news, alerts, or calendar items on the City's website, and does not require an account to be created. Simply click, enter your email, and select which areas you wish to subscribe to, as shown below:

Also, to be notified immediately of new meeting posts - such as agendas and minutes - subscribe to the meeting agendas at lakelandtn.gov/agendas. This can be done by signing in with a simple, free account - just visit lakelandtn.gov/agendas and click on the "SUBSCRIPTIONS" button:

Then, select which of the City's Boards and Commissions for which you wish to be notified:

To Be Continued...

As always, please reach out to me at time at citymanager@lakelandtn.org with questions, concerns, ideas, or improvements.

In Your Service,

Michael Walker, City Manager