VISION
All of Polk County will
have the fastest, most
affordable and most
accessible high-speed
internet services possible
by 2030.
INFRASTRUCTURE LEAD TEAM
The Infrastructure Team has made great strides in 2016-2017 by partnering
with the Polk Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to evaluate the need
for sidewalks within a one mile radius of public schools (the area where most
walkers converge on a school).
VISION
Before 2030, Polk
County will have
growth management
and infrastructure that
protect the environment,
enhance quality of life,
promote education and
economic development,
and are economically
sustainable.
Terry Brigman - Co-Chair,
City of Lakeland
Eric Labbe - Co-Chair,
City of Winter Haven
The Polk TPO has completed an analysis of the major roads (arterial and
John Bohde - Co-Chair,
Polk County BoCC collector roads) leading to 140 public elementary, middle and high schools. Jason Lewis - Co-Chair,
Kimley-Horn it does not have a sidewalk on either side of the roadway. Cliff Bennett - Polk State
College
Mike Britt - City of Winter Haven The Infrastructure Team and TPO are now concentrating on those schools with Naomi Boyer, Ph.D. - Polk
State College
Hal Coffman - Madrid
Engineering Group the worst sidewalk coverage. To date, the Team has evaluated ten schools and ABOVE identified priority sidewalk projects that can improve school sidewalk coverage. The Smart Communities Team works collaboratively to bridge the digital divide in Polk These evaluations will continue to be performed through 2017-2018 to address County through improved broadband access to affordable high speed internet services.
Tina Barrios, Ph.D. - Polk
County Public Schools
27.5% of the road network leading to schools is missing sidewalks. This means
Chuck Barmby - City of Lakeland
Julia Davis - Polk TPO
Tom Deardorff - Polk County
BoCC & Polk TPO
those schools identified by a range of established criteria as “high need.”
Danielle Drummond - Polk
County BoCC
Tracy Garcia - Visit Central
Florida
SMART COMMUNITIES LEAD TEAM Sustainable economic development,
The Smart Communities Team continues its growth, opportunity and innovation are
Frank Canovaca -
City of Bartow
William DeWitt - Polk State
College
Ercan Elibol - Florida
Polytechnic University
Doug Lewis - Polk County
BoCC
work in educating and building dependent on affordable high speed Gordon Green - Patel, Greene, &
Associates community consensus around the vital internet access. Having a shared vision Lauren Hinton - Florida
Department of Health in Polk
County importance of a robust broadband network among all of the Polk County communities Hiep Nguyen -
City of Winter Haven
to support Polk County’s economic growth helps to ensure the alignment of broadband Nick Nicholas - DSM
and prosperity. infrastructure necessary to meet the David Robinson - DSM
growing demand. Brian Ross -
City of Haines City
The Smart Communities Team aided by Chris Rudolph - Polk County
Tax Collector’s Office
Addie Javed - City of Haines City
Jeff Kincart - A-C-T
Environmental & Infrastuctur e
Affordable, accessible high-speed internet
Ryan Kordek - Polk TPO facilitates many critical activities:
Eric Labbe - City of Winter
Haven •
global marketplace
Pam Luce - Polk County Public
Schools
Nick Nicholas - DSM
Richard Perez - City of Lakeland
Tom Phillips - Citrus Connection,
Polk TPO
Jeff Schmucker - Central Florida
Regional Planning Council
Steven Shealey - Envisors
Philip D. Wegman - Furr &
Wegman Architects P.A.
Enables small business to compete in a
EXAMPLE: INWOOD ELEMENTARY
• Means safer streets and communities
• Supports research and training at
the Government Advisory Team drafted a
formal Resolution supporting broadband
expansion. Introduced for discussion at the
Mayor’s Roundtable in the fall of 2016, the
Stephanie Monk - Polk
County Sheriff’s Office
Don Selvage - City of
Lakeland
Chris Shelton -
City of Auburndale
Resolution has been adopted by : Tiana Sheppard - Frontier
Communications
colleges and universities • City of Haines City Marybeth Soderstrom -
Central Florida Regional
Planning Council
Sidewalk coverage maps were created for all schools to depict the area within • Greater opportunities for students • City of Lake Alfred a 1-mile walking distance and to identify sidewalk coverage on arterial and • Better, faster, more effective • City of Lakeland healthcare • City of Winter Haven Mark Thomas - Warner
University
• Polk County BoCC Bill Ward - Polk County
Sheriff’s Office
• Town of Dundee (pending)
collector roadways. Red symbolizes no sidewalk exists, Green means there is
sidewalk on one side of the roadway, blue represents sidewalk on both.
Steve Sowards - Inland Fiber
& Data
Ed Wolf - Polk County BoCC
It is important that our county and all municipalities understand the essential need for this
The Infrastructure Team is confident that improving our sidewalk network within one mile 21 st century infrastructure which enables affordably priced, high speed internet access.
of all schools will have a positive effect on our students and the overall citizenry in an effort to Polk Vision provides a platform to ensure we are speaking with One-Voice, and working
make Polk County the only place to live, learn, work and play!” together to improve service offerings for our residents and businesses.”
— John Bohde, Director, Land Development Division, Polk County BoCC — Terry Brigman, CIO & Director of IT, City of Lakeland
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Infrastructure Team
Smart Communities
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