June 23, 2014
In This Issue
SPECIAL EVENTS
THUNDER ON THE RIDGE - CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS!
 


Thunder on the Ridge, the City's annual 4th of July Celebration, will be held on Friday, July 4th, at Lake Eva Park on Ledwith Avenue in Haines City.  

 

The Celebration will begin at 3:00 PM with entertainment, arts & crafts vendors, a beer garden, food concessions and children's activities. This year's exciting event features nationally known recording artist, Michael Ray, taking the stage at 7:30 PM and wrapping up with the largest fireworks display in Polk County! We are also celebrating Haines City's Centennial with plenty of activities for all ages, including a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS� official attempt.  Also appearing on stage that day are Justin Grimes, Cross Traxx, Aubrey Wollett and Jill's Cashbox. Plan to be a part of this exciting day!

 

At the event, we will be drawing a winner for the "Favorite Fan" contest.  This fan and one lucky guest will have the opportunity to win backstage meet and greet with Michael Ray and will receive two seats in the VIP section. Tickets to enter may be purchased at the information tent at the event, cost is (1) ticket for $1.00, (7) for $5.00, (20) for $10.00, and (50) for $20.00.  The winning ticket will be drawn from the stage prior to Michael Ray's performance.

 

A tradition since the 1990's, Thunder on the Ridge continues to offer our community one of the largest one-day family friend event in Polk County. Over 30,000 people come from Polk County and beyond to participate in the festivities, food, live music, games and shopping at craft and community booths.

 

General Admission is free, reserved seating tickets are available at a cost of $12.00 per seat.  These are premier seats located in front of the stage. Ticket purchasers will also receive one free ticket at the gate for the Favorite Fan drawing.  For more information or to purchase RESERVED seats in advance, please log on to http://thunderontheridge.com

 

Thanks to our Title Sponsor, Miracle Toyota and all our local area businesses that have made this event possible.  To obtain more information, please contact the Leisure Services Department at (863) 421-3700. 

 

Mark Your Calendar 

  • Latino Festival - September 27, 2014, at Lake Eva Park
  • Run or Dye - October 11, 2014, at Lake Eva Park
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT 
 
Employment Opportunities 
The City is currently recruiting for the following positions:
 

For more information about these positions and application instructions, please visit the employment opportunities section of the City's website at  www.hainescity.com/employment .

 
WOW (Watched Outstanding Work!)

The City of Haines City would like to thank all of our excellent, dedicated employees and volunteers who help make the City a great place to work, live and play. If you have "Watched Outstanding Work" within the City, please let us know at [email protected].
 
CHIEF'S TIPS 
Police Chief / Interim Fire Chief Rick Sloan
 
Tips on Preventing a Burglary:  
  • Please always remember to lock your doors to your home and vehicle. 
  • Also, ensure that all items of value in your vehicle are either taken out (preferred), or completely removed from plain view.
  • Additionally, you can take the following steps to ensure that you can properly document your items in the event of a theft, fire, or other natural disaster. This will greatly assist with filing an insurance claim.  Having this detailed information will also assist law enforcement with locating your property, in the event of a theft.
  • Take photos of your items.
  • Document the make, model and serial numbers of your valuables. 
  • Document when and where you purchased the items and what you paid for them.
  • Keep your receipts.
  • Again, the best prevention of theft is to lock your doors.  Thus far in 2014, 75.4% of all vehicle burglaries in the City were from unsecured (unlocked) vehicles.
  • Please help us prevent crime by locking your home and vehicle, don't be a statistic, lock your doors!
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
 

Is Haines City the Fastest Growing City in Polk County? 

Yes, but it's looks like other cities in Polk County are not too far behind.  The Community Development Department has been processing many new housing permits, and the numbers, compared to the other cities in Polk County, is getting closer, as shown in the table below.  The table shows that Haines City is still the fastest growing City in Polk County, having the most building permits issued in May 2013, and then again this past month in May 2014.  New home demand have certainly been increasing as the housing market and economy continues to recover.  This is a good sign that the number of jobs will increase as well, something that has already been experienced in construction sector.

 

 

Quality Comes First

Of course we know that it is not a race.  The City Commission has worked diligently to ensure that we all focus on quality.  We take pride in the knowledge that our newest communities have quality standards, such as; neighborhood parks, bike paths, tree lined streets and home siting criteria to minimize the cookie cutter approach to development.  The following are photos that represent some of the design features of our developing neighborhoods.

 

Patterson Grove Bike Path

 

Stonewood Crossing Neighborhood Park

 

 

LEISURE SERVICES DEPARTMENT 
 

Aquatic Center

The Aquatic Center is now open 7 days a week.  The hours of operation are 12 PM - 6 PM and admission is $5 per person. We have Individual and Family passes to the pool available for purchase at the Community Center. The Aquatic Center is also available for rentals 7 days a week pending scheduled classes at the Aquatic facility.  

 

Lake Eva Tennis News

Summer is a busy time on the Lake Eva tennis courts.  The children hit the courts on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. Monday night is the adult doubles drills class from 6 PM - 7:30 PM. Wednesday night is Men's night from 5:30 PM - 8 PM.  The 7.0 USTA Mixed combo team competes on Tuesday nights at 7 PM.  The 6.0 USTA Mixed combo team competes Saturdays at 10 AM.  The Saturday morning 9 AM -11 AM mixer is going strong. Come join Lake Eva tennis professional Jeff McCardle for lessons and visit the pro shop for a full line of products.  Call (863) 419-3447 if you are ready to sweat!

 

Amanda's Academy of Dance (AAD)

Amanda's Academy of Dance is hosting a dance camp this summer. Students will learn tap, ballet, jazz and acro, and each session will include craft time. Camp will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 17 - July 24.

 

Session
AgeTimeCost
13-52:30 - 3:55 PM$80
26-94 - 5:25 PM$80
33-9+5:30 - 6:55 PM$80
4 (Hip-Hop only class)4-9+7 - 7:55 PM$65

 

The craft fee is $10.00. 

 

For more information or to register, please contact Amanda Ferreira at (407) 460-5012 or email at [email protected]

 

 

Our Mission

 

"Our team of professionals will provide our residents and business community with the highest quality services  in a fiscally responsible manner through cooperation, strong ethical leadership 
with a lifelong commitment to enriching lives."
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