News Update for 3/28/23
It won’t be long before the Avon Park Mowerplex is nothing but a memory. Officials of NASGRASS say they are preparing to move all their infrastructure from their former raceway at the Avon Park airport to their new facility at the Florida Flywheelers’ Park.
The move is scheduled to begin in early April. that includes everything from the bleachers and lights to flagstand and other equipment. The group announced last month they had decided to leave, due to requirements by the city they said they could not fulfill.
The Avon Park Mowerplex was the first for-purpose lawnmower racing facility in the United States.
Highlands County commissioners have created a new layer of management. The Critical Infrastructure Department comes with three high level employees including a Director, a Department Administrator and a Project Manager.
The new division will oversee the Solid Waste Department, Geographic Information Systems and work on drainage and water management issues. Apparently, it will involve another $100,000 from the general fund.
Former County Engineer Gator Howerton will get a lateral transfer as the new Director of Critical Infrastructure. JD Langford has been promoted as the Highlands County Engineer.
A 34-year-old Polk County man reportedly was shot and killed while riding a dirt bike. The victim, from the Gordon Heights area of Bartow, was fatally wounded by a single gunshot in the area of Wheeler Street.
Polk Sheriff’s officials say deputies originally were dispatched to a reported dirt bike crash. First responders arrived and discovered the victim had suffered a gunshot wound.
He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased. An autopsy revealed that a bullet entered the victim’s lower right back and traveled through his kidney, diaphragm, and lung.
Witnesses told PCSO detectives they heard at least one gunshot in the area.
A change at an annual Polk County event could get more kids interested in aviation. The 49th annual Sun ‘n’ Fun Aerospace Expo starts today at Lakeland Linder International Airport. One change made this year is to make attendance free for anyone ten-years-old or younger. An event official says the goal is to make sure that the millions of children that live within a hundred miles of the airport get the chance to understand what aviation is. Sun ‘n’ Fun runs through Sunday, and you can get more info at FlySNF.org.