We want to know what we think we all ought to know,
so we occasionally ask the people who do.
"Clear the benches"
Having encountered a new, unfamiliar bus stop configuration, a recent Facebook post asked: “What have we here?”
Several answers were offered and most focused on what is known as “hostile architecture”, citing the Citrus Connection as the culprit. However, a conversation with Tom Phillips, its Executive Director, yielded a more nuanced explanation.
Phillips said that his agency responded to requests from Lakeland’s police chief and the county tax collector to remove the benches at three locations in an attempt to combat illegal drug traffic and to curb public sleeping by some of the city’s homeless citizens.
The three locations are in close proximity to each other at the 7-ELEVEN at Memorial and Massachusetts, the McDonald’s restaurant on Memorial and Gilmore, and the Tax Collector’s office on Massachusetts.
Phillips said this was a pilot program and might be expanded if its goals were met.
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Charles Barmby, the City's Business Development & Transportation Manager fills in the blanks for this long-term economic development project
