Four Corners, Polk Want to Make a Lake Special, Like Orlando's Eola

FOUR CORNERS | With more than 550 freshwater lakes and numerous rivers in Polk County, it's no surprise tourism officials love to highlight the opportunities here for fishing, boating and water sports.

With tourism on the rise in Northeast Polk and Four Corners, can this area reasonably expect to create something new and inviting from one of those lakes - a local version of Lake Eola? In downtown Orlando's Summerlin Park, that lake is famous for its central fountain that changes colors at night with a light show. Lake Eola, 4,529 feet in circumference and 23 acres large, is also popular with bicyclists, walkers and joggers for the multi-use sidewalk that circles the water.

Sonny Buoncervello, a Celebration Realtor active in the Four Corners area, thinks it's time for Northeast Polk to create its own Lake Eola.

Buoncervello is a member of the Four Corners Area Council, a group of business leaders in this area who meet once a month. During the council's May 8 meeting, held at the Outpost 27 visitors information center in Davenport, Buoncervello noted that with more than 500 lakes in Polk County, it seems irresistible not to look for a way to turn one of them into something similar to what Orlando offers at Lake Eola.

"Could we have a lake like Lake Eola, where people can go and walk and enjoy the outdoors?" Buoncervello asked of Hank Longo, the manager of Outpost 27, which opened in March 2007 to provide visitors with all they need to know about what Polk has to offer.

Longo said Outpost 27 already works hard to provide visitors with the information they need about the many lakes available here.

"We want to sell you on Polk County, and all the great things to do here," Longo said.

As far as creating a lake that provides an Eola-like atmosphere for walking, Bobbi Freeman, another member of the council, noted that Haines City is already working on that.

"Haines City is in the midst of a $12 million expansion of Lake Eva," she said, referring to the lake in downtown Haines City.

Lake Eva Park is home to the Haines City Civic Center and the Haines City Library. City leaders want to redevelop the park, renovating and expanding existing buildings and creating a performing arts center there, as part of an effort to revitalize the downtown neighborhood.

Paul Senft, the former Polk County commissioner who is now the director of the city's economic development agency, said the plans are ambitious, and if people want an attractive lake area to enjoy, "It is in Lake Eva in downtown Haines City."

There's another possibility as well, closer to Four Corners. Last year, Polk County announced it was moving forward on plans to get Four Corners its first public park.

Polk County purchased 83 acres of land off U.S. 27 in Davenport for a new park. The property is sandwichedbetween two developments, Bass Lake and Lake Davenport Estates. Located right off U.S. 27, it is only one mile south of the U.S. 192 exit in the heart of Four Corners. The park is expected to take up to seven years to complete.

Three counties - Lake, Orange and Osceola - have pledged to financially support the park's development.

The park has a lake, which is likely to become a central part of the park's appeal.

[ Michael Freeman can be reached at Michael.Freeman@theledger.com or at 863-421-5577. ]