“Our students learn well inside the building, so we were looking at what we could do on the outside of the building that could also provide those same learning opportunities.”

With the discussion of school vouchers beginning this week, suburban leaders said they are watching the events in Nashville and hoping the special session doesn’t mean approval of the controversial approach.

Several suburban officials have found a way to escape the pressures of day-to-day government by taking to the stage to perform.

City Center Liquor has opened in Lakeland. The business is the suburb’s second liquor store and probably the last one until at least 2030.

Lakeland Commissioner Connie McCarter has gained a reputation as a dissenting vote on the Board of Commissioners. The first-term official says her goal is to control city spending.

Friction erupted when a Lakeland commissioner gave Mayor Josh Roman a piece of her mind over a last-minute addition to the meeting’s agenda.

The Lakeland Municipal Planning and Design Review Commission endorsed the preliminary development plan for the newest phase of the project, located north of the Interstate 40 and Canada Road interchange.

The past two years have been a busy time for Lakeland Mayor Josh Roman. Overseeing a city as its mayor tends to take a lot of attention.

The district approved the $3.5 million acquisition of a 20,000-square-foot office building at 3009 Davies Plantation Road in October, and the deal closed last month.

A new flow of funds to Lakeland will be used to build an early childhood center at the proposed community center, providing a much-needed service to the city.

The name of 9-year-old Brody Townsend will be attached to the suburb’s athletic complex as a lasting memory of a boy “whose life and resilience touched many.”

Lakeland continues to work with Tax Increment Financing in hopes of generating revenue for other projects, such as roads and infrastructure.

Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Advisors will try to salvage the plans for The Lake District after the multifamily development suffered financial problems.

Wesley Wright finished his term as Lakeland commissioner Thursday night, but his departure from the board could be temporary if he follows through with a run for mayor some day.

Candidates for all four Lakeland offices — two commissioners and two school board members — had easy victories as all of them were unopposed in Thursday’s elections.

The economic impact plans for new mixed-use projects in Arlington and Lakeland will help with infrastructure costs.

Predevelopment activity is slowly increasing in portions of The Lake District, the troubled 160-acre mixed-use project south of the Canada Road-Interstate 40 interchange in Lakeland.

Lakeland officials have authorized seeking up to $22 million in bonds to help with construction of a new recreation facility that will be operated by the YMCA.

The meeting also featured a discussion and possible action item related to land at Lakeland Town Square promised to the city for municipal use.

Lakeland Municipal Planning & Design Review Commission has endorsed plans for new business in Town Center, including a pavilion, a gelato stand and 30 townhomes.

The trail will cut through a forested area, providing a connection from Cool Springs Park, into the city’s athletic fields and tie into the new trail within the Lakeland Town Square mixed-use development at Memphis-Arlington Road.

After a year of negotiation, Lakeland reaches an agreement for a recreation facility where a rundown motel once stood.

The Lake District is still dormant after bankruptcy.

In the past dozen years, Lakeland has made strides in population, new businesses and a stronger economy, allowing for more enhancements for the city.