Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Lake Worth museum gets boost from library trust fund

This was one positive thing that happened at last night's meeting. We should create a 501c3 to raise funds, market and operate the museum and not rely on the trust fund for the long term.

Lake Worth delays decision on water contract with Palm Beach County

Word from Cara's Camp...

During last night's City Commission meeting and the seemingly endless discussion where Commissioner Jennings tried her best to prove a negative (how the Planning, Zoning, Historic Resource Preservation Board somehow lacked a piece of substantial, competent evidence in rendering their decisions re the Gulfstream Hotel), I approached Annabeth Karson.
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Karson, she is what I would call a senior adviser to Commissioner Jennings - essentially the Carl Rove equivalent in Cara's world. When I pointed out to her the contributions made by Charles Celi to the Jennings and Mulvehill campaigns, she responded that wasn't pay to play. Something like, "It's only pay-to-play if you make money."

Hmmmm.

Free Workshop

Dear friends,

On Wed Jan 14 from 5 to 7 pm I'm giving a free workshop in Lake Worth. Here are the details -

9 LOW-COST AND NO-COST MARKETING SECRETS TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS USING THE INTERNET

Whether you have a shop on the avenue, an Internet-based business, or just sell things out of your home, this information will give you a way to get discovered by more people and turn more of those people into paying customers.

TOPICS
Introduction: How the Internet has changed the world of marketing, and how you can take advantage of it
Secret 1: Auto-connecting with the people who are looking for your product
Secret 2: Broadcasting your niche & brand-identity difference
Secret 3: Under-the-radar publicity
Secret 4: Social & viral marketing techniques
Secret 5: Search engine optimization (“getting to the top of Google”)
Secret 6: Honor-based relationship building
Secret 7: Super-conscious messaging
Secret 8: Upstreaming
Secret 9: Affiliate and associate programs
Conclusion: Putting it all together & making it grow

Presented by PJ Rebhan (Reb Han)
PJ is a successful artist, writer, composer, business owner, teacher and Fortune 500 consultant. He’s used these techniques to build his own career and to help others build theirs.

Location
UgoPrint
824 Lake Ave (between Dixie and J Street)
Lake Worth


Date & time
Wed January 14
5 pm to 7 pm

Best wishes to you for a great 2009,
PJ Rebhan
("Reb")

Lake Worth nixes plan to install cameras to catch red-light runners

Comments by yours truly last night re Gulfstream appeal...

There are special and unique burdens and challenges for people that own historic properties. As a community, we should encourage and find ways to help these owners of historic properties maintain, improve and, if they are commercial properties, operate.

The Gulfstream's importance to our community is reflected in many ways. It's one of the few individual listings on the National Register for Historic Places, it's on the waterfront at the one of the entrances to the city, it's one of the taller buildings that exist in the city and it's a strong example of 1920s Florida "boom" period architecture. It is also part of the historic economic fabric of the city.

The Historic Resource Preservation Board has done its job. Please deny this appeal request as it creates one more obstacle in getting this property back on line and serving out-of-town guests that will contribute to our local economy.

Pictures speak a thousand words - Gulfstream item tabled

Commissioner Jennings did her trademark filibuster attempting to add a rational argument to what was being challenged by Charles Celi. He was appealing the Planning and Zoning and Historic Resource Preservation Board decision regarding what will happen with the Gulfstream Hotel. Let the pictures tell the story.

Pay to play anyone?




In the view of the law, the Commissioners and Mayor were acting as "impartial" judges in consideration of the appeal. Did anyone divulge these contributions as indicated in the Campaign Treasurer's report? The answer is "no!"

How about that "Pay to Play" ordinance Commissioner Cara Jennings?

Monday, January 5, 2009

1920s Postcard Showing the Gulfstream Hotel

I'm doing some research now about the 1920s in Palm Beach. It's leading up to a talk I will be giving in April. In the process, I am learning about a decade that experienced many technological advances and more than a few excesses - not unlike the period we are living through now. The decade of the 1920s was our "boom" period in South Florida. It really signaled the pattern of growth and retrenchment that has typified our regional development cycle. I'll be presenting more gems as I gather additional source material.

But for now, we have a chance to help out one Lake Worth's own signature historic properties from that era get back in service to the community. Please come out and voice your support for allowing the owners of the property to go forward with their plans to renovate the Gulfstream Hotel . If you cannot make the meeting tomorrow night, please contact any one of the Commissioners or the Mayor about the importance of denying the appeal of the Planning, Zoning and Historic Resource Preservation Board approvals related to the property.

One of my favorite songs from the pantheon of early 70s Country music artists...

From the barber's chair: A view of the economy and other tid bits

With the holidays over and a morning meeting canceled today, I had some time to get my hair cut. I go to a real barber shop with straight razors, hot towels, alcohol sprays - just a "regular Joe" kind of place. Today, they only had two barbers working and when I sat down in the chair the barber started talking about the economy. He told me how he's tried to pay off his credit cards and is vowing, as a New Year's resolution, to only pay cash for things. I asked how traffic has been in the shop and he said that business is off by 80% (!). He said that when gas prices were higher earlier in the year, that's when things started falling off. He said that most guys are wearing their hair really short and just keeping up with grooming by using their own set of clippers. He says it's rare now for anyone to bring kids into the shop - most are just taking care of them at home. He said that his customers now almost completely consist of people currently employed by the County that have to maintain their hair at a certain length, etc.

This is a barber shop that a regular run-of-the-mill haircut is $12. I usually tip $3. It's also one that's been around for at least 20 years.

And, back to Lake Worth for a moment: Can we all agree that a shopping mall never was proposed for the beach? There is a "blogger" - how she refers to yours truly - that insists that a shopping mall was proposed to be built at the beach. And, this "blogger" insists that the no lease over twenty years of City property charter amendment that was passed a couple of years ago was somehow violated since the Greater Bay agreement talked about a lease of 19 years and 360 or some such number of days. This somehow violated the spirit or intent of the charter amendment. This always begs the question with me - then why didn't you include more restrictive language in the Charter Amendment? Or is it just never quite right regardless of whatever is done? This was the impetus behind the lawsuit filed by certain aggrieved citizens - the status of which is unknown.

City Commission Workshop Meeting - 1/8/09 - "Goal Setting"

Time to make the popcorn!

Take a magical local history tour: Can you find these historic markers?

In recognition of Palm Beach County's 100th Anniversary, the PB Post put together a list of places with historic markers. Click title for link to article.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Important Item on City Commission Agenda 1/6/09 - Gulfstream Hotel

I've re-posted some items related to the Gulfstream Hotel as an appeal of the Historic Resource Preservation approval is before the City Commission this Tuesday, January 9, 2009. The above picture is from a postcard circa 1950s - when the hotel was in its heyday.

What the owner of the property plans on doing is to restore the historic hotel and establish four (4) unlighted tennis courts on the hotel's western property (along South Lakeside), along with a small tennis pro-shop along Lake Avenue. The owner has agreed to drop plans for the larger spa/hotel that was planned for the same part of the property. What is being requested are changes that will allow this historic hotel to operate and contribute to the economic vitality of Lake Worth for the foreseeable future.

Please try to attend the meeting and speak in favor of allowing the property owner to continue their renovation plans and to deny the appeal. This is one of the few properties in the city that has individual placement on the National Register of Historic Places. It is integral with the identity of Lake Worth and is sorely missed when not in operation. If you cannot attend the meeting, please e-mail or phone your elected representatives on the Commission and tell them how strongly you feel about getting the hotel operating once again.

Below is how the item appears on the Commission's agenda.

Please contact me at wesblackman@gmail.com for more information. Thank you!

More on the Gulfstream Hotel - Site Plan and Elevations

Note: This is a re-post from July 2008 when the item was before the Planning, Zoning and Historic Resources Preservation Board. This is part of what is the subject of appeal at the City Commission's January 6, 2009 meeting. It concerns the rehabilitation of the historic hotel and the establishment of four, unlighted tennis courts and a small tennis pro-shop along Lake Avenue.

These are additional exhibits related to the amended Gulfstream Hotel improvements. Remember, this is an attempt to move the project forward so that the work on the historic hotel can be completed in a timely manner. It will allow an interim use of the western property on the block in the form of tennis courts and a tennis pro-shop facing Lake Avenue.

Remember to click on the images for greater detail.






Part I: Reflections on the "New" Beach Proposal

I thought it would be good for me to let the "New" Proposal for the Beach gestate in my mind for a while before I start offering a response to it. For easier reference, I created a new topic called "New" Beach Proposal on the list of topics on the right hand side of the blog. The "New" is in quotes as this is only the latest in uncountable versions of what should be done at our 18+ acre oceanfront property, known as the Lake Worth Beach, spanning a period of 30+ years. "New" in quotes is also appropriate since the version that Straticon et al have put forward has what could be considered an "old" look to it, but in actuality it is actually more "new" than "old" as I will explain further.

Right now, the status is that the City is waiting for an "RFP" - request for proposals - to be prepared by an engineering firm. This is expected by the end of January and then the RFP would go out to architectural and engineering firms that would respond by the end of February. It's my understanding that, according to the proposal but together by Straticon and from the comments by the City Commission at the December meeting when this was discussed, that the proposal will entail rebuilding the existing structure in some manner, in the same location. At the one regular December meeting, the Commission directed that a feasibility for the site work also be part of the proposal.

You can refer to the post summarizing the Straticon proposal but the basics are a building of 50,000 s.f. with an estimated cost of $10,000,000. A feasibility study is underway for a possible bond issue, as well.

My comments to the City Commission at the time were that by doing this they are saying that the building is o.k. in this general location and that there isn't a better location for it on the property. With the proposed expansion of the existing building footprint to the east, there could be real issues related to the Coastal Construction Control Line. I reminded them that they did have to go out for bid for architectural services and couldn't just sign up Straticon without going out for bids from other firms/teams. I also urged them to consider what will happen with the entire site and not just the building. I thought that the sitework might well equal the $10,000,000 estimated for the building. Also, the financial workings of the project - what the lease rates will be for the tenants and what subsidy that represents needs to be calculated and made part of the overall equation. I then suggested, as I have here, that if they really want a "green" project on this public property, they should eliminate or greatly restrict the amount of parking on the property itself. Parking for the beach could be provided downtown and then a shuttle arrangement could be devised so that the portal to get to our beach would be through our downtown commercial district - encouraging beach traffic to stop in our downtown, hopefully spending money there along the way. It would also provide surplus parking for visitors to the downtown in the "non-peak" times of beach usage - i.e., at night. This would coincide with the peak parking demand in the downtown due to the number of restaurants we have there.

Now, a couple of comments regarding this quote from Mayor Clemens in the January 1, 2009 edition of the Lake Worth Herald. Here is the quote:
"It's the beach - always the beach." Mayor Jeff Clemens says, "But at least we have everybody approaching from the same angle and I think we will really get something accomplished this time."
You know, dictatorships are one of the more efficient ways to govern. Democracies are by nature, inefficient. I am not sure that "everybody" even knows what is being proposed. Didn't we have many public meetings, subcommittees, workshops, design charrettes on the more recent proposals? So far, there has been one meeting regarding this proposal.

I also think it is too early to say that the City gets a free pass in voting to terminate the public/private partnership with Greater Bay. What is to say that Greater Bay wasn't capable of doing the same plan that is envisioned here? I am not an apologist for Greater Bay, but I think it is foolhardy to think that we have heard the last from them.

The next installment: Part II: The Three "Rs" of Historic Preservation.

South Florida exodus appears to be picking up pace

New Year’s Resolution: Read Agenda for a Sustainable America

Posted by: Patty Salkin | January 3, 2009 in the Law of the Land blog (click title for link)

Widener Law School Professor John Dernbach has pulled together what may be the most important book of 2009 for lawyers, planners, officials at all levels of government and the general public – Agenda for a Sustainable America. With thoughtful contributions from 41 leading scholars, scientists and lawyers, a compelling case is made that we are indeed at a tipping point when it comes to sustainability, and that the United States can and must take a leadership role at home and in the international arena.

As Professor Dernbach explains in Chapter 1, “This book starts with a simple but powerful premise: Sustainable development would make the United States more livable, healthy, secure, and prosperous. Policies that promote sustainability would reduce risks to our national security, improve our economic efficiency and productivity, enhance our health and communities, improve the lives of the poorest among us, and foster greater human well-being in other countries. And it would achieve these things while protecting and restoring the environment for our generation and for generations that follow.”

The book not only includes an assessment of how the United State is doing with respect to sustainable development in 28 areas of American life—including forestry; transportation; oceans and estuaries; religion; and state, local, and national governance (which is not as good as people might want to believe), but it offers lawmakers, policymakers and members of the public more than 100 concrete recommended action items for the next five to ten years that will make a difference. These recommendations, which can be organized around the following ten themes, are explained in detail throughout the book:

1. The United States should systematically reduce its ecological footprint.

2. The United States government must adopt, as soon as possible, greenhouse gas emission reduction programs that will reduce U.S. emissions to our fair share of safe global emissions.

3. The United States should create more employment opportunities in environmental protection and restoration, and make it easier for unskilled and low-income persons to enter and remain in the workforce.

4. Sustainable development should be an organizing principle for all levels of government.

5. Nongovernmental actors should play a major role in achieving sustainability.

6. Individuals, families, and consumers should have more sustainable options in the decisions they make.

7. Sustainable development should become a central part of public and formal education.

8. The United States should strengthen its environmental and natural resources laws.

9. The United States needs to play an international leadership role on behalf of sustainable development.

10. The United States needs to improve the information and data available to the public to make decisions for sustainability.


This book, published by the Environmental Law Institute, is set to be released the week of January 12, 2009, and can be ordered from Island Press here. The book will also be available through Amazon here. This book is a follow-up to the 2002 Stumbling Towards Sustainability.

For more information, visit the book’s website, http://www.agendaforasustainableamerica.com, or Professor Dernbach’s website: http://johndernbach.com/sustainable_develop.html.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

A continuing example of how one community and one elected official communicate with citizens:

Below is one of the weekly messages sent out to residents of Punta Gorda, Florida by one of its elected officials. Notice they are already working and publicly talking about their 2009-2010 budget. The first we will probably hear about that in Lake Worth will be next May, maybe? Also interesting is the discussion about their CRA and certain projects that are funded by it.

The reason I share this with you is that while Punta Gorda is only one of thousands of Florida municipalities, it appears to be professionally run and great effort is taken to inform residents about what is going on with their municipal government on a continual basis. Remember, these are weekly communications. Compare this to our Mayor's sparse and sporadic communication with the media, nearly no regular communication and information flow from City Commissioners or staff or the measly/expensive quarterly newsletter sent out by Lake Worth.

This is an example of what can be done - let's stop saying it can't be done and start doing it.

The e-mail message appears below. Click the title for a link to the attachment that accompanied the e-mail.

Friends,

Last week I mentioned that we were beginning the budget process and you will read about first steps in the attached weekly report. In order to help you understand better I offer the following information.

The General Fund pays for most services provided by the city of PG. It does not include water, sewer or garbage; these services are enterprises [separate businesses] which are billed based on usage.

2009 General Fund Revenue is - $19,047,000.

-of which only $7,412,483. [39%] comes from real estate taxes; the balance from a variety of franchise and licensing fees, state and federal grants etc.

The costs of Fire and Police services alone are $8,153,285. this exceeds the total real estate taxes collected.

City government can control the amount of real estate taxes collected by adjusting the mileage rate; we however have no control over the other 61% which has been decreasing at an accelerated rate.

Through a variety of methods including staff reductions we have successfully reduced spending for the past two years. Some of those reductions will come back to haunt us, like the suspension of our road resurfacing program.

In spite of the cost reductions we still had a significant gap. In order to balance the budget we decided to collect the same amount of real estate tax revenue that we did the year prior. However with the reductions in property value the only way that could be accomplished was by increasing the mileage rate. It was the first time in many years, and because of the save our homes [Homestead Act] it had an interesting effect. Most non homesteaded residents received a tax reduction while homesteaded folks saw an increase.

All this information may beg the question of why we are building a parking garage or adding a fountain at Laishley Park while in the midst of this downturn. The funding for those projects comes exclusively from the CRA district [downtown] taxes and can only be used for downtown improvements. The CRA was established in 1989 and will terminate in 2019.

I will keep you informed as we move through the process and promise that we will do the best we can to control spending while maintaining the Punta Gorda standards that attracted most of us here.

Best regards.

South Florida cities think again on providing affordable housing

"Just a few years ago, government officials and businesses bemoaned the lack of affordable housing. Today, some cities are saying there's too much of it."

Click title for link to Sun Sentinel article.

Friday, January 2, 2009

What electrifies Lake Worth? Promise of lower power bills

Click title for PB Post Editorial. I had almost forgotten we had a Mayor since he hasn't been heard from in a long time (the election?). Commissioner Jennings took up the slack. Notice the alignment with Golden and Jennings (the Post's favs). Between this piece and the article in the Lake Worth Herald this week, can CNN be far behind?

By the way, getting out of FMPA has always been an option worth pursuing - and, as the article notes, it's not an immediate fix and we do need to find another provider. That will take far sighted elected officials not necessarily concerned with the next election cycle - or we may end up with a last minute panic in 2013.

Fun Website - "Coffee and Chrome" - 50s and 60s Diners

Click title for link. Too bad we lost the Patio Restaurant.