Tuesday, July 7, 2009

My two cents on the water issue...

Prediction: We will not be able to get out of the County contract and we'll go ahead with the Reverse Osmosis plant. The end result will be more water than we know what to do with - which may not be a bad position to be in if we start improving our reputation - read "brand" - and are able to sell our water to other municipal neighbors. This isn't happening because someone planned it, it's happening in spite of ourselves. The RO plant will erase any long term capital savings by going solely with the County.

We'll see what transpires tonight. It would be nice to get a fix on costs - broken down in thousand gallon increments for comparison, but I don't think that will happen.

Something you won't read on other sites: I could be wrong.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Tonight's (7/7) City Commission Agenda




Click title for link and full back-up material.

Found on YouTube - 1950s era Florida Tourist Ads

These are fun. Part of the propaganda that led Florida to be the fourth most populous state in the US - and why we remain wedded to a tourist based economy, but not as much as before. If you are short on time, make sure to watch the second one: "Roads to Romance." It was sponsored by Chevrolet and features Coral Gables.

Enjoy!


San Franciscans can Tweet to City Customer Service

Click title for link. Examples of what you can use this for include:

* Street Cleaning
* Graffiti Removal
* Pothole and Sidewalk Defects
* Abandoned Vehicles
* City Garbage Can Maintenance
* Department Information (office hours, location, phone numbers)
* ... and much more!

The service is operation 24/7/365

Sunday, July 5, 2009

American propaganda - Capitalism (1948) - or "Mr. Brown Sells Weenies"

Interesting from a historic perspective at the dawn of the Cold War era. It's a little corny and little campy, but still reminds us about the economic system that our country is built upon - and is going through a major overhaul at the current time. One of the major themes here is the notion of private property rights. Zoning is not dealt with in this piece, but it is a police power exercised by government to control the impacts of land uses on the general public - essentially restraining the rights of property owners.

Now, grab some popcorn and let's learn a little about Mr. Brown's weenies...

Successful City Secrets and The Truth About Green Jobs

This comes from "Smart City Radio" - a series of programs on urban planning and how a city works. Click title for a link to the page where you can hear the show on how cities can be successful, sustainable entities. A lot of discussion about how density is the key to sustainability and how iconic landmarks are important for a city's signature (hmmm.) This is really from a worldwide perspective and is eye-opening.

The second interview talks about the economic development potential in green jobs and how cities are responding to the threat of global climate change. Surprisingly, they don't see much advantage by a city having its own utility in ways to encourage resulting industries and cites Austin, Texas as an example.

This episode aired on May 13, 2009.

I'll make it a point to look over some other shows and share them from time to time.

For those who don't think buildings can fail structurally...


"...building didn't meet city codes..."

EDITORIAL: Buying a ticket to oblivion

Click title for link to Palm Beach Post editorial on Tri-Rail finances. They're relying on former capital replacement monies to fund operations. This in the hopes the state legislature comes up with some sort of funding source (like the $2 rental car fee) in the next legislative session.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Happy 4th of July Everybody!

Crist picks Taylor for Palm Beach County commission seat

Local Blogger Ignoring Facts (nothing new) and Stokes Conspiracy Theory

A local blogger (ehem) has linked one of the principals of the Sunset Property with the current issue regarding Mojito's and their hours of operation. Here is the e-mail chain between me and the blogger in an attempt to set the record straight. As of posting, she continues to leave the erroneous post on her blog - thinking that since it's the same family, the same "conspiracy" holds true. Link to Palm Beach Post article.



If you read the article, you'll know that Mr. Lang, Sr. has no interest in the business now. It was run by his family as a bar for many years and the attorney representing Mojito's is going back to him for his recollection on their hours of operation - back when. Other than being a member of the family that formerly owned the business - back when, the principal with the Sunset property has no tie to this property. This doesn't stop the blogger from using the son's picture and tie-in with the Sunset property as evidence of some dark "good old boy" conspiracy.

This is a good example of the type of fiction offered as truth told at many a doorstep during campaign season.

Required Reading: City Manager's Reports

I hope she keeps this up. These are issued at the end of each week and include a wide range of topics. Click title for link. In this one for July 3rd, she talks about vegetation and trash pick-up woes (sounding like an elected official should sound), the status of the negotiation with the County on the water contract, changing of the hours at the beach and more.

When there is a Commission Meeting, you can find the link under the regular meeting agenda - City Manager Report. Going to the website on the off weeks, they can be found under City Manager (left side of page) - then click on the link that says "City Manager Reports."

From the Palm Beach Post:

Click here for article on Mojito's

And these letters to the Editor re Hometown Democracy - Amendment 4 on 2010 Ballot

Amendment 4 threatens to bury voters in piles of land-use changes

Blackner's rebuttal of Post writer strays off the point under debate

Fourth of July Party Music:

zSHARE - Matt-T_Live_at_Lovedove_3rd_July_2009.mp3

This comes from a good friend of mine in Windsor, Ontario. Think of it as a Canadian Fourth of July gift to the USA. Downloadable to your portable digital music devices!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech...


From the C-51 Canal on the north, to 18th Avenue South, from the Atlantic Ocean to the western city limits...

Thursday, July 2, 2009

From the June 26th City Manager's Report - Rachel Bach's Resignation Letter and Need for New Director...



Remember to click on images for greater detail.

'Top 6' gang in Lake Worth and Boynton Beach featured on History Channel's 'Gangland' series

Click title for link.

The Gangland episode will air tonight at 9 on the History Channel. For more information about the program visit www.history.com/content/gangland.

Interaction with Lake Worth Utilities...

Remember Wilma? Of course you do if you were around Lake Worth in October 2005. That was a couple of months before I started the blog. The back part of my house was hit pretty hard. In the process of things flying around, my electrical connection, meter etc. was ripped off the house. The picture above was taken while waiting for an inspection - after my neighbors already had power for a few days. I happened to be on a long list, along with other people in a similar circumstance, waiting for an inspection first, then delivery of a meter and a tie-in to the grid from the house.

After the inspection, the day finally came when I got a call - around 10 p.m. that the crew was ready to put in the meter and connect the house to the main power line. Two guys get here with a truck "the size of Denmark." They get out and start connecting the three leads to the new power line they strung from the pole. I chat with them. They said they were from Ohio and they'd been working "two shifts plus" everyday since the storm. They said they had just come from the southwest part of the city and had been doing the same thing all day.

A couple of thoughts came to mind - wouldn't it be more efficient to assign crews based on location rather than who was next in line. If you had a crew in one geographic area, more time could be spent doing what needed to be done hooking up houses rather than driving from one of the farthest reaches of town to another. They said they had been doing this all day but didn't have a meter in the truck so they had to go by the shop - which they probably just passed on the way here - to get one. They left and came back in about 45 minutes. Finally, I was back on line after about 20 days without power.

Why do I tell this story now? Last week, during one of the rain storms, I noticed my lights flickering, but not completely losing power. This happened a couple of times - enough so that I started wondering if there was something unique to my property. I went out and looked at the connection to the house and at the line between the meter and the city's pole. Something didn't look quite right with the "neutral" line - the silver wire. It looked "loose" for lack of a better term.

So I called Utilities Customer Service and they sent someone out. They were here in about two hours. They decided to replace all of the leads coming into the house. They said something about corrosion, being close to the ocean, but I think it comes down to sloppy work by the contractors the city employed in the storm's aftermath. If you suffered the same fate as I did, I would recommend having someone who knows what they are looking at check the work that was done. I understand that had the "neutral" feed come completely off, there could have been a catastrophic fire if not detected soon enough.

Hope this helps prevent a disaster.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Golf Course Shoreline Clean-up July 11th - Volunteers Needed

Last April, a start was made to the clean up of the intracoastal shoreline along the Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course, as 25 volunteers removed 25 trash bags full of litter from the area south of the clubhouse. On Saturday July 11th work will continue to the north. The area is littered with old tires, broken bits of lumber, plastic and paper trash. All are welcome to participate in this clean-up effort spearheaded by the Kiwanis Club of Lake Worth. Volunteers will meet at the clubhouse (located at 7th Ave N and the intracoastal) at 8 AM. You don’t have to be a Kiwanis member to join in the effort, but volunteers must be 18 years old or accompanied by a parent.

All participants are asked to park in the golf course parking lot the morning of the event. Golf carts will be used to shuttle folks to the cleanup locations along the length of the shoreline. Plenty of garbage bags and latex gloves will be provided. Please be sure to wear old clothes, closed-toed shoes, sunblock, sunglasses, and hats if you have them.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time. There are over 350,000 members in 84 countries.

New Orleans was Nation’s Fastest-Growing City in 2008 Population Getting Closer to Pre-Katrina Levels

Click title for link to U.S. Census press release. Notice that there are no Florida cities on the list. The only Florida city to make it on the absolute (numbers of people) increase was Jacksonville.

Special City Commission Meeting on 7/20 to determine fate of CRA


This leaves very little time for any other outcome other than the City Commission taking over the functions of the CRA. Existing CRA board member terms expire on July 31, 2009. If the City Commission does act to disband the existing CRA, it will be another example of the Commission consolidating power, discouraging public input via volunteer boards and taking on another specific and often complicated function. It would essentially squelch any opposition voice - a continuing trend where we actually have little or no debate on major issues. This also comes after two joint CRA/City Commission meetings when City Commissioners never discussed this possibility.

The City Commission already has trouble focusing on what it needs to do to manage the functions of the city and utilities. The CRA will become a "grab bag" for Commissioner Jennings' et al projects which will deplete the funds necessary to spur re-investment in our community. The promise of the CRA becoming a self-sustaining financial entity will all but disappear.

More later on this important topic.

Three anouncements from the City this morning:

CITY OF LAKE WORTH BOARDS

The City of Lake Worth is currently seeking volunteers to serve on City Boards with vacancies, as follows:

Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals (Electric Contractor)

Firefighters' Pension Trust Fund -- Division 1

If you are interested in serving on the above Boards, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 586-1663 for further information, or the Board Application can be downloaded from the City of Lake Worth's website at www.lakeworth.org. All applications must be received by the City Clerk's Office no later than Friday, July 10, 2009, at 5:00 PM.

A Special Meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2009, at 5:30 PM to interview those board applicants who applied for vacant positions.


Please note the P&Z mtg. on July 1st was canceled, the Recreation Bd. meeting was rescheduled to July 2nd, and a Special Commission mtg. was added on July 20th


CITY HALL CLOSED City Hall will be closed on Friday July 3, 2009 in observance of Independence Day