Monday, January 17, 2011

Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association - 2 Notable Items:

Good Morning friends & neighbors!

There are two upcoming City meetings that will have a direct effect on the Tropical Ridge area. We are asking you to attend and SPEAK OUT at these two meetings because the outcome is so critical to the welfare of the neighborhood. If we don't speak out, then we have no basis for complaint when things don't change.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011 - 6pm - City Commission meeting at City Hall. On the agenda is an item that will allow the City to hire a consultant to research recreating the Lake Worth Police Department. This is a thinly veiled effort by some members of the Commission along with the City Manager to GET RID OF the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO). As many of you are aware, since PBSO has taken over in Lake Worth, crime has dropped by 14%. PBSO's support of the Tropcial Ridge and the other Associations is exemplary and it would take too much time to list all of the reasons why we need them here in Lake Worth. I implore you to show up tomorrow night and let Commissioners know that we DO NOT want to spend $50,000 on a useless consultant. We DO NOT want to start a new police department and we DO want to keep PBSO in Lake Worth.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011 - 6pm - CRA meeting at City Hall. For the past few years, the CRA has been focused on developing the Cultural Renaissance Program (CRP). This program is designed to create, attract and promote artist living and working in Lake Worth and to create an arts district. You can learn more about the program here. This program is key to helping improve the economic outlook of those neighborhoods west of Dixie Highway, particularly Tropical Ridge. One of the most important aspects of promoting the Cultural Renaissance Program is by creating a brand, which is Lula. At the last CRA meeting, a small yet very vocal minority spoke out vociferously against the Cultural Renaissance Program and Lula, fearing that it would lead to an increase in property values, clean, safe neighborhoods and elimination of blight by creating owner-occupied residences. This outrageous fear of "gentrification" led to the the Cultural Renaissance Program being tabled indefinitely. We would like you to go to the CRA meeting and let the Commissioners know that you are in favor of the CRP and Lula and believe it is most important to bringing back Tropical Ridge and the City of Lake Worth.