Tony Doris: A primer on hysteria in the City of Lake Worth

Tony Doris at The Palm Beach Post is probably wondering what he did wrong and you can't blame him. He didn't do anything wrong; he was doing what he supposed to do, which is reporting the news. Tony Doris found himself at a meeting in West Palm Beach on Thursday, April 23rd, and this is what he wrote:

     A sometimes boisterous gathering of more than 100 residents of West Palm’s South End [emphasis added] told consultants at a neighborhood “visioning” meeting Thursday that they want a cohesive plan to revitalize the area but that that can’t include messing with the popular municipal golf course.
     Several suggested building a new golf club house that could serve as a community center. Others urged working to turn the C-51 canal into a focal point, with a marina, restaurants or other attractions.
     Still others said it was clear that all the city’s revitalization money has been going to the North End and downtown and that the South End has been neglected for too long. And there were calls for better street lighting and sidewalk treatments, for supporting local businesses rather than chain stores, for providing families with a place to go and for coordinating efforts with neighboring Lake Worth.

The last line is what pushed some in Lake Worth, a small group, over the edge. This group is small and getting smaller all the time. However, they are loud and make a lot of noise; "unhinged" is a good way to describe them.

Here is a map for your reference as we proceed:

You can see the C-51 Canal. West Palm Beach is to the north and Lake Worth is to the south. Water in the canal flows east into the Intracoastal. Boats and pleasure craft could easily make their way into the Intracoastal but for the "SFWMD Control Structure S-155" marked by the large black "X". This structure is called a 'Spillway' by most of the public and that is actually untrue. Water doesn't spill over the structure; the gates rise and water flows under the gates, not over. But that's a small matter.

A discussion has been going on of late by many in the south end of West Palm Beach and others in Lake Worth about looking at the C-51 Canal in an entirely new way. When you enter Lake Worth, to the west (your right), you see a shopping center with the back facing the canal. Many envision this changing in the future with buildings and new development facing the canal. Instead of a 'spillway' having a boat lift system that will allow water craft to access the Intracoastal and allowing access from the Intracoastal to communities to the west such as Lake Clarke Shores and even John Prince Park. 

Still others envision a marina somewhere near the West Palm Beach Municipal Golf Course with restaurants and other public venues. 

Sounds like a good idea, right? Unless you are one of that group in Lake Worth that rather keep the C-51 what it is now, a moat of sorts to keep visionaries out of the 'charming' City of Lake Worth. When you add names such as Commissioner Shanon Materio (and Lake Worth business owner) to the mix some in Lake Worth become absolutely hysterical and conspiracy theories fly. It's a sight to behold. 

Note the hysteria is about IDEAS. Nothing is being proposed and no dirt is being shoveled. You can compare this to the Lake Worth Casino complex discussion to date. Nothing is being proposed there either; it's all about ideas at this point. The irony is the very same people who worship those such as President Teddy Roosevelt and his big ideas can't come to grip with even the smallest of ideas here in the little City of Lake Worth. It's all just so absurd.

As it is right now the cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth share a waterway that does nothing but act as a drain. That's it. It serves no public purpose other than that. Kayakers never use it and neither do people in canoes. Once in a while you'll see a small watercraft in the C-51 turning around when they see the warning signs not to proceed any further. Now and then you'll see people fishing. That's about it. 

Along the C-51, just east of the Spillway on the Lake Worth side, is a park called "Spillway Park". Access to the park by car is Maryland Ave. off of Federal Hwy (or Olive as it's called north of the C-51). The park has a fishing pier and it is in terrible condition now and don't see it lasting more than a few more years. When you walk out onto the pier you can see the Spillway up close. The Spillway is closed to pedestrians. When you walk up to the fence at the Spillway it looks like a wonderful bike path and maybe it will be some day. 

The point is that the future of the South End in West Palm Beach won't happen in a bubble and neither will the future of Dixie Hwy in Lake Worth. In many ways they want the same things we do, a walkable, bikeable city that's safe, fun, and accessible for everyone. We can help each other and in many ways that's already happening. 

Many are excited about what is going to change along the C-51 Canal. And we look forward to more reporting from people like Tony Doris to get the word out.