Wes Blackman's City of Lake Worth Blog

Governor suspends Boynton Beach mayor after arrest

2012-01-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

Click title for link to PBP article.

Governor Rick Scott has suspended Boynton Beach Mayor Jose Rodriguez

2012-01-27T17:09:00.002-05:00

"It is in the best interests of the residents of the City of Boynton Beach, and the citizens of the State of Florida, that Jose Rodriguez be immediately suspended from the public office, which he now holds, upon the grounds set forth in this executive order."

Habitat for Humanity welcomes Lake Worth resident into new peach-colored home

2012-01-27T14:38:00.000-05:00

The CRA continues to impress - click title for link to article on the success of the NSP2 Program.

FYI

2012-01-27T02:05:00.001-05:00

Mango Groves Neighborhood Watch Updated

2012-01-26T15:17:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon neighbors!

Last Monday night several neighbors from Mango Groves met with Joel Morganstern to discuss implementing a Neighborhood Watch. Basically we need 40% of the residents of Mango Groves to submit their name, address, phone number and email address. After submitting this information two Neighborhood Watch stickers will be issued to place on your front and back door. A captain will be chosen as a go-between with Joel and our neighbors. Patrolling is not necessary, but communicating crime issues to the captain will be the goal. If this is implemented we are guaranteed two Neighborhood Watch signs that will be placed on street lights in participating areas. The more participation we get, the more signs are available (possibly at a cost). If you are interested in this venture please email us with your name, address, phone number and email address. We will be having a follow up meeting in February after our neighborhood association meeting. If you would like to knock on doors to get more support for the Neighborhood Watch please let us know that and if you know any business owners in Mango Groves please reach out to them about this too. And remember to check out our website for updates (mangogroves.org) and like us on Facebook .

Have a great day, Brian

Brian R. Smith
413 N "K" Street
VP MGNA

Newt Gingrich disrupted by anarchist Cara Jennings, not only security concern | BIZPAC Review

2012-01-26T15:13:00.000-05:00

Another article on our former two-term City Commissioner's outbursts. Click title for link. Check out the video...Unfortunately, Gingrich refers to her as an Obama supporter. Thanks Cara.

And from another angle...this clip focuses on the "average American."

Delray Beach Human Remains Date Back To 3,000-Year-Old Jeaga Tribe, Experts Say

2012-01-25T19:01:00.000-05:00

Dorothy Block, Historic Resource Preservation Board member in the news. Click title for link.

Florida Activist Disrupts a Newt Gingrich Rally in Coral Springs, Fla. - The Daily Beast

2012-01-25T17:48:00.000-05:00

Our former two-term City Commissioner grabbing headlines again. Click title for link to article.

Second video from last night's special City Commission meeting...

2012-01-25T12:40:00.001-05:00

This follows the first video - note at the end of the first the Mayor said that they were going to public comment. That didn't happen until after this discussion. The Mayor and Commissioner Mulvehill get into it here a bit.

From the Special City Commission meeting last night (1/24)...

2012-01-25T11:17:00.001-05:00

The Commission acted 3-2 to repeal the fire and streetlight special assessments last night. This is a ten minute video of the discussion after the motion was made. Another one about the same length will be done uploading in a bit. What McVoy and Mulvehill refuse to recognize is that these assessments were presented by the former City Manager as a "given" and essentially non-negotiable from the beginning. They also conveniently forget that the 2012 (current) budget process came on the heals of the aborted attempt to re-establish the city's own police department - with a study to do so prepared for dubious reasons. Regardless of how you look at it, this was a way to get around the cap that the city is limited in the amount of revenue it can generate by property taxes. McVoy - so enamored with the prospect of this alternate method of taxation, at one point, prodded the Mayor to go along with a $1 per month assessment, instead of the $5 per month proposed for residential properties. I have never heard of such a ludicrous suggestion - especially considering that the assessment program would cost $250,000 to roll out and administer.

There was much wringing of hands on the part of McVoy and Mulvehill last night about how the city is starting to look bad as an after-effect of THEIR draconian budget cutting earlier last year, out-sourcing to private contractors and admitting then that it would result in lower levels of service. The Mayor reminded people that they can now start the new budget with a clean slate and deal with current realities during a "more open" budget review process.

"Like sands through the hourglass..."

2012-01-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, looking at the fountain in front of City Hall. The City is currently under the most strict water conservation rules issued by SFWMD. For those of you who have never seen the plaque at the base of the fountain, here it is.

At City Commission Special Meeting 1/24

2012-01-24T19:42:00.000-05:00

Just got here a few minutes ago...around 7:30 p.m. They have discussed the City Manager hiring item and passed the property lien search fees. Ed Fry is here and presented amendments to the budget that allow the repeal of the fire pension and street lighting assessments. I will get the details later on the various changes. The Mayor is speaking now and explaining the need for the changes and talking about how to prepare the next budget. Click here for live link to meeting.

Maxwell is asking about some of the details related to the Sustainability Department's positions, including the GIS. It has been framed that these positions were transfers from other areas of the general fund and not the creation of new positions. They are reviewing the changes now - some include delayed hires. I will get more detail later.

McVoy wants to keep the fire assessment - he thinks that $60 per year is $5 a month and that is a "couple of cups of coffee, depending on where you get your coffee." It is not a heavy burden. He doesn't remember hearing people complaining that it was too much money. At least not the poorest people, he did hear from people of better means. He thinks it's fair and not such a bad idea. The Mayor asks about the business sector and McVoy thinks she has a point. He doesn't want to send a message out that they are negative on business. He says that it is based upon use that is higher then residents. That use was based upon cost. "The methodology was robust." He is in favor of the assessment. Amoroso is going back to the positions being kept, delayed or eliminated. Some are moved to an April hire - so half a year. Special Events, Marketing and Sustainability Manager are eliminated. The Public Service director is deferred. Commissioner Mulvehill asks about training and travel has been cur universally - where does it leave us if training is not included. There are certifications in the department already now. The Building division is sstill in need of some people to be certified. For continuing certification in code compliance - more money is coming from code enforcement than "has been the history for the past ten years" - some of that money can be used for training next year. Waters says that with the market the way it is, they have had very qualified applicants to choose from in their recent hiring. Amoroso was concerned about training, but he feels more comfortable now hearing from Waters.

Videos coming tomorrow on discussion regarding repeal of the assessments and future implications.

TRNA | January Updates

2012-01-23T16:24:00.003-05:00

Good afternoon friends & neighbors!

TRNA ELECTIONS - I wanted to let everyone know that the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association has a brand new President, Robert Elliott & Vice-President, Steffanie Mayo. Both Bob & Steffanie have been active members of the Association, participating in numerous clean-ups and fundraisers. We greatly appreciate them stepping up to serve as Officers for the Association. Congratulations to you both! We would also like to thank Ryan Anderson for his past three years of service as a TRNA Officer. Due to a scheduling conflict, Ryan Anderson will continue to serve as the TRNA liaison to the Neighborhood Association Presidents' Council (NAPC).

SHUFFLEBOARD COURTS - This upcoming Wednesday, January 25th from 6 - 8pm there will be a Community Meeting at the Lake Worth Shuffleboard Court. The City's Recreation Department will be soliciting feedback from residents on what they envision as the future of the Shuffleboard Courts. At our last meeting, their was unanimous consent among the membership present to support the following:

1. The preservation of some of the existing shuffleboard courts.

2. For the City to relocate the Lake Worth Museum to the building, with volunteers and oversight conducted by the Recreation Advisory Board.

We urge all of you to attend the meeting and to voice your opinion on the future of the building & the courts.

CRA/NSP II UPDATE - On January 10th, President Bob attended the CRA meeting for an update on the NSP II grant. Here is his report: "Total expenditures thus far $8.2 million, 35% of total, need to spend 50% by 2/11. They are prepaying expenditures that are known on current projects, pre-buying materials known to be needed for construction, with future delivery orders, and they are investigating boundaries on pre-purchasing items for the lofts. Lofts are approved, permits are the next step, hoping to break ground by summer at the latest. 88 parcels have been purchased to date which represent 92 residential properties. There are 10 land purchases that will be banked to use later. 8 rehabs are completed at this time, 2 families have moved in, there are 21 properties assigned. They expect to have three additional properties completed this week. 30 properties will be substantially completed within 60 days. There are a total of 58 units in progress at this time."

TRNA CLEANUP - The next TRNA meeting is on Monday, February 6th @ 7pm at Compass. We would like to schedule a clean-up for the following Saturday, February 11th. The Association is going to target empty, abandoned lots for mowing. If you have suggestions on lots to target, please email me the location - jessica@tropicalridge.org. FYI, the Association has a mower and weedeater, but would greatly appreciate if anyone could volunteer some additional equipment for a few hours. We look forward to a record-setting turnout :)

DADDY DAUGHTER/MOTHER SON DATE NIGHT

2012-01-23T16:11:00.002-05:00

WHAT: CITY OF LAKE WORTH ANNUAL “DADDY DAUGHTER/MOTHER SON DATE NIGHT”

WHEN: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012
6:00 PM – 9:00PM

WHERE: LAKE WORTH GOLF COURSE
(One 7th Avenue N., East of Dixie)

WHO: Calling all Dads, Grandfathers & Uncles looking to showcase your little princess during a night she’ll always remember. Show your daughter(s) the true meaning of a “Perfect Date” by actually taking her out on one. Dress up in your finest attire and bring your daughter on a date to a beautiful ballroom especially designed for a princess like her. There will be elegant dining complimented by music, games and fun Daddy-Daughter activities.

We haven’t forgotten you moms wishing to bring your handsome prince. You are more than welcome to show off your son(s) as your pride and joy as well. The Cost: $36.00/couple, which includes all of the festivities listed above. An additional $15.00/person is required for more than two (2) people.

Click here for registration form.

I am inquiring about back-up material for this meeting:

2012-01-23T10:10:00.001-05:00

There is nothing that I can find on-line yet. I have asked staff via e-mail and will let you know when I hear something. This comes from the meetings calendar on the city's website.

Update from staff:

Wes-

There is no backup material for this meeting. We will have a meeting agenda available to handout at the meeting. Our goal is to have a open forum discussion between residents and city staff on what residents would like to see done with this facility and the feasibility of those requests will be. The Leisure Services staff has also prepared a brief survey that will be handed out at the meeting. If you have any questions or suggestions please let me know.

Thanks,

Juan

I was also told that the meeting will be at the shuffleboard court building - although there is no indication of the location on the city's website.

Comments left regarding the Casino Building project:

2012-01-23T07:31:00.005-05:00

Anon: Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
The GMP of $6,000,000 was approved by the City on June 7, 2011.
There have not been any adjustments to the GMP.
Potential Cost Impact Issues:
The following items are under consideration as additional scope of
work that may exceed the GMP:
□ The Owner is currently negotiating with potential
tenants. These negations may lead to cost impacts that
are unknown at this time.
□ The Owner has indicated that they will be
incorporating the slab on grade and several demising
walls into the project. A/E to provide appropriate
details so a complete scope impact exercise can take
place.

Anon: Can someone analyze the comment above in plain speak? Thanks.

Skip Rable: Plain speak = get ready for the change orders to start rolling in. There was no way this was to be a max $6 million project.

Depending on the extent and level of tenant fit out, the City may need to do more to the vanilla box spaces. Also the ground floor tenant spaces are normally left as dirt or sand for bars and restaurants. The tenant can design their space and the plumbing and electrical rough can be installed, then the concrete slab (floor) is poured. Sounds like the City may want to pour the slab now. This may result in a tenant to saw cut the slab to install their unique plumbing and electric lines, if needed, then pour back the trenches with more concrete.

And this before we even begin to think of the utility laterals necessary for the NEW Casino building.

Can you say $7 million, maybe $7.5 million????

City of West Palm Beach, Florida

2012-01-22T10:16:00.000-05:00

Click title for link to the City of West Palm Beach's "Idea Exchange" - where residents can submit suggestions on improved city services or any number of topics. This new service was mentioned during Mayor Muoio's State of the City address. Also note that the City of West Palm Beach is currently reviewing its charter. And, while your at it, cruise through the entire website and then rate it in relation to the City of Lake Worth's.

Follow-up to Public Information Request - SFWMD Permit

2012-01-21T05:33:00.002-05:00

The city notified me that the materials are ready for review at the Clerk's office. I hope to be able to get in Monday to review them. They are sparing the expense of copying everything and I can just pick and choose what I want copies of. I did have one direct response from a Commissioner, Ms. Mulvehill. Referring to an article in the PBP regarding the possibility of another drought period, we had this exchange:

There was no further response from our District #4 Commissioner.

E-mail Communications to and from Mulligan's - possible Casino tenant

2012-01-21T05:22:00.004-05:00

Wes,

I would like to take a second to introduce myself. My name is Ryan Pitman and I am with Mulligan's Beach House Bar & Grill (www.mulligansrestaurant.net). Not sure if you have heard yet, We are looking to be the anchor tenants of the Casino project. We are a late addition to the party however feel very strongly that when the leases go up for review this week that we will be approved and welcomed by the residents of Lake Worth.

I see you do a tremendous amount of blogging and really seem to hold the ear of the residents of this city. I wanted to invite you to help introduce us to the city through your blog. Nothing major, maybe just a link to our website, a couple pictures, and a little bit about us.

We are owned and operated by George Hart. He holds a wealth of experience in this industry and is in the store daily working elbows deep with our staff.

Here is the write up from our website-

George Hart

Mulligan’s Beach House Bar & Grill, a fun, family-oriented concept, opened the first restaurant in Lauderdale By The Sea in 1998 and since then it has become one of the biggest food and entertainment attractions – and employers. The restaurant offers a dining and lounge experience in a tropical setting with a casual, friendly atmosphere.

Saratoga Springs, N Y native George Hart brings more than seventeen years experience to Mulligan’s, including stints at Hooter’s, TGI Friday’s, Garcia’s Mexican Restaurants and Applebee’s.
He moved to Ft Lauderdale in 1993 and has involved Mulligan’s in contribution efforts for Hibiscus Children’s Home, Big Brother/Big Sisters Organization, Junior Achievement, and Humane Society, Toys for Tots, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society and The National Save The Turtle Foundation.

I personally grew up in Lake Worth and brought this location to George knowing first hand that we are the perfect match for this project. Mulligan's is a Restaurant first and a bar second! We currently operate four stores (Sebastian, Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, and Downtown Stuart). We are open every day of the year including Thanksgiving and Christmas and serve Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. We are also very financially stable so we will be here to stay! We stay away from anything that draws a rough crowd (loud full bands or hip hop dance nights) as we don't need those type of draws to be successful. We believe it takes three things to make it in this industry Great Food, Great Service, and a Clean Restaurant. We are anxiously anticipating taking the next steps in this project.

Please feel free to reply with any questions you may have about us!

Thank you for reaching out and contacting me. I appreciate the effort. Here are a quick set of questions to get us started. How did you find out about this location? How many square feet are you willing to occupy and would you also consider the second floor? What do you think about a second floor-only restaurant and its chance for success in this building? Where else in Florida do you have restaurants? Do you indoor or outdoor pictures that I could use to show those locations on the blog?

Thanks! Looking forward to hearing from you.

and

Hi again. I would like to put something on the blog today about your restaurant since your proposed lease appears on tomorrow night's City Commission meeting agenda. Can you answer these questions? If I don't hear from you soon, I will have to report that they have gone unanswered. Hope to hear from you!

Wes,

Sorry it took so long to reply, we had a very busy weekend and are gearing up for Tuesdays meeting! Here are the answers to your specific questions.

We saw updates on the news regarding the project multiple times. I having gown up spending summers at he beach have kept a close eye on the progress of the project. After hearing John G's wold not be returning brought it to Georges attention. He asked me to call and set up an apointment to tour the property. We toured the facility and immediately saw the potential in it. We spent the last couple weeks doing our homework and running numbers.

We are looking to occupy the entire first floor on the northern end of the project, roughly 6,000 square feet.

I think a second floor restaurant could absolutely be succesfull. I myself have stood on the balcony of the second floor and the view is breathtaking to say the least. Whoever is looking to go above us will surely be succesfull.

We currently operate 4 locations on the treasure coast. Sebastian, Vero Beach, Jensen Beach, and Stuart

Thanks in advance for your support! We are seriously excited about this project!

Sent from my iPad

Wes,

Sorry I didn't get to say hi at the meeting on Tuesday. We jumped right into the mess that was Tuesday night! Anyhow, George (our owner) wrote a letter to the commission and I wanted to make sure you had an opportunity to see it.

I look forward to meeting you at the next meeting!

January 18, 2012

To Lake Worth City Commissioners,

Last night’s City Commissioner meeting was shocking to me as I have spent weeks gathering and reviewing lease documents, financial statements, references, etc. for a lease to be approved for the Lake Worth Casino Project. I was told by the Realtor that this was simply a formality.

However after sitting through 4 hours of a meeting going nowhere I quickly realized that the commissioners are not viewing this decision properly and heading towards a decision that will leave their community disappointed with this project and a restaurant that Lake Worth will not be proud of.

I am insulted to be placed in the same category with Bokamper’s Sports Bar. After looking into their concept and their website I am appalled that the City of Lake Worth would even consider a place that does events as Bad Ass Bike Night and barely dress their employees.

I feel as certain commissioners are thinking too much about the initial bottom line and are not looking into what the community needs and wants in their back door. Lake Worth needs to build their reputation with Family Oriented locations, businesses that support the community in the way it needs to be supported. Bringing in a sports bar is not doing what is right for the community. As far as an owner of a restaurant saying sure we can serve breakfast or sure we can come up with another concept, that is not easy and if they do that it will not be done right. It takes years, and a strong infrastructure to build a new concept and to add another whole menu to a kitchen. This needs a different kitchen design, different cooks, and years of experience to do this properly. If you choose Bokamper’s you are selling out your entire community for a few dollars because you don’t have any pride in your project and think you can’t get anything better upstairs. That thinking is wrong and really disappointing coming from City Commissioners.

I have performed my due diligence before signing a letter of intent and presented the commissioners with a professional package of our financials, references, etc. in a timely manner and felt as I did what was required to be eligible for a lease. For a business to come in and toss a to-go menu up to the commissioner and state they will pay more money, is unprofessional and not the way this business should have been handled nor should they even be considered without a full proposal.

Mulligan’s Beach House is a company that has been successful doing breakfast, lunch and dinner for 15 years. We are a casual family seafoodrestaurant. Our list of references, donations and news stories of supporting the community that each commissioner was given speaks for itself. We are a restaurant that not only serves great food with fast friendly service to each customer we also highly support each community that we move in. Mulligan’s is what your community wants. We are a restaurant that knows how to handle high volume business, we are family owned and operated. I am in the restaurants every day and I am a hands on owner, constantly training my staff & managers, constantly looking for newbetter products for our menus, I am there talking to my customers and making sure everyone has a wonderful experience and will want to return.

Mulligan’s is currently on beach front locations we know the standards and regulations that need to be in place for the safety of our sea turtles and recycling policies to keep our beaches clean. We already follow those guidelines at our other beachfront properties and will guarantee that you will have a clean healthy place on your property. We have already hired architects and contractors to begin planning for this project and they will need time to get the proper paperwork and ordering process started. Holding this vote off for another month will just be very difficult on us or any other restaurant being considered to do all the work *properly* to build a
successful well-built restaurant. A decision is necessary in the next few weeks by the city commissioners to do this properly.

Mulligan’s Beach House does not promote their bar, we do not do shots, we do not do pitchers of beer, we simply sell a variety of tropical drinks, beer & wine to compliment your meal. Mulligan’s concentrates on families and pleasing all ages from 0 to 100. We are open 365 days a year giving families a place to celebrate all the holidays including Thanksgiving & Christmas with traditional turkey dinners and more holiday festivities.

I am asking that the city commissioners think seriously about your vision for the City of Lake Worth, if you do this you will clearly see Mulligan’s Beach House being the perfect fit for this location. I guarantee you that we will make Lake Worth proud; I guarantee you that once we are selected for that spot and other restaurateurs see the beautiful restaurant that we will build, you will be able to get the rent that is needed to fulfill all of your budget requirements.

Take a moment to view the websites and visit Mulligan’s and visit the Bokamper’s, imagine Bokamper’s with Welcome to the Jungle playing on their website and girls dressed in too tight shorts, wings & BBQ pork, customers smoking at the bar, more TV’S than people, imagine that on your beautiful beach front community…look good? No, now imagine Mulligan’s Beach House with the sounds of steel drums playing, fresh tuna, grouper & snapper on your plate, kids holding balloons, beautiful palm tree fabric booths, water lit bars and professionally dressed well-mannered employees serving your citizens, imagine that on your beautiful beach front community. Mulligan’s is the picture that your community envisions in that location, now you just have to make that vision become reality.

Sincerely,

George Hart,
Owner/Operator,

Crime Up-date

2012-01-20T15:14:00.001-05:00

From: KTucker-Carsillo@wpb.org
Sent: 1/20/2012 1:55:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Fw: Arrest of Eric Sisson-Statue Thefts

FYI, if anyone is missing singing frogs, lions and dogs, please email me your phone number and case number so we may contact you.

Officer K. Tucker-Carsillo
Crime Prevention Unit
West Palm Beach Police Dept
(561) 822-1620 office
KTucker@WPB.Org
----- Forwarded by Kelly Tucker-Carsillo/Police/WESTPALM on 01/20/2012 01:10 PM -----

From: Adam Konesey/Police/WESTPALM
Date: 01/20/2012 12:41 AM
Subject: Arrest of Eric Sisson-Statue Thefts

While working in cooperation with Detective Harper at PBSO in regards to the numerous statue thefts in Lake Worth and West Palm Beach, three suspects were identified as being the main persons committing all of these thefts. The three suspects are Ernie King, Armando Ruiz and Eric Sisson.

Tonight around 6pm PBSO stopped Sisson in his white van in Lake Worth on a traffic offense. Eric was with another subject identified as Pedro Morales. Eric was transported and agreed to speak with us regarding all of the thefts. Eric confessed to the theft of the patio table on Selkirk to Detective Harper. Eric ended up confessing to me four more cases that I could connect him to.

Ernie King and Armando Ruiz were not located but are still being sought.The investigation is still ongoing. Eric was charged with Petit Theft and Dealing in Stolen Property. Hopefully the South end Thefts will cease. Excellent Joint-Agency Investigation!

Local News Covers Corruption Trial With Puppets

2012-01-20T10:58:00.000-05:00

Maybe we can re-enact City Commission meetings this way? Click title for link to article. Here is how the report appeared on local TV.

Note: Dialog not appropriate for work environments.

Jimmy Carter

2012-01-19T23:43:00.004-05:00

“We must make it clear that a platform of 'I hate gay men and women' is not a way to become president of the United States.”

2012-01-19T17:23:00.001-05:00

The Beach: Promises made, promises not kept

2012-01-19T16:39:00.002-05:00

During their individual campaigns, candidates and elected officials make promises to those who elect them (us) to serve as our representatives. In fact, 2012 is a presidential election year and already we are hearing promises being made by those running in the various primaries leading to the upcoming November election. The public, however, has become increasingly cynical about whether these campaign promises really mean anything. They see the current stalemate in Washington as an example of a system that is broken. They have lost faith in the ability of their elected representatives to make good on their campaign promises.

Have we done any better in Lake Worth? There is one subject that has consumed most of the elections for the past 30 or so years here and that is the beach. I think it is an important exercise to review where we stand in relation to promise keeping and the current beach project – especially due to its importance in the elections here over the years. While the City hasn't kept some key promises related to the on-going beach project, it is still possible to keep the most important ones – those related to taxpayers' money. What Commissioner Maxwell was talking about at the last regular City Commission meeting is the possibility to roll all project costs – above the $5 million previously stated grant amount and total beach project budget, as promised to our Commission's constituents – so that it is completely financed not by the utility rate-payers – but by those that chiefly benefit from the project. This can be done either by tenants of the new Casino building or by parking lot users – it doesn't matter in the end about the proportion of how this is done.

Let's go to the first promise those on the dais made about the current beach redevelopment project. “We are going to save the Casino building.” Words like “restore” and “rehabilitate” were used frequently in public meetings. Contractors were brought in by candidates claiming that they could save the existing building, that it was economically possible to save the building and that we would return it to its original 1922 “look.” The Commission interviewed architects and these architects were chosen based on their ability to “save the building.” As the city went forward with the project, it soon became apparent that this was “Mission Impossible.” That didn't stop the city administration from proclaiming that this was still a rehabilitation project for the “existing building.” The Palm Beach Post even picked up on the line being spun from the city that the “building was being gutted and not torn down.” As the building came down before our eyes, yours truly made a complaint to the Office of the Inspector General about the validity of the city's position. In September of last year, the OIG issued a report and found that the project represented a “substantial improvement” (building code language for NEW construction.) The OIG concluded that 94% of the building value was to be considered a substantial improvement – only 6% of the original part of the building was saved. Thus, the the first promise made by the City was not kept.

The second promise revolved around the city's former anchor tenant “John G's.” They were part of the reason that the former building was still a destination, for tourists and people from all over South Florida, despite its condition. Well, despite campaign promises and a lot of hoopla, John G's is now in a renovated restaurant space in Manalapan's Plaza del Mar and has no intention of coming back. Now the city is in the business of searching for an anchor tenant or tenants to fill the void. Promise number two, made to the public, was not kept. Related to this was really a third promise that the city would make all sorts of efforts to keep the existing tenants that were in the building when it was closed. Looking at the list of prospective tenants presented to the Commission to date leaves one to question how much this promise will be fulfilled. And if it is, it may be done solely to satisfy the special interest of contributors to a certain Commissioner's campaign.

The fourth promise was that the “existing historic building” would be “rehabilitated” to a high LEED green building standard. This was part of the package that sold the public on the project – and the elected or to be re-elected officials that proposed it. We, the citizens, need to have a current status report on this, but from what I have seen there have been change orders related to the HVAC system and other aspects of the project that put more and more responsibility on the tenants themselves – in their build-out – to help the city achieve this promise. And it really is more than just the city making a promise, according to state law, any new municipal structure now has to meet a minimal standard for green building practices. We won't know for sure if the building will be certified in this manner until it is open, the tenants move in and the certification happens – after the ribbons are cut and the politicians have gone home, retired or have been re-elected. We won't know how the city's promise number four fairs for a while.

The fifth promise, one that the city still has an opportunity to make good upon is that the project would pay for itself. All of the casino building “improvements” would be paid for through the tenant leases – at market rates and that improvements to the parking areas and the remainder of the property would be through the Palm Beach County grant of $5 million. In the County's interlocal agreement with the city on funding the $5 million worth of improvements on our beach, it specifically identifies the following: “improvements to the existing drainage and utility infrastructure” and “undergrounding upper dune electrical facilities.” In fact, Commissioner Maxwell recently verified that these utility costs were and are expected to be paid with the County grant money by an e-mail from Jon Van Arnam, Palm Beach County, Assistant County Administrator.

He responded as follows: “Commissioner: Regarding the Agreement for funding the improvements at the Lake Worth Beach, Exhibit A-1 is the project description and Exhibit A-3 is the cost estimate. Both Exhibits list 17 numbered items along with nine bulleted items and all items were intended to be covered by the $5 million appropriation.”

So not only the public has the impression of this promise being made, but also our grant giver, Palm Beach County does as well. So apparently did our former City Manager in a March 2010 e-mail exchange with yours truly:

WB: Would "spending money we don't have" include work on the casino building?

SS: No.... There is not a single dollar of tax payer money dedicated or programed for this project. Which.... I suspect is not relevant to .... most people's opposition.

WB: I do not oppose the project. I oppose any misrepresentation of reality.

SS: I agree.... Like saying it is paid for with taxpayers money. I guess.... Gee, we agree

SS: The revenue will come from the money generated by rents, parking fees and making tenants not only actually pay their rent but CAM as well. The city will stop, like the electric fund, sucking money from the beach to pay for things it can not afford...but wants to have.

I know this sounds radical. Maybe even unacceptable. Even unlawful.... But it really is how most well run governments operate every day ....less the drama we do on to ourselves ...in LW.

Rather conveniently, we are now presented with the prospect of improving utilities at the beach with the city's own utility funds – as a “cost of doing business.” We hear from staff that “we would need to extend utilities to a new business anyway” and that “there is work on utilities that needs to be done on the beach property that had to be done anyway” as justification for using money from the city's utility for the project. And this is just recently. Now, this is not just the taxpayers' money, as identified by the former city manager, but utility customer money. The City Commission needs to be reminded that every Lake Worth resident is essentially a utilities customer and most of them are taxpayers. These millions of dollars are our money. It is also money from people who the City Commission does not represent – in Palm Springs and unincorporated Palm Beach County. It is their money too. They don't elect our City Commissioners and have no recourse with the Public Service Commission as to our rate structure or how the city spends their hard earned money they pay the City every month in their utility bills.

Don't discount this either – 80% of the City's total budget revenue is utility related. In fact, the City Commission is more of a utility commission than a city commission and in a very serious way has more of a responsibility as far as the total budget is concerned to utility customers than to taxpayers. But as had been shown time after time, the city finds it easier to fleece the utility customer than the taxpayer – the city is limited on the amount of millage that we charge based upon property valuation, but theoretically has no limit on how much it charges the utility customer. That is why the City is in the situation it finds itself in today – with one of the highest utility rates in the state and especially in relation to other municipalities in Palm Beach County.

This is not the first time that the city undertook a renovation project at the beach. In 1949, the city repaired and modified the Casino building after it had been destroyed by a hurricane in 1947. I did some research on how the city handled the financing of those improvements and found something that is consistent with how the city has done things since. According to City Commission minutes from 1949, $185,000 ($1.68 million in 2011 dollars) worth of Municipal Recreation Revenue Certificates were issued to “be repaid by the revenues from the use of the facilities along with surplus water and electrical revenue.” City Commission Minutes 8/8/49 The city, in retrospect, could afford to do that in 1949. Our city ancestors were about to go through a booming post World War II economy, improvements in transportation, greater wealth for a middle class eager to travel from cold northern climates to a warm, tropical one. Most of the city's housing stock was built during the 50s and 60s. It was a bet that paid off. We don't face the same circumstances anymore and instead face challenging economic times and an erosion of the middle class. Utilities need to be paid every month and here they are not cheap. The City Commission has to be careful using utility funds for purposes that don't drive down our customer utility rates.

We need to find a way for the additional costs associated with the beach to be solely supported by the beach. Only then will the City be able to claim that it kept one of its original promises.

Click here for link to a narrative history of the former Lake Theater buildilng...

2012-01-19T09:44:00.001-05:00

Now home to the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. Opening ceremonies are happening today!

Fact-checking from 1/17/12 City Commission Meeting

2012-01-18T18:50:00.001-05:00

One of the items brought up last night was the length of service by now Commissioner Christopher McVoy on the Planning, Zoning, Historic Resource Preservation Board. He mentioned his experience on the board in relation to supporting the notion that the newly separated boards remain separate and are not recombined. A resident from the audience questioned him on his length of service and how it qualified him to make that statement. This particular resident had thought that it had been "for all of 14 days." After public comments, Commissioner McVoy responded that he had indeed served for four or five months.

I thought that was easy enough to check, so I went to the City's website and looked at the minutes of the PZHRPB for the year 2010 - the year that Commissioner McVoy was elected to office and also the year that he was appointed to the PZHRPB.

If you look at the head of the minutes from their April 7, 2010 meeting (above), Christopher McVoy was being sworn in, along with Laurence McNamara.

If you look at the minutes of the August 18, 2010 meeting (above) and then go to the last page (part of which is below), you can read where the board is acknowledging Mr. McVoy absence after he resigned to run for office.

As best as I can tell, there were 11 meetings of this board during this time period - roughly four months. From what I could see he had good attendance, but did not read all of those minutes to determine if he left early, came late or whatever. But that is the record. At the time, I saw his appointment as a needed "filling out" of his resume in order to run, which is probably the case. Never say I don't do something nice - like tell the truth - concerning Commissioner McVoy.

On another matter, Commissioner Maxwell made reference to the utility costs being identified in the Interlocal Agreement between the City of Lake Worth and Palm Beach County for the beach improvements. What appears below is a page from the agreement - the three arrows highlight the location of where utility-related improvements are identified - and all were at one time recognized as being paid for through the $5 million.

Remember back when the costs for the 19 acre beach property were being discussed with Morganti et al? Someone from Michael Singer's office was in the audience basically "having a cow" while the costs were being explained. He was certain that all of the work (above) could have been done for $5 million. Eventually, he was told by our former City Manager to pipe down as this was an un-programmed bit of information that she didn't know how to handle. After the meeting, they met together in her office. I am not sure what happened there, but he made it clear he was there on his own time and that he just wanted this project "done right." Courtesy of Ms. Stanton, we haven't seen him since.

Videos from 1/17/12 City Commission Meeting - Discussion of Beach/Casino Costs

2012-01-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

PYHO Event this Saturday in Lake Worth!

2012-01-18T13:29:00.003-05:00

Another Paint Your Heart Out Event this Saturday Starting at 9AM @ 3324 Gulfstream Road LW Fl 33461 - Directions are 10th Ave North east of military to Gulfstream road and south to 3324 Hope to see some of our fellow painters out and we will be working with a group by the name of BLAST! Hope to see you there :-)

Letter from Historic Resource Preservation Board that I read under public comment at the 1/17/12 Commission Meeting...

2012-01-18T13:26:00.002-05:00

"We are proud to serve on the City of Lake Worth's Historic Resource Preservation Board. We take the board's duties and responsibilities seriously, acting to preserve the many historical resources found in the city's built environment. We hope to take a key role in the upcoming celebration associated with the city's centennial in 2013.

Even though the board's primary focus is preservation of the city's past, we also are concerned about the city's future. The city cannot adequately protect its physical heritage if it doesn't have the regulatory structure and staff needed to support that effort. We are looking forward to our joint meeting with the City Commission and Planning and Zoning Board on the completion of city's land development regulations.

While that will go a long way in laying down the regulatory framework for future redevelopment in the city, the rules are only the beginning. Staff of sufficient quantity and quality is needed to make sure that the city's wishes, as embodied in those regulations, are carried out on a day-in, day-out basis.

We are aware that the 2011 City of Lake Worth budget includes many positions within the Sustainability Department that are designed to meet the existing and future needs of the city. Traditionally, the city has under-staffed planning department functions in relation to the size of the city and the complexities unique to Lake Worth. The positions included in this budget address historical staffing deficiencies in this critical area. The operational efficiencies afforded by these positions pay off in improved quality of life for residents, property owners and business owners. More than any other department, the work of the Sustainability Department, over the long term, contributes to the city's "bottom line" in the form of increased property values and greater private investment in property throughout the city.

Therefore, we urge the City Commission to preserve the positions already in the approved 2011 budget and look elsewhere to find opportunities to make up any shortfalls. Time is of the essence, especially as the city experiences the initial signs of an improving economy. Thank for your attention to these matters."

Lake Worth approves casino leases, then rescinds two of them in early-morning vote

2012-01-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

A more recent up-date. From the article:

"It's an embarrassment," Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill said, referring to the time spent approving, then rescinding leases with Fox Surf and Beach Shop and NYPD Pizza.

Mulvehill, who voted against rescinding the newly approved leases, left the commission chambers and paused to regain her composure before reentering the meeting.

"I'm shaking," she said.

I wonder if Willie provided comfort and aid? Click title for link. Her campaign contributors will have another shot on 1/31.

Johnny Longboats' pitch to Lake Worth booted as commissioners narrow plans for beach casino

2012-01-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

Willie's take on last night's festivities. Seems I missed all the fun when I left at 8:30 p.m. Click title for link.

City Commission Regular Meeting 1/17/12

2012-01-17T18:10:00.000-05:00

Click here for back-up. Click here for live stream. A,B,D,E,L are moved from the consent agenda to new business. Maxwell points out that these are all utility related and suggests they have a separate meeting on those in the future. He suggests putting together a utility only meeting on a regular basis - like once a month. The Mayor suggests other topical meetings with other departments. Mulvehill asks if any of them are immediate _"We're running a city. And we can't keep delaying." Mattey came in the room but hasn't spoken yet. She says that SFWMD needs an answer on the modeling to prevent them from setting the limit too low - we are past deadline now. The permit process is extended. If the modeling is not done, our permit would be 3.0 MGD limit instead of a little over 5 MGD. The Mayor says that it is important and should not be on consent - items are placed on consent by the clerk's and city manager's office. McVoy says that if we are concerned about having a higher limit and don't want to move up the RO plant, then we have to do the modeling. Maxwell makes a motion for another meeting on utility related items. Second by Amoroso. McVoy suggests that we deal with E tonight. Amoroso includes E as discussion for tonight. Maxwell agrees. Mayor says that we need to plan better on these topics. Mulvehill is concerned that we are backing up and we are not addressing these items. The Mayor doesn't like things that have been hanging around for years and now appearing on our agenda. Maxwell points out that if Commissioners were present at recent meetings, eh hem, that they could have taken care of business faster. There seems to be agreement that this is a heavy agenda. Motion passes with Mulvehill dissenting. I didn't catch the date for the special meeting on these items. Agenda approved unanimously.
Vete
Presentations. This one by Commissioner Mulvehill regarding Stalking Awareness Month. Palm Beach County declared January 2012 Stalking Awareness Month as well. Update from Planning and Zoning Board by Lynda Mahoney, Chair. Much emphasis placed on the backgrounds and experiences of those on the board. Bryant Park presentation, Herman Robinson. Public comment. Amoroso admits outsourcing is not getting the work done in many ways - downtown, the Cultural Plaza - looking at bringing people that care back. He is for a Veteran's Day parade - need volunteers, he is talking to the downtown people to bring it back. There is too much on this agenda and not for extending Mattey's contract. Mulvehill - outsourcing was a 1.2 million savings, can go back and hire but it will cost money. $4.5 million in inventory just in the utility department, 1.2 million in surplus, need a good way to manage inventory. McVoy reminds us that the Commissioner's responsibility is not in hiring other than the city manager, stripping 12th Avenue, can find out whose responsibility it is. Heard that an increase in staff in Sustainability Department and he agrees. He wants public comment in the minutes by name. Says that many people think that the city is not looking as good as it used to and point to the public work departments. Nobody wanted to raise taxes, we are feeling the effects. We have to pay for it. Maxwell commented about the smoking resolution and if Lynn Anderson wanted it brought back. She said yes. He asked how much a parade costs in this city - Veteran's Day will be in the next fiscal year's money. Regarding the audio, there are changes that were a bandaid sort of approach. There is a request out to bid, according to the Mayor - she personally asked for this. She wants us to hear everything. Maxwell also asks that Pam bring back something regarding how to better document these meetings with some sort of indexed audio for easier searching. He did not feel it appropriate to compensate someone beyond their contract. The Mayor is also uncomfortable about the compensation beyond the contract for employment. Likes the Green Fences idea. She has also almost tripped on pavers in the downtown. Clean-up is important and points out about the additional traffic through the downtown due to the closing of the Lantana bridge. She wants us to be the shining jewel that we are. According to the city attorney, the city cannot regulate smoking. McVoy says he was on P&Z longer than 14 days, more like three or four months.

Consent agenda, what is left, is approved unanimously.

Public hearings: Annexation 2002 Lake Worth Road (NE corner Boutwell and Lake Worth Road.) All yeas. And then the zoning and land use designation for that property. All yeas. Same on next item. And the last item in public hearings.

Unfinished business: Maxwell's item. He is talking about commitments made as part of the beach project and the unanticipated costs that are about to be passed on to the utility customers. He asks that the overage be rolled into a loan and he wonders if there is any interest in discussing this possibility. Mulvehill wants to have Mr. Carr to discuss what the implications are with an additional $2 million in loan funds. MANY VIDEOS HERE - WILL BE POSTED TOMORROW. Had to leave at 8:30 p.m.

Public Information Request...

2012-01-17T06:37:00.000-05:00

I put in a public information request for the SFWMD Water Use Permit application and the "density dependent model" talked about in the back-up material for item 8E on tonight's agenda. This "density dependent model" was put together to show the ultimate density of Lake Worth, which along with height limitations, have significant planning implications. What future did those that decided it have in mind for Lake Worth? Does that "density dependent model" assume a city of buildings no more than 35 feet in height? By going with the County water deal, which would have more of a likelihood of an abundant supply of water - at a price, have been a threat to those that think that "over-development" is the biggest worry the city faces? By going with our own RO plant, did we tie ourselves to a growth pattern that might be considered more rural than urban? How was this "density dependent model" linked, if at all, to the city's Comprehensive Plan? How much capacity can the RO plant ultimately supply and how does that jive with the current draw limitations coming from SFWMD? How much electricity does the RO plant use when it is built out to its maximum capacity? Where does this power come from? How is this part of "sustainable" development? Are we already "in the hole" in terms of our current water use and what is ultimately permitable? Why is such an important item on the consent agenda? That question I have an answer for - to protect those who made these decisions from facing hard questions.

I am sure that Commissioner McVoy, formerly with SFWMD, can shed abundant light on the situation. After all, he has a doctorate, is a scientist and drinks data like coffee.

I will add that this is part of the new "glasnost" that we are experiencing after the departure of our former city manager. This is but one of many upcoming revelations.

Another kind of water worry...

2012-01-16T20:29:00.001-05:00

One of the unique things about tomorrow night's City Commission agenda...

2012-01-16T20:17:00.002-05:00

...is the length of the consent agenda. Item 8E sheds some light on our water permit situation with SFWMD and might go a long way in explaining why I heard a whole lot of nothing back on the status of our withdrawal permit from SFWMD. At the time, a few months ago, other municipalities and the unincorporated county went back to normal watering times. Lake Worth remains, although it is hard to tell, on the most strict watering standards.

A brief bucket of history: We had to find another source of water other than the Surficial Aquifer that the city has relied upon for years due to evidence of saltwater intrusion. After an aborted attempt at permitting for an ocean outfall for our Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant, we then went to Palm Beach County for water and then broke that contract and went back to building our own RO plant which is now getting rid of its waste through deep well injection. That method is much more unknown than the effects of an ocean outfall, but politically impossible in this day and age. However, there may be unforeseen circumstances springing from deep well injection that we won't know for many years into the future.

Well the RO plant is running and, according to the back-up memo, we made the assumption that SFWMD was going to give us a permit to draw 5.3 MGD in the dry season and 6.0 in the wet season on average from the Surficial aquifer. (M is for millions, G is for gallons and D is for day) After many go-arounds with permitting and responding to SFWMD questions, they are only willing to give us 3.0 MGD in the dry season and 3.4 MGD in the wet season. This application work was taken through the permitting process by none other than Mock-Roos. The back-up memo says that the contract for that work was approved on February 25, 2010, but going to the city's website under 2010 City Commission meetings, there was no meeting on February 25th. The memo doesn't indicate the dollar amount of that contract.

The contract to do further modelling is an attempt to satisfy SFWMD concerns that the city's requested rate of withdrawal will not create more salt-water intrusion that otherwise would occur naturally and is priced at $61,800.

What this means is that the city expected SFWMD to go along with the city's request that would NOT require EXPANSION of the just finished RO plant until 2017. If SFWMD doesn't approve that rate of withdrawal, we will have to expand our JUST FINISHED RO plant to accommodate a greater withdrawal from the Floridan aquifer (source for the RO plant.) Assumptions have been made that pushed off expansion into the future that allowed for lower rates - remember the RO plant was funded through water rate increases. And, I remember many go-arounds by the Commission on how big to make the plant initially. It is my understanding that it can double its capacity eventually, but at a cost.

Suddenly things are more clear - expect to be paying more for water in the future.

And this...

2012-01-16T19:02:00.003-05:00

While at the beach two weekends ago, I saw no less than five dogs on leashes with owners. Is this being enforced or can Mars go to the beach too?

Also from the 1/13/12 City Manager's Report...

2012-01-16T18:56:00.001-05:00

Commnunity Sustainability Highlights

The Historic Resources Preservation Board met this week and elected new officers. Manny Occhiogrosso will be the Chair again and Wes Blackman will be the Vice Chair. At the same meeting the Board approved three (3) requests for Certificates of Appropriateness for changes to residential structures.

Lectures this week with the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach

2012-01-16T13:22:00.004-05:00

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
2pm
HISTORIC LANDSCAPE LECTURE SERIES:
Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmstead by Justin Martin
311 Peruvian Avenue
$20 non-members - $10 members - Patron and above members free

Frederick Law Olmsted is arguably the most important historical figure that the average American knows the least about. Best remembered for his landscape architecture, from New York’s Central Park to Boston’s Emerald Necklace to Stanford University’s campus, Olmsted was also an influential journalist, early voice for the environment, and abolitionist credited with helping dissuade England from joining the South in the Civil War. Most of all, he was a social reformer. He didn’t simply create places that were beautiful in the abstract. An awesome and timeless intent stands behind Olmsted’s designs, allowing his work to survive to the present day. With our urgent need to revitalize cities and a widespread yearning for green space, his work is more relevant now than it was during his lifetime. Justin Martin restores Olmsted to his rightful place in the pantheon of great Americans.

Justin Martin, author of highly praised biographies of Alan Greenspan and Ralph Nader, lives in Forest Hills Gardens, New York, an enclave of New York City designed by Olmsted’s son. Justin Martin articles have appeared in a variety of publications, including Fortune, Newsweek, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Martin is a 1987 graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Note: I am just finishing this book. If any of you are interested in going and sharing a ride, please let me know.

Pics of Casino Building per 1/13/12 City Manager's Report

2012-01-16T12:57:00.003-05:00

This is the ballroom on the second floor - which, to me, seems to have a lower ceiling height than what is usually found in ballroom sorts of spaces. Anyone know how many square feet this area ended up being?

From the "This and That File" - things that don't fit neatly anywhere else. I bumped into a few readers of all the Lake Worth blogs over the weekend. It seems that a majority think that a certain blogger, famous for her collection of pit-bull pics, finds pleasure in self-populating comments under her own blog posts. Also, while this particular blogger uses every opportunity to disparage the work of Mr. Kroll, a while ago I discovered this tidbit of history concerning the "two-way" 2nd Avenue North incident. It seems that Mr. Kroll was on a planned vacation and, prior to his return, Ms. Stanton instructed crews to go out there and stripe the road for two-way traffic, in a completely unilateral action undertaken by the city. Upon his return, Mr. Kroll was surprised to see the work done while he was away, with the knowledge that permits and cooperation with various agencies hadn't taken place. Was this a set-up by our former City Manager? Remember the fiasco regarding the no parking area on 16th Avenue North near the MadHatter? Was that part of the same scheme? That "solution" also turned out to be part of Ms. Waterman's campaign, aided and abetted by the former City Manager.

Anyway, food for thought.

Florida Propaganda Film ca. 1955

2012-01-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

West Palm Beach/Palm Beach are featured around the 8 minute mark.

Taking Parking Lots Seriously, as Public Spaces - NYTimes.com

2012-01-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

ARTS

Paved, but Still Alive

By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN

Published: January 6, 2012

We need to take parking lots more seriously, architecturally, and to think of them as public spaces, as part of the infrastructure of our streets and sidewalks.

Click title for link to article. A local example:

MLK

2012-01-16T07:19:00.000-05:00

“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

Beware the Trojan Horse...

2012-01-15T15:19:00.001-05:00

From yet another astute reader, this one was even "certified" for a while...

2012-01-15T14:39:00.001-05:00

With all this talk by some about the need for our new City Manager to have the ICMA (International City Managers Association) "credential," it's important to point out that "credential" only requires that one have a certain combination of experience and education, the taking of an "Applied Knowledge Assessment" (not a pass/fail test) and an annual payment of a fee to the ICMA. Here is what one knowledgeable reader (who is inside the city management profession) shared with me this weekend:

"While I agree the best thing this new commission did was to fire Susan Stanton, I believe the process they are now following was a complete setup by Stanton and the progressives. Knowing of the eventuality of her termination, I believe Stanton and Margoles (and maybe Carr) laid out a cleverly planned set of actions this commission is now following (or stuck with). On the night of her firing, staff immediately jumped into this "we must find another wonderful ICMA Credentialed Manager" and quickly brought in Kurt Bressner and the Range Riders (other ICMA managers without current employment). The ensuing discussions and debates have set up the need for the City to ONLY HIRE AN ICMA CREDENTIALED MANAGER - and all others be damned. Ms. Anderson is the public ring-leader for this new cause, actually posting the resumes of candidates who have the ICMA seal of approval. Only Credential Managers make her grade. All others are dismissed. And I must ask - Is the sign of a good City Manager to have multiple jobs in the past 25 years? Are more jobs better because it makes for a longer resume? I don't know about you, but I'd rather see a professional with 2 or 3 jobs over the past 25 years than someone with 10 or more jobs over the same time frame.

I can tell you many years ago I was a member of ICMA, just as Margoles is now. Nothing special - you just pay an annual membership fee. In my case the annual fee was about $400. The annual fee was always paid by my employer. Everyone reading this (if posted) could join ICMA for about $200 per year. If you work for a government the fee increases to a fixed % of your annual salary. Trust me on this - ICMA probably doesn't care who becomes a member, they just want the $$$. It reminds me of the GFOA CAFR Award of Excellence that Stanton bought for the City's finance department. All you need to do is submit the CAFR along with the outlandish fee and if you prepared the CAFR correctly you win the award. Most decent finance departments in America have these silly plaques hanging on a wall somewhere. There are so many CAFR Excellence awards given each year ICMA actually prints a bound book listing the award recipients.

My concern is the City is now locked into a manager search in which everyone is fixated only on ICMA Credentialed managers. This greatly reduces the potential field of qualified candidates and leaves out others who could easily handle the responsibilities. Past City Directors come to mind, also people like Joan Oliva from the CRA. These people know the City and its problems. They also know the pitfalls of the politics here. Bringing in some stranger from another part of the state, or from another part of the country, probably is not in this City's best interest. These "strangers" would not know what they were getting into. Yes, they may have loads of past government jobs under their belt (that is a whole different issue) and have paid their annual ICMA dues to make them so wonderful to the world, but they may easily be destroyed by the toxic politics and severe social problems we experience. Or maybe they are a Trojan Horse plant and come in to serve the other side and continue to prop up and support the progressive / anarchist agenda.

In summary, it seems the moment Stanton was fired this new ICMA Credentialed Manager strategy appeared at staff's suggestion, and within days there was Bressner making the case. What does this City need and what do the elected officials want - someone they know and respect, or a complete stranger who just happens to have have his or her employer pay the annual ICMA dues to make them appear better than any other candidate - by paying ICMA to receive that word "credentialed". Likewise, the City should not hire a "toadie" - a Scott Maxwell puppet (Ms. Anderson's phrase) - but this new commission majority has the chance to bring in a leader more concerned with fixing the problems in this City and undoing the recent wrongs brought about by the progressives - than in displaying their plagues and awards. Yes, being a Range Rider (very self-service group, I'd say) or credential ICMA manager is good, but it should not be a flat out requirement. And I'm sure there are several great, local people willing and able to step in and take control of this City without the need for a big state-wide or national search."

In response, I pointed out the difference between the ICMA "credential" and the American Planning Association (APA) credential of American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP.) Not only do you need a requisite combination of education and experience and payment of an annual fee, you need to PASS a test that determines your level of familiarity and mastery of core planning principles and history. Not everyone who takes this test passes and there is a cottage industry to prepare those who take the test. I know some people who have taken the AICP exam two and three times before they pass. They also change the test every year and include many current topics relevant to the planning profession. After you pass the test, you get a certificate indicating such and the privilege of using AICP behind your name in professional correspondence, letterheads, business cards, etc. However, you are also required to maintain your certification by gaining continuing education credits through approved courses each year. This is much more of a REAL credentialing program than that of the ICMA. So, the question remains, why are some fixated on it to such a degree?

I would also state that the term "progressives" is grossly misused in describing those that support the former Commission majority. And, I also should mention that this person used a more colorful name when identifying Ms. Anderson...

More from our astute reader:

"Yes, the AICP and even LEED-AP are different in that you need to pass a test then maintain the certification through routine continuing education. ICMA is simply a membership.

Yes to your thought about Stanton selling her soul to support the extreme left wing agenda of the progressive / anarchist group. The mere fact that she was turned down on 300 consecutive job interviews should say something about her / him as a candidate. This also goes to my concern that hiring a complete unknown person (Editor: Which would be encouraged by requiring ICMA certification) opens up the possibility of a Trojan Horse candidate. I can see the five commissioners finding and settling on a certain candidate who initially appeases all sides, then that person turns out to be another Stanton-like manager. Or the hiring of an unknown may present a very short-term manager who quickly finds out that the quagmire of issues is overwhelming and runs for the hills, only after picking up his 6 months of severance."

January Mango Groves Meeting

2012-01-15T10:01:00.003-05:00

Please join us next Thursday night, 1/19/12, 7pm, at Compass, for the monthly Mango Groves Neighborhood Association meeting. If you are in possession of a sign we ask that you put it out at this time too. We will be having our election and swearing in of officers at this meeting, along with an update from PBSO.

Have a great weekend, MGNA Board of Directors

mangogroves.org

Marilyn Monroe

2012-01-14T10:20:00.002-05:00

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

New Jersey cosmetics manufacturer relocating headquarters and manufacturing operations to the City of Lake Worth

2012-01-12T14:51:00.002-05:00

Lake Worth, FL -- In partnership with Palm Beach County and the City of Lake Worth, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) today announced that Radical Cosmetics, LLC, will relocate its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility from New Brunswick, New Jersey to a 26,000 square foot building in the City of Lake Worth Commerce Park. The company selected Palm Beach County and Lake Worth over locations in California and Virginia.
Radical Cosmetics is a USDA certified cosmetics manufacturer whose contract manufacturing services include custom and stock formulations, cosmetics color matching, package development and sourcing, bulk cosmetic filling, product labeling, pack-outs, re-work and kit assembly. They are recognized as one of the premier cosmetic contract manufacturers of pressed powders in the U.S. and a bulk cosmetic supplier of a variety of other cosmetic and beauty products.
Fenton Baijnath, CEO of Radical Cosmetics said, “The decision to relocate to the City of Lake Worth was based upon access to major highways and ports, and the affordable cost of doing business. “The City of Lake Worth and the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County had such a business-friendly attitude which was a refreshing change from past experience in other states.”
Kelly Smallridge, President and CEO of the Business Development Board, reports that Radical Cosmetics purchased the 26,000 square foot building at 1942 8^th Avenue North in Lake Worth. They will create 40 jobs with an average annual wage of $45,000. Ms. Smallridge added, “The BDB is delighted to have landed the 9^th company in 4 months and another corporate headquarters to the county. We will continue to work with the company and Workforce Alliance to identify training grants for the employees they will hire.”
About the BDB
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County is the official public/private economic development organization for Palm Beach County and Enterprise Florida. Founded in 1982 as a not-for-profit corporation, its primary purpose is to attract and retain new industry, business investment, and high quality jobs through corporate relocations, expansions and international trade. During the past five years, the BDB has assisted companies that have created more than 7,700 direct jobs with average salaries greater than $55,400, resulting in more than $355 million in capital investment to Palm Beach County and an economic impact that exceeds $1.8 billion. Additional information can be found at the BDB’s website, BDB.org.

2012-01-12T13:33:00.001-05:00

Scott meets with Palm Beach County officials, mulls riding Tri-Rail | Post on Politics

2012-01-12T10:27:00.000-05:00

Sheesh, it seems like our Governor wanted to be a Tri-Rail conductor for a day, maybe. He probably wanted to be a fireman too when he grew up. Click title for link to article.

Mayor Pam Triolo on the Radio

2012-01-11T12:47:00.002-05:00

Good Afternoon Folks!

Tune in to “The Mayor Show” on WPBR 1340AM and listen to Mayor Pam Triolo today and every Wednesday at 12:00 pm
and call in with your comments by dialing (561) 588-0675.

Log onto http://www.wpbr1340am.com to learn more!

Listen to WPBR Radio over any phone in the US by dialing (712) 432-6625

By the way...

2012-01-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

My Texas friend left this afternoon and hopped on Tri-Rail to get the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. We looked at the schedule to make sure he had plenty of time - two hours away from take-off when he arrived at the station, at the scheduled time. However, they stopped his train at the Boca station with a report that an AmTrak train had been in an accident - it turns out it was a train/pedestrian accident at the Pompano station. So, his train wasn't going to move for a while. Panic ensued, he called me and I couldn't get through due to a busy network. We eventually made contact and somehow he found a cab to share with someone, for a flat fare of $60, would take him to the Fort Lauderdale airport.

So, it is not a perfect system - what is? But, if you are adventurous, it is worth a try. If you do try it, try to build in a lot of lead time and maybe find something productive or interesting to do or visit while you wait. He made it on the plane in plenty of time using the alternative mode of transport.

Governor Rick Scott 01-10-12 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS (FULL)

2012-01-10T16:34:00.002-05:00

Lantana bridge set to close March 18 with town-sponsored party

2012-01-10T08:02:00.000-05:00

What is Lake Worth doing to capitalize on this bridge closing? Click title for link to PBP article.

Chance meeting with Assistant City Manager Margoles yesterday...

2012-01-10T07:58:00.001-05:00

In city hall for another meeting during the day yesterday, I happened to bump into our Assistant City Manager Margoles. Seems as though yours truly was the reason she was up at 2 a.m. attempting to form a response to the revelations regarding the parking meter system at the beach. There was then an 8 a.m. meeting between the various "higher-ups." Seems as though there is indeed a "2 hour minimum" stay at the beach. When I asked if this was formally acted upon, she indicated that the idea was presented and no one objected so it found its way into city policy - one of those "consensuses" from a work session on the budget. In response, the city is fashioning a sign that will indicate that there is a 2 hour minimum stay and word-smithing the sign is underway. Some of the Commissioners have already seen some version of it. She also said that they are planning and getting another machine for the top lot.

Parking revenue, not surprisingly, is way up and the "actual" figures generated by today's system are being used "going forward" for future revenue projections...hmmm. Maybe someone thought there would be a shortfall otherwise? Parking revenue from the beach is supposed to be paying for the lifeguards and the subsidy for the non-revenue producing pool. The Casino building tenant leases are designed to pay off the debt and operating costs related to the Casino building itself, according to Ms. Margoles.

Foreshadowing in March 7, 1950 article on "new" casino building...

2012-01-10T07:42:00.002-05:00

"The story of reconstruction is a long one, with the path of progress by the present city commission often beset by difficult problems and what appeared at times to be insurmountable handicaps. The wreckage and salvage problem alone following the storm presented a tremendous task.
Then came the mapping of plans for a new, more beautiful and more spacious structure to rise in the place of the old Casino, which for many years has served as a landmark for passing ships, plying the sea lanes to all parts of the world, both in time of peace and in time of war.
After many long and arduous sessions, many of them lasting far into the night, Lake Worth's City Commission...devised ways and means whereby Lake Worth could again have a Casino to accommodate thousands of home folks as well as thousands of visitors who come to Lake Worth every year..."

The Lake Worth Leader, March 7, 1950

"As I write this from the olive-laden hills of Kalamata..."

2012-01-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

RE-POSTED BY REQUEST - First posted on 11/1/11

Panagioti (sorry for the capitalization Pan ol' boy) and his expatriate manifesto...grandiosity and pretentiousness are not only limited to our Mayor (referring to Ms. Waterman), it seems. History will record it as "panagioti's Kalamata Tree-tise" Click here for link to his current vision for Lake Worth, the world and the whole of humanity. You can see where the many rivers of policy that stream from dais come forth. Panagioti is chair of the Community Relations Board (which he refers to in this e-mail) and the scope of the board's activities is coming up under New Business on tonight's City Commission agenda. Key among these is the demand to cut the PBSO contract by 25% so that we can free ourselves from living under a "Mafia-esque" police state. Strangely, he thinks that this police state contributes to "boredom" in the city. I don't know about you, but I prefer boredom to the excitement of an armed home invasion on most days.

And, if you are in the mood, here is some Kalamata olive pornography for you to enjoy:

Tonight's CRB Meeting - Comment from an eye-witness...

2012-01-10T00:05:00.002-05:00

"Have no idea where is the right spot to post this, but I witnessed the CRB meeting tonight and it was a nightmare.
Tsolkas, the chair, wound up showing his true colors toward the end of the meeting, and it turned into a fiasco.
While he tried to push forth his personal agenda, all of a sudden, 3 people on the board began to ask why...why he wanted an investigation into PBSO regarding youth attacks...on and on, until it became ( quickly) a realization that he had his own agenda and just wanted the board to push his own ideals through.
It wa shameful and unbelievable to witness.

If this town allows him to continue, then I have NO faith in this town. He is an avowed anarchist and showed a comp,etely rude and condescending manner toward the crb meeting tonight.

After tonight's meeting, he should in NO way remain Chair of this Board. Period. "

Can't forget this!

2012-01-09T23:22:00.001-05:00

From March 1950....

2012-01-09T23:13:00.001-05:00

Try this link to the full front page. I suggest downloading it to your hard drive and using your photo viewer software to zoom in.

Nicely produced video on the Lake Worth NSP2 Program

2012-01-09T09:22:00.001-05:00

E-mail to the City Commission and Staff: Parking Meters at Beach - City Thievery?

2012-01-09T08:05:00.003-05:00

I have out-of-town guests in town this week and we made a trip to the beach on both Saturday and Sunday. It was the first time that I had been to the beach, by car, for any length of time so it required that we use the parking meter system. Beyond the long lines and the grumbling by patrons about the confusing user-interface, I was appalled that the city is apparently flagrantly using a bait-and switch tactic as it relates to parking rates at the beach. The advertised rate is $2 per hour but it is impossible to only indicate that you want to stay one hour and pay two dollars to do so. No, everyone is only given the option of two hours at $4. This is LYING! There is not even a sign, which would go a distance to solve the problem, saying that there is a two hour minimum.

It is my understanding that this is not news to the former City Commission, as it was discussed during the 2011 budget considerations. Furthermore, I understand that the former City Manager was aware of the situation, but apparently did nothing to address the matter - apparently satisfied that the City would automatically collect 2X the minimum rate every time someone bought a ticket.

It is important that our public institutions set a proper example. For many, this could be their first and only exposure to the organ known as the City of Lake Worth. What sort of impression does this leave in the mind of the general public about how the City manages its affairs? It is my sincere wish that this matter is addressed as soon as possible.

If someone could direct me to the meeting where this particular situation was discussed, I would appreciate it. Thank you!

See attached pictures showing the user interface which declares that parking is $2 per hour and the display screen which shows $0 at first and then $4 next after hitting the "add time" button. I would like to point out that there is not a corresponding "subtract time" button.

Lake Worth Beach Music - $4 per hour parking

2012-01-08T16:55:00.001-05:00

It happened again today - $4 with NO $2 option for one hour. Happened to the person in front of me too. Pic to follow.

The air/ground transportation interface...

2012-01-08T10:46:00.004-05:00

My friend arrived from Texas this past Friday night. One night in December, he was checking out flights and fares on the Internet and discovered that Spirit Air had a $40 round trip fare from Dallas to Ft. Lauderdale. He immediately snatched it up, called me and gave me the date that he was arriving. This was a spur of the moment decision for him, and me, but I delightfully looked forward for the opportunity to visit with him in person. His plane was scheduled to arrive around 8:30 p.m. The planner side of me got to thinking that he might be able to take advantage of our Tri-Rail commuter railroad with a shuttle from the Ft. Lauderdale airport to the nearby Tri-Rail station, and then on to the Lake Worth station where I could pick him up. Looking at the schedule (it takes some study), it appeared that he would be here with time to spare before the last train leaves the station at 10:18 p.m. That would put him in Lake Worth around 11 p.m. We both thought that was workable and planned accordingly.

Friday came and he made the plane in Dallas. I monitored the progress on a flight tracker found on the web. It increasingly became apparent that he would be late, as the plane was shown as still being on the ground. It turned out to be about an hour's delay due to what I later found out was the inability of the front cabin phone to communicate with the rear cabin phone. I knew that the hour's delay would probably result in a "photo finish" - even if everything clicked and my friend found his way and navigated the the ticket process.

He called me once he landed, while still on the plane. It was just after 9:30 p.m. and I told him that I thought he could make it as he had 45 minutes until the last train left. He said the plane was taking time to unload. According to the schedule, the last shuttle left at 10:08 p.m., which leaves 10 minutes for the shuttle to get from the terminal to terminal. He ended up making the shuttle, but in the shadow of the Tri-Rail station, he got to witness the last train leaving the station while still on the shuttle. The driver took him back to the terminal so that he could rent a car for a day and we would return it the following day. I was disappointed in my practical planning experiment and sorry that instead of maybe a $5 to Lake Worth, it was going to be more than 10 times that for a rental car for a day.

So he got up here o.k. and the next day, in the mid-afternoon, we headed to Ft. Lauderdale to return the car. He rented from E-Z Rental which has no branch in West Palm Beach.

After the hour's drive, we winded through the serpentine access ways of the Ft. Lauderdale airport in search of the rental car return area, which we finally found (near Terminal 1 of 4.) Once that was taken care of, we had to go the opposite way of the usual sign and pedestrian traffic flow to find the shuttle pick-up and drop off point. After two or three false starts, we found the Tri-Rail Shuttle stop for Terminal 1 and waited there about 20 minutes until the 5:20 p.m. shuttle arrived. Here are some pictures I took during the process:

This is the sign that you need to look for indicating the Tri-Rail shuttle stop. It is not very obvious.

This is the bus - sorry, not the full view - it is one of the short shuttle buses, sort of like the rental car companies use. There is no fare to ride from the airport to the Tri-Rail terminal.

This is a picture of my friend from inside the bus. He is not as despondent in real-life as he looks in this picture.

This is at the station. I took a picture of the bike locker facilities located outside the station. These are for people to lock and store their bikes that they ride to the station and who do not need them at the other end of their trip.

In order to use the bike lockers, you need to register for them ahead of time by calling an 800 number or going to the SFRTA/Tri-Rail website.

This is a view of the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Airport Tri-Rail station. We had to wait about 45 minutes for the northbound train - the second last of the day on weekends. The last train leaves there at 9:03 p.m. Notably, weekend fares are a flat $5 - period. This means no matter how far you go or how many times you get off and on the train in any direction, you only pay once! So, you can leave West Palm Beach early Saturday morning, go to Miami and return the same day for $5 - period. The only regret yesterday is that I could have brought my Kindle to read during the wait, but the wait also gave us more time to visit.

Once on the train, at the front of each car, there is space for bikes. This seems limited and I am no sure about the security, but it would be possible to ride to a station, board with your bike and have use of it at the other end. Might be part of a nice weekend jaunt.

The train was FULL - we ended up on the second level. It took about 45 minutes from the Ft. Lauderdale airport station to the Lake Worth station. I thought ahead and called a cab company from the train once we left Delray. They told me not to bother that there were plenty of cabs that would be waiting for passengers de-training at the station and that we would have our pick. When we got off at the Lake Worth station, we were confronted with a bit of a Moroccan market of cab drivers all vying for our hire. The first cab we got into had too low a battery to start, so we ended up exiting that one, which I thought could have provoked a fight between taxi drivers. That didn't happen, but it seemed like a possibility. The cab fare from the station to my house in College Park was $15 with tip - which was three times the cost of the weekend Tri-Rail fare.

A day at the beach, Lake Worth Style

2012-01-08T07:45:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, being one of those days weather-wise that you would like to capture and save in a bottle, sent out a clarion call to go to the beach. Also contributing to this compulsion was the fact that I am entertaining someone from Dallas for a few days. He used to live in south Florida and we ran around together some twenty-two years ago. We got up at a rather leisurely hour, given that he, another friend and I had sampled the rich and fecund night life offerings of our fair city. Upon meeting our immediate biological and hygienic requirements, we sought a place to satiate our hunger for food. After tossing around a few ideas, we decided that the Benny's at the Beach would be a good place and it would offer my Texas friend a chance to re-acquaint himself with the Atlantic Ocean. We scampered to our vehicle and arrived at the beach, making sure that before I left that I brought my camera with us.

As we passed the crest of the Lake Worth bridge and continued east, we notice the Lake Worth Farmers Market still in full swing. And my guest mentions that after brunch, we should drop by there. For no particular reason, we didn't take advantage of the suggestion. My Texas friend notices the construction taking place at the casino building site and asks me how's that going. Not wanting to spoil a pleasant morning with a long explanation, I said, "The devil is in the details." And that seemed to satisfy his curiosity enough that there were no further questions. We rounded the curve at the south end of the property, got the first clear glimpse of the ocean and then we went to park in the upper parking lot. At this time, my friend points out some long lines in the middle of the parking lot and asks, "What is that about?" I said that the city took out the meters and that the BCE and BCME recently replaced the automated meters with a different kind of automatic meter system. He said that seems like a faulty system if there are lines like this all the time. I agreed.

We park and get in line at the nearest meter station. You must remember your parking space number, spray painted in faded yellow at the entrance to your parking space, and enter it into the machine. But, before you do that you have to wait in line. I took some pictures of the sort of line that we experienced and saw in other areas of the parking lot.

There was a lot of chatter in the line that we were in about the process. "Why is this taking so long?" "Oh, it's the city, they decided these things." "I guess it's not the city, but all cities are like this." "Two dollars an hour to park? WOW!" etc.

We were in line about 15 to 20 minutes after a lot of multiple exasperated attempts to get a ticket by those ahead of us in line. The guy immediately in front of us tried to use his debit card no fewer than four times and the machine said that his card was unreadable. He said wouldn't come back - it was a new card that shouldn't have any problems being read. He didn't want to take the risk of getting a ticket - so he and his family of four left.

We had a little more luck in one way, not so much in another. You enter your space number first, then it asks you for the amount of time that you want. The screen starts at 0 hours and there are various buttons there - one saying "add time." When you hit that button, it adds time, but suddenly you see that it says $4.00, for two hours, instead of $2.00 for one hour. There is no "subtract time" button. The number pad buttons didn't do anything to change the display, so the city, in essence, was forcing us to pay $2 more for an hour we didn't need. I guess now we understand the optimistic parking revenue estimates presented by the BCME and included in the business plan for the casino building. We finally got our ticket and the next person in line started grumbling about the machine.

And, this got me to thinking of this being just one of the many legacies of the BCME and how the personality of these parking meters strangely reflected her limited skills in dealing with the public in a fair and honest manner. Unfortunately, we will all be able to identify, with stunning frequency, a number of similar legacies, some with severe financial consequences. Then I thought how much of a waste of opportunity it was to insist that the casino building location was a given in the design of the beach redevelopment plan. If the city had exercised more flexibility in the location of that building, it could have developed a workable site plan that would have allowed for attended parking lots (or at least the most heavily utilized lot) - 100% collection, lines (if there were any) would be at the end of one's visit to the beach and it could also employ a parking validation program on the part of the beach businesses where they essentially pay for their customers parking. My friend pointed out to me that the city is already paying money to someone to enforce parking there - couldn't that money be spent for an attendant? Apparently, that whole idea made too much sense and there were more political chits to fry by the BCE in doing it the way it is being done. Well, we are living with the result and will be for quite some time.

I love Benny's and we had a very nice meal - but forget any notion of it being an "egalitarian" diner for the masses. Our brunch for three was $50 with tip.

Other pictures from our visit:

There is no working shower north of the pier. The small print of the sign directs you to go south of the pier where one was working.

After we left, my local friend, who is not an urban planner, pointed out that Rudy Guiliani helped turn around New York City by focusing on the little things - like customer service, working showers at the beach, etc - and that the big things will take care of themselves. We would be wise to focus on these "little things."

Visual Ephemera: Is Shuffleboard Worth Preserving?

2012-01-07T10:34:00.000-05:00

Blog article on preserving our shuffleboard history written by a Floridian interested in keeping the game alive. Yours truly is quoted in the article. Remember, there will be a charette on the 25th of January at the Shuffleboard Court building.

Michael Smith: Largo's first openly gay elected official

2012-01-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

Click title for link to article on an openly gay commissioner in Largo, whence came Ms. Stanton. She gets a brief mention in the article.

One of this blog's many astute readers points out the following regarding the Community Relations Board (CRB):

2012-01-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

"The CRB really has no power to do anything but blather. It has no subpoena power, so it cannot compel anyone to "testify" on any issue. There are no penalties for ignoring it. Click here for actual powers of the CRB contained in the City's Code of Ordinances, Chapter 2, Article XVI.

Note also that the City Commission is supposed to "review and approve" an annual work program:

"The board shall develop a yearly work plan to be reviewed and approved by the city commission, which will articulate how the listed outcomes will be achieved. "

Has this been done? I interpret this to mean that their activities have to be approved on an annual basis in advance by the City Commission. That should be the lead item on their first meeting of the new year. The ordinance does not give the Board the authority to set its own agenda (although the City Commission can let them run amok).

Also see the authority of the City Manager:

"The city manager or appointed designee shall be the official medium of communication between the city commission and the board" (emphasis added).

This could be interpreted to mean that the Board cannot communicate to the Commission except through the City Manager.

The whole concept is absurd as presently structured. Does anyone ever read an ordinance in LW after it is adopted?"

TRNA | January Meeting

2012-01-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday friends & neighbors. I hope you had a joyous holiday.

Just a reminder that on Monday, January 9th at 7pm at Compass, the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association will be holding it's monthly meeting. Two items of importance will be on the agenda, the election of new officers and a discussion on traffic calming in the neighborhood.

Nominees for Officers:

President - Bob Elliott

Vice-President - Steffanie Mayo

Secretary/Treasurer - Jessica Plotkin

All full members of the Association will be eligible to vote.

In addition, Jaime Brown, Acting Public Works Director will be joining us again for a discussion on proposed traffic calming in the TRNA district. Please join us and share your thoughts and suggestions as to what/where/why/how you think traffic calming is necessary in the neighborhood.

Finally, we would like to schedule a clean-up for later this month. As you are driving around this weekend, please note the alley/lots/etc you think we should tackle.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on Monday!

CITY OF LAKE WORTH COMMUNITY RELATIONS BOARD Monday January 9, 2012 City Hall Conference Room

2012-01-05T22:28:00.002-05:00

One of the city's advisory boards upcoming agendas. Interestingly, the second page of the agenda is a large version of the city's un-copywrited logo - perhaps as a grab at some sort of legitimacy? What other board does this?

Looking at this particular excessively long agenda, do they expect the meeting to go longer than two days? What is expected to be resolved by addressing so many holistic issues on one agenda? What power does this board have in reality to enforce any of its decisions? Does this just create a platform for people that will never be satisfied? Mr. Tsolkas is chair.

Click here for link to city's website. There is no additional back-up material.

Why I couldn't find the P&Z agenda for last night's meeting...

2012-01-05T15:44:00.001-05:00

An e-mail from Sandi DuBose includes this:

Since late 2006, the meeting agendas have been loaded in two places to the website: one is the “Meetings and Events Calendar” and the other is the “Volunteer Board” location. A link to the P&Z Agenda was in fact uploaded to both places.

As we change years, we have to create a new heading for the current year. When I checked the website just now, the Agendas were in both places, but not visible in the Volunteer Board location. There is on “on” “off” position: when the “on” is selected the item is visible; when the “off” is selected (as can happen during editing) the item is not visible.

That I know of, I am the only one who goes on our website and manages those items; apparently, I failed to notice that the Volunteer Board location in the “off” position.

I didn't realize that the agendas were available in two locations. FYI

Open Source Computing with No On-site Servers

2012-01-05T08:20:00.003-05:00

The City of Pittsburgh announced yesterday that they have switched over to Google Apps, getting rid of all of their previous Microsoft programs - and attendant/recurring licensing fees. This comes up every year during budget time about how Lake Worth should go to open source software. If a city the size of Pittsburgh can do this one time transition for $400,000, I am sure Lake Worth's conversion would be much less. Pittsburgh predicts that on a recurring basis, they will save 25% of what they used to pay for Microsoft products.

Most importantly, the city loses the need to have, maintain and upgrade its own servers. Everything will be stored in the "cloud."

Under public comment at the last City Commission meeting, Greg Rice pointed out how obviously superior Lantana's, our smaller neighbor to the south, website is - noting that ours is hard to navigate and not regularly updated. Think how many resources could be allocated toward an improved website and resident interface if we didn't have to dedicate personnel to maintaining our own servers and other programs citywide. Rather than just talk about this and preen ourselves on the dais talking about "open source" software, lets take steps to actually do it.

Tonight's Planning and Zoning Board Meeting (1/4/12)

2012-01-04T19:16:00.001-05:00

Click here for live stream. I listened to a long presentation on the potential for urban agriculture - which included discussion about agriculture in the Park of Commerce - including egg production. Mr. Waters pointed out that the city really didn't own land in the Park of Commerce, so it might be costly to assemble. Bees were discussed and Commissioner Jennings commented that bees are regulated by the state and permitted through state inspections. Any local legislation would require to mirror the state legislation. She also said that the city should be careful not to stress curb appeal if urban agriculture is allowed - that it would provide a disincentive for people to do this. She said that it still shouldn't look like a debris field. She acknowledged that "some people, in some areas" are sensitive to this. This study is on-going and Mr. Waters stressed that the first priority should be to get the LDRs complete - which are now four months behind. In my mind, it is more like 7 years.

The other item on their agenda (I guess, see below) is related to a request from MV Transit for vehicle storage on a property off of Barnett Drive. This is the third time the applicant has been back to the board and each time has not provided some needed information. Listening to what is going on, it sounds like that lack mostly falls on the applicant themselves. There are other nearby property owners that are concerned about increased traffic and the interaction with traffic already generated by the middle school.

I am still listening now (7:23 p.m.) and decided to check out the agenda on-line. It isn't there. Here are two screen grabs from the city's website:

I was interested in the selection of chair for this year. Ms. Mahoney is running the meeting now. I don't know if it has been dealt with yet or not, due to lack of an available agenda. From various comments, I can imply that the former officers - not sure who is Vice-Chair - have been re-elected.

Transgender City Manager Ousted From Lake Worth for ‘Personal Reasons’ | SouthFloridaGayNews.com

2012-01-04T18:11:00.000-05:00

This article, dated January 3, 2012, is mentioned under one of the comments found at the post below. It's a long article which is short on conclusions. Why? Because Ms. Stanton was not fired for cause, which was completely allowed by her contract. To mention specific reasons for her dismissal could lead to legal challenges related to her firing - something that Commissioners McVoy and Mulvehill fail to understand or do not care if the city faces yet another legal action. In the article, we also learn that Commissioner McVoy is vacationing in Vermont and pleasantly allowed his house painting to be interrupted by the reporter. Ms. Anderson finds it necessary to comment three times at the end of the article.

And are those that stand shoulder-shoulder with Ms. Stanton aware that this past election may just have been a referendum on whether she stay as City Manager or not?

The article concludes, multiple times, that the firing was not due to her gender status. Can we please get on with the business of the city? Click title for link.

From the Internet: Where I have been and have not been

2012-01-04T13:57:00.001-05:00

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone. I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there. I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work. I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore. I have never been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there. I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm. Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older. One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get! And more and more I think of the Here After. Several times a day, in fact, I enter a room and think “What am I here after?” Sound familiar????? Join the Club!

Click here for live link to City Commission meeting (1/3/12)

2012-01-03T18:37:00.000-05:00

I am not in attendance, but am listening for a while. Initially the audio was fairly poor - it seems better now. Lynn Anderson asked for a charter amendment to require a super-majority to fire a City Manager. Teresa Miller asked for more detail on the legal fee item in the budget - to great applause. Mark Parrilla reported about the Ed Fry item.

I was distracted last night due to company being here, so I didn't hear all the proceedings. What sticks out to me is that, in response to Teresa Miller's request for basic but comprehensive details about the city's lawsuits, Commissioner Mulvehill said that the public can always submit a public information request and get that information. Commissioner Mulvehill - this information hasn't even been available to the Commission! The Mayor has asked for it. The Commission discussed the need for this information last summer and we were told that an intern was working on it. It is now January of 2012. That response seemed like "let them eat cake", detached from the city's administrative realities and that this generally wasn't a problem. I guess she doesn't think the information is important?

Under the revision of the distance waiver process for places serving alcoholic beverages, the conversation got bogged down over the status of Casa de Mara's license - which seemed to be colossally confusing. We will hear more about this matter later.

Any other important updates, please share below under comments.

Florida Public Records Law is a Great Thing!

2012-01-03T18:17:00.002-05:00

This is Edwin Fry's employment application to the City of Port St. Lucie. Click on the images to make them larger. If they are still difficult to read, click here and you will be directed to copies that you can zoom in to your liking. Thank you to one of our intrepid roving reporters for snagging this document from the City of Port St. Lucie. They would not fax or e-mail the document and required the intrepid reporter to physically go there and pick up a copy, including the payment of a small fee.

Ed Fry was the City's Office of Management and Budget Manager and reported directly to Susan Stanton. The week after former City Manager Stanton's dismissal, Mr. Fry announced his resignation and that he had accepted a job at the City of Port St. Lucie. Supporters of Ms. Stanton immediately pointed to this as an example of the "brain drain" the city would suffer with the departure of Ms. Stanton. To my knowledge, Mr. Fry did nothing to discourage that way of thinking, although I am willing to stand corrected if that is not the case. Mr Fry is memorable to me for his work related to the Wildan Police Department feasibility study and his parroting the party line of the City Manager in how we can't afford PBSO, but that somehow we can afford our own Lake Worth Police Department - having it in place beginning January of 2012.

Two things immediately jump out at me. Mr. Fry lives in Ft. Pierce, which is much closer to Port St. Lucie than Lake Worth is. This alone could have been a consideration in accepting the job as the commuting distance would be significantly less. The most important fact revealed by this document is that the application was made July 17th of 2011. This shows that the hiring of professional personnel is a time-consuming process. The decision to apply and then for the organization to hire that person takes time and contemplation on both sides. The date of the application more closely aligns with the special election held last summer that brought us Mayor Waterman. Could that be the reason that he submitted his application? I suppose that only Mr. Fry and perhaps some of his close friends would know.

So, I am going out on a limb - not really - and saying that the dismissal of Susan Stanton and the announcement by Mr. Fry is more coincidental than reactionary. Your thoughts.

Mango Groves Neighborhood Watch

2012-01-03T10:45:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

Last month at the Mango Groves Neighborhood Association monthly meeting a number of residents expressed a desire to gather more information on starting a Neighborhood Watch in Mango Groves. Joel Morganstern of PBSO has volunteered to conduct an informational meeting on this topic. The meeting will be held on Monday, January 23rd, 7pm, at the Cottage on Lucerne Ave. We will be taking notes, so if you can not make it please check the website (mangogroves.org) after the meeting to see what was discussed. Please pass this information on to anyone you think may be interested. Feel free to email us (mangogrovesna@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

We hope to see many of you there!

Sincerely, Mango Groves Neighborhood Association Board of Directors

Michael Parenti

2012-01-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

‎"The worst forms of tyranny, or certainly the most successful ones, are not those we rail against but those that so insinuate themselves into the imagery of our consciousness, and the fabric of our lives, as not to be perceived as tyranny."

A radical cheerleader salute to 2012 (you can't make this stuff up!)

2012-01-02T11:46:00.003-05:00

From the program notes: "In 2005, a danceoff was called between Lake Worth and Miami young radicals. The competition was so brutal and almost damaging, the dancers agreed that instead of competing again, we would work together, - "Never a Danceoff, Always a Showcase" - and thus South Florida United Queer Dancers was formed.
This year, Miami called for an Apocalyptic Pop & Lock Showdown at their New Year's Eve party for 2012, and the competition was back on. This is Lake Worth's performance."

That's our former City Commissioner Jennings leading off the video as Dancin' Kim. She can really "Pop...and lock it!"

And Version II

More on Architect G. Sherman Childs...

2012-01-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

Former Commissioner Vespo lives in G. Sherman Childs' son's house at 330 South Palmway. He followed in his father's footsteps and became an architect. According to Dave Vespo, his son lived in house until his death - the last 18 years of his life confined to a wheelchair due to a fall in an elevator shaft.

Archaeologist Dorothy Block says Jeaga people part of early island life

2012-01-01T22:38:00.000-05:00

Dorothy Block is a member of the Lake Worth Historic Resource Preservation Board. Click title for link to Shiny Sheet article.

Pasco County Seeks Nude German Tourists | Stuff.co.nz

2012-01-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

A way to embrace tourism dollars? Click title for link.

New Year's Wish

2012-01-01T15:07:00.001-05:00

That our landmark waterfront hotel re-opens in time for the City's Centennial year in 2013. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

These pictures were taken on 1/1/12.

Progress Report 431 North L. Street

2012-01-01T14:41:00.004-05:00

These pictures (above) were taken in July of 2008. These were the out buildings west of the main building at 431 North L. Street. This is a city-owned property since nuisance abatement action was taken while I was still on the Planning and Zoning Board. You can do a search of the blog - upper left hand corner - to get more information on the property and the trials/tribulations of trying to get the city to board up the building. After numerous communications with many city officials - elected and others, it was Commissioner Vespo that took action to make sure the property was secured properly. One of the loose ends was the city going ahead and demolition these structures.

Curious about the status of the building, I rode by it today while biking. The main building is still secured and, lo and behold, the out buildings have been FRESHLY bulldozed, with the bulldozer still on the property as evidence.

The main building dates from the from the early 1920s and was one designed by noted architect G. Sherman Childs - architect of the current City Hall building, City Hall annex and the original 1922 Casino Building. He worked in Addison Mizner's shop, had involvement in many projects in the Town of Palm Beach, but eventually opened an office here. This building was originally designed as a four unit walk-up - rare in south Florida. The current zoning allows for many more units, but with city ownership, it would be possible to sponsor a real RESTORATION and perhaps an adaptive re-use for this building. The property is outside of the CRA boundaries, or else they might be able to provide some sort of assistance. The next step would be to find an appropriate user for the building and restore it close to its original configuration.

These pictures (below) were taken today:

2011-12-31T17:50:00.001-05:00

Carl Bard

2011-12-31T10:10:00.003-05:00

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Remember, these are fictional accounts...

2011-12-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

Composed by another loyal reader

Lake Worth Theme Songs from the 1980s

2011-12-30T13:49:00.001-05:00

The REAL Greater Bay Story, from an alert and loyal reader...

2011-12-30T13:18:00.000-05:00

"The Commission, against the advice of the City Attorney, Karns, and led by the Cabal Leader, the Limo Liberal and Suzy Clueless voted to unilaterally terminate the contract with Greater Bay.

The resultant Greater Bay slam dunk winnable lawsuit was assured by the clouding of title by our infamous Dr. Dumb Dumb as President of the We Love Lake Worth PAC lawsuit against the city and then the McCauley-McNamara filing of their lawsuit gift to GB. It seems all of the requirements of Greater Bay under the Contract were contingent upon the City delivering “clean title”, which of course the lawsuits clouded.

Stanton commandeered the control over the Greater Bay lawsuit and ran up the legal bills and delayed the GB lawsuit at every opportunity for God knows what reason. Poor judgment or a desire to shelter the Cabal during Election Campaigns are the reasons most often given.

Stanton is accused of poor judgment in choosing the law firm that drew up the Contract to defend the city. Stanton also kept that law firm after their promise to easily dispense with Greater Bay through a quick Summary Judgment was thrown out of Court.

Stanton attended the Depositions and Interrogatories as the legal bill passed $500,000. We are waiting for Humphries & Carr to reveal the cost to date with expectations as high as $700,000. Of course, Never Settle Any Lawsuit for Any Number Stanton was true to form yet again.

If the city loses the lawsuit, the City will probably also have to pay Greater Bay’s legal costs. The only thing the city gained out of this was that Dr. Dumb Dumb no longer lectures us on his saving of the city from an evil developer."

To the above, I would add that the We Love Lake Worth PAC, headed by current Commissioner McVoy, gave him a chance to emerge from political obscurity and parade around town with other cabal storytellers. The stories told at the doors of thousands around the city included the prospect of a hotel, a mall and other unspeakable evils that the new zoning and land use designation for the beach would allow and encourage. Many storytellers went so far to talk about other potential evils - demolition of the library with no windows on the east side of the Lucerne as evidence - completely unrelated to the content of the petition drive. We now know that the zoning and land use designation that were the subjects of the petition drive to repeal ended up being needed for the current city-run project at the beach. The City Commission met out of the sunshine to discuss the breaking of the contract and the possibility of suing Greater Bay - minutes of which have been produced to the court during the discovery process. The city tried to duck by redacting, under Stanton's orders, large sections of relevant material. Seeing these areas "blacked out" in the documents led the judge to suggest that the attorneys representing the city review public records law in the state of Florida and submit public documents intact. Don't you think that the plaintiff's attorneys would compare the two sets - blacked out versus intact document - to assess what the critical areas of interest to the city are? I have never heard of such a boneheaded move in my career. It is just a matter of time until the court decides how badly the city loses this case.

HOT NEWS: Becky Mattey turned in her resignation yesterday.

2011-12-30T08:49:00.000-05:00

That is our utility director. She gave two months notice and offered to stay on three additional months to prepare the budget. However, she requested three additional months of severance pay to stay longer.

Mango Groves Neighborhood Watch

2011-12-29T18:25:00.002-05:00

Good afternoon neighbors,

At the last Mango Groves meeting several neighbors expressed an interest in starting a neighborhood watch for our neighborhood. Joel Morgenstern of PBSO has agreed to hold an informative meeting if a number of our residents are truly interested in making this a goal for our neighborhood. Please reply to this email (mangogrovesna@gmail.com) if you would like to learn more about what this process entails. There is no obligation if you would like to attend a meeting on this topic. Thanks in advance for your interest and Happy New Year!

Sincerely, Mango Groves Neighborhood Association Board of Directors

Reopening of Phipps Ocean Park in Palm Beach

2011-12-29T18:23:00.002-05:00

Palm Beach, FL – The Town of Palm Beach announces the reopening of the Phipps Ocean Park public beach on Friday, December 30, 2011. The Town’s Public Works Department has restored access to the stairway that was covered in sand. Currently, the only stairway access open to the public beach is at the south parking lot.

The north and central public beach access points along with the north parking lot still remain closed and will reopen sometime in the future.

Lifeguards will be on duty during normal operating hours.

A reminder that we are not alone...

2011-12-29T15:06:00.002-05:00

Dee McNamara Speaketh

2011-12-29T10:26:00.000-05:00

Click title for link. Why does this remind me of the North Korean mass display of grief accorded to Dear Leader?

Buzz Aldrin

2011-12-29T00:44:00.004-05:00

‎"Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the moon, July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind." -plaque left on lunar surface by Apollo 11.

Officer K. Tucker-Carsillo Crime Prevention Unit West Palm Beach Police Dept

2011-12-28T14:35:00.002-05:00

If you have statues that have been stolen, please call and make a report. If it's happening here, it is happening in neighboring cities. Knowing how far reaching it is can be helpful in solving these thefts.

It appears as though there has been an increase in the number of statue thefts in the Southend. I have received several reports and was advised that there are several unreported thefts of lawn statues and other metal statue's in people's yards. Some of the victim's may not be making police reports but never the less they are still victim's of these theft's. Several people aren't documenting these incidents being that they feel as though the items are impossible to locate once stolen. These have consisted of cement Lions, large bronze figures, decorative pots and other misc. statues that all seem to be fairly heavy. Most of these items cannot be lifted by a single person so more than likely there a several men with a pick-up committing these crimes. These items are difficult to locate unless the victims locate them online or elsewhere. Just FYI for those working in the Southend if you do observe someone with those types of statues in the bed of their truck please get a name and tag.

Note: The "Southend" he refers to is West Palm Beach. Here in the north end of Lake Worth, a neighbor reported a similar crime last week. See previous post.

FYI

2011-12-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

The aforementioned other blogger cites "Lake Worth" as being 35th on the list of most dangerous cities in the nation. If you look at where the data for "Lake Worth" comes from, it includes all of the geographic area that carries a Lake Worth address. Regardless of whether it would make the statistic better or worse, it is not reflective of crime in only the 33460 and 33461 zip codes and shouldn't be used as a comparison.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Rep. Jeff Clemens will run for the State Senate - see below

2011-12-28T11:57:00.003-05:00

The press release reads:
Rep. Jeff Clemens (D-Lake Worth), whose House District was broken into four pieces during the first round of redistricting maps, announced today that he will run for Senate, provided that
amended maps produce a district in central Palm Beach County.
“I believe these maps that have been produced are unconstitutional and that subsequent amendments and court proceedings will change them dramatically,” Clemens said. “If the final maps create a Senate district largely east of the turnpike in Central Palm Beach County, I intend to run for Senate.”
Maps approved by the Senate are expected to undergo changes during the amendment process, and the Florida Supreme Court will also have the opportunity to weigh in on their constitutionality in the wake of the passing of Amendments 5 and 6 in 2010. Amongst other things, those maps required the districts to be drawn compactly in a way that doesn’t benefit incumbents.
“Central Palm Beach County deserves representation of its own,” Clemens said. “It has distinct issues, just like the western, northern and southern areas of the county. My hope is that the amendment process and the courts will recognize the need for a fair map that gives weight to each one of these regions of our large county.”
The first set of gerrymandered maps created for the House are clearly designed to fracture the current House District 89 by breaking it into four pieces, including dividing the small city of Lake Worth, where Clemens was mayor, into four separate districts. Clemens currently represents West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Lantana, Greenacres, Boynton Beach and six other municipalities.

NYT article on Brazilian visitors/tourists flooding Miami...

2011-12-28T10:14:00.000-05:00

Click here for link. Apparently there could be more if not for the visa requirement and lack of enough U.S. consulates in Brazil. Time to learn that third language?

U.S.

Miami Has a Hearty Oi (Hello) for Free-Spending Brazilians

By LIZETTE ALVAREZ

Published: December 27, 2011

Flush with cash, Brazilians are spending millions of dollars for vacation condominiums, clothes, jewelry, furniture, cars and art in South Florida.

Loosely related, since it is about a soon-to-be former city of Islandia in the Miami area, is this article from the Miami Herald.

I don't get this one...

2011-12-28T08:49:00.004-05:00

From Lynn's blog by a "secret" graphic artist. I miss Tom McGow.