Let's Pause to Honor One of Lake Worth's Greatest Storytellers...

...if not the #1 holder of the title. Last night at the CRA meeting, she pointed out that the Historic Resource Preservation Board would soon be separated from Planning and Zoning and that somehow this will open up the opportunity to have additional historic districts in the area west of Dixie. She then said that there is a Federal program that gives a 20 percent tax credit for rehab of historic commercial structures - like multi-family rental properties. She said there is an application for this sort of thing and there are professionals that can help with the forms. She suggested that the CRA pay for the survey of these areas so that districts can be established and the program can be used to encourage rehab.

Now, for the rest of the story...the city has already surveyed the area west of Dixie for historic districts. They are sitting on the shelf and have been since the time there were done (about 10 years ago.) They would need to be updated, but the basics are done. As far as the Federal program this "expert" cites: It only applies to districts on the National Register. Lake Worth has only two (out of its six existing historic districts) that have such a designation - the downtown area and College Park. In order to qualify for National Register status, you need at least 60 percent of the structures in the district to be considered "contributing." If memory serves, the districts west of Dixie had a maximum of about 40 percent "contributing" structures which is barely enough to establish a local district. One of the reasons these two very large districts were never established was that they would double the amount of structures covered by historic regulations. Newsflash: Our staff has a difficult time handling the current load. If these are ever established, we would need additional staff. If not, it would end up being just another way to beat people over the head with another hurdle to jump to do anything with their property. And this "savior" Federal program wouldn't even apply.

And so it goes, the lady with the golden tongue continues to tell people things that aren't that way just to get her way. Think about that the next time you hear her spin her lovely yarns at the podium or when this traveling storyteller arrives at your door around election time.