Some gems of information from the current City Manager's report...

This is part of the agenda tomorrow night at the regular second City Commission meeting of the month. I've cut out some of the more interesting topics that are covered in the report. I think it's great that we have a City Manager that takes the time to put this together and share information with the public. I just hope it is a sustained effort and the secrecy that we have known all too well in the past doesn't re-appear.

Above is a set of clues about coming attractions at future City Commission meetings. One is the expansion of Snook Islands - the dredge and fill environmental project that has roundly been acknowledged as a success but was vociferously opposed by a group of people - some that are still very active on the political scene. These people are the same ones that are usually vociferously opposed to many worthy projects and have gained politically in recent times. The passive park issue is about allowing soccer to be played in places like Bryant Park and brings up all sorts of issues some people don't like talking about - like excluding classes of people from playing a recreational game in one or more of our parks. The noise ordinance issue meeting is supposed to be a "field trip" of sorts, with the Commission being led around downtown with someone working a noise meter. That will be one not to miss! And, then, the shot across the bow we heard last Monday when the City Commission refused to interview 31 people for the CRA so that the City Commission could take over that function (yes, the brain trust we know as the City Commission.) will have its own meeting where the Commission can take the action. Stay tuned for that one.

This is about the trip to Tallahassee taken by Stanton, Bach and Mattey. Need to read the tea leaves a little bit here, but it sounds like DCA thinks public input is more important than those that pretend to "speak for the people." Also, we see what's going on with the Sunset property - or do we? More to come on that as I just got all the information on the Department of Administrative Hearings docket for the objections still being raised by those rarely satisfied by any compromise.

Here we have the city addressing customer service issues with the City Manager taking part in the training exercise. Great idea!! Let's keep going down this path, but there is a long row to hoe.
Not exactly one of the burning issues of our time - music on hold when you call city hall - but Commissioner Golden is good at bringing up these sorts of issues. At least the conversation got around to having it be another way to get information out to the public, which in my mind, is one of the more important functions of local governments.

Looks like the bidders on the shoring of the Casino Building needed more information in order to adequately make a bid to to the work. Hmmm. No surprise here. The deadline is tomorrow at 2 p.m. The estimate was up to $100,000 - we'll see what the bids come in at. This whole thing started as a result of a threat to close the building and oust the tenants by March 31 - the heavily subsidized and politicized tenants revolted, contributed heavily to Commissioner Mulvehill's campaign and got their way by instead having one of the city's most recent building officials "relieved of his duties" - in what seemed like a middle-of-the-night operation. Anyway, with this work being done, it was argued that at least attempts were being made to make the building safer - after multitudinous reports prepared by licensed structural engineers cited grave failings in the building - especially in areas where the public gathers.

This item concerns the shuffleboard court building - another one of the ill-maintained public buildings and properties under control of the city of Lake Worth. It needed many repairs as well - before the "Resource Center" went in, according to the same building official that mysteriously disappeared. But since that rattled the proponents of the center, rules were over looked - both zoning and building - and the center was allowed to begin operation in a substandard building. If any other private entity tried to accomplish the same thing in Lake Worth, they would still be doing the work and waiting for the day their Certificate of Occupancy would be issued. By the way, Lisa Wilson, the "Resource Center" director will be making a presentation before the City Commission at tomorrow night's meeting. I am sure the "echo chamber" will resound with how well the center has done since its opening.

Click title for link to full report and click on images for better viewing.