Reading between the lines...

The following is from the City Manager's Report, dated last Friday the 19th.

By the way, this is the 77th report from the City Manager.  I used to read them regularly for bits and pieces of information that you couldn't seem to get elsewhere and I still read them occasionally.  However, I have come to find out that they are usually filled with effusive language about how great everything is under this "enlightened" Commission and city administration.  You get the sense that now that the election is over, we can have parades in the streets about just how wonderful everything is in Lake Worth - attendance would be mandatory and all would be issued signs of their favorite Commissioner/Mayor/Manager to wave on the sidelines.

A case in point is the description about the vaunted Casino Rehabilitation Project.  Here we find out that TREMENDOUS progress was made last week.  The project team met with the "interim" building official twice.  Interesting that we have an interim building official, upon the exiting of Wayne Bergman.  So much of historic rehabilitation depends on interpretations of the building code by the building official of the local government that has jurisdiction.  There can be many gray areas when applying aspects of the code to an existing building - especially when you are doing work that exceeds the threshold of where new building standards (in relation to when the building was originally constructed) apply.  A building official is licensed by the State of Florida to do that job and it is his/her certification and license that is on the line if something goes wrong or someone challenges a particular interpretation.  I would say that, and this is an understatement, the design team would have to be careful relying on someone in that position who has "interim" status.  When the city fills that position permanently, if anything is ever permanent here in Lake Worth, the interpretations made by the interim building official could be called into question.  That is, if there is a genuine interview process and someone is not chosen for their ability to have "the same vision" as the Commission.  Do you see what I mean?  Are we ever guaranteed professional objectivity now?

The line "conducted preliminary foundation tests" is also pregnant with alternative meanings.  Why is there a need for this you ask?  Most likely to determine the extent to which the existing slab and underpinnings of the building are deficient in terms of current standards for coastal construction.  This is where the largest unforeseen conditions lie and where the most unforeseen circumstances lurk - resulting in extensions to the project schedule - delays - and cost overruns.  Notice the next part of that sentence talks about an "updated project schedule."  Remember, the newly minted Vice-Mayor Mulvehill promised that groundbreaking will take place June of 2011 during her campaign.

I am glad to see that the city is following procedure and ushering this through review by the Planning and Zoning Board.  The project should go through the process like any other project that would be subject to review by the board, period.

The biggest caveat and understatement of the "Beach and Casino Updates" is the cryptic line: "The beach and casino project teams also worked to strategize issues surrounding CCL permitting..."  CCL stands for Coastal Construction Line.  We learn here that there are "issues" and a need to "strategiize" - really?  See discussion above regarding preliminary foundation tests.  Timing?  There is a lot that is not being said here.

Stand by for the City Commission work session on December 14th when the teams will be making presentations about the status of the design development phase.

And, I almost forgot - they talked with the structural engineer about "selective demolition."  I will be interested to see what is left of the building after this "selective demolition."