Dear Library Board and Friends of the Lake Worth Library,
The last few weeks have been very challenging for the library staff when we received notice of the City of Lake Worth's planned staffing layoffs on March 21st. I have spoken with the City Manager, Joseph Kroll the Public Services Manager, and the Human Resources manager. I will keep you up to date if plans change, but as of today, April 29th they are:
1. All library staff, except for myself, will be laid off at 5pm on Saturday, May 14th.
2. The library will then close for 2 to 4 weeks beginning Monday, May 16th.
3. One full-time (40 hours/wk) and Four part-time staff (25 hours/wk) will then be hired back.
4. The library is now recruiting volunteers to help support the library. A cadre of 50 volunteers is needed, each person working one 2-4 hour shift per week. Over the next 5 months the library staff will need to train enough volunteer staff to keep the library open 40 hours per week. Attached are the volunteer job descriptions.
5. On October 1st the library will then loose 2 of the above 4 part-time staff. The library will be loosing 210 staffing hours per week so volunteers will be critical to the continued operation of the library.
6. On Oct. 1 their will be 2 full-time and 2 part-time library staff.
7. In a meeting on Tuesday, April 26th the City Manager rejected the Library Board's proposal of using $40,000 from the library's trust funds for the materials budget of the library. She DOES NOT wish to use ANY monies from the library's trust funds to run the library when it is most needed. She stated that the monies should be retained to build a new library in the future. This additional funding would have given the library enough funds to retain the above 2 part-time staff who will be laid off on Oct. 1.
8. Appeals to use the library Trust funds must be done by the Library Board, Friends and the library users to the City Commission during the regular commission meetings the 1st and 3rd Tues. of the month at 6pm at the Lake Worth City Hall. The next meeting is Tuesday, May 3th at 6pm.
9. The library board is scheduled to do the annual library update presentation to the City of Lake Worth Commission on Tuesday, May 3rd at 6pm.
10. The library WILL have a children's Summer Reading Program (SRP). The Friends of the Library will be hiring laid off library staff to run the SRP including a 4 week Spanish Summer Reading Program.
Vickie Joslin
Library Services Supervisor
Lake Worth Public Library
15 North M St.
Lake Worth, FL 33460
(561) 533-7354
FAX (561) 586-1750
Saturday, April 30, 2011
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold"
I am sure you are saying to yourself, surely Wes, things aren’t so bad that you are calling for the Second Coming by quoting from the Yeats poem of the same name. Well, rest assured that I am not making that dire prediction. I am actually more hopeful now about the future of Lake Worth than I was even one week ago. However, one cannot avoid the irony that the poem references anarchy, which seems to have a certain resonance in Lake Worth . The lines “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity” can apply to the Lake Worth and the national political context, as well. But this is not the focus here.
The poem’s most famous line, over time, turned out to be “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” In the point of view of most urban planners, of which I count myself as one, the “centre” mentioned in the poem can signify the role of downtown areas in keeping a larger urban area together. We are witnessing just this phenomena in Lake Worth as I will further explain.
Years ago, I attended an American Planning Association conference based in New York. One of the mobile workshops that I participated in included a trip to Princeton, New Jersey. It was of particular interest to me at the time since I worked for a community which was home to a large university. Its downtown area shared a common linear border with the university’s campus and a similar situation existed in Princetown between its downtown commercial area and its campus. Our host, a member of the Princeton urban planning faculty, paraphrased Yeats by saying something to the effect of “If the center doesn’t hold, the rest falls apart.” This was in clear reference to their downtown area.
Since then, I have remembered this quote and find it almost universally true as it applies to downtown commercial areas. It is surely true for our own downtown Lake Worth.
Let’s look at what makes up we come to know as a downtown commercial area. It is one where there is a concentration of institutions and businesses which, by their very nature, attract people. In reference to commercial shopping centers, one would use the term “anchor tenants.” In a traditional downtown context, one usually refers to these creatures of the urban realm as “destination uses.” These “destinations” are “uses” of property and buildings that have the ability to attract a great number of people on a daily basis. The aerial view of our downtown above identifies some of these major attractions present in our downtown. We can think of these as “people generators.” The rest of the downtown, consisting predominantly of restaurant and smaller retail uses, while some being attractors of their own to a lesser degree, benefit from being in an area to which people are drawn.
Let’s look at the list that is represented in the aerial view above. I have limited the view and analysis to the general “core area” of the downtown and for this purpose is the area east of the FEC railroad tracks and fudged a little to the area east of Federal Hwy. Here goes:
City Hall, City Hall Annex, the Library and the Post Office: All of these government and civic buildings attract people throughout the day and the week to transact business with the city, attend meetings, pay utility bills, gather books and reference materials, etc. The added benefit that we have in Lake Worth is that all of these buildings are authentically historic. City Hall and the City Hall Annex used to have a stronger drawing power when they housed the building permit and planning departments. The library has reduced attraction power now due to its more limited hours. One could argue that it would be better for the downtown if those functions were returned to these buildings, more often. We shall see what the future brings in that regard as things are in a bit of a flux right now. City Hall has its own parking area.
Compass: A non-profit community-serving organization which occupies a city-owned building draws large numbers of people throughout the week. The greatest portion of those coming from the Lake Worth 33460 zip code. Besides serving functions that are part of its core organizational purpose, it also provides meeting space for many civic and city groups on a regular basis. It also has its own parking area.
Publix: One just had to witness the crowds drawn for the Grand Opening to realize the drawing power of a grocery store in a downtown area. In a future post, I will focus on the importance of quality grocery stores, instead of the usual convenience stores, in an urban area with a lower median income than suburban locations. This grocery store will also help solidify, and make more attractive, the residential area around the downtown over time.
Banks: A necessary part of contemporary life, many people visit their respective banks one or more times a week to make deposits, apply for loans, etc. In Lake Worth, we have a good representation of the various banks available to retail consumers and business customers. Banks also provide the liquidity, in the form of cash from ATMs, that make the retail and restaurant economy of the downtown go around.
Lake Worth Playhouse: Not only is this a historic building in our downtown capable of being filled with over 300 theater patrons during afternoon and evening performance times, it is also used for rehearsals and movies on other days of the week. All of these people represent a group that bring money and energy to our downtown.
Palm Beach County Cultural Council: Also soon to be contained in a marquee historic building in the center of our downtown, this agency will do a lot to promote Lake Worth as an “arts-related” destination. While the number of visitors to the agency may not be that great on a daily basis, it will do more than its part to attract people to the hub of the Palm Beach County arts community.
Note that all of these downtown destinations, with the exception of banks, either have a government function or have received some sort of government assistance in locating in our downtown in the form of a direct grant or a subsidy. In all of these cases, this is a justifiable public purpose that supports the life and health of our downtown, as well as that of the entire community.
What happens when you put this combination of uses into a compact, downtown environment is a synergy. People are able to comfortably walk from place to place, and not rely on their car, or they are able to walk or bike from their own residence in and around the downtown. This puts people on the sidewalk and diminishes the reliance on the automobile to get from place to place, as it is required in more suburban areas that owe their existence to the automobile. This synergistic effect is greater as you increase the number of different sorts of uses in the downtown area. One major category that is currently under-represented in our downtown area are offices. Success in promoting our downtown as a desirable office location will provide a captive population during the day. This captive population will bring their own money to circulate throughout the downtown in support of our existing business community.
The poem’s most famous line, over time, turned out to be “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” In the point of view of most urban planners, of which I count myself as one, the “centre” mentioned in the poem can signify the role of downtown areas in keeping a larger urban area together. We are witnessing just this phenomena in Lake Worth as I will further explain.
Years ago, I attended an American Planning Association conference based in New York. One of the mobile workshops that I participated in included a trip to Princeton, New Jersey. It was of particular interest to me at the time since I worked for a community which was home to a large university. Its downtown area shared a common linear border with the university’s campus and a similar situation existed in Princetown between its downtown commercial area and its campus. Our host, a member of the Princeton urban planning faculty, paraphrased Yeats by saying something to the effect of “If the center doesn’t hold, the rest falls apart.” This was in clear reference to their downtown area.
Since then, I have remembered this quote and find it almost universally true as it applies to downtown commercial areas. It is surely true for our own downtown Lake Worth.
 |
| Downtown Lake Worth Destinations |
Let’s look at the list that is represented in the aerial view above. I have limited the view and analysis to the general “core area” of the downtown and for this purpose is the area east of the FEC railroad tracks and fudged a little to the area east of Federal Hwy. Here goes:
City Hall, City Hall Annex, the Library and the Post Office: All of these government and civic buildings attract people throughout the day and the week to transact business with the city, attend meetings, pay utility bills, gather books and reference materials, etc. The added benefit that we have in Lake Worth is that all of these buildings are authentically historic. City Hall and the City Hall Annex used to have a stronger drawing power when they housed the building permit and planning departments. The library has reduced attraction power now due to its more limited hours. One could argue that it would be better for the downtown if those functions were returned to these buildings, more often. We shall see what the future brings in that regard as things are in a bit of a flux right now. City Hall has its own parking area.
Compass: A non-profit community-serving organization which occupies a city-owned building draws large numbers of people throughout the week. The greatest portion of those coming from the Lake Worth 33460 zip code. Besides serving functions that are part of its core organizational purpose, it also provides meeting space for many civic and city groups on a regular basis. It also has its own parking area.
Publix: One just had to witness the crowds drawn for the Grand Opening to realize the drawing power of a grocery store in a downtown area. In a future post, I will focus on the importance of quality grocery stores, instead of the usual convenience stores, in an urban area with a lower median income than suburban locations. This grocery store will also help solidify, and make more attractive, the residential area around the downtown over time.
Banks: A necessary part of contemporary life, many people visit their respective banks one or more times a week to make deposits, apply for loans, etc. In Lake Worth, we have a good representation of the various banks available to retail consumers and business customers. Banks also provide the liquidity, in the form of cash from ATMs, that make the retail and restaurant economy of the downtown go around.
Lake Worth Playhouse: Not only is this a historic building in our downtown capable of being filled with over 300 theater patrons during afternoon and evening performance times, it is also used for rehearsals and movies on other days of the week. All of these people represent a group that bring money and energy to our downtown.
Palm Beach County Cultural Council: Also soon to be contained in a marquee historic building in the center of our downtown, this agency will do a lot to promote Lake Worth as an “arts-related” destination. While the number of visitors to the agency may not be that great on a daily basis, it will do more than its part to attract people to the hub of the Palm Beach County arts community.
Note that all of these downtown destinations, with the exception of banks, either have a government function or have received some sort of government assistance in locating in our downtown in the form of a direct grant or a subsidy. In all of these cases, this is a justifiable public purpose that supports the life and health of our downtown, as well as that of the entire community.
What happens when you put this combination of uses into a compact, downtown environment is a synergy. People are able to comfortably walk from place to place, and not rely on their car, or they are able to walk or bike from their own residence in and around the downtown. This puts people on the sidewalk and diminishes the reliance on the automobile to get from place to place, as it is required in more suburban areas that owe their existence to the automobile. This synergistic effect is greater as you increase the number of different sorts of uses in the downtown area. One major category that is currently under-represented in our downtown area are offices. Success in promoting our downtown as a desirable office location will provide a captive population during the day. This captive population will bring their own money to circulate throughout the downtown in support of our existing business community.
Unfortunately, there are those who scoff at the importance of places like grocery stores in our downtown. There are also those, like Commissioner Golden, who openly voice how CRA grants to Publix and the Cultural Council are somehow “improper” investments of public money. Furthermore, burdensome regulations (more in terms of their enforcement, but also burdensome to some businesses) in form of the city’s noise ordinance, do not help support the nature of downtown’s as an area for socializing and entertainment - another synergy made possible through the attraction of people to a concentrated geographic area. Sometimes it seems that those on the City Commission and the City Administration want to do everything in their power to squelch the success of our downtown. Fortunately for us, the downtown has a good chance of being successful despite their efforts to the contrary. Much of the current and future success of the downtown can be laid at the foot of the CRA.
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
THE SECOND COMING
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Good Luck Newlyweds!
I think it's funny that the marketing folks at the Palace bucked tradition with the order of the initials "W" and "C." The future sovereign's initial "W" would normally come first, but WC in England is also short for "'water closet" or a public toilet. That is why all the merchandise will carry the "CW" initials, in that order.
FL Official: I Don't Email Because of Open Records Laws
Don 't think this doesn't happen here too. What is so frightening about the truth? If it is frightening, then the public has a right to know. Click title for link - once there, be sure to check out the originating St. Petersburg Times article about one of our governor's top lieutenants "normal" practice of avoiding e-mails.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Correction to a previous post, the Preservation Foundation sent out a notice including the new Publix in Lake Worth on Monday....
Here is the revised e-mail blast. For some reason, I did not receive the revision.
Saturday, April 23rd at 10pm the Publix Supermarket serving the Town of Palm Beach closed and shutdown. The store will be demolished and a new, larger one built in its place.
That new store is set to open by December 18, 2011 just in time for the new year.
For approximately 8 months this will leave the Town of Palm Beach without a major market within the town to serve and meet the grocery needs of town residents and employees.
There is no doubt this will result in inconvenience. Palm Beachers will have to look elsewhere for their grocery needs. Other communities throughout Palm Beach County will have to deal with overcrowding as Palm Beachers find those other spots. Publix employees will see their work schedules altered and changed.
In an effort to help Palm Beachers deal with this, the Preservation Foundation is offering the following information on area businesses where grocery needs may be met during and beyond the 8 month gap the Publix closure will create.
The following Palm Beach stores – among others - will be offering grocery, as well as pharmacy services:
Amici Market
155 North County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 832-0201
C'Est Si Bon Gourmet Shop
280 Sunset Avenue
Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 659-6503
Fedco Drugs & Home Med Supply
255 Sunrise Avenue
Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 832-7726
Green's Drug Store of Palm Beach
151 North County Road
Palm Beach, FL.
(561) 832-0304
Lewis Pharmacy
235 South County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480
(561) 655-7867
As well, Publix Supermakets has 4 other area stores. They are:
Publix at Southdale Shopping Center
828 Southern Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
Main: (561) 832-1661
Pharmacy: (561) 838-1857
~ This store is approximately a 6 minute drive from the Southern Boulveard Bridge in Palm Beach
Publix at City Place
375 South Rosemary Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
(561) 651-7787
~ This store is approximately a 9 minute drive from the Royal Park Bridge in Palm Beach
Publix at Village Commons Shopping Center
831 Village Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Main: (561) 478-1313
Pharmacy: (561) 478-0695
~ This store is approximately a 15 minute drive from the Flagler Memorial Bridge in Palm Beach
Publix at Lake Worth
214 North Dixie Highway
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
(561) 493-5042
~ This store is approximately a 5 minute drive from the Lake Worth Bridge in Palm Beach.
From the desk of Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven L. Abrams
With over 4 million visitors a year, Palm Beach County is considered a world-class destination spot for tourists. The economic impact is over $2.5 billion, and the leisure and hospitality industry is the 4th largest employer in the county, providing approximately 13% or 69,000 jobs countywide. In 2010, over 1200 more jobs were added as a result of industry growth.
The Board of County Commissioners remains committed to expanding, growing and creating new jobs, and works closely with the county’s Tourist Development Council (TDC) to accomplish these goals. Reports indicate that for every 85 visitors, a job is created and every dollar invested in marketing tourism brings in $9 in tourism-related revenues.
The TDC oversees four private non-profit agencies that promote tourism by using bed-tax dollars paid on rental accommodations of six months or less. The four agencies are the Cultural Council, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Sports Commission and the Film and Television Commission.
In conjunction with these agencies, the TDC has developed some innovative approaches in their marketing campaign to include a new interactive website, hotel packages with extended stays discounts, and hotel rebates for groups. Out-of-county marketing to cultural organizations and historic and eco-tourism markets using increased traditional print and electronic media has been very successful.
With 47 miles of pristine beachfront property, first-class golf courses, 139 hotels, including a multitude of five- and four-star resorts, restaurants and so much more, their ongoing mission is to maximize this economic engine.
As your county commissioner, I remain committed to working with these agencies in support of their efforts in expanding the existing tourism market that benefits local businesses such as hotels, restaurants and retailers while creating new jobs.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance or if you have any comments and/or suggestions. I can be contacted at sabrams@pbcgov.org or at my office at 561-355-2204 (West Palm Beach) or 561-276-1220 (Delray Beach).
Also, please visit my website at http://www.pbcgov.com/
BTW…did you know that Palm Beach is believed to have received its name as a result of an attempt by the survivors of the “Providencia” shipwreck in 1878 to plant the fruit of their cargo, the coconut? These early settlers introduced this non-native crop to the shores of South Florida with the hopes of launching a commercial coconut industry. The crop took so well that the small island quickly became covered in exotic palm trees. It was railroad tycoon Henry Flagler who, in 1894, began buying acres of land on the beautiful island and initiated the growth of Palm Beach. This premier developer built the two famed luxury hotels, the Royal Poinciana and the Breakers.
Just got back from the new Publix!
It was a bit of a madhouse today, justifiably so with it being the day of the Grand Opening. I didn't get much - just grabbed a sushi lunch and some soda and left quickly. The store seemed bigger inside than the one at City Place. Wouldn't you know, Laurence and Dee McNamara were among those shopping while I was there. I complimented Dee on wearing the perfect outfit for an opening of any kind. She wore a sun dress with a black and white foliage print and a straw "Palm Beach" hat with a black band. Natty gurl! Should have snapped a picture of her, but I did get some of the general environs outside.
This is the vacant lot that once was owned by the city and then by Les Evans. The Planning Board approved a nice Art Moderne residential building there that had parking in a courtyard area. The deal fell apart with the real estate market crash and a lawsuit by Ron Exline. Now, during large events in the downtown, it is used as an open parking area. It was parked about half full when I was there around 11 today. I have no idea if the owner of the property will allow this to continue. The picture below is the same area.
I do think that this is unusual due to the Grand Opening and we will be able to better judge the parking situation once the novelty wears off a little.
Not a parking space to be found in the parking lot. Some did ride their bikes there, motorized and otherwise - see below.
"J" Street between 2nd Ave. North and Lucerne was parked full. There were people taking surveys as people walked by. One of the questions that I heard was "Where would you go for a dentist? I am not sure who was taking the survey, but it definitely seemed market-related and I wonder if the CRA is or has thought of doing something like this. Not sure you would get an accurate assessment on an opening day of anything. Interesting. Click here for a merchant survey used in the city that I used to work for - way back when - in Michigan. It's fairly extensive.
If someone can give an update on the status of the "one-way" condition of 2nd Avenue North and when the rest of the street will go "two-way" please use the comment feature. It is currently "two-way" only between J Street and Dixie Hwy.
New Publix in Lake Worth opens with fanfare, giveaway
Click title for link - great picture of javier. I'll be heading there around noon today.
Cities press to limit inspector general's investigative powers over them
Click title for link to PBP article. I have a post brewing based upon some activity and results, or lack thereof, in dealing with certain entities charged with rooting out corruption in our county. I am willing to give it a little more time for an appropriate reaction before I make a public judgement on their effectiveness. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Beach Groundbreaking May 7, 2011, 9 a.m.
Now it's a "Historic" groundbreaking. And we are "commemorating" it? O.K.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sewer rates likely to increase...
There is a City Commission work session tonight on a number of items. It's being held at 5:30 p.m. instead of the usual morning time perhaps to accommodate Commissioner McVoy's work obligations. At least this way, more people will have an opportunity to hear and attend if they wish. Click here for full back-up material.
One of the items concerns rates for our regional sewer system. Click title for link for the back-up for only that item. This is the regional sewer system administered by the City of Lake Worth. The same one that the city didn't bill our municipal customers for maintenance of the system and then sent dunning notices to them telling them to pay in full immediately. Some bills were in the millions of dollars and came as a surprise to those municipalities. Those same municipalities have little faith in the City of Lake Worth's accounting systems - any wonder why?
This issue is now in mediation. It turns out that five of the eight customers are not paying until the matter is resolved or until a state auditor completes their work examining the city's accounting system as it relates to this matter. That means that without increasing our fees, the fund will run out of money by 2013 to sustain the system. The Town of Palm Beach and Palm Beach State College will also face rate increases since they are the ones, along with Lake Worth, that continue to pay.
All this is bad enough a situation, but it also suffers from a misinterpretation on the part of the City Manager. This is her conclusion as part of the back-up memo - the highlighting is hers.
One of the items concerns rates for our regional sewer system. Click title for link for the back-up for only that item. This is the regional sewer system administered by the City of Lake Worth. The same one that the city didn't bill our municipal customers for maintenance of the system and then sent dunning notices to them telling them to pay in full immediately. Some bills were in the millions of dollars and came as a surprise to those municipalities. Those same municipalities have little faith in the City of Lake Worth's accounting systems - any wonder why?
This issue is now in mediation. It turns out that five of the eight customers are not paying until the matter is resolved or until a state auditor completes their work examining the city's accounting system as it relates to this matter. That means that without increasing our fees, the fund will run out of money by 2013 to sustain the system. The Town of Palm Beach and Palm Beach State College will also face rate increases since they are the ones, along with Lake Worth, that continue to pay.
All this is bad enough a situation, but it also suffers from a misinterpretation on the part of the City Manager. This is her conclusion as part of the back-up memo - the highlighting is hers.
What the public wants is to have reliance on the city's accounting systems. I do not perceive there are those that don't want the city to collect the money it is owed. The poor way that the whole matter has been handled by the city contributed to the adversarial nature of this dispute. A lack of transparency and cooperation were the hallmarks of the way the city dealt with this matter.
In the end, we are paying more due to our past - and current? - incompetence.
Obituary: Former Palm Beach County commissioner Dennis Koehler dies at 69
This is truly sad. Dennis and I would bump into each other from time to time at various public meetings throughout Palm Beach County. He always represented his clients, usually related to planning or zoning issues when I saw him, with vim and vigor that few could match. There were a handful of times that he brought cases before the Planning and Zoning Board here in Lake Worth during my time on that board. He always presented the facts in a logical manner and there were times that we agreed to disagree, but he would never hold a grudge if a decision went counter to his clients' interest. His County Commissioner term preceded my arrival in Palm Beach County by a few years, but I imagine that he took his representation of the public and the responsibility that came along with that very seriously. The irony here is that someone used to dealing with details was, in the end, undone by a detail left unchecked. Good-bye Dennis - I am sorry you had to go through so much pain towards the end.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wellington Offering Summer Internships To Students
Another local community finding innovative ways to engage young people in government. Click title for link. Do we have a program like this in Lake Worth?
Work on Lake Worth boardwalk, pier and floating docks underway
Click title for link to PBP article. A couple of words on this...Channel 5 has covered this story this morning and includes much of the same information as in the article, but they lead off with saying it's at the Lake Worth beach! They voice-over video that clearly shows the ocean pier in a state that is was prior to it being renovated. Again, this is another confusing message about Lake Worth in the media. The story has been on most of the local news cutaways during the Today show. Also, this is a County funded project that has been in the works for a long time and has little City involvement, but of course, all the members of the dais will claim credit and make it seem like it was their doing. It is worth pointing out that this is linked to the Snook Islands project which was one of the albatrosses hung around former Mayor Romano's neck, but now is hailed as an environmental masterpiece. So, the beat goes on...
Interesting...
I happen to be on the e-mail blast list for the Preservation Foundation in Palm Beach. They sent the following information out regarding alternatives for Palm Beachers for grocery stores given the closure of the Palm Beach Publix. Even though we share a boundary with the the Town of Palm Beach, north and south of our beach property, there were no Lake Worth alternatives mentioned. This even though our new Publix opens this Thursday. I e-mailed back that fact but nothing has been issued by the Preservation Foundation pointing this out. There are a couple of breakdowns here related to getting information out - including Publix, the City and the Chamber. Anyway, here is the announcement that was sent out.
There would still be an opportunity for any one of these organizations to fill in the information gap so that we can take advantage of additional traffic through our downtown.
There would still be an opportunity for any one of these organizations to fill in the information gap so that we can take advantage of additional traffic through our downtown.
This Saturday, April 23rd at 10pm the Publix Supermarket serving the Town of Palm Beach will close and shutdown. The store will be demolished and a new, larger one built in its place.
That new store is set to open by December 18, 2011 just in time for the new year.
For approximately 8 months this will leave the Town of Palm Beach without a major market within the town to serve and meet the grocery needs of Palm Beachers.
There is no doubt this will result in inconvenience. Palm Beachers will have to look elsewhere for their grocery needs. Other communities throughout Palm Beach County will have to deal with overcrowding as Palm Beachers find those other spots. Publix employees will see their work schedules altered and changed.
In an effort to help Palm Beachers deal with this, the Preservation Foundation is offering the following information on area businesses where grocery needs may be met during and beyond the 8 month gap the Publix closure will create.
The following Palm Beach stores – among others - will be offering grocery, as well as pharmacy services:
Amici Market
155 North County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480
C'Est Si Bon Gourmet Shop
280 Sunset Avenue
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Fedco Drugs & Home Med Supply
255 Sunrise Avenue
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Green's Drug Store of Palm Beach
151 North County Road
Palm Beach, FL.
Lewis Pharmacy
235 South County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Scotti Wines & Liquors
369 South County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480
As well, Publix Supermakets has 3 other area stores. They are:
Publix at Southdale Shopping Center
828 Southern Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33405
Main: (561) 832-1661
Pharmacy: (561) 838-1857
~ This store is approximately a 6 minute drive from the Southern Boulveard Bridge in Palm Beach
Publix at City Place
375 South Rosemary Avenue
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
~ This store is approximately a 9 minute drive from the Royal Park Bridge in Palm Beach
Publix at Village Commons Shopping Center
831 Village Boulevard
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
Main: (561) 478-1313
Pharmacy: (561) 478-0695
~ This store is approximately a 15 minute drive from the Flagler Memorial Bridge in Palm Beach
Action Alert from Surfrider Foundation
| We need all hands on deck today to CALL your Senators THIS MORNING!!! Word has it on the street is that the Senate could take up the House bill on the Floor in messages and pass it out. A Budget meeting has been scheduled 1:15 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, 2011. OUTFALL BILL -SB796/HB 613The proposal, House Bill 613 by Rep. Carlos Trujillo (R-Miami) and Senate Bill 796 by Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Miami) and Senator Sobel (D-Broward) , allows for less wastewater treatment, an increase in the amount of secondarily treated sewage being discharged directly into South Florida coastal marine waters and the injection of sewage into the Biscayne and Upper Floridian Aquifers — shallow drinking water supplies for South Florida and the Keys. This bill is trying to undo the efforts we took 2 years ago in passing this bill and delays the requirement for compliance with a state mandate to eliminate ocean outfall, improve wastewater treatment and beneficially reuse a portion of that wastewater by five years.Florida’s tremendous growth over the past decade has raised critical concern in the Legislature over how we manage our water, not only for drinking but also for waste disposal. Communities throughout Florida have seen the benefits of embracing readily available and proven technology for advanced wastewater treatment and re-use, with some communities reaching upwards of 80 percent efficiency. Unfortunately, this legislation would reverse these trends and detrimentally impact the treatment and reuse of water of the largest municipalities in our state, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. These Bills allow wastewater disposal to be accomplished by: 1. Treating Less (to a lower standard) -If a facility reuses 100% of its wastewater it is exempt from the AWT treatment standard. (HB- ]613/ 73- ]79 + page 2 of staff analysis.)2. Injecting More ( Redefining Reuse) -The bills provide a means to achieve 100% reuse by redefining reuse as Recharge into the Biscayne and Upper Floridan Aquifers ( HB- ]613/ lines 6,7- ] 91,92 )3.Injecting into Shallow Drinking Water Aquifers- More troubling, these bills redefine “reuse” to allow for injection into the Biscayne and Upper Floridan Aquifers. (HB- ]613 /Lines 6,7 – 91,92.) These are shallow drinking water aquifers. This means, under this legislation reused water will be injected into the drinking water resources for a significant portion of South Florida. While they say it is to “drinking water standards” that doesnt take into consideration that the nitrogen level is far too high for our reef which will be effective by offshore upwellings. BOTTOM LINE!: This legislation significantly lowers the water quality standards and treatment requirements in the state allowing water treatment facilities to treat less, inject more, and inject into shallow drinking water aquifers. Questions to have Senators Ask One-Pager While the bill has passed in the House, our goal is to see to it that the Senator Budget Committee and other Senators to ask the hard questions before letting this bill move to the Senate Floor for voting. Please contact your Senators and Representatives, ESPECIALLY if they are on this Budget Committee. Simply Log on to myfloridahouse.gov or myfloridasenate.gov and find your elected official or Call Toll free 1 (800) 342-2172 and have your Zip Code ready to be directed to your Representative or Senator. Other relevant websites:http://www.watereuse. http://static-lobbytools.s3. http://www.reefrelieffounders. http://www. http://www.miamidade.gov/ http://blueoceaninitiative. Ericka D'avanzo Florida Regional Manager |
| PO Box 207 * Boynton Beach, FL 33425 |
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Clarence W. Hall
"If Easter says anything to us today, it says this: You can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there."
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![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL75cv6zJQFjX15ojOIIz9AjnbqH4asHJTYSDhnGnYr7rJZRha1NcNTirj2xPcId158vkz5Hw-wXgOfrlztj8Zr8jLFFCfuEN6PyV44ZlpMRmJ68xbtFL9vzxNiG7xDs_HJvm/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
