Robert Robbins, Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management - Introductory Remarks - Lake Worth Lagoon Symposium - 5/15/13

From the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative Symposium on 5/15/13

A series of introductory comments from Mayor Abrams of Palm Beach County, Congressman Tom Rooney,  Palm Beach County Commissioner Paulette Burdick and Florida State Representative Mark Pafford.

News picked up from FaceBook...

"It's been a long and winding road, as some English dude once said, but The New Blue Front Bar-B-Q-Bar has signed a lease on the old Jetsetter Bar location at 1132 N. Dixie, Lake Worth. Our projected opening date should be no later than September 1, 2013. It's a great 1940's art deco building with an amazing palm filled courtyard. We will try to make sure that the food, drink, service and atmosphere are excellent. We would like to thank everyone for your support over the years. Peace, Love & BFQ"

Bike to Work: Trends in U.S. Cities Map

In honor of National Bike to Work Day, click title for link to map that shows trends in bike commuting to work.  Notably, Boca Raton has seen a decrease since 2006, but other areas in the region show an increase.  Still, biking is a small portion of what is referred to as the "modal split."

Easy way to listen to recently aired "High Noon in Lake Worth" shows...

Listen to internet radio with High Noon in Lake Worth on BlogTalkRadio

Earth First Journal Dumps DGR. | anarchistnews dot org

Not all "Kum-ba-yah" in the non-hierarchical world of our anarchist friends.  Click title for link to the official cutting of ties to the Deep Green Resistance folks.  And click here for a long-winded rant on the same topic.  

Bike To Work Day | WPBGO.com

West Palm Beach promotes their own "Bike to Work Day" - part of a national promotion where other communities around the United States are participating.  Click title for link.  Here is an example from Dayton, Ohio.  I guess it helps if you actually have businesses that have workers - an important part of the equation.  If you live and work in Lake Worth, use this day to think about how to integrate biking into your everyday routine - banking, going to the post office, light grocery shopping, etc.

Coastal Link chugs forward as agencies agree to work together... | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Continued progress.  These are the next steps according to the article.  Click title for link.

Tri-Rail Coastal Link Memorandum of Understanding

Key points
* 8 organiations involved: Palm Beach MPO, Broward MPO, Miami-Dade MPO, Southeast Florida Transportation Council, South Florida RTA, Florida Department of Transportation, South Florida Regional Planning Council, Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council
* FDOT and South Florida RTA will negotiate with All Aboard Florida for all 8 agencies
* Project development stage capped at 2 years
* South Florida RTA will operate the Coastal Link once built
* Tri-Rail service will continue on the CSX tracks
What’s next:
> All eight transporation planning groups are expected to sign off on the joint agreement by the end of May.
> Negotiations with All Aboard Florida could begin in June.
> All Aboard Florida anticipates construction launch by the end of the year.

An example of a hotel over 4 stories...oh, the horror!

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Yes, the rumors are true. In 2015, we’re making our dreams of palm trees and sunshine a reality and heading to Palm Springs (California)! What do we have in store for you? How about 190 rooms, a chef-driven restaurant and a lively rooftop bar and pool? Put on your shades because we can’t wait to see you there.

Florida quietly shortened yellow light standards & lengths, resulting in more red light camera tickets for you | wtsp.com

This is all over the news today.  It is worthwhile reading. Even though Lake Worth opted not to go with red light cameras, there are areas all over Palm Beach County where intersections have these cameras installed.  Click title for link.

Glenn Heran - Vero Beach Electric Utility Customer 05/17 by High Noon in Lake Worth | Blog Talk Radio

Join your host Wes Blackman as he welcomes Glenn Heran to the High Noon in Lake Worth studios.  Mr. Heran is a customer of the Vero Beach municipally owned electric utility, but lives outside the city of Vero Beach himself.  He put together a study of the rate differential between municipally owned utilities which are unregulated by the Public Service Commission.  Read the article that talks about his findings and how municipal power companies take "profits" from the utillity business to augment other city departments.  If you don't live within the city, well that is just one of the problems.  He has been at the forefront of the Vero Beach utility situation and can teach us a lot about what to expect as we examine alternatives here in Lake Worth, including the possible sale of the utiility to FPL.  Click herefor more information on Mr. Heran's background.  This may be the first in a series of shows on this topic.

Click title for link to live show or the archived show after it airs at noon on 5/17.  Leave questions and comments below.

Sideways Street Art: Muralist Makes Figures Walk on Walls | WebUrbanist

Click title for more art and information on the artist.

From the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative Symposium - History, Access and Economic Benefit of the Intracoastal Waterway

Mark Crosley, Florida Inland Navigation District - Presentation at the 2013 Lake Worth Lagoon Symposium.

Liberal Lake Worth on the mend after electing Republican mayor - BizPac Review

Nice summary of Lake Worth is on the comeback trail.  Click title for link to article.

Art center planned at Lake Worth’s shuffleboard building | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

This is a worthy use for an otherwise used and abused public building searching for a purpose.  Its central location make it ideal for a public use such as this.  Click title for link.

For more CRA "news" - click here.  I'm not sure why Mr. Ona deserves an individual call-out in this article.  Note that calendar says its the middle of May.  From the article:

An organizational meeting for the neighborhood enhancement team is scheduled for August. The date, time and location of the first meeting will be announced later this summer.

Wow, moving with all swiftness, I see.

Vegetation amnesty week

ATTENTION: VEGETATION AMNESTY WEEK:
The City of Lake Worth Refuse Division will be having a
RESIDENTIAL VEGETATION (ONLY) AMNESTY PICK UP SERVICE.

Zone 1:  Monday    May 27
Zone 2:  Thursday May 30
Zone 3:  Friday       May 31
Zone 4:  Tuesday   May 28

The vegetation amnesty week is designed to allow residents to dispose of large amounts of vegetation prior to the commencement of Hurricane Season.

(NOT TO EXCEED 12 CUBIC YARDS PER RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY)

Please place all vegetation curbside on your regular scheduled day and it will be removed at no charge.

David Rauschkolb - Founder of Hands Across the Sand 05/16 by High Noon in Lake Worth | Blog Talk Radio

Join yours truly as I welcome David Rauschkolb to the High Noon in Lake Worth studios. Mr. Rauschkolb is the founder of Hands Across the Sand - an event of environmental awareness that will take place on May 18th at 11 a.m., with one scheduled right here on our own Lake Worth Beach. Started in the state of Florida in 2010 in response to the BP oil spill, the event has now reached worldwide proportions. Its purpose is to create lines in the sand against oil drilling in our ocean waters and to say "yes" to clean energy.

Click title for link to live show today (5/16) at noon or for archived show after it airs.

The abandoned 1897 plans for a bicycle route from Pasadena to downtown that nearly got built | Mail Online

This is an idea whose time has come...again. One wouldn't expect this from what turned out to be a car dominated metropolitan area.  Click title for article.

Foundation will direct $356 million from oil spill criminal cases to Florida for natural resource projects | The Florida Current

The BP incident is turning into a windfall for some organizations.  Click title for link.

Seaside Heights roller coaster, symbol of Sandy, ends its ride in the sea | NJ.com

Click title for link to article.  Here is the video of the demolition:

Watch live streaming video from app_tv at livestream.com

Hands Across the Sand May 18th Noon at Lake Worth Beach

Press Release   

May 13, 2013

Contact:

Jody Young, Local Palm Beach County Organizer, 561-704-3912; jody_r_young@att.net
Dave Rauschkolb, Founder, 850-865-1061; pressinfo@handsacrossthesand.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

On May 18 at 12:00 PM in corresponding time zones, people around the world will join hands on beaches and in cities for the third annual Hands Across The Sand to oppose expanded offshore and near-shore drilling and call for clean energy solutions for a sustainable planet. A beach cleanup is being organized by the Palm Beach County Surfrider chapter beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Lake Worth Beach.

LOCAL EVENT:   LAKE WORTH BEACH PIER.  At noon on May 18th, participants will line up at the water line and hold hands stretching from the pier south.    

PHOTO OP- Local and State Elected Officials are expected to participate.

On May 18 at 12:00 PM in corresponding time zones, people around the world will join hands on beaches and in cities for the third annual Hands Across The Sand to oppose expanded offshore drilling and call for clean energy solutions for a sustainable planet.

Hands Across The Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses all borders and political affiliations.  It is about supporting the advancement of clean energy sources that will sustain our planet. This movement is not about politics; it is about protecting coastal economies, oceans, marine wildlife and fisheries from the threats of expanded offshore drilling and the accidents associated with this.

Hands Across The Sand participants are joining hands on May 18 to say NO to offshore oil drilling and YES to clean energy. They are joining hands to implore leaders and decision makers to end the United States dependence on oil and coal and embrace a clean energy future for a sustainable planet.

Florida surfer and restaurateur Dave Rauschkolb founded Hands Across The Sand in October 2009 in response to a bill passed in the Florida House of  Representatives to lift the ban on nearshore drilling. With the support of sponsor organizations, he rallied over 10,000 Floridians to join hands on February 13, 2010, covering the state's coastlines, to show a united opposition to nearshore drilling.  Two months later the BP Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.  Dave then organized a global Hands Across The Sand to urge President Obama to abandon his bid to open the continental United States waters to offshore oil drilling. On June 26, 2010, over 1,000 Events took place in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

International events were held in 42 countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Belize, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Greenland, Greece, Croatia, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Panama,Peru, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, Tanzania, and South Africa.

On April 20th, the one-year anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, Hands Across The Sand’s 2011 event website launched, enabling people worldwide to organize and participate in demonstrations in their neighborhoods, cities, parks and beaches. 

Website: www.handsacrossthesand.org

Hands Across The Sand is endorsed by national and international environmental organizations including SierraClub, Audubon, Surfrider Foundation, Oceana, Florida Wildlife Federation, Alaska Wilderness League, 350.org, 1 Sky, Friends of the Earth, Conservation Law Foundation, Cleanenergy.org, Florida Coastal & Ocean Coalition Save Our Seas, Beaches and Shores,Inc. Sunetric, and Gulf Restoration Network.

Architect, thinker, provocateur Rem Koolhaas brings his talents to South Beach - Visual Arts - MiamiHerald.com

Miami Beach is re-thinking its convention center and is considering Rem Koolhaus as an architect.  About as far from the Lake Worth reality as it can be.  However, this quote from the article jumped out at me.  In reference to Miami in general, the architect says this:

“It’s always unbelievably beautiful, so that is the biggest asset,” Koolhaas said in an interview. “I think there is another city which is unbelievably beautiful, which is Los Angeles. They both clearly have a lot more potential than they are currently realizing. But that also gives them an enormous charm.

Is Lake Worth's often talked about, but yet unrealized "potential", the source of its "charm?"

Money train: Metra stops and income levels - In Other News - Crain's Chicago Business

Chicago train stops mapped by income levels - startling regional disparities. Click title for link.

No decision on golf clubhouse; city to spend $10,000 to assess situation | West Palm Beat blog | The Palm Beach Post

West Palm Beach continues to examine it golf course clubhouse and search for a way forward.  They seem to be dead set against going with a modular or temporary building for the clubhouse and restaurant operations.  Click title for link to article.

For what it is worth, when we were building the clubhouse at Trump International Golf Course and before it was finished, we used what amounted to a large double-wide modular building for both the kitchen and clubhouse - including retail area, bathrooms, etc.  The dining area for members and guest was a large canopied deck that looked over one of the more scenic views of the golf course.  When the real clubhouse opened, there were some people that didn't want to get rid of the temporary building.  It was just that nice.  For a couple of years that could be an option, but it doesn't look like they are about to go down that path.

I was searching my hard drive for pictures of that modular we used, all decked out and in full operational mode, but only found various construction pictures of the large clubhouse.  Here is one for example:

Shelly Vana, County Commissioner for District 3 at Brogue's tonight...

County Commissioner for Lake Worth (District 3) Shelley Vana is guest speaker this evening Monday May 13th @ Brogues Downunder, for the South Palm Park Neighborhood Assn. meeting. Public is invited and welcome to hear Commissioner Vana speak about the Snook Island project, Lake Worth Beach and other topics of interest to Lake Worth. Social Hour starts at 6:00 pm, meeting at 7:00 over by 8:00 Hope to see you there!

Must watch! "It's only highway was the water."

New documentary featuring the authors of Pioneering Palm Beach - The Deweys and the South Florida Frontier. They discuss how and why they embarked on the quest to find out who Birdie Dewey was. Fascinating!

More on Lake Worth's Realities...

These images come from the city's PowerPoint presentation being used to educate residents through  a series of neighborhood meetings about some of the realities the city is facing.  This data, and that gathered from residents, is helping prepare the economic development and housing elements of the city's comprehensive plan.

 While Palm Beach County has added significantly to its total population over the past ten years...

 ...Lake Worth actually lost population between 2000 and 2010.

 However, population projections indicate an increase over the coming decades.  Where will these people be living?

 So much of the claims by some that Lake Worth was the poster-child for "over development" during the early 2000s.  The total number of housing units increased by less than 4% within the city.

 However, Palm Beach County overall registered almost a 20% increase over the same period of time.

While the state of Florida added over 23% more units over the same ten year period from 2000 to 2010.

Meet April

We have a new member of the household and Mars has a new companion.  April, formerly Nancy, comes to us by way of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control.  On Tuesday of last week, an alert Lake Worth friend pointed out the existence of a senior Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  She was listed as an "urgent" adoption.  The local breed rescue was not responding to calls and time was ticking.  As many of you know, Mars had a companion before in the form of Venus.  

Here is a video of Mars and Venus on a walk in 2009.  Venus always was on the heavy side and over-time caused back problems with eventually led to a paralysis in her hind legs and I eventually had to put her to sleep during the summer of 2011.  So, since that time, Mars has been living here only with human companions.  He's never complained and he didn't seem to miss Venus outwardly, but I am sure it impacted him on some level.  Since then, I had been thinking about getting another Corgi but was mindful that it is better to rescue an existing pet - as I did with Mars - rather than go to a breed-specific breeder.  

Dog and cat over-population is a huge problem as evidenced by these statistics that were posted in the lobby of the county's Animal Care and Control building.  As of May 8, 2013, a total of 5,525 dogs and cats were brought into this Palm Beach County agency.  Of that total, 2,803 had been euthanized and 2,132 had been adopted.  Make that 2,133 with the adoption of April.

What do we know about April's life as "Nancy?"  We know that she is estimated to be 9 years old, but we're not entirely sure.  I am taking her to my regular vet tomorrow and we'll see what he says.  She was placed in the shelter due to the death of her former owner and had been at the pound since April 11.  During that time, she was treated for kennel cough.  She is heavier than she should be weighing in at 56 pounds.  Mars is comparatively svelte at 39.6 pounds so we are already addressing that issue through regular walks and limited feeding.  My guess is that she may have had an elderly owner that might have had mobility issues and "Nancy" ended up laying around the house most of the time.  She does seem to like to walk and I am pleased to report that Mars is getting along well with her - and the opposite is true as well.   She is right here by my feet as I type this and, typical to the breed, tends to follow me wherever I go.

She was also micro-chipped before leaving the facility.  I would highly recommend you do the same with your pets and the importance of this is depicted in this video. 

So, consider this a commercial for adopting a pet and gaining a friend and companion along part of your life's journey.  You will be helping a soul in distress and helping yourself at the same time.

Small budget items show Legislature's overreach | News-JournalOnline.com

Click title for link to article - here's a section from it:

Perhaps it doesn't matter to lawmakers that alligator populations, wild or otherwise, have boomed in recent decades. It's not unusual for Floridians to find a gator in their swimming pool or their ditch when it's mating season. Tell a Floridian in that situation that the state is marketing gators and you're likely to get a bemused look.