Saturday, November 1, 2014
PBSO arrests for arson in LW
From the Sun Sentinel we have breaking news about an an arson arrest in Lake Worth:
A teen was arrested Thursday for a May arson, the second teen arrested for the fire, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
The boy, 16, is charged with burglary and arson. The Sun Sentinel is not identifying the teen because of his age and the nature of the crime.
According to an arrest report, deputies said the teen and another juvenile, who was 16 at the time and is 17 now, set fire to a storage room attached to a carport. The fire started just before 9:30 p.m. on May 14 at a house in the 1400 block of South H Street in Lake Worth.
Don't drink alcohol and ride a bike
The Lake Worth Critical Mass ride is this coming Friday (11/7). Later in the week will provide details as far as time, route, and requirements (lights!). I have been part of several Critical Mass rides and they are quite exciting and fun for the most part. The mix of young children, families, older people and experienced athletes makes for an interesting evening. However there is a subculture within the Critical Mass community and they are the riders who drink alcohol before and during the ride. I've witnessed this behavior, usually among the twenty-somethings, mostly being done by males. For them, it seemed like the bike ride was a reason to drink. Let's just remind everyone that a bike is considered a vehicle and you can be pulled over for DUI on a non-motorized bike in Florida.
I was reminded of this when reading this story in CityLab, click title for link:
I was reminded of this when reading this story in CityLab, click title for link:
The numbers from the latest study on cycling and safety are alarming, no doubt. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, the number of cyclists killed in crashes with motor vehicles climbed 16 percent between 2010 and 2012. So alarming, in fact, that Streetsblog pulled out both Y axes to deflate the claim that cycling is dangerous.The numbers are very convincing. For the safety of everyone joining the Critical Mass ride next Friday, try to refrain until after the ride is over.
Risk, according to fatality data put out by the U.S. Department of Transportation, is far lower today than at any point in the last three decades. Although the number of fatal accidents has increased, the number of cyclist commuters has absolutely surged. In part, that's a function of new investments in infrastructure and innovation, which has made cycling more appealing to more Americans in only a short time. And that means that even though the absolute number of deaths has risen, the relative risk of every ride is actually much lower.
Case closed. Miller time, right? Not exactly. Another part of the report is slightly more worrisome, and not just a trick of the numbers. The same Governors Highway Safety Association study finds that 88 percent of the victims of fatal cycling accidents in 2012 were men. Worse still, 28 percent of all fatal-accident victims in 2012 had a BAC of more than 0.08 percent. The risk question aside, is bro culture claiming cyclists' lives?
Big news about FPL
Selling our utility seems more like a pipe dream now. The focus is getting our rates equal to FPL and part of that will include reducing the contribution the utility makes to the general fund. Here is FPL and their parent company's third quarter report for 2014. Click title for link.
Customer growth and capital investments helped drive Florida Power & Light Co.’s profits for the third quarter, as the average number of customer accounts increased by 82,000 to 4.7 million.
Profits for both FPL and its parent company, NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) rose for the quarter ended Sept. 30.
FPL’s net income grew 9 percent to $462 million and $1.05 per share from $422 million and 99 cents per share for the same quarter a year ago.
FPL has 110 megawatts of solar-generated power operating in Florida and wants to do more. Although utility-scale solar projects are not generally cost-effective, the company believes it can bring three roughly 75 megawatt solar photo-voltaic projects into service by 2016, Dewhurst said.
The solar projects’ costs would not be added to customer base rates until after the four-year agreement expires in 2016.
West Palm Beach art chair: outlet mall’s “sails” not art | West Palm Beat
Requiring art as a percentage of cost of a project is a program that many cities adopted. West Palm Beach is one of those cities and I wouldn't be surprised that the Town of Jupiter is one too. Later today, I will post pictures of the new Harbourside Place project that I visited earlier this week. You will see many examples of public art placements there that stood out in their design and number. Click title for link to article. Commissioner Materio feels passionate about the issue.
The head of the city’s “Art in Public Places” committee hates the artwork the Palm Beach Outlet Mall is submitting to meet its requirements with the city.
“The project they are proposing is not art and is exactly the type of project that we as a committee have worked to avoid,” James Knox told commissioners at their meeting on Monday. “This is a prime example of a proposal by a developer that is an attempt to skirt the ordinances in order to save money.”
What Knox was talking about was the overhead “sun sails” the mall installed to provide some coverage from sun and rain prior to its opening in February.
The city’s “art in public places” program requires developers, as part of city approval, to provide art, or cash, equal to 1 percent of the value of any construction or renovation project of at least $500,000.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Flagler Memorial (North) Bridge
The Flagler Memorial Bridge will reopen to two lanes of traffic on Saturday, Nov. 1. There will be one lane of traffic in each direction with no restrictions. The north sidewalk will reopen for pedestrians.
The ramp from northbound Flagler Drive to the eastbound Flagler Memorial Bridge is permanently closed. Drivers going north on Flagler Drive who want to go east over the bridge should go west on Banyan Boulevard to N. Dixie Highway, take N. Dixie Highway north N. Quadrille Boulevard, and take N. Quadrille Boulevard east across the bridge.
Royal Park (Middle) Bridge
Left turn restrictions are in place at the intersection of Flagler Drive and the Royal Park Bridge. Drivers going south on Flagler Drive cannot turn left to go east over the Royal Park Bridge and drivers going west over the Royal Park Bridge cannot turn left to go south on Flagler Drive. The following detours are in place:
Drivers going south on Flagler Drive who want to go east over the Royal Park Bridge should take S. Dixie Highway to Okeechobee Boulevard and go east on Okeechobee Boulevard to cross the Royal Park Bridge.
Drivers going west on the Royal Park Bridge who want to go south on Flagler Drive should continue west to S. Dixie Highway, go south on S. Dixie Highway to Okeechobee Boulevard, and go east on Okeechobee Boulevard to Flagler Drive.
Bridge Openings
As of Nov. 1, Flagler Memorial Bridge opens for marine traffic as needed once per hour at 15 minutes past the hour. Royal Park Bridge opens for marine traffic as needed twice per hour on the hour and at half-past the hour. The Southern Boulevard Bridge opens for marine traffic as needed twice per hour at 15 minutes past the hour and 45 minutes past the hour. In case of an emergency, these bridges open on demand. Bridge information is published in the Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners at www.navcen.uscg.gov
The ramp from northbound Flagler Drive to the eastbound Flagler Memorial Bridge is permanently closed. Drivers going north on Flagler Drive who want to go east over the bridge should go west on Banyan Boulevard to N. Dixie Highway, take N. Dixie Highway north N. Quadrille Boulevard, and take N. Quadrille Boulevard east across the bridge.
Royal Park (Middle) Bridge
Left turn restrictions are in place at the intersection of Flagler Drive and the Royal Park Bridge. Drivers going south on Flagler Drive cannot turn left to go east over the Royal Park Bridge and drivers going west over the Royal Park Bridge cannot turn left to go south on Flagler Drive. The following detours are in place:
Drivers going south on Flagler Drive who want to go east over the Royal Park Bridge should take S. Dixie Highway to Okeechobee Boulevard and go east on Okeechobee Boulevard to cross the Royal Park Bridge.
Drivers going west on the Royal Park Bridge who want to go south on Flagler Drive should continue west to S. Dixie Highway, go south on S. Dixie Highway to Okeechobee Boulevard, and go east on Okeechobee Boulevard to Flagler Drive.
Bridge Openings
As of Nov. 1, Flagler Memorial Bridge opens for marine traffic as needed once per hour at 15 minutes past the hour. Royal Park Bridge opens for marine traffic as needed twice per hour on the hour and at half-past the hour. The Southern Boulevard Bridge opens for marine traffic as needed twice per hour at 15 minutes past the hour and 45 minutes past the hour. In case of an emergency, these bridges open on demand. Bridge information is published in the Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners at www.navcen.uscg.gov
Lake Worth's proposed panhandling ban is too broad | www.mypalmbeachpost.com
The Post's editorial board weighs in on the anti-panhandling ordinance up for second reading this coming Tuesday. Click title for link. I have some concerns about its ability to be enforced and with that comes some vagueness, and they pick up on that. Here is a bit from the editorial:
City attorneys say Lake Worth’s ordinance, which faces a final vote Tuesday, is modeled on similar panhandling bans in Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale and St. Petersburg. Lake Worth’s ordinance wouldn’t ban panhandling across the board, but it would do so in many of the places where people are most likely to congregate: bus stops, cafes, parking lots and within 15 feet of the entrance to any business or government building.
That would seem to eliminate nearly all of downtown Lake Worth’s main strip, whose sidewalks are lined with small stores, cafes and bars. The rule may not officially impose any blanket bans on panhandling downtown, but that very well could be its practical effect.
The proposed rules would also impose a sweeping ban on all “aggressive panhandling,” which is defined as repeated or intimidating requests, including those accompanied by physical contact or verbal threats. Since much of this sort of behavior is illegal already, it’s doubtful that this prohibition will raise many hackles. It’s the bans on simple panhandling that seem more problematic.
New York's Citi Bike Announces Major Changes - CityLab
Interesting article about modifications to the Citi Bike program in New York City. It will be expanded and some of the kinks worked out by new management. There might be changes to other city bike-sharing programs too. Click title for link.
Citi Bike, the hugely popular New York City bike-share system that has been plagued with technical and financial problems, is getting a fresh start, thanks to a new investor with deep pockets and a high-profile change in management.
The deal was announced yesterday at a press conference outside the Queensbridge housing projects in Long Island City, one of several neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan where the system is now slated to expand over the next three years. By the end of 2017, if the new management keeps its promises, the city will have 700 stations with 12,000 bikes, with 1,000 new bikes coming online next year.
[CPNA] College Park supports Box Tops 4 Education
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Please visit this website www.boxtops4education.com for a complete list of all the many useful and popular products that offer coupons which earn 10 cents each for our local schools. You can sign up on the webpage to keep track of how the school you selected is doing or just turn them in to the school. As an example, North Grade Elementary has earned $499 so far just this year. Most of us already recycle our packaging - Here's a super easy way to add a little cash to our local school before we toss the box in the recycle bin!
Thank You.
Please visit this website www.boxtops4education.com for a complete list of all the many useful and popular products that offer coupons which earn 10 cents each for our local schools. You can sign up on the webpage to keep track of how the school you selected is doing or just turn them in to the school. As an example, North Grade Elementary has earned $499 so far just this year. Most of us already recycle our packaging - Here's a super easy way to add a little cash to our local school before we toss the box in the recycle bin!
Thank You.
Some pictures from yesterday...
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| Commissioner Amoroso reminding us that the LW Farmers Market starts this Saturday. |
The next Sister Cities meeting is coming up
That is between other cities in Palm Beach County which share many of the same issues. From Eliot Kleinberg we have this news release from the Palm Beach Post:
The next quarterly “sister cities” meeting of leaders of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Shores, Riviera Beach, Lake Worth, Mangonia Park, Lake Park and Palm Beach is set for 4 p.m. Thursday in the Flagler Gallery on the first floor of West Palm Beach City Hall, 401 Clematis St. Call 561-822-1400.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Charlie Birnbaum - Film Director and Stonzek Theatre Manager 10/31 by High Noon in Lake Worth | Entertainment Podcasts
We will be welcoming Charlie Birnbaum into the High Noon in Lake Worth studios. Charlie is the film director and Stonzek Theatre manager for the Lake Worth Playhouse. He will be sharing information on the Stonzek Theatre itself, as well as information on upcoming films and performances in Lake Worth's own "black box" theater. You can check out some of the recent and upcoming attractions there by clicking here.
Click title for link to live show between 12 and 1 p.m. on 10/31 or after the show airs for the archived version. Leave questions as comments below.
Click title for link to live show between 12 and 1 p.m. on 10/31 or after the show airs for the archived version. Leave questions as comments below.
PUBLIC RECORDS NOTE:
Florida has a very broad public records law. Most written communications to or from local officials, employees, or the general public regarding city business are public records available to the public and media upon request. Your e-mail communications may therefore be subject to public disclosure.
What a fun weekend ahead in Lake Worth!
Lot's of things to do this weekend starting tonight with the Thursday Night Peddlers. They meet in front of the Gulfstream Hotel at 5:30 and the ride starts at 6:00. If you've never met AnnaMaria and the Peddlers this would be a good time to come out and introduce yourself. For a description of all the events going on this weekend visit AnnaMaria's blog here!
Timely PBP Editorial given my trip to the northern part of the county...
Click title for link. Some excerpts:
Palm Beach Gardens has the sort of problem most cities would like to have: Too many people want to live there. Its population of 50,000 could very well grow by an additional 10,000 in a decade’s time, as developers put up condos, homes, offices and town centers. City leaders profess to be “very concerned.”[Later in editorial...]
But the city should be encouraged. With one notable exception — the proposed Avenir development on the Vavrus Ranch property out west — most of the projected growth seems to be good growth. Empty or underused spaces in the city’s core are being filled in with smart-sounding mixed-use developments and more “intense” residential projects like apartment buildings and condos.
There’s also an expansive development plan for the nearly 700 acres of woods on the Briger property along Donald Ross Road, where developers envision thousands of town homes, apartments, offices and shops across the street from Scripps Florida.
Those are only the highlights. There’s a proposal to build another mixed-use development along RCA Boulevard. There’s an expansion of The Benjamin School underway, not to mention the recent opening of the Palm Beach Orthopaedic Institute. At least six assisted-living facilities are making plans to open in the city.
Already, as The Post reported Monday, city officials say 3,040 homes and 5.5 million square feet of commercial buildings have been OK’d and await construction.
Summary of events, one week later...
Last Wednesday (10/22) there was a protest in Lake Worth against the PBSO, or at least against excessive force used by law enforcement agencies. It happened to coincide with a national day of protest, so it wasn't supposed to be a secret, you would think. Maybe you heard about it? If you are late to the discussion or are otherwise unsure of what happened, here are the facts about the protest and what happened THAT DAY here in Lake Worth. All of these facts are verifiable.
Prior to Wednesday morning only a select few individuals were aware a protest was being planned for the afternoon at 5:00. I read the newspapers, many blogs (except one in particular), stay updated on Facebook and also have many friends and colleagues who would routinely inform me that a protest or other event was being organized in Lake Worth. The truth is that no one did simply because no one knew. It was a well-kept secret until Wednesday morning, October 22nd.
At approximately 10:00 that morning I received a note from a reader of my blog. I was directed to an article in the Broward New Times by "Fire Ant". Fire Ant is Lake Worth resident Steve Ellman. Here is the story he submitted on Wednesday morning.
At the end of the article was a link for contact information. You can see that link here.
I gathered the information available and posted the information on this blog. You can read the original story here.
Then things all got a little unusual, maybe due to Mercury being retrograde at the time. All I did was make public information available to my readers. The fact is Mr. Ellman is a sympathizer for the Anarchists in Lake Worth and has been for many years. Lynne Purvis, aka Elle Purv, promoted the protest on a Facebook page. Lynne Purvis has worked along with former commissioner/Anarchist as can be seen here. In the video you can see both Lynne Purvis and Cara Jennings (this is soon before she gave birth to her child).
Many of the people "invited", "going", or "maybe" to the protest that afternoon were avowed Anarchists/activists or former political operatives such as Cara Jennings, Panagioti Tsolkas, Annabeth Karson, the EarthFirst! Journal, members of TWAC (an affinity group of EarthFirst!), and others who have opposed PBSO for many years.
Shortly after the 'protest' began a group of Guatemalans joined the group. Reverend Frank O'Loughlin, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the Guatemalan-Maya Center (GMC) organized twenty to thirty of his congregation to join the Anarchists et al. Why didn't Reverend O'Loughlin contact his neighborhood association and let them know of his intentions? Why didn't Reverend O'Loughlin reach out to the city beforehand? If this problem was real, there were many other avenues to pursue its correction.
There is much anger about the 'protest' on Wednesday, October 22nd from many different perspectives. On Thursday, October 23rd the Lake Worth Herald printed an editorial about this protest. Somehow the protest the previous day is no longer the issue, Mr. Ellman for one is attempting to make the LW Herald the issue and not the protest which started this whole thing rolling.
Question, would we have all this upheaval in the community had the GMC and Reverend O'Loughlin not aligned himself with the Anarchists? What if Reverend O'Loughlin had reached out to his Lake Worth neighbors and community about his concerns with PBSO? How about talking to the sheriff's office directly?
This 'protest' was done with the absence of community involvement, set in motion by its organizers, the GMC and Reverend O'Loughlin in particular. Many others in our community, experienced a deep sense of betrayal last Wednesday. Our clergy in Lake Worth should be working to heal our community, not further divide us from our Guatemalan neighbors.
So, no good deed goes unpunished. Making people aware of an "action" I guess is an "invitation only" event here in Lake Worth. Even though many traditional media outlets were there, the organizer's made sure that a side counter to their claims should not and would not be heard or present at the event.
Prior to Wednesday morning only a select few individuals were aware a protest was being planned for the afternoon at 5:00. I read the newspapers, many blogs (except one in particular), stay updated on Facebook and also have many friends and colleagues who would routinely inform me that a protest or other event was being organized in Lake Worth. The truth is that no one did simply because no one knew. It was a well-kept secret until Wednesday morning, October 22nd.
At approximately 10:00 that morning I received a note from a reader of my blog. I was directed to an article in the Broward New Times by "Fire Ant". Fire Ant is Lake Worth resident Steve Ellman. Here is the story he submitted on Wednesday morning.
At the end of the article was a link for contact information. You can see that link here.
I gathered the information available and posted the information on this blog. You can read the original story here.
Then things all got a little unusual, maybe due to Mercury being retrograde at the time. All I did was make public information available to my readers. The fact is Mr. Ellman is a sympathizer for the Anarchists in Lake Worth and has been for many years. Lynne Purvis, aka Elle Purv, promoted the protest on a Facebook page. Lynne Purvis has worked along with former commissioner/Anarchist as can be seen here. In the video you can see both Lynne Purvis and Cara Jennings (this is soon before she gave birth to her child).
Many of the people "invited", "going", or "maybe" to the protest that afternoon were avowed Anarchists/activists or former political operatives such as Cara Jennings, Panagioti Tsolkas, Annabeth Karson, the EarthFirst! Journal, members of TWAC (an affinity group of EarthFirst!), and others who have opposed PBSO for many years.
Shortly after the 'protest' began a group of Guatemalans joined the group. Reverend Frank O'Loughlin, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the Guatemalan-Maya Center (GMC) organized twenty to thirty of his congregation to join the Anarchists et al. Why didn't Reverend O'Loughlin contact his neighborhood association and let them know of his intentions? Why didn't Reverend O'Loughlin reach out to the city beforehand? If this problem was real, there were many other avenues to pursue its correction.
There is much anger about the 'protest' on Wednesday, October 22nd from many different perspectives. On Thursday, October 23rd the Lake Worth Herald printed an editorial about this protest. Somehow the protest the previous day is no longer the issue, Mr. Ellman for one is attempting to make the LW Herald the issue and not the protest which started this whole thing rolling.
Question, would we have all this upheaval in the community had the GMC and Reverend O'Loughlin not aligned himself with the Anarchists? What if Reverend O'Loughlin had reached out to his Lake Worth neighbors and community about his concerns with PBSO? How about talking to the sheriff's office directly?
This 'protest' was done with the absence of community involvement, set in motion by its organizers, the GMC and Reverend O'Loughlin in particular. Many others in our community, experienced a deep sense of betrayal last Wednesday. Our clergy in Lake Worth should be working to heal our community, not further divide us from our Guatemalan neighbors.
So, no good deed goes unpunished. Making people aware of an "action" I guess is an "invitation only" event here in Lake Worth. Even though many traditional media outlets were there, the organizer's made sure that a side counter to their claims should not and would not be heard or present at the event.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
For some reason, I am being blamed for the "failed protest"
Here is an example of a more successful protest, in the same theme, that was held in East Lansing, Michigan on the same day.
Something else to think about. Some people make better friends than enemies.
Is spring training in Avenir future? | Northern Palm Beach County
Click title for link to article. Note the line at the end of the excerpt below: "John Prince Park near Lake Worth is considered by many to be too small." Note that John Prince Park has not been completely eliminated yet as the site for spring training baseball! From the article:
There’s talk around county hall that the old Vavrus Ranch, on the western reaches of Palm Beach Gardens, might make a good site for the spring training complex the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals are seeking.
But so far, talk is all it is, according to County Commissioner Hal Valeche and the property owners, Avenir Holdings.
“People have mentioned it to us, that maybe it should go there,” E. Daniel Lopez, a principal of the Coral Gables development firm said Tuesday. “But we have not talked with anybody about it in any serious way.”
The teams have been hard pressed to find a winning site. Palm Beach Gardens ruled out a more easterly property off Central Boulevard; West Palm Beach’s 160-acre site south of 45th Street is under consideration for a mixed-use complex with townhouses instead; and John Prince Park near Lake Worth is considered by many to be too small.
Coming attraction...
I spent some time wandering around northern Palm Beach County yesterday while on business. Some of the places I visited included Scripps and Max Planck headquarters, the Briger tract area and Harbourside Place in Jupiter. Here are just a few of the pictures I was able to grab. More to follow.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
The 5 most valuable pieces of property in Palm Beach County | Real Time
Interesting list...Click title for link.
Here are the top five:
5. Office Depot’s headquarters: $149 million
4. Boca Raton Resort & Club: $159 million
3. The Breakers: $174 million
2. Gardens Mall: $220 million
1. Town Center at Boca Raton: $365 million
Lake Okeechobee waters rise - Sun Sentinel
Lake Okeechobee may turn out to be Florida's equivalent of the Hawaiian volcano. Both are slumbering giants of a sort who have the ability to wake-up and change the landscape. Click title for link.
South Florida's dry season may have arrived just in time to avoid dumping more Lake Okeechobee water out to sea.
Last year, flooding fears from rising lake waters triggered the dumping of hundreds of billions of gallons of lake water out to sea — with damaging environmental consequences on coastal fishing grounds.
Last week, rising lake levels raised concerns that more lake dumping could resume, but a return of drier weather may instead enable the Army Corps of Engineers to keep the lake floodgates closed.
"They are trying to hold on and not discharge [lake water] if they don't have to," said Mark Perry, of the Florida Oceanographic Society in Stuart, where waterways have suffered from past lake draining. "It would just make matters worse."
Happy Birthday, New York City Subway! - CityLab
Just a year after the formation of the City of Lake Worth, the New York City subway began operation. Its existence and continued transformation, expansion, led to the ever-changing New York City that we know today. The system allowed a density and intensity of development that still astounds today, but somehow it all seems to work. Click title for link to a story heralding the anniversary. Here's a bit and an interesting video from the time.
By the end of the 19th century, New York City's Lower East Side housed overhalf a million people per square mile. With vermin-infested tenements and rampant disease due to bad sanitation, “Staying clean in a neighborhood filled with horse stables, brothels, slaughterhouses and saloons was impossible,”writes transit historian Doug Most. Also difficult: Commuting to work to another neighborhood by horse.
New York needed to move and breathe. In 1894, the city signed the Rapid Transit Act into law, and began planning its first line, boasting to constituents that they'd be able to travel "from City Hall to Harlem in 15 minutes."
The time estimate may have been a bit of a stretch, but the city kept its promise of a better transit system. On October 27, 1904, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company debuted nine miles running through 28 stations to the public. For five cents a ride, travelers could skip from City Hall in lower Manhattan to Grand Central Terminal in midtown, head west along 42nd Street to Times Square, or hop north all the way to 145th Street and Broadway in Harlem.
West Palm Beach downtown board goofs on All Aboard support | West Palm Beat
Well, this happened. Sometimes you can be a little quick to forward on an email without thinking of the message it might portray to the people who are receiving it. That happened with the West Palm Beach DDA regarding All Aboard Florida. Click title for link.
Last week, when an All Aboard Florida representative asked the board of the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority for a resolution of support, authority chair Howard Pincus said the board would study draft wording and plan a vote for the November meeting. It would demur for now.
That’s why Pincus was surprised Monday when told by the Palm Beach Post that an email, sent Monday via the authority, urged people to come to a town hall meeting Wednesday and “show your support for All Aboard Florida!”
Within minutes, Pincus called back to say that the email was a mistake. The notice had been written by supporters of the rail project, and the DDA had forwarded it for informational purposes, without realizing it would appear the authority was endorsing All Aboard.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Critics say council OKs too many variances
Variance requests are quite common in the Town of Palm Beach. Usually that is a symptom of a zoning code that needs updating and perhaps some of the standards do not reflect the realities that property owners face. It also can be perceived that granting of variances is a way to garner support, or to thank for support given, during election. I don't believe that is the case, but it does create the perception that it could be. And, then you also have to ask what good are the regulations in the zoning code if so many variances are granted. I was alarmed recently when reading an edition of the Shiny Sheet that the variances scheduled for one Town Council meeting took up an entire half page of the paper, in a vertical format with very fine print.
Apparently, the Planning and Zoning Commission thinks things have gotten too permissive and are talking about changes to the process. It doesn't look like that is getting too far. Click title for link.
“They [Palm Beach Town Council] want to be good guys, so they end up granting more than they should,” she [Commission Chairwoman Susan Markin] said. “If someone took a strong line on variances, you wouldn’t get so many of them being applied for, which right now, I have never seen the variance applications as great as they are now. It is totally out of control. We’re deteriorating our zoning code every month.”
Zoning Administrator Paul Castro said the number of zoning requests hasn’t changed much since the 1990s, and that 99 percent of variances are approved. “Maybe one a year is denied, maybe,” he said.
“There’s been this evisceration of the zoning code, variance by variance, so it’s almost as if we don’t have a zoning code anymore if it’s so easy to get a variance,” Vice Chairman Michael Scharf said. “If these were looked at more carefully and came from us with a recommendation, yay or nay, it might slow down this process that’s going on right now.”
Fire Ant won't be considered for the Pulitzer Prize in Journalist Diplomacy anytime soon
His response to one of his readers:
How Palm Beach Gardens grows: Nearly 30 projects on the runway
From what I hear, development activity is picking up in Lake Worth. William Waters is predicting fuller Planning and Zoning Board agendas. Here is one development proposal that was advertised in last week's Lake Worth Herald that is larger than what we have seen recently.
It's actually a mixed use project, that will include approximately 104 residential units, along with an amount of professional office space. This is on the north side of 2nd Avenue North, west of Boutwell Road, near the canal.
This "pick-up" in development and investment activity pales in comparison to Palm Beach Gardens, however. Click title for link for a quick summary of all that is going on there. Remember 700 people per day are moving to Florida now and more than half are moving to south Florida. From the article:
This "pick-up" in development and investment activity pales in comparison to Palm Beach Gardens, however. Click title for link for a quick summary of all that is going on there. Remember 700 people per day are moving to Florida now and more than half are moving to south Florida. From the article:
A baseball’s throw from [Palm Beach Gardens] city hall, the Palm Beach Orthopaedic Institute last week opened a 39,000-square-foot acute care, therapy, MRI and physical training center that has fielded injured athletes from the city diamonds next door, among hundreds of other patients each day.[Later in article two of the major proposed projects...]
Across town, workers hammer away at the Benjamin School’s $11 million performing arts hall, aiming for a grand opening this spring for an auditorium that will be a focal point for the prep school’s 1,100 students, their parents and faculty.
The two projects are among nearly 30 cropping up citywide as the economy thaws, enhancing the city with sought-after features but challenging officials to maintain the quality of life that attracted the growth.
Briger: The 681-acre tract, bordering I-95 south of Donald Ross Road, already has approvals for thousands of houses, townhomes and apartments, in addition to office and retail buildings, all meant to support growth spurred by the nearby Scripps Research Institute.
FPL: The council this past year approved a master plan for a NextEra Energy/Florida Power & Light campus with 913,000 square feet of office space, for a site east of I-95 and north of PGA Boulevard.
Editorial: Jupiter’s Harbourside is an asset, not an eyesore
The Palm Beach Post gives praises to Harbourside, the new development at the corner of Indiantown Road and U.S. 1, referring to it as Jupiter's "downtown." They point out the discrepancy between its height and mass and those buildings around it, especially along Indiantown Road. The message seems to be sent to detractors of the project: Simmer down, you'll get used it. I'll have to head up there and check it out once more places open, which seems to be after the first week in December. Click title for link.
But now construction is complete, businesses are starting to open, and people are parading in to check out Jupiter’s newly minted “downtown.” The end product leaves a lot for the town’s residents to be happy about.
To be sure, Harbourside Place is big and dense. Built hard against Indiantown Road, it greets passing drivers with a four-story parking garage and commercial buildings lurking behind it. Passing it on Indiantown Road, many find its presence jarring.
But visitors who pull into the complex are greeted by a pleasant streetscape: tidy, urban, spacious and walkable. The buildings, which will house about 20 stores and several eateries, are designed with varying heights and a mix of eye-pleasing façades and colors to minimize its impact.
LAKE WORTH - Sneak preview
The Monochrome Exhibition Preview Party is set for Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Monochrome — using a single color in art — seems simple, yet it creates many challenges for the artist. The exhibit runs from Friday through Dec. 6. 601 Lake Ave. $20. 561-471-2901; www.palmbeachculture.com.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Pick up a copy of this week's (10/23) Lake Worth Herald...
In addition to many other interesting articles, you will find this editorial about last week's protest by the Guatemalan/Mayan Center and other well-known members of Lake Worth's activist community.
Perhaps if Cara [Cara Jennings, former two-term City Commissioner] and company could take up teaching hygiene and culture adaptation, there would not be a need to protest the PBSO. The sad part is, they wish the whole world lived in chaos. Maybe it's because they can't cope with a bar of soap.To read the entire editorial go to LWHerald.com. If you too would like to register your displeasure with the Guatemalan-Maya Center you can contact Reverend O'Loughlin directly: frankogmc@yahoo.com
FB chatter said GMC [the Guatemalan-Maya Center] was going to stage the protest. Lo and behold, right there leading the way was Cara and her boy Peter [Panagioti Tsolkas, leader of EarthFirst], and a few other familiar faces, you know, the ones who all live on 7th Avenue South, and showed up to protest improvements in the neighborhood.
How dare they, or anyone protest PBSO, who is doing a job none of them would or could do. These regular protesters just want a reason to stand and hold signs.
Next they will be in the commission chambers protesting the ordinance against Panhandling. They approve anything that makes others uncomfortable.
Obviously they don't approve of life in a clean safe society and would prefer communal living, and that is ok, just take the commune to an area where others around them don't care about safety or sanitation.
One has to wonder if the GMC actually wanted to file with the Justice system [U.S. Attorney General complaint] or did the perpetual protester have a hand in it.
It is time she and her sympathizers found another neighborhood on the planet to ply their trade and leave the people of Lake Worth alone.
Future of U.S. 1 in Tequesta: repaving or remodeling?
Trend being pushed by Jeff Speck that promotes shrinking of traffic lane widths to 10 feet from 12 feet is catching on in other communities. He was hired to do a walkability study for the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority. Many of his recommendations come from what is called the "complete streets" view of transportation, one that accommodates all modes of travel: pedestrian, bike, car, transit. All of these modes of transit can be accommodated in urban locations, safely, with the narrower lanes. Now the concept is being applied to the U.S. 1 corridor in some places. Don't be surprised to see such a revamp on Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth eventually. Click title for link.
Skinnier is better, say proponents of a plan to shrink a 2-mile section of U.S. Route 1 to four lanes from six.
Slimming down the main roadway that goes through the 5,800-population village would be safer, improve business for local merchants and entice visitors and to walk and ride bicycles, say supporters of the plan to reduce lanes from County Line Road south to Beach Road. Reducing the speed limit to 35 mph from 45 mph is part of the plan.
“Drivers come whizzing down U.S. 1. They don’t even see us,” said Kevin Sealy, owner of Left Bank Arts, a picture frame shop in the Tequesta Shoppes on U.S. 1.
Smaller lanes also are being considered for Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach. Besides narrowing the eight driving lanes from 12 to 10 feet, the plan calls for reworking crossings, sprucing up landscaping and adding bicycle lanes separated from traffic by an 18-inch barrier.
Florida population surging again
The gate is open again and about 700 new Florida residents, from domestic and foreign places, are moving here per day. That's not quite the rate it was when I moved here in 1989. I remember it being estimated that 1,000 people a day were moving here back then. Miami is turning into more of an international city and its prosperity helps us as a region. We just need to find a way to tap into the wealth and resources represented by this growth and find a way to help us out of our problems here in Lake Worth. Click title for link.
People from other countries and other states are pouring into Florida again, a sign of the state's recovery from a long period of economic doldrums and slow growth.
Recently released U.S. Census numbers show that Florida's foreign-born population increased by 140,000 from 2010 through last year. And movement within the United States left Florida with a net gain of 105,000 residents last year and 109,000 in 2012 — 84 percent more than in the previous two years.
The population surge has accelerated this year, according to state estimates, growing at a rate of about 700 new residents a day. That's a healthy increase, though still less than the big migrations during the Sunbelt boom of past decades.
For many job seekers, South Florida has become a hip beachside destination with a nexus of entrepreneurs, investors, a big consumer market and a gateway to Latin America.
Changes to PBC Ethics Commission coming
Time for some fine tuning. Click title for link to the Sun-Sentinel article.
One proposed change would allow someone facing an ethics violation to ask for an independent officer to handle the case instead of the county's Ethics Commission.
Another proposed change calls for creating a way to speed up the process for handling ethics complaints filed during campaign season. The idea is to quickly take care of allegations that might have been filed for purely political purposes.
Those were among the possibilities that the Ethics Commission discussed Friday as local officials are looking into updating county standards and the board's role. The oversight board was created to enforce rules against conflicts of interest and other wrongdoing involving local government or elected officials.
Cultural Council’s Smartbiz to be at Convention Center
Access to programs like these is why it is important to have an institution like the Palm Beach County Cultural Council in our downtown. A picture of the building they occupy accompanies the article. This is yet another asset lured to Lake Worth through the CRA. Click title for link to story.
Local business leaders will team up with professional artists and non-profit groups next week as part of a daylong summit designed to raise awareness about the importance of arts and culture in Palm Beach County.
The event, which is organized by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, will focus on building partnerships between businesses and the arts community to help boost the local economy.
Ben Cameron, program director for the arts at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, will open this year’s SmARTBiz Summit. In his role with the foundation, Cameron supervises a $13 million grants program focusing on performing-arts presenters and artists.
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