Preview to the "Problems at the Lake Worth Beach" post to come (more research needed)

These are pictures of the crowd that assembled in the Commission Chambers last Tuesday (4/28) for the ITN Selection Committee meeting. Public comment was not allowed during the meeting and those assembled were generally well-behaved.

I'm in the process now of going through the videos I took and summarizing the weaknesses of the beach site plan and places at the beach operations/facilities that need improvement. There has been a reluctance to do this. Perhaps some people don't want the likely finger-pointing at previous City Commissions. The problems there are all our problems now and we really should strive to improve what has continually been referred to as the crown jewel of the city and let the chips fall where they may.

How can we fix the problem if the problem isn't clearly defined?

"The beach" certainly can spark an emotional response. Political opportunists use these sort of issues to rally people, get their attention and then try to maintain that steam over time to determine future elections.

More than a few people have pointed out that if the actual people that attended the meeting on Tuesday night went to the pool or the beach on a regular basis, it would result in a few different outcomes. One is that the city would have more money in its coffers through parking revenue and pool admission fees. And the other is that people would also have a good idea about what is wrong with the property's layout and function, experience it for themselves through unfiltered eyes.

This is only a small example on the first of many issues to explore. There is no relationship or connection between the NEW casino building and the pool.

This picture is of the southwest corner of the Casino building and the northeast corner of the pool deck. Here we have the required ADA ramp connecting the two areas, but I have never seen it used. There is a gate at the top of the ramp that is always closed. People do line up here, behind the gate, and the area on the second level just above here, and look at the pool. You can read people's minds as you see them from the pool and they must be thinking, "Gee, that looks like a nice pool. But, how do you get in? Is it open to the public? What are its hours of operation? Huh, let's get some pizza."

The truth is this: the "new" Casino building was constructed without regard to the pool; like it wasn't even there. Was the original plan to have two entrances, with two people taking entrance fees, and double the coverage for safety issues?

You can also see the staining of the cast stone (the cast stone could have been one of those items that was value-engineered out of the building, but we have it). There is a scupper right above the middle of the column that attempts to eliminate the water from the walkway around the second floor. It's placement makes the staining that you see on the cast stone. It's this way all around the building and it looks terrible. In the picture, you can also see where the paint is peeling from the fence, gate or cage, depending on how you want to refer to it. And this reflects the quality of materials used on the building. This shouldn't be happening to a building that has yet to reach its third anniversary.

I know, the building is susceptible to the effects of salt water. Ludicrous. And I'll also deal with that ridiculous notion.

More to come as I review the video from Tuesday night. In the meantime, if you haven't been to the pool, I encourage you to go.