Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and “Destination Lake Worth”: The work needs to follow the hype.

UPDATE: Please read the comment below left by Mr. Chip Guthrie, a Lake Worth CRA member. And then contact your elected officials here in the City of Lake Worth.

Guthrie wants you to “encourage your elected officials to support this effort” — community WIFI for our struggling communities and families here in our City — and help “bridge the digital divide” holding so many students and children behind. Remember, as Erica Whitfield and Mr. Epps pointed out last night, children are the ones teaching their immigrant parents how to speak English.

Here is the blog post from earlier today:

We learned last night from School Board member Erica Whitfield that one of the big things holding our students and young people back is no access to the Internet at home. Dr. Epps, the new principal at Lake Worth High School, confirmed this as well.

Do you remember this news from last November about the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and City of Lake Worth event at the Casino called “Destination Lake Worth — Investment and Development in Lake Worth”?

Click on image to enlarge:

“Developers, Property Owners, Commercial Realtors and Business Owners” expect investment in our children and schools as well.

This meeting was targeted to property owners and potential investors to let them know Lake Worth is “open for business” and presented reasons why investment in the City is a good idea whose time has come.

“[T]he CRA is working toward establishing a WiFi system that will be part of the City’s infrastructure and will utilize electric poles throughout the CRA district as a way to bridge the ‘digital divide’ for those with challenges accessing the Internet.”

When was the last time you heard about WIFI and helping many of our communities and neighborhoods “to bridge the digital divide”?

It was a big idea last year. Remember?

Erica Whitfield would like to know why this is not moving forward. And suspect a lot of other people would like to know why too, especially all the people who are working so hard to increase school attendance and reduce all the fear, mis- and disinformation in our immigrant communities as well.