UPDATE: “Project title, RFQ 17-305”. The meeting last Wednesday at Lake Worth City Hall.

What follows is a blog post from yesterday (for those of you who missed this latest news) and there’s further information below for those of you following these latest “developments” (pardon the pun).

The Lake Worth Beach, Casino, and pool: Happier days.

Remember when the pool had water in it?

Yes. The City of Lake Worth is considering a project at the Beach. However, if any project does proceed,
it will be many months if not years away
from actually happening.

First, it may be confusing for the public to learn an RFQ (“Request For Qualifications”) — encouraging developers to come forth with ideas how to fix all the problems at the Lake Worth Beach — when the City just recently reached a ‘settlement’ with Morganti and REG Architects on August 1st (exactly a month ago), to try and fix water leaking from the 2nd floor of the Casino structure, a problem discovered over 4 years ago.

Let’s just say for now, it’s rather complicated. For example, see the blog post following or use this link for an article in The Coastal Star,

“At issue is whether building should continue east of Coastal Construction Line”.

But one can understand why there may be confusion and some “head scratching” going on. By the way, the construction company Morganti, is not one of the respondents to “RFQ 17-305”:

City staff’s Evaluation Committee meeting last Wednesday on the topic. . .

“Lake Worth Beach Complex Conceptual Plans Design, Cost Estimates, Construction Design and Construction Phase Services”.

Whilst on my way to this meeting I received a call informing me the meeting was already over. The meeting began at 1:00 and only lasted 10 minutes. Per Asst. City Manager Juan Ruiz there will be another meeting next Friday by the Evaluation Committee beginning at 9:45.

There are some already overreacting about this matter on Facebook and elsewhere. Why? Because they didn’t do their homework ahead of time. The facts, as Mark Twain famously noted, always need more time to catch up with the rumors, open-ended questions, and uninformed speculation.

Is the money for future construction, maybe even
a new pool, coming from proceeds of the
County’s ¢1 sales tax increase?

To even suggest that is absurd. The City Commission seems in no mood to spend all the ¢1 sales tax at once but would rather fund multiple community projects like annual bill for FEC track grade crossings, license plate readers, and public safety improvements (e.g., demolition of condemned pier at Spillway Park).

There is also the City’s Neighborhood Road Program to consider. It would look downright irresponsible for the City to consider shifting money from the County ¢1 tax proceeds to the Beach only to discover more of our streets have since fallen in the Pavement Condition Index and are in need of repair.

And. . . why would anyone try and speculate how to pay for a project when there is no project? The meeting last Wednesday was only to see if the companies responding to the RFQ were QUALIFIED to be part of a future project. The meeting next Friday will be a broad view going forward with few specifics, mostly about ideas, concepts, and possible designs. And. . .

THERE IS NO ONE TRYING TO
“STEAL OUR BEACH!”

These meetings are open to the public, the City of Lake Worth will have an attorney present, and the rules will be followed to protect the public interest. What’s the timeline? Time will tell. In other words there are many known unknowns and many unknown unknowns as well. This is simply a process that needs to play out. It may go somewhere. It may go nowhere at all.

If anything does comes of this RFQ, one thing is for certain: this will be a City project and not a public-private partnership of any sort. There were only two responses to this RFQ and the respondents are:

• CPZ Architects, Inc., 4316 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation, FL.
• Kimley-Horn, 1615 S. Congress Ave., Suite 201, Delray Beach, FL.

Disappointing only getting two respondents. It’s very possible another RFQ will be needed for more respondents to come forward and provide a wider range of ideas on how to proceed and fix all the problems at the Casino and Beach property.

Here is the information provided by the City last week noticing this public meeting:

Notice is hereby given [on 8/22] that the staff will be meeting in regard to the following item:

Project Title: RFQ 17-305.

• Subject: Evaluation Committee Meeting.
• Purpose: Determination of qualifications of RFQ responses.
• Location: City of Lake Worth City Hall Conference Room.

Should any interested party seek to appeal any decision made by the Negotiation Committee with respect to the matter(s) considered at this meeting or hearing, such person will need to insure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.

Stay tuned for the agenda, the meeting at City Hall next Friday, September 8th, at 9:45.