The Blueway Trail and the City of Lake Worth’s all-volunteer C-51 Canal Advisory Committee.

Would you like to learn more about the status of the C-51 Canal and the Blueway Trail project?

One way is to ask your elected leaders to schedule a meeting of the City’s C-51 Canal Advisory Committee (CAC) some time in the near future. Click on this link to contact the mayor and commissioners for Districts 1–4.

The lead reporter covering this project in Palm Beach County is Skyler Swisher* at the Sun Sentinel. Recently Swisher published this article titled, “Nonprofit forms to link Palm Beach County’s lakes to the ocean”. Occasionally there is news about the Blueway Trail project in the Post but the reporting is spotty at best.

District 2 Commissioner Omari Hardy is a big supporter of the Blueway Trail. Hardy’s district is west of Dixie Hwy. along the south side of the C-51 Canal within sight of the West Palm Beach golf course and Winn-Dixie plaza.

For more background click on this link to learn more about the Blueway Trail and a CAC meeting held on August 9th last year.

Click on image to enlarge:

At the August 2017 meeting Lake Clarke Shores Mayor Hal Shalhoub was present along with Kim DeLaney, PhD, from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, as well as other experts, engineers, and electeds in Central PBC.

Below is the City of Lake Worth’s: “Resolution 50-2017 supporting the C-51 boat lift”.

“Linking Our Waterways Creating Access For All”

Would you like more information about the Blueway Trail? To contact the Dir. of Strategic Development and Policy at the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council click on this link.

Many of you have heard this project referred to as the “Blueway Trail project” on the C-51 Canal that separates the cities of Lake Worth and West Palm Beach. This is very significant for several reasons:

• Most importantly, it shows a willingness to work together with our neighboring cities, towns, and villages here in Central Palm Beach County.
• The County and many other municipalities have already passed “Resolutions in Support”.
• Although by most estimates this project’s start is 2–4 years away, it gives the City of Lake Worth a place at the table going forward. As one City commissioner is fond of saying, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.”
• Taking into account current and future budgetary headwinds, e.g., this year’s State referendum on another housing deduction (likely to pass; disproportionately affecting budgets of small cities such as the City of Lake Worth), taking advantage of a previously underutilized asset — the C-51 Canal — will help fill gaps in future City budgets.

Please note that “Resolution 50-2017 supporting the C-51 boat lift” passed unanimously at the Lake Worth City Commission, 5-0. So without further ado. . .

Agenda Date: October 3rd, 2017.
Department: City Manager.

Summary:

The Palm Beach County League of Cities in partnership with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC) Palm Beach County desires to develop recreational opportunities, encourage economic development, and create new jobs within our regional area while enhancing the environmental attributes of the C-51 canal.

Background and Justification:

• Direct, two-way connectivity between the Chain of Lakes, Lake Worth Lagoon, Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.
• Restoration and preservation of wildlife habitats.
• Improvements to existing fishing piers.
• Economic driver for the entire region. [emphasis added]
• Increased property values.
• Increased commerce and job opportunities.
• Potential for additional forms of ecotourism by linking our Greenways and Blueways.
• More people enjoying our waterways.
• Better quality of life.

Florida Interlocal Cooperation Act of 1969, "authorizes local governments to make the most efficient use of their powers by enabling them to cooperate with other localities on a basis of mutual advantage and thereby to provide services and facilities that will harmonize geographic, economic, population and other factors influencing the needs and development of local communities.” TCRPC created The Intracoastal Waterway Plan for Palm Beach County: Charting a Course for the Future (’09 Charrette) for the Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) published in January 2009; and the '09 Charrette participants identified six core public themes including increasing public access to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), protecting natural resources, expanding all forms of water based transportation, and promoting sustainable economics.

Motion:

I move to approve/not approve Resolution 50-2017 supporting the C-51 boat lift.

Resolution No. 50-2017 of the City of Lake Worth, Florida. . .

Providing for supporting and encouraging efforts by the Palm Beach County League of Cities, Inc. and neighboring municipalities to proceed with improvement to the Chain of Lakes, the Ocean to Lake Trails Initiative and development of a boat lift at the C51 Canal S155 Control Structure providing for severability; providing for the repeal of conflicting resolutions or parts of resolutions; and providing an effective date.

WHEREAS, Section 163.01, Florida Statutes, known as the “Florida Interlocal Cooperation Act of 1969,” authorizes local governments to make the most efficient use of their powers by enabling them to cooperate with other localities on a basis of mutual advantage and thereby to provide services and facilities that will harmonize geographic, economic, population and other factors influencing the needs and development of local communities; and
WHEREAS, the City of Lake Worth desires to develop recreational opportunities, encourage economic development, and create new jobs within our regional area while enhancing the environmental attributes of the City of Lake Worth; and
WHEREAS, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council (TCRPC) created The Intracoastal Waterway Plan for Palm Beach County: Charting a Course for the Future (2009 Charrette) for the Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) published in January 2009.
WHEREAS, the 2009 Charrette participants identified six core public themes including increasing public access to the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), protecting natural resources, expanding all forms of water based transportation, and promoting sustainable economics; and
WHEREAS, the MPO requested the ’09 Charrette be updated by TCRPC and their report was published in January 2015 which documented that a connection to the ICW at the S155 Control Structure on the C51 Canal would have significant economic and recreational benefit; and
WHEREAS, the C51 Canal is connected to a 26 mile chain of freshwater lakes (Pine Lake, Lake Clarke, Lake Osborne, Lake Eden and Lake Ida) and navigable canals within our regional area; and
WHEREAS, the City of Lake Worth supports improvements to the C51 Canal that would enhance the recreational uses of the ICW, C51 Canal, and the Chain of Lakes and provides for new economic opportunities and job creation; and
WHEREAS, a connection between the ICW and the C51 Canal at the S155 Control Structure would provide for economic development, job creation and recreational enhancement. The connection has been referred to as the “Boat Lift” and is estimated to provide significant economic benefit to the regional area; and
WHEREAS, the City of Lake Worth recognizes a significant environmental resource in the canals and lakes that must be protected and improved; and
WHEREAS, the Boat Lift provides for environmental enhancement to the waterways, safe and effective portage opportunities for non-motorized recreational watercraft, and small motorized boats to access the ICW; and
WHEREAS, the Ocean to Lake Trails Committee of the PBC League of Cities has identified the Boat Lift and the associated improvements to the ICW and the C-51 as vital to that Ocean to Lake Trails initiative; and
WHEREAS, in recognizing these facts, the City of Lake Worth desires to join with our regional area neighboring municipalities in their joint efforts to create a regional focus on the Eastern C- 51 Canal

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, that:

SECTION 1:

The City of Lake Worth fully acknowledges and supports the following:

A. Recreational opportunities, economic development and environmental enhancement which occur within the regional area are beneficial to the City of Lake Worth and, therefore, are supported by the City of Lake Worth; and
B. The City of Lake Worth will independently encourage the development of the Chain of Lakes, the Ocean to Lake Trails initiative, and the Boat Lift consistent with the recitals above; and
C. Regular communications shall be maintained between the regional area municipalities to ensure cooperation and support for one another in any and all efforts to advance the Chain of Lakes, the Ocean to Lake Trails initiative, and the Boat Lift.

SECTION 2:

The City of Lake Worth agrees that this resolution may be used to market the Chain of Lakes, the Ocean to Lake Trails initiative, and to solicit funds from other sources for the planning, design, permitting and construction of the Chain of Lakes and the Boat Lift, and discuss this project with others as a single regional voice.

The passage of this resolution was moved by __________, seconded by __________, and upon being put to a vote, the vote was as follows [the vote, remember, was unanimous]:

Mayor Pam Triolo
Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell
Commissioner Omari Hardy
Commissioner Andy Amoroso
Commissioner Herman Robinson

The Mayor thereupon declared this resolution duly passed and adopted this 3rd day of October, 2017.

Enjoy the video:

*To “Connect with the reporter” click on this link.
     “Skyler Swisher is a reporter covering Palm Beach County government. Before joining the Sun Sentinel, he wrote about health care for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A native of Memphis, he is a graduate of the University of Tennessee.”