Thursday, August 9, 2018

Whilst we all await the next anonymous quote in The Palm Beach Post. . .


Have you already read about the presentation by CPZ Architects at the City Commission last Tuesday night? Then Thank You for visiting once again today and please check out the right-hand column for other stuff going on in this City and nearby communities as well.

By the way, in a recent story in the Post about the Lake Worth Electric Utility was another anonymous quote. Why? Who knows. However, if you want to learn more about recent developments at the Lake Worth Electric Utility click on this link.

For more background about “Lake Worth Beach Complex Conceptual Plans Design, Cost Estimates & Construction Design and Construction Phase” click on this link.


Now to the presentation by CPZ Architects at the City Commission on Tuesday, August 7th at the Lake Worth City Commission.



One of many photos taken at this public meeting.

Click on image to enlarge:

We are now officially in Stage 1 of the process to fix all the problems at the Lake Worth Beach and Casino. If the image above is upsetting or causes a fit please consider medical marijuana. Stage 1 is just one of many stages to come.


At this presentation by CPZ Architects seven (7) conceptual schemes were presented.

If you wish to dismiss the preliminaries and get right to it, the YouTube video of this public meeting is at the end of this blog post. Before we proceed. . .

Remember, the “Big Myth” is that the current Casino structure was ‘renovated’. It was actually 94% demolished. Oh, and by the way, the structure was Greenwashed too. So keep this in mind as you look over this information provided by CPZ Architects:


To demonstrate how terrible the planning was
at the ‘renovated’ Casino:

For example, when guests to a wedding walk from the lower parking lot to the Ballroom they can smell the grease trap and see the leaks and spills as well.


And it gets worse, much worse.

Click on image to enlarge:

The second floor space, you know, the one with the “killer view”? That 4,973 sq. ft. on the 2nd floor is being used for office space and storage.


Opposite that “killer view” on the 2nd floor is the Casino Ballroom. But that space has problems too.

It truly is remarkable how City staff has made
the Ballroom a great success despite all the ‘renovations’ at the Casino.


And now for the biggest failure of all.

Click on image. Read it and weep as they say. . .

Right next to the ‘renovated’ Casino is the now-condemned municipal pool. The former administration shut down the pool in 2010. Then after the current majority took over the ones who shut down the pool demanded it be reopened again.


Below is a lot more information. Check back to this blog for more information to come about this very important topic..


For example, we learned it will cost approximately $1.1M to demolish that “white elephant” at
the Lake Worth Beach.

Or put another way, that horse will not get up
and run any more.

Referring to the municipal pool at the Beach it was the inimitable Mr. Tom McGow back in 2010 who first coined the term “white elephant”.


Below are more photos from the meeting, a random collection, but give a good idea of what went on last Tuesday. The Lake Worth Beach Complex was agenda item 12B. There were the usual suspects from the public and new faces too which was good to see. Commissioner Scott Maxwell was initially absent but was there for the entire presentation by CPZ. Mayor Pam Triolo began the meeting on time and proceeded through the agenda with blazing speed.

The City set a new record for the shortest amount of time spent on public comment on non-agendaed items. Why? Because everyone was there for item 12B. It took only twenty-eight minutes to get there.

CPZ Architects is doing a tremendous job. They had a 62-page handout for the public and below are some images from their presentation. There is still some hand-wringing on the Commission about a new pool at the Beach. This is really silly and looks like pandering now. The focus needs to be on revenue and problem-solving, both of which CPZ is addressing in a professional manner. I think it was Commissioner Omari Hardy who pointed out why pay a lot of public funds to demolish the condemned municipal pool and then spend so much time and money to build a new one.

Going from the numbers given by the City, just by demolishing the pool and in-filling it and paving it over to make just fifty parking spaces will produce approximately $180K of revenue in one year. If anyone really wants to swim in a pool at the Beach so badly they can keep an Intex 18′ × 10′ × 42″ Oval Frame inflatable pool in the trunk and bring it with them.


More photos.

Click on images to enlarge:

Once again, despite all the issues at the Beach the City staff has performed excellently to promote the 2nd floor Ballroom and special events.


Some of the major players.

Chris Zimmerman, the president of CPZ at the podium with City Manager Michael Bornstein (left) and Asst. City Manager Juan Ruiz.


The dais:

Commissioner Scott Maxwell was absent for roll call. He was present for entire CPZ presentation.


The chambers filling in.

At the start of the meeting.

And three more slides from the presentation. . .







Once again, the video of last night’s meeting is below. Watch the video in segments if you wish and jot down the minute mark so you can quickly pick up where you left off.

Mr. Zimmerman from CPZ Architects began the official presentation at the 40:00 mark in the video below if you would like to begin watching right away.

Early on Asst. City Manager Juan Ruiz, well, sort of stepped in it by mentioning the proceeds from the County’s ¢1 sales tax. But Ruiz quickly got everything back on track after this initial kerfuffle and the meeting continued in an orderly and efficient manner.

The critics and malcontents about using proceeds from the County’s ¢1 sales tax for this revenue-producing infrastructure project, of course, will soon begin flailing themselves in fits of anger and disbelief so get ready for that. And maybe there will be another anonymous quote or two in the Post too. You know, basically just the normal stuff.

Actual funding for a project is a discussion that will come much later in the process and speculation about using proceeds from the ¢1 sales tax is just that: speculation.

And if you happen to hear wails of grief and despair that is because one of the concepts for the Beach and Casino improvements is a new hotel and a public-private partnership. This is just one of seven concepts. We still have a very long way to go. Once again, if you feel the urge to start wailing please consider medical marijuana.

It’s worth repeating we are now officially in Stage 1 of this process with many more stages to come.


Briefly, it will take approximately $1.1M to demolish the pool, locker rooms and pump building. The sense I got was if a new pool is ever built again at the Beach it will come much later after all the other revenue producing projects have been completed. Prior to the parking rate increase from $2 to $3 the calculation was $200/month per parking spot. So one can see how 50–75 spots created after the pool is demolished can really make a big difference.

Sent out many Tweets about this meeting and this one is humorous in a gallows sort of way:



No. The City of Lake Worth will not be constructing a car wash at the Beach. But hope you all got a good laugh though.

Anyhow, without further ado, the City’s YouTube video from last night.





As always, Thank You for visiting today and check back later for more information and photos from the City Commission meeting. This is still very early in the process and the City clearly made a great choice choosing CPZ for this project.