City of Lake Worth’s “Resolution No. 50-2017 supporting the C-51 boat lift”.

This blog post is re-posted for anyone who may have missed this news by reporter Skyler Swisher at the Sun Sentinel.

If you didn’t know, Mr. Swisher is one of the top County government reporters in Palm Beach County (PBC). To follow him on Twitter click on this link. The article by Swisher is titled, “Nonprofit forms to link Palm Beach County’s lakes to the ocean”. Here’s the first paragraph:

The goal is to link Palm Beach County’s lakes to the ocean, creating a 54-mile-long recreation trail that would produce new opportunities for kayakers, boaters and paddleboarders to enjoy South Florida’s beauty.

Expect The Palm Beach Post to drag their feet for a long time before reporting this news. If you recall, the Post had a news blackout from December 2015 until October 2017 on any substantial news at all about what would later come to be called the Blueway Trail project.

And also expect some time in the near future for a meeting to be scheduled of the City of Lake Worth’s C-51 Canal Advisory Committee.

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.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program today: 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.

Text from this agenda item and “Resolution 50-2017” at the Lake Worth City Commission is below. 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:

1. Most importantly, it shows a willingness to work together with our neighboring cities, towns, and villages here in Central Palm Beach County.
2. The County and many other municipalities have already passed “Resolutions in Support”.
3. 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.”
4. 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:

A powerful Easter message: The Lake Worth Cribune on “locking your @#$%&! bike!”

Below is an edition of The Lake Worth Cribune from April 2015. The editor had a strong message for the community of Lake Worth: Lock your bike!

We learned three years ago from Lake Worth PBSO District 14 Captain Baer how the bike theft problem is skewing crime statistics in the City and making the crime issue look much worse than it actually is.

A bike theft can happen in seconds. Let’s say you decide to get a cup of coffee on your way to the BEACH! and you leave your bike unattended for a few seconds to get a ‘cuppa Joe’? That’s all the time a bike thief needs. Protect your ride and help the image of Lake Worth: Never, EVER, leave your bike unattended. Not even at Starbucks.

The Lake Worth Cribune, a now-defunct tabloid, began publishing in late 2014 and closed up shop shortly after the election season in March 2015.

“Maier” on the front page of the Crib (see below) is then-District 4 Commissioner Ryan Maier who opted not to run for re-election in 2017.

Click on the Crib to enlarge:

The Lake Worth Cribune is not to be confused with The Lake Worth Herald which remains a successful newspaper and “Lake Worth’s Oldest Established Business – Established in 1912”.

Remember that protest against the Lake Worth CRA and LULA? The exciting video taken at that protest is below.

What happened here in the
little City of Lake Worth?

Remember when we used to have a
protest every week?

Did you know it’s been over 2 years since we had a protest here in our City? It’s true. Read about that by clicking on this link for the oft-asked question, “Where O Where Have All the Protesters Gone?”

By the way, whilst on the topic, it was about the time of the now-infamous “trailer park protest” in 2016 a retraction was published in The Palm Beach Post and later calls for an ombudsman, or “public editor” whose role is “to identify and examine critical errors or omissions, and to act as a liaison to the public.”

Anyhow, back to another famous protest, the one at the formerly called Lake Worth Arts Annex, which the Lake Worth CRA and LULA now call “HATCH”.

Do you remember who reported this protest? It was former City of Lake Worth reporter Larry the Lenz, the one with the blue hair and those really big glasses. Mr. Lenz is now in Venezuela covering that country’s bond default and protests there for a news outlet in New York City. He actually spotted a former Lake Worth commissioner in Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s motorcade.

Larry, if you didn’t know, is still very much hobbled after falling out of tree and then getting hit by a car covering another protest in Lake Worth. Remember that protest against a baseball stadium in John Prince Park that’s now the home of the largest dog park ever created in the history of mankind?

Click on images from that protest in
John Prince Park to enlarge:

“Save Our Children!”

Enjoy the video! “The Mural Protest” at the former shuffle-
board courts, now home of
LULA’s Hatch 1121:

News from The Lake Worth Herald: “Lake Worth Opens Historic Preservation Nominations”.

To see the latest front page news in

the Herald click on this link.

And for the latest community news, events, club meetings and much more click on this link to become a subscriber or pick up the print edition at the City’s newsstand located at 600 Lake Ave. in Downtown Lake Worth. The Herald is still just ¢50!

Without further ado. . .

The City of Lake Worth Division of Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation has opened nominations for the second annual Historic Preservation Awards Program.
     Members of the Historic Resources Preservation Board will judge each entry on its merit and an awards ceremony will take place in the Lake Worth Casino Ballroom during National Historic Preservation Month, on Wednesday, May 23.
     The following five categories are open for nominations:

• Rehabilitation/Restoration: Acknowledges the compatible rehabilitation of a structure or building component.
• Compatible New Construction or Addition: Acknowledges designs that are compatible in massing, scale, size, and architectural features within a historic district.
• Preservation of Historic Materials: Acknowledges the preservation of historic character defining features.
• Preservation Craftsman: Acknowledges the contributions of an individual or organization to restore and preserve historic structures or building components.
• Preservation Champion: Acknowledges the contributions of an individual to the advancement, promotion, and support of historic preservation within the City.

Very important: All nominations are due by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 2nd.

For further information contact the City of Lake Worth’s Planning, Zoning and Preservation Dept. at 561-586-1687 or to contact the staff by email click on this link (email addresses in the right-hand column).

May 1st, 2018 is May Day. But forThe Palm Beach Post it may be,“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!”

Here in Palm Beach County for many people it will be the festival of May Day on May 1st and it’s celebrated in many different and interesting ways. For example, from Wikipedia May Day every Spring by some is an annual day celebrating:

[E]arly European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May baskets are made. [emphasis added] These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away.
     Modern May Day ceremonies in the U.S. vary greatly from region to region and many unite both the holiday’s “Green Root” (pagan) and “Red Root” (labour) traditions.


But for The Palm Beach Post and the Palm Beach Daily News (aka, The Shiny Sheet) May 1st this coming Spring may be:

“Mayday! Mayday!
Mayday!”

Why? Because May 1st, 2018, rounding off to the half-day, is exactly 6 months after the Post and Shiny Sheet were put up “for-sale” last year by the owner, Cox Media Group. Here are excerpts from the news article last year by the Post’s business reporter, Jeff Ostrowski:

WEST PALM BEACH — Cox Media Group said Tuesday [Oct. 31st, 2017] it has put a for-sale sign on The Palm Beach Post.

and. . .

     The Atlanta-based owner expects to find a buyer in six to 12 months, said Cox Media Group President Kim Guthrie. Cox Media Group also aims to sell the Austin-American Statesman and its Texas community newspapers. The privately held company will keep the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, the Dayton Daily News and its TV and radio stations nationwide.

Why could May Day, May 1st, 2018, become “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” at the
Post and Shiny Sheet:

The Post also enjoys a higher proportion of seven-day subscribers than other comparable markets. The newspaper’s circulation increases by more than 25 percent during the winter tourist season.

So what does that say about their year-round base of support and loyal subscribers?

One more excerpt:

     Guthrie [Cox Media Group President Kim Guthrie] said The Palm Beach Post’s property at 2751 S. Dixie Highway also is for sale. According to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s office, the seven-acre parcel has a market value of $15.4 million.

Lastly, from the article by Jeff Ostrowski is this quote by Timothy D. Burke, publisher of the Post and Daily News.

“We look forward to continuing to serve our readers and advertisers.”

But isn’t the inverse also true that if the ‘readers and advertisers’ were pleased with the services being provided by the editor and publisher that maybe the Post and Shiny Sheet wouldn’t be up for sale in the first place?

So. The countdown continues on to May Day or will it be “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!”

“Power outages and rising fuel surcharges have village officials seeking another power source.”

Reported in The Palm Beach Post, November 23, 2005.

Click on image to enlarge:

Village manager said residents, “routinely get calls about the power being out in areas served by Lake Worth electricity even before Hurricane Wilma hit.”

A former vice mayor in the once backward-‘inching’, melancholic, and despairing City of Lake Worth said,“I WANT YOU TO GET USED TO LIVING IN A GHETTO”.

On the topic of getting,
‘[U]sed to living in a ghetto’:

This topic which caused so much outrage back in 2009 was addressed quite poignantly, passionately, and also quite humorusly by Mr. Tom McGow
in his own inimitable way.

From the former blog “Tom’s Page” hosted by the inimitable and highly-creative Mr. McGow is this from September 2009:

While listening to last night’s City Commission meeting from home I was appalled to hear Vice Mayor Golden state, “We all have to get used to change. Manny has to get used to living in a ghetto until things pick up around here.”, or words to that effect. She was referring to a resident who spoke earlier in the meeting citing the deterioration of his neighborhood.

“Wait until things pick up around here?
What in the world is she thinking?”

Then Mr. McGow went on to suggest, “Perhaps the
Vice Mayor should consider using this as her
campaign slogan in her reelection bid:”

Mr. McGow continued, “While it is incumbent on all of us to work individually and with our neighbors to better our neighborhoods, we look to our elected officials to lead the way. . . .

It is a slap in the face to suggest that Manny, or indeed any of us should wait until times get better.”

And whilst a previous City administration was waiting “until things pick up around here”, don’t forget about the “Needless Noise!” back in August 2009 too!

“[T]he City Commissioners are going to walk the downtown area to determine the noise levels. It might be fun to tag along, but whatever you do, don’t let any of the bars and restaurants know they’re coming!”

About the election results from 2011 and majority that took back control of this City seven years ago:

After a term on the Lake Worth City Commission back in
2001–2003, Scott Maxwell ran once again for
District 1 commissioner in 2009.

Commissioner Maxwell was then joined by Pam Triolo and Andy Amoroso in 2011.

You see, the public in this City of Lake Worth never wanted to ever “[G]et used to living in a ghetto”.

And because of the referendum that passed in March 2017 — extending terms for elected officials to three years — the majority consisting of Mayor Pam Triolo, District 1 commissioner and Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell, and District 3 commissioner and Vice Mayor Pro Tem Andy Amoroso will each serve until March 2021.

And you can ‘bet the farm’ you’ll never here anything again, like what the former vice mayor of the City of Lake Worth said back in 2011, ever again here in this little City, one that has made so much progress in just seven short years.

One short YouTube video from the PrideFest Parade in DowntownLake Worth yesterday!

To see the other videos from the parade yesterday click on this link for Wes’ YouTube channel.

If you wish, click on the red “SUBSCRIBE” icon to become a subscriber and receive an email when new videos have been uploaded.

As always, Thank You for visiting once again.

Enjoy the video!

GET EXCITED TODAY!The fourth Sunday in March: The City of Lake Worth’s annual Special Keepsake Series called “Hometown Destinations”.*

That’s right, today is the anniversary!

“WELCOME TO THE L-DUB” was the headline in The Palm Beach Post in March 2017!

Learn more below about The Palm Beach Post and that special insert published last year in the Sunday paper on March 26th, 2017 (see below). This popular special insert, if you recall, is called the Special Keepsake Series that everyone is still raving about: visitors and tourists alike.

So. How did the City of Lake Worth become so “Quirky” with a capital ‘Q’ as Mayor Pam Triolo is fond of saying?

The answer is this: It all began with an artist named Kevin van Derr Werff, a cover designer at The Palm Beach Post. See the image below created by the highly-talented Mr. van Derr Werff that started the ‘Quirky’ craze here in “the L-Dub”!

The slang term ‘L-Dub’ was first popularized by a beat reporter from the Post. Learn more about that below.

And also below are the credits — the designer at The Palm Beach Post, graphic artist, feature staff writers (e.g., Liz Balmaseda), the eight (8) photographers, and a beat reporter, Kevin Thompson — all those people that made this “Special Keepsake” so very special “to the L-Dub”!

WELCOME TO EVERYONE IN
THE L-DUB TODAY!

This 12-page highly-sought-after collectible edition (colorful images below) published in the Post’s Sunday print edition was subtitled on the front page,

“WELCOME TO THE L-DUB!
Where SMALL delights create
BIG personality.”

“TURN INSIDE . . .
FOR A COLORFUL RIDE!”

The credits:

• Cover design: Kevin van Derr Werff.
• Graphics: Steve Lopez.
• Feature-article writers: Jan Tuckwood and Liz Balmaseda (with a contribution/photos by a staff beat reporter, Kevin Thompson).
• Photographers: Jan Tuckwood, Damon Higgins, Bruce R. Bennett, Gary Coronado, Ellie Gutierrez, Richard Graulich, Melanie Bell and Allen Eyestone.

Here’s the front page, above the fold, enticing the
reader, tourists, visitors, and investors to learn
more about “THE L-DUB” last March:

For the standard definition of the slang ‘L-DUB’ used by the Post editors click on this link. [Note that Elle-Dub and El-Dub (Spanish variants), L-Dub and LDub (upper/lowercase with or sans hyphen), and the French/EU LéDûb are also acceptable,
depending on the situation.]

This is the front page as well — below the fold —
of this ‘Special Keepsake’.

[Credit: Mr. Kevin van Derr Werff.]

On page S5 is an incredible article by Jan Tuckwood about City Manager Michael Bornstein titled, “The ‘New’ Lake Worth” and on p. S6, “What makes a town a hometown?”

From p. S12, the back page of this “HOMETOWN DESTINATION” in the Post’s collectible
Keepsake edition:

Meet the iconic City of Lake Worth resident Mr. Greg Rice who is fond of asking the question, “Why would anyone want to live in places where you
have to wear socks?”

*Please note: The City of Lake Worth is the only city in Palm Beach County to ever receive this singular and distinct “Hometown Destinations” honor from the editors at The Palm Beach Post in the print edition, beating out cities such as West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, and Westlake.