Tuesday, April 10th, 6:30 p.m. by the Planning & Zoning Board
and on Thursday, May 10th, 6:30 p.m. by the Village Council in the Village Hall Council Chambers located at 226 Cypress Lane in the Village of Palm Springs.
See excerpt below from the public notice issued by Palm Springs, published in The Lake Worth Herald.
To see the front page of the Herald this week click on this link. To pick up the print edition go to the City’s newsstand located at 600 Lake Ave. in Downtown Lake Worth and say hello to the proprietor, Lake Worth Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso.
And remember, The Lake Worth Herald still costs only ¢50!
Now, without further ado, excerpts from a public notice published this week, issued by the Village of Palm Springs,
“[T]o consider Site Plan and Special Exception Review”:
An application submitted by Holland & Knight, agent for TOWERCOM VIII, LLC
(“Applicant”) for Site Plan (SPR18-02), and Special Exception Use (PSSE18-01) for
construction of one-hundred- forty-seven foot tall (147′) telecommunication tower
designed as a monopole with and associated equipment compound approximately
2,350 square feet in size, to be located at 2745 Lake Worth Road, on the existing
self-storage facility. Additional Applicant Request:
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. by Planning & Zoning Board
In the Village Hall Council Chambers at 226 Cypress Lane, Palm Springs to consider:
PSV18-01 Variance Relief from Section 34-1296(4)(a) of the Code of Ordinance to
allow seventy-nine feet (79′) setback from North property line. All persons interested in these matters may appear at the times and place aforesaid
and be heard.
Please note: All interested persons. . .
Prior to the meetings noted above on April 10th and May 10th, the application may be reviewed and more information obtained at the Village Clerk’s office in the Village of Palm Springs.
And. . .
Hopefully, to quell any public angst about this public notice from the Village of Palm Springs, maybe an enterprising reporter at The Palm Beach Post, at WPEC (CBS12), or WPBF (NBC5) will educate the public in Central Palm Beach County about a serious problem west of the City of Lake Worth that was especially evident after Hurricane Irma last year: the ‘dead spots’ many of us heard about for cell phones and the Internet as well.
Here is a map of coastal Central Palm Beach County:
The areas in color are municipalities. The areas in white are called “suburban” or unincorporated Palm Beach County. To learn more about this topic, click on this link.
The second
BiblioArte! Festival is at The HATCH, 1121 Lucerne Ave. from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 pm.
FREE and open to the public.
From The Lake Worth Herald, your LOCAL City newspaper, below is more community news you can use.
To contact the editor with your community and neighborhood news call 561-585-9387 or click on this link.
Here are excerpts from the news in the Herald:
BiblioArte! celebrates
Little Free Libraries with
hands on activities, music,
a walk through a Little
Free Library Village, and a
presentation by Todd Bol,
founder of the Little Free
Library movement. The festival marks the
end of Little Free Library
week in Palm Beach County.
This special week is celebrated
through personal
appearances Todd Bol will
be making in Lake Worth
schools and events around
the City. Home to more than
100 Little Free Libraries,
all hand painted by local
artists, Lake Worth is an
example of how community
volunteers can come
together to encourage reading
through book sharing in
their neighborhoods.
and. . .
A huge book
giveaway will ensure that
children will have plenty of
books to read and share with
others in the community
through the LFL’s.
Music will be provided
by Vibes Farm, Barton Elementary
Tribal Rhythm,
and the Highland Elementary
Band and World Drum
Core. At 12:30 Lake Worth
families who participated in the Table Talk program
will be available inside The
HATCH to talk about this innovative
program designed
to bring families together
for reading and discussion
around the dinner table. Todd Bol will be making
a presentation at 2 p.m.
inside The HATCH. He will be
available during the event
to speak with people who
are interested in the Little
Free Library movement.
BiblioArte! is a project developed
by The Lake Worth
Library and supported by:
The City of Lake Worth.
The
Lake Worth Rotary Club.
The School District of
Palm Beach County.
For more information
contact Cindy Ansell, Children’s
Services Librarian at
Lake Worth Public Library. Call 561-533-7354 or by email: cansell@lakeworth.org
It’s time to get those young athletes registered to play Jaguars football for our proud City of Lake Worth!
For football players ages 4–15.
Team practice begins June 9th. Season kickoff August 18th!
Call Mr. Michael Byrd at 561-722-2125, call the City of Lake Worth’s Leisure Services Dept. at 561-533-7363, or click on this link for more information about the Youth Enrichment Assoc. for Academics & Athletics (YEAA&A) football league. This football program is,
“[A] non-profit, recreation-oriented youth program that relies heavily on athletics and recreational activities to create and cement the bond between the adult volunteers and the youth in the community.”
Become a Jaguar!
Start getting prepared to play Lake Worth High School Trojans Football:
Important dates: Coaches clinic on June 16th and June 23rd.
Following the recent big news from the Palm Beach County School District below is another video of School Board member Erica Whitfield giving an update to the Lake Worth City Commission in August 2017, just one of several since she was first elected to the School Board.
FYI: Whitfield wasn’t given much of a chance to win the School Board District 4 seat by the ‘political class’. She went through a bruising primary in August of 2014 and then in November that year went up against a formidable opponent. However, after the votes were tallied, the rest as they say is history.
This video really gives some unique perspectives about the schools here in this City that you won’t find anywhere else: the good news and the challenges as well. Hope you find this information helpful and insightful as many have already.
Enjoy the video and Thank You for visiting once again today.
Did you hear that NBC5/WPTV reporter Wanda Moore showed up? She is a very nice young lady and we chatted briefly but I forgot to ask her one very important question on my way out of City Hall. Find out what that question is below.
First some background. A lot of people were very concerned and a big crowd was expected at this Commission meeting because on the agenda that night was the Future Land Use Map (FLUM) and the Revised Comprehensive Plan (read more about that below). Many people had good reason to be concerned but there were a few others who believed falsely the City could just sell public land without a referendum, you know, “They’re stealing our land!”
The worry was this meeting would turn into another dramatic scene at City Hall, “They’re stealing our Beach!” like what happened last year.
When The Lake Worth Herald published that 2017 editorial titled, “Does it have to be there?” the few people still left that thought an Olympic-sized pool at the Lake Worth Beach was a good idea marched to City Hall in lockstep with colorful pool noodles in opposition. You can imagine the sight, all those people angrily holding banana yellow, candy apple red and blizzard blue pool noodles and staring down the City Commission.
But this time it wasn’t ‘The Beach’ being stolen. This time in some people’s minds it was the ball fields along 22nd Ave. North being stolen. So imagine if those people marched to City Hall with plastic Wiffle Ball bats instead! A ‘Wiffer Ball’ bat would hurt a lot more than a pool noodle. But thankfully the worry was for naught because, for the most part, this Commission meeting was very civil, courteous and respectful.
Now back to Wanda Moore. . .
The last TV news reporter to show up at a City Commission meeting, I believe, was multimedia journalist Andrew Lofholm last November. He also is a reporter from NBC5 and he was covering another big story here in the City which was Ordinance No. 2017-27, the LDRs and historic preservation. And it was in big part and credit to Lofholm’s work that a lot of people became informed and educated about this issue which is barely an issue any longer.
So, following the City Commission’s final vote on FLUM last Tuesday night I got up to leave, talked briefly to Ms. Moore, and scooted on home and awaited the WPTV 11:00 news and to see Moore’s news segment on FLUM which ended up being news about something else entirely: City Attorney Glen Torcivia’s agenda item 14 “Sunshine Law and Public Records Report”.
So the lesson is. . .
When a news crew shows up don’t just assume why they are there! Just walk up and ask and you’ll find most reporters are really nice people and will be happy to talk about what they’re up to.
Now let’s get back to last Tuesday night: the Comprehensive Plan and FLUM.
At the end of this blog post are nine minutes of video that sum up everything very well.
The vote to approve the FLUM (Future Land Use Map), which is part of the revised Comprehensive Plan of the City, was approved on a vote of 4-1 with Commissioner Andy Amoroso voting against. It wasn’t easy getting there. The final motion was changed from one that would have adopted the FLUM with two changes which generated the most discussion from the dais and many of the public last night at public comment.
Two of those proposed changes — the ones that weren’t adopted — were to change the future land use designation for a two block area east of S. Lakeside Drive and north of the southern part of Bryant Park. That would have changed the potential density from 20 up to 40 units/acre. Zoning changes would have to follow suit to make such density possible.
In the northern part of the City, the other proposed change that drew much attention was a FLUM change which would apply to the City's ball fields along the north side 22nd Ave. North. The City proposed that area to become medium-density residential from public recreation and open space. This could potentially allow a private developer to build a single-family or multi-family project where those ball fields are located but only after much public input and possibly requiring the developer to contribute money to a fund for upgrading other public parks around the City in need of upgrades and new equipment.
City Attorney Glen Torcivia and the City Commission were firm in that if the land use were to change, and the city wanted to sell that property along 22nd Ave. North to a private entity, it would have to go through the process outlined in City Charter related to the sale of City-owned park property: by referendum. A number of other steps would have to take place prior to that happening as well. It would be a very, very long process.
After much public comment expressing concerns about the changes proposed for these two areas cited above, I think Mayor Pam Triolo said it best in her remarks, “It is not what you do, but how you do it.” Meaning the process of developing the changes to the FLUM did not adequately identify in advance all of the nearby properties that were being considered for a change in their future land use designation.
I’ve attended various workshops and City meetings on the review of the revised Comprehensive Plan and the presentation was indeed exhaustive. It went through all the elements of the plan but never specifically addressed individual private properties nearby those discussed above subject to the proposed changes. Whether intentional or not this was not the “model of transparency” the City should be following, hence Mayor Triolo’s comments.
After the vote was taken I got up to leave and overheard a City official saying, “Wow. I didn’t expect that.” This was in reference to the revised motion and a quick 4-1 vote after nearly two hours of discussion.
This process began seven years ago. Yesterday’s vote was a very big step forward.
Lastly, nine minutes of video from last night’s City Commission meeting are very much worth noting starting at the 1:43 markwhen the city attorney explains that a referendum would be required to sell public land and a minute later Commissioner Omari Hardy begins to speak. Watch until the 1:52 mark and I think this best explains the situation our City finds itself in and all the “sacred cows” that have been holding us back for so very long.
Some material below may be confusing or hard to comprehend for some young children, pre-teenagers, and some adults as well.
Take Note: NR = Not Rated; UR = Unrated.
Scene: The City Commission chambers in the City of Lake Worth, Florida. Date: Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018. Time: ≈9:30 p.m.–10:00 p.m. Principal characters (8 total):
Chairman (1). Now former Chair of the City’s Finance Advisory Board.
Supporting characters (2 thus far):
Present at the scene was reporter Wanda Moore from NBC5/WPTV along with a studly, handsome cameraman. Moore filed her news report that very evening (datelined April 3rd at 11:52 p.m.) and updated her news report on April 4th at 4:40 a.m.
Not present, off-scene was Kevin Thompson, the beat reporter for The Palm Beach Post who watched the UR/NR video (see below) — also likely studied/watched Wanda Moore’s new segment as well — then 12 hours later Thompson filed this news report in the Post datelined April 4th at 4:32 p.m. and updated at 5:34 p.m.
Plot: Earlier on the day of April 3rd, prior to the City Commission meeting (see scene above) the city attorney requests an “Agenda Change”,
Item 14 (City Attorney’s Report) is amended to add “Sunshine Law and Public Records Report”
Now. Without further ado. . . Scene One, Take One.
Below is the UR/NR video taken at the Lake Worth Commission meeting on April 3rd. The meeting began at 6:00 p.m. and ended at approximately 10:00 p.m. Then shortly thereafter the video was posted to YouTube by the City of Lake Worth.
Please note: Following the NR/UR video below is more important information.
This YouTube video segment is 26:30 minutes long. If you wish, go pop the popcorn now.
PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE.
FLORIDA SUNSHINE LAW.
Lake Worth City Attorney Glen Torcivia gave an excellent summation of the Sunshine Law several years back. The video below is highly-recommended viewing for anyone interested in learning more about this subject from the City of Lake Worth’s long-time and well-respected city attorney.
This video is rated “PG”. Most children and pre-teenagers will understand content:
Please take the time and watch the video of “The Florida Sunshine Law” explained by City Attorney Glen Torcivia, if you haven’t done so already, and share it with your neighbors, friends, and family.
On August 26th, 2008, then-Mayor Jeff Clemens signed the agreement turning over law enforcement responsibility to PBSO and disbanded the LWPD.
Why? The short answer is the former LWPD was simply overwhelmed and didn’t have the resources. Many present residents of this City were not here during that tumultuous time prior to PBSO taking over. The crime and gang situation was so bad prior to PBSO there were some publicly calling for police roadblocks on roads leading into the City. Absurd? Don’t believe it? Use this link.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. . .
“According to Mayor Jeff Clemens, the city is at least 10 officers short of the same time in 1997, a significant number when translated into street presence.” —Quote from reporter Patrick Parrish in the Lake Worth Herald, April 2007, front page story above the fold. An excerpt from the article: “The Lake Worth City Commission, 4-1, passed a resolution supporting the bill [House Bill 1363] to strengthen gang-fighting techniques by law enforcement.”
“I don’t feel comfortable voting on this
tonight” [former commissioner Cara] Jennings said. “This could
be a civil rights issue.”
Click on image to enlarge:
Another former commissioner, JoAnn Golden, quoted in the same 2007 article: “I
can understand [Cara] Jennings’ concern on civil
rights, but we have allowed gangs to get ahead of us.”
One more quote:
“We walked the area [neighborhood in District 1] many years ago, block by block, and flushed out these criminals. We drove them out out of our neighborhoods and we might have to do that again.”
With a clang, clang, clang and a couple of dings of the bell — this Sunday off goes the Time Trolley Tour for a glimpse of “Lake Worth’s past”!
This tour is just one of the events inspired by the American Institute of Architects’ “National Architectural Week”.
The cost is $35. If the history of the City of Lake Worth and coastal Central Palm Beach County (CPBC) is an interest of yours, you’ll want to contact the Historical Society of Lake Worth ASAP at 561-632-9044 or by email at: historicalsocietylw@hotmail.com
Tickets for this tour will not last long. This upcoming trolley tour in the City of Lake Worth will include information about:
One of the City’s oldest houses built in 1912 (the “town” was incorporated in 1913), government buildings, and structures designed by famed local architect G. Sherman Childs and other historic sites.
The tour also includes a short talk in the City Hall Annex about the history of Lake Worth by Ted Brownstein and Wes Blackman (learn more below about these two talks).
A look at the new gallery of photos, “Early Life in Lake Worth” by Walter Harper.
And a tour of new displays at the Historical Museum of Lake Worth.
Light refreshments will be served.
About the talks by Ted Brownstein and Wes Blackman:
Each presentation will be ≈20 min. with time for a Q&A.
Ted Brownstein will talk about his book titled, Pioneers of Jewell, published in June 2013 and superbly researched. Soon after being published reporter Ron Hayes at The Coastal Starpenned a review of the book titled, “Celebrating Our History: Before Lake Worth, there was Jewell”. Pioneers of Jewell explores the time prior to the current City of Lake Worth’s incorporation in 1913 back to when it was a sparsely populated settlement along the then-freshwater Lake Worth Lagoon and well prior to Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast (FEC) railway. Brownstein will talk about Samuel and Fannie James, the freed slaves that homesteaded the area and ran the local post office for a town called “Jewell”. The James’ later sold their land to the Palm Beach Farms Company created by Harold Bryant (the man who Bryant Park is named after) and William Greenwood, the initial developers of the “Town of Lake Worth”.
Yours Truly, Wes Blackman, will present on Sunday’s tour a shortened version of my presentation about how a group of volunteers initially came up with the idea of The Cottages of Lake Worth book and how Post reporter Lona O’Connor in 2013 played such a huge role. The last formal presentation about The Cottages was given at the Delray Beach Historical Society’s Heritage Lecture Series on January 31st which you can read about by clicking on this link. I’ll explain the era just prior to incorporation of the “Town of Lake Worth” when Henry Flagler constructed a railroad station on the FEC in 1912 to when the section of I-95 was completed in CPBC, the early platting of the Lake Worth’s streets and alley network and the configuration of blocks and small lots that laid the groundwork for what would become the City of Lake Worth and all those historic Cottages that miraculously survived the 20th Century.
To learn more about the Historical Society of Lake Worth click on this link.
Whilst on the topic of the history of the City of Lake Worth. . .
Pets are still barred from the Lake Worth Beach,
with the exception of service animals.
Photo courtesy of the Lake Worth Historical Museum. To learn more this museum in Downtown Lake Worth click on this link or call 561-533-7354.
Mr. Omari Hardy is now District 2 Commissioner Omari Hardy.
Please check back later on today for some information about Land Development Regulations and a thing called the “Future Land Use Map”. This work began seven years ago. And last night at the Lake Worth City Commission meeting the City took another step forward, a small step, but a momentous one. One could say there was much, “making of sausage” and some compromise too.
Commissioner Hardy inspired some people last night. And he angered some people too. And he taught some people about a thing called census tracts and poverty rates. Hardy will be called a lot of names but one thing is for sure. No one will ever call him a “gadfly” like the editor at The Palm Beach Post did of the previous commissioner in District 2.
The video below is from the closing comments at the Lake Worth Playhouse Debate on Jan. 30th, 2017:
Media/press inquiries: Contact Mr. Ben Kerr, PIO,* at 561-586-1631; email: BKerr@lakeworth.org
Press release follows:
Effective immediately the City of Lake Worth’s Evening on the Avenues event [on Friday evenings] will be taking a hiatus through the summer months.
Starting on May 4, Screen on the Green will return to the Lake Worth Cultural Plaza with a showing of Trolls. The City looks forward to announcing an exciting event schedule for the 2018/2019 season in September.
*“We are LAKE WORTH. A hometown City that is committed to delivering the highest level of customer service through a commitment to integrity, hard work and a friendly attitude. We strive to exceed the expectations of our citizens, our businesses, our elected officials and our fellow employees.”
Event will include door prizes and silent auction. To purchase tickets: Text or call Buttons’ iPhone at 505-977-8993 or by email at buttonsb@msn.com
Click on image to enlarge:
Here’s the message from Buttons:
“Hi everyone,
I’ve offered to help sell tickets for a really cool upcoming dinner/fundraiser for Lake Worth Little Free Libraries at Callaro’s Steak House in Lake Worth on Thursday, April 5th at 5:30. Your $100 ticket will include your donation to the Little Free Libraries as well as a dinner including
salad or soup, side dish, coffee or tea and a dessert of marble cake with fruit filling.”
The Parrot Cove Neighborhood Assoc. was the big winner in the 2017 14th Annual Raft Race and Tropical Ridge and Mango Groves are historically the ‘runner ups’ in the City of Lake Worth.
The Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Assoc. (TRNA) meets tonight!
“We will be holding our monthly meeting tonight, Monday, April 2nd, at the Lake Worth Towers located at 1500 Lucerne Ave. at 7:00. Just a friendly reminder, we will be collecting our $15 dues for those who wish to become a member. Look forward to seeing you.”
The latest message from the Mango Groves Neighborhood Assoc. is:
“Captain Larry has set up an initial planning meeting for the Mango Groves Raft Committee for Thursday, April 12th. Anyone who would like to join in please meet at Captain Larry’s Boat Yard at 315 North ‘L’ St. at 7:00. Bring a camp chair if you have one and your thinking caps too!”
From the looks of it, this year’s race may be much more competitive. The key to winning this race always comes down to planning, preparation, well-trained rowers and a raft that actually floats following the natural law of buoyancy. So. Stay tuned as the say!
Have news or an upcoming community event? Contact the editor at 561-585-9387 or use this link. Pick up the print edition at the City’s newsstand located at 600 Lake Ave. in Downtown Lake Worth and say “Hello” to the shopkeeper, Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso. Print edition is still ¢50!
The entire public notice issued from the City of Lake Worth is on page 3 of this week’s Herald.
Here is an excerpt:
To maintain high water quality in the City of Lake Worth water
distribution system, the City of Lake Worth Water Treatment Plant will
temporarily change the water chlorination methods for two weeks from
April 1, 2018 [TODAY] through April 18, 2018. The City of Lake Worth will also
increase hydrant flushing during this time. This is a preventive maintenance
process. Starting April 1, 2018 a “free chlorine residual” water treatment method
will be used to provide a stronger, faster acting disinfection process than
the “combined chlorine or Chloramines” treatment which is normally
used. The City of Lake Worth will revert back to the “combined chlorine”
method by April 18, 2018.
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL75cv6zJQFjX15ojOIIz9AjnbqH4asHJTYSDhnGnYr7rJZRha1NcNTirj2xPcId158vkz5Hw-wXgOfrlztj8Zr8jLFFCfuEN6PyV44ZlpMRmJ68xbtFL9vzxNiG7xDs_HJvm/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
