The agenda is below. This meeting will be held in the City Hall conference room. Consultant Kevin Knutson has been hired and will be in attendance.
In his own words, Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein explains to the Commission what will happen in this video from last Tuesday:
The agenda:
10:00. Welcome and Introductions. 10:15. Overview and Purpose of the Goal Setting Process. 10:30. Review Environmental Scan: Issues and data that will provide background to discussion (demographic, financial, workload, operational statistics, development trends, new technology, legislative issues, etc.). 11:30. Break. 11:45. Reaffirm Vision Statement, Mission Statement, and Core Values. 12:30. Lunch. 1:15. Discuss Key Issues and Identify Strategic Priorities (establish four or five broad priority areas and define success factors). 2:45. Break. 3:00. Identify Goals for Each Strategic Priority. 4:15. Wrap-up and Closing Comments. 4:30. Adjourn.
Overcapacity (noun), “beyond what is normal, allowed, or desirable.”
Please note, for reference, at the end of this blog post is the video of PBC School Board member Erica Whitfield at the Lake Worth City Commission last Tuesday and “Resolution No. 41-2018 — encouraging action by the Palm Beach County School District to address the overcapacity issues at Highland Elementary and South Grade Elementary schools”.
This is a developing story. Erica Whitfield, also a City resident, attended the Commission meeting last Tuesday at the request of Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso to address the concerns of elected officials and the public. The subsequent resolution on the agenda passed unanimously, 5-0. An excerpt:
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission recognize that regular communication with the City of Lake Worth’s elected representatives to the District School Board is necessary to improve the educational outcomes of the city’s public school students.
Why are the public schools so important? Simply put: our City’s future growth is tied to the public schools. The planning needs to start now for upgrading schools, constructing new schools and/or redistricting the public schools that exist. This needs to be a high priority for the City Commission.
Worth noting is this City has quite a number of volunteer advisory boards, e.g., a C-51 Canal Advisory Board, a board that has only met one single time since being formed in Nov. 2016.
This City has a Library Board, a Recreation Advisory Board, and even a Tree Board too.
But guess what this City doesn’t have? A board tasked with coordinating and working with our one charter school, the four public elementary schools, Lake Worth Middle, and Lake Worth High School.
As reported in The Palm Beach Post this City and our public schools reached a crisis point back in 1989. It was a situation so dire the public rose up to challenge the School Board. And later, as reported by Scott McCabe, a wonderful thing happened: “Project Lake Worth turns diversity into strength”. Before this latest challenge turns into an avoidable crisis, is it time for Project Lake Worth II?
Highland and South Grade elementary schools are the front page news in the Herald today.
Also front page news: “City Amends Land Development Regulations” and “Tattoos and Piercings Moratorium in Downtown”. For subscription rates or other questions call the editor at 561-585-9387 or by email: editor@lwherald.com
From the Herald, an excerpt from the school news everyone is talking about:
City Commissioner
Omari Hardy requested
placement of a resolution
on the agenda which
encourages action by
the Palm Beach County
School District to address
the overcapacity issues at
Highland Elementary and
South Grade Elementary
schools. The resolution addresses
the overcapacity . . . and encourages the
Mayor and Commissioners
to meet with members of
the Palm Beach County
School Board. [emphasis added] The School District of
Palm Beach County’s 2018
Capacity Watch list* indicates
that enrollment
at Highland Elementary
School is 15% above the
school’s original built capacity
and South Grade
Elementary School is 16%
above its original built
capacity and 3% above its
built capacity when its
“concretable”† classrooms
are taken into account. School Board Member Erica Whitfield attended
the commission meeting
and made herself available
to answer any questions
the commission may
have.
*To learn more about the PBC School Board Advisory Boundary Committee (ABC) board click on this link.
†Concretable = Modular structure constructed of concrete.
Resolution No. 41-2018:
Agenda Date: July 17, 2018.
Background and Justification:
Commissioner Hardy requested this item be placed on the agenda. Motion: I move to approve/disapprove Resolution No. 41-2018. . . WHEREAS, Highland Elementary and South Grade Elementary are both located in the City of Lake Worth; and
WHEREAS,
the City of Lake Worth’s Mayor and Commissioners believe that all of
the city’s children deserve a quality education, no matter their race,
income, sex, or national heritage; and WHEREAS, the City of Lake Worth cannot prosper unless its public schools are well resourced and its children well educated; and WHEREAS,
the Mayor and City Commission recognize that regular communication with
the City of Lake Worth’s elected representatives to the District School
Board is necessary to improve the educational outcomes of the city’s
public school students; WHEREAS, the School District of
Palm Beach County’s 2018 Capacity Watch List indicates that enrollment
at Highland Elementary is 15% above the school’s original built
capacity; and WHEREAS, the School District of Palm
Beach County’s 2018 Capacity Watch List indicates that enrollment at
South Grade Elementary is 16% above its original built capacity and 3%
above its built capacity when its “concretable” classrooms are taken
into account; and WHEREAS, the School District of Palm
Beach County has published no plan to address the capacity issues at
either Highland Elementary or South Grade Elementary; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, that: Section
1: The City Commission hereby encourages the District School Board to
lower the number of students enrolled at both Highland and South Grade
elementary
schools by either redrawing their boundaries or constructing more,
permanent student stations. Section 2: The City
Commission hereby seeks to establish biannual joint meetings in which
the city’s Mayor, Commissioners, and elected representatives to the
District School Board, as well as school district staff and city staff,
shall discuss issues pertaining to the city’s public schools, and in
which the city’s residents shall have the opportunity to comment on
matters discussed. Section 3: A copy of this resolution
shall be forwarded to the Palm Beach County District School Board, the
School District Advisory Boundary Committee, and the Palm Beach County
League of Cities Executive Board. Section 4: This resolution shall become effective upon adoption. The
passage of this resolution was moved by Commissioner Herman C. Robinson, seconded by Commissioner Scott Maxwell, and upon being put to a vote, the vote was as
follows: Mayor Pam Triolo: Yes. Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso: Yes. Commissioner Scott Maxwell: Yes. Commissioner Omari Hardy: Yes. Commissioner Herman Robinson: Yes. The Mayor thereupon declared this resolution duly passed and adopted on July 17th, 2018.
Have thoughts to share on the topic of our public schools? To contact the elected leaders on the Lake Worth City Commission click on this link.
Here is the video of School Board member Erica Whitfield at the City Commission last Tuesday:
Thank You for visiting today and hope you found this information helpful.
First, briefly, if you live or have a business in the Lake Worth Electric Utility Service Area. . .
There is news to report!
Coming up on Tuesday, July 31st, per Lake Worth City Manager Michael Bornstein, there will be a “Special Commission Meeting” on one topic and one topic only: the Lake Worth Electric Utility. The very next day, on Wednesday, August 1st, will be the next meeting of the Lake Worth Electric Utility Advisory Board.
You see, the City Commission sitting as the Electric Utility Board, the City administration, and the Lake Worth Electric Utility heard your concerns!
However, if you recall, there was a power outage on April 9th, and then came the breaking news from Palm Beach Post staff writer McKenna Ross about Zombies on May 20th, then exactly a month later on June 20th was another power outage.
A “Pinned Post” is one kept at the top of the blog for a certain period of time, in this case for the rest of the day.
Watch the YouTube video below of last night’s regular Lake Worth City Commission meeting at your pleasure throughout the day in segments. Remember to jot down the minute mark where you stopped!“
There certainly is a lot of stuff going on in this City. The City of Lake Worth is in Budget Season, the Electric Utility is a
major topic, there is a City Commission “Visioning Work
Session” next week, a “Special Commission
Meeting” is on July 31st and then the Commission gets to begin tackling the Beach and Casino Complex on August 7th.
What should the public do? Stay involved and keep paying attention. And if you have something nice to say, or ask what you can do to help, click on this link to contact your elected leaders.
As always, Thank You for visiting once again today.
Please Note: Check back later on today and tomorrow for more about what happened at City Commission Budget Work Session #3 last night (Beach Fund, Sanitation Fund, and General Fund) and notes and observations from the regular Commission meeting last night.
This month’s meeting is tomorrow, 7:00, at the Sugar Plum & Grumbling Growler located at 709
Lucerne Ave. in Downtown Lake Worth. Mango Groves’ neighborhood meetings are always the third Thursday of the month.
“Bring your ideas for a membership drive. That is the main item on the agenda this week as well as updates how to improve our communication in the community. See
everyone there!”
Established in 2002, the neighborhood boundaries
are from Lucerne Ave. in the Downtown on the south to 13th Ave. North and from Dixie Hwy. on the west to Federal
Hwy. on the east. The neighborhood association was formed,
“[T]o bring together the community both socially and civically,
to address the needs and concerns of the neighborhood, and to
effectively interact with the proper city officials in order to meet these needs and concerns.”
Remember, all meetings of the NAPC are open to the public. So if you’re from another neighborhood in this City and want to learn more about what Mango Groves is up to just show up this Thursday. Just remember to be charming and respectful!
Show up and find out how Mango Groves strives to, “KEEP LAKE WORTH QUIRKY”!
“At Adopt-A-Family, our mission is to strengthen families with children in their efforts to achieve stability and self-sufficiency by providing access to all-encompassing services. Since 1983, Adopt-A-Family has grown into the largest service provider for homeless families in Palm Beach County — providing access to services for more than 2,000 families with children per year.”
Agenda item on the P&Z Board, 6:00, at City Hall.
5G. New Business:
1. PZB 18-01400002 3rd Avenue Homes — Adopt-a-Family — a request for a major site plan,
a conditional use and a variance to construct a 14-unit townhouse project with a
community center.
and . . .
Request by Corey W. O’Gorman of PLACE Planning and
Design, on behalf of Adopt-a-Family of the Palm Beaches, LLC, for a Major Site Plan, PZB Project
Number 18-00500006: a Conditional Use Permit and PZB Project Number 18-01500005: a
Variance, to approve construction of a 14-unit townhouse project with a community center to be
located at the southwest corner of 3rd Avenue North and North “A” Street, within the Low
Density Multi-family (MF-20) zoning district.
Site Characteristics.
The site was previously developed with a single-family home and a four-unit apartment building. These structures
were demolished in 2017 and the site prepared for this project. In addition, although there were some trees
preserved during demolition, they were destroyed during Hurricane Irma thus leaving a very limited amount of
vegetation on the site. The property has frontage on both North A Street and Third Avenue North, with sidewalks
along the entire length and utilities either on the property or in adjacent right-of-way.
To look over the entire agenda item click on this link and scroll down for July 18th P&Z “Agenda Package” to download.
Resolution No. 42-2018 of the City of Lake Worth, Florida, encouraging Palm Beach County Engineering and the Florida Department of Transportation to review the timing and configuration of the traffic signals at 10th Avenue North and North A Street, 10th Avenue North and North D Street, and 22nd Avenue North [Worthmore Drive] and Dixie Highway, and providing and effective date.
WHEREAS, residents of the Tropical Ridge, Sunset Ridge, and Vernon Heights neighborhoods have difficulty accessing both 10th Avenue North and I-95 via both North A Street and North D Street due to traffic congestion and excessive stacking where 10th Avenue North intersects both North A Street and North D Street; and WHEREAS, residents of the Vernon Heights and Sunset Ridge neighborhoods have difficulty North Dixie Highway via 22nd Avenue North due to traffic congestion and excessive stacking where 22nd Avenue North intersects North Dixie Highway; and WHEREAS, the traffic congestion at the intersection of 10th Avenue North and North A Street has been exacerbated by the construction and modification of the I-95 interchange at 10th Avenue North; and WHEREAS, pedestrians, including elementary and middle school children, rely on the signalized intersections to get to school safely; and WHEREAS, improved traffic flow and safety are a priority for the City of Lake Worth; and WHEREAS, traffic congestion limits opportunities for new development, redevelopment, or infill development;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, that: SECTION 1: The City Commission hereby requests a review of the timing and configuration of the traffic signals at 10th Avenue North and North A Street, 10th Avenue North and North D Street, and 22nd Avenue North and North Dixie Highway. SECTION 2: A copy of this resolution shall be forwarded to Palm Beach County Engineering and the Florida Department of Transportation. SECTION 3: This resolution shall become effective upon adoption.
The passage of this resolution was moved by _______________, seconded by ___________________, and upon being put to a vote, the vote was as follows:
Mayor Pam Triolo Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso Commissioner Scott Maxwell Commissioner Omari Hardy Commissioner Herman Robinson
The Mayor thereupon declared this resolution duly passed and adopted on this ____ day of _____, 2018.
LAKE WORTH CITY COMMISSION
By: __________________________
Pam Triolo, Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________ Deborah M. Andrea, City Clerk
Please take note: The City Commission meeting tonight will be available on YouTube tomorrow morning.
Mayor Pam Triolo flanked by the commissioners representing Districts 1–4. If you have something nice to say or want to ask how you can help make this City a better place to live, click on this link to contact your elected leaders.
Through the Summer in Palm Beach County the School District Food Services Dept. is offering FREE breakfast (8:00–8:30) and lunch (11:30–noon) on Monday through Friday to all children (up to age 18). Below is the list of schools participating in this program here in the City of Lake Worth:
Barton Elementary, 1700 Barton Rd.
Highland Elementary, 500 Highland Ave.
Lake Worth Community High School, 1700 Lake Worth Rd.
North Grade Elementary, 824 North ‘K’ St.
South Grade Elementary, 716 South ‘K’ St.
TAKE NOTE: The list above are the locations within THIS City. For all other locations in Palm Beach County, including those in suburban (unincorporated) Lake Worth, click on this link. To look over the menus for breakfast and lunch click on this link.
No registration or application is necessary.
Every child is welcome to simply come and enjoy a nutritious FREE meal.
However, is that about to change? Can we expect a protest some time in the near future? If the past is any clue, the answer is “Yes” and it could be due to what happens at City Hall later on tonight.
The Protest Level Index (PLI) is at level “MEDIUM” at the moment but could become “HIGH” very soon. PLI level High means that one can expect the press and news media to show up at a pre-planned protest with protesters holding big signs outside Lake Worth City Hall, people chanting, dollar store noisemakers, and somebody using a bullhorn organizing the whole thing. But it all depends on what happens at the City of Lake Worth’s Budget Work Session #3 tonight. This meeting begins at 6:00.
[Helpful Tip: While the PLI remains at level Medium this would be a good time for a refresher: “How to do a TV news or press interview: Two very easy-to-learn and highly effective techniques”.]
If a protest does occur at some point, what will the protest be about? Most likely about the City of Lake Worth increasing fees for refuse collection and disposal of trash from mobile home parks. A little background:
Readers of this blog know that there has not been a protest of any significance here in the City of Lake Worth since early in 2016, over two years ago. For a City once known for having protests every week this is quite the change. The big protest in January 2016 was based on a lie about the “forced relocation” of residents from a trailer park and a report in the Post had to be retracted as well. Protests did occur but then it all fizzled out when the public learned the truth as reported by The Lake Worth Herald soon afterward. Click on this link to read all about what happened in Jan. 2016.
About mobile home parks (MHP) in this City of Lake Worth. How many are there? There are four (4) MHP communities in the City:
Orange Grove MHP (120 units) on north side of 2600 block on 6th Ave. South.
Palm Beach MHP (335 units) on east side of Boutwell Rd. in Park of Commerce.
Holiday MHP (70 units) on 1800 block of Lake Worth Rd. (west of Tri-Rail Station).
Holz MHP (140 units) on south side of 1700 block on 12th Ave. South.
Total MHP units = 665.
The images below are the HMP Rate Structure for waste and refuse collection on the agenda tonight at the City Commission.
The existing rate (click on images to enlarge):
The proposed MHP rate:
Stay tuned for PLI levels going forward.
To look over the agenda tonight for Budget Work Session #3 click on this link and scroll down for the City Commission meeting dated July 16th, then download the “Agenda & Backup”.
NOTE. This guest column by South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board member Melanie Peterson* appeared in the February 2018 issue of Martin County Currents:
The St. Lucie River and Estuary in Martin County and the Indian River Lagoon are replete with natural beauty and recreational opportunities to be enjoyed by residents and visitors year-round. Unless, of course, it was during one of the 184 times the Florida Department of Health had to issue “No Swimming” advisories for beaches and other swimming spots in Martin County since 2002. The culprit – unsafe levels of bacteria in the water that can make people sick. Shedding some light on the cause are two recent peer-reviewed papers by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, which point to the source of this beach-closing bacteria as septic system pollution. Special interest groups and activists from the Treasure Coast are quick to look west to Lake Okeechobee or to agriculture lands south of the lake to place blame for their water quality concerns. In reality, the contamination depriving the public of access to the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon is right in their own backyards – human waste contamination from septic tanks. One of the South Florida Water Management District‘s core missions is to protect the health and safety of the environment and the public. That is why we have invested billions of dollars in restoring the water quality of the Everglades, protecting the northern estuaries and improving our flood control system that protects 8.1 million residents. We have done, and are continuing to do, our part. The time is long overdue for residents and communities to do their part by addressing the significant threat to public safety posed by septic system pollution. There are still thousands of septic tanks within the urban services boundary in Martin County. Section 381.00655 of Florida Statutes requires that property owners with septic tanks, even if they are functioning properly, hook up to nearby available sewer lines within a year of being notified by the utility. Local governments are not enforcing this law or encouraging property owners, who are unwittingly polluting their own waterways, to connect to the available sewer service. Even more outrageous, communities like Sewall‘s Point are now voluntarily choosing not to be part of the solution. Meanwhile, these same communities, who are not investing a penny of their own money to stop polluting their own waterways, are asking others across South Florida to follow the law and spend billions of taxpayer dollars for projects to protect the St. Lucie Estuary. It is time for local governments to step up and do their part to address their local septic tanks that spew pollution into the estuary every day, making it unsafe for the public and harmful to plants and wildlife. When pointing fingers at the source of the problem, they need look no further than in their own backyards to make a difference for Florida‘s future and make the most immediate impact on the water quality challenges of the present. Melanie Peterson Governing Board Member South Florida Water Management District
*Melanie Peterson is now Vice Chair of SFWMD’s Governing Board Members, an at-large member for an area that includes St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. “The South Florida Water Management District is directed by nine Governing Board members who set policy for the agency. They reside within the agency’s 16-county region and represent a cross section of interests, including the environment, agriculture, local government, recreation and business. Governing Board members are unpaid citizen volunteers appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate. They generally serve four-year terms.”
If there was one billion dollars ($1B) in public money available, should the Herbert Hoover Dike surrounding Lake Okeechobee be fortified or “Send The Water South!” into a new reservoir south of the lake? Does history provide any clues?
Please continue reading.
When the 1928 Hurricane hit Palm Beach County many were trapped with nowhere to go. This was many years before the Florida Turnpike and I-95. No other event in Palm Beach County, post WWI, altered the landscape like this storm did. Due to the lack of roads, like the ones we take for granted today, emergency crews took too long to arrive for many people.
Track of 1928 Hurricane with overlay of modern Interstate road system:
When it struck: Wind speed 130 miles per hour, 929 millibars of pressure, category 4.
Below are pictures of the City of Lake Worth that was along the track of the 1928 Hurricane, a massive storm also referred to as the Okeechobee Hurricane. About the devastation that followed:
“[W]hich was second deadliest tropical cyclone in the history of the United States . . . the
cyclone struck West Palm Beach, Florida, resulting in catastrophic wind
damage. Inland flooding and storm surge resulted in Lake Okeechobee
overflowing its banks, flooding nearby towns and leaving at least 2,500
deaths, making it the second deadliest hurricane in the United States
after the 1900 Galveston hurricane.”
Please proceed to the next blog post and about another hurricane in 2005. . .
![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)
