Prayers and insight from “The Interfaith Prayer Book”, expanded 2nd edition, published in 2014.

The Interfaith Prayer Book was compiled by Lake Worth resident Ted Brownstein and the Lake Worth Interfaith Network (LWIN). Learn more about this organization at the end of this blog post.

From p. 31 by Siddur Avodas HaLev titled,
“A Jewish View of Prayer”:

“Prayer: Its Hebrew name is, tefillah, a word that gives us an insight into the Torah’s concept of prayer. The root of tefillah means to judge, to differentiate, to clarify, to decide. In life, we constantly sort out evidence from rumor, valid options from wild speculations, fact from fancy. Thus, prayer is the soul’s yearning to define what truly matters and to ignore the trivialities that often masquerade as essential.”

From p. 69, the “Hymn of the Good Samaritan”:

From every race and land,

The victim of our day,

Abused and hurt by human hands,

Are wounded on life’s way.

The priest and Levite* pass
And find not time to wait.
The pressing claims of living call;
They leave them to their fate.

But one of different faith
To care he felt compelled.
His active love like Jesus’ own
Uplifted, healed and held.

May this example lead,
Inspire and teach us all
That we may find in others’ faith
The God on whom we call.

From p. 23 in the chapter titled, “Native American Prayer” is the ancient reading from the Popul Vuh, a region in South America now called Guatemala:

Make my guilt vanish,
Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth;
Grant me a favor,
Give me strength, give me courage
In my heart, in my head,
Since you are my mountain and my plain;
May there be no falsehood and no stain,
And may this reading of the Popul Vuh
Come out clear as dawn,
And may the sifting of ancient times
Be complete in my heart, in my head;
And make my guilt vanish,
My grandmothers, grandfathers,
And however many souls of the dead there may be,
You who speak with the Heart of Sky and Earth,
May all of you together give strength
To the reading I have undertaken.


To learn more about the “Reading of Popul Vuh” in The Interfaith Prayer Book and the Ancient History Encyclopedia click on this link.

The Lake Worth Interfaith Network (LWIN) is “[A] group of individuals and faith-based communities dedicated to promoting acceptance and understanding among our diverse spiritual traditions through devotions, education and compassionate action. . . . LWIN hopes that sharing our experience will be helpful to other communities who desire to create similar local interfaith organizations.”

*Levite: “[M]ember of the tribe of Levi; descendant of Levi, especially one appointed to assist the priests in the temple or tabernacle.” Learn more at Wikipedia.

City of Lake Worth news. Front page headline: “New CRA Chief Hopeful”.

LAKE WORTH — Imagine living in a one-stop quality Lake Worth that residents, business owners and all those involved with its redevelopment can be proud of.
     It can happen here for those are the goals of Joan Oliva, someone who has the experience and position to make it all come about.
     Oliva starts Monday as new executive director of the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
     “Revitalization takes time, especially when it is done well,” Oliva says.

The front page news above is from reporter Leonard Saffir in The Lake Worth Herald dated January 3rd, 2008.

“Neighborhood revitalization, in concert with redevelopment, must be encouraged to increase value, stability and a sense of community pride.”

For a stroll down memory lane use this link. Learn about some of the headwinds the CRA’s Exec. Dir. Joan Oliva had to face back in 2008–2009.

Lake Worth Beach City Commission Work Session — Public Private Partnerships — January 27th, 2020.

Jim Gilmore, the managing partner with Gilmore Hagan Partners spoke to the Lake Worth Beach City Commission in a work session this past Monday.

The dais. L to R, City Clerk, the five electeds all in attendance, City Attorney and City Manager:

At the end of this blog post is the City’s YouTube video of last Monday’s City Commission work session.

What follows is brief summary.

Mr. Gilmore was brought in to explain and discuss a process called a Public Private Partnership (P3). The firm consults with communities that wish to pursue such ventures. He defined P3s as “The close collaboration of a public entity and a private entity to structure, negotiate and implement the finance, design, development, construction and operation of buildings.” Buildings in this context include commercial, residential parking, and governmental facilities.

Mr. Gilmore’s bon mot for the evening: Winning takes longer than losing. In order for P3s to be successful there has to be trust on the side of both parties for a win-win outcome. He stressed that communication with the public is a strategic must in the process. He also stressed the importance of having milestones throughout the P3 process so progress can be monitored closely. Any monetary participation which induced the private entity to participate must come after the project is completed, including the certificate of occupancy. Gilmore referenced the IPIC DELRAY in Delray Beach; while up and running the project was sold and flipped to another entity. He warned that the public sector partner needs to plan for certain “what if ” scenarios.

Another local project he pointed to was the Riviera Beach Marina Village. They issued a Request for Proposals in 2018 and the project is coming to completion. The unique part of Marina Village is that they were able to take two respondents that came in independently and put them in a partnership with each other.

Mr. Gilmore identified the beach property in Lake Worth Beach as one that would be very attractive to private sector participation through a concession agreement, that is leasing to a private entity rather than selling land. He noted, “They aren’t making any beachfront property like that any more.” He also saw opportunities throughout the downtown especially in areas governed by the Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.

During the Q&A session with the City Commission it was Commissioner Herman Robinson who pointed out that $6M has been pledged for a project at the beach on a 3-2 vote. That decision was a sometimes acrimonious and very public political process and he warned that outcome may change over time. Any private partner would have to trust the $6M for improvements at the oceanfront park was a firm commitment. Mayor Pam Triolo pointed out she is aware of League of Cities activities nationwide and knows of many P3 success stories and advised there are right ways and wrong ways to go about them. She referenced the Invitation To Negotiate process at the beach which took place years ago was a very public failure. Mr. Gilmore responded that it is best to know who in the private sector is ready to participate in the P3 process rather than going on a “fishing expedition” through the Request For Proposal (RFP) process.

Commissioner Omari Hardy pointed out the beach is an amenity the City sends money to and doesn’t get money back. He pointed to the loan the City made to itself to build the Casino building, a loan that is still being paid down. He wondered aloud if all the benefits from the public beach property are being realized.

Educating residents about what is possible in the P3 process is an important step. Many times those in the public that don’t want things to change are the very same ones who demand better and higher quality City services. The mayor commented she is interested in P3s beyond the beach property and possibly be a tool used throughout the downtown and other areas in the City. Vice Mayor Andy Amoroso emphasized the importance of the downtown to the City’s image and economy. Amoroso wants the downtown to be less seasonal and not just focus all the attention on the beach.

This public discussion is taking place now because the City has a ballot item on the March 17th municipal election that, if passed, would allow the City to lease city-owned property for a 30-year term rather than the current limit of 20 years. Consensus of the City Commission was to proceed with information gathering related to the market and possible private sector participants.

After the upcoming election in March there will be more certainty as to the wishes of the public and direction going forward when it comes to length of leases for public property.

Without further ado. . .

This YouTube video is a little over one hour and twenty minutes and provides much information about P3s. Mayor Triolo starts it off by saying, “City manager, would you like to take it away. . .”:

“Lido Pools” in Palm Beach.

These pools were at the end of Worth Avenue near the former Palm Beach Pier. In the photo you can see the Colony Hotel in the background. This is the block where Charley’s Crab was; it closed down in April of last year.

Click on image to enlarge:

“Lido Pools, Palm Beach, Florida”

Image of Casino building c. 1942 — From a loyal reader . . .

Every Wednesday at Brogues in Lake Worth Beach: Weekly meeting of Rotary.

The Rotary has been serving and continues to serve the Lake Worth region for over 90 years.

Question: What are you doing
this coming Wednesday at noon?

Front cover from the 50th anniversary of Rotary.

 

“The Lake Worth Rotary always has their doors open to new membership. If you are interested in becoming a Rotarian, please don’t be shy and come visit us.”

We meet at Brogues DownUnder for lunch every Wednesday (621 Lake Ave., LWB). It is always an honor to have a new guest to share a joyful experience including a beautiful lunch while our weekly guest speaker shares productive information regarding current events. We want our guests to feel comfortable and among friends.


Here are two more images from the 50th Anniversary publication in 1977.

Two more images (click on to enlarge):

Inside the front cover.

And. . .

An advertisement in the book.

Technology news: First there was the driverless car. Now there is the riderless bike.

“A bicycle has the power to transport us to another place”
—Ernest Hemingway