From Robert Genn - An Idea for Florida?

"One thing about Indianapolis," says the taxi driver as we pass by the almost hundred-year-old Indy 500 racetrack, "there's plenty of parking." I'm noticing that perhaps more than any other mid-sized city in the USA, Indianapolis embraces the automobile. There's urban sprawl in all directions. First-rate commuter roads head off over former farmlands into further subdivisions. Here and there, remnant woodlots or marshy bogs slope down to meandering rivers. Trying to save some of these remaining lands is why I'm here.

The Central Indiana Land Trust is one of 1,100 US organizations in the business of reserving and preserving natural lands and their threatened ecosystems. By purchase, gift, legacy or easement, the organizations round up parcels so future generations will be able to see what countryside was like.

We're having an art show--a fundraiser to draw attention to the cause. The Trust has chosen 15 prominent painters and asked them to paint on the Trust's lands. Each artist has contributed two works--most of them are plein air oils. These Hoosiers area hardy bunch; around here they've reinvented outdoor painting with gusto. I'm one of the jury. We get to hand out cash to the winning painters. More than three hundred supporters show up for the opening. It's a bash.Long ago and far away, Thomas Moran helped convince Teddy Roosevelt that the USA needed National Parks. Anyone who beheld one of Moran's panoramas of the Grand Canyon could see that the place needed protection. Many other artists such as John James Audubon and Ansel Adams have been instrumental in saving the picturesque and the natural. It seems to me that painters, more than any others, recognize the presence of sacred grounds.Going into a landscape and setting up an easel is an act of faith that just might bring further grace to the wild and beautiful. Unlike hunters and fishers, who also have a vested interest in preservation, artists take without taking. A painting made outdoors is a sacred event.

Long ago and far away, a passing hiker watched me paint a modest swamp near Mt. Rainier in Washington State. When he finally spoke to me, he did so in a whisper, as if he was in a cathedral. "Thank you," he said. "Now I see the beauty of it."About that time I began to see what my role might be, how we all had a job to do, and how we needed now to be more responsible.

Best regards,

Robert

Tonight's Truth Matters Show on Lake Worth Talk.com

Hey folks.

As you know by the previous post, my friend Andrew is in town. Just for kicks and giggles, he will be joining me tonight on the show. I plan on reviewing last week's show - we covered a lot of material ont he basics of the Comprehensive Plan. I will also be talking about what happened at last Tuesday's City Commission meeting - both the Compass matter and the non-appointment of yours truly to the Stakeholders Advisory Committee. We will also be taking your questions from the discussion board.

So, it is a little departure from the format. We will get back to "normal" next week - when I plan to go into more detail about the relationship between the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Code - we'll also start exploring the various districts within the zoning code and looking at the City's Zoning Map.

Please join us on Lake Worth Talk.com this evening from 8 to 9 p.m. Thanks - hope to hear from during the show!

One Visitor's Perspective...

Between work and a visit from a long time from from Dallas this week, I've had little time to post anything here. We had a great time at Karaoke Thursday night and I've posted some pictures from that evening. My friend, Andrew, is a person I first met right after I moved to Florida from Michigan. We met cause he happened to work with my partner-at-the-time and we have been close ever since.

Andrew and me at the Mad Hatter

We hear a lot about people moving out of Lake Worth - especially from those that like to see the glass as more than half empty. Andrew is someone who wants to move back to Lake Worth. He moved out of the area in the early 90s, received his Masters Degree in Social Work from a school in Iowa (where his family is from) and then moved to Dallas. He is at a point in his life now that he would like to return here, as most of his family is now gone and the "family" that he does have is still in the area, most of those people live in Lake Worth.

His situation is such now that he is looking for an apartment in the low $700/month range. We looked at some properties yesterday - sort of drive-bys. Some on North J - didn't like - and some in an around the downtown area. One right across from the former Mayor's house and another one in a nicely kept historic apartment building in the Downtown Jewel neighborhood (those two were o.k, maybe better than o.k.). He'll follow up on those today.

We'll also make it to the Art Cars exhibit on J Street today.

Madame Sue-Nami and Andrew at Karaoke

My point in telling you this story - and there is a little more beyond the apartment story - is that there are still decent "affordable" rental housing units in the City of Lake Worth that can attract quality people that will be able to contribute to our community. This is a good thing.

The other part of the story is that he spent some time yesterday at the beach - later in the afternoon. Last night, he couldn't stop talking about how "sad" it is to look at the pier and how after the hurricanes - it is still not repaired. I explained to him how FEMA is involved, the contract is let and work should be starting "soon". That still didn't satisfy him. Beyond the pier, he went on to say the "dogged-eared" condition of the buildings shows that the City hasn't thought that it is important to maintain/repair or replace these important public buildings on our most important property. He went on to say that to see the pier in that condition told him that City government has failed to maintain something in an acceptable condition and that broadcasts to the world that the City "just doesn't care" and that "bleeds over into other areas" related to citizen morale, crime and most poignantly, represents "City-sanctioned blight". He also agreed with me that it represents an important part of the City's heritage that is important to preserve.

I told him he could have been me on the campaign trail talking about the beach.

And, to be honest and to give you some assurance that I am not making up the story, he doesn't like some of the townhouses along Federal.

So the moral of the story - in order to keep our City so that it is considered an attractive place to move back to-we need to make sure our public properties are in good shape - especially our flagship beach property.

Results from Last Night's Commission meeting...

After much discussion, the City Commission decided to enter into a lease agreement with Compass for use of the soon-to-be former Senior Center. Vespo, Clemens and Golden voted in favor of the lease. Commissioner Golden seemed to talk around the issue a lot, but ended up voting in favor of it.

In response to Commissioner Jennings' suggestion that Compass pay more money because they have the resources to do it (Message to Commissioner Jennings - more money from Compass to the City would take away money that Compass uses to serve those in need of services), Commissioner Golden threw out the idea that instead of $1,000 a year, why don't we ask for a $1,000 a month. (Note to Commissioner Golden - Your employer, the Lake Worth Community Development Corporation enjoys a $1 a year lease of a City property, including a building. How about those financials Jo Ann?) This from a Commissioner that talked about the importance of process and playing on an even playing field.

Democracy requires constant vigilance.

At least, the Commission made the right decision and Compass can move forward with their plans. Thank you Compass for deciding to relocate to the City of Lake Worth!

Compass in Downtown Lake Worth

This is what was e-mailed from me to the Commissioners prior to the 10/17 Commission meeting (six months ago) - I am re-posting here and now in advance of the Commission meeting tonight.:

Dear Mayor, Commissioners and City Manager:

I offer this in support of negotiating a lease with Compass to use the current Senior Center. A new Senior Center is being readied by Palm Beach County and is planned to open in the Fall of 2007. This will leave this City facility vacant.

Compass is a mature social service organization that serves a significant portion of Lake Worth residents. Tony Plakas of HomeRule Strategies, LLC has done a great job outlining the strengths of the organization and the services provided. I'd like to take a moment and highlight the benefits of such a move:

• Compass would establish a use for the building that is consistent with the original intent of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.
• People using the services and support that Compass provides would create another destination and attraction for people to come to our downtown area - adding to the City's vitality. Using the building as just another set of City offices would not have the same effect. Compass also has many evening activities as well as providing educational and cultural events for the Lake Worth community.
  
• Resources, staff, volunteers will provide a ready supply of materials and support during times of hurricanes - all can be called upon to render needed help when the situation arises.
• Meeting spaces for public and private entities would be available.
  
• Compass is self-supporting and not reliant upon City funding. They have the resources to maintain the building and grounds in an appropriate manner.
• Compass' funding sources bring "other" money into the Lake Worth economy. It serves as a portal for all sorts of other governmental and private resources and programs for those in need.
• It is consistent with the Master Plan direction in this area of the City and will likely be near future mass transit opportunities when passenger mass transit service is established on the FEC railroad. It is already on Dixie Hwy. and Palm Tran's most utilized route.
  

Reserving this existing building for City offices would be ill-advised and represent a short term "make-do" measure. Compass is ready to go and start a campaign to raise capital for a new facility. The time to act is now.

Let's do our best to make Compass feel at home and welcomed in the City of Lake Worth.

Sincerely,

Wes Blackman

Beach and Casino Land Use Designation - Response from the State of Florida

This past week, the City received the following response from the State of Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) regarding the creation of the Beach and Casino Future Land Use District and Future Land Use Plan amendment. I plan to discuss it during Truth Matters and will also post it there on the Truth Matters blog on Lake Worth Talk.com. You can use the link immediately to the right of this post to get you there. I am finishing up posting items for tonight's show - the first in what should be a series of shows on comprehensive planning and zoning in the City of Lake Worth.

The show runs from 8 to 9 p.m. on Lake Worth Talk.com.

If you are unable to click on the images to make them larger - you can either use your zoom - if you have IE 7 or another browser with zoom capability - or you can e-mail and I can foward them to you.

It's my understanding that the response to this letter will be presented at the May 2, 2007 Planning and Zoning Board meeting. The City Commission will consider the item upon recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Board

Here are the documents from DCA:

City Manager Search...

Quick Report...

Getting back to the life that I put on hold for three months during the campaign. It feels good to get back in the groove and nice to hear the phone ringing with future work on the horizon.

Blog-wise - I am working on a summary of the Gulfstream Hotel and Spa proposal that went before the Planning and Zoning Board last week. I'll be getting some graphics to accompany the blog entry and then will post my summary. The project should be back before the Planning and Zoning Board sometime in May.

Thanks for your visit to my blog. Remember, Truth Matters begins this coming Sunday night, from 8 to 9 p.m. on Lake Worth Talk.com. The first show will be a review of the basics of land use and zoning in the City of Lake Worth - hopefully educational and informative. I will attempt to explain a very complicated topic in as simple a manner as possible. And I'll be able to take your questions during the hour as well.

The City also received word from the State of Florida in response to our land use plan change on the beach - expect another post on that and I will also talk about that on Truth Matters.

Later!

Coming Attractions..."TRUTH MATTERS"

Next Sunday (April 15) I will start my Internet radio program called "Truth Matters". It will air from 8 to 9 p.m. every week on Lake Worth Talk.com, right after the Live Show with Jim Stafford.

Content will focus on current events and topics related to the City of Lake Worth. I plan to do a lot of education on the role of zoning, land use law and historic preservation to clear up a lot of misconceptions. We will explore how other communities have met the challenges of redevelopment and how they have successfully attracted investment dollars. We'll examine market forces and how they affect the quality of life that we experience here in Lake Worth, along with global and national trends. We'll also look into green building and its role in the future redevelopment of our City.

I am hoping to use this as a venue to educate in order to prepare residents for the large number of Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code changes that will be considered by the Planning and Zoning Board and the City Commission later this year. We can even use the show to go over the changes proposed as a result of the Master Planning process that has been on-going for the past two years.

It will be interactive and I plan on using this site, in combination with the Lake Worth Talk discussion board, to field questions. Great news - as of today Lake Worth Talk is offering blogs on that site. So, I can post all show related information there under "Truth Matters". I will be testing out various formats this week. But that will turn out to be a great place to display items that we are talking about on the show - and allow for the interaction - like a classroom!

All this is part of an attempt to get out an objective, timely and reliable set of facts regarding the various situations we face here in the City of Lake Worth. I am hopeful that this will help combat the efforts of those seeking to manipulate reality through misunderstandings or outright distortions of fact.

It should be a fun and interesting time. If you have suggestions on some of the topics we should cover, let me know.

The first show will cover the basics of Growth Management legislation in the State of Florida, the importance of the City's Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map, Future Land Use designations, the Zoning Code and Zoning districts within the City of Lake Worth.

Thanks - and let's look forward to a better Lake Worth!

District #1 Meeting on Crime

I missed last night's meeting at Brogue's due to my following of the Gulfstream project being reviewed by the Planning Board at the same time. The meeting at Brogue's has gotten excellent coverage on Channel 5. When they run that story, they also promote the above meeting tonight. The church is at the northeast corner of E and 9th Avenue South and is the major polling location in District #1.

This is in response to our crime wave and gang violence, made even more urgent through the multiple shootings last week (the evening of the run-off election) in the area. Please try to attend as a show of solidarity against the ravages of violent crime.

Let's Ban or Limit Political Yard Signs...

I just see political signs as being a waste in a campaign. They're expensive and do disappear - sometimes due to natural causes and over a period of three months that can mean even more money. Which means more fundraising and increased reliance on PAC contributions.

Signs don't vote, people do.

Some candidates insist that a homeowner put one in their yard, etc. - which is uncomfortable for some people to accept. I also know that many businesses along Dixie were told that even if they didn't want them there, they had to stay - the reason given was that it was a "City thing" or that it was in the right-of-way, etc. They are a pain to pick up afterwards and none of them are really environmentally friendly - a lot of waste stream created for a very short period of time. And they create a lot of visual clutter. They also clue in the opposition of who your supporters are.

It also encourages school yard behavior "oh, he touched my sign..."

Now, if we prohibited them entirely, there might be constitutional issues - freedom of speech, etc.

I don't know if it will go anywhere, but that was my pet peeve during the election - anything related to signs.

I brought this up at the City Commission meeting last night under Public Comment on non-agendaed items.

PZHRPB Meeting Tonight regarding the Gulfstream Hotel Property

Below you will find a copy of the staff report in response to the request to demolish a contributing historic structure on property owned by the owners of the Gulfstream Hotel. You will notice that staff is encouraging the relocation of the structure and the applicant says that they have someone interested in moving it - so demolition would be the last resort. I post this here as I have had trouble with the City's website recently and wasn't able to download the Planning Board packet for tonight's meeting. You should be able to click on the images and make them larger and more legible. If that doesn't work, I can e-mail them to you. Just contact me at wesblackman@gmail.com

I won't post them here due to space constraints, but I also have the other staff reports related to all of the Gulfstream items including Community Appearance and their variance requests. Let me know if you are interested in those and I can send them out via e-mail, as well.

City Commission Goals Formulation...

The City of Lake Worth has commissioned Dr. Ralph Lewis to assist in the development of Commission goals for the period 2007-2012. These goals will be based on input from citizens, professional staff, and elected officials and identifies: 1) strategic service areas, 2) goals, 3) measures and/or Milestones, 4) strategic initiatives.

The Commission goals will enable the City Commission to identify service areas for the City; prioritize major initiatives; effectively allocate human, financial and capital resources; select goal-specific strategic initiatives to support your major policies and ongoing operations.

Public Forums will be facilitated by Dr. Lewis to allow participants to provide input concerning their priorities concerning: quality of life factors that they view important, priorities for government functions and services, and their vision for the City of Lake Worth in the year 2012.
Public Forum dates are: Many of us received this message from the City. The dates originally proposed had the public forums beginning next week. At last night's Commission Meeting it was decided to postpone this to a time after the new City Manager is hired and in place. The best guess for when this will be is the middle to later part of May, 2007. I'll be sure and let you know what the new dates, times and places will be.

Dr. Lewis is a retired member of the Public Administration faculty at Florida International University with extensive experience in strategic planning and management.

Venus and Mars Say "Hi"

Here we are, out for a walk today. That's Venus looking towards the camera; Mars is on the left.

This is Venus on the move - she's so low she's kind of like a hovercraft, very badger-like.

This is Mars. It was hard to get him to look at the camera - this is the best one.

User Stats on this Blog

Sometime in early February, I installed tracking software on this blog. Before, I had no way to guess how many people were using it and using it on a regular basis. I did know that my message was getting out there, but had no idea to what extent. The above table shows that since early February, there have been 1506 "unique" visits to this blog - people entering the site through a specific computer. This probably is an over-estimate of the total people using the site as IPs can be dynamic and people access the site from more than one computer. Of those unique visits, most people (58%) return every day or so to check it for new material and to read the latest entry.

This information is portrayed graphically below:
The chart below indicates that most visitors to the site stay for approximately 1 to 5 minutes:

Another interesting statistic is that around 800 come to the site from no other page on the Internet. This means that number of people likely have this blog saved in their "Favorites".

Just thought you would be interested in how this site is being used. I hope that you find the information here useful and that you keep coming back. It represents my effort to get the word out on important matters happening in the City of Lake Worth.

Thanks for visiting!