Today's (8/25) City Commission Meeting

Today's agenda above. I plan on attending to hear and hopefully see what is being proposed as the final version of public improvements for the beach. The packet has been available on line since last week, but still nothing available on the beach item as back-up material. And now it's the actual day of the meeting. I suggest electing people to the City Commission who are dedicated to soliciting constructive public input - especially on major decision items like this one. Members of the current Commission don't seem to hold that as a priority. You can be assured that I will demand it as part of my commitment to open government.

And, yet again, another day time meeting...


Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Wes Blackman for City Commissioner District #3

Palm Beach County Centennial and Archaeology Talk

The Palm Beach County Planning Congress hosted a talk at the South Florida Water Management District headquarters yesterday which featured Harvey Oyer and Christian Davenport. Harvey Oyer comes from a long time native Palm Beach County family. He talked about the early formation of Palm Beach County and the early settlements in south Florida. He recited the progression from Mosquito County to the present Palm Beach County as we know it today. Christian Davenport, the County's Archaeologist gave a presentation on the 2007 Lake Okeechobee finds when the lake was at record low levels. The range included pottery and related items from around 200 A.D, to more contemporary tourist history and remnants from the 1920s. It turns out that the lake area was the first economically successful region of the County - catfish was a big money maker. All left their traces in the form of physical remains we can study now to give us clues about how those that came before us lived. Both were eye-opening windows to the past.

A growing dream of urban farming: Financier Hantz wants to plant $30M into vacant lots

Being from Michigan originally, I'm interested in the plight of Detroit. Click title for link to article about establishing large scale farming in a formerly urban area - way beyond chickens in the backyard. Such is the state of decay in the city of Detroit that eventually 5,000 acres could be included. Land prices are running about $3,000 an acre. The first stage will consist of 77 acres - property tax issues remain that currently prevent this use from being feasible.

Not recommending this here, but it is an example of the devolution of former urban land into agriculture. We may some day have suburban development that surrounds agricultural lands - what were once major urban centers of the 19th and 20th Centuries.

September City Meetings

Broken bottle thought to have been used in Lake Worth stabbing

Click title for link to PB Post article. And what was the City Commission doing on Friday night?

Lake Worth bars tour checks: How loud is too loud?

Click title for link to PB Post article. Click here for link to their pictures on line

Man stabbed at Bryant Park in Lake Worth

Man stabbed at Bryant Park in Lake Worth |West Palm Beach News, South Florida Breaking News, Forecast, Video from WPTV

This is not the same incident as the broken bottle stabbing on South F Street. This is one that involved the use of a box cutter to grab someone's wallet at the boat ramp. One of the perpetrators is still at large.

Pizza Question:

This is from another local blog:

Hi. I was wondering about something simple. I would like to ask all the candidates for their answer to the following question: Do you like pizza, and, if so, what pizzeria would you call if you wanted a delivery? What toppings, if any, would you ask for? Thank you very much for your time! I am going to vote for the candidate who's answer suits me best. Good luck in the forthcoming election! :-)

This is a really easy question to answer for me. There is a great family-owned pizzeria down the street from me on Dixie Hwy. - dangerously within walking distance. After sushi, it's probably one of my favorite foods. It's Tony's Pizza and Pasta (they also make pasta for Palm Beach restaurant clients) - phone 588-9940. Every now and then I will get their meatball dish to go for comfort food, but my usual order is a small pizza - all veggie plus garlic minus olives. Never have liked olives whole, but olive oil is fine. I've never had it but I hear they make a great white chicken topped pizza too.

And as an added treat for other members of my family, I happen not to like gnawing on the crust - the part and the edge without toppings. So Mars and Venus help me with those.

Please call them - they do deliver and tell them "Wes sent me!"

City Commission Fact Finding Tour of Downtown with Noise Meter

WORK IN PROGRESS

Salute to Lake Worth High School Football

These were taken at Evening on the Avenues last night - 8/21. A little rally for the Lake Worth High School Trojan football team. Coincidence: my high school, college and now Lake Worth teams all had maroon and white for their colors. Support the Trojans next Friday night as they play Olympic Heights at home!

Noise Regulation is a Complex Task

Click title for a link to just one source found on the Internet. There are many others. Who will be vested with responsibility of using the meter - code enforcement (at night with a drastically reduced staff?), the Sheriff (they won't collect the money at the beach, would they do this task?) Will it be a progressive disciplinary system - first a warning and then other steps leading up to what? And, all this must be done with calibrated equipment that can meet a test of the court - as this is where most claims end up - especially if a municipality goes so far to attempt business closure or shortening of hours of operation.

Does the Commission know what they are getting into? Don't we have other priorities? This is interesting to think about - we don't have a Comprehensive Plan in compliance, we have a work-in-progress set of land development regulations (zoning code), questionable expertise in the zoning staff and city attorney re land use issues and we are going to tackle one of the most difficult to administer/enforce provisions of zoning?

It's sort of like a guy who runs an ice cream truck suddenly thinking that tomorrow he'll be successful making French pastries.

Not an uncommon sentiment...

This was left as a comment to the previous post about the Commission's Fact Finding mission:

I'm done. Just done. I'm so sick and tired of the backwards trend this city is experiencing. I've lived here for just over 3 years and thought I would see a growing city, not one on a continuous backward slide. My partner and I have discussed the situation and are looking to leave the area the first chance we get. The firing of code enforcement is the last straw, Of course our home is no where near what we paid for it, but we will take a credit hit with either a short sale or foreclosure just to get away from this awful, ridiculous mess. I am absolutely shaking with anger and frustration. I can't wait to leave this town behind.

Rearranging the deckchairs...

Let's talk a little bit about this Friday's tour of the downtown. The Commission is convening a special fact finding mission at 9 p.m. in front of the Library. The purpose is to go around the downtown to take noise meter readings at various downtown establishments that have outdoor music. I posted the agenda yesterday and it has the businesses that have been targeted. Who is the leader of this effort? It is none other than Commissioner Golden. She is the one that proclaims she is "promoting economic growth" on her campaign business card.

This comes at the same time that more than half of the code enforcement department received their walking papers. Does it make sense to drastically cut the code enforcement staff at the same time you are proposing to give them a whole new task - policing music and merriment in our downtown?

I used to live at 509 1st Avenue South - between L and M streets - one block south of Lake Avenue. For the four years I lived there, I knew that on Friday and Saturday nights there would be music and joyful noise coming from our commercial areas along Lake and Lucerne. I also knew that I might have to take longer to look for a parking space if I was away and came back during those hours. That is part of the downtown, urban experience. I loved being able to walk to any establishment in the downtown, City Hall, the bank, the Library, restaurants, etc. It fit my lifestyle well. Eventually, I ended up buying my own house which prompted my move - but it was not due to any negative about the downtown location. In fact, in terms of noise, I was more bothered by what seemed the constant drone of ambulance and fire truck sirens as they would pass on Lake Avenue coming from the station and going to a call. Sometimes it felt Armageddon was happening, but that is the closest to a complaint about noise that I can muster from my experience.

So, I will be traipsing downtown with the Commission on Friday night - visiting businesses that have been targeted by the City Commission. I would suggest a walk through some of our blighted neighborhoods with overcrowded structures would be time better spent - but apparently a lot less of that is going to be done now with this regime on the Commission. Instead, they want to beat up on the businesses that make Lake Worth a popular night time attraction and bring dollars to our community.
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Don't forget to pick up a copy of the Lake Worth Herald today (8/20)

There you will find profiles of all the candidates whose names will be on the ballot - except for Mayoral candidate javier del sol. We are also left wondering what Commissioner Golden's accomplishments were and what her goals are for another term. Actions do speak louder than words.

Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Wes Blackman for City Commissioner District #3

Agenda for Friday's City Commission Walking Tour (8/21)

I plan on attending the Commission's "Community Fact-Finding Tour" of the downtown on Friday. This is the one with the noise meter which will be used on businesses with outdoor music as a test. See above agenda.