Friends try to find home for Lake Worth suicide victim’s dogs

The pain of those that survive a loss of a loved one through suicide can be deep and heart-wrenching.  So it is with pets as well.  I hope someone is able to come forward and provide these pets with a loving home environment.  Click title for link to article.

Aldous Huxley

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."

Two construction projects underway along Bryant Park...

These were taken yesterday and are of the boat ramp project being completed by Palm Beach County.

And, at the same time, work is beginning on the Snook Islands expansion south of the Lake Worth bridge.

Meridian Building in downtown West Palm to become loft apartments

Caution to those sensitive to tall buildings.  This article is about a historic 6 story building that is being converted to apartments in downtown West Palm Beach.  There seems to be a trend toward rental apartments in this market - people that have been foreclosed upon have to live somewhere and probably cannot qualify for a mortgage at this point in time.  Click title for link.

Following up from last Tuesday's (8/7) City Commission meeting...

During the discussion related to allowable heights and the Comprehensive Plan, much reference was made to Delray Beach and its height restrictions in the downtown area.  Commissioner Mulvehill reported that she was fresh from a meeting with Delray Beach's economic development staff person.  According to Commissioner Mulvehill, height in downtown Delray Beach is limited to four (4) stories and they seem to have no trouble attracting a hotel of four stories.  So, Lake Worth shouldn't have a problem either.

I am not sure about the last claim regarding the hotel, but this I do know about the height restrictions in Delray Beach.  If you turn to the section of their land development regulations related to the Central Business District, on page 8 you will find that building height there is limited to 48 feet.

HOWEVER, exceptions to this height restriction can be made by the City Commission through a "conditional use" process, similar to what is being proposed through our own draft land development regulations.

Here is the section on height in the Central Business District:

 In the Article 4.3 of the Delray Beach land development regulations, on pages through 67 through 70, the process is detailed how the City Commission can raise the height limitation to 60 feet in the downtown, along with other areas of the city.  Here are the pages where that process is discussed:

So, we can conclude that Delray Beach's current code can allow buildings in their downtown to go up to 60 feet and are not necessarily limited to four (4) stories.  And, instead of using Delray as a successful example of how a city can economically co-exist with a four story height limit, Delray is actually a better match to how Lake Worth would handle requests to go up to six (6) stories or 65 feet.

It seems that both Commissioners Mulvehill and McVoy failed to see that similarity last Tuesday night.  Alas, the half-truths keep flowing out of these pair of mouths.

More pics of the Mars rover...

Clemens narrowly leads Bernard in District 27 State Senate race | www.palmbeachpost.com

Closer still!  Click title for link to PBP article.

Mango Picnic Report

Thank you Mango Groves Residents for coming to our end of summer picnic, especially our raft crew!!  Still can't get over how much crazy fun we had on the 4th of July!

We had a great potluck picnic and BBQ at the south end of Bryant Park this past Sunday. We fired up the grill and cooked burgers and hotdogs, and got to sample some fine home cookin' It was really great to see the Mango Groves neighbors come out to play. Even though the weather was a bit spotty, we had the pavillion....so we were dry, and the breeze just cooled things down. I hope we get some pics posted soon (I'm sorry my camera didn't take any, but it was called into DJ music service!). Anyone who has pics, please feel free to share, or post on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mango-Groves-Neighborhood-Association/187588861263064
For all those who couldn't make it we missed you and hope to see you at the next meeting, scheduled for the 3rd Thursday of September, 7p at Compass, 2nd Ave N and Dixie across from Publix.. Yup, we are taking a little 'end of summer" break, so no August Meeting!

A little closer than Jeff expected?

DEM - State Senate, 27
272 of 272 Precincts Reporting
Percent Votes Mack Bernard 49.32% 11,468 Jeff Clemens 50.68% 11,786       23,254

Pick the Phrase that Pays! Commissioner McVoy Lecture Contest!

Here is the contest: Pick the most ridiculous or unusual comment/statement Commissioner McVoy has made or will make.  Your selection is limited to seventy-five words or less (we'll kind of count and be lenient and realize that finding something that short may be a challenge)  In a personal statement, say why your comment should win. Hmmm, ahhhh, ummm, may or may not count as words- depending on whether or not they add to the whole milieu or not. Please indicate the date and approximate time the comment was made. The contest end date is early November so you will be able to mine from future City Commission meetings.  Click here for the archived audio/video from City Commission meetings.

First prize: Have your name up in lights on this blog and be a guest at my house for dinner.  You can also be a guest host on my new Internet radio show:   High Noon in Lake Worth (btw, our guest for this Friday's show is West Palm Beach Commissioner, Shanon Materio - also owner of the Lake Worth business McMow Art Glass on Dixie Hwy.)

Second prize: Have your name in lights on this blog - a little smaller than the winner's name and be a guest for lunch at my house.  You can also choose the next guest for High Noon in Lake Worth

Third prize: An unsigned copy of the book, “Employee to Entrepreneur, A Mind, Body and Spirit Transition” by Suzanne Mulvehill.

And, please note, in an effort to prove how neutral and hospitable we are, Commissioner McVoy is allowed to participate. I know, seems like a disadvantage, but stay focused all.  Keep those entries coming!  You can enter more than once.  Click here to e-mail your entries.

Nighttime shots of the Mars rover...

Startling example of over-development along Dixie Hwy.

The story of one address: 631

This film is about the history of a particular house in Youngstown, Ohio.  It's a micro example of a macro problem:  widespread abandonment of properties while the economic landscape of the industrial Midwest contracts.  This is just one story of one family and one house - how their histories intertwine.

I often think about the optimism of the era when my house was built - 1951.  While it remains essentially the same structure as it was then, the world around it in someways would be unimaginable to its original inhabitants.  Think about your house's history and its relation to the city's, the state's and the nation's.   What stories like this one lurk around those 50 properties on the city's demolition list?

If you have ten minutes, please watch this movie.   A house is more than a building, it is a home - many of them make up a community.

The Mulvehill Monologues, Part VI

Thank you, Wesley, for taking Grumpy for the night. It's been so quiet around here. Good to know he is settling down. 

I am going to try to transcribe another couple minutes today. Decided to stay outside this morning; it is so lovely out here today. Talk later on, toot toot tootsie! 

Anna

The Mulvehill monologue continues, beginning with a couple of sentences from the last monologue (Part V) for some context.

... Some of the lessons that I shared, umm, in that we have learned is that we need decisive leadership, umm, we've had visionary leaders and helping make these projects come to reality. That relationships and partnerships have been key, umm, that nongovernment NGOs or nongovernment organizations, our universities, government, and government organizations. Our, the ROS, that they call it, return on sustainability, hmmm, multidimensional creative benefits. How are we getting benefits from these programs? 

Part V follows:

You know, when we [unintelligible] the New York Times, for example, just three page spread we were in, we were in the Wall Street Journal, we were getting national press for some of the things that we're doing, hmmm, branding and marketing, maximizing assets and investments, some of the, ahh, comp plans I just shared with you about the the [mumbling] preview some things we've done, and a responsible government. You know, communicating the, the flow [pause] looks like flow [Mulvehill trying to read the slide presentation], communication flow! [giggling] Yes! And trust. And having an educated citizen, citizenry, so we can capture, ummm, the opportunities that are available in this city and benefit from becoming a resilient community. Thank you very much. [applause] 

The End!

Wesley, the tape supplied to me was eighteen minutes long and just assumed that there was that much tape to transcribe. This is THE END! Can you believe it? Question for you, Wesley, is there a tape of the original presentation in Bonn, Germany? A web site I can access? There has to be, right? Just curious. Would think it an interesting comparison to see the presentation before the commission and a professional presentation before a international conference. And a few pictures on the city web site would be nice also. Think is would be good for the city to have pictures showing Ms. Mulvehill in Bonn, Germany. Isn't that why she went on the trip to begin with? For the exposure Lake Worth would receive? Do you think the Lake Worth Herald would be interested in publishing some pictures of Ms. Mulvehill's presentation in Bonn? Just wondering. Or, how about some of the local blogs? 

Talk later, Wesley!

Anna

On my way to the HRPB meeting last Wednesday...