State approves Palm Beach County wind farm - Sun Sentinel

Not surprising Drew Martin doesn't like the project. We will let you know when and if he likes something to do with change. You'll read it first here. From the article:

"We were just really shocked and surprised at this," Graham said about Sugarland Wind getting its state permit. "DEP jumped the gun."
The Sierra Club also objects to the wind farm.
"We are very concerned. We don't think that it's a good location because of the threat to endangered birds," said Drew Martin of the Sierra Club."

Should Carolyn Deli's dogs be interviewed? What do THEY think about the project!?

Southern Boulevard Bridge to Palm Beach in line for repairs | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

The design is actually great news - more room for pedestrian and bike traffic. Right now, it is a teeth-gritting experience crossing on a bike between the passing cars, the people fishing and rough pavement. Click title for link to article.

"The $67 million replacement project calls for new two-lane bridges (one lane in each direction). The main bridge will be built a few yards north of the existing drawbridge and the shorter fixed-span will be built slightly south of the existing one.
The new drawbridge will have a vertical clearance of 21 feet – 11 feet higher than the current drawbridge.
The bridges will include 10-foot-wide shoulders, including 5 feet for bike lanes, and 6-foot-wide sidewalks on both sides of the road."

Beach plan delayed after bids come in too high | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

Beach renourishment for the Town of Palm Beach comes in almost twice higher than expected. As Judge Judy would say, this sounds like a "whole bunch of who shot John" as far as excuses from the staff regarding the surprise. They will attempt some interim projects in the mean time. Click title for link to article.

There were two bids, which were opened Thursday, Town Manager Peter Elwell told the Shore Protection Board on Monday. They were $27.3 million from Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, which is based in Oak Brook, Ill., and $23 million from Manson Construction, based in Seattle.
The town had budgeted $11.6 million, and expected the offers might be in the range of $12 million to $15 million, Elwell said.
“It was extremely disappointing,” he said. “It was higher than anything we have ever seen.

A Palm Beach resident calls the town's practice of beach renourishment "Botox beach" in this opinion piece in the Shiny Sheet. 

Don't miss this...tomorrow 11/26 at Brogues Downunder...

RSVP to Joseph Russo at 561 512 7306

At this event, shiny objects are welcome! Just make sure they have a value 

of less than $1,000 per person or entity.

Coastal Hazard Statement Statement as of 3:07 AM EST on November 25, 2013

... Rip current risk remains in effect through Tuesday evening... 

* timing... through Tuesday.

* Impacts... rough surf and life threatening rip currents are 
expected through Tuesday. Minor to moderate beach erosion will 
be possible. 

Precautionary/preparedness actions... 

There is a high risk of rip currents.

Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away
from shore... which occur most often at low spots or breaks in The
Sandbar and in the vicinity of structures such as jetties and
piers. Heed the advice of lifeguards and the beach patrol. Pay
attention to flags and posted signs.

If you become caught in a rip current... do not panic. Remain calm
and begin to swim parallel to shore. Once you are away from the
force of the rip current... begin to swim back to the beach. Do
not attempt to swim directly against a rip current. Even a strong
swimmer can become exhausted quickly.

Tales from a former teenage "John Bircher"...

Click here for more on Claire Connor's story.

14 arrested for prostitution, 15 'Johns'' apprehended in PBSO crackdown in Lake Worth

Abandoned properties contribute to the proliferation of prostitution as they provide a convenient place to lay one's head. PBSO is addressing the problem, but the supply of vacant and abandoned properties remains. Click title for link.

Florida ports’ job creation claims disputed | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Don't believe everything you hear about job creation through expansion of the Panama Canal and increased port traffic in Florida according to this article. This is consistent with Dr. Bill Stronge's reaction when he appeared on a recent High Noon in Lake Worth episode. Click title for link.

Not everyone believes such supersized claims. K.C. Conway, chief economist for commercial real estate brokerage Colliers International, looks at the predictions and sees hype.
“The most BS out there is the number of jobs being created by the Panama Canal expansion,” Conway said during a Nov. 12 presentation at the RealShare Industrial conference in Miami.

Skilled construction workers in short supply - Sun Sentinel

Seems workers may stay in the greener pastures they fled to when the construction economy tanked in Florida. Click title for link. Here is a bit from the article:

"We're starting to feel it now and it's slowly going to get worse," said Jon Tori, senior vice president of The Weitz Co. in Fort Lauderdale.
Florida's construction industry lost half its employment during the recession and housing crisis. As projects were stalled, many construction workers and specialty trades workers left to work in the oil industry, return to their native country or just left the business, industry observers say.

A couple observations about the Lake Worth Beach Art Festival over the weekend...

We were able to go both days. Sunday seemed to be the better attended day. We were there around 2 p.m. and just missed the weather change. If you weren't there then, you missed a waterspout just off shore. Then wind and rain commenced "out of the blue" that would have sent attendees and vendors packing. It would have been a long haul for the vendors since they surely had their vehicles in the lower lot, as everyone must have since the upper lot was completely closed off for parking and turned over to vendor space.

Above is the list of special events held or to be held at the beach during November.

To my knowledge, this was the first time the city did this, but is part of a series of events that will use the upper parking area like today. For the attendee, it was a great venue and you really got the sense that you were at the ocean. You were also able to catch glimpses of the Gulfstream Hotel. I am not sure how much our downtown benefitted from the increased attraction of the beach due to the event. The crowd did not seem like the typical Lake Worth sort, it looked like people from the barrier island. I guess that is the cost of having to pay for a building and project that we couldn't afford or admit we would have to cater to a "non-Lake Worth" clientele. After all, we rank between Belle Glade and Riviera Beach in poverty rates. The people that I saw at the event looked like retirees from the northeast.

Here are some pictures, besides the ones I already posted, that point out some of the flaws of the layout of the beach that still can be addressed, if we want to talk about them.

This woman, being assisted by a cane, is making her way from the lower parking area over the "dune" and complained about the walk as we passed by her. We acknowledged that she had a point.

Above, this is a view looking from the upper parking area to the full lower parking area. It was also full to over-flowing on Sunday. Saturday there was a small army of city parking staff monitoring the parking lot for violations, one would presume. Sunday, it was a bit "hairy" navigating part of the loop road on a bike - especially the intersection just west of the Casino building. There seems to be a lot of confusion at that corner and it doesn't help when most of the drivers are over 80 years age.

Above, in the distance along the bike path between the parking area and the seawall is a worker from Benny's. He is making the multiple daily trek to the nearest dumpster, just south of the Casino building - the one that was immediately west of the pier was full both days we were there. Part of the cost of doing business at the beach.

This is from Sunday. The vendor/pedestrian space between the parking area and the Casino building was the most congested due to two rows of vendors along what was a much narrower walkway than the parking area. Between people with bikes, hover-rounds, baby carriages, etc., it was more than a little claustrophobic. We saw Palm Beach County fire rescue people who seemed to be looking for someone in response to a call and were having a hard time doing so.

Above, you can see the rescue wagon there, lights on, but not moving anywhere. There were also a lot of people parking in the county park to the north.

And despite having what seems like abundant bicycle parking when an event is not taking place, you can many people use impromptu facilities, not designed for bike storage, during the event. The areas where there was built-in bike storage were overtaken by vendors and attendees.

Hopefully some of these issues can be addressed. We are going to have to use the beach in this manner in order for it to be the "money-maker" our leaders told us it would be. Commissioner McVoy is one that is still on the dais.

Experts alarmed by increase in Baker Acts | Gainesville.com

Sad commentary on our society's state of affairs when the criminal justice system serves as the intake and last chance for many with mental illness. This was echoed by Paul Gionfriddo in his appearance on High Noon in Lake Worth last December. Paul is a Lake Worth resident and an advocate the humane treatment of those with mental illness. Click title for link to article. Here is some of the jist:

Baker Acting has increased 79 percent in Florida over the past decade, according to the Baker Act Reporting Center at the University of South Florida. Part of the reason for the surge may be that, "you have an economic environment where people lose jobs … that also increases the pressure that they feel. People get to the breaking point," Pittman said.
Kristina Ragosta, the director of advocacy at the Treatment Advocacy Center in Washington, D.C., said she isn't sure if the spike is necessarily a red flag for over-usage of the law, or a red flag regarding inadequate follow-up treatment with patients.

Lake Worth Beach Art Festival - Day II

Balky old Flagler bridge requires delicate work on new one | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

More on the north bridge, this time by the Post. Click title for link.

“We did not expect settlement two weeks ago. We did not expect settlement last year. We expected to be able to build this bridge adjacent to the old bridge without having any kind of problems at all. That’s our history with numerous bridges we have built before,’’ James Wolfe, regional secretary for the state Department of Transportation, said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.
“Of course, that means, what is our level of assurance now? We’ve run numbers again. We’ve done our best engineering. But are we certain? Well, no, we are no longer certain about what is going to happen with this old bridge.’’

Police, contractors, DOT made Flagler Memorial Bridge closure... | www.palmbeachdailynews.com

Reading this editorial from the Shiny Sheet, one gets the idea that residents' Bentleys and Ferraris could go about their merry way without too much nonsense or mayhem, still keep their tennis date with Madge, still have tea and crumpets at the appropriate time of day and round out the day with cocktails at the club. Here, here to those humble public servants that made it all possible. Click title for link.

All Aboard Florida unveils site of its downtown Fort Lauderdale station. - Sun Sentinel

This is a good example of what "transit-oriented development" or TOD will look like in the future along railroad tracks here in south Florida. What is described in this article is a smaller variety that will cater to the riders of the All Aboard Florida line. This high speed train will only have stops in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. But similar facilities are likely to appear around selected station locations planned for the "Coastal Link" that will provide rail service on eastern tracks, in addition to Tri-Rail service. Click title for link. A bit about the Ft. Lauderale station area:

A largely ignored area at the north edge of downtown could be transformed into a new city center, with housing and retail rising around a landmark rail station that connects people to trains, buses and streetcars.