Lake Worth Beach City Limits

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

I thought this was interesting for us in Lake Worth to look at as it spans roughly the same time period as the life of our city. Many people have problems dealing with the abstraction of the next 30 years. This may provide some comfort, or not, about the permanence of our built environment. Click here for more information on Antwerp, Belgium and the beginnings of World War I.

Lake Worth puts $63.5 million bond on August ballot | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

Click title for link to Eliot Kleinberg's report on what happened at last night's meeting. I expected more people to attend and talk on the topic. There will be a video of the discussion up soon if you weren't able to catch the meeting live. Here is a bit from the article:

The city would tack the bond costs onto residents’ property tax bills: an extra $1.66 per $1,000 of a home’s taxable value for each of the first two years, $2.33 in years three and four, and $3.18 in year five.
Residents would continue to pay after that, but the per-year amount could be reduced, or any of the bonds even paid off early, if the city is able to refinance them or get some grants, or if revenue rises as property values continue to recover. The full payoff is estimated at $130 million.
Tuesday’s lone “no” vote: Commissioner Christopher McVoy.
“I don’t think we’re ready to put this before the voters,” McVoy said. He said the city should first assess its vulnerability to climate change and sea-level rise and how that could, in the long run, counteract the millions in improvements.

Commissioner Szerdi had some good responses to Commissioner McVoy's concerns. He pointed out that the Casino building was not built on pilings and is just laying there on the sand to be washed away in a big storm. It's behind a seawall of questionable integrity. It once had a tunnel that linked the building to the beach. That didn't seem to be a problem to Commissioner McVoy at the time, nor does it now. Huh, so much for resiliency.

The fate that awaits our Casino building?

And let me say this too. Commissioner McVoy has a Phd from Cornell and works with large water/soil projects, so it would seem. He surely is around civil engineers. Those civil engineers are licensed by the state and certified so that they can seal civil engineering plans. By doing so, they put their very livelihoods on the line. Remember too that the city's existing infrastructure was designed to what 1940, 1960, 1980 standards? Who knows what engineering assumptions were made years ago for our aging, existing infrastructure. Even if it were designed to a certain standard, does its current condition still allow it to do what it was originally designed to do?

If you were a licensed, certified civil engineer involved in a public infrastructure project of this scope for a community in south Florida, you surely would take into considerations current data and projections in the design of your infrastructure. It would certainly be better than who knows what we have been designed to right now. Doing nothing would not improve our position in terms of increased chances of more and stronger storms, for example. Commissioner McVoy knows this. He has to. But he continues to beat this drum since it plays to his peeps. His protestations are really disingenuous.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean

Five charged with robbing Lake Worth brothers at knifepoint | www.palmbeachpost.com

Note to self: Do not walk down Congress Avenue at 3 a.m. in the morning and kick up a conversation with a group of five people asking for cigarettes. Check out the record of the worst offenders. Click title for link.

Teixeira , 32, has been arrested in Palm Beach County 15 times since 2002, court records show. He was sentenced to 20 months in state prison after being found guilty of burglary and grand theft in May 2013.
Kier, 34, has 11 felony arrests in Palm Beach County dating to 2003.

How is the first guy out walking around if he was sentenced in May of 2013 for a term of 20 months? This crime happened outside the Lake Worth city limits. Crime does happen elsewhere too, by the way. Just want to be sure everyone is aware of that. Here's some more crime in Greenfield, California:

Breaking & Entering
06/02/2014
800 Block EL CAMINO REAL
Assault with Deadly Weapon
06/01/2014
300 Block 11TH ST

Lake Worth apartments sell for $12.9 million | Real Time

This property is just within the city of Lake Worth and consists of 120 four bedroom units. It last sold in 2011 for $7.8 million. That is a 65% increase over three years, about a 22% increase per year. These are not far from the Villages of Lake Worth being built right now at the northwest corner of Boutwell and Lake Worth Roads. Click title for link. This property is within the area that is considered part of the Park of Commerce.

Click here for link to the Property Appraiser website. The property contributes $39,000 to the city's general fund now with a taxable valuation of $7.2 million. Total ad valorem taxes were $171,644 this tax year.

Recreation Board Presentation from last night's (6/3) Commission meeting

Presentation by State Representative Bill Hager from last night's (6/3) Commission Meeting.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Part of the back-up for the Lake Worth 2020 plan found in tonight's agenda packet

Proposed Lake Worth 2020 Ballot Language - On tonight's City Commission agenda

Sage Advice

“Most cities try to insulate their City Manager from city politics and encourage them to plant roots in the community. In Lake Worth, real estate brokers have usually tried to give me friendly advice not to purchase property or sign long term rental agreements.”

Former City Manager Susan Stanton from her self evaluation at a city workshop on 4/4/2011

Armory Annex at Lake Worth | Armory Art Center

The Armory Annex is now open at the Lake Worth Shuffleboard Court building. Click title for link to their website where you will find a schedule for classes and tuition fees.

Fort Lauderdale bicyclist arrested - Sun Sentinel

More details emerge from the "take down" incident that happened during the "Critical Mass" bike ride in Ft. Lauderdale last Friday. Click title for link. From the article:

Littell ignored orders to park his bike, made an obscene gesture at the officers and said, "Go ahead and hit me," the affidavit states.
Littell could not be reached for comment.
In an interview Littell gave to WFOR-Ch.4, he said he was sore after the arrest. According to the TV report, he admitted to riding in front of the patrol car to "calm him down, slow him down."
Littell was charged with obstruction/resisting arrest without violence and failure to obey law enforcement — both misdemeanor offenses — and with non-criminal traffic citations for making an improper lane change; failure to yield and riding a bike two or more abreast to impede traffic.