Pictures of now-demolished pool at the Gulfstream Hotel from 2012

This dangerous condition is now removed and was accomplished by the present owners of the Gulfstream Hotel. It was a condition that existed for years since the hotel closed in 2005 or so. It went ignored by previous city administrations despite repeated complaints about the unsafe area, both the pool and surrounding area.

What the PBSO haters in Lake Worth don't want you to know

Here is a previous post looking back at Lake Worth prior to PBSO taking over. Marc Freeman at the Sun Sentinel has this recent article about one particular crime that outraged the community and the City residents demanded change:

     A Palm Beach County jury Friday convicted in part the man prosecutors accused of masterminding a massacre as part of a Lake Worth gang war more than eight years ago.
     After more than 21 hours of deliberations the jurors decided that Jarvis Jackson, 28, is guilty of three counts of second-degree murder and not guilty on four counts of attempted murder — crimes he confessed to in 2008.
     "Mr. Jackson was responsible for a horribly violent reign of terror throughout the city of Lake Worth for many, many years," [emphasis added] Assistant State Attorney Jill Richstone said. "The most important thing is that he's been found guilty of very serious crimes which will ensure he will stay in prison for the rest of his life."
     He is scheduled for sentencing Monday, and faces life in prison. His attorney said he plans to appeal.

Proceed to the 8:00 minute mark in the video below for a look back at charming Lake Worth in 2008:

What the city of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho can teach the little City of Lake Worth (and FDOT too)

Coeur d'Alene is larger than the City of Lake Worth. It's almost 3 times the size in land area and a population of 46,000. They have a very active 'complete streets' community trying to make the city more walkable and bikeable. They also have a similar problem Lake Worth has, namely a major street that separates the town and makes it very hard for people to cross. As I've noted before, Dixie Hwy functions more as a wall than a road for many in the City.

Motorists in the country have become accustomed to wide lanes, typically the 12' standard, which is fine for highways and turnpikes but completely unnecessary in (or through) a city downtown. The dilemma in Coeur d'Alene was how to add a bike lane to Sherman Ave, their main thoroughfare.

Chris Danley, of Vitruvian Planning of Boise, showed how with some simple chalk:

     Danley explained how the standard width of traffic lanes in usually 9 to 12 feet wide, but he illustrated that no more than 10 feet is needed per lane. He measured out 10 feet in a lane that was about 13 to 14 feet wide.
     A delivery truck approached the intersection right after that and fit comfortably within Danley's chalk lines.
     "People are already using just 10 feet of the lane," he said. "The wider you build them the faster they will go and use it all up."
He did that to illustrate there is enough room on Sherman Avenue to add bicycle lanes. [emphasis added]
     Kelly, who is also a Coeur d'Alene Police officer, said that is important to the city of Coeur d'Alene because it has adopted a complete streets policy that requires all new road construction to take all users into account, such as bikes, pedestrians and mass transit, as well as automobiles.

You can read the entire article about Coeur d'Alene and their complete streets effort here.

New art exhibit at the PBC Cultural Council in little City of Lake Worth

Emily Wilson at The Palm Beach Post has this about a new exhibit at the Cultural Council:

     “MilaGROWTEENS: The Future” showcases artwork by local kids and teens ages 12 through 18 at the Milagro Center, a nonprofit organization in Delray Beach that offers arts-integrated educational and cultural programs.
     The young artists worked with Milagro staff members, as well as local art teacher Christine Lyons, professional art educator at the Boca Raton Museum of Art.

IF YOU GO:

Where: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, 601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth
When: Saturday through Oct. 3
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Admission: Free
Info: 561-471-2901 or www.palmbeachculture.com

Palm Beach Police Department Announces New myPD App Providing the Public New Ways to Connect

Palm Beach Police today announced the launch of their new app, My Police Department or MyPD for short. The free MyPD app allows citizens to download an app for their Android or iPhone and easily connect with the police department right from their device.

The app has over 40 features the department can turn them on and off depending on what they want to display at certain times. The MyPD app design is easy to use and features a sleek user interface.

“Everyone using the MyPD app can get important updates from us, such as push notifications, right on their cell phones,” said Captain Curtis Krauel. “We can send the notifications through twitter or our dashboard and the user doesn’t need an account or worry about missing an important tweet or message. We encourage users to opt in to messages if they want to be informed quickly of new updates or alerts.”

Crime and safety issues are also important for citizens to know about. The app includes resources and links on a number of topics; such as, FEMA, National Terrorism Advisory System, Missing Children, Weather services, PBSO booking blotter, press releases, and many more. There are also four background screens to swipe through and can be updated with pictures or wanted persons, missing people, or announcements.

Sending in tips about crimes or other quality of life issues is another way citizens can use the Palm Beach Police MyPD app. It allows the user to either attach their contact information or send it anonymously. Photos and GPS locations of incidents can also be attached from either the phone’s gallery or live camera.

“The MyPD app is tools for citizens to keep on their phones” Captain Krauel explained, “so when they need a phone number, want to send a crime tip, or want to find out about upcoming events and police activity, they have it readily available in an easy to use app.” While the app links to or integrates with some social media, police say it is not another social network. There are also no ads on the app and no account is necessary to use MyPD.

While the app is not a social media platform, it does have some social aspects to it and has a feature where users can “unlock” badges the more they use the app and interact with the police department. “Basically the app user can climb in rank and unlock new badges,” said Captain Krauel. “It’s a way to reward users who stay active in their communications with not only our Police Department, but with others around the country.”

Users can choose not only the Palm Beach Police with the MyPD app but they also have the option to view other police departments by choosing a different city or state. The app defaults to the last agency viewed upon opening, this makes it easy for access just to the Palm Beach Police Department. “We understand a large majority of our community resides outside of the state. The MyPD app can still be utilized to find other law enforcement agencies in their community on the MyPD platform.”

MyPD is free for residents, contains no advertising, and users do not need to share personal information or set up an account to use the app. Any information sharing is optional.

Citizens looking to connect with the Palm Beach Police should search for “MyPD” in their app store. Once the app is downloaded and the agency is chosen, it will always open to the Palm Beach Police Department and its resources.

For more information, please call the Community Relations Unit at 561-838-5467, or visit us at www.palmbeachpolice.com.

[PINNED POST] Wise words from City Manager Michael Bornstein from City work session on 7/30/15 vis-à-vis ITN process and beyond

[Proceed to the 2:00 mark in the video below for Bornstein's wise words.]

Watch and listen to this short video from the meeting on the ITN/Casino complex proposals. I hope this can serve as a wake-up call:

"Somehow just asking the question is taboo and I think that's what I keep hearing from people. Don't ask the question what is possible in this city. Don't ask the question about what is possible, be it the beach, be it the road infrastructure. . ."—City Manager Michael Bornstein

[UPDATE] Two versions of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10—the KJV and the Redneck version from the Common Ground (no 's') church

[An strange thing occurred at pastor Olive's Common Ground (no 's') church on Sunday. He's now taken a stance against bigotry and intolerance; a welcome change if it's sincere. See end of post for a question that remains unanswered.]

Here is the King James Version (KJV):

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Here is the definition of 'effeminate': 1. (of a man or boy) displaying characteristics regarded as typical of a woman; not manly 2. lacking firmness or vigour: an effeminate piece of writing.

Below is the Common Ground (no 's') church's Redneck version of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

Interestingly the Redneck version has no problem with lesbians, just "men who practice homosexuality". Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

Is there a redneck Old Testament too?

QUESTION—In light of the Common Ground (no 's') church's amazing, miracle-esque transformation from bigotry and intolerance and their past references to 'Dr. Michael Brown', a question remains: "Can you be Gay and Christian?" An absurd question for most reasonable people of faith but deserves an answer from pastor Mike Olive.

Former Lake Worth Comm. Suzanne Mulvehill and her PAC wins big: opens door for selling Ag Reserve land to developers

Then-Commissioner Mulvehill (seated, center) with gathered friends and supporters at her last commission meeting in October 2012. Former Commissioner Cara Jennings was there (back row, left side with Annabeth Karson and JoAnn Golden) and present Commissioner Chris McVoy (beaming man in white shirt).

Below is a photoshop by Tom McGow of Mulvehill in May, 2010:

This is a classic photoshop of Suzanne Mulvehill by Tom McGow in May, 2010. Back then she was a strident environmentalist and proponent of community gardens in Lake Worth. 

It's hard to believe that former Lake Worth Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill, the champion of resiliency, sustainability, anti-development, etc. while a city commissioner in Lake Worth is now Chair of the Forced to Farm PAC that is organized to sell off land in the Ag Reserve. It's news like this that makes my head hurt.

Drew Martin and the Sierra Club, from the looks of it thus far, are one of the big losers in this battle. (Wayne Washington at the Post has this article on the subject.)

Here is the Forced to Farm website. When you go through the site you learn there are many misconceptions about the Ag Reserve, like this one:

You might remember Suzanne Mulvehill from when she worked to "save" the Lake Worth Casino building which was 94% demolished.

Tri-Rail adds its first bike car and a SkyBike spotted in Lake Worth

Click title for link to a Sun-Sentinel article about the addition of a 14 bike train car to the Tri-Rail fleet. While there is just one car now, more are expected and eventually will expand to when every fourth car in a train will be a designated bike car. There will be passenger seating in the cars as well. This is very exciting as it greatly improves bike accessibility. Combining biking and Tri-Rail trips is already popular. 

Check out this part of the article:

     Until now, passengers bringing bikes on board have had access to only two bicycle straps per car. But at times there have been as many as 41 bikes on a single train, making it difficult for passengers to manuever at rush hour.
     "Bike racks have become a necessary amenity," said Tri-Rail spokeswoman Bonnie Arnold.
     Some passengers use the bikes at either the start or final leg of their commute, while others are leisure riders using the combination of the train and bike to explore South Florida. Bikes are especially popular with students who ride Tri-Rail to Boca Raton, then bike a short distance across Interstate 95 to Florida Atlantic University.

And in other bike-related news, I saw a West Palm Beach SkyBike at the Lake Worth Beach yesterday. So, those bikes are getting around and it is not even tourist season. Something to think about.

Kudos to Fox29/WFLX and reporter Chris Stewart

Fox29 WFLX TV, West Palm Beach, FL-news

Reporter Chris Stewart deserves kudos for getting the story right vis-à-vis the recent PBSO shooting by a deputy in suburban Lake Worth. And Angela Rozier at ABC25/WPBF also deserves kudos for correcting the original version of her segment which gave the location as "Lake Worth". It was changed to "near Lake Worth".

Note that the shooting was also near Atlantis, Greenacres, Palm Springs, and other municipalities but we'll take what we can get.

West Palm Beach "SkyBike" Ad on YouTube

Playlist of all video segments from the City Commission work session on the ITN proposals related to the Casino building

These go as far as the battery in the camera lasted, which was until about 9 o'clock. It is missing two or three of the last public comments and responses, and then the summary comments from the City Commission.

The city's video is up where you can see the end portion of the meeting.

The beginning of public comment from the ITN meeting (7/30/15)

The public comment begins and it is more interactive during this meeting than the typical City Commission meeting. Those commenting could ask questions and either the Commission or the respondents responded to most of them. In an odd comparison, Richard Stowe brought of a piece of forgotten history, at least for me, that dealt with the possible location of United Nations headquarters in Greenwich, Connecticut, rather than its ultimate location in New York City on the East River. He drew a parallel to what is proposed at our beach as an example of a community not wanting what someone else had decided for it. You can read about some of that history here.

Anderson and Carr's presentation from Thursday night (7/30/15)—Second floor restaurant, deli and ballroom management

This addresses the still vacant restaurant space on the second floor and a deli at the top of the stairs. The two would use the same kitchen. The proposal also includes management of the ballroom space.

[UPDATE] Palm Beach Post editorial board goes bananas; reader responds with Letter to Editor

[UPDATE: And another positive Letter to the Editor published about PBSO and Sheriff Bradshaw in the Post. Is Bradshaw's appeal to "be unsilent" resonating with the public? Read excerpt of letter at end of this post.]

First some background: Sheriff Bradshaw was unable to attend this year's PBA Annual Police Officer’s Ball so he uploaded a video for them. He made frank comments about what he thinks is feckless news reporting by NBC5/WPTV and The Palm Beach Post vis-à-vis the LINE OF FIRE: BULLETS, BADGES AND DEATH ON THE STREET!!! You can watch that video here. 

On Wednesday (7/29) the Post published an editorial which seemed more visceral than substantive about the video. Take for example the opening two paragraphs:

     Sheriff Ric Bradshaw seems to have found his inner Anger Translator.
     Videotaping a greeting to a recent gala of the Police Benevolent Association, Palm Beach County’s top law-enforcement officer let fly with a venting of spleen worthy of comic team Key & Peele’s “Luther” — the hot-headed alter ego of the cool, politically restrained President Barack Obama.

The next day the Post published a Letter to the Editor from Dave Matthews of Lake Worth putting everything in perspective. Mr. Matthews was a lieutenant in the disbanded Lake Worth PD at the time of the 2008 merge with PBSO.

Here is the letter from Mr. Matthew's titled, "Only the bad guys run from police":

     Yes, we are the ones with lights and sirens, speeding at the risk of our own lives, to a shooting between rival gang members, to bring it to an end before another criminal gets murdered. (We protect criminals, too.) [emphasis added]
     Yet some people think that we should wait to see what Mr. Bad Guy is pulling out of his pocket or waistband — right after we told him to “Stop moving and show me your hands!” while I’m pointing my .40-caliber Glock at him. No ordinary law-abiding citizen with any sense would make a move like that against a person who makes his or her living carrying a gun in the first place. The only people who do that are bad guys.
     Bad guys are easily identified when we police officers start to approach a citizen who’s standing on a corner, doing apparently nothing, in a high-crime area; when he looks directly at us and recognizes us as the police, because of those uniforms we wear, along with that badge on our chest and that car with “Police” on it; and then runs.
     That, folks, is a bad guy, and that’s why the police run after him. It’s our job to find out why he ran.
     And if, in the process, he grabs for an object from his pocket or waistband when we catch up to him, you’re telling me I should wait to see what it is before I shoot, after I just told him, “Let me see your hands!”? The saying goes, “I’d rather be judged by 12 than buried by six.”

On an entirely different topic, Lawrence Mower at The Palm Beach Post had something nice to say about PBSO on Twitter recently:

Since I don't want to only tweet bad stories, here's a nice one of @PBCountySheriff helping a mom stuck on the road: https://t.co/YWQPJ6scQp

— Lawrence Mower (@lmower3) July 30, 2015

UPDATE: Here is Priscilla Dodge's letter that appeared in the Post on 8/1:

Hats off to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw for standing up to critics of his agency and his deputies’ handling of deadly police encounters. Without the support of the public, the media and our elected officials, the situation turns into what we recently saw in Baltimore — police officers afraid to enforce the law — and things can deteriorate very rapidly.

[and. . .]

Bradshaw is right: It’s time for the citizens of our county to “be unsilent.”