From Facebook: Treasure Coast Citizens Against the Train wave white flag of surrender (with a little sour grape thrown in)

 "The final environmental impact statement on the All Aboard Florida project, released Tuesday by the Federal Railroad Administration, is everything I expected it to be: a whitewash of the facts, a minimization of impacts to our region, and a rubber-stamping of the project.

In short, the report is a JOKE.

The entire process has been a CHARADE.

The system has failed Treasure Coast residents opposed to All Aboard Florida. The only real hope, at this point, to stop the Miami-to-Orlando rail project lies with the marketplace:

Will All Aboard Florida find buyers for its $1.75 billion of tax-exempt bonds? On Wednesday, the Florida Development Finance Corp. — the quasi-governmental agency charged with deciding whether the rail company can sell the bonds — gave unanimous approval to the sale at the end of an eight-hour meeting in Orlando.

Will the rail company recruit enough passengers to become financially viable?

Treasure Coast residents fought a valiant battle. There were more than 15,400 comments in response to the draft environmental impact statement, which was released in September 2014. Almost two-thirds of the comments — 9,500 — were in opposition and 'most came from individuals ... living, working or having property interests in the project study area, particularly residents of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties,' according to the report.

We fought a good fight. However, the outcome now lies with forces beyond our power to influence. Truth be told, we never had much power to influence this project."

A recent silly ad that appeared in the Post from the 'Guardians of Martin County' prior to their surrender.

Liz Balmaseda: an "Evening in Tuscany" in Lake Worth today

Today is the 10th Annual Wine & Cuisine night at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Lake Worth. Here is information about the event from the article by Liz Balmaseda at the Post:

     You can visit Tuscany this weekend by way of downtown Lake Worth, thanks to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
     The downtown Lake Worth church is hosting its 10th annual summer wine and cuisine night Sunday, blessing the event with a Tuscan theme.
     On the menu: Italian regional dishes with an emphasis on Tuscan fare.

IF YOU GO:

When: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Where: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 100 N. Palmway, Lake Worth; 561-582-6609.
Tickets: $25 in advance, $30 at the door. To purchase, call the church office at 561-582-6609 or email.

In case you weren't aware, the City of Lake Worth has its own beat reporter now from the Post, his name is Kevin Thompson. He's taken lately to scouring the web for stories about Lake Worth from NerdPurse and other sites. That tells me the good people of Lake Worth aren't letting him know all the good things going on here!

Here is his contact information:
Kevin D. Thompson, beat reporter
Email: kthompson@pbpost.com
561-820-4573
Twitter: @kevindthompson1

JoAnn Golden, former Lake Worth elected, complaining about gates and fences while she lives behind them

Classic photoshop by the inimitable Tom McGow.

"Manny has to get used to living in a ghetto until things pick up around here.”

—Then Vice-Mayor JoAnn Golden as quoted by Tom McGow on September 2, 2009.

Study by AFNS: Employees Happiest When Pretending To Work From Home

America's Finest News Service (AFNS) has this news on America's latest trend in approach to work:

Music for a Saturday - Enjoy any of your Lake Worth parks today!

Congratulations to the Chabad of East Boca Raton

Sallie James at The Coastal Star has this article about the new synagogue to be built in East Boca Raton; here are the opening paragraphs from the article:

     They say three times is a charm. But in the case of Chabad of East Boca Raton, it was actually more.
     After four hours of lengthy discussion, City Council members late July 28 voted 5-0 in favor of the ambitious beachside orthodox synagogue. [emphasis added] The project was up for reconsideration because two appeals challenging the Planning and Zoning Board’s site plan approval had been filed by unhappy neighborhood groups.
     “We are very appreciative and very elated that the Council affirmed its previous approval. We look forward to moving forward from here,” said a smiling Rabbi Ruvi New, as he clasped hands with joyous congregants.
     Council members voted to affirm the previously approved site plan with a modification to ensure the project has adequate handicap parking. The synagogue is planned for 770 E. Palmetto Park Road.
     “In Jewish law, when something occurs three times it sets a precedent,” New said. “We were confident that the precedent would stand.”

Curiously, Rabbi New and his proposed synagogue had to deal with his version of the "red and white" sign brigade. What is it about red/white signs and THE BEACH! in Palm Beach County?

New Wynwood Zoning Regulations in the city of Miami

Wynwood has been discovered as an arts district and is emerging from its gloomy, industrial past. This enclave area within the city of Miami has gone through a code re-write. Below are some of the new features of their zoning code. Lake Worth is occasionally mentioned in the same breath as the Wynwood area when it comes to having a concentration of artists and artistic destinations.

This information would be good for the Lake Worth Artists and Cottage Entrepreneurs (ACE) to review. Instead of focusing on changing residential zoning in the City for 'home occupations', which has raised much ire from homeowners and residents in the community, they should focus on the neglected areas along what was once was an industrial corridor in Lake Worth.

Here is a list of Wynwood's code re-writes with links at the end for reference:

1) Almost all of Wynwood is converted from 'Light Industrial' and 'Industrial' to 'General Commercial' with a lining of 'Light Industrial' in the blocks along I-95 and a chunk of 'Medium Density Residential' in the SW corner where Mana Wynwood is located.
2) Financial incentives, including Transfer of Development Rights, are in place to preserve warehouses and incentivize development.
3) Zoning along North Miami Avenue and 29th Street will allow development up to eight stories as-of-right, with an additional four stories in exchange for public benefits. The majority of the rest of the area allows building heights up to five stories with an additional three in exchange for public benefits.
4) The new zoning does allow for development of new one-story buildings.
5) The Wynwood Development Review Board gives local control to approve all large projects.
6) The new zoning promotes affordable small studio apartments (less than 650 square feet) instead of large live-work spaces, with option to pay for a release from parking requirements at $12,000 a pop. This money would then go into the Wynwood Public Benefit Trust Fund and be used to pay for centralized parking.
7) Requires ten foot minimum width sidewalks.
8) Requires pedestrian paseos (cross-block walkways) for larger projects.
9) Woonerfs!
10) Solid, roll-up doors are banned.
11) Centralized parking facilities, paid for by developers looking for reductions in parking requirements, will encourage pedestrian walkability.
12) Increased housing density from 36 and 65 to a uniform 150 dwelling units per acre.
13) Allows both pure residential or live/work uses, while today only live/work is allowed as-of-right.
14) Incentivizes activated rooftop green spaces, and ground floors
15) Developers can pay into the Wynwood Public Benefit Trust Fund, which pays for open space, for an additional 3 to 4 stories of height or increased lot coverage from 80% to 90%. The trust fund will be used only in Wynwood, for open spaces, public parks, civic spaces, and woonerfs.
16) Facades on new developments will be required to either be wall art or glass.
17) Wynwood-only use categories like art galleries and manufacturing-enabled retail will preserve the character of Wynwood.

Click here for the entire article. Click here for information from the city of Miami website on this unique enclave within the city.

[In case you missed this. . .] The Lake Worth Herald: "What Is Wrong With Lake Worth?"

Below are two excerpts from The Lake Worth Herald that sum up most peoples frustrations with city government and 2 commissioners in particular: commissioners Chris McVoy and Ryan Maier. The tactic of late is monkeywrenching the development process at the end, bringing up 'community' concerns that should and could have been dealt with at the staff level and the Planning & Zoning Board and/or the Historic Resource Preservation Board.

The latest issue about 'gates' is a perfect example you can read about here. This is an issue that could have been addressed months ago but suddenly the theory of 'Defensible Spaces' rears its head out of nowhere as a newly discovered 'community' concern. Thankfully the developer, in this case Troy White, did his homework and schooled McVoy on theory developed by Oscar Newman.

Here are two excerpts from the Herald:

     The new Land Development Regulations have been put in place and it is said it has never been better in the permitting department.
     In the past, developers and contractors wouldn’t even knock on the city’s door because it was impossible to deal with the red tape and jump through all of the hoops. This has apparently been addressed and now there are developers and contractors, at least, exploring opportunities.
     These developers do everything the city asks to gain approval only to have a couple city commissioners attempt to run their business for them. [emphasis added]
      If a developer meets all of the regulations set forth in ordinances, they should not have to listen to a city commissioner give them a dissertation on how and what to build. If a commissioner has issues with the regulations, they should address the regulations and not try to be something they are not.
     It is embarrassing to the City of Lake Worth when a commissioner wants a developer to build something other than what they plan. These plans have been approved by the planning and zoning board and any other board required to review them.

[and. . .]

     Developers build the tax base and are required to build by the rules, the rules put in place by, hopefully, intelligent, sensible elected officials who have concern for the entire community and not just a select group.

From Carlos Frias: "Raised in a Lake Worth cult: Award-winning film screens Saturday [Today]"

I'm not sure how to handle this so I'll just throw it out there, here is a movie trailer for a 11-minute movie showing tomorrow at the Stonzek in downtown Lake Worth:

Destiny Thomas, the movie director, has this information on her GoFundMe account:

     “Ritual Abuse, Mind Control, and the Apocalypse; for the first 14 years of my life, I thought this was normal.”
      Destiny Thomas the daughter of Evangelical Fundamentalists escaped child abuse, neglect and the rise of a Religious Cult. In this kind of belief system, women are treated like second-class citizens. Bound by an unhealthy allegiance and controlled by the exclusion of education, “I was powerless”.
     During my 25 years of life, I’ve had the privilege to attend 5 years of school; 4 years of High School and 10 months of training at a boutique film school. With this limited education, dozens of odd-jobs, hours of self study and the burning need for redemption, I went on to Write and Direct the International Award Winning Short: MY CENTER WILL NOT HOLD.

If anyone has more information they would like to share please comment on this post or email me.

The screening is tomorrow at 8:00 and admission is $15. The Stonzek Theater is located at 713 Lake Ave in downtown Lake Worth. Call 561-296-9382.

PRESS RELEASE: About Destiny Thomas' movie playing at the Stonzek Theater tonight

[Here is the original blog post from yesterday with the movie time at the Stonzek Theater in downtown Lake Worth tonight.]


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Unlikely Candidate Fights To Continue Education at The American Film Institute By Raising Tuition on GoFundMe.com

Destiny Thomas, A childhood cult survivor, beats all odds and is accepted into the country’s prestigious American Film Institute Conservatory. She seeks to raise $30,000 to continue her education and pursue a career in filmmaking on
http://www.gofundme.com/destinychanges

LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ --

Destiny Thomas, a Florida born native, grew up in an evangelical fundamentalist group led by her family. As a young teenager she escaped abuse, neglect, and the mental influence of a religious cult. Overcoming every obstacle Destiny faced, she is achieving her dream and becoming an award winning director and has now been accepted into the AFI Conservatory for the fall term.

Destiny, who is now 25, first stepped into the halls of the public school system when she was 14 to begin her traditional education. She has had 5 years of total education; starting at a public high school, graduating from G-Star School of the Arts and completing a diploma program in Filmmaking at the International Academy of Film and Television in LA. With this limited education, dozens of odd-jobs, hours of self study and the burning need for redemption, she went on to Write and Direct the International Award Winning Short: MY CENTER WILL NOT HOLD.

Destiny applied and was accepted into the Directing Program at the AFI Conservatory in March. She was awarded the AFI Scholarship and now turns to the public for help to raise the remaining $30,000 of her tuition using GoFundMe.com. Every dollar raised will go towards tuition and fees. Destiny will continue to work tirelessly to cover her personal costs.

Education has the power to transform societies. Destiny Thomas has started this journey with nothing but hope and fought everyday to survive and better herself. Overcoming emotionally impossible odds, with the help of readers and donors, she can continue her education and strive to empower women, becoming one of Hollywood’s leading female directors.

“Your donation can't change my past, but it will protect my future. A future that promises to fight for survivors of all sorts, to never quit, to never give up, because anything less would be a waste of your time.” ~ Destiny Thomas ~

For more information, contact Destiny Thomas (destinythomaspro@gmail.com) or visit http://www.gofundme.com/destinychanges

Media Contact:
Jennifer Abraham
Phone: (513) 477-5950
Email: ajenniferrose@aol.com

Brian Kirsch from the Gray Mockingbird Community Garden (GMCC) sent me a letter. . .

First off, Brian Kirsch makes a significant error at the outset of his letter: in the blog post he refers to on 8/5, the GMCC was never mentioned specifically. The post included A PICTURE of a community garden and someone identified it as being of the GMCC. The reason for including the picture, and I've received many over the past few months, was to demonstrate a position taken by a city commissioner that was, well. . .let's just leave it at that.

Here is an excerpt from the letter by Brian Kirsch:

     A friend of mine brought to my attention your blog post about the Gray Mockingbird Community Garden being a community “eyesore”. I thank you for the feedback of the garden…and I am NOT being sarcastic when I say that. I accept REAL feedback and work so that we may be a light for the city of Lake Worth. Part of my vision is that more people are able to work with each other and accept feedback. Accept feedback and give feedback to hold each other at higher standards. We will find even our best can get better.
     Since the picture was taken, half of the back garden area has been weeded by volunteers from the YMCA. The cardboard was placed by 4 children and one of the children’s mother. Then the Mission Life group, working through Palm Beach Atlantic University covered the cardboard (which is the walkways) with mulch and placed black plastic in the growing areas. Students from FAU came out last week to learn about sustainability while at the same time the Mission Life group dug a trench for new irrigation.

[and. . .]

     If you would like to post all or part of this letter in response to your blogpost, be my guest. I would at the same time like to post it on some of the social media pages so that people can learn by example that FEEDBACK is NOT a bad thing. Feedback allows us all to make our best even better!
     I would like to follow up this letter with a telephone call. My number is 561.246.0148 Thank You 
Sincerely,
Brian Kirsch

The GMCC is located on the grounds of the Scottish Rite Masonic Center at 2000 North 'D' St in Lake Worth; you'll see a very large, white structure surrounded by a high fence and gates. Enter through the west gate (the gate on 'D' St). Here is the GMCC Facebook page. If you can spare the time give Brian a call to see how you can help out.

[RE-POST] Create a problem to split the community: anonymous emails targeting Bamboo Room in Lake Worth

[This post has generated a tremendous amount of interest. Read on how an anonymous group has targeted a downtown business owner:]

Anonymous emails are being sent to Lake Worth elected officials and city staff. Here is an excerpt from one:

     We [unidentified] all worked VERY HARD and spent a lot of time and money to meet all of the requirements required by zoning and code to open our establishments. I can only say that it is this level of apathy by our government officials that has caused businesses. . .to go out of business while the total kissing butt to Hudson Holdings and bullying of owners of empty buildings on Lake and Lucerne to reduce the value of their rents just to get any tenants in them has made us think long and hard to come to the conclusion that the only cure for this apathetic approach to government is to give a new group a chance in this upcoming election. We also feel the need to get the Lake Worth Tribune and Margaret Menge back to push for accountability. and fairness.

     I don't think you can imagine the level of frustration that we have.... and letting this new group operate at The Bamboo Room without boundaries or following the rules is inexcusable and a huge sign of disrespect to us.

The number of lies, half-truths, and distortions is something to behold. This is demonstrated no better when the writer mentions Margaret Menge, "accountability", and "fairness" in the same sentence. Menge's history in Lake Worth is anything but fair and accountable.

This email is evidence of the continued attempts to demonize Hudson Holdings, trying to damage new businesses such as the Bamboo Room, and thwart the renaissance Lake Worth is experiencing.

Take the Bamboo Room for example. They re-opened the venue to great fanfare and are experimenting to design a successful business model. They've thought of new music options, becoming a restaurant, doing catering, and are considering other ideas as well. However, until they go through the City and get permission they can't, as of now, do any of those things.

But that doesn't stop the 'hysteria machine' from ramping up. This group even has their own icon that explains exactly who they are and what they wish to achieve:

"Keep Out" of Lake Worth. Very charming, isn't it?

Here is the official City of Lake Worth icon.

More symptoms of a poorly designed site plan at the Lake Worth Casino complex. . .

These pictures were taken yesterday (8/6) during about a 20 minute span of time, beginning around 11:45 a.m. Occasionally, I take a few minutes after my pool routine and have lunch at Mama Mia's. The bus shown above was from the VA Hospital, I think. It sat idling for all the time that I was there in the outdoor seating area. I did not see anyone get on or off this bus while it was there, but it was a bus full of people. I hadn't seen anyone looking like that demographic in the pool area so I am not sure what the destination had been. Maybe Benny's?

Anyway, it was stopped in the "No Parking Any Time" area. Which was put there since one of the goals of redeveloping the beach was to rid it of idling Palm Tran buses that sat in front of the former Casino building, belching diesel fumes and generally blocking the view of the Atlantic Ocean.

At the tail end of my lunch the bus left but only to be replaced by a semi-trailer, seen in these three pictures. It was the Mulligan's Thursday beer delivery.

Notice the NO PARKING ANY TIME sign immediately next to the truck's tailgate.

From this vantage point about half of one's view of the Atlantic Ocean is blocked by this semi-trailer. People eating outside at Mulligan's where not just being treated to having their view blocked, but also introduced to some vulgar words coming out of the mouths of the truck driver and his assistant. Many of these words rhymed with "truck." The truck was there for at least 30 minutes as they used a dolly to move kegs from the back of the truck all the way around to the west (back) side of the building. This is not the appropriate parking for a truck of this size but there is nowhere to park on the west side. If they did park on the west side it would block traffic on the north side of the building more than it does in this location. It made me wonder how many other delivery trucks use the same method for deliveries to Mulligan's or any of the retail shops in the Casino building? How often?

And when there is an event in the ballroom all sorts of vehicles use this space to drop off catering items, flowers, sound equipment for bands, etc. They are usually there for a while too. So, the prospect is that you could be in a situation where after having to park your vehicle and walk quite a distance to your destination, planning to sit outside to eat and enjoy the view only to have your view blocked by vehicles loading and unloading.

Further south, you have the same situation with Benny's deliveries, only there larger vehicles end up blocking beach patrons cars from backing out. Some of these are handicapped spaces. The delivery vehicle also ends up blocking the traffic lane so cars going north or south have to go around them using the other lane, counter to traffic flow. Throw in some bikes and a couple pedestrians with beach chairs and coolers, and you have a mess on your hands.

It could all have been done better by the previous commission who approved this plan, but it would have taken huge design changes to fix and that money doesn't come easily. That is, unless we want to steal more money from the water utility fund and not pay it back. Or just pay it back in 2035 or 2050, whichever is more convenient.

Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches Expands Further Into Lake Worth

Pam Calzadilla, executive director of Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches, is pleased to announce the expansion of services provided to residents of the Lake Worth area. 

“We’ve been happy with the success of our growth in the central Lake Worth area and now we’re able to expand to provide freshly prepared nutritious meals to homebound seniors as far west as Congress Avenue,” Calzadilla said. “We know there’s a huge need in that area.”

Thanks largely to a grant from the Quantum Foundation and collaboration with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Lake Worth, which serves as a distribution site, Meals on Wheels was able to expand into Lake Worth in March of last year. Now, with the latest expansion, Meals on Wheels can reach more homebound seniors, including many living in the Lake Osborne area. 

Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches volunteers deliver noontime meals to homebound seniors five days a week, enabling them to maintain their independence. Volunteers also provide companionship to clients as well as peace of mind to their family members who know that someone will be visiting their loved ones on a regular basis. 

“Meals on Wheels is so much more than just a meal,” says Debbie Emerick, director of volunteer services. “It’s also about quality of life.”

To learn more about how you or someone you love can receive Meals on Wheels, visit MOWPB.org or call 561-802-6979. 

Volunteers MaryAnn Hadman and Teri Abrams, Shannon Hawkins of Quantum Foundation, Meals on Wheels client Bill Slagle, and Nate Cousineau and Kerry Jamieson, both of the Quantum Foundation.

About Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches

Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches is a non-profit organization dedicated to nourishing and enriching the lives of the homebound in the local community. An affiliate of Meals on Wheels America, the organization provides nutritious mid-day meals to those unable to prepare their own and living alone.  A community-based organization, Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches relies on volunteers and the financial support of local residents, corporate partners and foundations, operating without government funding.

Inside the men's locker room/bathroom, pool building at the charming Lake Worth Casino complex