Lake Worth Beach official website still not available for the public. Down for over two months.

UPDATE: The expected launch of the City’s new website did not happen today. Now the new message is, “our new website is set to launch this summer.”

Summer does not officially begin until June 21st, almost three weeks from now. Today, June 1st, is the beginning of Hurricane Season.

YouTube video from Tuesday, May 21st:

Suburban Lake Worth ‘beach’ news: Village of Royal Palm Beach will celebrate its 60th anniverary this month.

Do you live out in far western Palm Beach County in an unincorporated area west of the cities of Greenacres and Lake Worth Beach using a ‘Lake Worth’ zip code? Then please save the date: June 30th will celebrate a significant milestone. The news as reported in The Town-Crier is below.

Royal Palm Beach is located north of the Village of Wellington. Note that zip codes 33467 and 33449 are two of several unincorporated ‘Lake Worth’ zip codes (click on map to enlarge).

To celebrate their 60th anniversary Royal Palm Beach will be changing their municipal flag to include a new slogan. Have an idea? “A beach town only twelve miles from the Atlantic Ocean!”

Here is an excerpt from the news published in
The Town-Crier datelined May 17th:

The Village of Royal Palm Beach will celebrate its 60th anniversary this year, and the Town-Crier is publishing a special souvenir magazine in June to commemorate the milestone.

The magazine is just one part of the anniversary celebration, which also includes a special event on Sunday, June 30 saluting six honorees and an observance at the village’s annual Fourth of July Celebration.

“We have teamed up with the Town-Crier newspaper to produce this special souvenir magazine,” Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto explained in a letter to local businesses. “This publication will be filled with interesting and enjoyable stories about our founding fathers; the way our village grew; our schools; our recreation department; our facilities, parks and playgrounds; and, of course, our 60th anniversary celebration.”

The Town-Crier has been publishing historical publications for milestone village anniversaries going back 30 years.

“This has become a tradition, as we have been doing an issue every 10 years to commemorate another decade anniversary,” Town-Crier Publisher Barry Manning said.

and. . .

The anniversary will also be observed at the annual Fourth of July celebration and fireworks display at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park.

“In addition to our regular festivities, we hope to have the honorees on stage to be recognized at about 8:30 p.m. before the fireworks begin,” Recchio [Parks and Recreation Dir. Lou Recchio] said.

Recchio remarked that the celebration will also include the unveiling of the new banner with the new village slogan imprinted on it.


To read the entire article published in The Town-Crier click on this link to learn more about the upcoming festivities in Royal Palm Beach.

Tonight at 7:00 in downtown Lake Worth Beach.

Event sponsored by the City of Lake Worth Beach,
the City’s Dept. of Historic Preservation, the
Historic Resource Preservation Board and
Historical Society of Lake Worth.

LWB Summer Camp 2019: $500 for eight weeks of fun, ages 6–16.

Now accepting registrations for “Hello Summer, Summer Camp 2019”.

Summer Camp location is the Norman J. Wimbley Gym and Osborne Center located at 1515 Wingfield St. Registration ends on June 6th. Summer Camp is from June 10th through August 2nd from 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Camp is for freshman (ages 6–8), sophomore (9–10), junior (11–12) and seniors (13–16).

Register at either of these two locations:

Norman J. Wimbley Gymnasium after 4:00 p.m. (call 561-540-5133) or visit the office of Leisure Services at 501 Lake Ave. (561-260-7593).

For more activities offered by the City including flag football, Pickleball, youth soccer, baseball, basketball and football, the Senior Club and Horseshoe Pitchers Club or how to become a volunteer coach call one of the numbers above and leave a message or stop by and visit the Osborne Center or go downtown and visit 501 Lake.

School board member Erica Whitfield receives Prime Time PBC Community Champion Award 2019.

“The mission of Prime Time Palm Beach County is to help children and youth succeed by strengthening and expanding quality in after school programs and summer camps.”





Prime Time Palm Beach County is a non-profit, “Dedicated to Quality Out-of-School [OST] Time”:


Prime Time oversees a system for reaching quality standards through assessment, program improvement and quality coaching. It also provides professional development, career advising and networking opportunities to OST practitioners, and through partnerships, supports a range of enrichment activities available to OST programs countywide.

History

The hours between the time that children get out of school and the time that working parents come home is considered “prime time” for continuous learning and growth or risky behaviors. This critical window of time after school presents not only challenges but also opportunities to impact youth development. Recognizing that the majority of violence, drug and alcohol use, and sexual experimentation among young people occur during these after school hours, educators realize the value of quality, accessible afterschool programming. In 1996, key stakeholders in Palm Beach County, Florida, convened to share resources to improve the quality of local afterschool and summer programs.

Four years later, in 2000, the group formed a separate non-profit organization, Prime Time Palm Beach County, Inc. The organization was — and still is — dedicated to ensuring that afterschool programs are of the highest quality so as to keep youth engaged in learning, and on track for academic success and healthy social development.

May is Preservation Month.

Looking east from the downtown in Lake Worth Beach.

About Preservation Month: “Established in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the event is co-sponsored by local preservation groups, State historical societies, business and civic organizations across the country. . . . [E]vents are planned to promote historic places for the purpose of instilling national and community pride, promoting heritage tourism, and showing the social and economic benefits of historic preservation.”

Support LOCAL journalism: This week’s LOCAL newspapers are out: Lake Worth Herald and Coastal/Greenacres Observer.

Worth Noting: Below is very important information for residents of suburban Lake Worth (unincorporated areas west of Lake Worth Beach including Lake Osborne Estates).

To see this week’s front page LOCAL headlines click on this link. The Herald print edition is still just ¢50!

Become a subscriber to the weekly print and/or online edition. The Observer is FREE. To contact the editor call 561-585-9387 or send an email to Editor@lwherald.com

Each week community meetings and public events are published by the editor; for example, here is one happening this evening in Lake Worth Beach, the Excuelita Maya Summer Camp fundraiser:


The Guatemalan Center, the Palm Beach Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and Arts for Everyone is hosting the musical group “Chixot Maya” to kick off their fundraising drive for the Excuelita Maya Summer Camp. The event will take place Friday, May 24 [tonight], 7–8:30 p.m. at the Quaker Meeting House, 823 N. A St., Lake Worth Beach. Enjoy the music for a $10 donation and help a Mayan child go to summer camp.


And here is very important information for all those who reside west of LWB in suburban Lake Worth, news headlined, “Memorial Day Waste Collection in Unincorporated PBC”:


Garbage, recyclables and yard waste will be collected on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, for those residents and businesses in unincorporated Palm Beach County.

Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County disposal facilities will be open and haulers in unincorporated Palm Beach County will run their regular routes. Residents should place all garbage, recyclables and yard waste curbside by 6 a.m.

While SWA administrative offices will be closed, a limited number of customer service team members will be available to assist residents with any garbage or recyclable collection questions or concerns. SWA Customer Service can be reached at 561-697-2700 or 866-792-4636.

Residents in unincorporated Palm Beach County can always see their updated collection schedule, set reminders and sign up for collection information by clicking on this link, “Find your collection day”.

Lake Worth Beach City Commission Work Session, “Presentation of proposed Strategic Plan 2020–2025”.

The public Work Session last night lasted a little over one hour. One of the slides was titled, “Navigating towards a sustainable community”:


Focus on implementing technological innovations to support sustainable development, improving resiliency, meeting residents’ expectations and attracting investment, new business and talent”


Worth noting this public meeting last evening was not publicly noticed on the City’s temporary official website. The City’s new website will be launched next week.

The backup material for this Work Session

is available at City Hall:

Lake Worth Beach man saw stars and flashing lights after being run over by police car while stargazing in park.

Hey wait, that news about Lake Worth Beach can’t be true!

Or did this all happen in West Palm Beach
which does not have a beach?

And why is the West Palm PD the lead agency and not PBSO which is the law enforcement in LWB? Who knew LWB and WPB and PDs could be so complicated?

It is most definitely true almost everyone would be seeing stars after being run over by a motor vehicle, whether it be daytime or nighttime. That is if they are fortunate enough to survive that encounter with rubber and steel in the first place.

The police officer was found to be not at fault for this ‘accident’. One can imagine he was just as surprised as anyone would be when hearing that one thump and then the second thump. How would he know those two speed bumps were two people laying on the road in the dark of night just around the corner? Gee wiz. Who lays in the middle of the road at night?

Now moving on. . .

Did you happen to see that news in the Post online edition? Or on the front page of the ‘LOCAL’ section of print edition headlined,

“Victim run over by police car broke back”

And once again it makes our City look pretty silly and people all over Palm Beach County shaking their heads and wondering, “What is wrong with that place!”

As reported in the Post this particular man from Lake Worth “who lives near Lake Worth’s Northwest Park” went out one evening with a friend to watch the stars and boy did he. And her too. He and her ended up getting run over by a police car and seeing a whole lot of ‘stars’ that starlit night during the lunar eclipse last January.

The Lake Worth man, according to the Post, “suffered a broken back, a punctured lung, broken ribs, and a broken ankle” and the woman, “sustained scrapes, abrasions and multiple cuts”.

The story was headlined,

“Man’s back broken when West Palm police car ran over couple lying in road watching eclipse, report says”

The Lake Worth man spent almost two weeks in the hospital due to the injuries sustained.

The lesson is even while watching the stars one must always keep safety a top priority.

Lake Worth Beach is a “built out” City meaning there is very little open space available, potential for more development is limited and there is street lighting almost everywhere. This City is awash in ambient lighting from homes, businesses and motor vehicles which is not good for stargazing. Simply put, there are no places left for “Dark Sky” nighttime star watching any more.

However, not very far away is the Arthur R. Marshall (ARM) Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge west of Boynton Beach.

But before you head out to the ARM Wildlife Refuge find out when the next stargazing event is coming up: Call 561-734-8303 or send an email to: armloxahatchee@fws.gov

You see. If you enter this national park after hours you could very well be cited for trespassing.

For public safety reasons, officials at this park don’t want to run you over with one of their vehicles on patrol in the dark of night, you know, an unexpected speed bump or two.

Urban forestry efforts honored in Lake Worth Beach, “Tree City USA”.

Press release datelined May 20th, 2019.

Lake Worth Beach, Florida — The Arbor Day Foundation has named Lake Worth Beach a 2018 Tree City USA in honor of its commitment to effective urban forest management.

Lake Worth Beach achieved Tree City USA recognition by meeting the program’s four requirements: a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita, and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

“Tree City USA communities see the impact an urban forest has in a community first hand,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Additionally, recognition brings residents together and creates a sense of community pride, whether it's through volunteer engagement or public education.”


Lake Worth Beach Mayor Pam Triolo raised the Tree City USA flag at City Hall yesterday (Tuesday, 5/21) formally announcing the prestigious award. Tweet showing flag amidst the dense tree canopy:

The Tree City USA flag flies proudly at #LakeWorthBeach City Hall recognizing our commitment to having a healthy tree population. pic.twitter.com/qL3G6Y7Wgf

— Lake Worth Beach (@LakeWorthBchPBC) May 21, 2019

For more information about LWB, the Tree City USA designation and urban forest management contact LWB PIO Ben Kerr, 561-586-1630; email: bkerr@lakeworth.org


Located in Central Palm Beach County, Lake Worth Beach is a dynamic, multi-cultural City with an individualistic style. People are drawn to the City by its acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles, historic districts, hip downtown and colorful arts district.

Parrot Cove neighborhood monthly meeting on Monday at The Beach Club: Guest speaker is State Rep. Mike Caruso.

Parrot Cove neighborhood meetings are held at The Beach Club bistro located at the Lake Worth Beach municipal golf course, #1 7th Ave. North; the meeting next Monday (5/20) will begin promptly at 7:00.

Meetings of the Parrot Cove Neighborhood Assoc. are open to everyone from the public, all communities
and neighborhoods. To learn more about Parrot Cove click on this link.

About the Parrot Cove public event: “District 89 Representative Mike Caruso will be speaking to us about the recently wrapped up legislative session, his legislative priorities and taking questions from the audience. We have a great group and so I know our guest will be treated with respect and questions will be on point and relevant.”

Post reporter McKenna Ross and the worldwide viral “Zombie Alert”!

Setting the record straight.

It was former Palm Beach Post reporter McKenna Ross who first broke the story about the Zombie Alert last year. And the very next day every other reporter at the Post was scrambling like a pack of crazed zombies trying to take credit. Here is how Ross’ news report began:


LAKE WORTH — A city power outage alert in Lake Worth on Sunday [May 20th] caused concern in residents for its mention of zombies.

That’s correct. Zombies.

Any clever ideas for recognizing
“The Zombie Alert” here in LWB?

FYI: Tuesday, May 21st, 2019 just happens to be the next scheduled City Commission meeting in LWB. Whilst on the topic of dead things maybe we’ll get an update on the condemned pool at the beach!

Very relevant now from almost four years ago: Business owner in Lake Worth Beach shares ideas about Casino Complex.

The video (see below) is from May 2015, now one
of the most-viewed all-time on my Lake Worth YouTube channel.

Mr. Lipton is the owner of Benny’s on the Beach. The Casino and Beach Complex along with the former municipal pool (forever closed for safety and structural reasons) are still big items to address. The former commissioner in District 2 (Chris McVoy, PhD, 2010–2017) if you recall chimed in with his ideas on how to fix this mess of which he played a major role:

“[D]o some things you can do with
coats of paint and whatnot.”

Thankfully the people had enough of this nonsense and McVoy was rejected by the voters in March 2017. Now Commissioner Omari Hardy represents District 2 in this City and Hardy was re-elected once again in 2019. Prior to even thinking about a new pool at the beach in LWB is whether or not a pool is even a viable or even a good idea. An idea to consider is a municipal pool located centrally in the City and more accessible for the public. Another idea is a public pool located in the northwestern part of the City near the ball fields.

Whilst on this topic, about constructing a new lap swimming pool at the Casino complex Commissioner Hardy said, “We need to get very serious about this issue” and the editor at the Herald said, “Stop the bleeding!”

Lovely scene at the Beach, is it not?

Another major issue to address: An all-too-common view from Mama Mia’s On The Beach. Parking and/or a loading dock for large commercial vehicles was never part of the planning back in 2009.

In the video below you’ll hear Mr. Lipton say things you agree with and maybe some things you don’t.

Interestingly, at the 20 second mark in the video many of you will recall who that person is that walks past Mr. Lipton while he is making public comment at the City Commission podium. That is none other than Cara Jennings, another former commissioner from District 2 (2006–2010) and another one of those from a previous City administration that made all those terrible decisions in the first place. For example, the “Greenwashing” that occurred due to an out-of-control budget.

Hopefully our City will rally around people with bold new ideas and possible solutions — not all of them accepted or agreed upon — instead of following those self-described ‘visionaries’ from the past.

Enjoy the video.

Lipton talks about the now-condemned pool and ‘potential’ of 2nd floor space at the Casino (more information below).

Here are excerpts from this blog from May 2015:

“It was good to see and hear Mr. Lipton and what he said appearing at his first City Commission meeting. This gentleman has owned Benny’s for the last two years and increased its employment from 21 to 76 employees. He’s made changes and been successful doing so: he has high standards.

     That concept of ‘potential’ strikes again. Tough to argue with what he says. Most definitely worth a listen.”

FYI: When you go visit Benny’s would highly recommend the Tuna Tostada. Excellent!

It also would be a good idea to make reservations to avoid a long wait: call 561-582-9001.

Sushi-grade quality tuna along with a
view of the BEACH!

Today at The Beach Club bistro in Lake Worth Beach: 2019 Free Hurricane Seminar.

Event is being sponsored by the City of Lake Worth Beach and the LOCAL Lake Worth Herald. The Beach Club is located at the City’s municipal golf course, #1 7th Ave. North.

Special host will be WPBF meteorologist Mike Lyons:

For more information contact organizers Kevin Addison and Sam Hamilton at 561-601-2730, 561-582-5162 or by email: halframe@hotmail.com

Vegetation Amnesty Week 2019 is May 27th–31st in Lake Worth Beach (informative video below).

Press release issued by Mr. Ben Kerr, PIO (561-586-1631; email: BKerr@lakeworth.org)

Lake Worth Beach, Florida* — The City of Lake Worth Beach’s Refuse Division will be having a RESIDENTIAL VEGETATION (ONLY) AMNESTY PICK UP SERVICE beginning May 27, 2019.

“In preparation for Vegetation Amnesty Week the City of Lake Worth Beach presents this video on vegetation collection to help residents avoid fines when placing out their vegetation piles.”

Vegetation Amnesty Week is designed to allow residents to dispose of large amounts of vegetation prior to the commencement of Hurricane Season (not to exceed 12 cubic yards per residential property). All vegetation should be placed curbside on a resident’s regularly scheduled pick-up day and the City of Lake Worth Beach’s Refuse Division will remove it at no charge.

Vegetation will be picked up on the following days:

• Zone 1: Monday, May 27.
• Zone 2: Thursday, May 30.
• Zone 3: Friday, May 31.
• Zone 4: Tuesday, May 28.

Definitions of vegetation items are as follows:

• Only vegetation at curbside.
• Tree branches less than 2″ in diameter.
• Branches and palm fronds less than 4′ in length.
• Stumps less than 15″ in diameter and/or less than fifty (50) pounds.
• Do NOT use vegetation bin — place ALL vegetation at the curb.

For more information please contact:

• LWB Public Services Refuse Dept. at 561-533-7344.
• Or contact Mr. David McGrew, the City’s horticulturist at 561-586-1677 (email: dmcgrew@lakeworth.org).

*About Lake Worth Beach: “Located in Central Palm Beach County, Lake Worth Beach is a dynamic, multi-cultural city with an individualistic style. People are drawn to the City by its acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles, historic districts, hip downtown and colorful arts district.”