Selected P&Z Applications

I thought you might be interested in the back-up provided for the appointments to the Planning and Zoning Board. Below you will find the transmittal from the City Clerk's office, which contains the attendance record of standing Board members. I have included those that were appointed, plus Don Skowron. Don was a standing member that was not re-appointed. Remember, you can click on the images to bring them up larger in another window.

These are also available on the City's website under City Commission Agendas, August 28th.

New Planning, Zoning, Historic Resource Preservation, Nuisance Abatement Board Appointments:

I was unable to attend the Commission meeting tonight where the interviews took place for open seats on the Planning and Zoning Board. The following is my understanding of the appointments. Apparently, Don Skowron was not re-appointed. I am not sure about the distribution of City Commission votes. These will be confirmed tomorrow:

Catching up. City Commission Meeting of 8/21...

After Darrin's going away party last week, I made it to the City Commission meeting. I came in after the presentation regarding the final recommendations from the Affordable Housing Task Force. When I entered the chambers, Shannon Materio was making a presentation regarding a mural on the side wall of Victor's Produce. The issue there was the City having the responsibility to remove the mural should it become damaged or deteriorate over time. The Commission ended up approving the request.

The big news item of the night concerned the lawsuit initiated by the City against the We Love Lake Worth political action committee. This was an item added by Commissioner Jennings at the start of the meeting and had no back-up material. She expressed her concern over the City Attorney (Larry Karns) initiating a suit against our citizens when they were exercising their right to petition their government. She said that regardless of the subject matter, she thought that it should be a matter of course to inform the Commission in the form of a workshop or other meeting of legal actions being taken by the City. She thought that there was not an urgency to file the suit as the City had thirty days to act on the petitions and either reconsider the three ordinances (i.e., over turn them) or place them on the ballot.

In response, Attorney Karns responded that he has to uphold the law and he believes that State Law supersedes the City Charter since these ordinances relate to a land use and zoning decision that effects fewer than five parcels of land. (please refer to the back up in a previous post - it can be found under "Truth Matters - 8/12" - for the applicable sections of the City Charter and State Statutes). He went on to say that the Commission can chose to violate the law but he has to act according to it. There is case law from an issue in West Palm Beach where it was advisable that the City act in this way. Essentially the City is asking the Court for an interpretation of State Law and this is the best method to do so. He also responded that he has enlisted outside counsel, but will be presenting a formal item for approval by the City Commission at the 9/4 meeting - in order to make a more permanent arrangement as the cost is over the $15,000 which requires Commission approval.

Commissioner Jennings was not satisfied with the answer and put forward a motion to discontinue the lawsuit. That was seconded by Commissioner Golden. In her comments, Commissioner Golden echoed Commissioner Jennings' concerns. She also incorrectly stated that the petitioners gathered a total of 7,500 signatures, which is right out of the We Love Lake Worth propaganda book. Those 7,500 signatures are the total collected on ALL three ordinances - most of those signing executed all the petitions. So the 7,500 signatures represent about 2,500+- individual voters. Thus, we had a Commissioner overstate fact by a magnitude of 5,000 or so. That's too bad and a sad commentary on politics in Lake Worth.

The motion failed 2-2 (Mayor Clemens was not in attendance) and will be discussed again at the Commission's next meeting as it relates to contracting for outside legal services.

My take on it is that if the City did not act in this manner, the We Love Lake Worth group would sue the City if it didn't act to reconsider the ordinances or refused to put the item on the ballot. I also strongly believe that 30 days DOES create urgency to act - one month in a legal time frame is a blink of the eye. The City Attorney was correct in his action but the City should have had someone out front explaining the action and the urgency involved. I also think it would be a good idea for regular updates from the City Attorney's office which summarizes all legal matters before the City. So, unfortunately, the group is using the opportunity to play the victim and through that gain some degree of sympathy in the public eye.

Stay tuned. I understand that there will be other "juicy" items on the 9/4 Commission agenda. I'll keep you advised as the agenda materializes. You might want to put the meeting on your calendar now so that you can monitor and comment on the proceedings.

400 Visits from Around the World...

Since August 1st of this year, this blog has had 400 visits. You might have seen this map before, only when there were about 200 or so logged visits. Here is how it looked today. Nice to see people from around the state, country and world logging in. I'll keep you posted as time goes by. Again, thanks for visiting!

Quick Update...

In answer to the question, "Wes, how did you spend your weekend?" It was mostly in the parking lot of John I. Leonard High School. What I was doing there was taking a class on safe motorcycle riding. Jim Stafford and his father joined me in the adventure. A couple years ago now, I got this itch to learn how to ride a motorcycle with the interest in acquiring one at some point. After chatting with John Paxman, who is an avid rider, he suggested that I take a course like this. Small investment of time and money and if it turns out it wasn't right for me, then I am that much more knowledgeable. If I enjoyed it, then I would be well-schooled in how to do it in the safest way possible.

We all passed - everyone in our class. That means we can go directly to the Division of Drivers Licenses and do not need to pass a State test. As classes like this go, it was smaller than most, but due to that we were able to get a good dose of personal attention. We all racked up about 10 hours on bikes and performed numerous skills - including the dreaded figure eight in a "box". Not sure when I will be getting a bike, but am now officially on the hunt and will let you know when I find one.

By the way, the bikes that we were using were Susuki 250s. If you know anything about my stature, it wasn't the most comfortable choice (but there was no choice available). Right now, there are muscles I didn't know I had - pretty sore from being glued to the seat, but should recover nicely. It really was a great time and nice to learn something that you have wanted to do for a while.

One upsetting note, while we were waiting for our last run as part of our final evaluation, we heard this CRASH! Right behind us, on 10th Avenue, we saw an SUV flip over right before the Haverhill intersection - landing on its side. Scary stuff and it made us all realize the importance of safety and some of the more important items taught in the course - like never leaving the bike in neutral at an intersection. Always leave it in first so that you have a way to escape if anything like that happens.

The reason for all this rambling is that my usual over-the-weekend "posting time" on this blog has been limited due to the class. I also wasn't able to prepare for my "Truth Matters" show. Next week, I will be unavailable as well, so we will dig back into the show on September 9th. People have recently provided a bunch of information on the beach issue that dates from the 2002 referendum. We'll see what's in there and I will post any useful information over the coming weeks.

So, my apologies for any vacuum created here through a temporary lack of posting. I appreciate your visits to this site and hope that your carry away something meaningful after your visits.

See you later!

Remember our Utility Upgrade?

This morning most of the northern part of the City was without power. My house was without it for about an hour. Traffic lights were out on Federal and Dixie north of downtown.

Why isn't the Commission talking about this? Perhaps at the budget workshop meeting this coming Thursday we will hear something regarding the upgrade of our distribution system. Based on where they left off after the last budget workshop, the Commission should be focusing on the Utility portion of the budget - remember that it represents 2/3 of our total City budget.

So Long Darrin...

I'm not sure how many of you are aware that Darrin Engel's last day is tomorrow. This past Tuesday, before the City Commission meeting, I had the pleasure of attending Darrin's going away party at Bizarrre's Upstairs Bistro. Members of the Planning Department attended, along with John Szerdi, John Paxman and his friend Kathy and Darrin's partner Karla. Frank Palen dropped in for a while and Sharon Jackson was there at first, but had to run to the Commission meeting.

Anyone who saw Darrin in action during a Historic Preservation Board meeting knows that he has a lot of architectural knowledge and historic sensitivity. We were fortunate to have that expertise on the City staff in the administration of the City's historic preservation districts. It can be a thankless job as there are always sensitive issues that many times could go either way - with either the public or the property owner being at odds with a staff recommendation. Beyond the historic properties, Darrin contributed his architectural expertise in advising applicants during the site plan and community appearance review process how to make their building's better.

One project that I remember where Darrin really helped the Board out was one on the extreme southern part of South Federal Highway. We had that property before us at least three times before Darrin came on as a staff member. One of his first exposures to the board was in advising us on changes to the architectural design. Until then, we - the applicant and the Board - were not getting the desired result. We finally settled on a pleasing design with Darrin's help.

Another pair of demolition requests come to mind where Darrin was especially helpful. These were to former Joe DiMauro properties - one at 431 N. K. Street and one at 431 N. L. Street. These properties were taken by the City after a series of Nuisance Abatement Board hearings and code enforcement actions. City staff in the building department recommended demolition of both properties. Darrin did some extensive research (much of which will be used in a soon-to-be-coming post) and determined that the property at 431 N. L. Street was a G. Sherman Childs building. Mr. Childs was the architect for our current City Hall building, worked with Misner in Palm Beach and contributed to Lake Worth's early architectural stock in significant ways.

The structure at 431 N. K. was too far gone and not historically worthy enough to keep and the Board ended up granting the demolition for that structure (which came down this week, by the way). But that was not the case for 431 N. L. Street. I'll leave the details to the post regarding that property, but the Board upheld Darrin's recommendation to tear down two smaller structures on the second property and leave the former 4 unit walk-up building standing. It now stands waiting renovation and restoration - and I know someone who is very interested in doing just that.

But, back to Darrin - this really is a loss for the City of Lake Worth. I did not necessarily agree with all of Darrin's recommendations and there are some things that I would have handled differently. However, the City is now without an urban designer, historic preservation planner. We have seven (7) historic districts within the City which do not take care of themselves. For the time being, the work being done by Darrin will have to be picked by other members of the Planning staff - who willingly admit they lack the expertise to do an effective job, especially given their existing responsibilities.

I understand that the position is not going to be advertised now and will be delayed until at least after October 1. Then, we will need to "luck out" and try to find someone with the expertise that Darrin brought to the position - which will be a difficult task. Given the demands of the position and the starting salary, we are usually left with settling for someone without the depth of knowledge we need for such a position.

We need to keep in mind that this is now a "vacant" position and a Commission hungry for dollars could do the unthinkable and eliminate this position. Then, what would happen with our historic districts? Would that lead to the dismantling of our historic preservation program, returning to the days when demolitions and changes to structures within our historic districts went unregulated?

I hope not.

By the way, Darrin and Karla will be returning to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you happen to see Darrin before he leaves, please wish him and Karla the best of luck in their new life adventure!

Here are some more pictures from our dinner:

Pier Repair - Update from City

PIER CONSTRUCTION STAGING BEGINS 08/23/07 – This morning, Murphy Construction began mobilizing at Lake Worth’s beach as part of the preparatory process for the repair to the William O. Lockhart Municipal Pier. Lake Worth’s pier suffered significant damage during Hurricane Frances in 2004. To mitigate future damage upon the pier’s reconstruction, Lake Worth officials sought FEMA approval to raise the pier five (5) feet. This process delayed the start of the project to ensure reimbursement from the Federal and State government by an additional ten (10) months. Murphy Construction, the contracted vendor for the project was scheduled to begin the reconstruction of the pier on May 14, 2007. Less than one week earlier, the pier suffered further damage caused by Subtropical Storm Andrea, as evidenced in the attached photographs. The project is expected to take eighteen (18) months through completion. The City has been advised the contractor expects to work on week-ends to expedite the project. Staging encompasses blocking off a section of the beach parking lot for equipment and material storage, such as the pilings which were constructed off-site. A portion of the roadway and the most southern portion of the upper parking lot will be closed to facilitate the project (see attached rendering). Businesses at the beach, including Benny’s on the Beach will remain open during this time. This work is not expected to affect the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce Triathlon, which will be held on September 9th.

Mars in Repose

Truth Matters Show 8 to 9 p.m. 8/19

The following is designed to accompany the Truth Matters talk show on Lake Worth Talk.com. Please click on the images for greater detail.

Evening on the Avenues - 8/17 - w/ Lake Worth Talk.com

We had a great time at Evening on the Avenues last night. Lake Worth Talk.com set up a booth for the second time this year. Jim Stafford, the host of the site will try to do this once a month or so. The picture below is of the booth in the early part of the evening. From left to right is Jim Stafford, Matt Falvey (the Fish Doctor), Don Cavanaugh (Rainbow Radio) and me, Wes Blackman (Truth Matters). Nice group shot of hosts of the various talk shows on the Internet site. Notice the nice displays from all the site's sponsors on the table in front of us.

Here's local Talk Show host celebrity Walter Baker (the Lunch Box). Walter did lots of meeting and greeting, handing out Ed Morse tote bags kindly provided by Ed Morse Honda and Dan Winkel.


And the always lovely Mary Lindsey (former Mayoral Candidate and President of the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association) made an appearance at the booth. We had a nice talk and caught up on some things. Always nice to see Mary.


Maggy, from Pali's Pizza dropped off some tasty pies that we gave away to passers-by - nicely cut into manageable squares for easy munching. Here she is yucking it up with us early on.


Jim attracted a bevy of friends - I think the pizza helped a little bit.


Below is a little bit of original artwork by Matt Falvey. Matt worked on more art while hanging out in the booth with us. We're going to have to go fishing again soon.

Some of the early group enjoying the band in the Cultural Plaza.

Here are some vendors setting up for the evening.


Dan Winkel with Erica. Erica is recovering nicely from knee surgery.


More interested and interesting on-lookers to the booth. Nice steady flow of visitors throughout the evening.


Pictures of Vicent and J.R. Stafford, respectively. Gina Stafford came down with the kids about mid-way through the evening.


Some general shots as the evening progressed. The band was good and played a lot of juke box favorites (also some big karaoke hits that had us singing along in the booth).


Meet Tony. He's from Connecticut and has been here about a month and a half. He moved down here with his girlfriend and is looking for work. Happens to live on North O Street. He says that he can do shipping and receiving, roofing, waiting tables, dishwashing, etc. and is hearing from everyone to come back in October or November. And, he says, everyone says "Go on to the Compu-derrrr." - something he doesn't want to do. He said he had the same job for 25 years up north. Anyway, he turned out to be quite a character as his story was sort of on a loop that didn't have a beginning or an end. So if you see Tony around and can help him out with a lead on a job, I am sure he'd appreciate it.


Our canine friends were well represented too. I nearly brought Mars and Venus with me - maybe next time?


Well, the crescent moon told us it was time to pack up and say good night to the nice folks that came to visit. "I'm so glad we had this time, together...just to have a laugh or sing a song, seems we just get started and then before you know it, comes the time we have to say good-bye."


Well, not quite, on the way home we made it to the Mad Hatter. Here's me doing an "Artie Johnson" imitation through the roses that our guy Felix brought by a few minutes earlier. Felix has a regular route up and down Dixie Hwy . He stops in the local watering holes and offers fresh roses for sale. He is a Lake Worth institution, for sure.