Lake Worth Reports Train Horn Quiet Zone Infractions - West Palm Beach News Story - WPBF West Palm Beach

I saw this item on WPBF 25 News this morning - apparently the quiet zone was enacted June 17, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. Click here for a link to the Press Advisory issued by the city date June 16th. According to the news report, trains are not obeying the quiet zone order. This order only exists along the CSX (western) tracks and not along the FEC (eastern) tracks. The city is asking that residents e-mail jlamb@lakeworth.org (copy and paste for e-mail) when they hear a train horn in violation of the order - apparently a common occurrence.

My question is why was the finance department involved with this? Typically, in other cities, issues like this would be handled by professional staff in the planning department. Is part of the reason for bloated finance and office of management and budget departments to make up for lapses or voids in other departments?

Commissioner Maxwell's Blog

Our District #1 Commissioner started a blog.  I've included a link to it in the right hand column.  You can also click on the title of this post to quickly check it out.

Back in Florida!

Many comments pending - traveling today - I ask for your patience. If anyone cares to know, it's 11 hours from Nashville, Tennessee to Orlando, Florida by car.

Congratulations to Jeff Clemens on his State House District 89 Primary Win

Let's hope that we have seen the last of Lake Worth Mayors' use the position as only a stepping stone to higher office.

Don't forget to vote! It's your patriotic duty!

Most municipalities leaning toward raising tax rates

Click title for link to Palm Beach Post article.  The key paragraph which jumped from the article was this one

Lake Worth approved the steepest increase. The city set a tentative tax rate of $6.24 for each $1,000 of taxable value, a 24.8 percent jump over last year's rate. Lake Worth commissioners have said, however, that they hope to trim the budget enough to lower their rate before it gets final approval in next month.

Another local blogger chooses to whistle by the graveyard.  And, apparently, so does the City Commission, Mayor and the city administration.  The entire budget document and transmittal letter was designed to break the unions and force them into concessions that they are likely not going to want to give.  So while the initial headlines were that there would be no lay-offs and no increase in taxes, let's just wait and see if that will be the case or not.  The proposed budget assumed union and sheriff department cuts.

And then we have the city screaming poor while lending itself $6 million to rehabilitate the casino building and get on with the beach project.  What is wrong with this picture?

This is the result of the failed policies of much the current commission - don't go blaming past commissions.  Where is the new investment - private investment, not public - in Lake Worth?  Where are the jobs?  

We seem to have lots of affordable housing.

District 1 Community Meeting

The Office of Commissioner Scott Maxwell will be holding the District 1 Community Meeting on August 31, 2010 from 6pm to 9pm  at the Norman J. Wimbley Municipal Gymnasium located at 1515 Wingfield Street, Lake Worth, Florida 33460 for any information please feel free to call
 (561) 586-1730 thank you.

Soren Kierkegaard

I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power,
but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever
young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility
never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so
intoxicating, as possibility!

The forces of Mars and Venus combine to protect the Mango Altar

Lake Worth residents share ideas for renovating casino building

Click title for link to Palm Beach Post article. I am glad that a lot of people attended - if this is the only public outreach, I'm not sure if 80 people plus the 350 some people who filled out the survey qualifies as adequate public input. It's interesting that the Post used the rendering by Beilinson/Gomez as the largest graphic in the on-line article. This was the design that I thought most went in the pure historic preservation direction.

I think the Mayor's worry that some people are against this project and will try to stop it is misplaced. By talking that way, you make it more probable that someone may get that idea - but history with the property is a tough precedent to break from. Realize that anything that I am writing here is done in the spirit giving reasonable warning and advice. This advice comes from someone who has actually supervised construction on a beach in Palm Beach County and just happened to employ the architect the city has chosen to work on the project.

That's what we lose when we don't allow for honest debate in the city. This is also what we lose when we refuse to listen to whom we don't agree with or with whom we are supposed to disagree. Constructive criticism and the asking of pertinent questions is not to be confused with being against this project. Being open to those sorts of inquiries, like what perhaps happened today, is a positive and can bring us together as a city.

The Commission should be able to defend their position publicly and I am sure the lack of objective analysis will play a role in the coming election.

I hope the Mayor, the Commission and the administration get that.

Have a great day everybody!

Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association - September Meeting - Candidate Forum - 9/13

From Ryan Anderson:

The next TRNA meeting will be held on Monday, September 13th at 7pm in the Compass Community Center. Sneaky Labor Day has once again landed on the first Monday in September and delayed our meeting by one week. But what a meeting it will be!

First, we will have Wayne Bergman, Community Development Director, speaking to us about the code enforcement process. Wayne will be focusing on the new citation system that is currently being implemented and the process in which code violations are processed. Please remember that this is an opportunity for us to learn about the process, not complain about specific properties. However, Mr. Bergman will accept violation complaints in person if you would like to hand deliver one that evening.

In conjunction with Mr. Bergman, Chief Haubert with PBC Fire Rescue and Captain Silva with the PBSO will discuss the need to improve traffic flow and emergency vehicle access throughout our neighborhood. The existing parking regulations of the City will be reviewed and bottleneck areas will be identified.

Finally, our agenda ends with the TRNA CANDIDATE’S FORUM of 2010! We have invited this year’s candidates for District’s Two: Carla Blockson, Christopher McVoy, and District Four: Lisa Maxwell and Suzanne Mulvehill to talk with us about their upcoming campaigns and what each envision for our great City.

Also, don’t forget to buy your raffle tickets! McMow Art Glass has generously donated a beautiful stained glass window to help raise funds for Tropical Ridge’s banner program. You can buy tickets online or at a number of stores throughout the City. Learn more about the contest at http://www.tropicalridge.org/raffle

ATTENTION COLLEGE PARK RESIDENTS

This is from the West Palm Beach Police Department regarding crime in the Southside Neighborhood - just to the north of College Park. Please read warnings about current burglary pattern!

Lake Worth pushes longer hours at beach and fishing pier

Click title for link to Palm Beach Post article. The hours had been changed after a situation which occurred over the Memorial Day weekend this year.

Volunteer Board Appointments - 9/20/10 Application Deadline

Board interviews are scheduled for September 30th. Applications will be accepted through noon on September 20th. We are accepting applications for the following boards:

Firefighters Pension Board
Community Redevelopment Agency
Library
Planning & Zoning
Sister City

If you need anything further, please let me know.

Valerie Hurley
Deputy City Clerk
City of Lake Worth
561-586-1663

Click title for application link.

Click here for appointment procedure. The City Commission retains the option not to follow this and be "political" if they choose to.