Sunday, July 19, 2015

Marge Mange's latest tabloid issue is out TODAY! It's unbelievable

The content! Hurry up and get your issue, they're not going to last long. I voted in the poll and you should too. Results next week; Will The Mary be asked for comment? She should!

Walk with Neighbors and Lake Worth District 14 PBSO—District #1 (7/19/15)

Video Coming Soon!

Michael Buczyner, CBS12/WPEC: Nuisance structures demolished in the little City of Lake Worth

Here is the video of the news segment. Below is an excerpt from the text of the story:
     A South Florida city is sending a clear message to property owners. Clean it up, or else.
     One backhoe took a giant bite out of blighted home to and sent a clear message to property owners in Lake Worth.
     The city’s chronic nuisance program was back at work Friday, taking down two homes along “H” street.
     One is burned out and the other was ready to collapse.
     “We’re here to benefit the neighborhood to bring back the neighborhood,” said Lake Worth Building official Luis Martinez.
     Eleven properties are in the process of getting approved to be demolished right now.
For those of you unaware, the City is now on Twitter. In the 'Tweet' below you can click the "Follow" button to follow the City for news and upcoming events. The structure demolitions didn't get Tweeted out for some reason; it's this kind of news that Twitter is an excellent tool to use.

Dinner Saturday night at Benny's on the Beach


I had a friend visiting from out of town on Saturday. He currently lives in Port St. Lucie and is a recent transplant from Michigan. Put on my thinking cap for a place other than the usual downtown restaurants I frequent and remembered that Benny's on the Beach is open for dinner now and sent him the menu; he like the idea and decided on Benny's. I knew they started the practice last year during the season and decided to continue serving dinner during the off season. It has become a very popular place.

Since I rarely drive to the beach a parking permit never made sense. Mostly ride my bike there to use the pool or walk around the beach. So we took his car and because we didn't have a permit sticker and did the parking dance. We checked the upper area for parking and ended up using the turn-around at the north end of the lot and found parking on the lower level. There was a large wedding going on in the Casino building but parking was plentiful in the south area of the lot.

Benny's was busy and they had live entertainment going on at the bar as you walk toward the restaurant area. There was a large crowd on the lower deck and headed upstairs. It was also crowded there but were able to get a table with a great view of the ocean at the southeast corner of the room. Here are some partial views from our table.
The area is screened in but still a wonderful view.
Clearly it is one of the most oceanfront restaurants of any in Palm Beach County and it is one of the few places you can eat inside with a fresh sea breeze that isn't air conditioned. The views are unobstructed except for screens. People were still swimming in the water by the time we finished around 8:30. The food was excellent, portions were ample, and one order (the "Triple B" burger) needed a container for the ride home. The pork tacos were nicely done and so was the seafood grill. Service was good but a little slow in coming out. We were in the far corner of the second floor and it was clear the kitchen was busy last night.

By the way, it seems that the fire of last weekend is a faded memory now. The staff told us after it happened Lee Lipton gave an inspirational speech and told them the restaurant would be "up and running" in an hour after it had to shut down (it turned out to be a minor electrical fire behind the kitchen). And they did it! There seemed to be a good mood among the servers there.

Tonight you can have your chance to check out Benny's yourself by attending the After Rafter Party. See the announcement below:
While we were there, we talked about the vacant second floor space in the Casino building that may, one day, be home to another restaurant. It was our conclusion that the feel of that space would not be nearly the same quality as the one at Benny's. Remember, the railing along the east side of the second floor of the building is solid; when seated it blocks your view of the ocean. You have the logistics involved in increased deliveries to the building for one example. There is also the problem of where to store tables/chairs for banquet-type functions in the ballroom. Maybe the best idea is to connect the ballroom and planned restaurant space into one area and creating a storage area west of the northern part of the second floor. That would mean more expenditure of funds that the City doesn't have to correct an ill-conceived plan. Much easier to change plans before they are built than after.

There was a wasted opportunity early on to have Johnny Longboats as a tenant using the entire two stories but that was considered "too commercial" at the time. After all this time we are still trying to fix all the problems at the Casino complex and find a workable business plan: what a shame.

Below is a video of Lee Lipton, the owner of Benny's on the Beach at a city commission meeting recently. He has ideas about what the City could do to make the Casino complex less of a burden for the taxpayers.

From Andrew Ruiz at NBC5/WPTV: Prepare for some big changes

Kid Rock is either real smart, has a top-notch manager, or both

Leslie Gray Streeter has a highly entertaining article titled, "Kid Rock: Confederate flags, Chevy and 10 things I saw at concert". Kid Rock had a concert at Coral Sky and he ditched the Confederate flag. Many no doubt showed up to celebrate their 'heritage' but there wasn't one single confederate flag to be found on stage. Smart guy.

This is from Streeter's article:
     There was, as expected, a giant, bold banner flying behind Kid Rock during “Born Free,” his rollicking Chevy-sponsored tribute to red-blooded gumption and rebellion, at West Palm Beach’s Coral Sky Thursday night.
     But it was the American flag, not the Confederate battle one. Sure, you could find all manner of rebel banners displayed in the audience, from head scarves to T-shirts to capes, but up onstage, Rock, who recently told those protesting his apparently former use of the Confederate flag to “kiss my a**” stuck to the Stars and Stripes (plus a massive Chevy emblem and a big gold eagle) onstage.
She listed ten "interesting things" from the concert; here are two:
Congrats to the Lake Worth High School choir, who became part of Foreigner’s tradition of picking a local group to do the backup on “I Wanna Know What Love Is.” They were super cute and talented and this L-Dub resident was super proud. Go, y’all.
[and. . .]
I was admittedly a little nervous having to walk up to people and ask Confederate flag questions, because I apparently already looked like a narc. But I had a chat with a lady holding a “Heritage Not Hate” banner about her theories on slavery, and a nice guy who invited me to sit with him and his mom, who told me he hoped Rock would have “a bunch of Confederate flags up there” because it was just about rebellion and pride. And when I told them both that I had a different philosophy but thanked them for talking to me, they were cool with that. “No one in this row’s gonna bother you,” the guy told me, adding slyly “but I would watch those guys up there. They’re probably a**holes.”
The reporter enjoyed the concert and most people had a good time it seems.

NBC5/WPTV is way off Target; this crime occurred in GREENACRES! Don't they have fact checkers?

There are reporters at WPTV that have difficulty understanding the difference between unincorporated Palm Beach County and municipalities. Some reporters there are very good at understanding the difference, Charlie Keegan for example is one of them. 
Now WPTV has demonstrated again how geographically challenged they can be. They reported on a carjacking in 'Lake Worth' that occurred not in suburban PBC but in another city: Greenacres! Not kidding. 
Understanding municipal boundaries and suburban PBC is not an easy one. It takes some effort to learn. At a minimum though you would expect a regional news organization to know the difference between the cities in the county.

[Prediction came true!] LINE OF SMOKE & BURNING BODIES! FIRE, CORPORATE SECRETS, AND MAYHEM ON THE STREETS!

[Update: My prediction came partly true. The Post didn't get Lawrence Mower/Katie LaGrone/PBSO-esque with the headline but the 4-day-old news did make it to the Post's front page, above the fold today (Sunday 7/19); they are hedging good old Lake Worth can sell a few extra papers. Here is the original post from yesterday (7/18):]

It will be interesting to see Joe Capozzi's headline for the cremation incident that occurred in Lake Worth. The Palm Beach Post has decided to hold off publishing it in the print edition; you'll see it on the front page above-the-fold in tomorrow's paper probably. Face it, it will sell some papers. Hopefully the Post won't go the route of the LINE OF FIRE: BULLETS, BADGES, AND DEATH ON THE STREET like they did with another recent story.

Capozzi's article is fair (albeit with a little flair for the dramatic) in the version I read recently online and doesn't fall too hard for the social media hype that's been driving this story.

Watching the social media about this crematorium incident, primarily Facebook, was a thing to behold. In the hours some spent relaying their fears, theories, and self-learning about the incident I found most of the answers online through Google in about 15 minutes. In a nutshell what happened was human error and it happens from time to time in the cremation business. The smell of 'bodies' and 'hair' was imagined and the density of the smoke was embellished but just very slightly. Here is an excerpt from the Post article:
     On July 1, station 91 received its first call about smoke at All County [All County Funeral Home and Crematory] at 6:40 p.m. All County told the health department that the burn started around 6:10 p.m.
     “It wasn’t smoke that went straight up. It was banking down and pushing across the streets, probably because of the humidity,’’ Wallace [district chief Tim Wallace of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Station 91], said.
     Wallace said he understands why residents were concerned. But, he added, “It probably seemed worse than it actually was.’’ [emphasis added]
     The smoke that residents walked through was “soot” but not ash, Miller [environmental supervisor Randall Miller] said. “There might be smoke particulates, but this is not a typical ash like you have in a sugar cane burn,’’ he said.
Here is how Capozzi began his article on the incident (the previously mentioned dramatic flair):
     The thick black smoke was hard to miss. It curled into the sky, swallowing the tops of palm trees and tumbling down like a shroud over the downtown streets around Lake Avenue just west of U.S. 1.
     Dozens of residents rushing toward the source of the plume expected to find a building in flames or the twisted wreckage of a bad traffic accident.
     What they discovered was something they considered even more horrifying: Smoke from the burning of human remains.
So we're to conclude the smoke was more horrifying than a terrible car accident or a structure engulfed in furious flames. Oh well.

Here is a very good website for those with questions about cremation and here is the video that shows how the process is done (it's not for the squeamish):

No one, including myself, is all too happy having crematoria within the City limits but they are here to stay. The businesses are legal and are following the law. Lake Worth's present zoning codes do not allow for more crematoria within the City; so let's put that rumor to rest folks.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Lake Worth—crime walk with PBSO TODAY, a message from Tammy Pansa:

Our third Crime Walk will be in Lake Worth's District 1 in the Genesis/Memorial Park/Whispering Pines area. We will start at the intersection of South A Street and 11th Ave South near Pine Crest Cemetery and the Peniel Haitian Baptist Church. We meet at 4:30 and begin walking at 5:00 on the approximately 2 mile route. We will stand together with PBSO against crime and meet and engage our neighbors to "Make the Call" if they see anything suspicious. We now have the "Make the Call Y'All" cards to hand out made up in 3 languages!
We will also have neighborhood information and will be taking the time to talk and network for ways to help grow our neighborhood community and decrease crime. Due to the size of this neighborhood more than one walk will be scheduled. Please join us!

A Thank You to all who have participated in our previous 2 walks! They were well attended by neighbors from all over Lake Worth! We have had great support from our mayor and commissioners, and have also had tremendous support from our PBSO: even being joined by Captain Silva and 2 Mounted Patrol officers on our last one! Hope to see you there!

Regards,
Tammy Pansa
Mango Groves Neighborhood
The Genesis Neighborhood will be joining us in this effort.

Check that paint you're using: "damage to the testes" can occur (or call it 'Limousine liberalism': ElDub style)

Saturday, July 18, 2015

From last Tuesday's (7/14) City Commission meeting: Discussion on pared-down LDR changes

You have to "Love LuLa"! The little City of Lake Worth featured in Palm Beach Illustrated

Click on the images to enlarge:

Emily Badger and "the other side of the tracks": infrastructure and segregation

Emily Badger at Wonkblog has this article titled, "How railroads, highways and other man-made lines racially divide America’s cities". To say her analysis will cause angst and handwringing for some is an understatement. I reference Emily Badger frequently because many of her observations seem so applicable to Lake Worth, FL such as one-way streets, urban blight, housing, and neighborhood revival are some.

It's hard to ignore the major role our roads, highways, and train tracks have had on this City: I-95, the FEC tracks, Dixie Hwy., 6th Ave South, and 10th Ave South to name a few. Dixie Hwy. is being talked about a lot lately and so is 6th Ave. South in District 1 (which I write about later). Both roads resemble walls more than roads; they divide the City and limit access to and from. Some of the suggestions are slowing the speed of vehicles, narrowing lanes, eliminating lanes, and add a turning lane and bike lanes.

Here is an excerpt from Wonkblog about "the other side of the tracks" that will hopefully make some look at their surroundings with a more critical eye:
     Like many metaphors, "the other side of the tracks" was originally a literal epithet. Blacks were often historically restricted to neighborhoods separated from whites by railroads, turning the tracks into iron barriers of race and class.
     In many cities, these dividing lines persist to this day — a reflection of decades of discriminatory policies and racism, but also of the power of infrastructure itself to segregate.
     Look at racial maps of many American cities, and stark boundaries between neighboring black and white communities frequently denote an impassable railroad or highway, or a historically uncrossable avenue. Infrastructure has long played this role: reinforcing unspoken divides, walling off communities, containing their expansion, physically isolating them from schools or parks or neighbors nearby.
Note that tomorrow (7/19) there will be a Crime Walk in Lake Worth with PBSO. That part of the City, District 1, is separated into two very distinct neighborhoods by I-95. West of I-95 is mostly White and middle class. East of I-95 is a different story; that part of the City has many minority residents (Black, Haitian, and Hispanic) and was hit particularly hard by the Great Recession; many areas are still struggling to this day.

The truly sad part of this is the most vocal in District 1 are the ones west of I-95 who have the better infrastructure, less crime, easy access to John Prince Park, and an altogether better quality of life. But it's still not enough. They complain constantly and bitterly about their lack of services and one very public figure has even suggested her part of the City be re-annexed back into the county.

The Crime Walk tomorrow will be very well attended, I'm sure. It would be real nice to see some neighbors from "the other side of the tracks" attend also. The reality is a reduction in crime benefits everyone no matter which of the four City districts you happen to live or which neighborhood in a particular district for that matter.
The white line above the label "The City of Lake Worth" is I-95. The City is divided into 4 districts; District 1 is on the upper left in this map with I-95 bisecting it.

Did you know God has a Twitter account? He does and you can "Follow" him

Click on the "Follow" icon in the image above to follow God.

Bella Terra: Residential Development north of Publix—Discussion from Tuesdays nights City Commission meeting (7/14/15)


This is the unnecessary, painful, prolonged discussion of the Bella Terra project, aka Hammond Park north of Publix that occurred at this week's City Commission meeting. After the dramatic and the mundane the vote was unanimous, 4/0 (Mayor Triolo was absent). Commissioner Maier first, and then Commissioner McVoy, went through a litany of concerns they had gathered from the people they talk to or who talk to them. These revolved around air conditioner equipment placement, use of "faux" materials, pervious versus impervious pavers, a courtyard instead of a community garden, and whether the project would be gated or not, etc.

You need to listen to it for the full impact. When you do, notice the degree to which the developer of the project addresses these issues. It is clear that much thought and effort by Maier and McVoy went into making something out of nothing (the property has been a vacant lot in the middle of our downtown for almost 10 years). This project was also reviewed by both the Planning and Zoning and Historic Resource Preservation Boards. Both of those boards held a public hearing, in the same Commission Chambers, on the application and addressed many of these items. Unfortunately, the meetings of the advisory boards played before an empty house. The people who have these concerns need to attend either or both of those meetings. That is where this type of detail really should be hashed out, addressed and then sent on to the City Commission. Having all these concerns suddenly come up at a City Commission meeting is very curious.

This discussion went on for an hour. It appears that the two commissioners who asked the questions make themselves out to be the "last line of defense" and, in doing so, are attempting to dilute the importance of the advisory boards, the City staff reviews, and all the work done prior to this meeting. Imagine how this appears to people trying to do business in the City, like this developer?

And as for this being a "gated community," this has nothing in common with what is known in the public consciousness as a gated community like you would find in Wellington or west Boca Raton. It's not that long ago that someone was lit on fire and left to die a block away from this project. The Publix parking lot just to the south of this residential community is the sight of all sorts of goings on. The existing residents are concerned about their safety and holding on to the value of their residences in such an environment. Someone on the east side of J Street could install a fence around their property, with a gate. All of them could. Would that somehow be a "gated community?" What it be un-Lake Worth to do that? Are fences and gates a bad thing? Of course not.

If you have the time I encourage you to listen to this discussion. They ended up approving it unanimously on first reading; but it was a painfully long and unnecessary process to get there.
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