EMERGENCY HEALTH ALERT — Share this information throughout your neighborhood:

Please take a sample immediately to 120 North 'G' Street, the intersection of Lake Ave. and the railroad tracks. Or, if you prefer, have a professional stop by TODAY: Call 561-586-1611.

Dear meth users, your drugs may be contaminated. Please bring them in for testing.

— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) June 23, 2016

Sans the hysteria. . . From Vox: "Britain is leaving the EU. Here's what that means."

Amazingly, this video by Vox published yesterday already has received nearly 900,000 views.

Summer Programs at the Lake Worth Library

How the program works: 

• Children ages 2 through 12 can register for a variety of programs.
• You'll receive a Reading Log to record the titles of the books you read this summer.
• We'll be offering a variety of programs, giveaways, and contests all summer, so pick up a list of events and drop in as often as possible.
• Everyone who brings in a Reading Log will receive the Prize of the Week.

For more information call the Library at 561-533-7354 or email lwlibrary@lakeworth.org

Can also follow on Facebook and more on the City's website too.

Press Release: "For The Children" to celebrate installation of two Little Free Libraries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Lake Worth Little Free Libraries, Inc.
Contact: Mary Lindsey, President
561-585-6035
LakeWorthLFL@gmail.com

     "Reginale Durandisse, Founder and CEO of For The Children, Inc., announces the Grand Opening Ribbon Pulling celebration of two Lake Worth Little Free Libraries on Friday, July 1, 2016 at 9:30. The Little Free Libraries were funded by a grant received from Palm Beach County Office of Community Revitalization and awarded to Friends of the Lake Worth Library group on behalf of the Lake Worth Little Free Libraries project.
     Both Little Free Libraries were painted by neighborhood children and students active in the Osborne Center’s Builder’s Club. One will placed in front of the Osborne School, 1718 South Douglas Street, home base for the many programs offered by For The Children. The other will be placed outside the Youth Empowerment Center adjacent to the Osborne Community Center at 1699 Wingfield Street.
     Everyone is invited to attend the Little Free Libraries Ribbon Pulling celebration which will include a bounce house and water slide for the little ones. Donations of hot dogs, buns, condiments, chips and soft drinks are greatly appreciated. Please contact For The Children at 561-493-1190."

In this week's Lake Worth Herald: Notice of Historic Preservation meeting on Monday, June 27th

[Use this link to learn more about this current topic of discussion in the City.]

NOTICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the City of Lake Worth, Florida, Planning, Zoning, and Historic Preservation Division will conduct a staff presentation and discussion of historic preservation goals and policies with the following neighborhoods: 
South Palm Park Neighborhood Association 
Bryant Park Neighborhood Association
Monday, June 27, 2016 at 7:00 PM
The Beach Club of the Lake Worth Golf Course
One 7th Avenue North
Lake Worth, FL
     The forum is open to the public, and staff will be seeking input from the residents. Please be advised that Mayor Triolo, Vice Mayor Maxwell, and Commissioners McVoy, Amoroso, and Maier, as well as members of the Historic Resources Preservation Board, may be attending the presentation.
     Written concerns may also be sent to Lake Worth Planning Zoning Historic Preservation at 1900 2nd Avenue N, Lake Worth, FL 33461.
     For additional information, please contact City Staff at 561-586-1687.

From the Tampa Bay Times: "Belleview Biltmore one of five biggest preservation losses on national list"

Will Lake Worth's Gulfstream Hotel become a preservation loss too? Read about that below.

Tracey McManus has this article about the Belleview Biltmore in Belleair, Florida (near St. Petersburg):

     Cheezem [developer Mike Cheezem] said his project, which is salvaging 118-year-old heart pine floors, stained-glass skylights and other fixtures, is a way to preserve the spirit of the resort, even though deterioration made it impossible to save the entire structure.
     The Biltmore's original lobby and three floors of rooms will be remodeled into a 33-room boutique inn for weddings and events at the center of the condominium project.
     "To me, we are making a significant effort and are saving the history and the spirit of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel," he said.
     Cheezem said as developers bought surrounding land over the years, the resort shrunk from 250 acres to 17 and lost waterfront access. It had eight different owners since 1985, and none could transform it back to its glory days, especially as the aging structure began deteriorating. [emphasis added]
     Demolition is about 60 percent complete, and construction on the condominiums will begin in early summer, Cheezem said.

Here are the four other "biggest preservation losses" on the national list:

• Park Hotel in Detroit
• Portland Gas & Coke Co. Building in Portland, Ore.
• Harry Sythe Cummings House in Baltimore
• Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, N.J.

Hopefully, if all goes well, we won't see our iconic, historic Gulfstream hotel on that list of losses by the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

However, if some like Lake Worth Commissioners Ryan Maier and Chris McVoy, PhD, get their way our Gulfstream Hotel will get a date with the wrecking ball; all because of an additional 20' of building height on a tiny vacant parcel of land next to the hotel.

From PBSO District 14's Quarterly Update to the City Commission:

Click or hover over images to enlarge.

Use this link to see the entire presentation.

Heroin overdoses: 18 Fatal/70 survived.

About the Gulfstream Hotel redevelopment*: "Notice to solicit offers for relocation of building"

"Notice is hereby given to solicit offers by qualified individuals to relocate the two story Art Moderne building located at 14 South Lakeside Drive, Lake Worth, Florida (PCN# 38-43-44-21-033-0050). The building is offered at no cost to purchase with all relocation costs to be paid for by the qualified bidders. [and. . .] Relocation will be required to be completed no later than four months after the close of the advertising period per the Conditions of Approval of HRPB Project #15-00100214 from the City of Lake Worth Historic Resources Preservation Board hearing on March 9, 2016. Interested and qualified parties should send all inquiries to John@livingdesignsgroupfla.com or Hudson Holdings, LLC, 20 South Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33444."

*This notice appears in The Lake Worth Herald, edition dated 6/23/2016.

Excerpts from Blueway Trail Coalition Meeting Recap from April

To read the entire recap from the meeting held at the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) headquarters use this link. The next meeting is tomorrow (Friday, June 24th) at 10:00 am at SFWMD located at 3301 Gun Club Rd. Here are excerpts from the meeting on April 4th:

An initial update was given confirming the $286,900 dollars in state funding appropriated during the recent Legislative Session and that the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council will be the contracting agency with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and the responsible entity for disbursing the funds.

The following topics were discussed:

• Boat Lift permitting: With the SFWMD present and the Army Corps of Engineers participating via telephone, all the aspects of completing a "408" and "404" permit were discussed.
• Fishing piers: The fishing piers on the north and south side of the C-51 are currently closed due to disrepair.
• Boat Lift Design: Because more research is needed before a final determination can be made as to the most suitable, durable and efficient boat lift itself, Chuck Collins with the Marine Industries Association, volunteered to chair a subcommittee to research boat lift design and make a recommendation to the Working Group.

Marketing and promotion of the creation of a new Blueway Trail as well as opening access to the Chain of Lakes has primarily focused upon securing state funding for permit completion. Shifting to community outreach and updating the marketing materials that have been produced to-date is now the focus of Blueway Trail initiative.

Meeting attendees:
Todd Bonlarron, PBC BCC
Dan Clark, Town of Lake Clarke Shores
Chuck Collins, MIA PBC
Laura Corry, SFWMD
Lucine Dadrian, SFWMD
Karen Estock, SFWMD
Dorothy Gravelin, Town of Cloud Lake
Mark Hightower, WPB Fishing Club
Jim Karas, Keith & Schnars
Dave Kemer, State Representative
Tom Lanahan, Greenacres
Charity Lewis, Cong. Lois Frankel
Wally Majors, Boynton Beach
Debbie Manzo, Lantana
Jean Mathews, PBC Parks Dpt.
Alice McLane, Glen Ridge
Richard Pinsky, Akerman, LLC
Melissa Santoro, Senator Clemens
Val Rodriguez, Town of Lake Clark Shores
Kenneth Weming, Keith & Schnars
Bob Vitas, South Palm Beach

Proceed to the next blog post to see the video produced about the Blueway Trail.

"Custer's Last Stand"

On stage at Little Munich in Lake Worth (806 Lake Ave): A literary presentation by author Cynthia Morrison of "Custer's Last Stand" and battle of Little Bighorn is Saturday (6/25 at 7:00), the 140th anniversary of the battle.

Get ready! Pre-Race parties for Great American July 4th Raft Race in little City of Lake Worth

Click image to enlarge. To learn more about the NAPC use this link and they're also on Facebook.

Some of the action that precedes the Raft Race every year. . . the always popular parade:

Take survey about City of Lake Worth's downtown (link below)—Being a resident IS NOT required

The survey is anonymous but would think comments that include a name and address would be given more weight, you would think.

From the City's website: "Anyone who spends time in Downtown Lake Worth is invited to share their thoughts on locals arts and culture. Please take the short anonymous survey."

Here is the link to the survey.

What the survey is being used for: "In preparing for the future, the Lake Worth CRA & the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County engaged Lord Cultural Resources & Jon Stover & Associates to assist in developing an arts & cultural master plan for the downtown Lake Worth area. What will the plan do?

• Reflect diverse perspectives
• Support and align with current initiatives and plans
• Leverage resources & assets
• Incorporate established goals and objectives for Downtown Lake Worth’s continued growth
• Articulate a clear path to achieve Downtown Lake Worth’s collective vision
• Be flexible, actionable & measurable

Blast from past: A former Lake Worth mayor who moved to the well-manicured Great Walled City of Atlantis

If you recall, former mayor Dennis Dorsey was crucial in defeating the LW2020 bond vote in 2014 which would have repaired so many roads and potholes here in Lake Worth. Use this link to learn more.

The CAUT PAC defeated the LW2020 bond vote by just 25 votes. Money spent to benefit the very few here in this City.

Below is an excerpt from this article in the Sun Sentinel by reporter Sally Gelston from May 6th, 1985:

LAKE WORTH — In the three years since Dennis Dorsey resigned under fire from the Lake Worth mayor`s seat, he has not come near a City Commission meeting.
     But Dorsey continues to be perceived as a behind-the-scene political force, said City Commissioner Ron Exline, a member of the anti-Dorsey political faction.
     "Dorsey probably spends more time on city business than some of the commissioners," Exline said. "I think he`s the quarterback of the whole bunch."

From the City of Boynton Beach: A resolution to support the Atlanta Braves in John Prince Park

[UPDATE: Meeting was tabled for a later date. Stay tuned.]

City of Boynton Beach
Commission Meeting Date: 6/21/2016

Proposed Resolution No. R16-076 - Supporting the Atlanta Braves returning to Palm Beach County for their spring training at John Prince Park.

Explanation of Request:

     The City Commission has been asked to consider passing a Resolution in support of the Atlanta Braves returning to Palm Beach County for their spring training.
     The Atlanta Braves trained in PBC from 1963 to 1997 when they moved to Orlando, and now, with their current spring training stadium lease expiring at the end of 2017, they are looking to return to PBC to establish a new spring training stadium.
     All the criteria that were required for a site are met at John Prince Park. According to Palm Beach County, reports show that baseball spring training is a proven economic driver and creates jobs. The proposed stadium as an estimated yearly $95 million return on investment and is predicted to create nearly 1,300 total jobs. Following the construction phase of the stadium, the ballpark is expected to maintain an estimated 1,100 of those jobs.
     It is believed that this type of project aids economic development and enhances our local communities.

Must Read—Case Study: How Delray Beach Made the Transition from “Dullray” to a Vibrant Village by the Sea

Robert Caston from The Park and Facilities blog penned a very long case study about Delray Beach's history vis-à-vis their "Visioning" process. I would recommend you save this link to your browser "Favorites" and read parts at a time. For those of you involved in or interested in the improvements being made of late in Lake Worth you'll find this information enlightening, to say the least. A short excerpt:

Some residents will point to one particular period in the town’s history as an example of how this civic drive was able to push past several obstacles and take the city to the success it experiences today.

“(During this time) It had the bones, but no energy. You could have thrown a bowling ball down the middle of Atlantic Avenue at 5 p.m. and not hit anything,” said former mayor Jeff Perlman.

This was a subject at Jeff Perlman's recent talk given here in Lake Worth.