On the agenda, October 10th meeting of the Lake Worth CRA: “Canvas Outdoor Museum Show”.

Attention all street artists and muralists
in the City of Lake Worth:

Contact the Lake Worth CRA. Ask about the project titled CANVAS, a “massive public art infusion” in the City of Lake Worth.

The meeting begins at 6:00 tomorrow at HATCH, located at 1121 Lucerne Ave. (to see tomorrow’s Community Redevelopment Agency [CRA] agenda use this link to the City’s website and scroll down to download items of interest).

If you would like to learn more about this project “[T]hat the City [of Lake Worth]/CRA and local property owners contribute a total of $70K to assist in paying the artists and any fees associated with the walls for the 7 murals”, use this link to contact the CRA or call 561-493-2550.

Excerpts from CRA agenda item VIIc:

Recently, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County approached the City and the CRA about meeting with Nicole Henry,* a gallerist and founder of the CANVAS event. Ms. Henry and her team worked with the City of West Palm Beach to host CANVAS: the Outdoor Museum Show for several years. The CANVAS event was so successful that it has been promoted as the nation’s largest outdoor art show.

and. . .

This massive public art infusion would begin shortly after Thanksgiving [emphasis added] with a series of events that would help activate spaces, cover at a minimum 7 walls with murals by world renowned artists, add 3-D installations to specific project spaces and host a series of public/private events throughout the downtown and Dixie Highway.

and. . .

The CANVAS team has asked that the City/CRA and local property owners contribute a total of $70K to assist in paying the artists and any fees associated with the walls for the 7 murals. The CRA/LULA Lake Worth Arts would like to commit $14K from the Lake Worth Cultural Renaissance Foundation budget and $6K from the CRA operating budget.

another excerpt. . .

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach will host the initial press conference and also the VIP event after the installations, where artists and sponsors celebrate the culmination of activities. The Cultural Council has also generously volunteered to advertise the event both regionally and nationally.

The recommendation:

Staff recommends the Board approve the $20K expenditure, taking funds from both the Cultural Renaissance Foundation and the CRA operating budget.

*Nicole Henry is “The Woman Behind West Palm Beach Art Scene”. For Henry’s Facebook page use this link.
     From Wikipedia, more about this artist: “Nicole Henry Fine Art is a West Palm Beach gallery [522 Clematis St.] specializing in emerging art markets including Cuban and Street Art to secondary works from Pre-Columbian, Old Masters, Impressionists, Modern, Contemporary, Latin American, European, and American Art. The Gallery was founded by art dealer Nicole Henry in 2006.”

Dear Snowbirds. Worried about the water in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL)? Can’t blame you.

Leaking septic tanks, fish kills, smelly water. . .
the IRL is a mess.

That’s why you need to plan your stay in Palm Beach County, by
our clean and wonderful
Lake Worth Lagoon!

BONUS: Two videos below.

To learn more about our treasured lagoon in Palm Beach County, here’s an excerpt from this blog by reporter Willie Howard, “Paddling the habitats of Lake Worth Lagoon”:

Anglers fishing around the islands of the central lagoon can catch snook, mangrove snapper, barracuda, sheepshead and small bait fish along with the occasional redfish and spotted sea trout.
     Restoration islands near the Lake Avenue Bridge include the Snook Islands project, completed in 2005 (and later expanded); the two Grassy Flats islands on the east side of the lagoon near the Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course; Bryant Park Wetlands islands south of the bridge near Lake Worth’s Bryant Park; and the Jewel Cove project southeast of the bridge across from Lake Worth Beach.
     To date, the county has overseen 49 environmental restoration projects in the Lake Worth Lagoon, the 20-mile-long estuary that stretches from Ocean Ridge to North Palm Beach.

How clean is the Lake
Worth Lagoon?

Check out these two videos.

This first video is a small part of the City of Lake Worth’s Great American Raft Race and the views of the water are amazing:



The video below is the Parrot Cove Neighborhood Assoc. receiving their trophy for winning this year’s Raft Race! NAPC President Jon Faust and Mango Groves’ Mr. Greg Rice do the honors.



Come and visit us in the little City of Lake Worth located right along the Lake Worth Lagoon! The City is already lining up a whole bunch of events and activities to keep all you Snowbirds busy. Use this link to learn more.

Hope to see you soon, Snowbirds!

“Destination Lake Worth”, the 2017 “State of the City Address” and historic preservation program here in our City.

Is Lake Worth really “open for business”? Is everybody reading from the same script? 

Are all the City departments and staff on board with the “Mission” and “Vision” going forward?

If you’ve been following the news of late about the City of Lake Worth’s historic preservation program, many have their doubts the City is really “open for business”.

We’re also in the midst of a housing crisis, the need for affordable housing is a concern for every City in Palm Beach County, but do we have some departments and staff here in the City of Lake Worth creating our own “affordability crisis”? Let’s say a young family with one or two kids wants to be part of our vibrant community, live in and be part of a historic district in Lake Worth? It’s an attractive idea for many families.

But are they being squeezed out of the market due to expected home repairs and improvements much more expensive than in places not in a historic district? And a cumbersome process as well with hours of paperwork which few really understand. Greenacres doesn’t have historic districts. Neither does Boynton Beach and a lot of other cities.

Remember, these are people who read the paper, this blog, and maybe heard about what happened at City Hall on August 16th from a Realtor or somebody very concerned about all of this. A lot of people are very concerned.

This is not what we were all expecting after two
very well-attended and well-publicized meetings
at the Lake Worth Casino:

View of the “Destination Lake Worth” event held at
the Lake Worth Casino on October 10th, 2016.

“Destination Lake Worth”, a public forum for property owners and investors. The City is “open
for business” and investment in the City “is a
good idea whose time has come”.

View of Mayor Pam Triolo’s State of the City Address 
on January 1st. 2017.

“It is now time to join together and own a period
of time that will be looked back upon by future generations as one of success, responsibility, accountability and positivity . . . the State
of your City is good.”

It’s not a consistent or understandable City message when on the one hand the City of Lake Worth is “open for business” and on the other hand the public here is, “crying for some type of relief ” from the Historic Preservation program and staff, and then an elected official recently saying about the program, “We need to clean up this mess . . . we have egg on our faces.”

Whether you like it or not, the City’s Historic Preservation program and how the City is conducting business is now an election issue. And a big one.

The problem seems complex, but it’s not at all.

The answer is “Customer Service”. The City’s residents and business community are the “customers” and the City’s job is to provide the “service”. However, in a lot of people’s minds, e.g., the latest kerfuffle over the Historic Preservation program, the customer service model is not working and the residents and business community are not being served properly.

However, there is another much more troubling part of all this no one is talking about. Well, no one is talking about at the moment. And that’s how all this delves into the “housing crisis”. You see, on the one hand the City of Lake Worth promotes itself as an affordable “destination” — more so than the more prosperous coastal communities — but those who wish to live “affordably” in a Lake Worth historic district find that increasingly difficult if not impossible. 

Many families, and especially so Millennials with children (or planning to have a family), are priced out of living in a historic district. And that’s ironic because those who promote historic preservation acknowledge we need future generations to appreciate the history that preceded them. How better to appreciate history than to grow up surrounded by history as a young child?

Take note. Draw your own conclusions: No historic districts have ever been created in any neighborhoods west of Dixie Hwy. in the City of Lake Worth.

And if the Historic Preservation program continues the way it’s going, we never will. Because everyone will know it will bring with it a whole lot of problems and won’t be affordable anyway. So what’s the benefit?

But once again, all of this could have been avoided in the first place if there was a less zealous approach to historic preservation, understanding the City of Lake Worth is much different in many ways from neighboring cities like Palm Beach and West Palm Beach too.

And that’s what is really sad about all this. We never had to get to this point when people are asking me, “How can a city get rid of historic districts?”

Also, besides the aspect of affordability, there’s the issue of safety as well. From NBC5/WPTV reporter Alanna Quillen, “Lake Worth neighbors hit roadblocks in upgrading historic homes against hurricanes”.

LAKE WORTH, Fla. — We still have about five weeks left in hurricane season, five weeks left of fear for some homeowners that a storm may significantly damage or destroy their most important investment. [emphasis added]
     If you think its costly to secure your own home, people who live in homes designated as “historic” face not only cost, but also red tape.
     Anthony Marotta and some of his Lake Worth neighbors want to protect their treasures from hurricanes but history and beauty comes with a hidden cost.
     Marotta, who serves as president of the Parrot Cove Neighborhood Association, lives in a 105-year-old home but because the home has been designated “historic”, he has faced some roadblocks in installing storm shutters.
     “Things that should be very simple such as hardening ones homes against hurricanes, we’re being hamstrung by decisions people made 100 years ago,” he said.

Help solve murder of Geovani Castro in suburban (unincorporated) Lake Worth. Contact information for CrimeStoppers below.

Sun Sentinel breaking news editor/reporter Doug Phillips has this terrible news:

A 15-year-old boy is dead following a shooting that happened outside Lake Worth.
     Deputies were called to the 4200 block of Davis Road about 3 p.m. Monday and found the teen, Geovani Castro, shot.

and. . .

     Investigators ask anyone with information about the shooting to contact Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 800-458-8477 or download PBSO’s new “Connect & Protect” app for smart phones in order to provide information.

Very sad. There have been 79 homicides in Palm Beach County thus far in 2017. West Palm Beach has been the most severely affected by this senseless violence. Use this link to learn more.

SOLVE CRIME.
Stay Anonymous. Cash Rewards.

“Every piece of information that comes into Crime Stoppers is examined by the appropriate law enforcement official(s). No tip is too small. Your tip may be the missing piece of the puzzle that helps to solve or prevent a crime.”

Use this link to CrimeStoppers and learn more:

From beat reporter Kevin Thompson, more information on the murder of Jose Aguilar in the City of Lake Worth last June 17th:

LAKE WORTH — ■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■■■ was watching “Orange Is The New Black” when he heard four gunshots in the early Saturday morning hours where he lives on North F Street in Lake Worth.

and. . .

     While ■■■■■■■■■■ was checking out the popular Netflix series, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said a man was shot and killed at 914 North F Street.

If you hear gunshots, immediately call 911.

That will log the time you call. What you’re watching on TV will not matter to investigators.

Use this link for PBSO District 14 headquarters. The address is 120 North G Street.

SCENARIO. You hear gun shots.
Here is what you do:

• After your call to 911, write down everything else you remember right away.
• Do not go outside to investigate!
• Are you afraid of cooperating with deputies and detectives for fear of reprisal? Then stay completely anonymous and contact CrimeStoppers (see contact information above).
• Go to the Neighborhood Assoc. Presidents’ Council website and learn more about “Make the Call” to PBSO.

REMEMBER!

NEVER confront suspicious persons yourself — let PBSO handle it — you DO NOT have to give your name if that makes you uncomfortable. But it’s a big help if you can provide descriptions:

• Height
• Weight
• Clothing
• Color and make of car
• Direction they were headed, etc.

When you see or hear behavior that seems odd, suspicious or out of place, “Make the Call Y’all!”

Call 911 or contact PBSO at 561-688-3400.

Blueway Trail: News blackout at The Palm Beach Post remains in place.

“This is one of the strongest economic engines that can
possibly be imagined.”

—Quote by Lake Clarke Shores Mayor Robert Shalhoub, Dec. 24th, 2015, in an article by
Palm Beach Post reporter Eliot Kleinberg.

Since this article by Kleinberg (see excerpts below) — published nearly two years ago — very little has been reported in the Post about the Blueway Trail project. In the past year almost nothing at all. The beat reporter for the City of Lake Worth has never even referenced the Blueway Trail. Not one single time. The beat reporter for West Palm Beach, Tony Doris, brought up this project briefly in a news report about the West Palm Beach “Special Golf Commission Meeting” last July vis-à-vis their golf course in the South End.

Just this year there have been public meetings about the Blueway Trail at the South Olive Community Center in West Palm Beach, public meetings at the South Florida Water Management District headquarters, public meetings at the Lake Worth City Commission and C-51 Advisory Committee about the Blueway Trail. . . yet still no news from The Palm Beach Post.

So, yes. The Post is making the point that newspapers are more and more irrelevant all the time. Why? Because citizen reporters and elected officials, city staff, the PBC League of Cities, the County and many others are doing the job the Post should be doing, but much better.

For nearly two years now I’ve gone to meeting after meeting taking video, pictures, and voluminous notes about the Blueway Trail project. Why? Because I think it’s very important information for the public to know. And along the way I’ve had a lot of supporters. I want to say “Thank You” to everyone who has offered encouragement and kind words. The list would be too long to mention here; you know who you are.

I am not a reporter. Nor have I been trained to be a journalist. But here in Central Palm Beach County where there’s a virtual newspaper monopoly by The Palm Beach Post, it’s great to see other people, organizations, city and County officials, reporters such as Alanna Quillen at NBC5/WPTV, and small town newspapers like The Lake Worth Herald step up and fill the void.

So without further ado. . .

Here’s the latest news about the Blueway Trail:

• To read the text of “Resolution 50-2017 supporting the C-51 boat lift” at the Lake Worth City Commission on October 3rd use this link.
• To learn why Worth commissioners Andy Amoroso and Omari Hardy “saved the day” getting Resolution 50-2017 passed click on this link. And also very interesting, what happened to the C-51 Advisory Committee?
• Use this link to find out why reporter Alanna Quillen’s news report from last August is fundamental to understanding what happened last Tuesday at the City Commission.

Now the news by Eliot Kleinberg datelined Dec. 24th, 2015.

Excerpts are below from the news report titled,
“Lift at spillway would allow boat traffic
from inland lakes to ocean”:

LAKE WORTH — Palm Beach County’s “chain of lakes” is a boater’s paradise already used by tens of thousands of boaters, kayakers, canoers and paddleboarders.
     It’s a 30-mile stretch of connected freshwater lakes comprised of West Palm Beach’s Pine Lake at the north end, Lake Clarke in Lake Clarke Shores, Lake Osborne and Lake Eden in [suburban] Lake Worth, and Delray Beach’s Lake Ida at the south end.
     But there’s one problem. You can’t get from them to the Intracoastal Waterway.
     A potential solution’s been around for years, but only on paper. But it’s starting to kick up a wake again. [emphasis added; use this link to the cited article by former Post reporter Willie Howard in 2013 referenced in Kleinberg’s 2015 news report.]

Back to Kleinberg’s 2015 article, another excerpt:

     West Palm Beach also has more than passing interest in a boat lift.
     The city owns seven acres of vacant land bordering the canal between Dixie Highway and the city golf course to the west. The city paid $2.9 million for the property at 8111 S. Dixie Highway — once the site of an International House of Pancakes restaurant [since demolished] — in hopes of selling it to a buyer who would redevelop it into a commercial anchor for the city’s south end.
     A boat lift just across Dixie Highway would mean boats could go from the municipal golf course to the Lake Worth Lagoon and could help with the development of the vacant property.

another excerpt. . .

     The lift would not be the first in use in Palm Beach County. Juno Isles has been using one since the 1970s to move boats up to 26 feet from the community’s freshwater lake and canals into the Intracoastal, giving waterfront homeowners with boats access to waterfront restaurants, marinas and the ocean.
     State Rep. Dave Kerner and State Sen. Jeff Clemens, both D-Lake Worth, whose districts include both sides of the spillway as well as parts of the chain of lakes, are working to get the money, Kerner said.

lastly. . .

[I]t could take as long as five years before the lift is in and operating. But, he [Kerner] said, “We’ve been moving quickly. We’ve got a great coalition.”

Please take note: If it “could take as long as five years before the lift is in and operating” per now-County Commissioner Dave Kerner in 2015, then that would correspond with what we’ve known for some time now, that the Blueway Trail project would begin between 3–5 years from now, 2020–2022. So, no, this project is not being “rushed” as some critics falsely like to claim.

Stay tuned, as they say, for more information about the Blueway Trail. Just don’t expect any news about this project in The Palm Beach Post any time soon.

City of Lake Worth Co-Ed Basketball and for Bitty Ballers (ages 4–6) too.

Registration ends December 20th.
Call 561-533-7363 for more information.

Click on image to enlarge:

Brought to you by the City of Lake Worth’s
Leisure Services Dept.

UPDATE: “Did you know 85 more units of affordable housing may be coming to Lake Worth?”

But not any time soon.

The vote at the P&Z Board meeting last Wednesday was 3-3 with a member of this volunteer board absent. An even split vote means this project is a no-go for now. The developer has several options going forward so we’ll have to wait and see what will happen.

The City of Lake Worth’s Planning & Zoning Dept. can’t be a very happy place to be right now. A lot of staff time went into preparing this and, if you recall, this item was on the P&Z Board agenda last month but was cancelled because of Hurricane Irma. There must be a lot of disappointment from many quarters the prospect having to go back to square one.

And the editor at the Post will learn that a call to action, the “Housing Crisis!”, can run into a brick wall over just one issue: parking. I’ve talked to several people over the last couple of months about the parking situation on North ‘A’ St. and that was a big concern for nearby residents. They thought the project should have more on-site parking so on-street parking would not be impacted:

The proposed Banyan Court multifamily apartment community will be located in Lake Worth at 315 North A Street, 1716 3rd Ave N, 1731 4th Avenue North and 1737 4th Avenue North, just east of Interstate 95 and ¼ mile from the Lake Worth Tri-Rail stop. The current zoning is MF-20 [Multi-family], with a land use designation of MDR [Medium Density residential].

News about this affordable housing project never did get reported in the Post because of that distraction in early September:

“Cannabis”! “Marijuana”, medical “dispensary”
and a “charter school” too! Oh My. Where?
It’s in “Lake Worth”!

So it does make one wonder what would have happened if the editor at the Post was more focused on educating the public about the importance of affordable housing in the City of Lake Worth than on much more minor items such as “Cannabis!”

But Cannabis! will generate more computer clicks and sell more newspapers than news about affordable housing, even during a “Housing Crisis!” However, is there another possible solution? Maybe more affordable housing here in the City using “re-purposed shipping containers”?

As reported in The Palm Beach Post
last June, an excerpt:

During an affordable housing summit in West Palm Beach Wednesday, he [Craig Vanderlaan, executive director of Crisis Housing Solutions] told a ballroom full of county officials, lenders and developers that re-purposed shipping containers can be part of the answer to a problem they said has reached a crisis point.

Are shipping containers the answer to the “housing crisis”? No. As stated on this blog:

Before you get all excited check the zoning code first before diving ahead. More likely than not this type of structure is prohibited where you live. For instance, you couldn't build this in Lake Worth or most other cities in the County.
     No one is going to get approval to live in a shipping container here in a coastal city in Palm Beach County. Perhaps in the unincorporated County somewhere, but not here in the little City of Lake Worth.

Anyhow. Stay tuned for more updates about this affordable housing project on North ‘A’ St. and what the City and developer plan to do going forward.

Spread the word, Evening on the Avenues returns tonight (6:00–10:00)

Also tonight is the monthly Critical Mass ride! Use this link for more details about that. And. . . how much do you know about the “Snowbird Effect”?

Music, entertainment, food, and so much more. Evening on the Avenues returns to Downtown Lake Worth tonight at the Cultural Plaza beginning at 6:00 following a pre-Season break the month of September. What exactly is the “Season”? That is when our precious Snowbirds begin to return:

Getting ready for our annual migration of Snowbirds is hard work. Our City staff has a lot to do.

For example:

Don’t forget: “It’s the ‘Snowbird Effect’ that keeps Florida going.” And it’s always fun when the malcontents and pundits in the press get unhinged when they see our Snowbirds having so much
fun every Season!

The City of Lake Worth’s Leisure Services Department Presents. . .

The exemplary, iconic, and inimitable Lauren Bennett at Leisure Services informed the public at the City Commission meeting last Tuesday to get ready for a new video about to be released.

Well, here it is!

To share this video with your family and friends up north preparing for another cold Winter, copy and paste this link and share it with them via email:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0s3d8e4rxg&feature=youtu.be

Refuse, vegetation pickup, and recycling in City of Lake Worth.

The City of Lake Worth Refuse collections are returning to normal. As of this week all carts are being collected on the normal schedule, the only difference is that the 6 cubic yard hurricane amnesty remains in place until the end of the week [Friday, 10/6]. Please be aware on Monday, October 9, the vegetation/bulk limit will be 4 cubic yards (roughly equivalent to 2 standard refrigerators).

HATCH 1121, LULA, and “Off the Wall” in LDub (see video below).

The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is moving its administrative offices to 1121 Lucerne Ave., the building is now called HATCH 1121.

“This will give the CRA and LULA Lake Worth Arts a better opportunity to further enhance the thriving and dynamic Lake Worth arts community. Community artists and Lake Worth leadership are currently discussing ways to further serve the local community with community-based arts programming.”

Let’s take a stroll back in time to when HATCH 1121 (formerly the Lake Worth Arts Center and site of the City’s former shuffleboard courts), got a very much-needed makeover in 2014:

Do you know what LULA means?

“LU” is short for Lucerne Ave. and “LA” short for Lake Ave. (our two main east-west Downtown streets), ergo “LULA”.

Know what “LDub” means?

The “L” is short for “Lake”, “Dub” short for letter “W” (double or ‘Dub’ letter “u”), hence the term LDub for the City of Lake Worth (not to be confused with cookie-cutter and condo communities out west).

Example in daily usage, “Have you been to World Thrift in LDub yet? The New Times ranks it the best thrift store ever. LDub is the Hipster Haven in Palm Beach County too and the official home of Apatharchism.”

From reporter Alanna Quillen at NBC5/WPTV: “New project could connect more boats to Intracoastal”.

After reading the news (see below) and watching the news segment video from two months ago about the Blueway Trail by reporter Alanna Quillen, ask yourself this question, “Why didn’t Lake Worth just pass Resolution 50-2017, supporting the C-51 boat lift on Consent and get it over with?” Why wait to bring up objections like Mayor Pam Triolo did?

Commissioner Omari Hardy publicly called for this resolution on August 15th after his patience wore thin waiting for the City to act. If anyone had objections why weren’t they brought up back then? Why wait for almost two months?

Thankfully, commissioners Andy Amoroso and Omari Hardy had enough of all this nonsense. The Palm Beach County Commission and most other neighboring municipalities passed their resolutions of support back in early to mid 2016.

Do you remember this news report by
Alanna Quillen from last August 10th?

“For three years, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and Lake Clarke Shores have been planning a boat lift to be built at Spillway Park in Lake Worth.”

Lake Clarke Shores Mayor Greg Freebold
was interviewed for this news segment:

“This will open up the access from the chain of lakes into the Intracoastal waterway”, said Greg Freebold.

West Palm Beach Commissioner Shanon Materio
was interviewed as well:

“In order for us to have gone as far as we have, we have had to address all those mitigation issues” [and then Materio is quoted] “We listened, over a year ago, of what the concerns were and we've been addressing them all along.”

When watching the video below do you see any “black” water? Three foot waves? Is the Blueway Trail a “dangerous project” as someone from the public said last night at the City Commission meeting?

The news segment video begins after
a short advertisement:

Lake Worth Pier closed until further notice.

Press release from Ben Kerr, Public Information Officer, 561-586-1631; email: BKerr@lakeworth.org

The City of Lake Worth Pier will be closed today (Wednesday, October 4th), until further notice due to high wave activity causing unsafe conditions. The City of Lake Worth apologizes for any inconvenience caused.

“We are LAKE WORTH. A hometown City that is committed to delivering the highest level of customer service through a commitment to integrity, hard work and a friendly attitude. We strive to exceed the expectations of our citizens, our businesses, our elected officials and our fellow employees.”

Unanimous. Weak. And very sad.

Use this link to learn more about what happened last night at the Lake Worth City Commission meeting vis-à-vis agenda item 9G, “Resolution 50-2017 - supporting the C-51 boat lift”.

This item was on the Consent Agenda and moved to “New Business” by Mayor Pam Triolo and Commissioner Omari Hardy agreed.

Although the vote was a unanimous “Yes” for this resolution, with direction to City Attorney Glen Torcivia to add some clarifying language concerning an agreement signed with the South Florida Water Management District 31 years ago, this meeting will be one remembered for a long time; a black eye for our City for which we’ll take long to recover.

If you happen to be a resident, city official or elected representative from the Town of Lake Clarke Shores, or the City of Greenacres, or any other municipality that’s supportive or excited about the Blueway Trail and for a long time have distrusted the City of Lake Worth or were reluctant to partner with us, don’t blame you. You have good reason not to trust us, especially after what happened last night. It was a disgrace.

In November 2016 the City went out of its way to create the C-51 Advisory Committee (CAC) at the urging of Mayor Pam Triolo:

[F]ive member committee composed of one member appointed by the Mayor and one member appointed by each City Commissioner.

Every issue brought up last night could have been settled long ago by CAC. But that board directed to “meet as necessary or as requested by the City Commission or the City Manager” wasn’t even mentioned last night although one member of that board showed up in opposition to the C-51 boat lift project.

Why wasn’t CAC consulted or directed to answer questions or concerns prior to last night’s meeting? Was Kim DeLaney, PhD, asked to attend the meeting last night to answer any concerns or questions? In the image below, seated, facing, wearing glasses is Dr. DeLaney from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.

CAC meeting on August 9th, the first and only meeting ever since being formed last year.

Why take so long in this process to “raise the question” about documents from over 30 years ago? Wasn’t a former commissioner roundly criticized for using this very same tactic, “raising the question”
to scuttle City business?

The unanimous vote last night was secured by commissioners Omari Hardy and Andy Amoroso. Hardy lost his temper last night (see link to video below) and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

You could see Amoroso was very displeased as well how this resolution was handled but he stayed cool and took control just at the right time. Hardy was angry because he had every reason to be angry and then brought up the issue everyone so far has been careful to avoid, but now it’s out there: socioeconomics, race, class, access, and privilege. But more on that later.

Last night can be summed up using this link to the City’s video of the meeting, one segment that stands out in particular.

To everyone out there supportive and excited about the Blueway Trail project, you need to contact commissioners Andy Amoroso and Omari Hardy. They both saved the day and you need to say to them, “Thank You”.

Lake Worth City Commission meeting tonight at 6:00.

To watch this meeting Live Streaming use this link at (or after) 6:00 tonight and scroll down for the “Live Broadcast Channel” (Commission meetings are also archived on YouTube).

Meet your elected leaders:

Contact your elected representatives some time soon and ask, “What can I do to help?”

To look over the agenda for tonight’s meeting click on this link and scroll down for “October 3, Regular Meeting” to download the Agenda & Backup.

By the way, seen this video yet?