"I don't like the idea of a Beach Club.
I don't like the idea of a pool operating with memberships.
Talking about a pool, they [Hudson Holdings]
are considering building a large bathtub.
I'm not opposed to option two. I want the group to work fast."
I don't like the idea of a pool operating with memberships.
Talking about a pool, they [Hudson Holdings]
are considering building a large bathtub.
I'm not opposed to option two. I want the group to work fast."
As Juan Ruiz Lake Worth's Leisure Services Director said during the Selection Committee meeting of February 10th, "My marching orders are to bring this home, sooner than later." Can we guess who gave him "marching orders" in order to screw up our beach? Bornstein wants to incorporate anything that might affect the budget (discussion soon to start) that will be in effect on October 1 and he wants something to be done because the city and its staff just can't take care of anything and make it work. We won't even be getting the Audit until June.
Later Juan says, "The pool needs to go." Do we pay him $95,626.06 to make a statement such as this? Well, we don't but the city manager just might.
If you listen to this Audio , this committee, especially Commissioner Andy Amoroso, is all for totally re-doing our casino/parking/beach complex along with a parking garage. We will lose revenue with a parking garage...not to worry, says Juan, our expenses will be down. Hudson Holdings is a turn-on to Amoroso. He wants Hudson to come back to them and give the committee a scaled back proposal and to see if they can live within those parameters even though Hudson wants to destroy our Olympic pool.
Well, I say, 1) don't do it and if this commission votes to proceed anyway, 2) let the people vote on this. Better yet, the commission needs to listen to the people. We just spent $13 MILLION DOLLARS re-doing our beach and now they want to screw it up? It is OUR beach. If this commission votes for the Hudson Holdings "deal," every resident needs to revolt.
Why is it that this city always believes all the hype anyone throws at them to get control of our beach? Why?
13 comments:
Can this city jsut stop. Leave it alone. Hire someone who can do the job. no mroe excuses for all this ineptness.
Lynn, instead of banging away at your keyboard complaining about God knows everything, be a part of the solution. Maybe raise money for the pool, search for a vendor for the casino 2nd floor. Until you have solutions nobody will put much stock in your posts. And thats the truth.
That's the truth according to whom???????
YOU?
I do NOT get paid to come up with solutions. However, our crack staff and highly paid execs, do. Look to them to do their jobs and take care of our assets without dreaming up the BS of outsourcing or long-term leases. The last time a commission did this, it cost us a bloody fortune.
And you would be surprised who listens to me. Actually, people have minds of their own and don't need a lot of persuasion here.
Think about this for one second--your side has LOST the last THREE elections.
to you what I do is "complaining." To others, it is giving a true perspective of what's what.
Some of your commenters are really insane. I firmly believe that. Can this city please tackle the crime and get back to basics. Leave our frigging beach alone. Fix the utility. Thank you very much. There are way too many ass kissers in Lake Worth.
Touche, you also do not get paid to critique most everything the comm. does. Your bce buds turned a 6mil project into 13mil. In your heart you know that the decision makers in this city consider your posts quackery.
QUACK, QUACK! You see, you don't know what you're talking about and that is very sad. If you continue to personally attack, it will not get posted.
Next, The casino cost $6 million. It was on budget. The beach redevelopment was from County Bond money and cost $5 million. We got what we were supposed to get.
The infrastructure was an additional $2 MILLION that we paid for out of the CIP.
So, get your facts straight.
The beach project was never just a $6 mil project...NEVER.
Andy A. would like to sell out our beach like he does his own store. Do you know he resells Dollar Tree items that cost $1 and puts a price on them of $3, $5, even $10 for things he gets for $1 at Dollar Tree in his store? What a price gouger. He cannot be trusted. He lies and does many very unethical things, he is a huge cheat! We can't trust him.
In all due respect, Amoroso, as does all shopkeepers, buy their inventory from someplace to resell and make a profit. I don't really see anything wrong with that. You can't blame him for making a profit. Personally, I like the Dollar Store.
1. I like that those that are paid to find solutions are trying to find solutions!
2. Just because a developer proposes something does not mean we take it as delivered!! I just don't get all of the squawking even before the process is even close to being over.
3. The Casino loses money!!!!
4. The Leasing that was allowed to happen is beyond ridiculous. No not the tenants. The variable lease rates and caps on CAM charges should never have been allowed!
5. Whoever designed upstairs should be banned from further design work. A restaurant expert should have been engaged ensuring that the City has a tenant that takes advantage of that multi million dollar view of both the ocean and Sunsets over the intracoastal. A one of a kind location that the City can not lease!?!!?
6. Now let's see what ALL of the proposals are and maybe just maybe an idea or two can be gleamed into a better idea on how to have this building pay for itself!
OK--thanks for your comments--
The business plan was predicated on the entire 2nd floor being leased out. There is nothing about the leasing of the spaces that "is beyond ridiculous." The plan was well thought-out and based on projections that had zero comparisons as it was brand new. The CAM was projected and as it turn out, was too low. We were supposed to market the pool...that hasn't happened.
In an ideal world you want assets such as our casino complex to pay for itself. Get the upstairs rented out or make the ballroom larger as that space IS rented out all of the time. We could have a spectacular space for larger meetings and certainly do NOT need a separate convention center as Hudson is proposing.
The CM is forming a Beach Committee consisting of John Pickett, Laurel Decker and Bill Thrasher--three very smart people.
The ballroom could be rented for higher end events (higher rental rates)if a designer with taste and a reasonable budget were allowed to decorate the room and add ballroom chairs, 2 chandeliers, and a few significant plants. The investment will be repaid within a year and will increase profits into the future.
It would be interesting to hear if the PAID employees who are responsible for this ever had any ideas and if so what were and are they. I just don't believe Juan has a clue. I would like him to show some accountability.
The ballroom is super popular, because the prices set for renting it are, frankly, too low. The ballroom is rented each and every weekend for weddings, birthday parties, etc. Prices should be raised, with a discount to city residents.
The pool worked just fine before the City decided it didn't want a pool anymore and closed it. They keep changing opening hours and screwing around with trying to make it fail.
Rent out the restaurant space and stop for now.
Maybe eventually, once the beach park has paid off the debt, renovate or relocate the pool locker rooms and bath rooms.
City should be focusing time and energy on code enforcement and crime. Stop trying to ruin things that aren't broken to sell out our public beach park to private developers.
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