The lawsuit of McCauley/McNamara proves that the lease with Greater Bay is more than 20 years minus a day. That is what their suit is about. This is the impetus behind the suit. They, as well as their bevy of attorneys, say that is so. The Court says that the suit is not frivolous. The problem here are those who were involved in writing the contracts and not looking out after our interests. Also, the fact that the citizens were not involved and 3 people made a decision of this magnitude, caused all of the last several years delay and expense. In another's opinion it is not a shopping mall, but in my opinion that is exactly what was proposed to be built. Having shops ancillary to the beach experience is what we have had and what we want--not a Ruth Crist's or a Neiman.
As far as "including more restrictive language in the Charter"...Karns and the rest of staff as well as the Commission should have been watching out for us. We had an expensive law firm supposedly looking out for our interests. If you were at the negotiations, it would have made you wonder. The Commission never even checked out Willard in a basic background check. They never checked out Greater Bay or inspected one property they ever built. They just voted to turn it all over to them on a silver platter. They didn't watch out for the citizens. The lawyers didn't. The Commission didn't. Staff didn't. They have not had the political will to do so. Perhaps they do now.
As far as the building is concerned, what was proposed by GB was a tall building on our beach in a place no one wanted it to be. Restoring the present building is something for which the majority will agree to and I am rather sure that the We Love Lake Worth PAC, once this is contracted and the property left in City control, will allow the City of LW to end their suit and WLLW will go away. In both cases, it is the City that will have to come to McCauley/McNamara and to WLLW. That is the status of the law suits...limbo...with it being the City's move. In either case, it is tricky. I think that another law suit is in order and the citizens should sue the City for misfeasance, nonfeasance, whatever "feasance" applies. Greater Bay had every opportunity to bring in a Plan that was acceptable. They didn't. They had every opportunity to perform anything. They were handed the pool deal and they still have not fulfilled that contract.
Ask Mr. Smith what he wants at the beach. He will tell you. He wants to be able to drive up to the upper level parking lot and drop off his kids and his cooler and walk 20 feet to the beach and have a place to buy a hotdog and a soda in his flip-flops. Stop inventing the wheel.
