Waaaaaaa the heck happened?

Comment up
Notes from the Special Meeting today at City Hall--Just notes, don't hold me to them.

Do you ever feel like you are back to ground zero? Or that you have experienced deja vu? That’s sort of how I feel after today’s meeting on our RO and on our Casino building. I will have to agree with Retha that it FEELS like 30 years since we have been discussing the beach/Casino. But let’s take it in order of how it was presented at today’s workshop meeting…a workshop where the public could not utter a word or even complain that it was held in the small conference room instead of the city commission chamber that would have accommodated the public as well as it being audio taped. The Mayor put us in our place telling us this was a workshop "for them" to discuss city business. There were a lot of comments that I wish we had on tape.

THE REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEM

On May 5, 2009, Staff was directed to go forward with an RO plant. We had plans done two years ago by Mock, Roos,Engineers for a 4.5 mgd system that also included discharging concentrate into the ocean. We now know that discharging effluent into the ocean is no longer an option. Mock Roos wants to charge us $200,000.00 more to change the specs, downgrade the system to 3 mgd’s and get the plans up-to-date.

We got a short presentation by the Utility Director for a 3 mgd system. Why less mgd's than originally planned? We were told it is because we don’t need a 4.5 mgd--yet. We are now in water restrictions and that 3 mgd’s are sufficient to meet our daily demand through 2018, 9 years from now. NINE YEARS. Beyond year 2015, 6 years from now, we will need another water source to reach our peek demand. There is a grant involved here that may or may not be favorable to us.

There was a presentation made by a geologist, Steven Duranceau, PHd, PE, University of South Florida, Director of Environment System Engineering Institute, Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering and Nanoscience who says—the only way that the City of Lake Worth should proceed is deep well injection. There are 114 systems in the State of Florida and most are using deep-well. Anything else would either not work or be too expensive. He says that our City is on the right track; he explained the benefits of deep-well; we can get it permitted and we can get it to work. He suggests that we get in now before regulations get tighter.

Then Commissioner Jennings says—“I am concerned about deep-well injection.” She is basically against it because of unknown factors and wants some other alternatives.

So, there we are on the RO. Where are we? First you say you do, and then you don't, it's undecided now, so what are ya gonna do? tra la la la la.

THE CASINO

Last Fall, the Commission agreed to restore the Casino. We were supposed to get all these costs estimates and a financial projection on the rental rates and the income generated at the beach to see if we could go out on a Revenue Bond or have to do a General Obligation Bond. Eight months later, we have nothing.

City Manager Stanton had 10 points she wanted the commission to consider. She said that she would bet her next pay check that building a new building would be cheaper than restoring the present building. We already have one bid by Hedrick Bros. to build new for a 35,000 sq. ft building for $10 mil and an estimate by Straticon to refurbish the building that disputes her opinion. Mayor Clemens agrees with Stanton. I don’t know why he believes this when he sat in the same meetings that I did and testimony was totally different. Straticon even said at one of the last meetings on the Casino that he could build it for $175 a sq. foot and have a building in the 1920’s grandeur. So, if we build a 35,000 sq. ft building with Straticon, this comes in at $6.125 mil. As far as cost over-runs, we stipulate in the Contract that this is a flat cost. Bid it right.

Also it was said that we have no engineering report on the casino. Well we had at least four or five but these are the latest that I can remember:

The Lakdas Report that WAS done from observation

The Dunkelberger Report that used a Windsor Test Probe. No danger of eminent collapse...no catastrophic structural failure...Needs maintenance.

Straticon brought in Nutting Engineers that drilled 10 inches into the test area structures, with 3 inch diameters to test the salt and chloride in the cement. They tested the strength. Remember, this was poured concrete and this building has lasted since it was built in 1922 other than some spires and roof and some upper decking. This was done around the parameter of the building.

Not one report said that the building was structurally unsound.

Next comes Commissioner Jennings now worried, once again, about Global Warming and what might or might not happen 100 years from now building on the Coastal Construction Line.

BUDGET PRESENTATION CANCELED due to time

RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR CITY ATTORNEY

Basically what happened here was City Manager Stanton wanted to make Elaine Humphrey’s the new City Attorney and give her a six month's trial. The hire of a city attorney is a function of the City Commission. The City Attorney answers to the Commission, not to the City manager. It is imperative that the City Attorney not be chosen by the City Manager as these are two separate powers and one will keep the other in check. After talking about an assistant city attorney position, Ms. Stanton said that the City Attorney’s staff was hired by her. Commissioner Jennings stated that the Commission had the powers to hire all attorneys under our Charter and even read the Ordinance.

One citizen who thought I was sleeping through various parts of the meeting was heard to say, “She might be able to get the trains running on time but she might not be able to get them going in the right direction.” Now, staff will weed out the various 80 resumes that have been received, pulling out all those with municipal law experience. The Commission will get a chance to interview qualified applicants, as well as Elaine Humphreys.

I personally like Elaine and find her very enthusiastic and like the idea of hiring from within for all the reasons Commissioner Mulvehill stated. However, this is one of the top jobs in our broken City and we need to be sure here.