Our Lake Worth Casino Restoration - Part 1

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The design bids are now in. During this month, the applicants will be narrowed down to three by the Casino Committee consisting of the Commission and two citizens. One suggested for this Committee by Cara Jennings is John Paxman, Chair of our P&Z Board. This is an interesting choice as public commentary bears witness that his heart is not into restoration of the present building. John was also behind the political move that tried to alter our Comp Plan to put in higher density on the 4.02 parcel at Sunset, going against an entire neighborhood of 450 dwellings for two "friends."

In spite of all the politics, we are proceeding in the complete make-over of our building, a building that was certified in August 2009 as structurally sound. Bill Coakley and others had been reporting on this for years but those involved in development and politics wanted everyone to believe differently. In fact, and more specifically, Wes Blackman former Chair of the Planning and Zoning Board and former Mayor Jeff Clemens went so far as to suggest that the building should be demolished because of spalling that could/would fall and injure someone. NOT SO.

Taurinski Engineers said the following:

1. Casino building made of reinforced steel and concrete.
2. Areas that were jack-hammered when Rodney Romano and Jeff Clemens were in office and never repaired, must be cut out, cleaned of all corrosion, coated with an anti-corrosive agent and patched with a high-strength cementitious material.
3. Only minor concrete repairs are required.
4. No signs of structural collapse
5. It is safe to occupy
   

By “restoring” the building and leaving it in its original spot that has been there since 1921, allows the City to proceed without going through a lot of government red-tape. We will not have to worry about the coastal construction line. It was built where it is for a reason and has withstood all hurricanes. Because the Gulfstream is closer to our shore than anywhere in Florida, the probability of getting a category 5 hurricane (probably the only thing that would do major damage to that building) is slim to non-existent as the hurricane will not have any time to build up intensity.

Category Five Hurricane:

Sustained winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 km/hr). Catastrophic damage is expected. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings will occur. Some complete building failures with small buildings blown over or away are likely. All signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes (built in any year). Severe and extensive window and door damage will occur. Nearly all windows in high rise buildings will be dislodged and become airborne. Severe injury or death is likely for persons struck by wind-blown debris. Nearly all trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Hurricane Camille (pdf) (1969, 190 mph at landfall in Mississippi) and Hurricane Andrew (1992, 165 mph at landfall in Southeast Florida) are examples of Category Five hurricanes at landfall.

Coming up later, Part II.