Our Casino / Beach Re-Development and Lake Worth Politics

Silly green building--similar to what is proposed

As the Finance Advisory Board discussed the financing for the Casino project last night, I got to thinking about the entire project. The question that keeps coming to mind is, how did Living Designs Group, a company from New Mexico with a local office in Lake Worth, get into the mix? Not only are they involved in the building of our Lake Worth Casino but they have become involved in the entire beach re-development project.

Rumor has it that they were never paid for the design and architectural plans for The Eco Centre, the first green building in Lake Worth and a building that was recently sold at foreclosure. Also it has been said that they whined and had lobbied Staff to become part of the beach re-development to help make up for the huge loss they incurred at the Romano building that was owned by John Romano, brother to former mayor Rodney Romano. Why does that become the City’s responsibility and they are allowed to jump into bed with Kimley-Horn, the engineering firm hired by Staff for our beach redevelopment? It is sickening that our beach is all entrenched in politics with elected officials and Staff rewarding friends. Even the City had its own wish list--to buy the Eco-Centre and move City Hall operations there.

As we all know, three commissioners, Maxwell, Mayor Varela and Golden voted Living Designs as their top choice for a modern look of our Lake Worth Casino, so, therefore, these commissioners are in sink with Staff bringing Living Designs into the fold. It wasn't just the modern look that turned these politicians on. It was politics.

I have never seen any commission so obsessed with “green” to the point of being absolutely stupid. Green has been a standard in building construction for quite some time but they keep on talking about it ad nausum. Even the Florida Legislature has recognized the need to build sustainable buildings moving into the future and to that end have enacted legislation. You have to consider all the politics behind the scenes. And this is the power of politics that started with the hiring of (no bid) Singer--Jennings and Varela. Then Living Designs, the 2nd choice in the ranking process, came into the mix to be a big party to the beach redevelopment--Maxwell, Varela and Golden.

Living Designs has designed a bathroom facility for the southend of our beach with an unattractive design or perhaps better stated, a design more in tune to the conceptual drawing in their presentation for the Casino. (More than likely Commissioner Golden will approve of this because she even wanted the word "Mediterranean" taken out of the RFQ by REG Architects, an Hispanic minority Architectural firm from West Palm Beach that IS the architect on the Casino). REG incorporates green features into his buildings. It was said that people can also sit around this bathroom structure in shade and look at the ocean. Who in the HECK wants to sit around a building designed as a toilet facility? Also, the trellises they have designed will give no shade or protection from the rain to the people on the north end of our beach.

When it came time to discuss the REG survey weeks ago on the Casino, Mayor Varela, in a voice that meant business, told REG Architects to be "consistent" when it came to their survey and their proposal. REG, experts in historical building restorations, is being overly generous on the survey questions. The problem is, REG was being fed directions from Staff and REG is doing its best to work with the City. It is individual commissioners who are the obstacle at our beach. They are the ones who are not being consistent as REG won as the top architect choice, not Living Designs. What does Staff and the commission do? Bring in Living Designs anyway, a firm with a total arbitrary and opposite architectural design to REG's. Not any consistency in that.

You have two architects working on the beach with two different design perspectives (Mediterranean and Modern) and one artist, Michael Singer, who is left of green and who is definitely ultra- modern. And he's still hanging around. Commissioner Golden felt sort of sorry for him for not making more money. Of course he will be making more money on this deal. Do you rally think he is hanging around for his health??

Commissioner Maxwell was right when he stated that it was a "flawed process" referring to the survey...mentioning the possibility of "stuffing the ballot boxes." However, instead of more charettes, I think that we have had ten years of time talking about the Casino and we are sick and tired of the stall. The City now will have endless charettes that will allow the public to screw it all up even further, packed with all those who have to have cisterns, solar panels, wind mills, etc. rather than just building a Casino that will attract international tourism...something spectacular, not a Picasso. One city-wide charette is enough if properly noticed. If people don't show up, so be it.

The survey is now closed and I would bet money that it was packed with survey takers who are friends of the "green" people, i.e, Commissioner Jennings. We will get a modern looking building at our beach when it is all over and done. Tourists travel all over the world to see historical buildings, not art-deco. Lake Worth gets in its own way.

In a nutshell- this is what your Commission as well as Lake Worth Staff did-- first by bringing in Michael Singer, an artist, and next allowing Living Design Group to become a party to the deal and to design our 19 acres, outhouses and all. This was not open, transparent nor was it a democratic process, Commissioners.

We have $4.5 million left on our beach redevelopment, a development that does not set well with many residents, and now this group wants to put in monolithic slabs instead of pavers and some modern looking outhouse. Can we at least get very tall trees and not those puny ones the city put in on 6th Avenue South? And don't dare screw up the Casino.

"The current plan for the beach is the first in two decades that reflects what the public wants at Lake Worth Beach - increased open space, improved park areas, 100 percent public access, shade and a surfer viewing area," Commissioner Cara Jennings said. I don't remember voting on this, Commissioner. A statement such as this is why I do NOT like politicians.

Last night Staff presented an idea to the FAB to eliminate decal parking.The next idea was to relegate decal permit holders to Old Bridge. We are the guys who pay the tab for the beach and now they want us to pay like any outsider. We have been paying on the Bond for years in our ad valorem and we pay the yearly maintenance, lifeguards, you name it--not those people who live out of the city of Lake Worth. And why is the beach fund now under $1 million? Where did the money go?

Beach Site Plan

Even though Mayor Rene Varela was responsible for Michael Singer, he and Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill recognize the importance of our beach redevelopment project including the Casino rehab to help turn around our City for its economic recovery.