Following in the footsteps of our former Mayor Jeff Clemens who voted to give away some of the City's most valuable assets and resources (Remember our water and burning $15 million?) as well as eliminating our police and fire to go with PB County, Rene Varela, Mayor of Lake Worth, now has been working behind the scenes for the possibility of "giving away" our City Annex building, worth over $2 million, to Palm Beach County, details unknown.
Those in the know say that the motivation behind the give-away of this valuable building is to save our Museum. It is easier just to give stuff away than to cut waste and find the money to keep our treasure, the Lake Worth Museum, estimated at a cost of around $50,000 per year to maintain.
With the 100th year anniversary of our City just a few years away, the Museum is important to all of us. Giving away our historical building to achieve this end is a radical solution and is not the answer. People who have lived here for years want to preserve our history and keep our buildings.
"If the Mayor continues on with this, we all will be buying him his one way ticket out of town. If he really cares about Lake Worth, he will resign now," said John Jordan, former candidate for Mayor.
No way will this ever happen.
ReplyDeleteIt is highly unlikely that our Commissioners,who will continue to make Lake Worth home long after Mayor Varela is gone,will approve a giveaway of our historic Old City Hall to PB County.
ReplyDeleteWhen we passed our Public Land/ Public Vote Charter Amendment in 2005, Mayor Varela had not yet made it into town; his back room negotiation with the County to give away our patrimony will have to be approved by a public vote in order for it to be effected.
Laurence
Geeez you guys.... we just gave away our beach to the County for a measly $5 million so that THEY can dictate how and where we allow our own citizens to park as owner's and maintainers of the beach.
ReplyDeleteWhy not give them the Annex AND City Hall. Then there can be no preferential parking for the Commissioners 24 hrs 7 days a week. Any citizen would be allowed to park in any space.
If the beach was not a give away, why would the annex be different?
The beach WAS a give-away and the agreement is in effect for 30 years. Rotten deal for "green." The next question is--if we can't afford to maintain anything, then why not de-annex and go into the County. We could then eliminate Lake Worth taxes all together. Another terrible idea but I wouldn't be surprised if someone suggested it or even considered it.
ReplyDeleteI heard this rumor that he was trying to figure out what artifacts were worth preserving.
ReplyDeleteThey are all worth preserving, aren't they?
ReplyDeleteWhen a person is born with nothing worth saving,in its' past,
ReplyDeleteno respect for others' worthwhile of saving Historic architectural and other valuable treasures,
can be expected.
Such element is like vermin, it leaves no heritage!
Hit and run characters get the disrespect they sow!
Dee McNamara
Just who in the hell does this man think that he is?!? This is not his personal property to play with. What gives this jerk with the hugely inflated ego the right to do back door negotiations without the real property owners(the citizens of lake Worth)permission or knowledge?Did city staff help with this back door deal?The employees,who work for US,need to be publicly reprimanded, along with Varela.Shame on the city manager if she thought that this was in ANY WAY PERMISSIBLE !!!!Just who has been pawing through all of the things in our museum? Has anything been stolen? These items were donated from the early residents of our town. ALL of the items in our museum are valuable . They are pieces of the history of Lake Worth! Rene get your arrogant ass out of my town. Go live with your wife.Hopefully she isn't having second thoughts about you joining her. We certainly don't want to get stuck with you !
ReplyDeleteyou are all way off. Nothing new here - rumors fly without any fact checking. The Historical Society has been calling the CM to talk about the possibilityo of the move which would include payments and a complete redo of our historic treasure. No need to call back Susan. lets just let this opportunity pass us by like the others. We will comtinue to demonize everyone that is not from Lake Worth and let our values continue to drop.
ReplyDeleteWho told the PB Historical Society to contact the CM? What does demonization have to do with anything? What does this have to do with property values? Why don't you come up with the $50 thous and save our museum? Why would they want to "redo our historical treasure?" What's in it for them? You sound like someone in the know--fess up. Give us the facts then and put the rumor to rest.
ReplyDelete