Years ago under Mayor Rodney Romano, holes were jackhammered in the Lake Worth Casino building. Word had it that the government was trying to justify why the building should be demolished. Sweet deals for friends.
Now in yesterday's news, the City is removing the shuffleboard courts. We have had courts for 80 years. It doesn't matter--treat the seniors like crap. The City has been doing that all along to 14% of its population. The voting block of Seniors who are retired, with most of them with resources, is significant--they always vote. They don't cost the city nor do they destroy property; they just don't have the fight in them to put up with politics and bad decisions. They expect we "younger" folks to pursue what's right.
The City eliminated their transportation with the trolley that was costing the City around $165,000 a year--big deal. There are some who say, "Well, let them walk." That's the argument for eliminating 160 upper level parking spaces at the beach. Next it was the Senior Center where they came to play bridge, read, buy lunch, have some camaraderie. They kicked the Seniors out and gave the building to Compass, another voting block of similar proportions but these people are younger and they still know how to fight for rights and for what they want.
Mayor Varela, speaking about the Shuffleboard Court Building is quoted as saying: "Our new recreation facility will serve as green space and activity space for residents (this includes illegals, the very same people who destroyed it) from kindergarten to the elderly." Trust me, Mayor, it will NOT be the elderly driving or walking there to sit on "green." Is this one of the promises to "force change" before you leave town? He did promise to leave certain residents out in the cold when he first took office--a promise now fulfilled.
Joe Kroll, Public Works Director, said that "use of the shuffleboard courts had dwindled," thus justifying this action. Use has dwindled because of the deplorable conditions of the courts. Public Works NEVER took care of this asset. The Mentoring Center never took care of our property. Now the City, once again, would rather just get rid of it. In the mind of Staff, it is the expedient and most cost effective thing to do.
The real reason for jackhammering and taking out the courts is that the illegal population who utilized our building when The Mentoring Center had the Lease attracted those who destroyed our property and The Mentoring Center is responsible for its condition. The City, for some odd reason, is reluctant to go after them for these repairs. To rebuild all those courts would cost the City money that they do not wish to spend. What cost did Joe Kroll give to the city manager for shuffleboard courts? Remember the roof? That cost estimate was totally out of whack.
At our condominium community, we have had tournaments with those who participated at the Shuffleboard courts. We have 6 courts here and we maintain them. If we didn't, we would have people screaming bloody murder and those in charge would be accused of nonfeasance and booted.
It is a sad day for Lake Worth when the City can decide, on its own, to eradicate its history-- from the Commission agreeing to closing the Museum and to other decisions out of the Sunshine like shutting down the Annex? and now jackhammering our shuffleboard courts.
Commissioner Scott Maxwell is correct when he says, the Commission should debate the issue. In fact, the public should have a right to speak on it too. This sounds just like another Bryant Park fiasco.
Will the Commission continue to allow its power to be transferred to Staff?
I am confused. When did the Commission vote to change the use of this City property? Can the City Manager on her own decide these type of issues. If she can, is it than possible for her to decide we no longer need the boat ramp at Bryant Park, we no longer need the ball fields, etc. The real reason why no one used these courts is that they did not want to be in what every one knows is a "foreign country". We can thank Golden, Jennings and Clemmins for that.
ReplyDeleteI believe your analogy is correct. The private meetings every week with the CM should cease now. Too many issues are being decided out of the Sunshine. Nothing is open and transparent. This is OUR property and Staff should never be dictating change. IMO
ReplyDeleteThat building is historic, just like the casino building. If we didn't get to vote on how best to save the casino, why should we have any input into the shuffleboard courts and building there. We never even saw any comparison of build new vs remodel. We DID vote on building height limits but a handful of power grabbers changed that. Now, thanks to the "greatest Commission ever" we can "remain" a low rise community.
ReplyDeleteAll for low rise community. That's what the voters said.
ReplyDeleteWe did get a voice on the Casino.
ReplyDeleteThere were charettes after charettes and it went on for years. Everyone had the opportunity to speak at City Hall--and then contact the Commission, etc. with your thoughts and concerns and eventually take the Survey. The residents were asked to engage. So your sarcasm is wasted here.
The senior center moved to a larger more efficient county building out on Lake Worth Rd. No body "kicked them out" as you claim.
ReplyDeleteThe courts were in very bad condition and we players were forced out of there. The south of the border people were rude and it was an unpleasant experience to go there and find trash, empty cans and all all over the courts. As you say, Lynn, the city is doing nothing to stop the illegal population in our city. It is not enforcing anything. Blight is terrible. They should restore the building and the courts and have someone there overseeing the property. Until we get rid of this problem, we will always have it. Nothing will get better. In the meantime, we all suffer for the disgusting habits of all these south of the border people.
ReplyDeleteThe "best commission ever" is fully responsible for the fiasco at the shuffleboard courts including wasting money the city didn't have there and for ignoring the growing city wide blight which is Lake Worth's #1 problem. Not the R.O. plant and not the beach. But a problem that has been ignored by your favorite city manager and the "best commission ever".
ReplyDeleteCare to reconsider? The contradictions to your proclamations are mounting daily.
It is most unfortunate that a past commission voted in a Lease for The Mentoring Center. This Commission, along with the City manager, ended the Lease and they are out of there.
ReplyDeleteCharrette after charrete didn't accomplish diddly. An effort in futility designed to make people think their opinion matters. I'll be the first to admit that I did not attend any charrettes. Please tell me what design option was adopted at the charrette. If it was determined to make the old dilapidated building look like it did before, where's the tunnel? Where's the section "bath house" that extended from what is now John G's back door towards A1A? How about how we come across financing? Was that discussed?
ReplyDeleteDid YOU see any documentation of the cost to tear down and build new vs rehabbing? I didn't. What about several engineers and a state licensed Building Official condemning the building as unsafe?
Let's warm up the "I told you so"s.
My sarcasm doesn't even come close to the abject disdain the commission had for us TAX PAYERS when WE opposed the illegal hiring hall. Oh, so now that the project turned out to be a dismal failure..... like WE TOLD THEM IT WOULD BE.... we should just let it go? Some times, Lynn, us taxpayers are right. Sometimes those of us who work construction and understand it are right. Silk purse/sow's ear.
http://lynn-a.blogspot.com/2009/10/casino-is-structurally-sound-says.html
ReplyDeleteI agree, sometimes we ARE right and I believe that we who are involved do have legitimate arguments. And sometimes it takes an arm and a leg to move mountains and to prove that some who work in construction do NOT have all of the answers just like the City does not have them nor does the Commission. The tunnel was closed decades ago because people were hanging out there selling drugs. Stanton and Carr have both talked about the financing. The design is on the city web site.
As far as the illegal hiring hall is concerned, Clemens was the convincing one on the dais saying that we just HAD to have it in order to get them legally off our city streets. It sounded lame then--still does.
To the person above who said seniors were not kicked out of the senior center-they were indeed kicked out. A lot of us can't even get to the county facility and even if we drive a car, we liked it just fine where we were. We had no say in this.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue here,all the smoke and mirrors aside,is WHO DECIDED TO DO THIS? On whose authority was this done? There was NO chance for the public to have some input. This is the property of the taxpayers of Lake Worth. It DOES NOT belong to staff!It's about damn time that city staff and the Commission realize that this property IS NOT theirs to sell,destroy,lease,whatever. IT IS OURS!Yours and mine. Everyone reading this blog should be making their Commissioners AWARE of this fact.
ReplyDelete