UPDATE: Shuffleboard Charette canceled til further notice
Soon there will be no more shuffleboard courts--just another part of our history wiped out. This all started with a past commission that allowed our building to be trashed and taken over by illegals. Then it was determined by the city manager that it would be too expensive to refurbish or replace the courts that had been there for decades and had been used for a urinal, cigarette butts and other abuses by people who came for that free lunch on government money.
One city commissioner recently got defeated and the mess at the Shuffleboard Courts Building was just one of the reasons. Now the city says that the building will be used for the recreation department...that the courts are coming out. Ooops, but I thought shuffleboard was a recreation. Read my blog from October 10, 2011 that may change the minds of elected officials on getting rid of our courts. I sent it to them last month but who knows if they ever read anything. It would be nice to hear back from at least one commissioner on anything..."Lynn, I agree or disagree with you and here are the reasons." They never let me know; they won't commit; no commission ever does. It is one of the first things they learn in Being a New Commissioner 101..."Don't return calls and never, never, put anything in writing."
The city manager says, The City of Lake Worth's Leisure Services Department will be hosting a community meeting to discuss potential recreational programs and amenities for the newly re-modeled Lake Worth Community Center formerly known as the "Shuffleboard Courts Building." The first thing you can do is to stop re-naming our buildings!
The City has scheduled a Charette, to provide an open forum for recreational opportunities and programming, tomorrow at 6pm (Tuesday November 29th), at 1121 Lucerne Avenue, (Shuffleboard Court Building) where interested residents can come and make suggestions on their vision for the center and hear the voices of the community. Please come and take part in this important community meeting and let us have your thoughts.
Unfortunately this conflicts with the benefit Centennial Fashion Show at the Lake Worth Playhouse by the Lake Worth Women's Club that I will be attending. Perhaps there will be someone else there speaking for the courts, the seniors and our history.
Hey Lynn, I'll be at the meeting tomorrow. I'll try to get some answers for you.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Lake Worth and feel great nostalgia for it and have fond memories of seeing the old men in their plaid pants playing shuffleboard. On one of my last visits to Florida I drove by the courts with the intention of figuring out if it was possible to play a game and I was so scared of the dodgy characters that were loitering there I just kept driving. I was sad I didn't feel safe enough to even get out and look around to reminisce!
ReplyDeleteLynn- what is the latest on the courts?
ReplyDeleteRight now it is on hold. It will be up to this new "visionary" commission as to what happens next. I was asked by someone on staff if I would consider a compromise. I have always said that I would. However, I have nothing to do with it. They really need to take a poll of the people. They had some sort of meeting there a little while back but it conflicted with something else I was doing that night so I haven't heard a word about what transpired or if there was any outcome.
ReplyDeleteJust forgot--that charette was canceled!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynn. I gave your email address to a reporter writing about shuffleboard.
ReplyDeleteWe'd love to have you join our Save Our Shuffleboard group on Facebook:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/328293583758/