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On Tuesday, there is a special city commission meeting 6pm City Hall to discuss all the RFP's that have been received in order for the Commission to choose a new power provider. This will be an awesome responsibility. Click on legal opinion relative to this issue.
As I petition, I have had a few residents complain about the high cost of utilities, primarily electric. One guy said his bill was $500 a month. They are looking for the city to do something and relieve them from these costs. I briefly explain the FMPA situation and that we are in the process of contracting with a new provider. This calms them down.
Another observation during my walks is that the City has become more blighted than ever to the point that it was shocking and rather upsetting to me personally. It is affecting all neighborhoods. Something has to be done about this problem or we will never be able to move forward no matter how many new houses or townhouse are built. Realizing that we are a poor city, living in filthy conditions has nothing to do with the lack of money. Elbow grease is free. Soap is cheap. Paint is not that expensive. Yards look like crap because we cannot water but once a week. Weeds have taken over. Hedges and bushes are over-grown from neglect. Building more affordable housing is not the answer.
And building our commercial district higher is not the answer. Infrastructure as well as services will be costly and every taxpayer in the city will be paying.
Last evening, while strolling the Avenue, the slum and blight has affected our wonderful downtown to a point that I had to wonder why anyone wanted to come here. Cigarette butts, trash and debris all over the place...on the sidewalks and on the streets. The walkways are filthy. Why don't shop and restaurant owners routinely go out a clean their areas several times a day? Are they all of the mindset too that we like shopping in filth as well as living that way? How are we going to keep the tourist dollar in our downtown? This situation is of serious proportions and growing worse daily.
Can we ever get the CRA do fulfill its mission and curb slum and blight, something it has never addressed or changed since it was formed?
18 comments:
Lynn, right on point & well said. (Door-to-door campaigning is exhausting but enlightening!)
RE: SLUM & BLIGHT – See the CRA, that’s their mission. They’ve failed miserably. Their solution is “shiny new things” like the Gateway Project (an expensive failure & traffic jam.) Now NSP2 (build it fast, who cares what it looks like) –that venture to be determined in 5-10 years, so far it’s all hype. If CRA spent those millions fixing up what’s already there, putting teeth into code enforcement for slum landlords, helping impoverished longtime homeowners, educating new immigrant residents, etc… who knows, they might have found a plan that actually works!
While I'm at it, why not remove downtown from the CRA district, so the city can get those tax dollars directly?
RE: ELECTRIC RATES – We’re on the right track at last, exiting FMPA, but let’s not go too far. Selling to FP&L is a terribly idea –it’s giving away our biggest asset with no guarantee of lower rates in the long run. Plus, makes FP&L even more of a monopoly than ever! See the recent headlines:
FPL wants to raise base rates for businesses up to 28 percent
(Posted: 1:27 p.m. Sunday, July 8, 2012, By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer)
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/fpl-wants-to-raise-base-rates-for-businesses-up-to/nPpNq/
Opposition to FPL base rate increase spills across political spectrum
(Posted: 11:22 a.m. Friday, June 22, 2012, By Susan Salisbury, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer)
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/business/opposition-to-fpl-base-rate-increase-spills-across/nPcWJ/
The blight in Lake Worth is horrible, but with a he said she said attitude from those who want to see it better is just plain confusing. Stop the blaming Lynn, and let's get it fixed. Why is the Code Department not doing their job??? And why are the fines not being paid? The city should make a policy of Foreclosing on properties, and instead of giving them to the CRA, sell them to people at a fair market rate that will have pride in home ownership, and take care of the property..
The blame lies with the property owner, the resident an/or the tenant. I will NOT stop mentioning what I believe to be the problem.
Lynn,
You should set an example and start walking the streets picking up trash. One person can make a difference.
Well, what I am talking about here Mr. Cuteness, is everyone take care of his/her own property...were they live or work downtown. I take care of where I live. Everyone should follow that example. :)
This is not Obama's socialistic agenda where everyone else takes from the few who do.
As a CRA member, and speaking only for myself, I believe we are concentrating on the most blighted area (bordered by 10th Ave No and 7th Ave South, Dixie and A Street) and are very busy with administering the HUD NSP2 program that I believe is accomplishing noticeable results in those neighborhoods. I agree that most people don't travel much into the blighted areas so it is surprising to see the extent of neglect and damage the housing collapse and our high rental ratio cause. As far as private property is concerned, we have no control and rely heavily on code enforcement, which in turn, is governed by statutory requirements of notice and procedure. Collection of fines is another story. Often, the fines accumulating reach the value of the property and higher and therefore must be reduced at some point if we ever expect to see the property sell. And then, if the fines are too high, it is not worth buying, so it sits. Eventually, maybe the city receives the property in lieu of the fines and now must do something with it.
You say they shouldn't give it to the CRA. Selling it for fair market value doesn't guarantee redevelopment.
I have concentrated my efforts on the board at making sure we meet our deadlines for the expenditure of the NSP2 grant funds. HUD will keep the funds if we don't meet those deadlines and Lake Worth can use all the help that $23.2 million spent in those neighborhoods can get.
So I disagree with Anon above that we have failed miserably. The CRA has done very well following the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council's "Redevelopment Plan" for Lake Worth published in February 2001. In it you'll find strong recommendations for the re-working of 6th Ave South and 10th Ave North and bringing a grocery store to the Downtown. So on those three counts, miserable failure doesn't seem to fit.
While I had nothing to do with those projects, seeing them accomplished was a reason I applied to be a member of this proactive and productive board.
The CRA is a driving force also through the Downtown area with projects that have helped business owners with matching grants for facade improvements which are noticeable, but don't necessarily have the CRA logo on them.
CRA's are a very important tool within cities that can force desired effects in targeted areas. Look at Delray, West Palm (they have 3 CRA's) and to a lesser extent Boynton.
I welcome ideas and criticism of the CRA's operation and I'm happy to discuss any projects, past, present and future with anyone who wishes to contact me. I can be reached at 561-719-6696 or bguthrie@lakeworthcra.org
I would also like to invite everyone to attend our next new owner occupied home dedication July 14th, 9:30 am. We have 4 new home owners taking residence in our town in July and it always an uplifting event. One of the best things about being a member of the CRA.
Bernard (Chip) Guthrie
The NSP2 program is not making a dent in the slum and blight.
To the person who just tried to post here along with his political BS, don't bother. Thanks.
You are right on Lynn, the CRA sucks, they have since they started. They just get all that tax money, but never accomplish their mission, it is an on going vicious cycle of corruption and greed ont he people running the CRA. It needs to be abolished, plain and simple, finish the 23 mill grant and then let the city take over all that money and come up with a new plan, no more CRA, they do not do what they should, really the mission of the CRA should be to eventually abolish itself anyway ince blight is cleaned up, but they do nto want it cleaned up, so they never do much, we have so many sidewalks between Lake and Lucerne from A to F Streets without sidewalks and you have to walk in the road, the CRA does not address simple things like this, it is a safety issue and it is and has been overlooked, the city looks like hell now, rusty light poles, dirty streets and sidewalks, the city looks shitty for its 100 year celebration. The CRA needs to be disbanned the city commission needs to be held accountable.
Not to also mentioned here the number of slum property owners we have in this city, some on the P&Z, look at the blight and boarded up and caving in building at 1306 Lucerne, looks like hell and the city Codes let them just leave this place looking like a dump, usually overgrown and looking like crap. The owner should be ashamed of himself. How can we respect slum owners like this that work the city so to keep their properties looking like crap and not having to make things look nice for all of us.
Chip, sorry, but the city needs to discontinue the CRA, it is not doing enough to justify its existence, we have so much blight and it has gotten worse, fix this city up, stop the waste and giving people jobs at the expense of us living in this dump of a city. You all on the CRA should be ashamed of yourselves for not doing what you are supposed to do, clean up the blight buddy!
Since the new CM took over the city has gone to hell, it looks awful, the streets are dirtier, the sidewalks are filthy, there is rust on the light signal poles, many of the buttons to cross streets do not work, there is a lot of illegal dumping and it is all overlooked, the street sweeper is not coming around like it used to. Where is the Codes Office, why aren't they out there making all these slum owners comply and clean up their hell holes? The city looks very bad ever since this new CM took office, I am not impressed by his leadership, he needs to do more and clean this city up and listen to citizens better.
Thank you Lynn for your blog and honesty and allowing us to sound off about this blight and conditions of this city, the city has gotten a lot worse under the new leadership, just looks so bad now, look too at Lake Worth Road from Congress to the roundabout, the grass is so high, so overgrown, the gateway to our city and it looks awful. The leadership in this city has too much ego and not doing enough to improve the looks of our appearances. Thanks God for you and your blog, I hope they read this and do more. I agree, a little paint, and cleaning up and elbow grease can do miracles, this city leadership needs to stop the waste and get the job done, the blight has just escalated and it looks so bad. The CRA is not doing the job it is supposed to do, it has never done anything to clean up the blight, the money they gave for the Lucerne and that wasn't even in a blighted area of the city, what a waste. They need to focus on the area between A to Dixie from 6th South and 7th North, this is the worst and most blight part of our city, they need to clean it up. Will they ever? Will you Chip?
Thank you Lynn! I applaud your convictions for addressing this blight, it is one of our biggest problems in this city, unfortunately when people bring it up to our leaders they get shot down, God forbid complain about blight or crime and the leaders say you are negative or lying, they just don't get it. Do Amaroso, Maxwell, Triolo, McCoy, or Mulvhill think they will get re-elected if this city continues on its increase of all this blight here? None of them are doing enough. The city looks really bad now, we need stronger code enforcement, effective CRA, and the city employees using more elbow grease to clean this place up.
"The blame lies with the property owner, the resident an/or the tenant. I will NOT stop mentioning what I believe to be the problem."
God help us with the blight here in the City of Lake Worth please!
TRASH IS EVERYWHERE - LYNN IS RIGHT - JUST TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN FRONT YARD AND STREET! BUSINESSES PLEASE CLEAN UP THE BUTTS AND PIECES OF PAPER! YOU CAN HARDLY DRIVE DOWN A CITY STREET WITHOUT SEEING LITTER! FOR THE MOST PART THE TRASH IS JUST STEPPED OVER AND IGNORED! HEY NEIGHBORS, IS THIS HOW YOU LIKE TO LIVE? AFTER JULY 4TH I PICKED UP 52 ITEMS ON LAKESIDE DRIVE AND THE CROSS STREET - BEER & SODA CANS, PLATES, GLASSES, CUPS AND FULL DIAPERS! I DON'T GET IT; YOU COME TO A NICE AREA WITH CLEAN STREETS AND THEN THROW THE GARBAGE YOU DO NOT WANT IN YOUR CAR ONTO THE STREET! WHAT PART OF 'THIS IS YOUR CITY' DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
Do you know that cigarette butts are the number one form of litter? I see so many who smoke here, just throw their butts all over the =streets and sidewalks, they think it is "their" right to litter our city and world. I hate smokers, drinkers, and those who do not assume responsibility for their actions that hurt others. Put your butts in your ashtray and garbage, not on our earth/land please!
Let's address the high cost of electricity portion of the header. How it affects the slum and blight. When potential buyers of our "very affordable" properties, one question sure to come up is "how much do your utilities cost?" Another is about the quality of our schools. That's another discussion.
Tonight, the Commission will meet to discuss the bids for those wishing to provide us with power after we exit from FMPA.
Ideally, we would all like to pay what FPL customers pay for electric, because FPL happens to consistently be the lowest cost power provider in the State.
That isn't going to happen, unless we decide to sell our entire operation to FPL.
That isn't going to happen either.... at least not at this point.
So how do we lower our cost substantially so that we can at least come close to FPL's rates? First, we must understand that what has happened over the past MANY years, is that we have shifted much of the City's costs to be covered by the Utility Revenue. This was a slippery slope and it got steeper as time went on with little to stop the slide.
The City's budget is supplemented to the tune of over $9 million dollars a year by the rate payers of Lake Worth Utilities.
If we could cut that amount and shift it back where it belongs, WHERE EVERY OTHER CITY IN PALM BEACH COUNTY does, (advelorum taxes) our electric rates would drop back to being competitive with, while still higher than, FPL.
The big question is where do we find the leadership to ween the City from Utility revenue?
As 1 of these people that live in the new Habitat for Humanity affordable housing. I think that is a great opportunity for good honest clean people to have homes.But linen 1 of your earlier post you said that the fact that 1 of us not Paying extra interest in our mortgage helps it was my understanding that the interest went to the banks.It is my understanding as well that is at home owners all of us pay taxes.Do more things need to be done in the City of Lake Worth ? Yes
Do people need to speak out a public meetings? Yes. Do individuals homeowners residence and tenon need to clean up after themselves.yes. What a homes does Habitat for Humanity and the NSP2project Allow homeowners who haven't been able to qualify for traditional mortgages because of the housing crisis Received pay mortgage and live in a community that they can help raise up.You may not think so but this is what I think though and I really respect the fact that you're able to say what you want on your blog.I love to hear people talk about it at public meetings.
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