No sooner does the City of Lake Worth lease out the Shuffleboard Court Building rent free to the CRA for the promotion of culture and arts with the City paying for water, gas, electricity, cable, trash collection removal and any other utilities that perhaps they forgot to mention in the Lease, when the CRA puts out this press release:
CRA seeking tenants for new Arts Centre
The
Lake Worth CRA is seeking a non-profit arts or cultural based
organization to sublease space at the Shuffleboard Courts Building
located at 1121 Lucerne Avenue. Overall management should be provided by
the organization submitting a proposal while administration for the
building will be provided by the CRA. The length of the sublease will be
one year, with an option to lease for an additional year. The CRA is
seeking one responder for varying activities both day and night to
provide the public with multiple options for arts and cultural education
and enhancement. Organizations with multiple programs may submit
singularly or may make accommodations for other groups to use the space
as they deem appropriate.This is the same concept of what the Living Arts Foundation, Inc. is using at our city owned building at 1105 2nd Avenue South. It's all about government grants. The CRA is great at spending government money and even has its own grant writer. On the other hand, the City excels in handing off city owned buildings to entities for $1 a year. Out of sight, out of mind.
According to the Lease, neither the tenant or the landlord may assign, mortgage, pledge, or encumber the Lease in whole or in part, without the other party's prior written consent. It only took the CRA and the City a few weeks to be somewhat transparent with the public as to their intent.
What ever happened to the CRA's mission of eradicating slum and blight?
This is called project management. Some people or entities are good at a specific task, such as operating an art program. Some people or entities are great at managing those with special skills. So far, the CRA has proven to be the best organization in PBC that manages projects, recognizes the special skills of others, and makes things happen. You've been complaining the shuffle courts have been unused, wasted, and been a haven for vagrants for years now, why not give the CRA a chance to turn that around before you wish for and predict failure?
ReplyDeleteThe CRA has had chances to do a lot of things in Lake Worth. However, slum and blight is one they forgot about. Spending other people's money they do well. Turning govt buildings over to non-profits because the city will not invest one dime in maintaining them, is lame. And what's lamer is spending $$$ on renovations, parking lot and new roof, and then handing over the property. We wanted to retain the courts.
ReplyDeleteThis is really about keeping the public in the dark in just about everything they do these days.
Probably on the agenda which has not been posted YET (Rules and Procedures say we should see it by Friday before, noon I think.) The city meeting is on the calendar but there is NO AGENDA POSTED!
ReplyDeleteLynn, John Szerdi gets it because Andre Duany told him (5.17.13) about the Orwellian term Subsidiarity:
“We design who makes what decision and when”. “The Principle is: the smallest party that can competently make it, let’s decide as little as possible now and download to others later…because they’ll be more competent to do it”.
So what there was a community meeting where the people wanted the shuffleboard courts! Grant is the winner and we the people get to pay the handling fee's because there are smarter people than US who know better than US but really are regurgitating the SAME UN PLAN! Think we'd at least get a discount for the repeat - just add city name and address!
Go to ANY CITY IN THE WORLD and see the EXACTLY THE SAME TOD Plan!
My friends from Finland know what "Mixed Use/Smart Growth" is and guess what - it ALL Empty there too!
Anyone keeping up on China's Ghost cities? Build it and they will come is no joke! Andre CONFIRMED it in front of 4 counties reps at the TCRPC! YOU ARE COMING OUT OF YOUR CAR AND INTO STACK AND PACK HOUSING!
Thank You CRA - The UN couldn't have destroyed the US with out you and ICLEI! (Energize Lake Worth - Pg. 9 3.0 APPROVED and ready to implement)
Seems like we should elect the CRA and let them appoint the Commissioners for US!
Too screwie for even me! Hey artists - how does everybody same same work w/creativity?
Perhaps you are getting too big and might be the next special interest group to fall out of favor....
ReplyDeleteLynn, aren't many of the people on the CRA Board your friends? Like Ozzie? Can't you find out why they don't do more about the slum and blight? Interview them, ask them to write a guest column or blog for you explaining all of what they are doing and how they are addressing blight in the CRA district. In 20 years have they really done anything about all the slum and blight? Lynn, do you really thing they should even keep the CRA intact?
"What ever happened to the CRA's mission of eradicating slum and blight?"
I keep hearing about our artists in lake worth, are you really talking about the con-artists--
ReplyDeleteSwim, lil Les, swim! One day soon you'll be swimming with the big girls!
ReplyDelete