The commission had a lot to cover last night in its 5 hour meeting--
1. The contract with Street Outdoors regarding the modular news-racks was not renewed. We will no longer have to see billboard blight in our city. This is not the same as the billboards we see along I-95 that we will have to see for another 17 years or so, perhaps forever. Why the city ever allowed modular newsracks ten years ago is a mystery as no revenue came to Lake Worth.
2. Mural removal. The property owner must agree to remove a mural at their sole expense in the event that it becomes deteriorated and no longer satisfies the terms of its approval. The P&Z and Historic Preservation boards have sole authority to approve murals, not the commission--just another thing off their table.
3. The Trojan House (first Chamber of Commerce building from 1912) will be bought by the city for a total of $40,000 that includes demolition, an historic building that was allowed to rot. Not one comment was made by any commissioner about an historic building being allowed to decay to the point of demolition. We just celebrated our 100th birthday with fanfare but another historical building bites the dust. Although we received some vacant parcels from the High School in exchange for this building back in 2004, the parcels were a donation to the school...the school had no actual cash in the game according to an historian. No money ever changed hands. Former Commissioner Bo Allen was the broker involved and he stated that he was receiving no money for the transaction..."he could have sold it but it was all for the children."
Former Lake Worth Commissioner, Bo Allen
4. There were six Second readings under Public Hearings that all passed--a few are: A) Allow the Planning and Zoning and Historic Preservation Boards to approve proximity waivers for consumption on premises and for the City Commission to have final approval for package alcohol sales. It was stated that all restaurants that have a bar are allowed to have a waiver. So why doesn't the city simply change that section and not have these types of properties subjected to waivers to begin with? C) The old FEC warehouse that was never used by the FEC, later sold to a private individual and eventually donated to the city, was declared a local historic landmark. There will be an historic overlay for the property. It's all about government grant money but the reason for the designation has never been given. D) Construction hours passed--8 to 7 and no work on Sundays. The vote was 4/1 with the mayor dissenting as she said she had 2nd thoughts on this. Her husband was or had been in construction and they start early because of weather. E) Public rights-of-way restrictions--would limit the transaction of business in the vehicular rights of way and on other public property.
5. Spent one million dollars in a wink of an eye. This Commission's big dream is to develop the Park of Commerce as a shovel ready light industrial, research and development park to serve not only Palm Beach County but also the Gold Coast Region. Please note that the commission had previously voted on an affordable rental project to be built at the corner of Boutwell and Lake Worth Road in the Park of Commerce. Build it and they will come. Last night they approved to spend $644,120 on the engineering and design phase. Directly following that vote was the one to spend $349,930 on Mathews Consulting to assure that everything the engineering firm was doing was right and on time. Of course, the engineers have probably worked for the City for 50 years or more. City Manager Bornstein referred to it as a "tremendously significant vote"...they were brave or words to that effect and that the commission should be commended. I guess it is brave to spend money that you don't have and no guarantee that the Plan will be voted in by the electorate. We will be spending over $11 million there. How long will it take to make-up that investment from ad-valorem from businesses that locate there?
6. The most shocking item on the agenda was the budget Amendment for $12.5 MILLION dollars. They are moving all that money into operations for 2014. Supposedly it is for capital carry forward projects and accelerating other capital projects (probably the Park of Commerce is included here...no commissioner asked about that but then, it's their desire to develop it). And we have wondered through the years where all the"missing" money went.
7. Certain fees were omitted in the Beach Complex Special Events Fees section and this vote was for all charges for city events..
8. The submerged land and the 99 year lease with the County was approved to make this property a nature preserve. After objections from some residents who contacted their commissioners, the naming rights was removed from the Contract. The County will occupy and develop the land (the city was ready and willing to give over control of its property--they like to do things like that), and after 20 years the city will go out on a referendum for the electorate to approve a 99 year lease. This is one way to get around illegal 99 year leases....keep renewing them every 19 years and 364 days.
6 comments:
As the commission went around the intent of the less than 20 year lease referendum that is law, do you think they pulled another fast one? Is what they did legal? Is it ethical?
if you remember a few years ago the city's sidewalks were congested with hundreds of nasty unregulated newsracks for both free and paid publications. the city wanted to clean up the newsrack blight by a city ordinance thereby regulating the placement and amount of newsracks throughout the city on city ROW. the modular newsrack program was started to clean up and regulate the problem. The managment of the publishers and distribution of the publications was a FREE service to the city.....the city did not incur any cost to build, install, maintain and manage the program. The revenue generated from the advertisement on the back of the newsrack (only local businesses were allowed to advertise) was used to fund the program. I just hope now we dont start seeing all those plastic, metal, wood, nasty newsracks start to pop up again.
During a break, I asked the rep from the County why he thought the city would turn over its land to them. When I asked if it was because of their resources, contacts and grants ability, he said "yes." I always want to know why people do what they do as we could have done the same thing ourselves and kept control of this property. This subject NEVER came up by the commission or the city administration.
Where there is a will, there's a way and this commission continues to find a way. Remarkable. There are too many bars and if we don't want anymore regardless if one is attached to a restaurant, why do we have to have another one? Why can't the commission do something about it. Change the ordinance. No will. It's all politics and they don't want to appear business unfriendly. Isn't there an election coming up?
I would have to listen to the tape but I vaguely recall Mr. Waters saying it was state law, that we had to allow a restaurant to have a bar. I thought bars, by law, had to serve food. Wasn't that what Mojito's did? Was Mojito's before his time? So, essentially anyone who sells liquor, beer, wine are allowed to operate in our city?
this commission really believes it's doing something.It is the worst commisison in history.
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