All of us who go to the beach or drive down A1A have seen the clearing of land on the western side of AIA formerly known as the Steinhardt property. Betty Resch was the attorney for the Stenhardts who years ago leased this property from the City of Lake Worth in order to build.
Read about it...
Steinhardts voluntarily terminate lease
Back on January 7, 2014, the suggested (I am still trying to get a copy of that agreement) 99 year lease with the County on the dry as well as the submerged land was approved to make this property a nature preserve. Former commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill had everything to do with this eventual occurrence.
The Steinhardt's wanted it called Steinhardt Cove. After objections from some residents who contacted their commissioners, the naming rights were removed from the Contract. The County is now occupying and developing the land and the deal was that after 20 years the city would go out on a referendum for the electorate to approve a 99 year lease. Or they could get around the 20 years minus a day by renewing them every 19 years and 364 days. Of course, by then this watchdog will be long gone.
Project Overview
• Restore habitat within 11-acre Jewell Cove site.
• Stabilize the shoreline and install access at Old Bridge Park.
Phase I (to be completed in June 2016)
• Remove invasive vegetation along shoreline (completed).
• Install over 700 feet of rock reef to stabilize the shoreline, while providing mangrove, marsh and oyster habitat.
• Place sand behind the created breakwater to form a mangrove planter and protect the shoreline.
Phase II (to begin in winter 2016)
• Install native maritime hammock vegetation along 1,100 feet of shoreline.
• Construct a new seawall, fishing pier/floating dock and associated landscaping at Old Bridge Park.
Project Partners
Palm Beach County, City of Lake Worth, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida
Inland Navigation District, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Interlocal Agreement with PBCounty. We have never received a signed agreement back from the County as of this date, May 9, 2016.
We did hear back from the County on what they're presently doing:
The site that we presently call Jewel Cove is indeed being transformed into a passive park highlighting native hammock species. There was, unfortunately, quite a significant population of invasive exotic vegetation on the site, but they have now all been removed in preparation for our extensive replanting work. A more detailed explanation of the project can be found here:
http://www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/erm/downloads/pdf/projectfactsheets/OldBridgePark_FS.pdf
but we would be happy to tour the site with you at any time during construction. At this point, our contractor is building some nearshore breakwater habitat and stone revetment to protect the site from further erosion. Once he has completed the work, we will be able to establish the trail and begin the planting.
Should you have any questions/concerns/suggestions, please feel free to call me.
Daniel Bates
Deputy Director
Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management
561-233-2445 pbcgov.org/erm facebook.com/PBCERM
4 comments:
I rented for many years from the Steinhardt's at 2560 S. Ocean Blvd just across the bridge. First the father and after his death his son, a judge took over. They had wrangled some way out complex legalities with the adjoining property on the beach side, so that the beach property condos (privately owned not Steinhardt's) owned our parking lot and Steinhardt owned theirs, and we renters had beach access. Quite a family. The condo owners on the beach had 20 year old bottles of champagne they had saved for the occasion of his(father's) death. Not easy people to deal with apparently.
Thank you Lynn for giving us this information.
There also used to be several people who camped in the woods there (most of the vegetation has been cleared because of the invansives). I think this is a positive.
Nice to see a park being improved instead of using it for commercial interest and destroy wildlife habitat. Of course this won't make up for JPP
Post a Comment