Go to 1:25 for the beginning of the pool discussion and listen to public commentary that starts off the discussion on the pool.
I agree with Betty Resch--"It was the will of the city to to make it fail." It is unfortunate that the city drained it allowing the sun and the elements to further its deterioration. People are unhappy, rightfully so. Richard Guercio says the pool is beyond help. We could have fixed it at the time for $509,000 (we paid for the engineering study) but the city wanted it out of there. Michael Bornstein is behind this travesty from almost the day he was hired as Lake Worth city manager even calling it a "white elephant."
The city stopped funding our pool in 2018. It was never their desire to save it. Click here to go to the pool workshop of May 2017 and see the total repair costs by Kimley-Horn of $509,000 that included the locker rooms and the pool pump house.
Commissioner Omari Hardy: Says, we are a representative democracy and 1200 people signed a petition that they want the pool and want it opened. He is in favor of having the pool at the beach. He defended Commissioner Robinson from the city manager's remark for Robinson calling for a workshop on the penny sales tax. The CM said it was "ill advised." When is transparency ever ill-advised unless you are going to receive opinions for which you are in disagreement.
Our pool not that long ago
Mayor Triolo: She thinks we are in partnership with the county pertaining to our pool. No. We received $5 million to redo-our parking and the upper level area. The 30 year agreement had nothing to do with the pool in order to receive this county bond money that passed on a county-wide referendum that all Lake Worth taxpayers had been paying for. We never spent a dime on those renovations until the agreement was signed that included decal parking spaces for our residents negotiated by Cara Jennings that we, the city, paid for, not the county. The mayor says we can afford a pool at the beach and yes, the pool has been ignored for a long time. This dais is part of that problem. She said that we shouldn't be in every type of business when "we don't know what in hell we're doing." Why don't you direct the city manager to hire people in the know. And that is the problem--the beach park should be thought of as an amenity, not a business. She brought up residents starting a GoFundMe account to help offset the costs. They're already paying $40 million on a road bond.
Commissioner Andy Amoroso: No back-up on the agenda. Says we need parking up at the beach (and downtown) and to use some of the penny sales tax money. They need to come back with a penny sales tax conversation, not just on the pool. "We need to identify how to pay for it," he said.
Commissioner Scott Maxwell: With respect to the pool--"We don't embrace that amenity." He reminded us that it was a "regional beach." It has and always has been a regional beach. He doesn't understand that being a regional beach (people using it from all over the County and beyond) does not affect the county's participation in any funding of our casino or pool amenity or anything else. The casino and pool are NOT the beach. The county has no responsibility to us. We make our money on parking revenue and everyone visiting our beach pays. He accused a former commission for getting them into a mess at the beach. That myth continues. He, Triolo and Amoroso have had years to do something instead of letting the pool rot.
Mike Bornstein: Looking for direction from the dais, he said that having the workshop was ill-advised..."Not good to go into those things." Says they have spent $2.4 million on downtown parking. I wonder why he couldn't, from the beginning, invest money to maintain and repair our pool. He said, "The beach is a collection of decisions and they brought forth a series of options from competent help. City is ready to go on a design...As a government, they have to follow a process." Bornstein even goes after a former commission on the Casino. Just fix what we have, Mr. Bornstein instead of pie-in-the-sky money schemes to commercialize our beach park.
Commissioner Herman Robinson: Says he's not going to make a speech. He likes workshops. $14 million left on the penny sales tax. (Where did all the millions go?) Roads, our downtown and our casino park. He said that it is a county park. WRONG. Our beach park belongs to the City of Lake Worth. PERIOD. The county has no obligation to spend one dime there. He set the city manager straight and said that is why he called for a workshop--to give the city manager some direction and they need to understand what the city manager expects from them. Robinson is not thrilled in the way the penny sales has been spent thus far.
Just fix our pool and listen to the people.
And--over and above the $400,000 that we put into the pool repairs back then with Greater Bay, the State of Florida gave the city $250,000 with the stipulation that the pool remain open to the public. How many years has it been closed with no intention of ever reopening?
It seems that the mind-set is to just start all over by spending millions and building a new pool, etc. rather than repairing and maintaning what we have. That is the way in Lake Worth--always.
Our pool now--rapidly decaying
A Jim Finnegan photo
repair the damn pool
ReplyDeleteWe survived the closing of shuffleboard courts and we shall overcome the closing of the pool. Something should have been done during the building of the casino building but it wasn’t, bathrooms, locker rooms are 3rd world, the wall yikes.
ReplyDelete@8:55. We have no choice about the closing of the pool. It has been closed now for a very long time with the desire of this city to spend MILLIONS on building a new facility.
ReplyDeleteAt the time we built the casino, we borrowed this money from ourselves. The pool had been repaired with us spending tens of thousands of dollars. It would have been nice to re-do the locker rooms, etc at that time but even Commissioner Maxwell bitched about spending the $6 million in the renovations of our casino.
Closing the shuffleboard courts and handing over that building to the CRA was most unfortunate. It was used by an abundance of Seniors and residents. Closing the Senior Center and handing it over to Compass was unfortunate as well. This city is more concerned about illegals than Seniors. :) But you can't compare those two decisions to what's going on at our pool.
What they want to do is insane.
Woulda, shouda, couda. Tired of hearing about what the city, commissioners, city manager "did". Move on. The pool is not a viable toy anymore. Hearting that "so many" want it....until their wallets are impacted.
ReplyDeleteWhy do these yo yos keep messing around with our beach and casino. It has to make you wonder what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI see in the cm quotes he is waiting for direction from the dias.that didn't bother 'him' whenhe closed the pool.it diesnt look like the commission has any control.the whole damn city looks corupt
ReplyDeleteVOTE ALL THOSE BASTARDS WHO OBSTRUCT WITH FIXING THE POOL OUT, DEMAND FOR THE FIRING OF THE MANAGER! TAKE ACTION AND STOP ACCEPTING THEIR MEDIOCRITY, VOTE THEM OUT!
ReplyDeleteClose and demolish that pool and build one where more people can get to it without paying $3 per hour to park.
ReplyDeleteWhat tourist attraction in Florida builds something knowing it will lose money the minute it opens and will continue to lose money each and every day it remains open?
@2:01...It's a shame that you are so clueless about our pool...totally and utterly clueless. Your 2nd paragraph is so ridiculous it doesn't deserve a retort.
ReplyDeletethe city can get creative and devise a plan to let all those utilizing our pool to park at a minimum or get a parking pass or something. there is a way.
ReplyDeleteI am nowhere near clueless about our pool. Have yet to see any projections of revenue versus operating costs. My guess the reason is that you would be the clueless one.
ReplyDeletePlease enlighten us on how that monstrosity makes any financial sense and I will shut up. Please use dollars in your "retort".
As you are an anonymous poster, I don't have to take any time answering you...your credibility is in question.
ReplyDeleteI frankly don't have the time to go into all the ways that the pool CAN make money with the right direction.
As said, the pool is an AMENITY. No where does it say it has to pay for itself other than the "company line" being thrown around. It could make money in spite of one of our candidates saying marketing won't work. I say BS. You have to have some sense of history with this city and remember when this pool was filled to capacity and busy all of the time. Night swimming was a big success. It can be that way again. And I put my name to my comments.
Not everyone that lives here wants a pool at all let alone at the beach. I don’t like public pools and don’t use them so it doesn’t matter to me, but I do think the parking lot at the beach is already crowded and a pool elsewhere makes more sense at this point.
ReplyDeleteWow.... what a non-answer to pointed questions. I never implied that as an amenity is has to make money. The point of the post was for you or anyone to point out HOW it could make money with what type of direction.
ReplyDeleteTo wax nostalgic over a time long ago when the pool and bathhouse was a social gathering place is to deny that times are changing. General public don't use public pools like they used to. The existing pool in its configuration and location is a big white elephant.
All I'm saying is paint the rosiest picture you can for the financial feasibility for the pool in its current location and let people decide. Compare it to the bleakest picture for relocating it to the center of town West of the tracks where MORE kids would be inclined to learn to swim.
It would be MORE of this amenity if located closer to our population that will use it. Most likely won't lose as much money either. AND the space at our Beach Park could be better utilized for either passive parking where we really make money or green space for picnics or pavilions.
Posting anonymously allows the subject to be contemplated as opposed as to who is delivering the message.
@10:55...who is this, Tom?
ReplyDeleteMoving the pool costs a hell of a lot of $$$$.
The pool is in a perfect place...not more cement, Tom.
Listen to Richard Guercio, the only guy running with intellect and common sense.
xxoo