Lake Worth News and Information

Beth Johnston New Chamber Director

2010-05-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is pleased to announce its new Chamber Executive Director, Beth Johnston. She starts on June 1.

Ms. Johnston comes to us from the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, where she held several positions over the last 11 years, most recently as the chamber’s Executive Vice President. Prior to the Delray Beach Chamber, she worked at FedEx as a Sr. Quality Manager and an account executive.

“Beth brings experience, enthusiasm and leadership to this position. We are excited about the future of the chamber with her on board,” said Board Chair Jay Ellmyer.

She is eager to get to know and work with our members and local businesses. “The city of Lake Worth is filled with opportunity for business. I am thrilled to be a part of a team as dedicated to business as the members in Lake Worth,” she said.

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Jennifer Finnell

Director of Marketing and Communications

Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce

501 Lake Avenue

Lake Worth, FL 33460

voice: 561.582.4401 ext. 4

fax: 561.547.8300

jennifer@lwchamber.com

Lake Worth to Host Hurricane Symposium

2010-05-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: May 18, 2010

RE: Lake Worth to Host Hurricane Symposium

On May 25, 2010, the City of Lake Worth and Kevin Addison will be hosting a Hurricane Symposium in collaboration with WPTV Meteorologist Steve Weagle. The event will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Compass Building, located at 201 North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth.

All are invited to attend and learn how to prepare for hurricane season. For additional information on the symposium contact Kevin Anderson at 561-582-5162, or 561-601-2730.

For up-to-date hurricane information from the City of Lake Worth, tune into radio station AM 1690, sign up for TropicMail at www.lakeworth.org, call the Tropics Information Line at 561-586-1791 or visit the City’s official website at www.lakeworth.org.

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Neighborhood Meeting Tuesday May 11, 6:30 pm

2010-05-11T08:26:00.001-07:00

Date: Sunday, May 9, 2010, 11:47 PM

Reminder - Neighborhood Meeting Tuesday May 11, 6:30 pm at the Sunset Ridge Park pavilion near D Street

We are meeting to get input from the neighborhood on improvements being made to Sunset Ridge park. City staff will be there to go over the preliminary designs for the new pavilion, bathroom/concession stand, ADA sidewalks, parking, landscaping, lighting and playground surface. Originally I was told we had funding for new playground equipment, that was a mistake. We do not have funds for new playground equipment, but we will be moving the playground closer to the trees and getting a new playground surface.

Light snacks will be served and kids are welcomed to participate.

Please help spread the word to your neighbors! Thanks for participating in this exciting neighborhood project as we work together to improve our neighborhoods!

Best Regards,

Cara Jennings
Commissioner District 2
City of Lake Worth
584.2644

Dist. 14 (Lake Worth) PBSO Deputies to travel to Haiti

2010-05-11T07:49:00.001-07:00

May 11, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MA10-69

CONTACT: Media Relations 688-3080

Media Advisory

PBSO Deputies to travel to Haiti to assist local law enforcement in their efforts to rebuild in the aftermath of Killer Earthquake

On Thursday, May 13, 2010, Community Policing Deputies assigned to Lake Worth (District 14), will be traveling to Haiti to assist local law enforcement in their efforts to rebuild in the aftermath of the January 12, 2010 killer earthquake.

As we all know, the killer earthquake that ravaged the island of Haiti caused its government to suffer major set-backs and in particular, severe dislodgement of their police force. Consequently, Lake Worth deputies who serve a large Haitian community in the City of Lake Worth initiated a plan to assist the Haitian National Police and their families in one of the most impacted towns known as “Croix-Des-Bouquets.”

The goal of this project is to provide Haitian local law enforcement and their families’ assistance where ever they can.

This relief effort is being paid for by a donation from the Police Benevolent Association and the traveling deputies. There will be NO cost to PBSO or the City of Lake Worth.

Deputies are looking forward to this project as an act of goodwill, and to, among other things, inspire and encourage Haitians living in the city they serve and abroad.

If you are interested in interviewing the deputies traveling to Haiti please contact Media Relations at 688-3080 before Thursday, May 13, 2010.

Haitian Flag Day Ceremony

2010-05-06T13:23:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: May 06, 2010

RE: Haitian Flag Day Ceremony

On May 18, 2010, the City of Lake Worth will be hosting a Haitian Flag Raising Ceremony in honor of Haitian Flag Day. The event will take place at the Lake Worth City Hall, 7 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth at 9:30 a.m. The City of Lake Worth plans to use this ceremony as a time to pay tribute to the republic of Haiti, its brave people, and the many Haitian residents in the community.

Lisa Maxwell for Lake Worth City Commission District 4- 2010

2010-05-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Announcement Press Release (05/04/10)

Press Release

Release Date: May, 4th, 2010

Campaign on web at: www.lisamaxwell.org

Contact Campaign at: lisa.maxwell@lisamaxwell.org

Note: .PDF file attached

Lake Worth resident and community volunteer Lisa Maxwell will announce her campaign for Lake Worth City Commission at the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association Community Walk on May 16th at 4:00 P.M.

She is encouraging supporters to gather on bikes or on foot at Compass on Dixie Highway and 2nd Avenue where she will declare her candidacy. Ms. Maxwell is dedicated to providing great municipal services to all of our neighborhoods, ensuring that the needs and resources of the City are provided to each and every community in an equitable fashion.

At the event, Maxwell will announce her campaign’s web site www.Lisamaxwell.org, and its use of Twitter (as “Lisa Maxwell”) and presence on Face book. She will be accompanied by her dog Libby (7 years old).

Maxwell’s announcement will be a declaration for the 2010 race for the District 4 seat on the Lake Worth City Commission. The election is November 2nd.

“I love this community and feel the time is right for me to give back,” she says. “Civic involvement has been in my blood since my early memories of helping my parents volunteer for food and clothing drives in my home town.” “I hope some younger people will help my campaign; there ought to be a cycle to all of this.”

“I have benefitted in a million ways from this city. I purchased my home in 2002, one of the City’s original homes which is an historic rum-runner cottage. I have lovingly restored this home and am committed to maintaining our community’s charm and human scale.” “Lake Worth’s great institutions such as the Downtown, Library and Museum, the Municipal Beach, protected open space, and countless recreational opportunities for all ages make this a great place to live and work.” “Lake Worth may well be the most livable and green oriented community in South Florida, and I know I can play a role in ensuring that we preserve what is best about Lake Worth by making careful and informed decisions about our future.”

Maxwell, 48, is currently a consultant for the West Palm Beach Housing Authority, the Collins Center, and the Broward Principals and Assistants Association. After moving to Lake Worth, She soon began volunteering for the Lake Worth Historic Preservation and Planning and Zoning Board, to put her knowledge of land use, environmental, and planning laws into practice. As a member of the Board for three and ½ years, she helped lead the efforts to preserve our historic structures, improve our Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinances, and proved to be tough on Slum Landlords through the Nuisance Abatement Board.

Maxwell’s other community activities include the Urban Land Institute, United Way – Broward County, Palm Beach County Housing Leadership Council, Governors Commission on Growth Management, Broward County Charter Review Commission – Subcommittee on Affordable Housing, Regional Sustainability Committee, South Florida Regional Planning Council committees on housing, Women in Network, Pride Business Coalition, GLAD, Women’s Executive Leadership (WEL), Floridians for Better Growth, Smart Growth Coalition, Congress on New Urbanism, Board of Building Construction Trades, Senior Services Volunteer, Green Schools Coalition, Sustainability Council, Gold Coast Builders Association. Everglades and Wetlands Preservation Committee, Broward County Department of Environmental Protection Committee on wetlands preservation, Broward County Tree Preservation Board, South Florida Transportation initiative, Neighborhood Revitalization Network, Rio Vista Civic Association, South Palm Park Neighborhood Association, Lake Worth Kiwanis.

Raised in a suburb of Boston Mass, she attended the University of Mass/Amherst, earning a B.A. in Legal Studies and Political Science. In college, Maxwell was an active student leader, including service on the Judiciary Committee, member of the Radical Student Union, participated in the Nuclear Freeze Referendum, and volunteered at the Legal Aid office in Amherst.

Lisa enjoys traveling with, running, kayaking, and her far-too-infrequent ski trips with friends.

If you do not wish to receive further press releases from Lisa Maxwell for Lake Worth District 4 City Commission please reply to this email with "Remove me."

Political Advertisement paid for and approved by Lisa Maxwell for Lake Worth District 4 City Commission.

Adopted Bylaws for the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association

2010-05-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

The Board of Directors is proud to announce that we have officially and unanimously adopted Bylaws for the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association! To view/print/download a copy of these bylaws, please click here.

If you would like to print and complete a Membership Application, you may click here.

At the next meeting we will be announcing new elections for the two Director positions. The schedule will be as follows:

May 3rd - Regular Association Mtg - Nominating committee selected by Board of Directors - Membership Applications distributed.

June 7th - Regular Association Mtg - Nominating committee announces their nominees and anyone is allowed to nominate themselves for the Director position. Membership Application and dues collected.

July 12th - Election Meeting - Note that the meeting will be pushed to this date because of the 4th of July weekend preceding the first Monday of the month. Since some people may be out of town, we decided to hold the meeting the following week.

We would like to thank all of the residents for the ideas and feedback we have received over the last few months.

Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association Board of Directors -

Ryan Anderson, President
Sylvia Williams, Vice-President
Jessica Plotkin, Secretary/Treasurer
Javier Del Sol, Director
Robert Elliott, Director

May 11 Sunsetridge Park

2010-05-02T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Neighbors,

I will be hosting a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday May 11, 6:30pm and would love your participation! The meeting will be at the Pavilion near the playground at Sunset Ridge Park (near corner of D Street and 13th Ave North). The goal of the meeting is to have the families who use the park give input on the improvements we are making. Most importantly, we are buying new playground equipment and would love for the kids and parents to pick out their favorite design!

We have funding for: a new bathroom/concession stand, new playground equipment, new Pavilion, ADA sidewalks and lighting. Our grant writer and recreation staff will be there to go over the conceptual plans and collect your ideas.

Please help spread the word to other neighbors! I will be flyer-ing in the neighborhood next week, if you have time to help let me know. Thanks for participating in this exciting neighborhood project!

Best Regards,

Cara Jennings
Commissioner District 2

Lake Worth Lagoon 2010 Speaker Series

2010-04-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Friend of the Lake Worth Lagoon,

The Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative’s Public Outreach Working Group is pleased to announce the Lake Worth Lagoon 2010 Speaker Series. We are highlighting one presentation each month that relates to the Lagoon. View the brochure (PDF file) at http://www.lwli.org/pdfs/PublicOutreach/LWLSpeakerSeries_2010.pdf
or go to news and events at www.LWLI.org.

The next presentation in the Lake Worth Lagoon Speaker Series is:

FERTILIZE SMART! BEST PRACTICES FOR A BEAUTIFUL YARD
Date: May 1 (Saturday)
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Presented by Bill Schall, Horticulture Extension Agent, at the UF/IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service, Clayton Hutcheson Building,
Exhibit Hall A, 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach.

Questions? Call (561) 233-1725.

Learn how to protect the Lagoon and other water resources while creating and maintaining a beautiful yard.

Please share with others who may be interested.

All the best,

Alyssa Dodd

Environmental Analyst, Public Outreach

PBC Department of Environmental Resources Management

Press Release from Carla Blockson....

2010-04-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

CARLA BLOCKSON LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR LAKE WORTH CITY COMMISSION
Contact: Diana Demarest FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone: (561) 644-0963
Email: Diana@CampaignSciences.com
Lake Worth, Florida -- April 26th, 2010 -- Long-time resident and community activist Carla Blockson announced today she will run for a seat on the Lake Worth City Commission.

Blockson, 53, the wife of former Lake Worth Fire Chief Paul Blockson III, for the past several weeks has been conducting a city-wide listening tour aimed at developing a deep understanding of the issues facing the city’s residents, including the future of the city utilities and counteracting community blight exacerbated by home foreclosures.

“I have enjoyed meeting all of the people and really hearing what they have to say,” said Blockson, who has worked for the Social Security Administration for 26 years.
“I love our city and want to bring stability back to our community,” Blockson said. “I believe I can make a difference and improve the lives of all of our residents. This campaign is really about them.”

Blockson will vie for the seat representing District 2, where she has lived since 1996. District 2 lies in the northwest quadrant of the city and is bordered on the east by North Dixie Highway and on the south by Lake Avenue, Lucerne and Lake Worth Road. The district includes Vernon Heights, Sunset Ridge and Tropical Ridge neighborhoods.

Although commission candidates must reside in the district in which they run, each Lake Worth voter is allowed to cast ballots in all commission races no matter where they live. The District 2 seat currently is held by Cara Jennings, 33, who was reelected for a second two-year term in 2008.

Blockson already has received wide support from the residents of Lake Worth, including newly elected Mayor Rene’ Varela, who won election last November with 58 percent of the vote.
“I have complete faith in Carla Blockson,” Varela said. “I know she will work hard to help resolve the issues we are facing in our city.”

Blockson was pleased to accept Varela’s vote of confidence.
“I am truly grateful to have the support of our mayor,” she said.

About Carla Blockson

Carla Blockson has worked with many organizations within the City of Lake Worth, focusing on schools, children and community development. She is employed by the Social Security Administration, where she has worked for the past 26 years.

Carla and her husband, former Fire Chief Paul Blockson III, have been Lake Worth residents for nearly 13 years. Carla has five children, two foster children and eight grandchildren.
For more information, please visit the campaign website: http://www.CarlaBlockson.com
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Political Advertisement, Paid for and Approved by Carla Blockson
Candidate for Lake Worth City Commission
PO Box 695
Lake Worth, FL 33460

Jennings Ethics Called into Question...

2010-04-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Probable cause was found to believe that CARA JENNINGS, Lake Worth Commissioner, violated the financial disclosure laws...

Link to Commission Report: http://www.ethics.state.fl.us/ethics/press_releases/April10pres.pdf

Reminder: Community Mediation Workshop -April 21st

2010-04-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 at 7:10 PM
Attached Document or File Community Mediation Workshop Come learn conflict resolutions to help build a stronger community!

Lake Worth Solar House

2010-04-19T07:53:00.000-07:00

Lake Worth home with a $8.50 a month electric bill! Learn more click here

Temporary Closure of the Lake Worth Boat Ramp

2010-04-09T05:06:00.001-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: April 8, 2010

RE: Temporary Closure of the Lake Worth Boat Ramp

The Lake Worth Boat Ramp will be temporarily closed from midnight, Thursday April 15th, to midnight, Sunday April 18th, for Reggae Fest. The boat ramp will be inaccessible during this time because of event set up and festivities taking place in Bryant Park.

For additional information on this temporary park closure, please contact Public Services Administration at 561-586-1720.

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Lake Worth Mayor Continues Monthly “Coffee with the Mayor”

2010-04-03T05:32:00.001-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the Mayor

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: April 1, 2010

RE: Lake Worth Mayor Continues Monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” Series

Lake Worth’s inaugural series of “Coffee with the Mayor” events was launched last month and proved a great success. The monthly event, being held at various local establishments in the City, was well attended by Lake Worth residents, and Mayor, René A. Varela is very much looking forward to this month’s event.

April’s “Coffee with the Mayor” will take place on Monday, April 5th from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Lake Worth’s famous Benny’s on the Beach, located at 10 S. Ocean Boulevard on the Lake Worth Pier. Residents are invited to join Mayor Varela for casual conversation and brief information on the progress the City is making.

Please check the “Meetings and Events” calendar on the City of Lake Worth’s official website, www.lakeworth.org, for the date and location of upcoming “Coffee with the Mayor” events as well as other exciting Lake Worth events and happenings. All are invited to come and take part in the exciting conversation about Lake Worth!

TRNA Cleanup Reminder

2010-03-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's looking a little soggy out there, but the Cleanup will go on!

Today at 5:30 pm we will be passing out fliers and letting the residents know that we will be doing a clean-up of the alley ways tomorrow morning. The meeting spot is 5th Ave. North between D & E Streets.

This Saturday, March 27th, the TRNA Cleanup Committee is holding an alley cleanup event from 9am – 12 pm. Afterward there will be a party held for all participants where food and drink will be available. Everybody should meet at the alley entrance on 5th Avenue North between D and E Streets.

Work Gear – The TRNA already has five sets of work gloves, plenty of garbage bags, two weed eaters and a truck at its disposal. Please bring your own work gloves, if you have them, as there may not be enough to go around. No other tools or equipment will be necessary.

Party Supplies – Currently we have salad and bottled water being donated for the party. Please volunteer to bring vegetarian food or drink if you can.

We look forward to seeing you there!

City of Lake Worth Community Mediation Workshop

2010-03-26T09:01:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: March 26, 2010

RE: City of Lake Worth Community Mediation Workshop

Lake Worth Strengthens its Communication Skills with Community Mediation Workshop

On April 3, 2010, Community Mediation, Inc. will be holding a Community Mediation Workshop in the Compass Center at 4:00 p.m. The Compass Center is located at 201 N. Dixie Highway in downtown Lake Worth. This workshop will focus on strengthening the sense of community in Lake Worth by teaching residents how to use mediation as a communication and conflict resolution skill.

In today’s fast paced society, the traditional concept of a true community is lost to most. Problem solving skills have diminished; hence the breakdown in civil discourse and busy court system. Community Mediation is a conflict resolution tactic used to resolve community disputes, and Community Mediation, Inc. brings years of experience in rebuilding a sense of community and resolving ongoing conflicts that factionalize and polarize municipalities.

For additional information on Community Mediation, Inc. contact John Cohen at 561-317-7579 or director@communitymediation.us.

City Initiates Plans to Reopen Municipal Pool

2010-03-24T11:14:00.003-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: March 24, 2010

RE: City Initiates Plans to Reopen Municipal Pool

The Lake Worth Municipal Pool was temporarily closed on February 16th due to several mechanical issues in the pool’s operating system and pump house. At that time, the Public Services Department announced that they would further investigate the costs associated with making the repairs, and estimated the total repair cost would be approximately $150,000. After further investigation the Public Services Department determined that repairs could be completed less expensively by utilizing City Staff to complete a majority of the repairs.

Thanks to the City of Lake Worth’s proactive efforts in attracting new, highly qualified staff the City now has the in-house expertise necessary to repair the pool and transform it in to a revenue generating enterprise. Staff estimates that the repairs can be made for $57,700; this estimate includes materials and engineering costs. Approval for this expenditure is scheduled for the April 6th City Commission Meeting. Should the City Commission approve the $57,700 in repair costs, staff estimates an 8-10 week completion time for all repairs; meaning the pool could potentially be opened by May for use throughout the summer season.

Many of the proposed repairs will reduce the operating costs of the pool. Due to antiquated pumping technology the City’s existing pump has to operate 24 hours a day, the proposed high efficiency dual pump system will reduce electricity and chemical consumption by shutting off when the pool is not in use. Through new technology, innovative marketing, and improving the accessibility of the pool by adjusting the pool’s hours the Lake Worth Municipal Pool has the potential to once again become a regional destination.

For more information on the proposed pool repairs or the new business model for pool operations contact Joseph Kroll, Public Services Director at jkroll@lakeworth.org or 561-586-1720.

City Initiates Plans to Reopen Municipal Pool

2010-03-24T11:14:00.001-07:00

Water Restrictions Still in Effect for Lake Worth

2010-03-23T04:17:00.001-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: March 16, 2010

RE: Water Restrictions Still in Effect for Lake Worth

Many of you may have received notification that the South Florida Water Management District has adopted their District-Wide Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Conservation Measures; transitioning from Phase III water shortage restrictions to Phase II restrictions.

Phase III water restrictions HAVE NOT BEEN LIFTED FOR LAKE WORTH. The City of Lake Worth remains under the Modified Phase III restrictions imposed by 2007-870-DAO-WS. All landscape irrigation use occurring within the Lake Worth Utilities service area will remain on the current one day per week Landscape Irrigation Restrictions. The current restrictions are listed below:

· On properties less than 5 acres in size, residents with an odd numbered address (ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) lawn watering is permitted on Mondays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. OR from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

· On properties less than 5 acres in size, residents with an even numbered address (ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8) lawn watering is permitted on Thursdays from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. OR from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

· On properties 5 acres or more in size, residents with an odd numbered address (ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) lawn watering is permitted on Mondays from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. OR from 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

· On properties 5 acres or more in size, residents with an even numbered address (ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8) lawn watering is permitted on Thursdays from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. OR from 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

· For entities more than 5 acres that irrigate both odd and even addresses, lawn watering is permitted from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. AND from 4 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Thursdays to cycle through all irrigation zones.

· Residents without a numbered street address should follow the Thursday schedule.

Mayor’s Cleanup Day

2010-03-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: March 22, 2010

RE: Mayor’s Cleanup Day

The City of Lake Worth is proudly sponsoring the first annual Mayor's Cleanup Day on Wednesday, April 7th from 9am to 3pm. The purpose of the event is to promote code compliance and help eliminate blight throughout the community. The event will begin and end in the Bryant Park Bandshell.

All participants must register for the event by March 31st. Registration is limited to the first 250 applicants. For additional information, contact Ashley Montes of the Lake Worth Building Department: amontes@lakeworth.org or 561-586-1682.

Participants are invited to a post event celebration at 3:30 in Bryant Park featuring refreshments and live music from Soundproof, featuring "Music for the Soul."

Lake Worth Concerts in the Park

2010-03-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Juan Ruiz, Recreation Director 561-533-7363

DATE: March 1, 2010

RE: Lake Worth Concerts in the Park

The City of Lake Worth’s “Concerts in the Park” concert series is back by popular demand!

The City of Lake Worth Recreation Department is proud to announce the long-awaited return of “Concerts in the Park,” this week. The concert series will take place every Thursday in March and April from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Bryant Park Bandshell. The performance schedule is as follows:

· Licensed to Swing –March 4th

· Gold Coast Dance Band –March 11th

· Carmen Vitanza –March 18th and April 22nd

· Cricklewood –March 25th and April 29th

· Viva –April 1st

· Bob Wilbur Orchestra –April 8th

· Swing Machine –April 15th

“Concerts in the Park” is a free concert series that is open to the public; dogs and alcoholic beverages are prohibited. Bryant Park is located on the intracoastal waterway at the west end of the Lake Worth Bridge. Additional information can be found on the City of Lake Worth’s official website: www.lakeworth.org.

Lake Worth Municipal Swimming Pool Closure

2010-02-22T04:10:00.001-08:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: February 18, 2010

RE: Lake Worth Municipal Swimming Pool Closure

On Wednesday, February 17th, the Lake Worth Municipal Swimming Pool was closed until further notice due to safety concerns. Some of the primary safety concerns include a deteriorating electrical system, undersized and clogged drainage pipes, an antiquated filtration system and structural issues in the pump house.

It is estimated that repairs to the Lake Worth Pool will cost the City $150,000; the City of Lake Worth plans to make a final decision regarding the repairs and the future of the pool facility in the next 60-90 days. Pool employees have been temporarily reassigned to the Lake Worth Beach until a final determination on the future of the pool facility is made.

City of Lake Worth Initiates Downtown Recycling Program

2010-02-22T04:04:00.001-08:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Joseph Kroll, Public Services Director 561-586-7334

DATE: February 19, 2010

RE: City of Lake Worth Initiates Downtown Recycling Program

The City of Lake Worth initiates a state-of-the-art single stream recycling program for its Downtown Businesses at no additional cost - the only municipality in Palm Beach County generating revenue from recycling

The City of Lake Worth is proud to announce the introduction of a downtown recycling program for local businesses. This new program, created in partnership with Waste Management and the Downtown Cultural Alliance, is an important step towards ensuring a more sustainable future for the City of Lake Worth. The soft-launch of this program was initiated the week of February 8th, and the official kickoff date for the program is scheduled for the week of March 1, 2010.

Unlike previous downtown recycling initiatives in Lake Worth, the new program comes at no additional cost to downtown merchants; offering a tremendous incentive for businesses to take part in City’s state-of-the-art single stream recycling program. The City’s Public Services Department is in the process of retrofitting several dumpsters to service this new recycling program. These new retrofitted dumpsters will be placed in public parking lots surrounding the greater-downtown area, and have been painted to match the City’s 65 gallon green and yellow residential recycling carts. In addition to the new dumpsters, several 65 gallon recycling carts have been added to the downtown area to provide additional accessibility for merchants to take advantage of the new recycling service.

Recycling will be picked up once a week during the first few months of this new program. Depending on demand, the number of pickups to the downtown area may increase in the future. Public Services Director, Joseph Kroll, is working closely with downtown merchants to educate them on the new recycling program to ensure that the program is as successful and accessible as possible.

The City of Lake Worth is the only municipality in Palm Beach County that generates revenue from recycling. Lake Worth entered into a public/private partnership with Waste Management and negotiated a rate of $10 per ton of recyclables collected. By increasing the number of recycling opportunities, the City of Lake Worth is able to generate much needed additional revenue to enhance the level and quality of services the City provides.

New Recycling Dumpster behind Rotelli’s

Rachel Smithson, MPA

Assistant to the City Manager

City of Lake Worth, Florida

rsmithson@lakeworth.org

work: 561-533-7394

cell: 561-876-8391

Upcoming Lake Worth events from TRNA

2010-02-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

Mayor Varela’s State of the City Address
When: Wednesday, February 17 -- 7:00-7:30pm
Where: Lake Worth Playhouse, 713 Lake Avenue

Graffiti Paint-Out
The TRNA had a very productive and fun Graffiti Paint-Out Party on February 13th, 2010. Twelve volunteers from the neighborhood including two PBSO officers, Deputy Mike Murray and Deputy Daniel Jozwick, came out to pitch-in and clean up our neighborhood! Thank you to everybody who helped make this initiative a success. Click here to see before and after photos.

TRNA Bylaws
Tropical Ridge will strive to adopt an official set of bylaws this year. Robert Elliott and Javier Del Sol, in conjunction with the TRNA Officers, have volunteered to take a lead role in drawing up these bylaws. We will be asking for public input regarding these bylaws at the regularly scheduled March 1st meeting.

Bulk Pickup
Tropical Ridge has lost one bulk pickup day a month with the revised trash schedule this year. In an effort to keep our streets clean, the City has committed to being proactive about picking up bulk waste when placed on the streets prior to the scheduled pickup day. However, the resident of the property in question will be cited for the early pickup on their utility bill. Please be aware of this if utilizing the early bulk removal service. Click here for Tropical Ridge’s garbage, recycling, vegetation and bulk pickup schedule.

Derelict Vehicles
The City’s Code Enforcement department identified and removed four derelict vehicles along 4th Avenue North in the Tropical Ridge neighborhood last week. City leaders are currently working with the PBSO to determine a long term solution for identifying and removing discarded vehicles on our roadways.

Beach Bonfire
When: Friday, February 19, 7:00-9:00pm
Where: Lake Worth Beach

TRNA Special Meeting
Monday, February 22nd, 6:00pm at the Compass Center the Association will be holding a special meeting. During this time we will discuss the concerns of some residents regarding last year’s election process. This topic was raised at our meeting on February 1st and in a letter addressed to the City Commission and the Tropical Ridge Association President from the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition.

City of Lake Worth Haitian Relief Efforts

2010-02-12T04:06:00.000-08:00

PRESS ADVISORY

TO: PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager

Office of the City Manager

DATE: February 11, 2010

RE: City of Lake Worth Haitian Relief Efforts

Less than four weeks ago, the City of Lake Worth opened the Haitian Relief Center in response to the devastating January 12, 2010, Haitian Earthquake. The Haitian Relief Center, located at 1121 Lucerne Avenue, has quickly evolved into an efficient volunteer-led operation that is responsible for sorting donations and coordinating the delivery of these items to the City of Lake Worth’s sister city, St. Marc.

On February 12th at 9:00 a.m. City of Lake Worth Staff will escort two flatbed trucks full of sorted and packed donations from the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center to the Port of Palm Beach. All items coming from the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center will be shipped to Haiti as soon as the previously arranged boat is filled. The most exciting aspect of this delivery is that all medical, hygiene, food and clothing donations received by the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center will go directly to people of St. Marc and surrounding communities, such as Petite Riviere and Arcahaie.

Majistrat Bonard Charles of St. Marc coordinated arrangements to ensure that there will be no port charges to release the items once they arrive in Haiti. Evelyn Olivier, of the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center and Pauline Jean Simon, president of AHVED, Association of Haitians Living Abroad for the Development of Haiti, which is headquartered in Lake Worth, will be traveling to Haiti to oversee the delivery and distribution of the items from the port to St. Marc, Petit Riviere and Arcahaie.

Through the support of the Lake Worth City Commission, volunteers of the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center have been able to bring local residents, merchants, churches and schools together to coordinate a sophisticated and effective disaster relief effort that is helping the people of Haiti heal and rebuild.

For additional information related to the City of Lake Worth’s Haitian Relief Efforts go to www.lakeworth.org or contact the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center at 561-582-6831.

TRNA Special Meeting

2010-02-09T05:09:00.001-08:00

After much consideration, the leadership of the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association have decided to hold a special meeting specifically to address the concerns of some residents regarding last years election process. This issue was raised at our meeting on February 1st and in a letter addressed to the City Commission and Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association President from the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition.

This special meeting will be held two weeks from today on Monday, February 22nd at 6pm at Compass Center. Click here for a link to the agenda for the meeting.

I have also posted the minutes from the February 1st meeting. It is available here.

Reminders for the Special Meeting as well as for the regularly scheduled March meeting will be emailed and posted on the Tropical Ridge website, www.tropicalridge.org.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing you on the 22nd.

Jessica Plotkin
Secretary/Treasurer
Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association
561.635.776
jessica@tropicalridge.org

A message from TRNA

2010-01-26T05:13:00.001-08:00

Help Build the New Genesis Neighborhood Association: Tomorrow afternoon at 1:00pm the recently formed Genesis Association will be gathering t 702 South Dixie Highway and will be passing out fliers and promoting the new association throughout the neighborhood. Please come out tomorrow and join in the effort to promote this new Association.

The Genesis Neighborhood Association covers 6th Avenue South to 12th Avenue South and Dixie to I-95. Please email the President of this Association, Mark Parrilla, at mparrillawpb@comcast.net for more information.

Tropical Ridge Neighborhood News: Today on the 200 block of North C Street a home was broken into and robbed. The family who lives there left the home for less than 30 minutes when this occurred. Please stay vigilant and make sure to lock all of your doors and windows when leaving your home.

Also, please note the location change for February’s meeting. We will be meeting Monday, February 1st at the Compass Center on the Northwest corner of Dixie and 2nd Avenue North at 7:00pm.

City of Lake Worth Race for Relief

2010-01-22T04:25:00.001-08:00

PRESS ADVISORY

TO: PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager
Office of the City Manager

DATE: January 21, 2010

RE: City of Lake Worth Race for Relief

On Friday, January 22, 2010, the winner of the City of Lake Worth Race for Relief will be announced at the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center, located at 1121 Lucerne Avenue in Lake Worth.

The Lake Worth Race for Relief was initiated on January 14, 2010, by City of Lake Worth Human Resources Department. The competition involved dividing the City into three (3) Teams:

• Team #1 City Hall, Building Divisions and Customer Service – Team Captain (Diane Clark, Human Resources Director)
• Team #2 Public Services –Team Captain (Joseph Kroll, Public Services Director)
• Team #3 Utilities – Team Captain (Rebecca Mattey, Utilities Director)

Employees “raced” to see who could offer the most relief by 5pm on Thursday, January 21st. A “per item” point system was established, and the Team with the most points will win a Pizza Party. Team Leaders with fewer points will be asked to serve the pizza to the winning team.

The winner of the City of Lake Worth’s Race for Relief will be announced tomorrow at 10am in the Lake Worth Haitian Relief Center, located at 1121 Lucerne Avenue in Lake Worth. All are invited to attend and witness the overflow of generosity poured out by City of Lake Worth employees in response to the devastating Haitian earthquake.

For more information on the City of Lake Worth’s Haitian relief efforts go to the City of Lake Worth’s website: www.lakeworth.org

TRNA: regulating the sale of spray paint to minors

2010-01-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Good Morning,

Just a note to let you know if you don't already that the Mayor has put an item on the agenda for tonight asking the City’s legal staff to craft an ordinance regulating the sale of spray paint to minors. This has the potential to be a valuable tool in the fight on blight. Here's a link to the backup material: http://www.lakeworth.org/vertical/Sites/%7B5E6FE119-0228-4C9B-B2DB-067168049C16%7D/uploads/%7B0F378751-54D8-4CC1-8133-7EE917675DD5%7D.PDF. This is the first item under new business, so look for it to come up about an hour into the meeting, but that can change if the agenda is reordered.

Backup Material Excerpt:

In an effort to successfully address the criminal mishandling of spray paints and emerging legislation that unfairly punishes the spray paint market, the National Council to Prevent Delinquency (NCPD) was established in 1994. The council, launched by the paint industry and funded by members of the National Paint & Coatings Association's Spray Paint Manufacturing Committee, seeks effective and workable public policies to tackle the unlawful misuse of spray paint. As such, NCPD acts as an advocate in the interest of combating graffiti and an industry representative against potentially damaging legislation.

The Mayor recommends the adoption an ordinance banning the sale of spray paint to minors. Many residents have decried to declining appearance of their neighborhoods and our downtown due to increasing amounts of this vandalism, and have asked the City of Lake Worth to take action. This ordinance would be one more proven tool to eliminate graffiti from our community.

--
If you would like to make your opinions heard by the City’s government on this issue please come to the Commission meeting this evening. Thank you.

What: City Commission Meeting
Where: City Hall Commission Chamber
When: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 – 6:00pm

Fee or Ban Retail Plastic Bags?

2010-01-16T04:43:00.000-08:00

PRESS ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the City Manager

CONTACT: Rachel Smithson, Assistant to the City Manager 561-533-7394

DATE: January 15, 2010

RE: Fee or Ban Retail Plastic Bags?

City of Lake Worth Conducts Statewide

Plastic Bag Poll

The Lake Worth City Commission authorizes a plastic bag poll during its January 5, 2010 City Commission Meeting -Poll results to be sent to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection

The City of Lake Worth is conducting an online plastic bag poll regarding the impact of retail plastic bags on the environment. The Lake Worth City Commission intends to present the results of this poll to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and urge the Florida Legislature to pass legislation regulating the use of retail plastic bags.

In 2008 the Florida Legislature passed a law banning local governments from passing their own legislation to regulate retail plastic bags. On November 19, 2009, a public meeting was held at the Florida DEP to collect public input regarding the use of retail plastic bags across the state. Following this meeting, the Florida DEP agreed to prepare a report regarding the necessity and efficacy of both statewide and regional retail plastic bag regulations that will be presented to the Florida Legislature by February 1, 2010.

Cities and countries around the world have passed laws to tax or ban retail plastic bags because of their negative impact on the environment. Ireland, for example, passed a tax on retail plastic bags, charging residents thirty three cents per bag; reducing retail plastic bag usage by 94 percent within a few weeks. The state of South Australia passed a ban on retail plastic bags that is expected to reduce 400 million bags per year that would otherwise end up in locations such as landfills or storm drains.

The City of Lake Worth plans to collect responses from the plastic bag poll until January 29, 2010. The poll can be accessed on the homepage of the City of Lake Worth website: www.lakeworth.org. The poll consists of the following three questions:

· Do you think something should be done to address the impact of retail plastic bags on the environment?

· If so, do you recommend: (1) a ban or (2) a fee?

· What use fee, if any, do you think should be applied?

For more information on the City of Lake Worth’s efforts to promote the regulation of retail plastic bags contact 561-586-1600.

Lake Worth Unites to Provide Earthquake Relief to Haiti

2010-01-15T05:01:00.000-08:00

Office of the Mayor

7 North Dixie Highway · Lake Worth, Florida 33460 · Phone: 561-586-1730 · Fax: 561-586-1798

PRESS ADVISORY

TO: PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FROM: Office of the Mayor

DATE: January 14, 2010

RE: Lake Worth Unites to Provide Earthquake Relief to Haiti

The City of Lake Worth’s Mayor and City Commission come together with local Haitian Leaders and residents to devise and implement a relief plan for its Sister City St. Marc in light of recent tragic events following Haiti’s earthquake.

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, centered just 10 miles from Port-au-prince, crippled Haiti. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the area in over 200 years. Communication and infrastructure networks have been severely disrupted but the widespread devastation of this disaster is being revealed by the hour.

Mayor René Varela and the Lake Worth City Commission last night met with many Haitian community leaders to devise a community based approach to bring relief to its sister city, St. Marc. Many in attendance stated that their desire is to ensure that a solid plan is formed so that the relief supplies and resources go directly to Haitian people with the highest need. For this reason, a consensus was reached to establish a list a recommended non-perishable goods for donation (below), multiple drop-off locations for supplies within the city, a list of volunteers, and a resident committee named Lake Worth Haitian Relief. This new committee, led by Dr. Aurora Francois the principal of Barton Elementary School, will develop a plan for coordinating middle and long-term post-earthquake relief efforts on behalf of the residents of Lake Worth. Dr. Francois can be contacted at 561-540-9101 or francoa@palmbeach.k12.fl.us. In the immediate term, the Mayor recommends that residents make monetary donations to the following organizations: The Red Cross (text "HAITI" to "90999" and $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross, charged to your cell phone bill) or (http://www.redcross.org/), Helping Hands Mission, Inc. which is based in Lake Worth (561-433-8123, 561-502-4775), or Doctors Without Borders (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/), all of which have relief personnel on the ground in Haiti and need financial contributions to reinforce their efforts. Additionally, the city and community have established thirteen drop-off locations for nonperishable goods (below). The continued generosity of the people of Lake Worth will be the life changing difference that will bring hope to Lake Worth’s friends in Haiti.

Recommended Supply Donations

FOOD & SUPPLIES MEDICAL SUPPLIES

Cereal Band Aids

Pop Tarts Gauze Pads

Sardines Medical Tape

Can Goods Hydrogen Peroxide Pads

Carnation Mild Powered Milk Alcohol Pads

Diapers Antibacterial Ointment

Wet Naps Toilet Paper

Tents Latex Gloves

Sleeping Bags Tampons

Flash Lights & Batteries Sanitary Napkins

Candles, Matches Aspirin

Clothing Surgical Mask

Plastic Flatware Asthma Inhaler

Powdered Drinks

Construction Gloves

Construction Rags

Umbrellas

Recommended Drop-off Locations

P. Agneau Georges (561-424-6102)

Pastor Leonce Estimable (561-201-3470)

Pastor Arnold Principal (561-540-3801)

Bishop St Hilien Tica (561-273-3882)

Jean Marie Dossous (646-377-9434)

Pastor Elie Louissaint (561-856-2536)

Pastor Jacques Louis (561-502-4069)

Pastor Charles Duperval (561-577-0583)

Pastor Marcel Vincent (561-502-2638)

Pastor Gregoire Saint Louis (561-254-7351)

Pastor Ralph Pierre Louis (561-577-5869)

Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce, 501 Lake Avenue (561-582-4401)

Barton Elementary School, 1700 Barton Road (561-540-9101)

René A. Varela

Mayor of Lake Worth

City of Lake Worth Offers Earthquake Relief for its Sister City Saint-Marc, Haiti

2010-01-14T04:49:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (January 13, 2010)

City of Lake Worth Offers Earthquake Relief for its Sister City Saint-Marc, Haiti

The City of Lake Worth’s Mayor and City Commission come together with local Haitian Leaders and residents to help devise and implement a relief plan for its Sister City Saint-Marc in light of recent tragic events following Haiti’s earthquake.

Yesterday, January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake, centered just 10 miles from Port-au-prince, crippled Haiti. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the area in over 200 years. Communication and infrastructure networks have been severely disrupted but the widespread devastation of this disaster is yet to be revealed.

Lake Worth residents know how to come together during this type of tragic event and right now Lake Worth’s sister city of Saint-Mark, Haiti, needs massive assistance. For this reason, the Lake Worth City Commission and Mayor René Varela, following extensive discussions at the Special City Commission meeting held on January 12th, have created an initiative to gather local Haitian community leaders to devise and implement a relief plan to immediately supply our sister city with the tools they will need to assist in overcoming this horrific natural disaster.

The City is asking all of its residents and friends to consider contributing needed supplies to the following organizations listed below. While supplies are being collected for transportation, much needed money can also be sent though the local Red Cross to get immediate relief to the volunteers and aid workers as quickly as possible so that goods and be purchased and transport can be arranged for supplies during the imperative first few days of this emergency whilst waiting for additional support to arrive. Please contact the organization of your choice on the list for specific items that are currently in demand and most needed. These organizations are all centrally coordinated to deliver the necessary aid directly to the residents of Saint-mark, Haiti in a timely fashion. The continued generosity of the people of Lake Worth will be the life changing difference that will bring hope to Lake Worth’s friends in Haiti.

P. Agneau Georges (561-424-6102)

Pastor Leonce Estimable (561-201-3470)

Pastor Arnold Principal (561-540-3801)

Bishop St Hilien Tica (561-273-3882)

Jean Marie Dossous (646-377-9434)

Pastor Elie Louissaint (561-856-2536)

Pastor Jacques Louis (561-502-4069)

Pastor Charles Duperval (561-577-0583)

Pastor Marcel Vincent (561-502-2638)

Pastor Gregoire Saint Louis (561-254-7351)

Pastor Ralph Pierre Louis (561-577-5869)

****************

Members of the media are invited to attend the beginning of our meeting this evening at 7:30pm in the Lake Worth City Hall Conference Room, where a brief statement will be delivered.

For additional information please contact Mayor René Varela on 537-1331

Lake Worth Holiday Parade Road Alert

2009-12-09T04:46:00.001-08:00

Media Release

To facilitate the staging and dispersal of the Annual Lake Worth Holiday Parade to be held Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 6:00 PM, parking will be temporarily prohibited on the following streets:

Between North “M” Street and North “O” Street from 2nd Ave. North to 10th Ave. North
Lake Ave. from Dixie Hwy. to Golfview
Lucerne Ave. from Federal Hwy. to “J” Street
“J” Street between Lake and Lucerne Avenues
South Golfview from Lake Ave. to 1st Ave. South

Parking at the above listed locations will be temporarily prohibited from 3:00 PM Saturday, December 12, 2009 until the conclusion of the parade, which should be approximately 9:00 PM.

Road Closures: Lake Ave. from Dixie Hwy. to Golfview, Lucerne Ave. from “O” Street to “J” Street, the Lake Worth Bridge (to vehicle traffic only) and North Federal Hwy. from 10th Ave. North to 1st Ave. South will be temporarily closed from approximately 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Anybody wishing to reach A1A will have to detour north to Southern Blvd. or south to Ocean Ave. from Dixie Hwy. Northbound traffic on Federal Hwy will be detoured to Dixie Hwy. from 1st Ave. South. Southbound traffic on Federal Hwy. will be detoured to Dixie Hwy. from 13th Ave. No.

To assure a safe and successful Holiday Parade, vehicles parked on the street in violation of this temporary order may be towed.

Media Release Prepared By: Lieutenant D. Moss
Date Released to Media:

TRNA Meeting Notes | December 2009

2009-12-09T04:42:00.000-08:00

Upcoming Crime Walk

Sunday December 13th, 2009 at 4:00pm
All crime walks will begin at the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue. Please invite your neighbors!
PBSO Presentation

A custom stained glass medallion, created and donated by McMow Art Glass, was donated to the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, District 14. Please click here to see a photo of this art.

Sheriff Deputies are always on hand to join association members on crime walks regularly held throughout the 90 square blocks of Tropical Ridge. At every meeting of the association, deputies report crime statistics and offer advice to residents on keeping their homes and families safe. Even in their off duty hours, deputies have joined residents in neighborhood clean-ups and events.

The TRNA recognizes all of the hard work the PBSO does and we appreciate the level of dedication they have shown in our community.

In attendance for this special dedication were Mayor Rene Varela, Commissioners Golden, Maxwell, Mulvehill and Jennings as well as PBSO's Captain Silva and many other officers who help Tropical Ridge and the rest of Lake Worth fight crime and blight every day.
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)

Edward Grimm spoke to the Association about how the TRNA can position themselves to be better represented by the CRA this upcoming year. Mr. Grimm is looking forward to working with the TRNA to focus our priorities and assisting with our approach for funding.

In the upcoming months, the Association will be discussing these priorities along with the idea of forming sub-committees to act as liaisons between the Association, the CRA and the City's leadership. These committees will be a consistent presence at CRA and Commission meetings as well as the voice of our organization.
Yard Of The Month
December's TRNA Yard of the Moth award goes to Sue and Rick Wagner who reside at 630 North B Street. The YOTM sign has been posted in their yard and a photograph of their beautiful yard is available on http://www.tropicalridge.org.
Thanksgiving

On November 24th several hundred turkeys were handed out to families in need by Quetel “Que” Osterval, the owner of Ugoprint in the Cyber Business Center in downtown Lake Worth and the organizer of this event for the past four years. In attendance were Mayor Rene Varela, Commissioner Scott Maxwell, Retha Lowe, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office and many volunteers.

The TRNA donated $500 to this charitable organization and it’s estimated that our contribution helped feed over 50 families this Thanksgiving.

Citizen Observer Patrol (COP)

Robert Waples from Lake Worth's Citizen Observer Patrol organization spoke with us regarding the need for new COP recruits. If you are interested in learning more about this program, please click here for more information.
Upcoming Events

2010 Census Meeting – Tuesday, December 8, 2009 from 3:00-5:00pm at the LW golf course located at One 7th Avenue North.
Meeting to approve the site plan exhibit to the new interlocal agreement with the County for the Lake Worth Beach Improvements Project (this plan does not include the Casino Building) – December 8, 2009 at 7:00pm at City Hall – Click here for the backup material.
44th Annual Holiday Parade – Saturday December 12, 2009 beginning at 6:00pm - Parade route starts at the corner of Lucerne & Federal Highway proceeding west, turning south on J Street and then east on Lake Avenue ending at Golfview – Click here for the holiday parade flyer.
CDBG Public Meeting - Monday, December 21, 2009 from 6:00-8:00pm at the Osborne Community Center – Click here for the public meeting flyer.
Bonfires on the Beach – Fridays, January 8th & 22nd –and- February 5th & 19th, 2010 from 7:00-9:00pm
Special Thanks
The TRNA thanks Shanon and Phil Materio, the owners of McMow Art Glass, for their wonderful donation to the PBSO, District 14.
We thank Edward Grimm for speaking with us regarding the CRA and how we can work together in 2010.
The TRNA thanks Mayor Varela and Commissioners Golden, Maxwell, Mulvehill and Jennings for attending this special event to honor PBSO's District 14.
Above all, the TRNA thanks the men and women of the Palm Beach Sheriff's Department for all of your help in making Tropical Ridge and Lake Worth a place that we can all be proud to call home.

Holiday Stroll on the Avenues

2009-12-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

Volunteers to Restore Oyster Reefs in Lake Worth Lagoon

2009-12-02T03:41:00.001-08:00

For immediate release: December 1, 2009
Contact: Ginny Powell, 561-233-2452 Alyssa Dodd, 561-233-2448
Mike Greenstein, Town of Lantana 561-540-5766

On Saturday, December 12, 150 volunteers will gather at the Town of Lantana’s Bicentennial Park to fill more than 1,000 netted bags with fossilized shell. The filled bags will be transported across the Ocean Avenue Bridge to the Lantana Nature Preserve where volunteers will form a “bivalve brigade” to place the bags along the shoreline of the Lake Worth Lagoon.

The bagged shell will provide a stable base for the development of new oyster reefs, attracting numerous species of fish and invertebrates and filtering the water. This will help create new estuarine habitat and improve water quality throughout the lagoon.

The Lake Worth Lagoon is Palm Beach County’s largest estuary, extending about 20 miles from the Village of North Palm Beach to the Town of Ocean Ridge. Oysters are found in several locations and are an important part of a healthy estuarine system. Juvenile oysters attach themselves with a glue-like substance to rocks, shell, or adult oysters. However, the availability of hard surfaces for attachment is limited throughout the lagoon.

This project is the result of the successful collaboration between the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners through its Department of Environmental Resources Management, the Town of Lantana, the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative (www.LWLI.org) and local residents.

For more information or to register for this volunteer event, please contact Ginny Powell (561-233-2452) or Alyssa Dodd (561-233-2448), Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management.

The Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association

2009-12-01T04:32:00.000-08:00

The Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association will present a custom stained glass medallion created and donated by McMow Art Glass to Lake Worth’s District 14 Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office at our regular meeting, Monday, December 7th, 2009.

The meeting will be held at the First Church of the Nazarene on the corner of North D Street and 2nd Ave. North at 7 pm. Phil and Shanon Materio, owners of McMow Art Glass, created the medallion to honor the partnership between the Sheriff’s Office and the neighborhood association. Sheriff deputies are always on hand to join association members on crime walks regularly held throughout the 90 square blocks of Tropical Ridge. At every meeting of the association, deputies report crime statistics and offer advice to residents on keeping their homes and families safe. Even in their off duty hours, deputies have joined residents in neighborhood clean-ups and events.

In recognition of the great effort the Sheriff’s Office, District 14 has made to assist the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association in their continuing effort to improve the lives and security of our homes and families, Association president, Vince Rogers invites you to join with us as we honor Lake Worth’s Finest, the men and women of the PBSO, District 14.

Please visit http://www.tropicalridge.org to learn more about this and other Association events.

City of Lake Worth Announces a Black Friday Block Party at the Casino

2009-11-25T04:17:00.000-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (November 24, 2009)

The City of Lake Worth invites residents to a holiday block party, hosted by the merchants at the Lake Worth Municipal Casino Building, 10 S Ocean Boulevard, Lake Worth.

The public and residents of Lake Worth are invited to join in celebrating the holiday season with a ‘day turning to night’ Block party at the Casino and Beach on Black Friday, November 27, 2009 from 6:30pm to 10:30pm.

MUSIC GALORE: Festivities will begin with a DJ playing music, creating the mood and getting the event started from 1pm to 5pm on Friday 27th. This will be followed by the incredible internet radio station W4CY.com who will be broadcasting live at the beach from 5pm to 7pm. And…so that the music never stops, a live band, Ryan and the Rockers will be playing from 7:30pm to10:30pm. Ryan and the Rockers will be bringing you amazing 1950’s and ‘60’s sounds from 7:30pm to10:30pm.

This event is being hosted by the Lake Worth Casino Merchants and is open to all, residents and non-resident members of the public. There is no admission charge to this event. Local merchants at the beach will be participating by extending their opening hours for the block party. In addition to their regular hours of 7am to 3pm, John G’s will be extending their hours and opening from 6pm to 9pm. Benny’s will be open in the evening and there are extended hours for New York Pizza, Lorraine Bowe Jewelry and Gifts and many others.

For additional information please call: 561-588-9946

Mary E. Areson

Executive Assistant to Susan Stanton

City Manager, Lake Worth

CityFest Downtown Lake Worth

2009-11-10T13:30:00.000-08:00

Join us from 12pm to 6pm this Saturday, November 14th, for the First Annual CityFest at Downtown Lake Worth!

This family-friendly festival is open to the public (Free Admission) and includes a fun-filled day of art, music,
delicious food and exciting outdoor activities at the Lake Worth Cultural Plaza.

Enjoy live performances by The Dillengers, River Down, Private Stock, Sound Proof,
Billy Livesay, and a special performance by the Imperial Jade Belly Dance Group.

Specialty arts & crafts, henna, face painting, carnival games, and other exciting activities will
be featured all day with proceeds benefitting local breast cancer patients in need.

Hungry? Savor some great BBQ or grab a bite to eat at our outdoor cafe presenting a variety of gourmet delights!

The City of Lake Worth's newly re-elected Mayor Jeff Clemens will offer a special message to the foundation.

CityFest is proudly presented by Stuart B. Krost, M.P and Associates, and The Palm Beach Post.

All event proceeds will exclusively benefit the Connie J. Goodale Breast Cancer Foundation, the only 501 c3 foundation in
South Florida that provides direct financial assistance to local breast cancer patients who qualify.
For more information, visit www.conniefoundation.org

Youth Empowerment Day Event

2009-11-06T04:21:00.001-08:00

November 5, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MA09-194

CONTACT: Sgt. Rick Ponce 202-9638

MEDIA ADVISORY

PBSO Deputies Interact with Local Youth

WHAT: 2nd Annual Youth Empowerment Day Event. 500 children will attend from local youth centers to interact with law enforcement in a positive way.

WHERE: Howard Park

1701 Wingfield Street

Lake Worth

WHEN: Friday, November 6, 2009

TIME: 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm

TRNA’s Meeting with Lake Worth’s City Manager

2009-11-06T04:18:00.001-08:00

On October 23rd the Tropical Ridge leadership team met with Lake Worth’s City Manager, Susan Stanton. The TRNA presented nine items that Tropical Ridge Neighborhood residents seem most concerned with regarding their neighborhood. To view a copy of this document, please go to http://www.tropicalridge.org/announcements/citymanagermeetingtopics-102309. Below is a summary of these nine topics and what the City manager had to say about them:
1. Basic property upkeep enforcement
- No procedure, or plan for one, is in place for enforcement.
2. I-95 billboards
- $2MM has not paid to city yet because of ongoing dispute over the light level of the LCD billboard.
3. City owned property maintenance
- No procedures or funds are in place for this currently.
4. Unpaved roads
- No plans or funds are in place for paving TRNA roads currently.
5. Street sweeping schedule
- No commitment was made to publish the street sweeping schedule.
6. Large trash in streets
- Enforcement was not working according to Ms. Stanton. No plans or procedures are in place to enforce dumping currently.
7. Neighborhood security (Lighting and PBSO Tools)
- TRNA must continue signing petitions. No commitment was made by the City Manager to be proactive when it comes to properly lighting the streets of Tropical Ridge.
8. Dog park
- The Idea of a dog park in Tropical Ridge was well received. No commitment to assist the TRNA in its endeavor to build a dog park was made.
9. Regularly scheduled association presentations to the city's commission
- No commitment was made to put this item on the Commission’s agenda.
Ms. Stanton said that there are no procedures or plans in place to handle issues like derelict properties whether they are owned personally or by the city. She stated that she would be trying to address these issues in the near future. Ms. Stanton also said that she is currently working to get a staff member employed underneath her who will assist with such community and residential type issues. Ms. Stanton invited us to a follow-up meeting in 60 days to discuss the progress she has made regarding the issues discussed.

PBSO Updates
There is a new crime reporting tool available via the PBSO website. You can get to this tool by going to PBSO.org then click on the Crime Reports logo, or you can just click here: http://www.crimereports.com/map?search=33460. The tool is cool but the facts are scary.

Joel Morgenstern had some information on code related issues in our neighborhood:
1211 Lake Ave.
Graffiti to be removed.
1213 Lake Ave.
Owner applied for permits to do work on 7/27 and is supposedly going to rehabilitate and remove the graffiti.
It has been rumored that the CRA is interested in purchasing this building and letting the Police Athletic League (PAL) use it.
112 North D Street
This property has $349,000 of fines against it currently.
There was no mention about what the city is doing about this property though.
123 North E Street
The furniture outside of property has been removed and property has been cleaned up.
1320 Lucerne
Building has been cleaned up and painted.

Lieutenant Craig Long gave some crime statistics for the month of October which are listed below. However, according to http://crimerepots.com, these are only the highlights. There were a total of 49 crimes reported and displayed on that website for the month of October within the TRNA boundaries alone.
2 stolen vehicles
1 business burglary
6 residential burglaries
2 vehicle burglaries
4 robberies to people
1 sexual assault

Detective Brian Hermanson, a national expert in gangs, spoke to us about various gang activities within Lake Worth what he needs from the residents of Lake Worth to assist him in putting these violent criminals behind bars. If you are interested in attending a Lake Worth gang forum and learning more about what your role can be in assisting the PBSO and the State Attorney’s Office in catching and prosecuting gang members in our neighborhood, please contact Joel Morganstern at morgansternj@pbso.org for further information.

The Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
Edward Grimm, a CRA Board Member, introduced himself to our association on Monday. Ed will be speaking at our December meeting and discussing various ideas he has regarding the CRA spending more money in our neighborhood and the type of action that Tropical Ridge residents must take to secure that funding.

To learn more about the CRA please visit http://www.lakeworthcra.org.

Race for Public Office
The race for public office is almost over. On Tuesday, November 3rd Lake Worth held elections for the seats of City Mayor, District 1 City Commissioner and District 3 City Commissioner. Please click here to see the final results from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections: http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/FL/Palm_Beach/11275/18776/en/summary.html.

The Lake Worth mayoral runoff election will be held in two weeks. I don’t know the specific date of this election but will I’ll try to keep you up to date. Make sure to go out and vote!

Special Thanks for Speaking to the TRNA
Joel Morganstern - PBSO
Lieutenant Craig Long – PBSO
Detective Brian Hermanson – PBSO
Edward Grimm – Lake Worth CRA Board Member

Visit http://www.tropicalridge.org to keep up to date on your neighborhood

2009 General Election Results

2009-11-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

Mayor's Race:

William Coakley 6.63% 207
Javier Del Sol 12.26% 383
John Jordan 1.92% 60
Laurence McNamara 26.26% 820
Loretta Sharpe 13.86% 433
Rene’ A. Varela 39.07% 1,220

District 1:

Ron Exline 34.70% 1,005
Scott Maxwell 65.30% 1,891

District 3:

Wes Blackman 41.99% 1,287
Jo-Ann Golden 58.01% 1,778

Lake Worth Question #1:

YES 73.11% 1,971
NO 26.89% 725

A Little Bit Of Equal Time. . .

2009-10-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Editorial By Tom McGow

(Below is a blog Post from Tom McGow's Blog (tomspage.wordpress.com). Tom McGow is also the host of "Radio Free Lake Worth" on the UtalkNews.com Audio Stream. We have reprinted the below with premission from Tom.

Posted October 9, 2009 by tomspage
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: lake worth, Lake Worth Downtown, Lake Worth Florida, Lake Worth politics

I have had the pleasure of meeting Quetel Osterval a couple of times over the last few days. Que, as he likes to be called, is the soft spoken Owner and Executive director of the Cyberbusiness Center at 824 Lake Ave. . Que started the business 2-1/2 years ago and has been working hard to make it successful. Que’s pleasant demeanor belies the fact that he is highly educated (in addition to his degree he spent a year at Harvard on a scholarship) and motivated man.

This morning when I read Lynn Anderson’s blog about her visit to his business center (Click Here To Read It) I thought, this does not sound like the man I know. So I went over to speak with him about what happened.

When I arrived Que and his staff were visibly upset. The manager of the Business Center said that Lynn Anderson had been in the store a while ago and noticed the materials they were printing for some candidates. He said that she said it wouldn’t be a good thing to support any candidates and maybe she would write about it in her blog.

Que then gave his version of today’s visit by Ms. Anderson.

He said that he never just came up to her and asked who she was supporting. Que said he only came out of the back of the store after he heard raised voices and wanted to see if he could help.

Contradicting what Anderson writes on her Blog, Que told me that Anderson informed him and his employees that if her candidate wins they would shut his business down. Que who came from Haiti 30 years ago said, “You see when a threat like that is made in Haiti, the next night they might fire bomb your business”. He said the thought some of his employees might want to leave if they thought the company would not stay open.

Now, whose story is true? I can’t tell you and like all things the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. I can tell you that Que was upset enough to contact the PBSO after the incident.

Here’s what I can tell you, this should have never happened. A business can print what they want in order to make a living. A business can, if it so desires, support a candidate for public office. It is worth noting that Que’s store does not display any political candidates signs, the only ones visible are the ones they are working on.

We’ll never know what was really said at the shop this morning. However Ms. Anderson appears to be trying to teach businesses how to conduct themselves. Oddly she seems only to have problems with those she perceives as having differing political views (Click Here to Read More).

It appears that she might benefit from some training on how to conduct herself as well.

TRNA Meeting Notes

2009-10-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Yard of the Month
This month’s TRNA Yard of the Month award goes to Guillermo and all of the tenants who reside at 225 North F Street. The YOTM sign has been posted in his yard and a photograph of their beautiful property is currently posted on http://www.tropicalridge.org.

Upcoming Crime Prevention Walks
Saturday October 10th at 6:00pm.

All crime walks will begin at the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue. We’ll meet in the parking lot on the corner of 2nd Avenue North and D Street. Please invite your neighbors!

PBSO Updates
Lieutenant Barr of the Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office (PBSO) told us that the undercover detail in Tropical Ridge that was started back in June has made over 300 arrests so far and that the program in continuing its efforts in the area. The Lieutenant also fielded questions from the meeting’s attendees as well as spoke to some concerns related to two recent incidents, a stabbing and a shooting, that both occurred outside of the TRNA boundaries last month.

Deputy Sherriff Hussey gave some crime statistics for the month of September.
1 Missing Persons
2 Stolen Vehicles
4 Gang related field investigation reports
1 Business burglary
12 Residential burglaries (4 residences were accessed via an unlocked door or window)
2 Vehicle burglaries
2 Sexual assaults
2 Robberies to persons

As you can see from the crime statistics above, 33% of residential burglaries last month occurred to homes that did not have locked doors or windows. Please make sure to lock the doors and windows to your home. This prevents the bad guys from breaking in, stealing your stuff and hurting the ones that you love.

Race for Public Office
The TRNA offered the opportunity to all of the Lake Worth candidates running for public office to speak to the association and tell us about their platform. This was a great success! Five of the six mayoral candidates and all four of the city commission candidates were in attendance. Our thanks go out to these candidates for further educating us on your tenets.

Election Day is Tuesday November 3rd, 2009. Please note that the TRNA is not a political organization and does not endorse any candidate running for office.

Mayoral Candidates
Javier Del Sol
John Jordan (did not attend)
Laurence McNamara
Loretta Sharpe
Rene Varela
William Coakley

City Commissioner, District 1
Ron Exline
Scott Maxwell

City Commissioner, District 3
Jo-Ann Golden
Wes Blackman

Halloween
Last month Amy Saleeby from One Good Deed Marketing & Events spoke with the association. She is looking for volunteers to assist in the Halloween production her company is putting on in our downtown area this year. Amy is looking for people to assist with building giant puppets for the parade on Friday October 30th, people to dress up and be in the parade, small business owners who would like to participate in "Freaky Friday" events and much more.

If you would like to volunteer your time or would like to learn more about the events happening this month, please contact Amy at 561.951.4915 or amy@onegooddeedinc.com.

You may also click here to check out the information packet given to us by Amy.

Special Thanks for Speaking to the TRNA
Lieutenant Barr – PBSO
Deputy Sheriff Hussey – PBSO
All of Lake Worth’s 2009 Mayoral Candidates
All of Lake Worth’s 2009 City Commissioner Candidates

Integrity Chapter Meeting

2009-10-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2009,

ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

100 NORTH PALMWAY, downtown Lake Worth

582-6609

6pm – Holy Eucharist

6:45 – Pot Luck Supper

(Please help by bringing main dishes if possible)

7:30pm – Integrity Chapter Meeting

Speaker – Elizabeth Schwartz, attorney

Elizabeth Schwartz is a lawyer and family counselor based in Miami Beach, who has an expertise in estate planning, especially for the LGBT community. She is a contributor to the just-published book, Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships and Civil Unions, and is famous for her list of the Top Ten Legal Protections for Gays and Lesbians.

Sunday Services at St. Andrew’s are at 7:30AM and 10AM

All are welcome

Next Week – Taize Service and Communion at 6pm

Comfortable attire; street parking and in the bank lot across the street

NEXT TRNA Meeting

2009-10-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Tomorrow, October 5th, the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association will be meeting at the First Church of the Nazarene located on the corner of 2nd Avenue North and D Street at 7:00pm. Some of Lake Worth’s mayoral and city commission candidates will be joining our meeting and speaking. Please note that the TRNA does not endorse any candidate and that this meeting will not be a forum for candidates to debate.

http://www.tropicalridge.org

Candidates say “No” to controversial forum

2009-10-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Date: Oct. 1, 2009
Jim Stafford
UtalkNews.com

Tonight the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition held a candidate forum at the Organic Music Café on Dixie Highway. Half of the current candidates in all three races have decided not to attend the forum. We confirmed that the following candidates for various offices did not attend: Rene Varela, Loretta Sharpe, John Jordan, Wes Blackman, and Scott Maxwell.

PBCEC is a highly controversial group that has organized protests that often land activists in jail. Most recently they organized the highly controversial FPL protest at 20-mile bend in Western Palm Beach County. The group alleged that Palm Beach County Sheriff officer’s mistreated activist, prompting current Lake Worth Com. Cara Jennings to make the following statement to the Sun-Sentinel on Feb. 23, 2009: "We have very serious reports from jail of people being punched in the face by officers, people being slapped by officers."

Sheriff Bradsaw denied the claims and an investigation by PBSO found that the activist where treated “by the book.” We contacted PBCEC for comment and they have yet to return our calls.

We did speak to and received statements from some of the candidates, which we have included below.

Mayoral Candidate Loretta Sharpe stated via phone:

“After consulting with my campaign committee we have decided that there are better ways in which I can discuss the environment.”

Mayoral Candidate Rene Varela via Press Release:

1 October 2009
Mr. Panagioti Tsolkas
Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition
Dear Mr. Tsolkas,

I regret to inform you that I will not be attending your Environmental Forum tonight.
In our recent conversation, I expressed my desire that this forum could follow on the success oflast year's Delray Beach environmental candidate's forum, which was an organized, dignified,focused and unbiased discussion of critical environmental issues. I truly believe that ourresidents deserve the same opportunity as Delray Beach residents to receive unfetteredinformation directly from the candidates on these critical issues. As environmental issues havebeen the focus of my life and career, I have the upmost respect for the necessity of this event.

However, information brought to my attention gives me pause about your forum this evening. First, the venue is entirely too small to properly accommodate our interested residents. Also, the venue you have selected has openly endorsed a candidate in the mayor's race, removing any element of fairness. Additionally, there is no evidence that your organization has collaborated with any other environmental groups (i.e. Sierra Club, Audubon Society, Surfrider Foundation)in planning this event. Finally, the candidates have received differing lists of topic areas (many
of which are not environmental) for potential discussion, but no published program to guide us as to what is expected.

I do welcome an open, unbiased, accessible, respectful, and legitimate forum for our residents to truly explore the candidates' stances on environmental issues. Unfortunately, we have not yet gotten there. It is my intention to help our city move positively in that direction. Until that point, I welcome our residents to contact me for my stance on the issues.
Respectfully,

Dr. Rene Varela
Candida e for Lake Worth Mayor

District 1 Candidate Scott Maxwell via phone:

“I didn’t know about the forum until I read about it in today’s paper and I had to be elsewhere tonight.”

District 3 Candidate Wes Blackman via Press Release:

To Whom It May Concern:

Upon reflection and in consultation with other candidates on the ballot for the Lake Worth municipal election on November 3, 2009, I have decided not to take part in the candidate forum that will take place tonight at the Organic Music Cafe. The forum is sponsored by the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition (PBCEC).

An issue as important as the global/local natural environment and humankind's interaction with it deserves a broad and objective audience. The group sponsoring this event has identified itself with extreme viewpoints and actions related to environmental protection. They are also aligned with candidates in the current municipal race. I am not convinced that this is an objective group willing to listen to the viewpoints of others that may not share their extreme views. I am concerned that my responses would not be portrayed accurately or be purposefully taken out of context. A discussion such as this also needs to be held in a larger physical venue than is currently proposed so that more people can take part in the discussion.

As a candidate, I would like to take part in a special environment-themed debate, hosted by a more neutral organization and have that event take place in a larger venue.
I also welcome anyone from the PBCEC or any other resident of Lake Worth to contact me individually in order to better understand my position on environmental matters.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Wes Blackman
Candidate for District #3 Commissioner

Purple Lights to Shine in Lake Worth

2009-09-29T12:33:00.001-07:00

City of Lake Worth to support Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Purple Night Light Campaign

Lake Worth, FL: The City of Lake Worth will kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Purple Lights adorning the entrance to Lake Worth City Hall beginning October 1. The city is participating in the Purple Night Lights Campaign as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month and will be the first in the state of Florida to join this international initiative. The purple lights will be on each evening for the month of October to increase the awareness of domestic violence issues and it’s affect upon children and families.

Residents and businesses are also joining in the purple night lights campaign. Tony Plakas, director of Compass is buying purple lights for his neighbors. “Domestic violence is prevalent in the gay community as well,” says Plakas. Andy Amoroso, owner of Studio 205, located at 600 Lake Avenue, in downtown Lake Worth is selling purple lights for just $2.99 to support the campaign. “We are pleased to support Purple Night Lights, says Amoroso.

The City of Lake Worth Commission signed a proclamation declaring October Domestic Violence Awareness Month in memory of Lake Worth resident Yamika Murphy who was shot and killed in a triple homicide last month. Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill initiated the proclamation sharing her own plight with domestic violence and her sensitivity to the issue. “The worst part about domestic violence is that it is still happening” says Mulvehill “we are and will continue to do our part here in the City to address and stop domestic violence,” continued Commissioner Mulvehill.

A number of domestic violence awareness programs and events will take place throughout the month of October in the City. The Clothesline Project, presented by YWCA’s Harmony House, will display tee-shirts designed by survivors of domestic violence at City locations - Lake Worth City Hall, the City Hall Annex Building.

Compass, Inc. will host domestic violence awareness training on October 16, from 2-4 and 5-7 pm. The training will be held at the Compass Building, 201 North Dixie Highway, Lake Worth. To register, please contact 561-533-9699.

Crime Walk – 09/26/2009 at 6:00pm

2009-09-25T13:10:00.001-07:00

PBSO – Inmates are cleaning up TRNA alleys
Election – Candidates to speak at next TRNA meeting on 10/05/02009

--
Hello,

Please remember that tomorrow evening, Saturday September 26th, the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association (TRNA) is having a crime walk. The walk starts at 6:00pm at the First Church of the Nazarene located on the corner of 2nd Avenue North and D Street. We’ll spend about one hour walking our neighborhood, passing out TRNA flyers, reporting suspicious activity and showing our neighbors that we care. The PBSO has not yet confirmed any officers will be in attendance but this should be confirmed by the end of today.

While trying to coordinate an officer to walk with us tomorrow I learned, from Captain Silva, the following information: Corporal Sciarrino and Deputy Lozano utilized five inmates on September 23rd for a clean-up within the TRNA boundaries. Trash was picked up in the alleys between 7th Avenue North and 8th Avenue North from A to F Street. These inmates also cleaned alleyways between 2nd Ave North and 3rd Ave North from A to F Street. Also, the alley to the rear of businesses on 7th and 8th Avenue North were cleaned up. The trash collected consisted of mostly paper products and small debris as well as six tires.

Finally, the TRNA has had multiple requests from candidates running for Mayor and Commission seats requesting a few minutes of floor time at our next association meeting. While the TRNA does not endorse any candidate, we have decided to allow anybody running for public office to speak at our meeting for a limited amount of floor time. Persons of interest whom have requested an audience include mayoral candidates Loretta Sharpe and Laurence McNamara as well as the candidate for the district three commissioner seat, Wes Blackman. Please note that no candidates have officially confirmed their attendance and this roster may change without notice.

Please make sure to visit http://www.tropicalridge.org for up to date information on your neighborhood and to find out ways that you can participate in making the TRNA a place we can be proud to call home.

Tropical Triathlon Road Closures - 6:45 am to 9:30 am

2009-09-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

Media Release

Lake Worth will be co-hosting the Annual Tropical Triathlon on 09-27-09. Due to this event Lake Worth Bridge will be closed from approximately 6:45 AM until 9:30 AM.

Traffic will be detoured north to Southern Boulevard and south to Ocean Avenue. Federal Highway will also be closed from 19th Avenue North to 12th Avenue South.

Traffic will be detoured east to Dixie Highway from 12th Avenue and Vanderbilt Drive.

Lake and Lucerne Avenues will be closed between Federal Highway and The Lake Worth Bridge. East-bound traffic on Lake Avenue will be detoured at Dixie Highway.

The Lake Worth Beach Parking Area (upper lot) will be closed during this event and will re-open at approximately 10:00 AM.

Additionally, the Bryant Park Boat Ramps will be closed 0530-0930 for the event.

TRNA News

2009-09-21T04:33:00.000-07:00

Yard Of The Month
This month’s TRNA Yard of the Moth award goes to Benjamin Pogue who resides at 406 North F Street. The YOTM sign has been posted in his yard and a photograph of his beautiful property will soon be available on http://www.tropicalridge.org.

Upcoming Crime Prevention Walks
Saturday September 26th at 6:00pm.

All crime walks will begin at the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue. Please invite your neighbors!

Code Enforcement
During a commission meeting on September 11th it was discussed that an unknown percentage of the code enforcement staff positions were to be eliminated. To my knowledge, this action has not yet been taken and is to be discussed again at the meeting on September 23rd. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these actions please contact Lake Worth's City Manager at citymanager@lakeworth.org or 561.586.1630.

PBSO Updates
Lieutenant Craig Long gave some crime statistics for the past two weeks. The lieutenant told us that the TRNA currently has a lower vehicle burglary rate than most of the city, even lower than the College Park area. Keep up the good work by continuing to lock your doors and removing ALL items from view when leaving your vehicle unattended.

This sounds a little silly, but the PBSO continues to push it down our throats that people are not paying attention to this message... LOCK THE DOORS AND WINDOWS TO YOUR HOME this prevents people from breaking in, stealing your stuff and hurting the ones that you love. Do it!

The undercover burglary detail that we were told about in June is still underway in our neighborhood. PBSO is walking, biking and driving around in plain clothes looking for suspicious activity. No statistics will be available until after the detail has completed.

Race for Mayor
The registration period for the upcoming mayoral election, November 3rd, 2009, has closed and the following have officially registered: William Coakley, Javier Del Sol, Laurence McNamara, John Jorden, Loretta Sharpe and Rene Varela.

Rene Varela and Javier Del Sol both spoke with the association giving us an opportunity for further insight to their campaigns and character.

The TRNA welcomes all mayoral candidates to join our meetings and will allot five minutes for each to speak if they desire.

Halloween
Amy Saleeby from One Good Deed Marketing & Events spoke with the association. She is looking for volunteers to assist in the Halloween production she is putting on in our downtown area this year. Amy is looking for people to assist with building giant puppets for the parade on Friday October 30th, people to dress up and be in the parade, small business owners who would like to participate in "Freaky Friday" events and much more.

If you would like to volunteer your time or would like to learn more about the events happening next month, please contact Amy at 561.951.4915 or amy@onegooddeedinc.com.

You may also click here to check out the information packet given to us by Amy.

Special Thanks For Speaking To the TRNA
Lieutenant Craig Long - PBSO
Rene Varela - Lake Worth Mayoral Candidate
Javier Del Sol - Lake Worth Mayoral Candidate

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage in Lake Worth this Saturday

2009-09-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

Lake Worth- La Reina Supermarket will hold it's 4th annual "Hispanic Heritage Month" celebration. The event will take place on Saturday September 19 from 12 noon to 3 pm. at their Congress Avenue location.

La Reina will also celebrate it's 9th anniversary and according to Nicolas Arango "this event is a Latin Fiesta, we want to celebrate our heritage, we want to celebrate Mexico and Central America and at the same time we need to say thanks to all those customers that since day one supported the store. We used to be a little grocery and we didn't offer lots of services nor we carried thousands of products".

The supermarket will celebrate with a big cake, raffles and door prizes, free samples, music, food and free money transfers for up to 20 people, this will a courtesy of Vigo Money Transfers.

Some of the companies joining La Reina Hispanic Heritage Month celebration include:

-Maseca
-S.O.S Save Our Home
-Vigo
-Juanitas
-Jugos del Valle
-Klass Time
-Lala Foods
-Topochico
-Trechas
-Tostadas Charras
-Budweiser

About La Reina
La Reina supermarket is located on 3403 A. South Congress Avenue, Lake Worth (SW. corner of de Congress & 10 Avenue North). Phone (561) 963-1110. In the next few months, La Reina will be opening a new location in Lake Worth Road (Olive Garden Plaza).

La Reina Congress & 10 Avenue 30,000 sq ft store La Reina old grocery 4000 sq ft in Congress
opened in September 2005. Avenue. From 2000 to 2005

Hugs Not Drugs Moves Haunted House to Delray

2009-09-03T08:18:00.000-07:00

Editors Comment:

I have had Hugs Not Drugs on the Live Show several times over the past five years and it saddens me to see this wonderful event leave the city of Lake Worth. I spoke with Marla and Chris and they told me that Delray welcomed them with open arms when the groups Haunted House out crew the Lake Worth Playhouse. The Haunted house will be at the Delray Beach Community Center see details in release below.

Makes me wonder why the City of Lake Worth let such a wonderful event leave the city?

CITY OF DELRAY BEACHMEDIA RELEASE
Auditions for Haunted Halls of Horror Haunted House being held at Delray Beach Community Center
September 3, 2009: The Haunted Halls of Horror presented by Hugs Not Drugs® and in conjunction with the City of Delray Beach is hosting auditions for serious actors to work in the Haunted House. If you are motivated, outgoing, highly energetic, dedicated and love Halloween - this event is just for you!

Auditions will be held at the Delray Beach Community Center, 50 NW 1st Avenue, Delray Beach, TODAY at 6:30 pm. Please be prepared to stay for at least an hour and bring something to write with. No need to prepare anything.

Boys and girls, men and women, ages 8 and up will be auditioned. All applicants must not be afraid of the dark, small spaces, or traditional Halloween fare. Limited parts for children. Actors under the age of 18 will need an adult present to sign paperwork. Parents and/or guardians are requested to not drop your child off and leave as this will exclude them from participating.

Note: Community service hours are available for this event. Conditions will be explained at meeting.

To participate, all applicants must be able to commit to all dates below:
Ghoul School: October 19 (Mon) at 6:30 pm
Dress Rehearsal: October 28 (Wed) at 7 pm
Show: October 29-30-31 (Thurs - Sat)
Thursday hours: Call 5:30 pm - show 6:30-9:30, last ticket sold @ 9pm.
Friday & Saturday hours: Call 6:00 pm - show 7:00 - 11:00, last ticket sold @ 10:30pm.
Strike: November 1 (Sunday) - all participants seeking community service hours.
Costume fittings will be by appointment.

For additional information, please contact Marla Gideos, Hugs Not Drugs, at (561) 585-7771.

About Hugs Not Drugs
Family Life International, Inc., with its Hugs Not Drugs® program, conducts a range of awareness activities targeting families with children, ages six through twelve. The organization sponsors a radio show and blog about healthy families. Family Life also publishes and disseminates various printed materials, like the Hugs Not Drugs® Family Workbook.

Family Life spreads its healthy family message through the Internet, all media, plus disseminates cause-related awareness materials, like T-shirts, bumper stickers, and buttons, etc., to help parents educate themselves and their young, school-aged children in health, mental health, financial health, fitness, in short, any information which creates a happy, healthy, productive family, which includes prevention of tobacco, alcohol and other drug abuses, and AIDS.

Family Life International, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, exists exclusively for educational, charitable purposes.

Contact:
Marla Gideos
Hugs Not Drugs
(561) 585-7771
mdgsing@aol.com
City Commission:
Nelson S. "Woodie" McDuffie, Mayor
Gary Eliopoulos, Vice-Mayor
Fred Fetzer, Commissioner
Adam Frankel, Commissioner

Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association Next Meeting

2009-09-02T06:54:00.001-07:00

Our next meeting is Monday September 14th at 7:00pm.

Our scheduled guest speaker will be the City manager Susan Stanton.

Bring questions, thoughts and ideas.

See you there,

Vince Rogers

Property Appraiser will answer questions at City Hall

2009-08-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Press Release

Date: Aug. 25, 2009

The City of Lake Worth is pleased to announce that on the 4th Thursday of each month beginning August 26th until December 23rd, 2009, the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Division of Educational Services has set up an office in the Lake Worth City Hall Commission Conference Room, to assist residents who might have valuation questions they would like answered on their 2010 Homestead Exemption Applications. Residents will no longer have to travel to other cities to have their questions answered or their applications received.

The Property Appraiser, Mike Pratt will be available from 2pm on each of the following Wednesdays to take applications and to answer residents’ questions. Residents should contact Mike Pratt on 561.355.4021 to make an appointment or for questions regarding this new program. He can also be emailed at mpratt@pbcgov.org.

August 26, September 23, October 28, November 25 & December 23, 2009.

Every person who has legal title on January 1 to a residential property and lives there permanently qualifies for this exemption. You must be a permanent resident of Florida on January 1 of the initial application year. You may either apply by mail or in person at any time through the year but the deadline is March 1 of the qualifying year.

A copy of your deed and proof of residency is required. You may submit a copy of your Florida driver's license, voter's registration or permanent residency card. In lieu of a pending permanent resident alien card, we will accept Federal Form I485, “Approval Notice for application to adjust to permanent resident status.”

Exemptions available include: $25,000 Homestead Exemption, Additional $25,000 Homestead Exemption, Senior Citizen Exemption, $5,000 Disabled Veterans Exemption, Combat-disabled Senior Veterans and the $500 Widow/Widower Exemption.

Attached is a copy of the Flyer now available promoting this new service to residents. Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any further questions.

Mary E. Areson

Executive Assistant to Susan Stanton

City Manager, Lake Worth

Tel: (561) 586.1630

Fax: (561) 586.1798

mareson@lakeworth.org

LWCC takes a walk on the Avenue

2009-08-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Date: Aug. 22, 2009
By: Jim Stafford
UtalkNews.com

Friday night the Lake Worth City Commission gathered on the steps of the Lake Worth City Library not to fight crime or examine the high number of vacant stores, but instead they meet to discuss noise. Mayor Clemens stated at the opening of the meeting that the commission wanted to “to know what a certain decibel sounded liked.”

Lt. Long from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department provided a sound meter that measured sound by the pressure waves it creates. He also provided the commission and those in attendance with a handout that described common sounds and the decibel (dB) level they produced. For example, if you were standing 200 ft. away from a jet roaring down the runway at take-off that would be equal to 120 dB and a whisper from 5 ft away would be equal to 30 dB.

With handout in hand and Lt. Long in the lead, off they went to measure the noise levels being generated by downtown bars and restaurants. The first stop was Havana Hideaway which with no music playing generated 80-82 dB with the sound system at full bore they registered 84-89. A motorcycle roared by and the engine sound overwhelmed the music and it generated a 92 dB on Lt. Long’s meter.

The group then headed to Ouze Blue. On the way they took a reading at Brogues which came in at 82. At Ouzo Blue with no sound just the noise of a full restaurant doing business came in at 86dB, and with the sound system at 100% they bested the motorcycle at 99.

The Cottage was next on the Commission’s tour of the downtown. Without the music they registered 78dB, and with the tunes pumping they spiked at 91. Andrea Lutfy, owner of the Cottage, had this to say “I now have a police record because of noise complaints.” He went on to add that “I turned it up as loud as I could and it was 91. I had to go to court and others are as loud if not louder.” Mr. Lutfy seemed frustrated by the situation, but felt that the commission’s walk was for the best and that it was needed.

The final bar visited was South Shore Tavern which came in at 87 and 96 dB. Now the commission turned its attention to how far the sound was carrying into to the neighborhood north of downtown. The first stop was 2nd Ave N and N St. which was one block north of South Shore and the meter showed a reading of between 70 and 80 dB which is similar to a vacuum cleaner 10 ft away. The commission went another half block north and the reading came in between 50 and 60 dB. Lt. Long’s handout indicated that a typical residential area at night should read about 40 dB.

Editors note: Both my home and business are in Lake Worth, and I personally felt that the Commission’s time could have been used to tackle some of the important issues facing our community such as crime, blight, and overcrowding. Instead our City Commission chose to spend an evening downtown contemplating restrictions on the only businesses in Lake Worth that seem to be surviving the current economic downturn. I believe that come this November, and its time for you to cast your ballot, you should compare your priorities to the priorities of our Commission.

PBSO Contract Debate Audio

2009-08-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

Varela Kicks off Campaign

2009-08-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Dr. Rene Varela, Marine Mammal Veterinarian , launched his bid to be the next mayor of Lake Worth tonight at Brogues. The event kicked off just after 7 pm.

Mayor Jeff Clemens has decided to not seek reelection leaving the mayor's seat open. Currently only one other candidate to our knowledge, Laurence McNamara, has qualified to run in this race. Instead Mr. Clemens has announced that he will seek the District 89 State House seat.

I had a chance to speak with Dr. Varela for a few minutes before the start of the event and I took the opportunity to ask him a few questions.

Why are you running for Mayor?

"I love Lake Worth and it needs allot of help. There are big issues facing the city that need to be solved."

What do you think is the biggest issue facing Lake Worth?

"The economy!"

He went on to add that:

"I have three major priorities: attract high quality jobs to the city, revitalize our neighborhoods, and revamp our utility."

Dr. Varela also stated that:

"The city did not need any more band aid fixes" and "that I want to truly bring down utility rates over the long run. We need stability!"

I also spotted former Lake Worth District 3 Com. Nadine Burns at the kick off party pictured below.

You can learn more about Dr. Varela and his positions on the issues at his campaign website http://votevarela.com/

Jim Stafford
UtalkNews.com

Reminder: Neighborhood Summer Fun

2009-08-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

What:
The Palm Beach County's Sheriff's Office along with the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Lake Worth, will be hosting a day of summer fun with the community. This fun filled day for the citizens of Lake Worth will allow residents to meet and interact with their local law enforcement representatives along with their neighbors. A visit from the PBSO K-9 unit, the PBSO S.W.A.T. truck, the Lake Worth Fire Rescue, and the PBSO Marine Unit. There will also be a bounce house and many other guests.

FREE Hot Dogs & Sodas will be served and no alcohol will be permitted. A free raffle will be held for attendees.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is Committed to our Youth!

When:
August 15th, 2009
10:00am - 2:00pm

Where:
200 Block of North "B" Street, Lake Worth

Click here to see the official flyer.

LAKE WORTH DEDICATES NEW FACILITIES AT HOWARD PARK

2009-08-11T04:26:00.000-07:00

The City of Lake Worth will dedicate the newly renovated recreation facilities at its Howard Park site on Thursday, Aug.20th at 10:00am. The tennis and basketball courts have been completely restored along with new lighting on the courts. Funding for the park improvements were provided by a Florida Recreation Development Assistance Grant (FRDAP) awarded to the city in 2007. All residents are invited to attend the ceremony. Howard Park is located directly behind the Osborne Community Center at 1699 Wingfield Street. For further information please call Lake Worth Recreation Department (561) 533-7363.

LA REINA SUPERMARKET WILL HOST THEIR "FIRST BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR"

2009-08-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

LA REINA SUPERMARKET WILL HOST THEIR "FIRST BACK TO SCHOOL FAIR"

Free school supplies, visual tests, food and the chance to win laptops and bicycles among other prices

(Lake Worth, Fl, August 5, 2009)- . To help parents in the local community prepare their children for school and daycare this fall, La Reina Supermarket is hosting a back-to-school fair. The event will be held August 14 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Congress Avenue location.

The supermarket plans to give away backpacks loaded with school supplies to 1,000 children. In addition La Reina will raffle laptops, bicycles, tickets to Lion Country Safary, gift cards and from 6 to 8 pm, will also give away a traditional Hispanic afternoon snack "La Merienda" to all the people who stops by. Also, thirteen of the supermarket providers will be offering free samples and products and Integral Clinic will be providing visual test to the children. This event will be free of charge to the entire community.

"We don't want to deny any child the opportunity to have a backpack and supplies to begin the school year," said Luban Quiceno, La Reina general manager. "This is a hard economy and we would like to follow our tradition of service to the community" he added.

About La Reina
La Reina supermarket is located on 3403 A. South Congress Avenue, Lake Worth (SW. corner of de Congress & 10 Avenue North). Phone (561) 963-1110. In the next few months, La Reina will be opening a new location in Lake Worth Road (Olive Garden Plaza).

City Votes to Down Zone Sunset...

2009-08-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

The Lake Worth City Commission voted in favor, (5-0) of repealing the following two oridances related to the Sunset Property. The property has already been tied up in legal battles for 5 years.

Ordinance No. 2009-20 – First Reading and First Public Hearing – repeal Ordinance No. 2005-53 to rezone 4.02 acres of land located at 826 Sunset Drive; and schedule the second public hearing at a later date

Ordinance No. 2009-21 – First Reading and First Public Hearing – repeal Ordinance No. 2006-04 concerning a large scale amendment to the Future Land Use Designation of approximately 4.02 acres of land located at 826 Sunset Drive; and schedule the second public hearing at a later date

Other Important Actions taken by the Lake Worth City Commission:

Approves (5-0) 1st Reading of Beach Use Charter Amendment

Approves (5-0) 1st Reading to Ban Dredge and Fill projects on Lake Worth Beach Charter Amendment

NEIGHBORHOOD "SUMMER FUN!"

2009-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

PBSO will be hosting a day of "Summer Fun" with the community. This fun filled day will allow residents to meet and interact with their local law enforcement representatives along with their neighbors.

ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE:

A Visit from the PBSO K-9 Unit, The PBSO S.W.A.T. Truck (the Hulk), Lake Worth Fire Rescue, and PBSO Marine Unit, Raffle, Bounce House, and Free Hot Dogs and Soda.

The event will be held AUGUST 15TH 10am to 2pm on the 200 Block of North "B" Street, in Lake Worth

Went want to remind everyone that No Alcohol Will Be Allowed. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is Committed to our Youth!

This event is supported by Palm Beach Sheriff's Office in Lake Worth, Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency, and the City of Lake Worth

(Note: We had to do significant editing to this release.)

Showdown Over Sunset

2009-08-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

At Tuesday night's meeting the Lake Worth City Commission will take action on down zoning the sunset property. Just one more example of the Majority headed by Com. Cara Jennings saying "NO" to any economic development in Lake Worth. This vote will most likely result in just another lawsuit for the city of Lake Worth!

Twenty Artists / Twenty Bucks

2009-07-23T07:25:00.001-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Person: Sharon Koskoff

Cell: 561 699-7899 BySharon@comcast.net

Free Event! Live Art Auction:

Twenty Artists / Twenty Bucks

A Local Arts Happening!

Who: Organic Music Café & Local Visual Artists

What: Free Event! On Site Art Creation & Art Auction / All Bids Start at $20

Where: Organic Music Café /OMC

332 North Dixie Highway, Lake Worth

(Southeast corner of Dixie and 4th Avenue North)

When: Friday Eve, August 7, 2009

Time: 7 - 8:30 p.m. / Artists Create Artworks

8:45 p.m. / Twenty Dollar Art Auction Begins / All Bids Start at $20

Why: Local Visual Artist Happening

Cost: Free Admission, Cash Bar, Open Menu

Parking: On the street

The Public is invited to attend a Free Event! Live Art Auction: Twenty Artists / Twenty Bucks

At the Organic Music Café, 332 North Dixie Hwy, Lake Worth, FL, 33460.

Twenty Visual Artists + will create 16” x 20” artworks in a variety of media

on-site over a 90 minute time period, from 7 – 8:30 p.m.

while the public looks on! A Live Auction of their works created will

start at 8:45 p.m. All bids start at only $20!

Meet and mingle with emerging and established regional artists

while exploring the Café’s secret gardens.

Your masterpiece awaits!

The OMC is a fun healthy pace to eat, drink, dance and sing, mix and mingle and have a great time, every time!

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Live Soft Dinner Jazz

with Michael Moses

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Artists Create On-Site

8:00 - 8:45 p.m. Imperial Jade Belly Dancing

8:45 p.m. – Live Art Auction

Fifty per cent of the proceeds benefit local artists directly!

For more info Call Talya - Lake Worth 561.543.0219 or Sharon - Delray Beach 561.699.7899

Mayor Comments on Alleged Security Breach at Lake Worth Utilities

2009-07-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

UtalkNews.com contacted Mayor Jeff Clemens today to get his comments about the alleged security breach. Below is his response...

"Only authorized personnel are allowed to enter that building. I have every confidence that our management will evaluate the situation, and if there is anyone in that specific room who should not be, they will enact appropriate measures. To my knowledge, there has been no security breach, nor any incident that has placed any part of our electrical plant or distribution in danger.

Conversely, I was appalled by the dog-and-pony show orchestrated in front of the Commission and the public Tuesday night. It was a clear attempt to try to embarrass the city and management staff by members of our own "team" who have been previously disciplined for insubordination. I do not believe it is ever appropriate for employees to use a public forum to try to discredit their superiors. I believe that the fault lies not only with the two employees who performed an end run around both their supervisor and the City Manager, but also with any member of the community who encouraged or coached them to do so. It is this kind of poor behavior that almost tore the Electric Utility Task Force asunder, and has chased away two previous Utilities Directors.

I fully support Rebecca Mattey, who is a professional with a exemplary record, both before and since coming to Lake Worth. "

Jeff Clemens
Mayor
City of Lake Worth

Alleged Security Breach to Lake Worth Utilities Electric System

2009-07-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

PRESS ADVISORY

TO: PRESS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION

FROM: Office of the City Manager

DATE: July 21, 2009

RE: Alleged Security Breach to Lake Worth Utilities Electric System

It has come to the attention of the City Manager that an allegation has been made of a security breach to the Lake Worth Utilities Electric Security system. After previous allegations had been received and following an investigation in June this year, it was determined that no security breach (a security breach being an external act that bypasses or contravenes security policies, practices or procedure) had occurred to the Lake Worth Utilities system at any time. The original allegation stemmed from employees alleging that staff members had accessed and/or tampered with an engineering console for the purpose of breaching the City’s security system. However, it was determined that the accused employees all have full access to the system as part of their normal employment responsibilities.

The building in which the breach was alleged to have occurred is a secure building with controlled access 24 hours per day. A further allegation was made that this “security breach” could cascade from the City grid to the Florida grid. No security breach to the Lake Worth System could “cascade” if the City system were to fail as the FPL system that supplies transmission service to the City does not pick up load during a widespread or complete power outage.

The City Manager’s office would like to confirm that no member of City management has been contacted by the Federal Government concerning the alleged incident. However, the city has been contacted by members of the media requesting security and access information. Such requests have been denied as releasing security information is not consistent with the City’s security and safety measures currently in place.

City management has in the past and continues to take every precaution to ensure the viability and reliability of the Lake Worth’s electric system. The City employs highly qualified individuals manning and monitoring the electric system and its security on a 24 hour basis.

Mary E. Areson

Executive Assistant to Susan Stanton

City Manager, Lake Worth

CRA Survives for Now….

2009-07-21T05:21:00.001-07:00

The Lake Worth City Commission met today at a special meeting to discuss the future of the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency. The call to disband the independent board and have the current commission act in its place was led by Com. Jo-Ann Golden. Golden said that she felt that the board was neither “a viable or legal organization.” When confronted by CRA board member Wes Blackman who wanted specific examples of illegal actions taken by the board Golden stated “it was not essential or important” and provided no evidence to support her claims.

Com. Jennings joined in on the call to disband the all volunteer CRA board. Jennings questioned if tax payers would be happy knowing that volunteers are over seeing millions of tax dollars. She was adamant that the commission needed to act as an authority over the CRA. She admitted that “it was all about the money.”

Both Com. Lowe and Mulvehill expressed concern over the additional work load that assuming the CRA duties would add to the already over burdened commission. Lowe summed it up by saying “we are getting burned out.” Lowe also acknowledged that the board had troubles in the past and felt that the CRA needed a more defined mission.

Mulvehill seemed stuck on the fact that the CRA and commission had already done this 3 other times since the board’s inception in 1989 and disparately tried to find middle ground by suggestion that the commission enact controls to address some of the issues put forward by Com. Jennings and Golden. She had trouble understanding that by Florida Statue if the board was separate that it had to be independent.

This went back and forth for the better part of and hour. Finally Com. Lowe called for the question in an act of frustration. Com. Golden’s motion failed 3-2 with Mulvehill voting to maintain the board’s independence with Clemens and Lowe.

Here is where the meeting took an interesting turn. In an act of defiance Com. Jennings wanted to have staff look at options that included the disbanding of the CRA and went on about how she was ok with breaking the commissions own rules to vote on the issue again at some future meeting. This only served to cause more confusion.

The future of the CRA which has six vacancies which need to be filled still has an uncertain future as an independent volunteer board.

A message from Mayor Jeff Clemens

2009-07-20T07:04:00.001-07:00

Monday evening, at 5:30, the City Commission will once again decide the fate of the independent Community Redevelopment Agency board. At least one Commissioner, and possibly three, are in favor of the City Commission taking over the CRA and serving as the CRA board.

A quick look at history, both in and outside of Lake Worth, will show that an independent CRA has almost always been more effective than one run by the City Commission. A City Commission-run CRA board has been ineffective in two previous incarnations in Lake Worth, and it is has also largely been an abject failure in places like Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, and Riviera Beach.

I know we have wasted many hours over the past five years on this issue, when we should have talking about other things. But it is vital to our City's future. Please come to City Hall Monday evening to express your desire for the CRA board to remain independent.

Thanks,
Jeff Clemens

UtalkNews.com Political Cartoon….

2009-07-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today the Lake Worth City Commission will again revisit the question of should the Lake Worth CRA be an independent body. Com. Cara Jennings, the current majority leader, in the past has expressed the desire to take control of the CRA and its money.

Do you want the same Commissioner that wanted to permit the raising of chickens, ducks, and bees in the city to have control of CRA funds?

What’s next? Cows…

Keep in mind this is the same Commissioner that was arrested for protesting in front of the Israeli consulate in Miami, falsely accused Sheriff Rick Bradshaw of abusing protesters, and who championed the Illegal Alien Hiring Hall….

Call, email, or attend this meeting and demand that the CRA remain independent and give the people a voice…

5:30 pm Lake Worth City Hall…..

Jim Stafford
Publisher of UtalkNews.com

NOTICE OF GENERAL ELECTION

2009-07-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

NOTICE OF GENERAL ELECTION

CITY OF LAKE WORTH

NOTICE is hereby given that a General Election will be held in the City of Lake Worth, Florida, on Tuesday, November 3, 2009, (with a Run-Off Election on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, if necessary), for the purpose of electing a Mayor, Commissioner from District #1 and Commissioner from District #3, each for a two (2) year term.

Persons seeking election may qualify with the City Clerk from noon, Tuesday, August 4, 2009, until noon, Tuesday, August 18, 2009.

All citizens qualified by the Charter of the City of Lake Worth, Constitution, and laws of Florida who are registered voters in Palm Beach County and whose principal place of residence is the City of Lake Worth shall be electors.

The election shall be held in accordance with the Charter of the City of Lake Worth, Florida and the State of Florida Election Laws.

For complete election coverage in Lake Worth visit www.votelakeworth.blogspot.com

La Reina Grand Reopening

2009-07-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

Largest Hispanic supermarket in Palm Beach County
celebrates its grand reopening with a summer party

The event will be held tomorrow Saturday July 11.

Lake Worth, Fl, July 9, 2009 - La Reina Supermarket will be hosting a summer party and grand reopening this Saturday, July 11, 2009. The event will start at 12 noon and will celebrate the new store set-up with raffles, prizes, free samples and food, music and much more. The activities planned for this event includes a limbo and dancing contest as well as a bouncy house for the kids. The raffles will include a bicycle, a spectacular electronic massage chair (courtesy of Aaron's) and beach chairs among other prizes.

According to Nicolas Arango, La Reina buyer and one of the people behind the changes "the new set up of the supermarket is more convenient to our costumers and will also help the store's flow. I think the idea of a summer party is something attractive to everyone regarding their nationality or culture, we are going to have activities for every age, raffles for all our customers, free food and samples, something that in this economy is always welcome".

About La Reina
La Reina supermarket is located on 3403 A. South Congress Avenue, Lake Worth (SW. corner of de Congress & 10 Avenue North). Phone (561) 963-1110.
In a few months La Reina will be opening a 28,505 sq. ft new store in Lake Worth Road (Woodlake Plaza).

####

News from Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association

2009-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

· Yard Of The Month
o This month’s TRNA Yard of the Moth award goes to Ubaldo Ruiz who resides at 832 North E Street. The YOTM sign has been posted in his yard and a photograph of his beautiful property will soon be available on http://www.tropicalridge.org.

· Upcoming Crime Prevention Walks
o Saturday July 18th at 6:00pm
o All crime walks will begin at the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue. Please invite your neighbors!

· Code Enforcement
o The properties below were submitted to Lake Worth’s code enforcement at the end of May and beginning of June. Follow up phone calls have been received from the Code Enforcement office looking for more details and verifying addresses and many of the cases listed below have been closed.
o You are encouraged to leave code violation notifications on the city’s website, click here for the form. If you do not want to leave your name on your complaint, please feel free to use Tropical Ridge instead and the complaint will be logged under the association.

PBSO Updates
o Deputy Brandon (I forgot his last name) gave some crime states for 7/1-7/7:
§ 3 Residential Burglaries
· 710 North A Street
· 228 North G Street
· 328 North G Street
§ 1 Arson
· 330 North H Street
o The city of Lake Worth does not have the ordinance every other city has in place to enforce the remove of abandoned vehicles from its streets.
§ This means that the abandoned red truck with a smashed bumper and flat tires on C Street between 4th and 6th street will remain there until an ordinance is passed.
o Please write our City Commissioners an email requesting a red tag ordinance for abandoned vehicles be passed so this heap of trash will be taken out of our neighborhood. Click here for the email address of each city commissioner.
o The undercover burglary detail that we were told about in June is still underway in our neighborhood. PBSO is walking, biking and driving around in plain clothes looking for suspicious activity. No statistics will be available until after the detail has completed.
o Keep your alleyways clear of brush and debris. These alleyways are a huge issue for the PBSO and the clearer they are the less crime can happen in them.

· C.O.P. Program
o C.O.P. is still recruiting. For more information on the C.O.P. program, please visit http://www.pbso.org/index.cfm?fa=cop.

· Special Thanks For Speaking To the TRNA
o Deputy Brandon from PBSO

10th Annual Multi-Cultural Festival

2009-07-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

Click on poster for large format

It is not too late to add your name as a sponsor or arrange to have a booth. More than one thousand community residents participated at this event last year. Do not miss this opportunity to get free advertising for your business ( All nonprofit agencies can have a free booth)Call Ms. Cynthia at 561-493-1190 to request for a sponsorship form. Be there! August 8, 2009 from 10:00 am -4:00 Pm at Bryant Park by the Lake Worth Beach on Lake Avenue. See attach flier for more info.Thank you for your partnership.
Reginale Durandisse, Founder & CEO FOR THE CHILDREN INC. (FTC) " A place where children come first" 1718 South Douglas St. Lake Worth, Fl 33460 Office: (561) 493-1190 Fax: (561)721-2954 WWW.FTC-Osborne.org

Lake Worth 4th of July 2009

2009-07-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

Photos from Lake Worth, Florida 4th of July events. Tropic Fest, Old Bridge Park, and Fireworks display. Visit UtalkNews.com to see more photos from the days events...

Tropic Fest Road Closures

2009-06-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Media Release

To facilitate the staging and dispersal of the Annual Tropic Fest to be held Saturday, July 4th , 2009, parking will be temporary prohibited on the following streets:

2nd Ave South between Federal Hwy. and South Golfview (South side of road only)
1st Ave South between Federal Hwy. and South Golfview (South side of road only)

Parking at the above listed locations will be temporarily prohibited from 2:00 PM Saturday, July 4th, 2009 until the conclusion of the event, which should be approximately 11:00 PM.

To assure a safe and successful Tropic Fest, your cooperation in this matter is urged. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office may tow vehicles left parked on the street in violation of this temporary order.

The Bryant Park Boat Ramps will be closed from noon on Friday, July 3, until noon on Sunday, July 5.

In Addition:

Lake Ave. from Federal Hwy. to South Ocean Blvd. and the Lake Worth Bridge will be temporarily closed from approximately 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Media Release Prepared By: Lieutenant Moss
Date Released to Media:

Teri Barbera
Division Manager/Public Information Officer
Media Relations
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Lake Worth CRA 2nd Annual Lake Worth Fishing

2009-06-26T12:05:00.001-07:00

Tuppens Marine & Tackle and the Lake Worth CRA 2nd Annual Lake Worth Fishing Tournament.
Lake Worth Fishing Tournament June 26-28,2009
TOURNAMENT RULES
ENTRY FEE
$200.00 PER BOAT IF PAID BY JUNE 15th
$275.00 PER BOAT UP TO JUNE 26th
BAIT TACKLE AND LINE
LIVE, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL BAITS PERMITTED

IGFA RULES APPLY
(WITH THE EXCEPTION OF WIRE LINES)
WIRE LINES ARE ALLOWED
NO RESTRICTION ON LINE TEST,
ALL FISH MUST BE CAUGHT ON ROD AND REEL
NO ELECTRIC REELS

CAPTIANS MEETING
WILL BE HELD JUNE 26th 6:00 PM
AT TUPPENS MARINE AND TACKLE
ONE MEMBER FROM EACH BOAT MUST BE PRESENT

BOAT SIZE
NO MINIMUM NO MAXIMUM

VESSEL CHECK OUT- NONE
USE INLET OF YOUR CHOICE LINES IN AT 7:00AM
OUT BY 3:00PM
ELIGIBLE FISH
KINGFISH, DOLPHIN, WAHOO, SNAPPER AND GROUPER
OF LEGAL SIZE
Only Kingfish, Dolphin and Wahoo Qualify for Grand Prize

WEIGH IN
PALM BEACH YACHT CENTER
.7 mi north of Boynton Inlet on west side of ICW
You must be Logged by 3:00

ALL ANGLERS MUST HAVE A
VALID FISHING LICENSE

NO MUTILATED FISH WILL BE ELIGIBLE
FISH MUST BE FRESH AND SUBJECT TO TORRY METER AND ORGANOLEPTIC TEST

SAFTEY
EACH CAPTIAN ACCEPTS
FULL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY
FOR THERE CREW AND IT IS AT HIS OR HER DISCRETION
TO FISH OR NOT
Should weather become an issue and Tournament cancelled by way of voting Process, all events will go on as scheduled and awards will be given out by way of raffle at awards luncheon.
Quantity: 1
Price - $275.00

Copyright © Tuppens 2007. All Rights Reserved. Call 1-800-221-5718 for orders.

A Call for Volunteers!

2009-06-20T04:49:00.001-07:00

Tropic Fest is coming up on July 4 at Bryant Park and the chamber is looking for volunteers to help at the beer tent, soda carts and chamber booth.

Most shifts are three hours, and all volunteers
will receive a T-shirt and refreshments.
Tropic Fest Hours: Noon - 10 p.m.

The chamber appreciates your support!

To volunteer, please call the chamber at 582-4401 or respond to this e-mail.

Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce

501 Lake Avenue
Lake Worth, Florida 33460
Phone: (561) 582-4401 Fax: (561) 547-8300
www.lwchamber.com

Home/Business Security Expo

2009-06-16T13:20:00.001-07:00

June 16, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MA09-123
CONTACT: Sgt. Enrique Ponce 202-9638
District 14/Lake Worth

Media Advisory

WHAT: Home/Business Security Exposition

WHERE: First Church of the Nazarene
100 Block of north D Street
Lake Worth

WHEN: Saturday, June 20, 2009

TIME: 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

There are presently 15 vendors participating in the exposition which will have information, services, products pertaining to home and business security; like residential and car alarms, security windows and doors, landscaping, bicycle locks, insurance coverage, residential and business lighting and safety deposit boxes. Wachovia Bank and Home Depot will also be at hand.

By attending the exposition our residents and business owners will have an opportunity to see what services and products are available to them. It’s the goal of PBSO to educate the public in the safeguarding their homes and businesses to make them aware of products and services they can acquire in order to achieve that.

###

Teri Barbera
Division Manager/Public Information Officer
Media Relations
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

Residential Vegetation Amnesty Week

2009-06-10T08:05:00.001-07:00

The City of Lake Worth is offering a special "Residential Vegetation Amnesty Week" during the week of June 15 - June 19, 2009.

The City encourages all residential property owners to utilize this "Vegetation Only Amnesty Week" to prepare their properties for the 2009 Hurricane Season. We will be picking up unlimited amounts of vegetation only in accordance with the Health and Sanitation Ordinance. Vegetation can be left curbside beginning Saturday June 13 and will be picked up during your regularly scheduled pick up day. As an example, if your pick up day is Thursday, you can put out vegetation only starting Saturday, June 13, up to your pickup day on Thursday, June 18 and the city will pick all of it up. After Friday, June 19, your regular vegetation pick up schedule will resume and regulated limits will apply.

During this “Vegetation Only Amnesty Week” no citations will be issued.

This does not include demolition or construction debris or bulk waste (stoves, refrigerators, old furniture, mattresses, etc.)

We encourage all residents to use the guidelines as set forth within the city's "Tree Preservation Ordinance" when pruning and trimming trees and shrubs. Hat-racking or Topping, as is commonly referred to, is strictly prohibited within the City of Lake Worth and Palm Beach County. You may be subject to a monetary fine as well as tree replacement if you are found to be in violation of this ordinance.

For further information about the Amnesty week pickup, contact the City of Lake Worth Refuse Division at 561-533-7344.

For additional information regarding proper pruning or trimming contact the City Horticulturist, Martin Cybulski, at 561-586-1720 or the Grounds Maintenance Division at 561-586-1677,

Crime Walk June 5th at 6:00 pm

2009-06-05T08:31:00.001-07:00

Hello,

This evening, June 5th at 6:00pm, the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association will be meeting at the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue for a Crime Prevention Walk. We will be spending approximately one hour walking the streets of our neighborhood meeting neighbors, promoting association activities and making our presence known to the community.

There will be deputies from the PBSO that will be accompanying us on our walk. Please come out to show your support for our association and to make it clear that the residence of Tropical Ridge are caring, thoughtful and will not tolerate crime and blight.

For more information regarding upcoming TRNA events please visit www.tropicalridge.org.

Upcoming Events
- ROLOH Crime Walk – June 15th – 6:30pm – West end of Collier at Lake Osborne
- Vegetation Amnesty – June 15th-19th – Hurricane preparedness
- Security Expo – June 20th – 12:00-4:00pm – First Church of the Nazarene
- Raft Race - July 4th – Please volunteer to row!

Shooting in Lake Worth

2009-06-04T17:29:00.001-07:00

June 4, 2009

PBSO is currently working a shooting that took place on Ferne Lane, Lake Worth

On Thursday, June 4, 2009, approximately 7:30 pm, deputies responded to shots fired in the area of 20 Ferne Lane, Lake Worth. When they arrived they found a Hispanic male victim shot in the torso. The victim was immediately airlifted to Delray Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. Condition is unknown.

More information will be released when it becomes available.

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PBSO is working an Accidental Injury that occurred in Lake Worth

2009-06-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Date: June 3, 2009

Time: 9:50 am

Location: 38 Barberton Road
Lake Worth

Victim: Jeffrey D. Stearns
11/09/03

Grandfather: Charles Langston
8/20/48

Detectives responded to an accidental injury of a 5 ½ year old.

Jeffrey was playing in the yard while his grandfather was cutting the grass. Jeffrey ran in front of the riding lawn mower slipped and fell. Charles was unable to stop the lawn mower and ran over Jeffrey’s left leg, amputating it below the knee.

Jeffrey was airlifted to Delray Medical Center where he is currently in stable condition.

Investigation continues.

Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association - Update

2009-06-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Yard Of The Month

This monthâ€™s TRNA Yard of the Moth award goes to Gary Peruta who resides at 527 North D Street. The YOTM sign has been posted in his yard and a photograph of his beautiful property is available on http://www.tropicalridge.org/.

Upcoming Crime Prevention Walks
Friday June 5th at 6:00pm
All crime walks will begin at the First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue. Please invite your neighbors!

Raft Race
This yearâ€™s annual Lake Worth Raft Race is being held on July 4th, 2009.

The TRNA, last yearâ€™s winning team, is looking for volunteers to row our raft in the race. So far we have only one volunteer and we need at least four people on board to be eligible. Please email ryan@tropicalridge.org to volunteer.

If you canâ€™t volunteer to row, you can loan or donate items that are required for the race. We will need four life vests and four oars.

Code Enforcement
Mike Morabito, a City/CRA Code Inspector, spoke during our meeting. If you have questions for Mike you can call him at 561.586.1652 x7181 or email him at mmorabito@lakeworth.org.

Even though Mike is being funded by the CRA he will travel outside of the CRA district and take action.
o Mike works with the PBSO in the CPU (Community Police Unit).
o Each district in Lake Worth has now been assigned its own code enforcement staff member according to Mike.
o We were informed that Code Enforcement does not enforce overcrowding issues.
o We were informed that Code Enforcement is not focusing on yard issues currently.
o You are encouraged to leave code violation notifications on the cityâ€™s website, click here for the form.

If you do not want to leave your name on your complaint, please use Tropical Ridge instead and the complaint will be logged under the association.

PBSO Updates
Lieutenant Long gave some crime statistics for 5/15/09 - 6/1/09:
5 Burglaries
1 Business Burglary
14 Graffiti Incidents

Lieutenant Long got the illegal taco trailer on Lake Ave. and US-1 shut down IMMEDIATLEY after speaking with him about it in our meeting. Thanks Lieutenant!
o Keep your alleyways clear of brush and debris. Lake Worth's alleyways are a huge issue for the PBSO and the clearer they are the less crime can happen in them.
o Joel Morganstern assisted with enforcing the code issues discussed in last monthâ€™s meeting that involved the following properties. Thank you Joel!
- 210 North D Street â€“ chickens
- 201 North E street- windows boarded up
o Security Expo
- Saturday June 20th, 2009 from 12:00pm â€“ 4:00pm
- First Church of the Nazarene, located at 1422 Lucerne Avenue

C.O.P. Program
Berni from the C.O.P. (Citizens on Patrol) program spoke with us this month.
They patrol college park during the day and Tropical Ridge at night. The TRNA asked the

C.O.P.s to share the daytime patrols with the TRNA as well as College Park as most of our burglaries occur during the day.

o Lake Worthâ€™s C.O.P. program (Citizens On Patrol) is ready for more applicants. There are four C.O.P. cars and a boat you can be trained for.

o For more information on the C.O.P. program, please visit http://www.pbso.org/index.cfm?fa=cop.

Code Violations

o The following properties have been reported by the TRNA to the Lake Worth Code Enforcement department this month. Feel free to leave your own complaint for these properties by clicking here or by emailing mmorabito@lakeworth.org.

Complaint Address
Complaint

602 North A
Exterior paint flaking off and raw wood of siding is visible.

630 North A
Trash and huge rotted tree in yard. Possible hurricane debris issue with rotted tree.

129 North E
Mattress in front of house.

123 North E
Mattress in front of house.

205 North E
Overgrown Lawn.

429 North E
Vacant house that is open and unsecured.

431 North E
Vacant duplex that is open and unsecured.

218 North B
Front yard being used for storgae. Property is an eyesore to neighborhood.

230 North B
Open permit. House has permit from 2006. Owner should be forced to complete work.

423 North B
Construction permit sign for years. When will work be completed?

516 North B
Wave runners on trailer in front yard.

522 North B
Vacant and an eyesore. Falling fascia on south side of building.

609 North B
Trailer w/ truck on it in front of home.

621 North C
Vacant eyesore.

520 North C
Continuous mulch on driveway.

511 North C
Hedges block the walkway.

507 North C
Hedges block the driveway.

Opens Junes 5th, 2009

332 North Dixie Highway (old Pizza Palace space)
Go to http://www.organicmusiccafe.com/ or call 561.667.8775 for more information

Special Thanks For Speaking To the TRNA
Michael Morabito from Code Enforcement
Lieutenant Long of the PBSO
Joel Morganstern of the PBSO
Berni from the C.O.P. Program

Armed Robbery and Shooting

2009-05-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

PBSO is working an early morning Armed Robbery/Shooting that occurred in Lake Worth

Date: May 29, 2009

Time: 1:52 am

Where: 2441 10th Avenue North
Lake Worth Florida

On above date and time the victim was in his vehicle at this location. A red two door Honda pulled behind him and a subject exited the vehicle. This subject was possibly a light skinned Black or Hispanic male. He was armed with a black semi-automatic handgun. He was dressed in a red shirt, black hat and had a bandana across his face. There was some type of confrontation and the victim grabbed the gun causing it to go off. The victim was struck in the left wrist and left upper thigh. The suspect then fled the area in the red Honda. This vehicle was driven by a male wearing a black shirt. The suspect vehicle was later recovered at Boutwell Road and 7th Avenue North in Lake Worth. This vehicle and suspect were involved in an armed robbery at the Washington Mutual Bank in the ATM drive thru approximately two minutes prior to the shooting.

It was learned that the vehicle was also reported stolen to Greenacres Police under case 09-09728. The victim was taken to Delray Medical Center with serious non-life threatening injuries.

Investigation continues

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** UDPATE **

On Friday, May 29, 2009, at approximately 1:50 am the victims were in the drive thru of the Washington Mutual Bank at 2601 10th Avenue North, Lake Worth. While the driver was attempting to use the ATM a red Honda Civic parked in front of them and a male exited the vehicle. He was described as a Hispanic male wearing a red shirt, black hat and a bandana across his face brandishing a black handgun. He demanded money and purses from all the victims. The suspect then got back into the vehicle that was driven by a male wearing a black shirt. The victims then drove to the parking lot near Flanagan’s Pub looking for help. The suspect vehicle followed them and stopped by a white Cadillac Escalade. The same suspect exited the vehicle and confronted the driver. The driver was then shot at least two times. The vehicle then fled and was located near Boutwell Road and 7th Avenue North in Lake Worth. An extensive search for the suspects met with negative results. The red Honda recovered had been reported stolen to Greenacres Police under case 09-9728.

Investigation continues

Lake Worth Bike Rodeo

2009-05-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

This Saturday the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office in partnership with the Lake Worth Community Redevelopment Agency and the City of Lake Worth will be hosting a bicycle rodeo for children 6-12 years old, on “J” St. between Lake Ave and Lucerne Ave, in the city of Lake Worth. The event will include free educational flyers for the parents, a bicycle raffle, a helmet give away (limited supply), snacks and drinks.

Home Security Expo!

2009-05-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office District 14 Lake Worth. Invites you to a Home Security Expo Saturday, June 20th 2009 from 12:00pm to 4:00p.m. The Expo will be held at the Lake Worth First Church of the Nazarene located at 2nd Ave N and "D" St.

The Expo will feature:
Security Company representatives
Target Hardening ideas for your home or business
Window and Door Company displays.
Locksmith Advice
Garden Center examples of Crime Preventing Landscaping.
Deputies with specialized crime prevention training will be on hand.
And More!

CITY OF LAKE WORTH BOARDS - May 23, 2009

2009-05-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

CITY OF LAKE WORTH BOARDS

The City of Lake Worth is currently seeking volunteers to serve on City Boards with vacancies, as follows:
City Recreation Advisory Board
Community Redevelopment Agency
Community Relations Board
Construction Board of Adjustments and Appeals
Firefighters' Pension Trust Fund - Division 1
Library Board Planning & Zoning/ Historic Resources Preservation/ Nuisance Abatement/ Sign Appeals Boards
Sister City Board

If you are interested in serving on the above Boards, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 586-1663 for further information, or the Board Application can be downloaded from the City of Lake Worth's website at www.lakeworth.org.

All applications must be received by the City Clerk's Office no later than Friday, May 29, 2009, at 5:00 PM.

A Special Meeting will be held on Monday, June 8, 2009, at 5:30 PM; and, if necessary, Monday, June 15, 2009, at 5:30 PM to interview those board applicants who applied for vacant positions.