September 16, 1928

While doing some research on the internet this afternoon I came across photos of Lake Worth after the 1928 hurricane.  It has been a mild hurricane season so far and there has also been talk about what happens if non-conforming buildings get damaged, so I thought I would post this little reminder of how bad things can get.

A modern track of the 1928 hurricane.

A contemporary map of the hurricane’s movement across Florida, note where landfall was.

Click on the images to enlarge.

I would imagine this is Lake or Lucerne.

Lake Worth scenes.

I believe that the Masonic Temple in the photo is 1000 Lake.

Deerfield and Lake Worth.

A Walk in the PARK(ing) Day. . .

Deanna and I made our way over to the PARK(ing) Day event downtown this afternoon.  While there were not as many participants as last year we still had a great time. We spoke with just about everyone there and I think Deanna sat in each and every chair as well.   I hope we see more events like PARK(ing) Day in Lake Worth, they are a great way to meet new people and chat with friends.

Andy and a very green truck.

Deanna, Barbie and Wes.

Javier and friends eating healthy stuff.

A great little band was playing.

Things for kids to explore.

This guy was so enthusiastic!

A great place to just hang out.

Deanna loved the jewelry these two women were showing.

A one parking space park.

Relaxing by the swimming hole.

For South FLA Homebuyers, Small is the New Large. . .

Check out this post at “The Juice” Blog at the Broward Palm Beach New Times website.  Click here to read.

Here’s an excerpt:

We have good news for families looking to downsize though, to a charming 1/2 bed 1/2 bath. In Lake Worth, for example, there are plenty of iddy biddy widdle houses for sale. . .

Debate and Rebuttal?

Saying that you welcome debate and rebuttal is one thing.  Actually doing so is another.  Recently a local blogger took a comment Mayor Clemens made on my facebook page in response to one of my blog posts and posted it on their own blog.  I guess that’s fair game.

I made a comment at their blog saying that they were taking the comment out of context and they should do the right thing and reference the post that the Mayor was talking about.  Well, the blogger would not even post my comment!  And of course they never attributed the post the Mayor was talking about.  It seems that it did not suit their purpose.

Debate and Rebuttal?

Hardly!

Not Safe. . .

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FL — A cow fell on a man at a dairy farm early Friday, sending him to a local provisional trauma center via helicopter after the apparent milking-related incident, a St. Lucie County Fire District spokeswoman said.

Fire District crews responded at 3:56 a.m. to the incident in the 16000 block of Okeechobee Road, Fire District spokeswoman Catherine Chaney said.

“They were in the process of milking cows. That’s why he was near a cow,” Chaney said. “He was out there milking cows and this one fell on him.”

The man, who is in his early 30s, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He was flown to the hospital because the area where the accident occurred — near the St. Lucie/Okeechobee county line — is so far from a hospital.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the cow was injured.

Safer. . .

In this morning’s Palm Beach Post’s Letters to the Editors, former CRA board member and local business owner Shanon Materio writes about the positive impact the Sheriff’s Office has made since coming to Lake Worth:

Sheriff has helped to make Lake Worth safer

Palm Beach Post Letters to the Editor

Friday, September 18, 2009

“Lake Worth applauds sheriff as crime drops” (Sept. 6). We, too, applaud the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and thank The Post for this positive article.

My husband and I moved our business to Lake Worth in 1993 knowing that it had a less-than-stellar reputation on several fronts, including crime. The commercial real estate was affordable, and access was easy from Interstate 95 for our often-traveling clients to our custom art glass business. After being targeted by crime, we decided to participate with the neighborhood crime walks and become active in the community.

But nothing has made a more obvious impact on the city as the force of reliable men and women with Capt. Rolando Silva and the sheriff’s office. Capt. Silva is attentive to the business community and the neighborhoods. They understand and respect the diversity of people and value the small business district. There are a few things inherently needed to maintain a healthy business and home life, and safety has to be the No. 1 priority.

The mayor and city commission made a brave decision to merge with the sheriff. Commissioner Cara Jennings, who voted against the merger for one “primary concern: cost,” may not understand that this change helps to attract new businesses and homeowners. A fresh tax base after years of remaining the same or going backward adds to the coffers. Commissioner Jennings has a conflict between her political beliefs and the reality of what citizens need.

We need a vibrant, self-sustaining community. Thankfully, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is doing its part to give Lake Worth a renewed sense of order.

SHANON MATERIO

West Palm Beach

Click here to read the original article Ms. Materio refers to.

Promoting Lake Worth. . .

At both the Palm Beach Post and New Times websites this morning there are articles about PARK(ing) Day here in Lake Worth.  It’s great to see a low cost event gain positive media attention and encourage people to visit our downtown.

Click on images to enlarge.

All Work and No Play. . .

There are some in this city that can turn just about anything into a negative.  Click here to see what I mean.

To connect the PARK(ing) Day to their vision of what Lake Worth’s beach should look like and make fun of an event that many neighborhood associations participate in and attracts people to Lake Worth is simply absurd.

Further, to suggest that the people involved in the event should focus their energy elsewhere, such as cleaning up near the shuffleboard courts is incredibly shortsighted.  What’s next, a moratorium on any event that attracts people to Lake Worth until all our problems are solved?

Yesterday I spoke with someone who actually took the time to do something about it.  They went to the Resource Center and spoke to them and were told that the majority of the problem occurs over the weekends when nobody is there.  In fact there was a gentleman picking up around the building at the time of their visit.

After visiting the Resource Center this person went out on their own and collected three large bags of garbage from the surrounding area and disposed of it properly.

I am not condoning the conditions at the Resource Center, nor am I attempting to minimize them.  But I find someone taking the time to find out firsthand about the situation and then go do something positive for a neighborhood they don’t even live in inspiring.  It makes blogging about it, myself included, pale in comparison.

I would suggest that the blogger take some time away from the keyboard and chill out at the beach.

Put it in Park. . .

Tomorrow from 2pm to 8pm the parking lot on the corner of J Street and Lucerne Avenue will be the site of PARK(ing) Day 2009 in Lake Worth. I went with my daughter last year when I was still a relative newcomer to Lake Worth.  We had a great time and made a lot of new friends.

PARK(ing) Day began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art collective, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in an area of San Francisco that is under served by public open space. In a few short years it has grown to hundreds of cities, both nationally and worldwide.  Click here to visit the PARK(ing) Day website.

I plan to be there with Deanna to see all the great little patches of green created by our neighborhood associations, individuals, and others.

We hope to see you there!

Meanwhile, Over At The Resource Center. . .