This Week In Palm Beach October 23, 2019 Edition - The News Palm Beachers Need to Know

Not Exactly Sweater Weather

The Calendar says its late October. The car carriers are crossing the bridges and off loading luxury vehicles, and its getting harder every day to get a reservation at the Palm Beach Grille. Just the same, our ‘feels like’ body meters are telling us it is still August. Daytime temperatures will hover at 85 again all week in Palm Beach. Humidity will be high and winds will be light.The earth just experienced its hottest September ever and several Florida cities set records for the month. Add to that the ‘Flash Drought’ a phenomenon that is damaging crops and keeping temperatures higher than normal in the Southeast. 85 percent of the Southeast - Florida through Virginia is either abnormally dry or suffering from some level of drought. Six percent is in extreme drought. According to the National Weather Service, "The ' flash drought' is expected to persist into the winter months, with increases in both  drought  i ntensity and coverage. Typically,  drou gh t   conditions improve with consecutive months of above-normal precipitation, which does not appear to be on the  horizon ."

Emotions Run High at Landmarks Preservation Commission Meeting

“I was aggressively and verbally abused. One person was very insulting. Another threatened to sue us personally”, said Rene Silvan, Vice Chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, at their Friday 10/18 meeting. Commissioners were licking their wounds following the Town Council’s 5 to 0 vote to put a stop to the Landmarking study of the ‘Sea’ streets. Yet despite the so-called verbal abuse, threatened lawsuits and hate emails, Landmarks Preservation Commission members vowed to press on with their efforts to preserve historic homes along Seaspray, Seaview and Seabreeze Avenues, and other historic locales on the island. “There is truly a lack of understanding about what landmarking is” declared Commission member Tim Gannon. But Chairman Ted Cooney called for moderation; “We don’t want people to think we’re rigid and now they’re screwed.” To that end, they are encouraging residents to attend the Historic District Educational Symposium, set for Dec. 4th, from 3 to 6 pm, at the Flagler Museum. State and national experts will be on hand to discuss best practices for Landmarking, and historic preservation. Seeking to find a middle ground on the emotional topic, Commission Chairman Ted Cooney remarked “Maybe we should let this rest a little bit and have the symposium.”­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ We are also following a possible change in the Town codes that govern landmarking. Town Council is considering a change to the existing code, to allow for a mandatory 30-day notice to any resident whose property is under review for possible landmark status. Town Council will address this change at a future meeting.

'Pie It Forward' For Seniors

You can call it a ‘Random Act of Pie-ness’. The spanking clean Meals on Wheels kitchen does wonderful work serving up meals to housebound Seniors every day. But just in time for the first blush of holiday spirit, a novel idea. Why not give the area’s top chefs a crack at baking a mind blowing traditional array of desserts? The ‘Pie-it Forward’ concept will recruit 40 star chefs to set aside the Crème Brulee, Souffle and the Chocolate Mousse for apples, peaches, cherries and pecans, lovingly concocted. These talented chefs come from several of Palm Beach's finest restaurants and clubs, including Cafe Boulud and Sant Ambroeus, as well as Duffy's, Table 26, Kitchen, Howleys and many more. The goal is for Meals on Wheels to sell 2700 pies.. That translates into 15 thousand meals to homebound seniors. (Click here to see full video)

Our Gardens

Standing Tall Against the Test of Time

A tribute to the majestic Kapok Tree along the bike path next to the Flagler Museum. (Click Here to See the Full Video)

Game, Set, Match for Kids with First Serve

First Serve, similar in concept to golf’s First Tee, is an organization that teaches underprivileged kids life lessons, on and off the tennis court.    Palm Beach Civic Association Director Paul Van Der Grift is passionate about the concept of training older kids from these economically challenged neighborhoods, to mentor younger kids growing up in the same areas.   First Serve Boynton Beach has cultivated a group of mentors who also sing together as an a cappella group called Dimensional Harmony. Van Der Grift and the singers recently traveled to another outpost of First Serve in Belle Glade, to inspire young kids out west to be disciplined, committed, dream big and pursue their personal passions. (click here to see full video)

Town to Contractor: 'You’re Fired'

Since late April, traffic headed west on Worth Avenue has come to a dead stop and is redirected north at the Everglades Club, while water and sewage repairs are being made. But it's taking too long. Neither a trick nor a treat, the promise of a Halloween day project completion just wasn’t going to come to fruition. The remedy: C and W Pipelines has been terminated and replaced by Johnson-Davis, which will take over the project. No finish date has been set. The work will have take place during the Season, except for holidays.

Veterans Day Will Be Proudly Observed

The Town of Palm Beach will wave a flag of recognition for veterans over a three day stretch, beginning Friday November 8 through Monday November 11, Veterans Day. The Palm Beach Rotary Association and the Main Street Palm Beach Association are encouraging people to plant American flags to honor the sacrifices of those who served. The 'Flags for Heroes’ charity event will ask participants to donate a hundred dollars for medallions that will be hung from each ten foot flagpole. At the end of the event the donor can take the flag home.

Keeping Road Racers in Their Lanes

The big Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot is about a month away. Runners are training. Sponsors are prepping. And the Town of Palm Beach is bracing for a traditional event that draws up to 1500 people. It’s a lot of fun. The event fills the streets with kids and adults decked out in Pilgrim hats, and turkey costumes. To the dismay of some residents, the flow of runners stops traffic and disrupts some neighborhoods for much of Thanksgiving morning. That race and others have compelled the Town to take a hard look at how what are being called’ Special Events on Public Property’ are planned and managed. Everything from crowd size, to parking, to insurance, to banner sizes will be considered when applications are made. The impact on pedestrian and vehicular traffic, as well as intrusion on private property, would be considered in order to obtain a permit to stage an event. As our race-friendly street layout lures more and more events, the Ordinances Standards and Rules Committee will be reviewing the proposed permitting changes at its Thursday, October 24 meeting.

Keeping Road Racers in Their Lanes

'Membership Matters' and will knock the price off a slice, at Amici! Our good friends at Amici Market are once again offering Palm Beach Civic Association members a 10 percent discount.This time around, the discounted eats will be for prepared items only. Sandwiches, burgers, pizza, soup and hot lunch and dinner items will be included. Amici market has a tradition of offering a discount to Civic Association members. Last year the discounts totaled $10,000.  So eat up, beginning November 1 st .!

Meet PBCA Director and Real Estate Pro Linda Olsson Coming next week in our newscast "This Week in Palm Beach"

Save The Date! Palm Beach Civic Association Annual Holiday Party Monday, December 16, 2019 To Be Held at the New Morton And Barbara Mandel Recreation Center Formal invitations will be mailed to all current members in November Join or Renew today, and mark your calendar!   Your Palm Beach Civic Association membership is valid for one year, and renewal requests are mailed prior to the anniversary of your last membership donation.  You may join or renew at any time by clicking Here .  Membership Matters – your donations support our mission and we are grateful for your dedication! Visit our website

MEETINGS & EVENTS

Thursday, October 24, 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM Ordinances, Rules, and Standards Committee Meeting Town Council Chambers Wednesday, October 30, 9:00 AM Architectural Commission Meeting Town Council Chambers Friday, November 1, 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Cup of Joe with Bo: South Undergrounding Utilities Community Update Meeting South Fire Rescue: Meeting Room Monday, November 4, 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM  Coffee with The Crew: North Undergrounding Utilities Update Meeting Palmo Way Park: Near the Pump Station Tuesday, November 5, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Community Shredding & Electronics Recycling, Destruction Identity Theft Prevention Event Phipps Park Wednesday,November 6, 9:00 AM Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting Town Council Chambers

The Communications Department of the Palm Beach Civic Association proudly presents original content, on an ongoing basis, to the residents of Palm Beach. These stories and videos, like all of our initiatives, are made possible in part by our sponsors and members. Tim Malloy timmalloy@palmbeachcivic.org Wendy Rutledge wendyrutledge@palmbeachcivic.org Mitchell Friesen  mitchellfriesen@palmbeachcivic.org For Additional Stories And Videos Click Here