April is just around the corner; it is said that April showers bring the flowers that bloom in May. We all hope that April will bring some showers with it, as it has been an unusually dry winter. Wherever a sprinkler isn't working correctly, the grass is turning brown. But, on the right side, it has been great weather for our northern visitors. However, in the back of my mind, I can hear the old timers (my father, cousins, and uncle, all native Floridians) saying that a dry winter means there will be an active hurricane season! Let's hope this old folk's tale is wrong!

In March and April, major religious holidays fall for all three Revealed religions, Judaism,  Islam, and Christianity. The month of Ramadan began on March 23rd and will end on April 21st. It is followed by the major holiday Eid al-Fitr. Those of the Jewish faith will observe Passover starting April 5 st; Christians will observe Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter on April 2nd, April 7th, and April 9th, respectively. To all, we wish you the most blessed and meaningful observance of these important religious holidays.

 Turning to the March Commission Meeting:

Monday evening, April 27th, was the annual Town reorganization meeting, which the Town Charter requires, was held. This year, two Commission seats were up for election. Tracy Larcher was reelected. Mark Ward was newly elected as Commissioner. Congratulations to Tracy on his reelection, and welcome to Mark Ward. And, our thanks to outgoing Commissioner Janet Kortenhaus for her service to the Town. Scott McCranels was reelected as Vice Mayor. Jerry Cohn, Kevin Banks, Steve Smith, Tim Blash, Tony Lembo, and West Gracidia were appointed to the Town Planning and Zoning Board. (NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SERVING ON THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD, PLEASE CONTACT THE TOWN CLERK, JUDE GOUDREAU.) Bob Stanton was appointed to serve as the resident at large on the DRC, and I was appointed as the Commission representative and Chair of the DRC.

Before reporting on the March Commission meeting, I will give a rundown on the major Town infrastructure underway:

•  AT&T:  Plans are being drawn up to finish the removal of ALL overhead AT&T lines in the north half of Town. Removal should be completed before the beginning of hurricane season. Conversion to the new fiber service in the south half of the Town is progressing, albeit slower than in the North half of the Town. A special sign-up program will be held in the near future and the Town Community Center. Keep your eyes open for the special message announcing the date and times. Engineering plans are being drawn up for the conversion of the large Condos on the south side of Inlet Way. 
• The Watermain replacement project: The roads are being "patch paved as I write. All of the cuts in the roads should be repaved by the end of this week (March 31st). From then on, progress depends on the Riviera Council approving a $750,000 change order which will cover the costs of the items omitted from the original plans and contract. This item will be taken up at the April 5th Riviera Beach Council meeting. We are in close contact with Riviera Beach Staff and leadership n this issue. I plan to attend the Council meeting.
• Road Paving Project: Engineering plans are nearing completion. They have been submitted to the Town Engineer for his review and approval. Once this is done, the final plans, cost estimate, and the big package will be drawn up, and the process of selecting the contractor will begin. The actual road paving will not begin until the water main replacement project is completed. Once started, the paving work will take two to three weeks to complete.
• Community Center Kitchen Rebuilt: See the Community Center section of the Newsletter.

If you have questions on any of these projects, please call either Alan Welch or me.

March Commission Meeting Report: We came near to breaking a record in terms of meeting length. The meeting did not adjourn until 10:30.  The Reorganization meeting consumed the first 40 minutes, and the remainder was devoted to regular Town business. The following items of business were dealt with:

• The Consent Agenda consisted of two items: the February Commission meeting minutes and approving the annual Victim's walk, which the State Attorney sponsors.
• A variance for the Buccaneer Condominium Association: Two separate variances were requested, one for relief from the required building elevation and two for relief from the required roof pitch, both for a 186 Square foot addition to the Dock Master office. The presentation and questioning by the Commission lasted well over an hour. In the end, Commissioner Larcher made a motion to deny the request for both variances. The motion was defeated by a 2-3 vote. Commissioners Larcher and Ward for motion. A second motion to approve, with certain conditions, was made by Commissioner Tyler and seconded by Vice Mayor McCranels. That motion was approved by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioner Tyler, Vice Mayor McCranels, and Mayor Fiers voting in favor. The Condition attached to the motion was that the elevation approval was conditioned on the State confirming the elevation variance will not impact the Town's CRS rating. (The CRS rating deals with Community flood plan management and can impact the Town's overall flood insurance ratings. Because of its age, the Buccaneer is exempted from the CRS requirement. Before final variance approval is granted, the Town must officially confirm this point.)
• Ordinance 0-1-23 was approved on a second vote by a 5-0 vote. This ordinance deals with height measurement in District D: Because all buildings in this district have flat roofs, measuring to the top beam, as currently required in the code, is meaningless. This ordinance eliminated that measurement requirement. Under the change, the only height measure is to the roof structure. Overall building height is not changed; the measuring point has been adjusted.
• A proclamation celebrating Arbor Day was approved by a 5-0 vote. The Arbor Day celebration will be held at 10:00 am Friday, March 31st, at the middle Gazebo on the Inlet Park. It is an enjoyable event.
• During the Public Comments, a number of comments were made concerning the expansion of the Inlet Park to include all land laying to the west of the two north/south walkway. As this item was not on the agenda, no action was taken as a result of these comments.

And that's a wrap for March.

Commissioners Tracy Larcher and Mark Ward being sworn in on March 27, 2023.

OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:

Community Risk Reduction:

As part of our ongoing Community Risk Reduction initiatives, the PBSFD is coordinating with the POA to provide the following presentation and hands-on training opportunities for our residents this winter / spring:

• Home Fire Extinguisher Selection, Use and Maintenance
• Community CPR / AED / Basic First Aid

Dates will be provided as soon as they are confirmed.

FIRE DEPARTMENT: 

• Thank you to all those who came out to support the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Special thanks to Elizabeth Keuchenmeister and the entire committee for a job well done! We could not have enjoyed such a successful event without the support and generosity of our business community and community organizations. The Sailfish Marina and Resort, Marriott Ocean Pointe, The Islander, and Singer Island Rotary, among others, made the parade and celebration a memorable event for all.  

Professional Development:

• PBSFD Shift Commanders are scheduled to attend an upcoming Officer Development Program sponsored by the West Palm Beach Fire Department. Topics of this program include Goal Setting, Roles, and Responsibilities, Developing Expectations, Accountability, Fundamentals of Leadership, Decision Making, Managing Company-level Conflict, Effective Communications, Delivering Company-level Training, Team Building, Mental Wellness, and Strategy and Tactics for initial incident scene operations. The PBSFD Shift Commanders are the Officers in Charge for their respective shifts and guide the daily operations of their crews. Thank you to the West Palm Beach Fire Department for providing this free-of-charge professional development opportunity to our personnel.

EMS Transport Services:

• The Town is in the process of negotiations with the City of Riviera Beach to renew the EMS (Ambulance) Transport service agreement. We anticipate reaching an accord within the next few weeks to be forwarded to the respective municipal bodies for approval

We have the perfect opportunity for a resident, maybe a retired person who wants to help out, or a mom with kids in school. Hours are flexible, the work is easy! 

Job Opening: For A File Clerk.

• Under the direction of the Town Clerk, organizes and files documents and records.  Their main duties include collecting documents from departments, following an effective document storage, and filing system and digitizing hard copies of documents.
• Labeling and updating paper files
• Putting files, digital or paper, into their proper location
• Gathering and organizing files and documents
• Photocopying and scanning files
• Assisting departments with filing
• Assisting with reorganization of files.

Hours are Tuesday and Wednesday (negotiable) (16) Hours a week.

Pay is $18.00 per hour.

I would like someone with Town knowledge , but I will accept someone with office experience.



Please send resumes to jgoudreau@pbstownhall.org  

Thank you!

Jude 

The Community Center is undergoing several projects in the coming months. The main project is the 2nd-floor kitchen renovations. This project is in the planning stages to finalize the project specifications and to be submitted for the Bid Process to hire a contractor. The Town will seek guidance from Cheney Brothers, a Food Service Distributor, during the project and final stages of completion. Other Capital Projects will be scheduled during the kitchen renovations, such as new roll-down windows and door shades on the 2nd-floor main room. New sound panels on the 2nd-floor main room. A new roll-down wind shades on the 1st floor and the purchase of 12 each 6-foot round plastic tables. These completed projects will enhance the quality of services that the Community Center will offer to its visitors and guests.

Thank you for your patience and understanding during construction.

On April 8 at exactly 11 AM, we will have our yearly Easter Egg Hunt on the parkway from Edwards Lane to Linda Lane. PBSO has purchased four (4) thousand eggs, the Sailfish Marina has donated all the food and drink, and the town has rented two (2) bounce houses. As usual, our Rotary Club will be on hand to cook the food for us, and the FD has allowed the use of their fire bay.

We do NEED help hiding the eggs throughout the parkway that morning at 9 AM. Please stop by the Town Hall meeting room to help if you can spare a half hour. Also, the Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures and like.

A little bit of commotion this past month and a half. One boat was stolen from a Marina; our Marine patrol gave chase, two (2) PBSO boats, and a Boynton Beach police boat interdicted and arrested the subject.

A fight broke out in a Marina, and a subject was arrested and spat on the Deputy. The Deputy will be tested for the next two (2 years).

A burglary to three (3) boats at two (2) marinas occurred. The Deputies gave chase, and the suspect dropped the stolen items and ran into Riviera Beach. One Deputy turned his ankle and injured his knee in the chase, and he will be out until returned by medical and risk management. We have DNA video and fingerprints, and we believe him to be local, so an arrest should be imminent.

Also, an entrepreneurial person at the beach decided to "sell" access to the Town Beach Parking Lot late at night with a side of alcohol! Approximately 200 kids were moved on during the spring break night.

A group of immigrants were interdicted at sea and brought to the Sailfish marina for processing at the US customs office

In the last few commission meeting, I was asked to look into a few items

• One was bicyclists being discourteous on the parkway and Inlet walkway and not stopping for stop signs on town streets
• Another was dogs not on a leash
• Third was homeless on the inlet walkway; the last was a stop sign running.

We try to be in as many places as possible; as you can imagine, all folks have certain things that push our buttons. I have directed Deputies to increase patrol on the Parkway and Inlet Walkway and remind folks that bicycles must be driven properly and not at night.

We have placed decoy patrol cars in town and upped stationary patrol in other areas. Your neighbors have asked to keep dogs on a leash; our town code requires it. This is a civil infraction. Regarding the homeless, PBSO has an interdiction team that can help the homeless with certain programs, and we must follow policy and RECENT case law. An arrest is not made until after these services are offered, and the person refuses the assistance and continues the specific illegal behavior. 

Another issue that has been brought to us is Golf carts. When you are in a legally registered golf cart, it is no different than when you're driving your car; all rules, regulations, and traffic charges are the same, including seat belt and stop sign rules and where it can be driven. If the golf is unregistered or the driver is under 16, being on the town streets is illegal.

Also, regarding speeding, we have done quite a few traffic studies using laser and radar on four (4) streets, and only a very few cars were actually driven over the town's legal street limits. We do our best to catch the speeder, but it always seems to be when we are not in the area at the time of the speeder.

These are the things that have been brought to me, and I do not bring it to you to be hard-headed but to create conditions that will make us as safe as can be for those who live and visit our town.

I hope each of you is enjoying the season and the holidays; we hope to see you at the Easter egg hunt! Always call when you need or have a question I can answer.

Sergeant Steve Langevin

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

Town of Palm Beach Shores.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS - 2023

(Visit our Town of Palm Beach Shores Website and connect to our virtual meetings.

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING

APRIL 5, 2023 @ 2:00 P.M 



COMMISSION WORKSHOP/BOARD MEETING

APRIL 10, 2023 @ 7:00 P.M.

APRIL 24, 2023 @ 7:00 P.M.

PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING

APRIL 26, 2023 @ 6:30 P.M.

Springtime flowers that add splashes of color were planted in the town hall boxes by the Environmental Committee.  Lavender, herbs and cardboard cycad palms were intermixed with the flowers for greenery.

Native milkweed flower species, incarnata and perennis, were planted in different areas along the parkway to support the Monarch butterflies. 

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***ATTENTION SEASONAL RESIDENTS***

We will be collecting dry foods such as pastas, crackers, cereals & canned goods such as soups, veggies, fruits, sauces etc. for JAY MINISTRIES who provides food baskets once a week from their location in Riviera Beach. Please-only unopened & non-expired items. We will start this collection on Thursday, March 30^th at the Community Service meeting & continue at the April 6^th lunch and through the month of April. So, if you don’t want to haul it home we will take it for you.

Other ongoing outreach programs will continue in April:

• Ham & cheese sandwiches for St. Ann’s will be made on Friday, April 14^th at Cindy’s house.
• Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for St. Ann’s will be made at the Community Service meeting on April 20^th.
•  Our monthly hot lunch serving at St. George’s will be on Monday, April 17^th at 10:15 AM.

Sign-up sheets will be available at the lunch on the 6^th.

Any questions please call or text 574-298-6503 or email cmielke26@hotmail.com

Chris Mielke

2022-2023

Beach Parking Passes are available for purchase in Town Hall. Parking Passes expires on June 30th

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