THIS WEEK IN PALM BEACH
August 4, 2017 Edition - The News Palm Beachers Need to Know 
FLAGLER BRIDGE
UPDATE: SEE VIDEO 
All Four Flagler Memorial Bridge Lanes are Open!
Flagler Bridge Ribbon cutting
A brief rain-soaked ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on the new Flagler Memorial [North] Bridge at 9:20 a.m. with Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio, Town Manager Tom Bradford, West Palm Mayor Jeri Muoio, FDOT officials, and local news crews.
BRIGHTLINE
Martin, Indian River Counties Renew Objections About Brightline
Brightline
Renewing their objections to Brightline's proposed high-speed rail service from West Palm Beach to Orlando, officials in the Treasure Coast are demanding another look at how the trains would affect their region.
TRAFFIC
Palm Beach Traffic: 
Okeechobee Boulevard Getting 
a 3-Year Makeover
Okeechobee traffic
Trees, stripes, traffic signals, lighting, signs, buses and a bridge. All of the above are part of West Palm Beach's plan to fix what ails Okeechobee Boulevard, the city's increasingly trafficked and pedestrian-unfriendly approach to downtown.
Could Left Turn to Cross Royal Park Bridge into Palm Beach Return?
royal park bridge left turn
Now that the new Flagler Memorial Bridge has fully opened, residents are wondering if traffic patterns near the Royal Park Bridge also will change.
Construction Traffic Report for the Week of July 31
traffic 7-31-17

Click on the link below to download a copy of the Construction and Traffic Report for the upcoming week.
TOWN of PALM BEACH
Palm Beach Architectural Officials Want Revision Deadline Changed
234 Via Vizcaya
Every new house proposed in Palm Beach must pass the town's rigorous architectural review process, as many a property owner has learned the hard way. The town's powerful Architectural Commission seldom approves projects on its initial review, regularly deferring them for a month or two to allow the architect or landscape designer to make changes requested by the board.
Coming Soon to Palm Beach: 
New, Easier-to-Read Parking Kiosks
It's time for those old parking kiosks in Palm Beach to go. That's why the Town Council has approved a five-year, lease-to-own agreement with Cale America of Clearwater, which will be paid $360,000 for 37 kiosks to replace the existing ones. They will be in place by Nov. 1, according to Deputy Town Manager Jay Boodheshwar.

Lake Trail Makeover Hits Halfway Mark
Lake Trail
Lake Worth-based R&D Paving is in charge of the nearly $1 million Lake Trail repavement and extension project, which is expected to be finished by October. About a mile of the north end portion is already open for use.
Town Council to Appoint Members to the Planning & Zoning Commission
Town of Palm Beach logo
The Town of Palm Beach announces Commission Member openings on the Town's Planning & Zoning Commission effective October 1, 2017. The Planning & Zoning Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Town Council in all matters relating to municipal planning and development.
WEST PALM DEVELOPS
Ideas on Fixing Okeechobee Blvd. Traffic Quagmire Plenty and Pricey
Okeechobee traffic
There are cures for what ails Okeechobee Blvd. Short-term, long-term. A few dollars, a few hundred million. It's a matter of which ones make the most sense, for now and then for the decades to come.
West Palm Tower with Water Views Would Block Condos 
with Water Views
West Palm Beach City Planning Board members sympathized with condo residents but said the potential economic benefits of the Related Cos. erecting a 25-story office tower in what has been a five-story zone outweighed their blocked waterfront views.
CIVIC ASSOCIATION 
DIRECTORS IN THE NEWS
Civic Association Following 
Alex & Renate Dreyfoos 
Northwest Passage Voyage
Alex And Renate Dreyfoos Inset Silver Cloud
Alex & Renate Dreyfoos are on a voyage through the Northwest Passage aboard their yacht Silver Cloud.  The Civic Association is following their trip and will post updates and their photo gallery here. Mr. Dreyfoos is a Civic Association Director.

MEETINGS & EVENTS
Monday, August 7, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Ordinances, Rules, and Standards Committee Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Tuesday, August 8, 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Public Works Committee Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Wednesday, August 9, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Town Council Meeting-Regular Business and Development Review
Town Council Chambers
 
Tuesday, August 15, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Wednesday, August 16, 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Thursday, August 17, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Code Enforcement Board Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Friday, August 18, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Retirement Board Meeting
Town Council Chambers
 
Wednesday, August 23, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Architectural Commission (ARCOM) Meeting
Town Council Chambers

UNDERGROUNDING
Town Will Host Groundbreaking Ceremonies for Undergrounding Project
The Town of Palm Beach will host Official Groundbreaking Ceremonies for Phase 1 North and Phase 1 South of the Undergrounding of Utilities Project. Both Ceremonies will be held on Friday, August 4, 2017 in the respective equipment staging areas.
Read More (Civic Association News)
Residents File New Lawsuit Over Palm Beach's Town-Wide Utility Project
utility box transformer
Condominium owner Carol Kosberg and single-family homeowner Michael Scharf filed a class action complaint Friday challenging the Town Council's recent vote to impose special assessments on property owners to pay for an estimated $90 million project to bury overhead utility lines.
Read More (Palm Beach Daily News)
DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 1 
Prepayment Option for Underground Townwide Utilities Assessment
powerlines
  The Town Council recently established and approved a special assessment against property within the Town-Wide Underground Utility Assessment Area to fund the design, acquisition, construction, and installation of the Underground Utility Improvements.
Read More (Civic Association News)
HURRICANE SEASON
Tropical Disturbance's Chance of Development Increased to 60 Percent
Tropical weather 8-3-17
The National Hurricane Center is giving a disturbance off the coast of Africa a 60 percent chance of development over the next five days.
Read More (Palm Beach Post)
Tick, Tick, Tick ... TS Emily an Alarm Clock to Peak Storm Season
TS Emily
Tropical Storm Emily was a shock to the Sunshine State, but climatologically right on time - an alarm clock reminding Florida that the peak of hurricane season approaches.
Read More (Palm Beach Post)
New Flood Maps Come Out as Flood Insurance Plan Faces Deadline
flood hazard Palm Beach county
Florida is approaching the height of hurricane season as the federal government faces a deadline to renew the National Flood Insurance Program. 
Read More (News 4 Jax)
PORT OF PALM BEACH
Port of Palm Beach, Mast, See Eye-To-Eye on Infrastructure
Bruce R. Bennett The Palm Beach Post
Bruce R. Bennett /The Palm Beach Post
Fortunately for the Port of Palm Beach, tourists in the Caribbean have an enormous appetite for French fries, and Interstate 95 and Florida's Turnpike devour lots of liquid asphalt.
Read More (Palm Beach Post)
LAKE OKEECHOBEE
Algae Bloom on Lake Okeechobee Raises Concern of 2016 Repeat
Algae is blooming on Lake Okeechobee, stoking concerns of a more wide-scale bloom that choked nearby waterways with thick green goo in 2016.
Read More (US News & World Report)
ZIKA VIRUS
Florida Reports First Sexually Transmitted Zika Infection of 2017
Florida Zika Virus
Health officials on Tuesday reported Florida's first sexually transmitted Zika infection of 2017, which occurred in Pinellas County and brings the statewide total to 90 cases this year.
Read More (Miami Herald)
SCRIPPS FLORIDA
Scripps Florida Scientists Identify Protein Deficiency Involved in Childhood Anemia and Cancers 
Katrin Karbstein
Katrin Karbstein
Scripps scientists led by TSRI Associate Professor Katrin Karbstein have shown how the lack of a specific protein may be a significant contributing factor to a devastating childhood anemia.
Read More (Scripps Florida)
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