VARIOUS UPDATES FROM THE TOWN
MAYOR ALAN FIERS
OPENING COMMENTS

It is hard to believe it is already May!!! They say time flies when you are having fun. I hope you all enjoyed your re-opened swimming pools.  As most of you know, Martin County beaches are open. Our beaches may not be too far behind. Juno Beach is pushing for the County to open beaches. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode in this saga.   

As the folks who know me are aware, I am not a sunshine pump. When there is good news I celebrate. When there is bad news I confront and deal with it.  I do not try and put a positive spin on that which is not positive. So, as we enter May, I want to briefly share with you the news, some good, some not so good and some, just news.

As Chief Steedman reports in detail, the COVID-19 situation is trending in a positive direction. Things are slowly opening up. Thank you all for your understanding and cooperation. The bad news: The beaches, restaurants and most stores remain closed until further notice. 

We covered a lot of ground at the April commission meeting. It was really three meetings in one:

  • During the re-organization portion, the Commission appointed a new P&Z with three returning members and two new members. The Town clerk will provide names. 

  • The financial reports for February and March were presented as well as the first look at the full-year projections (estimated revenue and expense for the full year). The good news: the projection shows the Town ending up with a positive variance to budget. The bad news: The Town is still projecting a deficit, taking $156,000 from the undesignated reserve (the Town savings account) to balance revenue and expenses. While this is better than the budgeted $344,000 reserve drawdown, it is still a deficit budget. The detailed numbers are available on the Town web site under the April Commission meeting.  In the days ahead the Commission and Town Staff will be focusing on how to bring expenses and revenue into balance without raising taxes.  

  • Wendy Wells was appointed Town Administrator with expanded supervisory and management responsibilities. Wendy has worked for the Town for 15 years. She has a world of Town History in her head, as well as a complete understanding of various issues confronting the Town. She is a no-nonsense person who deals with facts, is efficient, and well-liked by all.  Wendy will function as Town Manager, under the guidance of the Vice Mayor, in the absence of the Mayor. 

  •  I gave a detailed presentation of the status of the utility Under-Grounding project. The good news: The electrical portion of the project is proceeding smoothly and is projected to be completed by the end of May. The bad news: There has been a major mistake made in the conduit size for Multi-Dwelling-Unit buildings (MDU). We have some 81 of these in Town and all must have new, larger, conduit run to them. This impacts Comcast’s project progress and would also negatively impact AT&T if they were working. The cost to remedy the error ranges from $350,000 to $500,000.  Steps are being taken to ensure the Town does not pay this expense.  We will keep you all posted as we work to resolve this issue. Also, not so good news category: There has been no progress with AT&T. In discussions, they have reiterated their previous cost estimate of $900,000 to $1,100,000 and confirmed the conduit put in place for MDUs is too small in diameter. We plan to focus on completing the electrical and Comcast phases of the project and confront the AT&T issue when those are nearing completion (and the virus issues subsides and allows for face-to-face meetings).

  • Frank Zizzamia was appointed to lead an effort to address Community Center usage and funding. The bad news: For eight of the last ten years the Community Center has operated at a significant loss to the Town. This year it will have a $30,615 operating loss, not including capital. The center had an operating loss for eight of the last ten years.   The goal of the project is to bring this to a break-even without disrupting community usage. You will be hearing more about this as the project progresses. NOTHING WILL BE DONE WITHOUT COMMUNITY BUY IN TO ANY NEW ARRANGEMENTS. The good news: This should be easily doable.

In the just news category: There will be a Commission workshop on May 11th. The topics of discussion will be: Budget philosophy how to bring the current deficit budget into balance without impacting services or Town maintenance; Discussing the pros and cons of a budget amendment authorizing the pay down the balance of an $182,000 loan taken out in 2019 to purchase news vehicles and police cameras; Review and dispose of the District C zoning overlay proposal, which was set in motion by the previous Commission, and the status of the Revenue Committee appointed by the previous Commission. 

Finally, SGT Langevin and I are working on getting the derelict boats removed from the illegal anchorage between Peanut Island and the Blue Heron bridge. The process is a bit like untangling a bowl of spaghetti, but it seems we are making some progress. Our goal is to get as many boats removed as possible before peak hurricane season. At this point, it will be tough to get them all removed before the hurricane season, but we will get some pulled out.

A group of folks on the Riviera Beach side of our Island are lighting their homes and condos in blue as a salute to the Healthcare workers and others who have lead the charge in dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 virus. There will also be a related parade on the evening of May 12th, starting from the Ocean Mall. All are welcome to join in the expression of thanks. We will pass on details as they become available.  

On a personal note, I have enjoyed this first month of working with you all, even if the COVID-19 issue has made things a little complicated. Feel free to call, write, or meet with me at any time. My home phone number is 561-844-7154, my cell is 561-635-9914 and my email for Town business is afiers@pbstownhall.org .

Cheers to all

Alan
CHIEF TREVOR STEEDMAN


SLOW AND STEADY

Palm Beach County released Emergency Order 2020-005, easing restrictions on Boating & Marine Activities, Tennis Courts & Community Pools, Golf Course, and Public Parks & Natural Areas. The Governor also issued an Executive Order EO 20-112: Phase 1: Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan for Florida's Recovery that goes into effect on May 4, 2020. Please note that Palm Beach County is exempt from sections 3 & 4 of this order. What does that mean for us? Here are the basics:

  • Restaurants remain takeout or delivery only
  • Bars / Pubs (defined as a business that derives more than 50 percent of gross revenues from the sale of alcoholic beverages) shall continue to suspend the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption and remain closed.
  • Gyms / Fitness centers remain closed
  • The prohibition on vacation rentals in Executive Order 20-87 remains in effect.
  • In-Store retail sales establishments (except for bait/tackle/ship’s provision stores) remain closed.

In Section 5, the prohibition on certain medical and elective procedures has been relaxed with certain conditions, restrictions, and requirements that must be met by the provider and the facility.

The full list of Emergency and Executive Orders and detailed related attachments are available on the Town’s web page. The easing of restrictions is predicated on strict continuing adherence to the CDC social distancing guidelines and virus exposure reduction methods.

Beaches: All beaches remain closed for the time being as the Governor’s Executive Order Specific to beach closures remains in effect. No timeline has been provided by the County for the restoration of beach access and activities. We have received many reasonable and well-articulated arguments from our residents for re-opening our beaches. The Town is represented on the PBC Beach re-opening workgroup and is working to restore beach access once the Governor rescinds his beach closure order Specific to Palm Beach and Broward Counties. Municipalities may supersede the restrictions of Executive Orders but are prohibited from creating lesser or conflicting criteria. The County’s rationale for maintaining a regional approach to re-openings is that as of May 1, 59.24 % (20, 574 cases in PBC, Broward & Miami-Dade) of the 34,728 COVID-19 cases in the State are in the three major South Florida Counties. These counties also have the highest at-risk populations per capita within the State.

Thank you for your patience, efforts, and feedback that have helped us minimize the impact of COVID-19 on our community. As a result, we are seeing the slow but steady restoration of the activities and amenities we enjoy!

Face Masks: Your Fire Department was glad to be able to distribute over 360 washable/re-usable cloth face masks to members of our community over the past two weeks while the supplies lasted.

Last, but not least:
As your Town’s designated “Master of Disaster” I’m obligated to inform you that we are now only a month away from the beginning of the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Many of you are old pros at hurricane preparation and know the drill. But, if you need information or guidance, here’s a helpful link for you to visit: http://discover.pbcgov.org/publicsafety/dem/Pages/Hurricane.aspx .

Please do not hesitate to call or email if I can be of any assistance. Stay safe & healthy!

Chief Trevor Steedman: (561 )296-3380 or tsteedman@pbstownhall.o rg.
SGT. STEVE LANGEVIN
We made it through another week! We very much appreciate everyone working together and striving to abide by the myriad of CDC guidelines, along with Federal and County emergency orders. It can be confusing and frustrating at times, I know.
 
As you can tell, traffic has very much slowed down. Visitors, for the most part, have stopped trying to access the beach and park in areas where they should not. The Sheriff loaned us 25 or so barricades and we were able to separate the inlet walkway from the beach access, so we could continue to enjoy the Inlet walk.
 
In March, your deputies performed 1,956 physical security checks of homes, businesses, and town property. This does not include road patrol using vehicles, 3 wheeled Segway, bicycles, and ATV patrols of the beach. We have received calls regarding bicyclists on the parkway driving recklessly; we have increased our efforts to stop, educate, and if needed, issue citations. The parkway is not that wide, so please use caution and civility while biking.
 
Thankfully, criminal incidents have been low. Alternatively, county-wide domestic incidents have increased, as we spend much more time with our significant others. We appreciate our town not being one of them as some residents choose to self-quarantine in separate rooms of their home.
 
I continue to attend daily conference calls with the Commanders of other areas of the Sheriff’s office. We are involved in all new concerns within the county that might affect the Town. We have one deputy out for a non-COVID-19 related issue. They will be out for the next 6 weeks or so. Their position is filled nightly by another deputy, at no charge to the Town. Another deputy has been out for over a month and that position has and continues to be filled by another deputy, at no cost to the town.
 
Just a reminder for contacts: 911 for emergencies; 561-688-3400 or 561-844-3456 for non-emergencies. There is also a red phone box on the outside wall, with direct access to communications. During COVID-19, our district office is closed, and our law enforcement aid works limited hours. I and the rest of our deputies continue to work our regular schedules. My new email address is langevins@pbso.org .
 
As always, let us know if you have any concerns or questions.
EVYONNE BROWNING – TOWN CLERK


HELLO FROM YOUR STAFF AT TOWN HALL!
We hope that all of you are continuing to be well and it looks like a “new normal” is within sight. Your Town Hall staff (Sandi, Laura, Wendy, Orlando, and Evyonne) continue to work daily behind the curtains to keep administration operations going! We look forward to opening the doors seeing your familiar faces again (without masks 😊).
VIRTUAL MEETING PROCESSES

We continue to work toward a virtual meeting process which will enable you, the residents, to participate in the Town’s meetings. Our next meeting will be a commission work session this coming Monday, May 11th, beginning at 7:00 . The Mayor and Commission will be reviewing the past 4 years of the Town’s budget with focuses being on department expenses, revenue trends, and to discuss options on possible ways to end deficit budgeting. There will also be a discussion on paying off the current loan balance to KS Stand Bank.  The Mayor would also like for the Commission to discuss the overlay process and the Revenue Committee to determine if the Town should move forward with either of these.


RESULTS FROM THE APRIL 27, 2020 REORGANIZATION MEETING

Appointment of Vice Mayor:
 Commissioner Roby DeReuil was appointed as the Vice Mayor.

Appointment to the Election Canvassing Board:
 Commissioner Tom Mills was appointed to the Election Canvassing Board.

Appointment of Planning and Zoning Board:
Tracy Larcher (118 Blossom) and Kevin Banks (325 Claremont) were voted as the newest members of the P & Z. Janet Kortenhaus, Jerald Cohn, and Timothy Blash were all voted to continue on the Board. Nina Lammert and Jason Prince were voted as the 2 alternate members.

Appointment of Resident Member to DRC:
Russ Ahern (219 Blossom) was appointed as the Resident Representative to the DRC.

ANNUAL UTILITY BILLING
The annual utility billings have been sent to the most current owners information listed on the Property Appraiser’s website. If you have not received your utility billing please call Town Hall and let us know. If you have recently purchased or built a home in the Town and you also did not receive a bill, please check with the property appraiser’s office to make sure they have your correct information. Please let us know if there is an error as well so we can immediately provide a current bill for you.

BUILDING PERMITS
We continue to accept Building Permits on an Emergency basis only (i.e. plumbing issues, no air conditioning, water heaters, electrical issue (power out, meter box, etc.), and roof leaks. If you have a question on whether your need is an emergency, please call Town Hall and we will assist you.

CODE ENFORCEMENT
Orlando, our Code Enforcement Officer, continues in his daily process to drive the Town to ensure everyone is maintaining their properties and following the Town and State Codes. If you have a question or a complaint, please do not hesitate to call us at 561-844-3457 to speak with Orlando, or you can email him at orodriguez@pbstownhall.org.

MISCELLANEOUS
Our notary services, selling beach parking passes, and any other “face to face” needs are still on hold until we receive the “all clear” to reopen Town Hall.

Please know we are here from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm to take your phone calls and assist you as best we can or direct you where you can get assistance.

We continue to miss everyone… Evyonne, Laura, Sandi, Wendy, and Orlando
_______________________________________________
May 6th, 2020 DRC Meeting
Time: 2:00 p.m.

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May 11th, PBS Commission Workshop
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Electrical Underground Project Update

The town's electrical underground project is moving forward with great success. The target date for completion is projected for the end of May 2020. When the electrical underground project is completed FPL will shut the electric off to the powerlines on the poles. The Electric Poles will remain in place until the issues are resolved with AT&T and Comcast.

The target dates for completion are:

  • Bamboo and Beach Road this week.
  • Lake Drive South of Sailfish and Inlet Way, late this week or early the week of May 11th
  • North Ocean and from the Palm Beach Shores Resort to the Marriott, next week.
  • West Side of Lake Drive from Sailfish to Beach Road. The last phase the week of May 18th.


Alan Welch
Director of Public Works
Office (561) 844-3457
Cell (561) 644-9542
This is all the Town news that's fit to print!
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