As I sit at the computer keyboard this month, I feel compelled to address an unpleasant and controversial topic: specifically the question of the Anchorage encroachments on the westernmost end of the Town Inlet Park walkway.  

I find the anger and the venomous tone and words used by some when discussing this issue extremely disconcerting and disappointing. And quite frankly, I find the lack of compassion and consideration for the feelings of others and the unwillingness to empathize with others off-putting. When such situations occur on a larger, international scale, they are the causes of wars, death, and destruction.  I truly remain hopeful that we can work together and find a resolution to the issues in a manner that represents all the emotional feelings and concerns of all residents.

To this end, a committee of five residents has been formed to review the history of the existing situation and come forward with a plan for the long-term resolution of the issues at play. The members are Bob Stanton, Dodi Glas, Grace Sterrett, Paul Sivolotti, and Stephen Barlow. Over the next few months, they will review all existing deeds and documents concerning the land in question and put forward a plan for resolution to the Town Commission.

I remain hopeful that this can be done in a manner consistent with our motto of “’ The Best Little Town in Florida.”

Turning to other Town businesses: 

• As we enter the summer month, the main event will be, as it is every year, the preparation of the 2023 budget. Soon the Town will receive its property tax revenue projects, which is the foundation on which the budget is based. Once that is in hand, the Town government departments will put together their budget request for the next year. In late June, July, and August. The Commission will hold a series of budget workshops at which we do a line-by-line review of all budget items and requests. This is a public process, and all are welcome to sit in or join online.  Public comments are always most welcome.  

• The AT&T south phase is making slow, intermittent progress. As I have reported before, fiber optic cable is in short supply and high demand. Work is being done on our project as cable becomes available. Currently, the main distribution line has been run south to the Claremont/Parkway intersection.  As more cable becomes available, it will be completed to Inlet. It is the same story with the supply of cables running on the east-west streets. On a brighter note, AT&T is beginning to plan for overhead wire removal in the North half of Town.

• The water main replacement project is on hold pending receipt of the saddle required to support the pipes. Both the contractor and the engineering firm are actively searching for a suitable substitute product. All the other required supplies are staged in the beach parking lot.

• The main event of the May Commission meeting was the discussion of the long-existing encroachment on the Town Inlet Property. The westernmost encroachments at the Anchorage date from 1954. The issue has been debated at least twice before this round of discussions. This has been a topic of discussion at the last three workshops. A petition of 200 signatures circulated among the residents demanding that all existing encroachments be removed. The Commission passed a resolution that established a five-person committee of Town residents who will review the history of the situation and recommend steps to permanently resolve the issue. The Committee members are listed above.

Two ordinances were passed on second reading:

 O-2-22 was passed by a 5-0 vote. This ordinance requires the collection of all building permit fees when permits are issued. At the end of the project, there will be an adjustment to reflect actual as opposed to estimated costs.  This will ensure that the correct permit fees have been paid.

O-3-22 was also passed on a 5-0 vote. This ordinance allows folks who are adding an addition to older District A homes that are OUTSIDE THE FLOOD ZONE to match the elevation of the addition with the existing floor elevation, thereby avoiding a 6-to-12-inch step.

A third ordinance dealing with vegetation planting on new homes was returned to the P&Z for additions and modifications.

For all who are or have headed north, enjoy the summer months. Those who stay year-round will enjoy the afternoon thunderstorms and hope for no hurricanes. 

OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT / FIRE DEPARTMENT:

COVID-19 Update: The PBC Emergency Operations Center is maintaining COVID-19 operations at Activation Level III (Enhanced Monitoring). COVID-19 information and more resources are available by visiting https://discover.pbcgov.org/coronavirus/Pages/Updates.aspx.

The Palm Beach Shores Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor the situation and will provide updates as they are received.

The Florida Department of Health has established a dedicated COVID-19 call center (866) ­779-­6121 for the public to call 24 hours a day. In addition, the public can email COVID19@flhealth.gov for more information. The CDC has recommended indoor masking for the Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties. Palm Beach County was previously categorized in the "Medium" community COVID-19 risk category but is now in the "High" category per the CDC. This is the result of a "footnote" to the data that the CDC released last week, citing a "data processing error". To date, PBC Emergency Management and Department of Health have not experienced any rise in hospitalization rates or deaths due to COVID-19. They also advise that there are no changes in policy or protocol based on the CDC's data yet encourage everyone to assess their personal risk and protect themselves accordingly.  

Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season: June 1 marks the official beginning of the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Former Pacific Hurricane Agatha made landfall as a Category 2 system on Monday afternoon near Puerto Angel, Mexico. The storm was downgraded as it dissipated after hitting the landmass. Here at home, Local and Federal authorities suggest it could re-form into a tropical system when it hits the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with the potential to become Tropical Storm Alex for the Atlantic/Caribbean basin. The storm system is too far away for modeling or forecasting to be very accurate at this point. We are keeping a watchful eye on this system at the State, Country, and Local levels and will provide updates as necessary.

OCEAN RESCUE:  

Beach Safety: Our Lifeguards want to remind everyone of the dangers of rip currents. Please use extra caution if you choose to enter the ocean outside of the guarded beach or before/after guarded beach hours. "It's best to keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard is in the stand."

Beach Wheelchair: The Beach Wheelchair is a wonderful mobility asset that helps more people enjoy our beautiful beach. Please see the Lifeguard to sign out the beach wheelchair during guarded beach hours (10 am – 5 pm.)

As always, please reach out with questions or if we can be of any assistance. tsteedman@pbsfire.org or (561) 296-3380  

I hope that the beginning of your summer is going well. Please have a safe trip to those who have transitioned to the north for the summer.

One of the major crimes we have found lately is the number of scams coming our way by phone, email, and text. I almost want to buy the extended warranty just to make the calls stop.

Sometimes, we may partially read an email and open it up when clearing our emails, which lets the virus in. Some of the frauds are as easy as opening an attachment. The others, of course, want you to go to a link to pay for something or update your information.

These scams can be stopped by taking a few extra seconds to read the email, although it is a pain. The other phone scams continue; the caller states they are a relative and need bail money. The other is with a bank or service provider that wants you to go to target and get a 500-dollar gift card, or they will shut off your service.

The post office has a pretty cool new app:     https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

It’s called informed delivery, and you can download the app on apple or android and view the mail (envelope) that has been scanned by them and is coming your way. It would give you a good idea if something were to be delivered that never made it into your hands.

I will be on vacation from June 8th through the 20th, I’ll be able to return emails from time to time, or I’ll see you on the 21^st.

Please call us if you see anything you believe to be suspicious. We are here when you need us.

Sergeant Steve Langevin

Commander, District 20 Town of Palm Beach Shores

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR!

The 2022-2023 Beach Parking Passes are available for purchase in Town Hall.

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TOWN HALL MEETINGS - 2022

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

PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING

JUNE 22, 2022 @ 6:30 P.M.

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING

JUNE 1, 2022 @ 2:00 P.M - CANCELLED

COMMISSION MEETING WORKSHOP

JUNE 13, 2022 @ 7:OO P.M.

COMMISSION MEETING

JUNE 27, 2022 @ 7:00 P.M.

Planning & Zoning Report – Chairman Jerald Cohn

The following members were elected on April 23, 2022, Reorganization meeting:

• Jerald Cohn – Chairman
• Tim Blash – Vice Chair
• Jerald Cohn – DRC Member
• Tim Blash – Landscape Approval Member

Other Members of the Board:

• Kevin Banks
• Tony Lembo
• Steven Smith
• Tom Martin – Alternate
• Weston Gracida – Alternate

Environmental Committee News

Greetings,

The community center refresh was accomplished last week by 5 hardy volunteers- Dot Erickson, Ken Steenson, Rick Kollmeyer, Von Mielke and Donna Ward.

We added over 40 new plants to complement the other established plants and palms. These plants were selected for their natural beauty, growth habit, and ability to endure the maritime location. We added- additional green island ficus, a silver buttonwood, nana (dwarf) clusia, dwarf mondo grass, coontie, wild coffee, and yellow necklace pods.



Our other good news is that we have a new secretary! Myra Koutzen has offered to take over the position. Thank you so much.

Enjoy the enclosed pictures. The landscape will take shape as the plants grow and fill in.

Sorry, I missed Dot in the pictures. She had to leave a little early.

Stay green, Donna

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