The August Commission meeting and ongoing Town business are sufficiently complex that I will not use space on unrelating opening comments. Further, I will address the topics by order of importance instead of chronologically. 

Town Administrator: The Commission has decided to hire a Town Administrator. The individual selected will assume and expand on the duties handled by Wendy Wells before her resignation. The Commission voted 5-0 to adopt a town Organizational Chart (click here to see a copy). The Commission voted 4-1 to adopt a new job description for the Town Administrators position (click here to read). I voted against the description. I thought it was too long and not sufficiently concise. The majority did not agree with my opinion. A committee led by Commissioner Brian Tyler was appointed to screen applicants for the position. This committee will select the top candidates for the Commission and me to interview (click for the names on the committee). The objective, set by the Commission by a 4-1 vote, is to hire a person as soon as possible to fill the position. I  was the dissenting vote. I suggested, given the difficult budget year ahead in 2024 (more on this to follow), it would be best to wait until near the end of the first quarter of FY2024, thereby saving one-fourth of the salary and benefits package, which would help balance the new budget. The four (4) Commissioners believed the matter was sufficiently urgent and warranted moving quickly. Accordingly, a Town Administrator will be hired as soon as possible in the new fiscal year (which starts October 1st).

The 2024 Budget: The Commission has been working on the new budget since mid-summer. Even though the Town's property valuation has increased by over 10%, 2024 will be a difficult budget year. This is because of three budget items:

1. The additional salary and benefits for the Town Manager;
2. the much higher costs (more than doubled from the prior year) for EMS services from Riviera Beach;
3. And the Dish and Inlet lawsuit costs.

The lawsuits add $200,000 to the budget. Without this latter cost, it would have been easy to adsorb the other two cost adders and balance the budget. As it is, the 2024 budget will have a slight deficit. However, it probably will be possible to close this deficit by carrying over of unspent funds from the 2023 budget. (The 2023 budget is projected to end with a slight surplus.) The official budget hearings at which the Commission votes to accept the budget will be on September 11 and September 25.

Commission Resignation: Vice Mayor Scott McCranels submitted his resignation at the August Commission meeting. The resignation will be effective immediately following the September 11th Budget meeting. Scott is not resigning until after the meeting as a Quorum of at least three (3) present Commissioners is required to hold a meeting. On the 11^th, one (1) Commission will be on vacation, and one will join the meeting virtually. So, without Scott, a quorum is impossible. Under the Clerk’s article please see announcement concerning selecting a replacement to complete the remaining six months of Scott's term. (According to the Town Charter, the Commission elects the new member to complete the term by majority vote).

Report on August Commission meeting

Commission on Ethics: Ms. Gina Levesque gave a short presentation on the functions and importance of the Commission on Ethics and urged anyone aware of wrongdoing to contact her office. Her phone number is 561-355 1937.

PBSO Contract: By a 5-0 vote, the Commission approved the Fourth Amendment to the contract with the Palm Beach Sherriff (PBSO). The only change in the original contract is the price tag. The contract payment was increased by 3% over 2023. However, at least for the next year, the PBSO will continue to include the cost of legal aid (Office Assistant to Sgt. Langevin). 

Public Works: During Alan Welch's report, there was considerable discussion (and a few complaints) about trimming Seagrapes on the ocean dunes and cutting growth on the Inlet Walkway. The outcome was that Mr. Welch would contact the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to obtain their guidelines on such trimming. The Town will follow these guidelines in all further trimming activities. 

Ordinance O-4-23: This ordinance is a housekeeping ordinance dealing with the 2024 voting qualifying period. It adds a week to the Town qualifying period. It makes certain exceptions for qualifying to fill the seat left vacant by the elected municipal official who resigns from their elected position on or before December 31, 2023, to avoid filling out financial reporting From #6. (This form requires reporting of ALL OFFICE HOLDER PERSONAL ASSET THAT ARE IN EXCESS OF $1,000. Many elected Municipal officials are considering resigning rather than filling out the form.

Reports on Town Public Works Projects

Watermain Project: All water service connections have been made for buildings and houses on the south side of Inlet and the west side of Lake Drive. East/west water service line between the following streets

• North of Claremont Lane and south of Tacoma Lane
• North of Linda Lane and south of Bravado Lane
• North of Blossom Lane and south of Sandal Lane
• North of Sandal Lane and south of Bamboo Road (will be completed on Friday, September 1st)

The remaining streets have frozen shutoff values (put in place in 1950) and will require a value stop, which is more complicated to install. However, the takeaway is that the project is moving at a good pace. 

Road Paving Project: We have one contract proposal in hand and are waiting for the second one. The paving will begin very quickly after the water main project ends.

Community Center: Demolition will be completed on Tuesday, September 5th. Build-out will begin shortly thereafter. A stop work order by the Town Building Official delayed the project by three weeks. And demands from the Fire Inspector delayed it another week or so. All the utilities (stove, refrigerator shelves, and such have arrived.  The estimated completion date is mid-November. We understand that a few folks are upset by this delay, but this is a complicated project and must be done correctly, as it is a public kitchen. Further, the delays were beyond our control. You don't argue with the Fire Inspector. 

Finally, the Commission asks that the staff provide an update on the various building projects in the Newsletter. This project is a bit of a tedious assignment. So, we will send out the update as a separate report. And that is all, folks!

OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT:

After making landfall on the West Coast / Big Bend area of Florida, traveling over Georgia and the Carolinas, and is predicted to eventually move out to sea. However, some models depict the storm circling back to the South after returning over the waters of the Atlantic. Please keep a watchful eye on the weather and sign up for alerts if you haven’t already done so. Palm Beach County has an alerting system that is compatible with your mobile devices. PBC DART (Disaster Awareness & Recovery Tool) is a mobile application available for both Apple and Android platforms, used by the public to check for:

• Evacuation orders and zones
• Check shelter locations and status.
• Locate nearby stores on generators.

And provides the users with:

• Platform to report damage to homes or businesses.
• Ability to upload pictures of the affected areas.

More information about PBC DART and Alert PBC is available at

https://discover.pbcgov.org/publicsafety/dem/pages/dart.aspx

 Don’t delay – it’s time to complete the hurricane preparation checklist. A helpful guide can be viewed at https://discover.pbcgov.org/publicsafety/PDF/Hurricane-Guide.pdf

Lithium-Ion Batteries – In the June newsletter, we provided information about some hazards involved with lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are found in a wide variety of everyday products such as laptop computers, E-cigarettes, power banks, cell phones, electric vehicles, and recreational equipment such as bicycles, scooters, and skateboards. In Palm Beach Shores, we recently had a fire on the dock of a marina resulting from an exploding lithium-ion battery pack. The early morning fire caused damage to the dock and was in very close proximity to large vessels. Our Firefighters responded, located, confined, and extinguished the fire quickly. Through their training and experience, they effectively managed the battery pack to prevent re-ignition, which is a common occurrence in lithium-Ion battery fires. 

Below is a link with some examples of the hazards of improperly stored, charged, or managed devices.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nz5ijXcckI

And these articles (with embedded videos) from the Fire Safety Research Institute provide an objective look at lithium-ion batteries with the intent to educate the public and Fire Service about the causes of thermal runaway, how fire and explosion hazards can develop, and what can be done prior to and after thermal runaways to minimize the consequences.

https://fsri.org/research-update/experiments-completed-intentional-thermal-runaway-lithium-ion-batteries

https://fsri.org/research-update/online-training-available-science-fire-and-explosion-hazards-lithium-ion-batteries.

Please assure compliance with the manufacturer’s charging and storage recommendations. 

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  

At the August 28, 2023, Commission Meeting, Vice Mayor Scott McCranels resigned from his Commission seat, effective immediately following the September 11, 2023, meeting.

On September 25, 2023, the Town Commission will appoint a Palm Beach Shores Resident to the recently vacated seat. The Palm Beach Shores Resident appointed to the vacant seat will serve the remainder of the term for that seat, which will expire in March of 2024. The qualification period for the next term will be November 7, 2023, through November 28, 2023.

All interested Palm Beach Shores residents should submit a letter of interest and a bio or resume to the Town Clerk.

 

All letters of interest must be received by September 20, 2023, for consideration.  

Please email Town Clerk Jude M. Goudreau at: jgoudreau@pbstownhall.org

So far, so good for us with Hurricanes! Please keep them in mind until the end of the season.

One thing that came up at the last commission meeting and will be discussed at the upcoming commission workshop will be pedestrian/bicycle and other traffic along the town's parkway and Inlet walkway.

Part of the issue is that our town is beautiful, and people love to walk and bike here. We have a number of Airbnb's along with bicycle rentals whose renters change every few weeks, along with new homeowners and families in town. Visitors may not be aware of the rules when it comes to the town ordinances regarding traveling on the walkways.

Presently the code of the town reads;

 Sec. 48-4. - Traffic.

•  No motor vehicle, as defined in F.S. § 320.01, shall be operated at any time upon the town's parkway with Town Hall) or upon the United States government.
• (b) No moped as defined in F.S. § 316.003(77), motorized bicycle as defined in F.S. § 316.003(2), or motorized scooter as defined in F.S. § 316.003(82), shall be operated upon the town's parkway. Nothing contained in this article shall be deemed to prohibit the operation of an electric personal assistive mobility device as defined in F.S. § 316.003(83) upon the town's parkway or upon the United States government easement running parallel to the north side of the Lake Worth Inlet.
• (c) No bicycle, roller-skates, rollerblades, skateboards or scooters shall be operated upon the town's parkway or in Inlet Park on any day during the week, during the following periods of time: dusk until dawn, inclusive. Operators or riders of bicycles, roller-skates, rollerblades, skateboards or scooters shall yield the right-of-way to other pedestrians on the town's parkway in the Inlet Park and shall not otherwise endanger or interfere with such pedestrian traffic.
• (d) No quadricycles shall be operated upon the town's parkway or in Inlet Park at any time.
• A lot of this comes down to common courtesy, and most people are just that, but there is always "that person." And as we know, "there is never a cop around when you need one."

Please let me know your thoughts (langevins@pbso.org), and the next Workshop Meeting will be September 11 at 7 PM.

Arrests made in the last month;

•  Our night deputy observed a suspicious vehicle and person on Lake Drive. The investigation revealed a warrant for his arrest. As we began searching him for booking into the jail, a clear bag of a white substance was found in his pocket. Luckily, he followed procedure, and the substance was brought to the lab and tested positive for the very nasty and dangerous Fentanyl. A warrant was requested on that charge was requested.
• A person illegally entered the rehabilitation center on Blossom Lane and began taking food and other items from rooms; when confronted by staff, she pepper sprayed them and ran off. A multi-deputy search began, and the helicopter was able to locate her in the Ocean Mall, where she was arrested.
• A Golf cart traffic stop led to the driver's arrest for resisting arrest without violence. The driver was given several opportunities to end the event, but claiming sovereign citizenry continued his actions. As you know, deputies are now equipped with body-worn cameras, and the event was captured in its totality along with the separate in-car cameras. 
• And as an aside, our patrol car cameras are now equipped with license plate readers in addition to the in-car cameras, which augments the ones at the entrance to town searching for stolen cars. These in-car cameras and body-worn cameras activate when patrol car lights are activated, a deputy's weapon is drawn, the rear car door is open, or another deputy nearby activates his/her camera in addition to self-activation and remote activation. Otherwise, the cameras are not recording and are in a standby mode.

Other traffic items include:  In the last three (3) months, we have increased traffic stops by 81 Percent. 

• I spoke with the construction company working on the Blue Heron Bridge; they told me they would finish ahead of schedule, probably about the second week in September.

• Regarding the bridge work, I spoke with Palm Beach County about the traffic light changes made at Lake Drive and Blue Heron. They denied my request to turn the traffic light red/green combo back to pre-bridge work timing.

• Due to the construction work the South-North traffic light time was changed to 120 Seconds in the day and 130 Seconds in the afternoon. THEY DID say when work is complete, the timing will return to normal, so hopefully, it will not be too much longer

That's it for now. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

 Sergeant Steve Langevin

Commander District 20 Town of Palm Beach Shores

TOWN HALL MEETINGS - 2023

These meetings are held in-person in Town Hall

247 Edwards Lane

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

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING

September 6, 2023



COMMISSION WORKSHOP/BOARD MEETING

September 11, 2023 @ 7:00 P.M.

First Budget Hearing Workshop and

Commission Workshop Meeting

September 25, 2023 @ 7:00 P.M.

Final Budget Hearing and

Commission Board Meeting

PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING

September 27, 2023 @ 6:30 P.M.

2023-2024

Beach Parking Passes are available for purchase in Town Hall.

Read more

Environmental Committee Update

Have you seen the new plant ID tags along the parkway?

All the new tags are now in place and provide information for our residents and visitors.

We are keeping the town hall flower boxes vibrant even with the summer heat and rain.   



EC volunteers check them almost daily. We prune, weed, and replace flowers as needed. Several new plants with purple and white blooms have recently been added.

The Commission meeting this week included a discussion on reevaluating our town beach and dune landscape procedures. This subject will be discussed at a workshop meeting, and the EC was invited to participate in this dialogue. This is an opportune time to research and determine the best management practices for the dune system.

The Bookmobile is Available!

Obtain a Library Card with proof of local address and check out library materials

Click Here To Read The Schedule

Thank You Blood Donors!

From One Blood's Representative to the all who donated blood at Town of Palm Beach Shores

Blood Drive

We value our partnership with the Town of Palm Beach Shores and thank you all for donating. We are pleased to share with you that the recent blood drive resulted in 3 units of blood. Remember, each donation can save up to three lives, meaning (9) nine patients could benefit from the lifesaving efforts of blood donors at the Town of Palm Beach Shores. We extend our gratitude to the donors for their lifesaving efforts.

Guess Hoo was spotted on Linda Lane?

Wooo-hooo!!