JAN.28
ALAN FIERS- MAYOR
Tuesday, at the end of the workday, I was chatting with Town Administrator Wendy Wells. We both agreed that it seems like the holidays are in the distant past. The year has started with what seems like an avalanche of business. But, as we always do when the circuits over overload, we slow down our minds, make a priority list, and tick off the tasks one by one.  

While most of the tasks alluded to above are "just to do" (a phrase used by a former German colleague when a job was well known and required no new innovation). There is one loaming issue that is of concern, largely because of the associated unknowns: this is INFLATION and its impact on the Town budget. As I said at the January Commission meeting, all of us in Town Hall are monitoring our expenses even more closely than usual.  Public Works has difficulty ordering material, such as new doors for the Community Center, new benches for the Town Parkway, and new storm sewer grates. Also, contractors are unwilling to bid on projects that are more than a month or six weeks out because of unknown material prices. We will, of course, work through the financial and scheduling issues, but please be understanding if things happen a bit more slowly than usual or scheduled.

Folks who walk the Inlet path have been watching the staging of dredge-related equipment on the Palm Beach Shoreline. All was set up and ready to start work, but the dredge ship was delayed due to weather. (It is flat bottomed and can't travel in high seas.) Moreover, the project scope had to be modified after the survey ship completed its work. It was determined that more sand than thought has built up in the channel and settling basin (just offshore from the pump station).

Given that the contract is limited to removing 400,000 cubic yards of sand, and there is that much sand built up in the channel and turning basin, the dredging of the Port Turning basin, which does not have significant sand buildup, will be dropped from the schedule. The dredging activity will be limited to the channel and settling basin. The Dredge has now arrived and will immediately start work in the channel. Walk down and have a look. It is an interesting operation.

You will soon see ladders and scaffolding around Town Hall. Our Public Works staff will soon start painting the Town Hall and Fire Department buildings. The work will be done by Public Works staff, which will be a considerable saving to the Town. (Contactors are considerably more expensive.) Paint is in hand, and the staff is just completing a few smaller projects before getting started.

Planning continues on the East channel of the Lake Worth dredging project. As previously reported, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit has been issued. The Corps of Engineers permit should be issued within the next two months.  Once that permit is in, the project becomes "just to do" (see above explanation). In next month's Newsletter, I will go into greater detail. However, if you have questions, please call me or drop by and see me.

At the January Commission meeting, members of the Riviera Beach City Staff provided an update on the Lake Drive/Inlet Way watermain replacement project (hereafter, the water main project). The project has been delayed due to contract adders which increased the cost by more than 10%. This necessitated new approvals from the City Council. All have been agreed to, and the project is now scheduled to begin on or about March 1st and continue to f November 26th.  Once the project starts, we will be keeping folks updated on related traffic disruption

The St. Patrick's Day Parade is on this year, rain or shine! After a two-year hiatus – the Parade was last held in 2019. The parade Committee Chairmen is Trevor Steedman, who is being assisted by Elizabeth Kuechenmeister (who is doing most of the planning and organizing.) The Parade will follow the traditional route: muster in the beach parking lot, proceed to Ocean Drive, south on Ocean to Inlet, west on Inlet to Atlantic, north on Atlantic to Bamboo, east on Bamboo to Ocean, and then south on Ocean back to the Community Center, where the traditional refreshments will be served. Come out and join the fun. The Parade is one of the highlights of the year.

January Commission meeting: All of the topics covered above were discussed in detail during the meeting. There were a couple of other items of importance, as reported below:
  • In the Financial report, Wendy Wells noted that the Town's first-quarter expenses were running 3% below 2021 as a percent of the budget. She noted that this in fact even a bit better, as the Town has paid some large semiannual bills (insurance and debt service). This is a good start for what may turn out to be a challenging year.

  •  First reading of an Ordinance to adjust the Town purchasing authorities to reflect current pricing realities. The authorized levels have not changed since 2013, and the authorization levels were again outdated. Call Wendy or me if you would like to have more detail. The ordinance passed unanimously. Second reading will be in February.

  • A resolution increasing the value levels requiring Capitalization of a purchase or project. As with purchase authorizations, these levels were badly outdated also out of alignment with current economic reality. 

And that's a wrap for the Commission meeting. 

Watch the northern weather reports, Alberta Clippers, Artic cold waves, bomb cyclones, and such, and enjoy the Florida winter with its cool nights and warm days (and for us gardeners) slow vegetation growth.
 
Alan 




TREVOR STEEDMAN - FIRE CHIEF
Office of Emergency Management:

COVID-19 Update:
 The PBC Emergency Operations Center maintains COVID-19 operations at Activation Level III (Enhanced Monitoring). The Omicron variant continues to be prevalent Nationally and in South Florida. Public Health Officials predict that Omicron has likely hit its peak or will do so within the next couple of weeks due to its rapid community spread. The State is exploring various therapeutic options as the FDA has halted the emergency use authorization for some brands of Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Treatment. 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.

Fire Department:
Annual BBQ: The PBSFD is holding its annual fundraising Barbecue on Sunday, February 23rd, on the first floor of the community center. A flyer will be posted and emailed soon that outlines the times and food/beverage choices. We will also have our "morale" T-Shirts available for purchase. Hope to see you there!

End-of-Year Stats (2021): PBSFD answered 433 calls for service in the past calendar year. This is a 1.4% increase from 2020. These calls for service included fires, a variety of medical calls, fire alarm activations, public assists, motor vehicle accidents, gas leaks, odor/smoke investigations, and rescues. PBSFD Fire-Rescue members completed 2,236.5 personnel hours of formal training. These training hours are outside the crews' hours on daily shift-based training and drills.

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.”

End-of-Year Stats (2021): PBSFD Ocean Rescue Lifeguards effected 33 Swimmer rescues and assists, provided first aid 458 times, and conducted 3,315 prevention / education interventions to keep our beachgoers safe. The Beach Wheelchair was utilized on 16 occasions in 2021.
 
As always, please reach out with questions or if we can be of any assistance. tsteedman@pbsfire.org or (561) 296-3380   
STEVE LANGEVIN - SGT. - DISTRICT #20
With the arrests of the suspects in the bicycle theft and unlocked car burglaries last month, we have had no more issues. Our cameras and deputies do a great job in preventing crime, but you are our best partners.
 
With construction, we have more and more new workers coming into town. If you see something that seems a little off and concerning to you, please give us a call so we can look into it.
 
I hope you have noticed our deputies walking the parkway and the Inlet walkway. We have been out and about in patrol cars, the Segway, 6 seater ATV, walking, and bicycles. We have visiting deputies from nearby districts, and from time to time, the mounted unit stops by. We hope this will give the bad folks pause before coming in.
 
As we receive indications of speeding on specific roads, we begin a 2-week traffic study at the location using radar/laser and, when possible, position a speed sign trailer. The interior roads, some may not remember, were designated some years ago as 20 mph and the surrounding roads at 25mph. 
 
On Bamboo Road the two-week study revealed.
 
  • An average of 27 vehicles traveling east or west in a one-hour period.
  • The speed limit is 25MPH.
  • The average speed was 20.12 MPH.
  • The fastest vehicle was 33 MPH; a traffic stop was attempted but the vehicle blended into Blue Heron Blvd traffic.
 
  • Of the hundreds that were observed, 14 were between 25 and 30, and 11 vehicles were at 31 MPG.
  • In a 2-year period, 1 traffic crash was reported on this road.
 
To help mitigate traffic; 
 
A.  A spare patrol vehicle was parked on Bamboo Road.

B.  The Speed trailer was placed in view.
 
On Blossom Lane; The two-week study revealed;
 
  • The speed limit is 20 MPH
  • On average, 7.7 vehicles traveled east on Blossom Lane in a one-hour period.
  • The average speed was 16.14 MPH.
  • The fastest speed seen was 26 MPH, a written warning was issued by the deputy.
  • Of all the vehicles observed in these periods, 6 vehicles were traveling between 20 and 25 MPH.
  • In a two-year period, no traffic crashes were reported.
 
To help mitigate traffic.
 
A.  We spoke with the management of Behavioral service in an attempt to educate their personnel on traffic patterns.
 
B.  I have personally spoken with business management in town, and all pledged to assist us in any way possible.
  
Once again, we thank you for your support and please know we are here you when you need us.
Sergeant Steven Langevin.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS - 2022

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




PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING
FEBRUARY 2, 2022 @ 6:30 P.M.

A SPECIAL PLANNING AND ZONING MEETING
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 @ 6:30 PM

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING
FEBRUARY 2, 2022 @ 2:00 P.M

COMMISSION MEETING WORKSHOP
FEBRUARY 14, 2022 @ 7:OO P.M.

COMMISSION MEETING
FEBRUARY 28, 2022 @ 7:00 P.M.


 
www.Seasiderspbs.com          Founded in 1951
Our Seasiders are holding their annual Bazaar on Saturday, February 12 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The proceeds from this Bazaar go to support many local charities. They are accepting donations for it on Friday, February 11 from 8:00 to noon. (See more details below) Please come out and support them - and you may find some great bargains on clothing, furniture, books and more! There will also be a bake sale and raffle. 

Palm Beach Shores Property Owners Association
News and Updates
 
POA Membership Meeting and Mayor Fiers State of the Town Address is Tuesday, February 8th at 6:30 PM at the Community Center Upstairs. (This was originally scheduled for January 11th).
 
POA Winter Festival, (formerly the Chowder Fest) and Bonfire is Saturday, February 19th, 5:30 PM - 9 PM, downstairs at the Community Center. The bonfire is subject to favorable weather conditions. Food and Festivities will be held regardless. More information to follow regarding tickets. Volunteers are needed. Contact a Board Member. (This was originally scheduled for January 22nd).
 
2022 Parkway Parties, February 20th – May 22nd. Pick your street captains and contact a board member with your proposed date. 

2022 POA Members Directories first pickup was January 15th. A second and final pickup will be at the Community Center at the February 8th meeting. Any questions, contact Dave Stevens, dstevens51@gmail.com.

Visit the Property Owners Association website for the latest news and information: www.PBSPOA.org
SAVE THE DATE
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY PARADE IS ON!
 
After a 2 year hiatus, Palm Beach Shores is sponsoring its St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday, March 12. Kick-off at 11am sharp from the Community Center, followed by a barbecue lunch.
 
Fire Chief Trevor Steedman is parade chairman. 
 
In addition to our Palm Beach Shores civic groups, there are 15 local organizations participating - including two marching bands - Inlet Grove Charter High School and Royal Palm Beach Community High School.
 
It is also my honor to announce our Grand Marshalls - Joan Mills and Barbara Platner. Joan and Barbara, (along with their late husbands Tom and Chuck) - represent the spirt, generosity and devotion which makes our town “the best little town in Florida.”
 
For more information on the parade contact:
Elizabeth Kuechenmeister
keykenmystir@aol. com or 508 237 2578


The Environmental Committee proudly announces the new Beach Bucket Station!  


Check it out next time you walk the beach.

Thanks to Tricia Blash for bringing this to the attention of the Environmental Committee at our October meeting.

Thanks very much to the Town Commission and to the POA for funding this project to help keep our beautiful beach and the ocean waters clean of unwanted trash. Thanks to Alan Welch, Dir. of DPW for coordinating the installation with Andy Abbott of the Beach Bucket Foundation.
Here's to the EC continuing to act to improve the aesthetics and environmental nature of our lovely Town.
 
Grace Sterrett, EC Chair
COST: $20
LOCATION: FIRE DEPT. ANNEX
PALM BEACH SHORES FIRE DEPT.
MORALE T-SHIRT Sale

THE PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS......
the purchasing of uniforms, fire gear, and equipment for the volunteers. Also for the dinners at the Volunteer Association meetings, the holiday dinner, and also anything needed in the living space of the annex.
The Palm Beach Shores Emergency Management Department has a new emergency and mass notification system that will allow the town to send urgent messages to those who are interested and sign-up. CodeRED will be used to alert subscribers of natural disasters including severe storms, tornadoes, floods, or man-made disasters, such as chemical spills, bio-hazards, and Amber Alerts.. READ MORE