A MESSAGE FROM MAYOR ALAN FIERS
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Dear Residents, Visitors, and Friends:
It is said that time flies when one is having fun! I find it hard to believe that it has been a full two months since I’ve returned to town government. But the calendar tells me it is now June. The advent of the rainy season also signals the time of year with a loud voice. It all adds up to the fact that Hurricane Season is arriving. I recall my father, who lived through the big hurricanes of the 1920s, saying “before I die, I would just like to see one more hurricane.” That didn’t happen. He missed the big storms of 2004 and 2005 by two years. By the end of Wilma in 2005, all of us in the family said, "Grampa was nuts! We never want to see another hurricane.” I am sure you all feel the same way. So, let’s hope for an uneventful year, but just the same, let’s all begin our preparation and plans now. That way, if one comes our way, we won’t be scrambling around at the last minute trying to get preparations in order.
I am sure one of the topics most on your mind is the various demonstrations occurring around the Country and in our County. As Sgt. Langevin reports later in this newsletter, the Town has a solid plan in place to ensure order and tranquility. While the surrounding community has declared a curfew, we have not. This said, prudence in your travels, especially after dark, is in order. On Wednesday morning Congressional Reps Lois Frankel (D), Alcee Hastings (D), and Ted Deutch (D) held a conference call with many County Mayors, Police Chiefs, and others. They uniformly and unequivocally condemned the violence and looting. They also called for interracial understanding, dialog, and renewed efforts to address various communal grievances. Let’s hope this collective effort has a calming, and over the longer term, a positive effect.
Chief Steedman will be providing a COVID-19 update in his report. Thank you all for your support as we worked through the various restrictions. The Town Hall business restrictions will be relaxed tomorrow, Friday, June 4th. As Town Clerk, Browning writes in her update, Town Hall is open for business, on an appointment basis (to limit crowding in the tight Town Hall quarters), the Town Parking lot will also open on Friday. On Monday, June 8th, the beach cabana concession will return to full capacity, so long as the eight-foot spacing between chairs is observed. As I have written previously, we will know the impact, if any, of these relaxations in another two to three weeks. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and continue to observe prudent behavior.
At the May Commission meeting, there were four significant votes taken.
- Vote not to proceed with increased height in District C via an overlay district. The vote was 3–2 with Commissioners Stanton and DeReuil voting in the negative. (Dissenting votes favored considering four-story buildings and continuing the discussion at the P&Z level.)
- Vote to disband the Town Revenue Committee. The vote was 3–2 with Commissioners Stanton and DeReuil voting in the negative. (Dissenting votes wanted to continue the committee.)
- Vote to approve budget amendment #2, which moved funds between departments to cover certain budget overruns. (It did not increase the overall budget.) Included in the resolution was a decision NOT to use Town reserve funds to pay down a 2018 loan taken out to pay for certain capital purchases. The vote was 4-1. Commissioner Mills voting in the negative. (Mills preferred the option of paying down the debt.)
- It was agreed unanimously to change the timing of Commission meetings to the fourth Monday of the month and to hold monthly workshops on the second Monday of each month.
If you wish to discuss these votes further, feel free to contact individual Commissioners or me directly.
The workshops and Commission meetings will be available via Webex video, or call-in. If you call in, please remember to take your phone off speaker before asking questions or offering a comment. If you don’t do this, there will be an ungodly screech and no one can hear anything. We look forward to returning to public attendance as soon as the Governor lifts meeting size restrictions.
Give any of us a call if you have questions, comments, or criticisms. Enjoy summer and the rainy season.
Alan
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Please know, in these crazy times, your deputies are here 24/7. We have the ability to add many, many more deputies, and physical assets. We are in contact with the PBSO Fusion center regularly. This unit’s function is to sift through all the intelligence reported from Law enforcement and all social media platforms. I am on daily conference calls with all the commanders of the northern districts and beyond.
We work closely with Riviera Beach Police; I spoke with their Assistant Chief of Police on Sunday afternoon and was briefed as to what they may know. The communication lines between us remain open.
Over this last weekend, we were joined by other deputies from other divisions such as traffic motors and special events personnel, along with our marine units. Many of you have met some members of these units as they enjoy coming to our town from time to time.
At the same time our town, like others, has begun to open to some sort of normalcy. The town’s resorts and marinas are coming back to life after the long hiatus due to COVID19. Traffic will slowly increase as the resorts occupancy increase to their normal levels.
On a less urgent note, please remember all golf carts in town are treated under Florida law as a motor vehicle. As such, the golf cart operator must meet standards and be State REGISTERED, like your car. The golf cart must respect the same laws as you do while driving a car. The golf cart cannot be on the town’s parkway or inlet walkway. It is improper and illegal for a golf cart to drive where a car cannot.
We have given many warnings, and time after time we meet the same folks in non-compliance. Please remember, we do not wish to issue anyone an expensive citation or tow the golf cart. However, we must ensure the safety of all, including pedestrians.
It is that time of year when some of our residents move north. As you do, please contact us to enter the closed house program. Contact numbers remain the same. The main non-emergency numbers are (561) 688-3400 and (561) 844-3456. Emergency, of course, is 911. My email is langevins@pbso.org. Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement during these events and know we are here for you.
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EVYONNE BROWNING - TOWN HALL UPDATE
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HELLO FROM YOUR STAFF AT TOWN HALL! GREAT NEWS!!!
Your Town Hall staff (Sandi, Laura, Wendy, Orlando, and Evyonne) are preparing Town Hall to open our doors this Friday at 8:30 am! You must have an appointment, as no walk-ins will be allowed at this time. You can make an appointment by calling us a 561-844-3457. Only one (1) person at a time can be in the foyer area of the office due to the social distance requirements.
Appointments will be made in 30-minute increments. After each visit, we will take 30 minutes to prepare the front entrance for the next appointment by thoroughly wiping down the counters, doors, pens, etc. with disinfectant so that when you do visit us, you can feel secure. We will also require everyone to wear a mask and have it on before you come inside the building. If you do not have a mask, you will not be allowed inside the building.
There will be “X” markings on the bricks outside of Town Hall to ensure the 6 foot distance requirement. Please help us by adhering to this process.
The inner office will look a little different thanks to Alan Welch and our Public Works staff. We have installed a plexiglass partition at the front counter which will give you and us a safety barrier we need at this time. We want everyone to feel comfortable and secure when you do come into Town Hall.
BUILDING PERMITS
We will begin accepting regular building permits this Friday, June 5, 2020, but you must call Laura Brown at 561-844-3457 to schedule an appointment. Please make sure that you have everything you need before you come to Town Hall. If you are not sure if your submittal is complete, please speak with Laura and she can walk you through the requirements for submittal.
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.
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 and we would like this to be a permanent process for the residents and staff. We are in contact with other municipalities to see what everyone else is using, as this is a new process for many municipalities in Palm Beach County.
ANNUAL UTILITY BILLING
The annual utility billings were sent out approximately a month ago. Thank you to those who have already mailed in your payments. Yesterday, we mailed out the “past due” notices. If you have a question regarding your bill, please call Town Hall so we can help you with any issues. If your mailing address has changed or if there is an error on your bill, we need to hear from you so that we can assist you in getting the information updated.
BOOKMOBILE INFORMATION
MISCELLANEOUS
Our notary services will be available again this Friday, June 5th, by appointment only. IF YOUR DOCUMENT REQUIRES WITNESSES, TOWN HALL CANNOT ASSIST YOU AS WITNESSES AND YOU CANNOT BRING ANYONE WITH YOU, AS THE FRONT OFFICE AREA CANNOT ACCOMMODATE 2 PEOPLE AND MAINTAIN THE 6 FOOT SOCIAL DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS. THE LOCAL BANKS CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.
Office Number: 561-844-3457
Laura Brown:
Lbrown@pbstownhall.org
Sandi Lue:
Slue@pbstownhall.org
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FIRE DEPT. CHIEF TREVOR STEEDMAN
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has been an eventful year so far. Virus pandemics, civil unrest and now looming tropical weather keeps us on our toes. Throughout these challenges, our community remains resilient and a great place to live, work, and play. Your Emergency Services are in regular communication with Local, State, and Federal agencies to keep you safe and informed. I am happy to report that all is not doom and gloom. Here are some updates and general information to that effect:
COVID-19 Update Information:
- Palm Beach County continues to encourage COVID-19 testing. The positivity rate for those tested remains at 8%, which is below the 10% threshold that Health Department officials do not want to see the cases exceed. The PBC Healthcare District provides drive-through antibody and swab testing by appointment at the Fit Team Ballpark in West Palm Beach. Appointments can be made by calling the PBC Healthcare District at (561) 642-1000.
- Social distancing, wearing facial coverings in public areas where social distancing is difficult, and adherence to CDC guidelines is strongly encouraged. Palm Tran and other modes of public transportation require facial coverings.
Town Beach Information:
- Our beaches re-opened on May 18. Our residents and visitors have been exceptionally responsible and compliant with the recommended CDC guidelines.
- Beach hours under the re-opening order are sunrise to sunset
- The Beach Parking Lot is open.
- People engaged in fishing on the beach and along the inlet seawall are asked to distance 10 feet apart.
Travel & Outing Considerations (Civil Unrest)
- Palm Beach Shores does not have an established curfew. However, many of our surrounding municipalities do, including Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, and North Palm Beach. Riviera Beach instituted a curfew from 9 pm until 6 am. Please plan accordingly
Hurricane Preparation
- We are now officially into the 2020 Hurricane Season. Although many of us are well-accustomed to the planning and preparedness rituals, here is a helpful link: http://discover.pbcgov.org/publicsafety/PDF/Hurricane-Guide.pdf. This information is also available in Spanish and Creole on the linked site.
- Re-Entry Passes
- We are updating the re-entry permit system and process for our Town residents…More information to come soon.
- Shelters with COVID-19
- Many of our residents have a pre-designated location that they will evacuate to during hurricanes. Those residents that plan to use a local shelter or hotel should ask about potential restrictions in advance. COVID-19 has become a critical factor in estimating the capacities of shelters and lodging capabilities, effectively reducing the number of available spaces and accommodations. Please feel free to contact me for more information if you are planning to use a public shelter facility.
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