Tropical Storm Bertha forms in the Atlantic - WPTV - Newly formed Tropical Storm Bertha was barreling toward the Lesser Antilles early Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.
[ Editor's note: Storm season is heating up! We plan to use the Voice to broadcast island news if a storm comes near or onshore this year (or in the future, or for any other emergency purposes). Please ask your friends and neighbors to sign up and join us now ..and let's all keep an eye on the weather for the next 60'ish days. ]
Sand transfer plant failure to be lifeline to beaches a mystery - Palm Beach Daily News - Its purpose is to re-create the natural flow of sand, which was interrupted when the federal government built the Lake Worth Inlet. But sand volume ...
Port of Palm Beach awarded security grant - Insurance News One - The Port of Palm Beach has been awarded $1.995 million in security grant funding through the 2014 Preparedness Grant Program funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Boca Raton City leaders endorse Rep. Bill Hager for re-election to - SaintPetersBlog (blog)- term in the Florida House for the district covering Palm Beach County and eastern corridor of I-95 between Boca Raton and Singer Island.
A more vigorous economy appears to be emerging - ABCnews -
The U.S. economy has rebounded with vigor from a grim start to 2014 and should show renewed strength into next year.
16 creative container homes from hipster-cool to eco-friendly - Palm Beach Post (blog) - The kitchen and center steel framing area of a Mesocore sustainable home prototype built in Riviera Beach, photographed on April 2, 2014.
Area kids get taste of ocean fishing - Palm Beach Post - Shardley Sylne, 11, had never been on a boat before. In fact, he had never been fishing. But less than 20 minutes after casting his first line over the boat's railing, he caught two white grunts on the same line
Singer Island's David Quiggin breaks masters swim records - Palm Beach Post - Singer Island resident David Quiggin broke national and world records Saturday at a U.S. Masters Swimming competition at the North County Aquatic ...
Should manatees come off of the endangered list? - Palm Beach Post (blog) - In January, 43 manatees swam to Riviera Beach to bask in the warm water flowing out of the FPL power plant there. The U.S. Fish ...
Here's your District Update From Dawn S. Pardo,
Council Chair Pro-Tem, District 4
As mentioned a month or so ago, I have been working with city staff on a new landscaping plan for the medians on Singer Island. I am pleased to report that the work is now underway. We are starting at the bridge and will be working our way north. The vibrant bougainvillea and other plants and shrubs will add a beautiful pop of color to the medians. Here's a preview:
[Editor's note for cell phone users - sorry - this image may be upside down.. ...please turn your phone upside down to view it.]
In an effort to keep our residents, businesses and visitors safe, cameras and a license plate reader have been installed on and around the Blue Heron Bridge. Last summer, I used District 4 community benefit funds to purchase a camera for the north-end of the Island. I will be using additional community benefit funds to purchase a camera for the Park Avenue corridor on the south side of East Blue Heron Blvd. All of the cameras are tied into and managed by the Riviera Beach Police Department. Public safety is job #1.
Please know the City is still working feverishly on the Ocean Mall. We expect to be able to report changes to you shortly.
The Council and staff have begun budget workshops for F2014-15. Please know I have made it clear at each workshop that I would like to reduce our millage rate. I have asked our staff to find $300,000 in the budget which will allow us to begin reducing the rate. I'll keep you updated.
I'd like to introduce our new mean green street sweeper! You will see the sweeper on the bridge and throughout the Ocean Mall. It will also be used throughout the entire CRA area.
I am looking for a few volunteers to assist me with a beautification project on Park Avenue south and Lake Drive between Island and Beach Rd. Along those two streets there are concrete deco light posts. Public Works recently pruned trees around the light posts, repair electrical connections and increased light intensity. They will soon pressure clean the fixtures and the decorative walls in front of the poles. Once completed, I will use our community benefits allocation to paint the poles and walls and landscape around the walls. Please email me at dpardo@rivierabch.com if you would like to assist. We will begin the project in September.
Community Benefits - Here is a list of projects accomplished on Singer Island using District 4 community benefits:
Water fountain on A1A ~ Painting and landscaping Singer Island Fire House ~ Police camera on A1A ~ Police camera on Park Ave ~ Night vision goggles for Police Marine unit ~ landscaping projects.
Dawn S. Pardo, Council Chair Pro-Tem, District 4
(0) (561) 845-3683 ~ (E) dpardo@rivierabch.com ~( Facebook) Singer Island, District 4 ~ (Twitter) dawnpardo
CommUNITY Voice:
Please send in your comments, ideas and input to be shared here next week!
SICA Point of View on ...Lagoon Development:
SICA has a long history of concern for the preservation of our island's habitat and natural assets. As important as the ocean is to our Singer Island culture, ecology and economy, so too is that portion of the Intracoastal Waterway bordering western Singer Island known as the Lake Worth Lagoon. Indeed SICA owns property today along Ocean Drive that was purchased in 1999 to assist in preserving the lagoon environment.
SICA supports economic development that preserves the character of our island as well as our priceless natural assets. It is this principle that drives our desire to urge extreme caution in proceeding with any development or activity in the lagoon that could disrupt the fragile ecosystem and unique character of our surrounding waters. The Lagoon is home to several endangered and protected species including green turtles and manatees. In particular, researchers have found that endangered green turtles feed on grasses in the shallow waters along the lagoon coastline southeast of Little Munyon Island.
While other portions of the Lake Worth Lagoon serve as active waterways for power boating and commercial use, the crystalline waters along Singer Island are uniquely suited as a safe habitat for endangered species and for low-impact sports such as kayaking and paddle boarding. We want to preserve this pristine and ecologically important environment for generations to come. SICA believes that further residential and non-recreational development of submerged lands could substantially harm protected and endangered species, compromise water quality and alter the quiet beauty of our clear, mangrove-fringed waters.
We urge citizens to be informed about any proposed developments that could affect our intracoastal waters and to make your questions and views known to our local elected officials and regulatory authorities such as the Department of Environmental Protection.
Here is contact information for our regional DEP director:
Jill S. Creech, based in West Palm Beach, is the southeast district director of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection - jill.creech@dep.state.fl.us | p. 561-681.6600
Working together, we can continue to shape a positive future for Singer Island.
A response from last week's post:
