Minutes 09-08-22 Hi there and thank you for reading my letter while I am not able to attend in
person or virtually today.
My name is Amber and I am one of the owners of Guaca Go. I want to address 3
separate issues that I hope you will take into consideration.
1. Pirate Fest. It feels like a huge oversight to have not budgeted for this
event when it brings so much money into our developing city! We, as a
downtown local brick and mortar restaurant, and as a food vendor, will be
missing out on tremendous earnings this weekend. We have worked at
Pirate Fest since 2017 as a food vendor. That is where we met Bonnie
from the CRA and was convinced to open our first location in Boynton
Beach. Mercedes has turned this into a top notch event and we know
because we do events full time throughout South Florida. I need you to
know that your local businesses will be missing out on tens of thousands of
dollars. This is such a huge oversight and could have been avoided. I hope
that you take into consideration how much we are losing and how much we
have been let down.
So much money was spent on a city hall and an amphitheater; there is
no better event to put it to use. Please and, I beg, to not miss the 2023
date and please make sure Mercedes is working with whoever is in charge.
I fear that we can't lose what she's created and missing 2022 is a huge
mistake.
2. The homeless/vagrancy problem is becoming too big to be ignored. I don't
know if more halfway houses are opening up close by or what is
happening. About a month ago, a young employee walked in on a vagrant
pleasuring himself in our bathroom. I have vagrants coming into our store
and scaring customers with small children. We find needles in our trash
and poop on the walls. It's getting rather scary and something needs to be
done to address it. I have no issues personally with smoke shops and
halfway houses but what do you want Downtown Boynton Beach to look
like in 5 years? 10 years? I know the other local businesses are suffering
majorly from this problem as well. Especially the higher end places with
more outdoor seating. I think this issue should be addressed right away; no
time to rest.
3. Please don't forget to promote your Downtown businesses as a
destination. We, and I know this is a collective feeling, feel forgotten. We
see how much money was put into a city hall building and we see the
development on Woolbright (and the Woolbright area is awesome), but we
on Ocean Ave, do not feel the love. It would be great if the City would
promote Downtown Boynton Beach as a destination for shopping, dining,
boating, etc. We have an awesome Marina! This could be a destination
location. We were promised a lot to be the first ones in the "downtown"
area and we see little improvements and lack of vision. One of the local
business owners has been asking for street lights so that people can see
her restaurant clearly and to help keep vagrants away and still has not
gotten any help; but we have a great city hall building right? We see
comments all over social media talking about how Downtown Boynton
Beach stinks. If your downtown businesses don't survive, what will people
think of Boynton Beach?
dm
September 8, 2022
To: The City Commission of Boynton Beach
From: Janick de Fabrique
3505 South Lake Drive
Boynton Beach, FL 33435
Having lived in Boynton Beach for the last 44 years, there has been no discussion that has
resulted in a proposed solution to the problematic culvert at the end of the canal of Lake Ida
between South Lake and Diane Drives. According to numerous engineers, the culvert does not
support the supply of water flowing from Lake Ida and was designed with the notion that no
other debris would accrue with the water source flowing in a much too small opening.
After years of debate and consistent discussion during countless Council Meetings, we were
able to procure a solution that we thought was a good compromise to deal with the sunken
culvert where weeds collect from Lake Ida and its surrounding tributaries. While that
compromise was a great solution initially, it was merely a bandaid and as a result, has left us
with dirty, stagnant and unsafe water. The spraying of the canal works on a temporary basis
when there is consistent treatment, but even that has become a constant battle ensuring that
the procured vendor is held accountable to what the residents are paying for through their
property taxes. It requires post-rain storm calls when weeds collect,simply ensuring that
treatment is done on a regular basis, it is evident when treatment is missed, or when the weeds
simply collect and create an unbearable and unsanitary environment.
The only solution to these unsafe conditions and to mitigate any further debate is quite simple -
removal of the culvert and creating a bridge where automobiles can traverse to Diane Drive,
Mission Hill Road and South Lake Drive. The bridge will not only serve as a pass through for
the water and weeds coming from the various aforementioned sources, but also as a
beautification from what is currently identified as a dilapidated culvert that serves little to no
purpose. As an interim solution to the problem and while architectural drawings are being
drafted for the proposed bridge, we are asking Palm Beach County to regularly (daily if needed
or weekly at the very least) spray Lake Ida to further reduce the collection of unnecessary
weeds.
Thank you for listening and taking the ideas into consideration for the safety of our community
today and for future generations.
Sincerely,
411
Ohl V\9 UQ----
Janick de Fabrique, your very concerned resident and constituent on South Lake Drive
September 8, 2022
To: The City Commission of Boynton Beach
From: Janick de Fabrique
3505 South Lake Drive
Boynton Beach, FL 33435
I have lived at the address above for a little over 44 years and the canal has never looked
worse. The weeds come directly from Lake Ida and get stuck at the end of our canal as the
sunken culvert is too small to allow the large amount of weeds to flow through. The current
monthly spraying is ineffective, as the weeds cluster in such large amounts and get stuck by the
too small opening of the culvert. We end up living along very dirty, stagnant and unsafe water
full of bacteria.
We are asking for our canal to be regularly sprayed by Palm Beach County who does the
spraying for Lake Ida, and also for a larger culvert to allow for all the weeds and debris to flow
freely.
Thank you for taking my letter into consideration.
Sincerely,
nick de Fabrique