Although residents continue to voice concerns about traffic, parking, and development, Palm Beach is in “good shape” as the winter season comes to a close, Mayor Danielle Moore said Monday.
During her state-of-the-town address delivered as part of the Palm Beach Civic Association’s annual meeting at The Flagler Museum, Moore said town officials and staff have worked to tackle those issues and others in an effort to drive progress.
“I think the residents actually appreciate the work we do,” she told an audience of more than 250 association members. “The thing that makes our town successful is the fact that your elected officials are willing to work, not only with each other, but with the residents to get the best product possible. I realize that not all residents agree with all of our decisions, but I want them to know that we are thoughtful and we take our time.”
During Moore’s presentation, a portion of which was pre-recorded, she addressed several key challenges facing the town while also highlighting progress in other areas. Highlights of her address include:
• Mandel Recreation Center: Moore called the multipurpose facility, which hosted a community celebration in January to mark its fifth anniversary, a “true asset” to the town’s families.
The 17,000-square-foot center features multipurpose rooms, a gym, after-school room, game room, renovated pro shop, snack bar, fitness center, indoor and outdoor basketball courts, and expanded playground.
Moore praised the town’s recreation staff for helping the center grow and better serve local residents.
“The Recreation Department has done a yeoman’s job,” she said. “All of the programs are full, generating revenue and meeting their cost expectations. It’s been a remarkable turnaround for programs that in the town’s past have been notoriously light in revenue.” • Phipps Ocean Park: Moore noted that the council was “gung-ho” on work getting underway on the redevelopment of Phipps Ocean Park after council members awarded a $31 million construction contract in February for the project.
The contract includes includes $29.7 million for the park redevelopment, $392,000 for tennis court renovations, $674,000 for lifeguard station renovations, and $67,000 for electrical panel replacement. “It’s going to be magnificent,” Moore said. “There’s an educational section and a native plants section. It’s going to be a while before it’s finished, but there will be new lifeguard stations, new bathrooms, and upgrades to the landscaping.”
• Undergrounding: Moore said the town’s efforts to bury its overhead electrical, phone and cable television lines is “almost over.”
The 10-year, $128 million town-wide undergrounding project is over budget, she said, but that was to be expected with a project of that length.
“Any time you have a 10-year project, you have to assume that the original budget estimates are inaccurate and probably significantly low,” she said. “We’ve just awarded the last contract. I think we’re due to be finished in 2027. A lot of that depends on how quickly Florida Power & Light, Comcast and AT&T can get their wires off the pole, but it looks so beautiful when the wires are gone and the poles are gone. It’s going to be amazing.” • Water contract: Moore said the town will continue to explore potential water providers ahead of the Oct. 1, 2029, expiration of its current agreement with the city of West Palm Beach.
After reviewing six options provided by environmental consultant Kimley-Horn in 2022, the town narrowed its list to two: continuing the current water-supply contract with the city of West Palm Beach and collaborating on a membrane-technology upgrade at its treatment plant; and contracting with the city of Lake Worth Beach — which does utilize membrane technology — to provide water. Both options have pros and cons, she said, and the council is “still working on a resolution for that.”
Moore said the current water contract has two possible five-year extension options, and there is “little doubt” the town will need to exercise at least one of them to allow more time for deliberation.
• Budget: The town is on “great financial footing,” Moore said, noting that the council maintained the millage rate for the current fiscal year and has done a good job of managing its unfunded pension liability.
“We are always triple-A rated — A+,” she said. “All the rating agencies think that the town of Palm Beach is stellar.”
• North Fire Station: The third oldest operating fire station in Florida reopened last month following a $17 million renovation.
Moore called the new facility “beautiful, magnificent and state-of-the-art,” and said its completion will allow the town to compete with other fire stations around the county.
“(Fire-Rescue Chief) Sean Baker and his team have done an amazing job,” she said. “We would think with the traffic issues that there would be longer response times. But Chief Baker has assured us that, even with the Mar-a-Lago road closure, that their response times are actually lower now than they were before.” • Parking: Moore said the town’s new paid parking system utilizing the ParkMobile app has led to increased turnover in parking spaces along Worth Avenue, which is what the council had hoped to achieve.
However, she noted, the system can be “complicated” for some people who might need additional time to adjust to it.
“I think it will take awhile for everybody to get used to,” she said.
• Traffic: Moore said the town continues to work on solutions for its traffic challenges, and one such effort has produced positive results.
New Planning, Zoning, and Building Department software that allows for online applications has helped ease traffic at Town Hall, she said.
“It decreases traffic coming in to Town Hall, and it decreases people needing to park around Town Hall,” she said. “We know there is limited parking there, so that has been very helpful keeping people away from Town Hall.”
With the season coming to an end, Moore expressed confidence in the town’s direction.
“To say it’s been a busy year here in the Town of Palm Beach would be sort of an understatement,” she said. “But the town is in, as you’ve heard, great shape.”
Also Monday, the Civic Association handed out its 2024 Raymond J. Kunkel Awards to Detective Giselle Bido of the Palm Beach Police Department, whose investigation into a sexual battery led to the offender’s arrest; Palm Beach resident Minnie Pulitzer, the daughter of late fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer, who rescued a drowning surfer from choppy surf; and Robert Young, a pool deck supervisor at The Beach Club who saved the life of a choking victim.
Distributed annually since 1976, the awards recognize heroic or meritorious service to the Town of Palm Beach.
