Awaiting Director Lisa Bright’s reply for more info (READ from the bottom up):

—– Original Message —–

From: Victoria Castello To: Bright, Lisa

 Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:54 AM

 Subject: Re: Ocean Breeze project

May I have the names of the respondents to date and will you kindly inform me whenever others come [...]]]> Lots of CRA money to be spent here. 

Awaiting Director Lisa Bright’s reply for more info (READ from the bottom up):

—– Original Message —–

From: Victoria Castello To: Bright, Lisa

 Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:54 AM

 Subject: Re: Ocean Breeze project

May I have the names of the respondents to date and will you kindly inform me whenever others come in.  

Thank you,

Victoria

—— Original Message —–

From: Bright, Lisa

To: Victoria Castello

Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:15 AM

Subject: RE: Ocean Breeze project

Good morning Victoria, 

Yesterday at the Pre-Bid Conference we had 8 respondents for the bid.   The closing bid date is August 2^nd so we might have additional respondents to the RFP. 

Lisa 

---

From: Victoria Castello [mailto:victoria@ccin.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 9:43 AM
To: Bright, Lisa
Subject: Ocean Breeze project 

Good Morning Lisa, 

Please advise the outcome of this:

ftp://www.ci.boynton-beach.fl.us/CRA/RFP/COMBINED.pdf

Thank you,

Victoria

Added info…not in the emails: TO READ THE ABOVE  ftp://www.ci.boynton-beach.fl.us/CRA/RFP/COMBINED.pdf

YOU MUST 

FIRST Go to: ftp://www.ci.boynton-beach.fl.us/CRA/

The login is: ftp4cra

The password is: ptf4cra

The CRA doesn’t make it easy for us to get information.  Maybe, at some point, they will do what THE CITY does…put it on the home page and just one click will take us to it…

6:30 – 9:00 PM  at our City Library For those of you who wish to study the figures NOW,  here it is CRA budget information online:

Go to: ftp://www.ci.boynton-beach.fl.us/CRA/

The login is: ftp4cra

The password [...]]]> Think of it as a HEARING…  Our ELECTED city commissioners sitting as the CRA Board will be asking tough questions of CRA Director Lisa Bright

6:30 – 9:00 PM  at our City Library
For those of you who wish to study the figures NOW,  here it is CRA budget information online:

Go to: ftp://www.ci.boynton-beach.fl.us/CRA/

The login is: ftp4cra

The password is: ptf4cra

I am an accountant.   You, my readers, may [...]]]> …not fast pretty pictures in PowerPoint presentations.  This morning I emailed Lisa Bright:

I am an accountant.   You, my readers, may not be. I will help anyone who wishes to learn how to “read the books” .  It is OUR money which is being spent.  Large salaries are being paid

Let’s all attend   the CRA Budget Work Shop on MONDAY July 26 at the Boynton Beach Library 6:30-9pm

7/20: 6:00pm, Special Community Redevelopment Agency Board meeting: City Hall, Commission Chambers, (view Agenda).

This editorial from the Palm Beach Post tells you:

“Boynton Beach city commissioners have only two credible options at today’s special meeting to deal with the infighting [...]]]> Tonight’s meeting is VERY IMPORTANT

7/20: 6:00pm, Special Community Redevelopment Agency Board meeting: City Hall, Commission Chambers, (view Agenda).

This editorial from the Palm Beach Post tells you:

In Boynton, two options: Bring CRA under city staff, or suspend agency director.

“Boynton Beach city commissioners have only two credible options at today’s special meeting to deal with the infighting over the community redevelopment agency.

The CRA director has sued the city over its response to her public records request. That same director, Lisa Bright, refused to let the mayor and a resident into the agency’s office; they wanted public records. A resident checking public records found that Ms. Bright had joined the board of Strategic Broadcast Media Group, a not-for-profit seeking to buy WXEL’s broadcast licenses. Ms. Bright said she joined to keep the public TV and radio stations in Boynton Beach, but left in February when Strategic focused on raising $4 million. Corporate records, however, date her departure to July, after the matter had been raised publicly.

Ms. Bright also never told the commission of her involvement, which is particularly noteworthy because Commissioner Marlene Ross is a WXEL employee. Strategic’s president, Joseph Ferrer, received $170,000 over three years for work at the annual downtown holiday event. Ms. Bright also has listed Mr. Ferrer’s home as her own. In an interview, she claimed that she never lived there, using his address to help her daughter attend a middle school outside of her assigned zone. Finally, Ms. Bright and the CRA’s second-ranking employee have started a company together, raising questions about how they spend their city time.

Ms. Bright argues that Mayor Jose Rodriguez and his supporters want to discredit her because they want to control agency projects. She retains a lifeline of support from Commissioners Ross, Woodrow Hay and Bill Orlove. They are moving forward with plans to cede control of the agency to a seven-member citizens board. Among the applicants commissioners will consider early next month is former Mayor Jerry Taylor, who has remained active in city politics.

No matter whom commissioners name to an oversight board, the CRA is a city agency, and they are ultimately responsible. It makes no sense for them to pass off this mess. Ms. Bright may have damaged her credibility beyond repair. She appears to be preparing for a legal battle against the city, rather than doing what it takes to retain her job.

If commissioners believe, nonetheless, that Ms. Bright deserves to stay, they could hand oversight of the CRA to the capable city manager, Kurt Bressner, until allegations against Ms. Bright are investigated, or suspend Ms. Bright with pay. That August deadline for transfer to an independent board is now unrealistic.”

Hello City Manager Kurt Bressner

On www.boynton-beach.org it states: The City Commission will hold a series of special meetings from Monday, July 19, through Wednesday, July 21, 2010, for the purpose of reviewing the proposed Capital Improvement program for FY2010-2011; the proposed budget for FY2010-2011; adoption of the preliminary Fire [...]]]>

If you are reading this you are probably at a computer. Google “Boynton Beach CRA” and right up there is a headline which causes me and other Boynton Beach citizens much…(you fill that in). When the comments cease, the headline will stop coming [...]]]> IT IS AT STAKE!

(An Open Letter to the Elected Officials of Boynton Beach)

If you are reading this you are probably at a computer. Google “Boynton Beach CRA” and right up there is a headline which causes me and other Boynton Beach citizens much…(you fill that in). When the comments cease, the headline will stop coming up so prominently in google searches. That’s why I stopped writing comments there. I am “Victoria”. Know that I reported two comments to the newspaper’s editor as “abusive”. Gave my reasons and they were removed.

On this blog, comments must be approved by me.

I have been spending a lot of time reading and researching about our CRA and other CRAs. Gained a lot of knowledge about CRA matters
Read the OLD minutes of our CRA Board meetings to learn what is the history of our CRA Directors and staff? What happened to cause our City Commission to disband the seven member independent board?
Checking and cross-checking my research lead me here to many articles in our leading local newspapers. To be fair, I will give you one of each:

July 13, 2006
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2006-07-13/news/0607121460_1_cra-s-future-cra-director-trolley

(Saying doesn’t make it so)

and Nov 6, 2007
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_8163/is_20071106/ai_n51972861/
(Deja Vu!)

We the citizens of Boynton Beach hope that our elected City Commissioners will listen to us NOW although…. it isn’t election time.  All FIVE represent ALL of us.  Our Commissioners, while elected from districts, have the responsibility and duty to work for the betterment of the ENTIRE City.

Please look at of our Downtown. The decrepit conditions, the tall huge new building, right in the center and so empty looking. It speaks volumes…

PS Will send to the members of our elected City Commission an email notifying them of this blog entry.

At the 6/8 CRA Board meeting the Board has requested that CRA Director Lisa Bright and [...]]]> Reading the Palm Beach Post headline “Boynton CRA director refuses office access to Mayor, calls Police”…. made me realize how destructive the actions of our present Boynton Beach CRA Director have become.   At this point it renders her totally ineffective

At the 6/8 CRA Board meeting the Board has requested that CRA Director Lisa Bright and CRA Board Chairman (Mayor)Jose Rodriguez work together on the former Holiday House project to become the new CRA home.   The very visually blighted areas of downtown Boynton Beach have been and remain blighted.  It appears that our CRA is comfortable with the status quo and has to be prodded to seek  innovative solutions.  Converting the Holiday House to house the CRA staff was a suggestion which had to circumvent Ms Bright’s objections to working with the principal owner of this property.  Now it may be that the present CRA Director doesn’t wish to work with the CRA Board Chairman on this opportunity to bring hope to a blighted area…..

Why are we (our County Government) being asked to bail out this developer who purchased 5,000 acres in Loxahatchee/ The Acreage area during the real [...]]]> Broward land developer, GL Homes has requested our County Commissioners consider a trade of about 900 acres of publicly owned farmland in the Agricultural Reserve for about 5,000 acres in Loxahatchee.

Why are we (our County Government) being asked to bail out this developer who purchased 5,000 acres in Loxahatchee/ The Acreage area during the real estate boom at high cost? Take note that the Agricultural Reserve property which is PUBLIC LAND has no development rights, but GL will ask commissioners to give them the right to build about 2,700 homes there. Let our County Commissioners hear from you:

District 5 Burt Aaronson (Chair) (561) 355-2205; 877-930-2205; email: BAARONSO@pbcgov.com
District 1 Karen Marcus (Vice Chair) (561) 355-2201; 877-930-2201 email: KMarcus@pbcgov.org
District 2 Jeff Koons (561) 355-2202; 877-930-2202 email: jkoons@pbcgov.org
District 3 Shelley Vana (561) 355-2203; 877-930-2203 email: svana@pbcgov.org
District 4 Steven L. Abrams (561) 355-2204; 877-930-2204 email: SAbrams@pbcgov.org
District 6 Jess R. Santamaria (561) 355-6300; 877-930-2206 email: jsantama@pbcgov.org
District 7 Priscilla A. Taylor (561) 355-2207; (561) 276-1350 email: ptaylor@pbcgov.org

Ask them whether at a time where there are over 20,000 vacant new home on the market right now…do we need 2,700 more?
And
Reassert to them that this Agricultural Reserve belongs to us, the taxpayers. It was purchased for current and future residents as a place where sustainable agriculture would be safe. WE WANT IT KEPT AS SUCH!