Northlake Traffic- Frustration, Excuses, No Solutions

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Two traffic related presentations plus an overview and approval of a Public/Private Partnership for the Development of an Indoor Recreational Facility at the Gardens North County District Park took up most of the October City Council Meeting.

FDOT staff gave an overview of the current status of the I-95/Central Boulevard interchange. Staff appreciated the interaction with FDOT but felt that issues still remained in the design of the interchange. The public will be afforded another opportunity to see the details: The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a public workshop on Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 10500 N. Military Trail, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida to discuss the FDOT I-95/Central Boulevard Interchange Project.

Northlake Blvd Traffic Signal Issues: Two representatives from the PBC Traffic Division described the signal coordination issues with the stretch from Military Trail to US 1, which has 14 signals over 3.1 miles with 25,000 to 53,500 vehicles a day. Additional complexities include 20 train crossing per day (which certainly didn’t include the 20+ trains that will cross after Virgin Trains get going), and pedestrians pushing the crossing buttons. The signal syncing software has been unable to deal with the issues and it has been disabled on Northlake, PGA and Indiantown Roads. They are working with the vendor and using other methods to monitor and clear traffic. However they did not present any time-frame or potential solution to the issues. Traffic issues can be reported to the pbc traffic division.

Resolution 60, 2019 – Palm Beach North Athletic Foundation, Inc. was awarded the contract to develop and operate a world-class facility open to the public to be located at North County District Park. Financing is planned to come from donations and there are various funding checkpoints in the agreement. The City shall not commit any type of public financial resources or guarantee any credit or financing for the facility for this Project. The multi-level facility will include 2 ice-rinks, various sports courts, rock-climbing wall, pro-shops, track and much more. Watch the presentation here for the details.

City Manager Ferris’ report included:

• Honoring and awarding Officer Christopher Baez with the Meritorious Service Award. On August 29, while traveling southbound on the Turnpike, off-duty Officer Baez rescued a person thrown from semi-tractor trailer which was in flames. He found and pulled the fuel-covered driver to safety. Police Chief Clint Shannon, Keith Bryer, Fire Chief, and James Ippolito Deputy Chief of Operations Fire/Rescue presented Officer Baez with the award.
• The annual Fall Festival will be held at North County District Park for the first time, on Oct 26 from 6-9pm. See here for more information.

All Ordinances and Resolutions passed 5:0 including appointments to AIPP, Parks and Rec, PZAB and Fire Pension Advisory Boards.

City Attorney Lohman informed the Council that he would be presenting oral arguments on the lawsuit over the August Charter Referendum on Tuesday, 10/8 at 9:30am.