What:  City Giving Away Free House at Housing Expo.
When:  Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Palm Beach County Convention Center.

(03/28/08)  As part of the 2008 Housing Expo, the City of West Palm Beach will hold a drawing and give away a payment-free house.  The Housing Expo will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.  The drawing will be held at approximately 2:00 p.m., and you must be present to win.

The City’s Housing Expo will be filled with services and activities designed to help attendees take advantage of housing opportunities.  Homeowners will be able to get help with foreclosure assistance, get expert housing advice and learn about local housing initiatives.

The City is giving away a two-bedroom single-family home located in the City’s north end.  The home will be given away in a drawing to an income-eligible family.  Entrants must certify their eligibility at the Housing Expo.  The new owner will be required to occupy the home as their primary residence and must meet certain other conditions.

(Monday, March 24, 2008)  Mayor Lois J. Frankel is pleased to announce that the City of West Palm Beach has hired Eduardo Balbis for the position of Assistant City Administrator.  Balbis began his duties on March 24, 2008.  Balbis’ responsibilities include oversight of the Department of Public Utilities, the Department of Public Works and the Department of Engineering Services.

“Mr. Balbis brings extensive experience as an engineer, and has worked with the City of West Palm Beach on a range of water, wastewater and infrastructure projects,” said Mayor Frankel.  “His knowledge of the City’s workings will allow him to quickly transition in to his new responsibilities.”

Balbis is a professional engineer with a wide range of local civil and environmental engineering experience. He has been involved in the engineering field in Palm Beach County since 1987 and was recognized by his peers with the American Society of Civil Engineers Young Engineer of the Year award in 2002.

Mr. Balbis was most recently a Senior Associate with Jordan, Jones and Goulding, a national engineering firm specializing in large water and wastewater design projects, transportation, solid waste, pumping facilities, tunnels and land development projects.

Balbis has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida.

(Monday, March 24, 2008)  City of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois J. Frankel will be taking on the local media and “Dancing for the Stars” in a live ballroom dancing competition as part of a fundraiser to benefit the Kravis Center’s S*T*A*R (Students and Teachers Arts Resources) series and education programs.

Mayor Frankel will take on members of the local media vying for the coveted “Dancing for the Stars” trophy.  The Mayor is being coached by her dance partner Angelo Caruso.  She will be competing against Suzanne Boyd and Eric Roby from CBS 12 News and Fox 29, weekend anchors Bob Kaple and Meredith McDonough from WPBF News 25, Toni May from WXEL TV’s South Florida Today and anchorwoman Tania Rogers from WPTV NewsChannel 5.  The evening will also feature a performance by the United States Latin Champions.

The fifteenth anniversary Reach for the Stars benefit, which will feature the “Dancing for the Stars” live ballroom competition, will be held Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts Cohen Pavilion.  Ticket information is available at kravis.org/reachforthestars or by calling 561-832-7469.

The S*T*A*R* Series strives to build broad-based support for the arts by nurturing young people’s innate connection to art and providing maximum accessibility.  The program brings classroom curriculum to life for tens of thousands of students each year, offering the most current, challenging and artistically diverse young people’s programming.

What:  Lane reduction on Okeechobee Boulevard.
When:  Beginning Friday, March 21, 2008 at 10:00 p.m.
Affected Area:  Okeechobee Boulevard west of Quadrille Boulevard.

(03/20/08) Due to construction work being done on the CityPlace Office tower, three westbound lanes of Okeechobee Boulevard will be closed just west of Quadrille Boulevard from Friday, March 21, 2008 at 10:00 p.m. until Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 4:00 p.m.  One westbound lane will remain open to traffic.

West Palm Beach Police will be on-scene to assist with traffic flow as needed.

Thursday, March 20, 2008)  The City of West Palm Beach is asking residents who may have two sets of recycling bins to make sure their old bins get recycled instead of winding up as part of the garbage.

The City will hold a drive to pickup old recycling bins on both Wednesday, March 26, 2008 and Wednesday, April 2, 2008.  City of West Palm Beach residents who have two sets of bins should leave their old bins upside-down at the curb on either of those two dates.  City crews will remove the old, upside-down bins free of charge.

The old bins will be melted down and used to make plastic pallets for storing goods and materials.  This recycling of the old bins will make sure they are reused in a sensible and environmentally-friendly way instead of possibly winding up in local landfills.

The recycling bin collection program applies to City of West Palm Beach residents only.

Residents who do not currently participate in recycling and wish to do so can get recycling bins by contacting the Solid Waste Authority at www.swa.org or at (866) NEW-BINS.

What:  Traffic Information for Palm Beach Boat Show.
When:  Beginning Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 6:00 a.m.
Affected Area:  Portions of Flagler Drive in downtown WPB.

(03/19/08)  Motorists should be aware of the following road closings in downtown West Palm Beach due to the Palm Beach Boat Show:

Beginning Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 6:00 a.m., Flagler Drive will be closed to traffic between Banyan Boulevard and Lakeview Avenue.  Flagler Drive will reopen on Tuesday, April 1, at 5:00 p.m.; however, there will be lane reductions on Flagler Drive between Banyan Boulevard and Fern Street until Friday, April 4, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.

Narcissus Avenue is currently closed between Evernia Street and Datura Street.  Narcissus Avenue will reopen on Wednesday, April 2 at 5:00 p.m.

What:  Hundreds of teens expected for Youth Summer Job Fair.
When:  Friday, March 21, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where:  Gaines Park Recreation Center, 1501 N. Australian Ave

(03/18/08)  Local teenagers will be able to meet with prospective employers, fill out applications and interview on the spot for some available jobs at the City of West Palm Beach’s Second Youth Summer Job Fair on Friday, March 21, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  The fair is being held at the Gaines Park Recreation Center at 1501 N. Australian Avenue in West Palm Beach.

Interested job seekers will be able to meet with prospective employers, including the City of West Palm Beach.  There will be opportunities for both summer jobs and seasonal employment.  Teens will be able to fill out applications for employment, meet with employers and in some cases interview for openings on the spot.

(Monday, March 17, 2008)  The City of West Palm Beach’s Construction Services Department has become the first such municipal department in the state of Florida, and only the fifth in the nation, to receive a prestigious honor from an industry group.

The Construction Services Department has earned the Building Department Accreditation awarded by the International Accreditation Services (IAS).  The accreditation certifies that the Construction Services Department is operating effectively, maintaining high standards and doing business in an ethical, legal and professional manner.

“This honor recognizes the West Palm Beach Construction Services Department as one of the best building departments in the country,” said Director Neil Melick.  “The accreditation proves we are following all building guidelines for protecting public safety in our City.”

In order to get the accreditation, the department voluntarily submitted to intense scrutiny by the IAS, an independent, third-party agency.  The evaluation covered policies, procedures, processes, information systems and management practices.  An IAS team visited the department, interviewing personnel and representatives from the local construction industry.

The IAS is a non-profit public-benefit corporation that has been a recognized accreditation body since 1975 and is recognized as one of the leading accreditation bodies in the United States.  The IAS is a subsidiary of the International Code Council.

What:  Grand Opening Ceremony for new Northwood Village business.
When:  Friday, March 14, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.; ribbon cutting ceremony at 6:00 p.m.
Where:  Gardenhouse, 437 Northwood Road, WPB.

(03/14/08)  City of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois J. Frankel will help celebrate the opening of a new business in Northwood Village at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 14, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. at “Gardenhouse,” located at 437 Northwood Road.

“Gardenhouse” offers a blend of both indoor and outdoor garden furnishings ranging from vintage to modern.  The Northwood Ambassadors will be holding their monthly gathering at this event.

WHO:   City Of West Palm Beach, Mayor’s Office/Community Events Division
WHAT: WPB GREENMARKET – FRESH TALENT CHEF THROWDOWN
WHEN: Saturday, March 15 at 10:00 am
WHERE: Downtown West Palm Beach
2nd Street and Narcissus Avenue, just outside of City Hall

Guests to this week’s West Palm Beach GreenMarket will have an opportunity to tantalize their taste buds with some of our area’s newest cooking talent.  Three young, aspiring chefs from the Palm Beach Gardens High School Culinary Arts Program will put their talents to the test during the Chef Throwdown at the West Palm Beach GreenMarket on Saturday, March 15 at 10:00 am.  (more…)