Celebrating 100 Years of the Many Cultures and Rich History of Palm Beach County
The City of West Palm Beach is making preparations to send guests on a trip around the world for FREE at Kaleidoscope 2009.  Kaleidoscope is an interactive multicultural festival that showcases the cultural diversity in our community, where guests can tour villages created by Palm Beach County students and local cultural organizations.  Kaleidoscope 2009 will “Go Back 100,” a new event theme that will celebrate 100 years of the many cultures and rich history of Palm Beach County to mark the Palm Beach County and School District of Palm Beach County Centennials.  Kaleidoscope 2009 is an officially sanctioned event of the Palm Beach County Centennial and the School District Centennial.

CALENDAR LISTING:
Kaleidoscope 2009 – Go Back 100!
Featuring villages from around the world, an interactive kid’s area, ethnic foods and refreshments, an international bazaar and multicultural entertainment with the Young Dubliners at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
**New Event Location – Meyer Amphitheatre and the Palm Beach Post Park**
Downtown West Palm Beach
FREE!
Produced by the City of West Palm Beach in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County
For more information:  561-822-1515 or www.wpb.org/kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope 2009 is a family-friendly celebration of many cultures produced by the City of West Palm Beach in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County.  Kaleidoscope has been judged the “Best Educational Event” and “Best Community Outreach Event” by the International Festivals & Events Association.  This year’s event will be held on Sunday, January 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Meyer Amphitheatre in Downtown West Palm Beach.  Features include multicultural entertainment, villages from around the world, kid’s interactive activities, ethnic foods and refreshments, and an international bazaar.  Participating sponsors include National City, Palm Beach County, The Palm Beach Post, La Palma, 97.9 fm WRMF, WPTV NewsChannel 5, Comcast, the West Palm Beach Marriott, the Children’s Services Council, Coca-Cola, and Panera Bread. The event is free and open to the public. For more info, call (561) 822-1515 or visit www.wpb.org.

All City of West Palm Beach offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Thursday, January 1, 2009, for New Year’s Day.

There WILL be recycling pickup on Thursday, January 1, 2009, but no garbage pickup.

All of Thursday’s residential, commercial and yard waste routes will be collected on Friday, January 2nd. Friday’s routes will be collected on Saturday, January 3rd. Saturday’s routes will be collected as scheduled on Saturday.

 City Celebrates Historic Occasion with a Special TUESDAY event

(December 23, 2008 – West Palm Beach)  The City of West Palm Beach is teaming up with the Downtown Development Authority to bring some presidential celebrations to downtown West Palm Beach on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.  This special Tuesday Inauguration Celebration will include live viewing parties at noon during the swearing-in ceremony at numerous downtown restaurants, inauguration specials at downtown retailers, and individual business celebrations well into the evening.  Then, to celebrate this historic occasion, the City will move their weekly Thursday night event, Clematis by Night, for one night only to Tuesday, January 20.  This special Tuesday night celebration will include an inaugural salute to President Obama at 7:00 p.m.  Guests are invited to come join in the celebrations and collect their FREE commemorative Inauguration poster throughout the day while supplies last.

CALENDAR LISTING:
CLEMATIS BY NIGHT INAUGURATION CELEBRATION
TUESDAY, January 20, 2009
6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Centennial Square, Downtown West Palm Beach
Noon – Live viewing parties at downtown restaurants with merchant specials and  celebrations
7:00 pm – Special Inaugural Salute to President Obama
Collect a FREE commemorative Inauguration poster while supplies last!
FREE EVENT!
Produced by the City of West Palm Beach in partnership with the Downtown Development Authority
For more information: 561-822-1515 or www.clematisbynight.net

The Clematis by Night Inaugural Celebration is produced by the City of West Palm Beach in partnership with the Downtown Development Authority and brought to you by Clear Channel Radio, The Palm Beach Post, WPTV NewsChannel 5, Wachovia, Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Samuel Adams, Heineken, the West Palm Beach Marriott and many others.  For more information about this event, please contact the City of West Palm Beach, Community Events Division at 561-822-1515 or visit www.clematisbynight.net

(12/22/08)  All City of West Palm Beach offices, including City Hall, will be closed on Thursday, December 25, 2008, for Christmas.

There will be no recycling pickup on Thursday, December 25.  Recycling will be picked up the following Thursday, January 1, 2009.

All of Thursday’s residential, commercial and yard waste routes will be collected on Friday, December 26th.  Friday’s routes will be collected on Saturday, December 27th.  Saturday’s routes will be collected as scheduled on Saturday.

The schedule will be the same for the week of New Year’s.

(Friday, December 19, 2008)  West Palm Beach residents hoping to learn more about public safety and get involved in their City government have an exciting new opportunity.

The West Palm Beach Police and Fire Rescue Departments will be offering a 13-week Citizen Police and Fire Academy to the public.  Space is limited, so sign up today!  The classes will be on Monday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. starting January 26, 2009.  The class will meet at the Police Department on Banyan Boulevard.

The academy will immerse students in every area of both the Police and Fire Rescue departments.  Activities will include a four-hour police ride along, fire station tours and demonstrations of the latest public safety technology.  The course provides lessons in police and fire work that the average citizen rarely has an opportunity to experience.

To register for this exciting course, call Officer Kelly Carsillo at 561-822-1620.

(Friday, December 19, 2008)  The City of West Palm Beach is beginning a major new redevelopment effort in Coleman Park, one of the City’s oldest neighborhoods.

In recent years, the neighborhood has been marred by blighted conditions and illegal activity.  The City will be kicking off the Coleman Park Neighborhood Improvement Initiative with a neighborhood walk, encouraging residents to walk and talk with City staff and find ways to make Coleman Park a better place.  People interested in joining the neighborhood tour should meet at the Coleman Park Community Center, located at 1116 21st Street, at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2008.

The neighborhood walk is just the beginning of what will be an intensive effort to restore and revitalize Coleman Park.  The City has stepped up Code Enforcement efforts in the area to clean up deteriorating structures and overgrown lots.  The West Palm Beach Housing Authority has announced plans to demolish and rebuild Dunbar Village, reconnecting it with the surrounding neighborhood.  The City will encourage business development, home rehabilitation and increases in homeownership.  The City will also use federal dollars to buy and rehabilitate foreclosed properties.

The planning process will engage area residents and businesses, getting them to shape and embrace the rebirth of their neighborhood.  Throughout the process, residents will be encouraged to share their ideas, concerns and vision for Coleman Park.  Neighborhood charettes will also be a critical part of the process.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009,  join the City of West Palm Beach for a special Inauguration Celebration edition of Clematis by Night!  CBN will be moved from Thursday to Tuesday that week in order to help mark the swearing in of our nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama.

For now, save the date!  A more detailed listing of the events and festivities will be on the way.  Right now, community leaders are busy helping plan the day’s celebrations.

The City of West Palm Beach is continuing to make significant improvements to the entire water system.  These investments in our water’s quality and reliability are paying off.

Beginning in November, the City implemented new procedures to help reduce the leaching of lead and copper from the pipes in customer’s homes into the water.  The procedures also help to slow the corrosion of pipes.  The City has used anti-corrosion measures in the past, but this new process is a major improvement over the old system.

The City is gradually introducing a phosphate corrosion control additive into the water at the Water Treatment Plant.  The process has been closely monitored and is being done with the full approval of the Palm Beach County Health Department.

Though the City no longer uses lead in pipes or pipe joints, some customers with older homes may still have lead in their pipes, pipe joints or fixtures.  The new process will help prevent lead in these customers’ homes from leaching into the water.

We have many more improvements to be made to the water system in the coming 18 months, and we’ll continue to keep you informed as to the upgrades we’re making.  Our goal is to have a top-notch water system that we can all be proud of.

On behalf all Mayor Lois Frankel and all City of West Palm Beach employees, the people who make CityConnect possible would like to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.

Be on the lookout for holiday greetings shared by our employees– you can see them by watching West Palm TV 18 (Comcast channel 18 or westpalmtv.com).

Some local neighborhoods are getting greener, will have more shade and will look a little better thanks to a City program to distribute more than 700 trees.

Mayor Lois Frankel joined Commissioner Isaac “Ike” Robinson, Jr., neighborhood leaders and about a dozen kids from Westward Elementary School to announce the program (pictured).

The City is helping replace trees that we lost due to storms in recent years.  More than 700 trees are being given to homeowners in Roosevelt Estates, Coleman Park abnd Pleasant City.  The company ATL Diversified Industries is dontating time and labor to help the residents plant the trees free of charge.

The program will help increase the City’s tree canopy, which helps reduce our overall carbon footprint and protect the environment.