City of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois J. Frankel took on the local media in the “Dancing for the Stars” 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.  The Mayor placed second, finishing just behind Suzanne Boyd from CBS 12 News and Fox 29.  The evening was a successful fundraiser for a local charity that supports advancement of the arts.

Mayor Frankel and the local media were vying for the coveted “Dancing for the Stars” trophy. The Mayor was coached by her dance partner Angelo Caruso. Competitors included 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 also featured a performance by the United States Latin Champions.

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.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the City of West Palm Beach as a “Tree City USA,” honoring the City’s commitment to planting and preserving trees as part of an ongoing community forestry program.  This marks the seventeenth year West Palm Beach has received this national recognition.

“Trees make a world of difference in our neighborhoods, our parks and our public spaces,” said Mayor Lois J. Frankel.  “With our tree program, beautification projects and waterfront revitalization, we remain committed to providing lush green space for the public to enjoy.”

In recent months, the City has undertaken major tree-planting and beautification projects throughout the City, including projects on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, Northlake Boulevard (shown in photo) and Flagler Drive.

The Arbor Day Foundation recognizes that trees in cities help clean the air, conserve soil and water, moderate temperature and bring nature in to our daily lives.  Trees are a vital component of infrastructure and provide both environmental and economic benefits.

The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.

Twenty-year old Amariah’s (seen pictured with Vickers House director Lela Jordan) move to Florida didn’t work out exactly as he hoped it would. He came here for the sunshine and to find work, but a series of setbacks left him homeless, sleeping on a church floor at night. Fortunately, Amariah heard about the City’s Homeward Bound program, and has since been reunited with his family in central Pennsylvania. Here’s how the program works:

• The Homeward Bound program reunites homeless people with their families. In five years, more than 400 people have benefited from it.
• The City makes sure applicants have family members who are willing to take them in and help them get back on their feet, then buys a one-way bus ticket to get people back home.
• Background checks are done, to make sure there are no criminal warrants out for the person getting the bus ticket.
• The homeless are given a non-refundable one-way bus ticket, as well as a care package with some snacks to eat along the way, and are reunited with their family.
• The program relies entirely on your donations of money and food.

Amariah is now back home with his family, and said before he left he was looking forward to getting hugs from his parents and eating lots of macaroni and cheese. He’s just one of hundreds of homeless individuals who are now off the streets and back in their real home, thanks to the Vickers House and the Homeward Bound program.

The Homeward Bound program is current out on money and in desperate need of donations.  Donations to the Homeward Bound can be made by check.
Send your tax-deductible donations to:
Palm Beach County Sheriff Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 6506 West Palm Beach, FL 33405
Be sure to designate your check for the Homeward Bound program.
Donations are tax-deductible.

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The City of West Palm Beach is partnering with lenders and counseling agencies to offer WPB residents a “Foreclosure Assistance Program,” helping homeowners deal with the difficult housing market. The highlight of the program is a one-stop-shopping Foreclosure Assistance Center (pictured here), which offers homeowners access to a wide range of housing experts and programs in a single location.

The City’s is providing help for homeowners who are either in pre-foreclosure or are seriously delinquent on their mortgage payments and are at risk of having their homes foreclosed. Homeowners will enroll in a mandatory 12-month financial counseling and education program, develop a credit recovery plan to repair damaged credit, have their mortgages refinanced so the payments are more affordable and will meet monthly with an assigned counselor to review the progress they are making.

The one-stop-shop for foreclosure assistance is located at 464 Fern Street in downtown West Palm Beach, at the corner of Fern Street and Quadrille Boulevard. For more information, call the City’s Department of Housing and Community Development at 561-822-1250.

We all remember the severe water shortage that we dealt with in early 2007, as we all became acquainted with once-a-week yard watering restrictions and other conservation efforts. With this year’s dry season upon us and Lake Okeechobee still at a historically low level, experts say the 2008 dry season may be even worse.

Here are some easy things you can do to save water year-round and help protect our water supply:

• Limit your yard watering. Most lawns need only an inch of water a week. Over-watering of lawns is the single biggest waste of water.
• Makes sure the pipes and faucets in your home are free of leaks. Water that leaks out of faucets or taps is 100% waste.
• Make sure that you only run your washing machine and dishwasher with full loads.
• Don’t let the water run when performing basic tasks. Turning it off while you wash your hands, brush your teeth or shave can save dozens of gallons per week.
• Taking shorter showers saves dozens of gallons per week.
• Try not to let any water go down the drain. Find another way to use it or prevent it from being wasted.

Each of us saving a bit here and there adds up to millions of gallons per day of water conservation. Saving our resources is a year-round effort, and everyone’s job!

For the third consecutive year, the City of West Palm Beach has been honored as one of the top ten digital cities in the nation by the Center for Digital Government and Education. The City ranked seventh in the country for cities with a population between 75,000 and 124,999. The award recognizes the City for using technology to create a seamless environment between local government and constituents.

“From broadcasting the State of the City address live on-line to building a City-wide wireless internet system, West Palm Beach continues to be at the forefront of using technology to make our City a better place,” said Mayor Lois J. Frankel.

“This year’s winners have really raised the bar for cities,” said Cathilea Robinett, executive director for the Center for Digital Government. “Digital technology connects citizens with their government on a level never before achieved.” Criteria examined for the study included the ability to pay utility bills, park fees and traffic citations online; the online availability of meeting minutes from city governing bodies; and the adoption or pursuit of wireless infrastructure in public spaces. City of West Palm Beach efforts to use technology to improve service delivery to residents include: “E-Gov Plus,” a one-stop-shop for construction, code and property information; the live streaming of the City government access station, West Palm TV, on wpb.org; and, the launching of CityConnect, an electronic newsletter to keep residents informed of City programs, events and issues via email.

One of the oldest tennis tournaments in the state is getting ready to serve up some competition– and plenty of fun.

Join us February 6-10 at the South Olive Community Center for the 70th annual South Florida Tennis Championship.  The tournament features plenty of great action, and offers nearly $10,000 in prize money.  A West Palm Beach native, Adrian Bohan, has won the Men’s open division for the past two years, and will be going for three in a row!  Come cheer on the players and help support this great local sporting event.

The tournament is presented by the City of West Palm Beach Department of Parks and Recreation.  For more information on it, please call (561) 804-4909.  The South Olive Community Center is located at 345 Summa Street.

Need to report a pothole on your street?  Want to know who’s playing at our next Clematis by Night concert?  Want to know what programs are being offered at your local community center?  You can now get the answers to these questions and much, much more by calling the City of West Palm Beach’s new 24-hour hotline, (561) 822-2222.

“This easy-to-remember number gives residents and visitors quick access to information about their City government,” said Mayor Lois J. Frankel.  “At the same time, we’re making sure that as a City, we’re available around the clock to answer questions and hear concerns.”

The (561) 822-2222 hotline is intended for non-emergency use only.  People in need of emergency services should call 911.  City of West Palm Beach information is also available 24-hours a day on the City’s website, wpb.org and on West Palm TV (Comcast Cable channel 18).

The number of Hispanic residents and businesses is growing in West Palm Beach, and the City is expanding outreach efforts to help address their needs.

The City’s government access TV channel, WPB-TV (West Palm TV) recently added “Enfoque Communitario” to its’ programming schedule. The show focuses on issues facing Hispanics today, offers information about many services available to the public and features interviews with interesting local personalities and government officials. The program will also include segments highlighting resources offered by the City of West Palm Beach to the Hispanic community. “The Hispanic community is a vital part of the City of West Palm Beach’s diversity,” said Mayor Lois J. Frankel. “This new program will be a great way to feature some of the programs, activities and services of interest to Hispanic residents.” “Enfoque Communitario” is produced weekly by WWHB-TV. WPB-TV airs replays of the progam Saturdays and Sundays at 6:30 p.m. The show is produced and hosted by Carlos Mahecha, who says airing the show on WPB-TV will be an important tool in reaching Hispanics. “As a new Hispanic station, we feel that our relationship and partnership with WPB-TV will be successful and we will continue working to embrace the diverse Hispanic population in our community,” said Mahecha. City of West Palm Beach residents can watch WPB-TV on Comcast cable channel 18. The station can also be watched on-line by visiting the City’s website, wpb.org.

The new year brings a new time to Clematis by Night!

Beginning in January 2008, this award-winning concert series will be held every Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

On January 3, don’t miss Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88’s. These torch bearers of the great swing American music heritage take their inspiration from the great jump ‘n’ boogie outfits of the 40’s. Come on out and hear their unique “Rock-a-boogie” sound, a great mix of jump blues, boogie-woogie and rockabilly.

On January 10, don’t miss the Michal Bailey Band. The legendary Detroit guitarist is know for his ‘outlaw’ blues. With Michigan’s finest backing him up, Michal is bringing his outlaw act to West Palm for an arresting performance.

Check out the rest of January’s lineup by clicking here