News

By Jane Smith

    The head of the Community Redevelopment Agency was handed her walking papers when its board members voted 3-2 to not renew her annual contract.
    A small, loyal group of Boynton Beach residents spoke in support of Vivian Brooks’ remaining the executive director at the agency’s Sept. 13 meeting.
    Again, Woodrow Hay and James “Buck” Buchanan told the CRA board members to look inside themselves because they might not have given her clear direction about what they wanted. They were removed from the CRA board in a reorganization after they expressed that opinion last year.
    “It’s not Vivian Brooks who makes the decisions; it’s you guys on the dais who make the decisions,” said Hay, a former mayor. “She gives you recommendations and you can either go with them or turn them down.”
    Her last day was Sept. 30. Brooks made $130,169 annually and had a $3,000 car allowance. The next day, Assistant CRA Director Michael Simon became interim director until a replacement is hired. That could take up to six months, according to the city manager.
    Brooks said she was saddened by the vote, but thanked the public for its support.
    Her departure comes at a critical time for Boynton Beach. The CRA is revising plans for the entire district to promote connection between the areas and point out where increased height and density can be. The City Commission will take the final vote on the plan in October. The changes will shape the city’s eastern half for the next 20 years.
    Residents agreed with many of the changes, but not the increased height at the intersection of Federal Highway and Woolbright Road. Three of the four corners recently were redeveloped.
    Some residents think  the plan update was done specifically for Riverwalk Plaza at the southeast corner. The new plan allows up to 10 stories, which coincides with what Riverwalk’s owner wants to build there — a 10-story apartment complex. The current zoning and land-use plan allow only seven stories.
    Last year, Brooks survived when Commissioner Joe Casello wanted to remove her as CRA head. He was able to change the composition of the board to elected officials only, removing Hay and Buchanan as independent members.
    Casello said he was disappointed in her performance this year and rated it 2.75 on a scale of 1 to 4. He agreed Brooks is the “consummate professional,” but cited her shortcomings as not sharing complete information and difficulty in taking a leadership role.
    He persuaded a new commissioner and the new mayor to vote with him this year.
    Commissioner Justin Katz wants to see who else is out there and willing to apply. He gave Brooks’ performance a 2.5.
    Mayor Steven Grant said he was elected in March on a change platform and didn’t think that Brooks was responsive to what the residents want. He also said she is not the best negotiator for the CRA.
    In addition, when he would ask what type of conditions would be possible on a property, her response of “anything you like” was not specific enough for him. “She should have recognized that this is my first time working through such contracts,” the mayor said.
    Brooks was in her 12th year at the agency. She had served as its executive director since April 2011.
    Grant wants to see more development and reduced crime in the Heart of Boynton, where he lives. He wants to save the old high school that is on the city’s registry of historic places, but Brooks doesn’t share that interest with him, Grant said. He rated her performance a 2.
    Vice Mayor Mack McCray, among the three board members last year who wanted to replace Brooks, has since changed his mind and rated her performance a 3.5.
    “We have not given her the proper direction of what we want to do and when we can arrive,” he said. He advised the “newbies” on the board to work with her for at least a year before doing an evaluation. “Her performance is not the problem. … You don’t like her style, we all have our shortcomings.”
    New Commissioner Christina Romelus was in favor of extending Brooks’ contract for another year. She received a 3 rating from Romelus, who said, “Brooks needs to build a better relationship with the public.” Romelus also chided Brooks for giving personal opinions along with the facts.
    Casello wanted to extend her contract for six months while advertising for her position. Brooks declined what she called a “generous” offer.
    She became emotional on the dais.
    “I want to say to the public: These guys up here can’t make me cry, but you guys can make me cry,” she said. “Your support and working with you has meant everything to me. This has been a very unfortunate political environment that you have to live with and I’m sorry for you.”
    Resident Harry Woodworth, who spoke at the meeting in support of Brooks, said, “It’s a sad day in Boynton Beach. Now we’ll see development for development’s sake.”  
    Also at the meeting, the CRA board members agreed to:
    • Extend the completion time for the Little House to convert into a restaurant, Fork Play. The new date is Feb. 28, 2017. The extra two months will allow time to enclose the porch so that it can be air-conditioned.
    • Increase rental rates for annual tenants at the city’s marina from $16 a linear foot to $18, a 12.5 percent increase. The last time rental rates increased was in 2012. While the access road is torn up in October, tenants will not have to pay rent. They still will have a 20 percent discount on fuel purchased at the marina.