Page 14 - Boca Exposure - September '23

Page 14, Boca Exposure
From The Desk Of County Commissioner

Marci Woodward: A Message From Marci

Commissioner Woodward, The project schedule now shows completion in late Local Government 101
a 20-year resident of Boca November 2023 due to troubleshooting and material defect Constitutional Officers. Constitutional Officers
Raton, was elected in issues with certain utilities. were established by the Florida Constitution and are
November 2022 as Palm Thank you for your continued patience and understanding independently elected officials. Palm Beach County
Beach County District 4 as we work to enhance our infrastructure. Your support is has seven constitutional officers who manage their
Commissioner. She serves invaluable as we navigate through these phases of progress. departments separately from the Board of County
on the following board of Building Division Office in South County. Palm Commissioners including:
directors as a representative Beach County’s Building Division reopened its office at the • Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller
of the county commission: Southeast Palm Beach County Administrative Complex at • Property Appraiser
Palm Beach Transportation 345 S. Congress Avenue in Delray Beach. The office will be • Public Defender
Planning Agency; South open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and provide • Sheriff
F l ori da R e gi onal the following services: • State Attorney
Transportation Authority (TriRail); Treasure Coast • Assistance for owner/builders (in-person) with required • Supervisor of Elections
Regional Planning Council; CareerSource Palm Beach forms; • Tax Collector
County; Palm Beach Cultural Council, and Value • Notary service for required permit documents; Additionally, they establish the budgets for their
Adjustment Board. Woodward graduated from the • Assistance with applications and inspection notices/ offices, independent of the operating budget set by the
University of South Carolina-Aiken with a Bachelor’s comments. Board of County Commissioners.
Degree in Fine Arts. Additionally, permit applications are accepted 24/7 online Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. The Clerk
Within months of beginning my term, I was approached in the ePZB portal and full services are provided at the main of the Circuit Court & Comptroller for Palm Beach
by two constituents about putting together a Veterans office at 2300 N. Jog Road in West Palm Beach. County is responsible for safeguarding public records
Service Advisory Board. I was surprised we did not have Nonprofit Spotlight. The Spirit of Giving Network is and taxpayer money. Joseph Abruzzo was elected
one for Palm Beach County. As a new commissioner, a group of over 75 local nonprofits dedicated to serving in November 2020 as Clerk of the Circuit Court &
it was a great opportunity for me to navigate the inner children and families in Palm Beach County. The group’s Comptroller for Palm Beach County and was sworn into
workings of county government for a fantastic cause. objective is to streamline the delivery of services to the office on Jan. 5, 2021.
I come from a family of veterans and know they are community by working collaboratively to solve issues As clerk, he leads a team of nearly 650 employees
unique in their needs. Many nonprofits, government and improve operations through internal and external who serve more than 1.5 million Palm Beach County
departments and private organizations do fantastic work partnerships. residents and oversees an annual operating budget of
for our veterans but often work in silos. The approach of Some programs the network supports include: $70.5 million. As the comptroller for Palm Beach County,
both gentlemen was to bridge the gap. I learned Palm Beach • Annual Back to School PBC! he is responsible for ensuring the proper investment and
County is home to the state’s largest veteran population • The Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl legal use of billions of dollars in taxpayer money. His
without an active base. So many wonderful things are • Annual Holiday Gift Drive office supports Palm Beach County government and the
happening here; I wanted to help put them together. • Community Spirit Race 15th Judicial Circuit in his roles as chief financial officer,
At our Aug. 22 BCC meeting, we made this idea a • Nonprofit Training, Networking and Engagement treasurer and auditor, clerk of the Circuit Court, county
reality with unanimous support from the board. The • Forum for Nonprofits Radio Program recorder and clerk of the Board of County Commissioners.
Veteran’s Service Advisory Board (VSAB) has been I recently attended the annual Back to School Bash at For more information, visit mypalmbeachclerk.com.
approved, and we hope to have its first meeting by Village Academy in Delray Beach hosted by the Spirit of If you require assistance, please contact our office
Veterans Day this year. Giving. The annual event provides students from low-income at (561) 355-2204 or email Mwoodward@pbcgov.org.
I want to thank Chief Duren and his staff for their families with backpacks, school supplies and resource kits
work in creating this board. It went back and forth several to prepare for the upcoming school year. Kudos to everyone
times, but I believe we have put together something for such a successful and important event.
truly special. I hope to see this duplicated in other areas.
The board will consist of 11 members from public and
private organizations that assist veterans. They must live
in Palm Beach County and know about local veteran
support services, including mental health/substance
abuse, housing, financial assistance and employment.
For more information and/or how to serve, contact us at
(561) 355-2204.
Thank you, David Kirkland, Grey Team CEO and
U.S. Army Reservist, and Thomas Turkin, Vice Mayor
of Boynton Beach and Navel Reservist, for bringing this
to my attention and speaking to the board at our meeting.
This is exactly the type of work I hoped to be part of
during my term as your commissioner.
I am just getting started on LinkedIn and I’m
already hooked! Connect with me at linkedin.com/in/
commissionerwoodward/.
District 4 Improvements. The new playground
at Caloosa Park in Boynton Beach is now open with
equipment for all ages. In addition, we are in the process
of upgrading the athletic fields and roadways, replacing
lighting and renovating the racquetball courts. Upcoming
projects include a new press box at the athletic fields and
restrooms.
Caloosa Park is over 65 acres featuring a fish-stocked
lake, pickleball, basketball and tennis courts, softball
fields, playgrounds, picnic pavilions with grills, an
exercise course with 20 stations and more!
Palmetto Park Road Bridge Update. Below is a
recent update from the Engineering and Public Works
Department on the Palmetto Park Road Bridge project.
The contractor is installing storm drainage components
at various project points to manage stormwater runoff.
Additionally, grout injections within city-owned
utilities are in progress, ensuring their secure abandonment.
Road crews continue to clear materials in the southern
right of way for the new sidewalk and replacement
driveways.
The existing eastbound bridge sections have been
removed, debris cleared and pile caps demolished, paving
the way for forthcoming new bridge construction.