PalmBayOpinion.com is an interactive website desgined and maintained by and for the citizens of Palm Bay, Brevard County, Florida and beyond. We will keep you informed on the the current issues, breaking news and problems facing our communities. We invite you to explore our pages as well as contribute any news, concerns, or just an opinion you may have. Our Letters to the Editor will give you a look at how others feel about a variety of topics. We also have a section for School Issues written by Joyce Norman and a page with information for our Teen community written by Amanda Redmond. You can also find the dates of Upcoming events that might be of interest to you and your family. Our Links page will connect you to some important websites you may need for your family. If you have a business you would like to promote check out our Advertising page for details on getting your business information published here.

Heading East On Malabar get ready for Palm Bay Hospital to double in size

Having lived in Palm Bay since the early 90’s I remember when Palm Bay Hospital first opened.A friend of mine whom cut his hand real bad drove to Holmes Hospital (Health First) by himself because he did not know Palm Bay Hospital had opened it’s doors or where it was.Those days are gone for most people in our city, and when you pass the hospital now it has grown tremendously over the years.
Now get ready for the growing will continue - Are you ready for this our Palm Bay Community hospital will double in size within the next two years.
The price tag for doubling in size is approximately sixty eight million dollars.
Once this planning effort is completed Palm Bay community Hospital will include forty private / patient rooms along with ten observation beds.
The future plans for doubling in size also call for 2 special procedure rooms, a dietary center and a new support-services area.
It has been reported that the plans show the addition (new wing) will be adjacent to the current emergency room department.
This project calls for 128,000 square feet and it is currently out-to-bid.
According to President Schuneman of the Palm Bay hospital there are presently plans to take the final figures to the hospital’s board of directors in January 07.
The project is scheduled for completion in late 2008, but if construction delays occur it could be pushed back to the beginning of 2009.
A shell of a third floor will also be built during the construction phase. This area will one day house an additional 40 in-patient beds and a 12-bed intensive care unit.
Congrats to Palm Bay Hospital and it’s president and fantastic loving team.
Best Of Luck.

Get your Pens!

Get your Pens, computers or dust off the extremely old typewriter and enter a contest for some extra cash, while possibly helping form the next 25 years for Palm Bay. This innovative Essay Contest is for all students from Middle, High School and undergraduate College Students. The deadline to apply is December 16, 2006 you can email essay entries to: visioning@pbfl.org
There will be 2 Winners whom will receive a $500 Cash Prize each.

The question that you must answer is THE FOLLOWING:

Imagine that you were hired by the City of Palm Bay to redesign its entire city to meet the future transportation, economic, housing, recreational, and land use needs of it's residents. In 750 words or less, describe what your vision of Palm Bay would look like in twenty-five years?

This contest is open to all Brevard County middle, high school and undergraduate college students. A $500 cash prize will be awarded to one middle or high school student and a $500 cash prize will be awarded to one undergraduate college student. Submit your essay to visioning@pbfl.org by midnight on December 16, 2006. Winners will be chosen by the Palm Bay Community Visioning Steering Committee and announced on the City of Palm Bay’s webpage, Wednesday, January 3, 2007. Prizes will be awarded at the first public Visioning Workshop to be held on Saturday, January 6, 2007 at the DeGroodt Library.

Please direct all questions and inquires to Robin Carmichael at carmir@palmbayflorida.org .

Palm Bay opinion Survey hits on a number of Issues

As the survey information that your Palm Bay Opinion Team has gathered is documented and put into percentage(s) there is one area where the citizens have shown great dissatisfaction and want results from our city council.

This area where concern and patience have worn thin is our community roads. It is evident that the road problems go back many, many years and there are some that have watched the pot holes in front of their home grow bigger as new areas get paved. the added frustration is the traffic especially during morning and afternoon rush hour.

John Davidson whom states he has lived in Palm Bay for over 20 years shares his opinion that the time has come to put all cities effort on finding immediate solutions before any other annexations or building takes place.

Palm Bay citizen Judy Taylor states that it is evident that this council as others have cared but the road top needs to be placed where needed. We have built other areas of this city that were weeds ten years ago, and have annexed and we still have some areas that have paid taxes wait and wait.

There are some that state that the council is moving forth with a number of plans and are confident that the plan will eventually address the problems. However there are also some whom do not believe it will address all the problems soon enough. If the three phase plan goes forth there will be some in Palm Bay that will wait another 9 years for road top. That is not acceptable for many of them.

In the coming weeks the percentages for all surveys will be discussed at meetings throughout the city and printed on our web site and editorial blogs.

Why $656,000 more from the Taxpayers?

$93,600 to Wade Trim

Palm Bay Council recent approval of $93,600 to Wade Trim shows the lack of trust they have in their own staff. After the unified fight with the South Brevard Water Authority in the early 90's, purchase of the utility from General Development Corporation so we can control our own lines, along with awarding of bids for other water line surveys, the Council 13 years later still does not know where the lay the water lines. The contract is for a kick off meeting for $1,940 a Survey for $49,050, Population Demographics $10,190, probable revenue possibilities $15,000 and report $17,420. Total cost $93,600 nothing watered down about that. Our Utility Department is a multi million dollar department, and our staff is the best in the State. Why not trust them? Enough of the studies and surveys. Council last year spent $100,000 to a marketing company for a failed referendum. Enough already!

By: Marth Wisniewski

NOCHE DE BOXEO LATINO 2

One Third of a Palm Bay Road plan is Not Enough

Palm Bay residents do not get your hopes up just yet. Recent comments that the Palm Bay City Council has a plan that guarantees all Palm Bay Roads will get paved, contains many pot holes in this reporters opinion. The truth is this new thirty year bond that council is discussing going ahead on will only finance one third of our cities roads.

The additional two thirds will only get paved within 9 years if other Palm Bay Councils approve the next two steps individually.

In order for this to happen the next two city councils will also have to vote to extend the present 30 year bonding for each phase in order to pay for the roads.

To say or even suggest that a guareented road plan exists when the two thirds of the roads is up to other councils vote / decisions is wrong.

To say a guareentee plan exists when the bonds will need a vote by other councils in order to be extended for the next two thirds is misleading.

Many in the Palm Bay Community have patiently waited to get a road, or simply improvements and now some may have to wait once again as the are pushed back farther. Is this fair? Why not put forth a plan that benefits everyone? Why not take ownership now, without passing the road to someone else to complete? Council deserves credit for trying to accommodate the areas that require attention, however lets put forth a unified plan that addresses every area / unit now.

They have an opportunity to pave a true foundation for the future instead of guareeenting resurfacing a select few.

The success of this one third plan is based upon which one third you live on.

Tommy Redmond

Community Survey Update

As reported last month your Palm Bay Opinion Team have started going door to door throughout the city. They are asking residents and business owners to participate in a community survey.

A number of these survey questions are continuing to bringing forth responses that have surprised a number of the Opinion Team members whom are conducting the survey.

For example many whom participated in the survey could not correctly name four of the cities 5 council members. Seventy percent were unaware that the city manager runs the daily operation of the city for many had believed the Mayor and or council oversee the daily happenings of the city.

Your Opinion team also received responses by 60 percent of the community whom believed Palm Bay High is in the city limits of Palm Bay. When in fact it is located in the city of Melbourne.

What is encouraging is the responses for the majority have pointed to the belief that many are comfortable that our local officials are doing a good job. They are satisfied that their investment in moving here was the right choice. Affordability, schools, safety services and location ranked as the top four answers to the question of - Why did you move to Palm Bay?

What is interesting is the fact that many people whom were surveyed to this point believe that impact fees only effect new homes buyers. After all this they are being fed a rosy story by many elected officials and various news entities. Unfortunately impact fees do effect more than just the new home owner financially. For example if new homes are built in a certain area - the overall value of other homes are increased due to the addition of the impact fee on a new home cost. Thus the older / used homes value goes up. In both cases the municipality such as Palm Bay collects additional revenue. First when the new house is built and second when the old house is sold because the value of the new home in most cases has increased. It is a win, win for the city coffers.

The responses to date also show the businesses and people surveyed are also extremely concerned with what challenges Palm Bay faces as a whole in the coming months and years. They are looking for strong leadership to address some of the challenges that face each of us.

These challenges include mandatory sewer hook up, intersection improvements, drainage, impact fees, code enforcement, schools, safety services, and annexation.

(Concerns by residents and businesses to date) included roads, drainage, code enforcement, speeding vehicles especially at night through neighborhoods, growth issues, possible tax increases, code enforcement of homes and corner lots. Most vacant lots concerns were in regard to over growth of bushes and trees which in most cases - residents interviewed stated block the view of on coming vehicles.

One of the people interviewed made a great suggestion which we will share with the City Council and staff. His suggestion was to put yellow or white walk way lines by stop signs in hopes of limiting accidents. There have been a number of car accidents in his area, which he believes could have been avoided if there was pavement paintings on the street which would have made the motorist aware that there is a stop sign approaching.

The Palm Bay Opinion Team will continue its survey, which as of this article have included 2,324 responses.

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