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HomeMy Public PortalAboutSummer 2012Town of Gulf Stream Summer 2012 Newsletter It is with great sadness that we report the death of our beloved Mayor William F. Koch, Jr. on June le, 2012. The following remarks were delivered by Town Attorney John C. Randolph at the July 13, 2012 Town of Gulf Stream Commission Meeting: A TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM F. KOCH, JR. Forty-one years ago, as a wet behind the ears new lawyer, I attended my first Town Commission meeting in the Town of Gulf Stream as the Town Attorney. It was then that I fust met Mayor William F. Koch, in my eyes then, a larger than life figure, to me a somewhat intimidating man who, because I did not know him well then, caused me to shake in my boots. It took me a while, but I ultimately learned that Bill Koch's gruff exterior was just a facade and that his bark was much worse than his bite. I never let on to Mayor Koch that I had figured him out as I believed he relished the persona he portrayed as a hard driving Mayor and businessman in command of all those with whom he came in contact. In truth he was a pussycat. I never told him that, but in his later years I believe he realized that I had figured him out. I guess he realized it when he noticed I no longer took his biting remarks seriously, but instead laughed at his barbs. Barbs such as, "You're just another one of those damned lawyers." Or, "We're paying you too damn much." Or, "Are you going to charge us for attending this meeting? You ought to be paying us for all we're teaching you." How many of us who worked with Bill Koch were at the receiving end of what we knew to be his kidding? And, we loved it. Because, we knew then that he liked us. And, how we loved him. Gulf Stream has always been my favorite client for many reasons. Because it was my very fust municipal client; because I could always count on getting a donut before each meeting; because it is such a beautiful easy going Town without a lot of controversy; because of its wonderful employees with whom I have had the pleasure of working; because of the congeniality of its residents and because of the congeniality of its Commission members who have always been kind and have respected one another even when they disagreed, which was seldom. My reasons were many for enjoying representing Gulf Stream, but the primary reason was Mayor Koch. I miss him greatly. I will miss the meetings we had before each Commission meeting in Rita's office when I would traditionally greet him with "Good morning Mayor", only to have him retort,"Humpf — what's so good about it?" I will miss the barbs he threw my way during the meetings, barbs which I considered a sign of his respect for me. I will miss the way in which he ran the Commission meetings with a firm but gentle hand. I will miss the way he always seemed to bring consensus among the rest of the Commissioners in the face of disagreement. I will miss his congeniality during public meetings and the respect he gave his fellow Commissioners and the residents. I will miss the way he always kept things running smoothly in the Town. I will miss the respect he showed others and the respect he commanded from others in settings where he negotiated to obtain the best result for his Town, always looking out for the best interests of the Town of Gulf Stream. I will miss the way in which he could bring harmony to the Town in those rare instances in which there was antagonism. I will miss watching him trim the budget at budget time in an effort to keep the millage rate in Gulf Steam one of the lowest in Palm Beach County and I will miss watching the managers squirm as he proposed his cuts. I will miss his sense of humor and his sense of right and wrong. I will miss his wry smile and his wit. hi my estimation, the mark of a great man is the respect he has for others and the respect he, in turn, receives from others. Bill Koch was a great man. I believe, next to his beloved Freddie to whom he was so devoted and his children and his grandchildren whom he loved so much, the love of Bill Koch's life was his little Town of Gulf Stream. He devoted the better part of his adult life to this Town, devoting great amounts of time Spring 2011 Newsletter Page 2 and energy toward making Gulf Stream one of the most desirable towns in the State of Florida in which to live. He would do anything for Gulf Stream and he did everything for Gulf Stream. We all saw Mayor Koch failing in his last year of life, particularly during the last few months. It amazed me to hear how sick he had been, how he had been bedridden to the point he had to have Rita bring documents to his bedside to be signed, only to see him rally time and time again to make it to these Commission meetings. I remarked to him recently how good he looked and how amazed I was that he was able to get to the Commission meetings. His response, characteristically, was, "I'm a tough guy." Yes, Mayor Koch, you were a tough guy, or so you would have had us believe. But, I learned in knowing you for 41 years, whether you would admit it or not, you were a kind and gentle man who had a heart of gold. So, here's to you Mr. Tough Guy. We miss you. And let all who are listening hear this. Your little Town of Gulf Steam will never be the same without you. POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATES New stop signs have been installed on all intersections along Gulf Stream Road, Polo Drive and at Sea Road and County Road. In addition, a school zone has been established from Sea Road and County Road to Gulf Stream Road and Lakeview Drive. The school zone will reduce the speed limit from 20 mph to 15 mph on school days during designated hours. During those time periods, speeding fines will be doubled in compliance with Florida Traffic Statutes. These measures have been undertaken to address traffic generated by construction trucks and other types of large commercial and delivery vehicles during daytime hours and to provide an additional layer of safety for our school children, many of whom walk and ride their bicycles to and from school. We know that our residents will be supportive of our efforts to improve safety on the streets of Gulf Stream and we welcome suggestions for additional improvements. With the phase out of the Ford Crown Victoria, the Police Department has had to choose new patrol vehicles from a host of new products offered by all major American auto manufacturers. After careful consideration, we have decided on the Ford Interceptor SUV. A Ford Explorer modified to a high level of safety and performance standards. While all of the new vehicles come at a higher price tag than the Crown Victoria, the Pursuit SUV provides better vision; more easily accommodates electronic equipment in the forward cabin and provides a larger storage area for emergency equipment in the rear compartment. Most importantly, it provides a higher level of safety for our patrol officers. Please remember to utilize your home alarm system, lock your car doors and secure your watercraft. Thousands of property crimes occur in Palm Beach County annually. COIVMSSION UPDATE On the August 10, 2012 Town Commission Agenda, there will be an item under Commission Action to appoint two (2) new Commissioners. One will fill our late Mayor's seat and the other will be as a result of Commissioner Fred Devitt's recent resignation from the Commission. These appointments will be made by the three remaining Commissioners, and the appointees will serve until the next election in March of 2013. Presently, there are two residents that have submitted their resume and letters indicating their willingness to serve this Community. Also, the Town has received several letters of recommendation from Town residents for each candidate. The two submittals are from Mr. Robert Ganger and Mr. Thomas Stanley, both highly qualified. Although there are two openings and two residents that have submitted letters of interest, if there are any other residents that would like to be considered for these appointments, please mail your letter of interest and resume to the Town Hall for consideration. On BehaCf of the Town Commission andStaff, ?4x, &dwez� Mayor Joan Orthwein Spring 2011 Newsletter Page 3 COMMUNITY REMINDERS • In order to preserve our unique community character, the Town adopted Design Guidelines in 1995 that address exterior aspects of your home. If you are planning exterior improvements or painting of any kind, or major landscaping work, please contact Town Hall to determine what requirements may apply. All workers hired to conduct services for your property (employees and deliveries not included) must be registered to do work in the Town. If you are hiring a contractor (for example, to do lawn work or make improvements to your home) please ask them to register at Town Hall if they are not currently on file. Occupational registration is designed to ensure workers are properly licensed and insured, which enhances the safety of our community. Effective March 15, 2010, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) has enacted Year -Round Landscape Irrigation Conservation Measures. Even numbered addresses may irrigate existing landscape on Thursdays and Sundays from 12 am to 10 am and/or 4 pm to 11:59 pm. Odd numbered addresses may irrigate existing landscape on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 am to 10 am and/or 4 pm to 11:59 pm. New landscape installation may be irrigated during non -daylight hours without restriction for the fust day of installation. The 2"d through 30th day can be watered on Monday — Sunday during the hours allowed for regular landscape irrigation. The 3151 through 90th day can be watered Monday —Saturday during the hours allowed for regular landscape irrigation. • When walking your dog, please be courteous to other residents and pedestrians by taking responsibility for your dog's waste. Please note that lawn maintenance firms and tree trimmers must take their cuttings with them. The Town's contract with Waste Management does not include cuttings and lawn maintenance debris. You may be billed for the pickups outside the scope of our contract.