On Saturday night I was downtown Delray.

We were walking back to our car and stopped to look at the parking garage in Pineapple Grove. It's huge so it's not like you can miss it.

We could not help but notice a very expensive looking plaque, black marble I think - similar to something you'd see in cemetery.

On the plaque were names of the mayor, city counsel members and county commissioners.

We couldn't help but notice they had forgotten a name...the taxpayers.

I've never seen anyone dedicate a parking garage to themselves before. Most people don't like them. They're expensive and notoriously unsafe.

The mayor says she wants suggestions on how to save money. My suggestion is don't build any more parking garages. Most of us prefer to park at meters or in parking lots.

And just think of all the money the City could save on plaques.

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Office Depot - leaving for Boca this fall.

Costco - moved to Boca.

Circuit City closed Delray store but kept Boca store open - remember how long Linton Blvd. was torn up with construction.

Anthony Fanelli, owner of Boys Farmer's Market was quoted in the Sunday, Apr. 20 edition of the Sun-Sentinel that he would never build in Delray again.

Now the plan to attract large businesses is to build a huge, out-of-scale hotel downtown Delray Beach where the old library used to be. It will have office space and supposedly big companies just won't be able to resist moving in there.

That is so silly I can't even think of a comment.

Businesses in Delray are leaving and the question is why.

Clearly Boca Raton is doing a lot right or companies would not go to all of the expense and upheaval involved to move.

What do you think?

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What’s up with Delray’s parking meters?

Meters are broken all over Delray Beach - in public parking lots, the ones near the beach and all up and down Atlantic Avenue.

The City charges for parking at the meters. So doesn't that mean the City is obligated to make sure most of them are working?

There is no way for me to count the number but judging from where I’ve parked, it appears half or more of them are out-of-order at any given time.

At the same time code enforcers are drivng around giving tickets to people who parked in spaces with broken meters. Is that legal?

For sure it is outrageous and it has been happening for a while.

Scott Aronson, parking management specialist for Delray Beach said, “It’s difficult and we’re keeping up as best we can.”

Aronson said code enforcers are supposed to check meters before they write a ticket and put a little yellow strip on broken meters indicating they need to be repaired. I haven't seen any yellow strips. Have you?

Parking tickets are $30 with a $25 late fee tacked for those not paid in 14 days. Unpaid tickets are sent to a collection agency.

What do you think?

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The City is sending our finest to parks to sit and see that no one walks their leashed dog around the parks.

There is not even a word in the English dictionary to describe how ridiculous this is.

* How much does it cost taxpayers for police to sit and wait to catch someone walking their leashed dog?

* How about focusing on the many more important things? Traffic alone is huge – such as the large number of people driving through red lights and the number of people who recklessly speed all day long through parking lots where people are walking,

* First it was the beach and now it’s the parks. Why?

* Who cares?

Sleep more soundly Delray Beach. Anyone attempting to walk a leashed dog around a park will be caught and severely punished.

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For those of us who like tennis, finding a park with tennis courts is not easy. Up north nearly every park includes several tennis courts.

Granted some communities have tennis courts. And there are beautiful facilities at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and the Swim and Tennis Club in Delray Beach. But it gets expensive to play there.

Delray has spent millions of dollars building upgrading and building new parks. Why not add tennis courts to some of them instead of always adding a playground…many playgrounds are in areas where very few children live.

How about asking residents who live near parks being built or upgraded what features they'd most like to see installed? I imagine the people who pay for these parks would like some say about what's going in them.

Listed below are a few places in our area where you can currently play tennis at no charge:

Caloosa Park
1300 S.W. 35th Ave., Boynton Beach

South County Regional Park
11200 Park Access Road, Boca Raton

Veterans Park
9400 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton

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On January 30th at 7p.m., the annual Citizen's Roundtable will be held at Old School Square.

First the Mayor will speak. That will be followed by a presentation from the Planning and Zoning Board, the CRA and David Harden, City Manager. They will talk about what they've done and what they're planning to do.

Afterwards in smaller groups, the public will have their chance.

You can ask questions and let your opinions be known.

I hear lots of grumbling about:

* The seemingly endless number of condos and high-rises that are being built.

* A City government that does not listen.

* How tax dollars are being spent.

On the other hand - if you are pleased as punch, tell them.

And if you have some suggestions, this is the time to do it.

Instead of talking amongst ourselves, this is an opportunity to let the people who make the decisions know how we feel.

Granted it's an effort and a sacrifice to spend an entire evening there. But it's worth it. It is our City.

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On Tuesday night City Hall was packed with lots of unhappy Delray folks.

Most of them not even in the chamber.

When the public was finally allowed to speak, the mayor and commissioners were asked why meetings are held in such a small space when they are aware the topic is a hot one and many people will attend.

If there was an answer, I didn't hear it.

Currently the first 150 to arrive are seated. The rest (of the voters/taxpayers) have to stand out in the hallway with the doors to the chamber closed.

Talk of banning bikers from driving on Atlantic Avenue and a proposed development - or as those of us who love the area call it, over-development - of Blood's Hammock Groves off Old Germantown Road were the big draws.

The bikers were a colorful group. And there was no doubt they weren't happy making the residents who live off Old Germantown seem, well, tame by comparison.

But opposition to the Blood's project runs deep and has united residents who previously didn't know one another, up and down the road.

For decades the 10-acre site was home to a citrus grove and a charming fruit and vegetable retail store. After it was sold area residents knew development was inevitable but didn't see this coming.

One-hundred and sixteen, 3-story townhouses and a 3-story medical building will be built on the once bucolic site. Traffic on Germantown Road will be a nightmare.

Sandwiched amidst the traffic is a school and a fire station.

Before voting, the commissioners and mayor had their say. One commissioner talked about "Germantown Avenue."

And one (who lives in the area) talked about the high rises already there. He failed to mention how very deep the set backs are and that they exit on to Congress Avenue or Homewood Boulevard, not Germantown.

Fortunately for the bikers, the outcome was positive.

I was happy for them. Not because I'm a biker but I don't want to see quirky Delray turned into a sterile, perfect “Stepford Town as in “Stepford Wives.”

Commissioners decided bikers have 90 days to clean up their act and to pass the word that roaring up and down "the avenue" is not nice.

Bikers left the meeting smiling but those who came about Blood's left concerned.

Unless they find a legality to prevent it, one of the few area's in Delray that still retains much of it's original character will be bulldozed away forever. It really is a tragedy.

If you've never been to a City Commission meeting, you owe it to yourself to go.

But don't forget - bring a chair.

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