Thank you, neighbors, for filling The Tasting Room on Tuesday, Sept. 29. If you couldn't make it, the full 30-slide presentation is linked above, and here are the highlights.
1. Meet our District 5 Commissioner
Commissioner Stephen Sylvester, who took office in April 2026, introduced himself, shared city updates and took questions. He walked through the
Downtown Master Plan Update: a community meeting on
Tuesday, Oct. 6 (Flagler Gallery, City Hall), a Planning Board discussion on
Oct. 20, and the City Commission's first reading on
Oct. 26, with a final vote expected in 2027. He also covered
West Palm Move, the City's new all-electric transit service that replaced RideWPB in September ($1 fixed-route rides, $2 on-demand, free transfers; details at
wpbmove.com.
2. A first look at the new Howard Park Community Center
Lorenzo Rivero, the City's Special Projects Manager, shared new renderings of the center at 1380 Parker Ave. by Alfonso Hernandez Architect, LLC: a single-story building with a welcoming lobby, café, commercial kitchen, multipurpose rooms and an open-air pavilion.
3. Where our traffic-calming requests stand
Kevin Volbrecht, P.E., Director of City Engineering Services, sent an update on our five requests:
- Caroline St.: getting ready to go out to bid before the end of 2026.
- Crosswalk at Dock St. & Kanuga Dr.: not recommended by the City; it will evaluate a crossing at
Flamingo Dr. instead.
- Parker Ave. speed study: speeds are moderate between Upland and Sunset (85th percentile 32 mph), but excessive farther north. Between Biscayne and Claremore and north of the Howard Park baseball driveway, the 85th percentile is 44 mph and roughly 72–74% of drivers exceed 35 mph.
- Speed-bump painting and markings: in preparation.
- Consistent street signs: under evaluation.
4. New for 2026: the Stub Canal Greenway
Our Safety & Improvements subcommittee is leading a cleanup of the Stub Canal edge through the Solid Waste Authority's Adopt-A-Spot program, the first step in our proposal to turn the canal bank into a shaded path for walking, biking and gathering.
Volunteers needed!
5. Mark your calendar
- Pineapple Trick & Treat, Saturday, Oct. 31: light a pineapple in your yard or on your porch to show trick-or-treaters your home is participating.
- Deck the Poles: holiday lights are coming to our refurbished lamp posts. Thank you to the Improvements Committee, led by Giuseppe Colella, and to
Ancora Construction for donating the labor on the lamp-post refurbishment.
Your board and four subcommittees
The board now works through four subcommittees (Safety & Improvements; Digital Website & Social Media; Sponsorships & Resource Development; Community Engagement, Volunteers & Social Events), with two board members on each. We also introduced our citywide partner, the
West Palm Beach Residents Coalition (wpbrc.org/join).
Tip: report it with WPB Key
Streetlight out, pothole, illegal dumping? Use the City's free
WPB Key app or
wpbkey.wpb.org, or call the City hotline at (561) 822-2222. Share your tracking number with info@pineapplepark.us so our Safety & Improvements team can follow up.
Join now. Community awaits.
Membership is $50 per household per year, and every dollar stays in the neighborhood.
Join or renew at
pineapplepark.us and pick a subcommittee to help with.
The PPNA thanks
The Tasting Room
for hosting us!
