WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On any given afternoon you’ll find Katie Cashette, a teacher at The Bilgrav School and her students spending recess in downtown West Palm Beach.
“We come here to play but to also take advantage of the art,” said Cashette. “Downtown is redeveloping fast. I mean I’ve only been here 5-years and the changes are incredible.”
West Palm’s Community Redevelopment Agency is responsible for redevelopment efforts within its two districts: Downtown/City Center and Northwood/Pleasant City. From how to redevelop slums and blighted areas to small business grants - they fall under the CRA. And on Feb. 26, after rounds of public meet-and-greets a new director will be chosen to lead the agency.
“I’d like to see more projects like what’s happened in Northwood that encourages us to cross social groups in ways that we don’t know,” Cashette said.
While other residents like William Cummings say choosing the right executive director is important because redevelopment initiatives have costs for everyone.
“It matters because it’s your city and your money,” said Cummings. “Just because they’re talking about something happening in that section of the city – or this roadway in that section of the city – it affects all of us.”
The five finalists for the position are:
- Artie Jones, III,
- Allison Justice, M.B.A., C.R.P.
- Kristin Mory, R.A.
- Giovanni Moss
- Jeffrey L. Oris, CEcD
Candidate resumes can be found here
To learn more about the CRA and CRA districts, please click here.
