Snook Islands project in Lake Worth is taking shape

LAKE WORTH, Fla. - They are driving more than golf balls next to the Lake Worth Municipal Course. Construction crews drive home pilings just a chip shot from the fairway.

A 400-foot boardwalk is taking shape. A new fishing pier is almost finished. Eight floating docks are also part of the effort to open the southern end of the Snook Islands to visitors.

Palm Beach County Environmental Analyst David Carson said, "(It is) another opportunity for people to get out and enjoy the waterfront. You are going to see a lot of people fishing off the pier and also see the restoration project stretching to the north."

The project's estimated price tag-- $1.7 million. County officials say a combination of state/local grants and bond money are paying that tab.

The public facility face lift is the latest piece in the nearly ten year old Snook Islands restoration project. Man made oyster beds and mangrove islands reintroduced nature to one more place where modern progress had stripped it away. The islands became a new magnet for wading birds and fish.

"The Lake Worth lagoon has been so damaged by development that every little bit that goes back is a help," said Carson.

Some of the regulars on the nearby golf course are not happy.

"To be honest, I think what they are doing is destroying part of the course," said one golfer.

Not true, say county officials. The golf course will stay intact, exactly as it is now. Indeed, county environmental experts hope that when the public use facilities open early next year most visitors will agree that they struck the proper balance between man and nature.