News

By Jane Smith

    The beach master plan work is almost finished, according to Delray Beach staff. The project should be completed before Christmas, said Missie Barletto, deputy director of program and project management.
    The $3.1 million upgrade is taking place at the 1.25-mile municipal beach promenade.
    The enhancements are nearly 10 years in the making.
    The work, west of the dunes, will feature wider sidewalks and coordinated shower poles, benches, bike and surfboard racks, trash/recycling containers and signs. Smart parking meter kiosks are solar-powered.
    The new gazebos need some work, Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the Nov. 20 City Commission meeting. The decorative features, connecting the columns to the ceiling beams, are painted white but should be sanded and then stained to appear more natural, he told the city manager.
    The commission had agreed not to paint the wood because of high maintenance costs when the main pavilion and gazebos have to be repainted.
    The Downtown Development Authority’s Visitor Information Center will be reopened by late December, said Laura Simon, DDA executive director. The center will have triple the space of the old stand and sit across the street from the main beach pavilion at Atlantic Avenue.
    The renovated center will be designated the Official South Palm Beach County Visitor Center by Visit Florida.