By Florence Kizza
DELRAY BEACH — Several city residents living on the Intracoastal Waterway were lit up last month, thanks to an illuminating move by a local business. Old Calypso restaurant installed new lights on its building that ended up causing a stir among nearby residents.
“The lights were strobing like something out of the Las Vegas strip and shining in my window,” explains Delray Beach resident Jenie DePonte. “I found it very disturbing.”
Old Calypso is a three-star restaurant serving up New Orleans-style cuisine right on the Intracoastal near Atlantic Avenue. Live island music and steel drums create a festive ambiance in the establishment. Tom Blum is the owner of Old Calypso and its sister restaurant, Fifth Avenue Grill, on Federal Highway.
DePonte found the lights annoying, and she was not alone. Several of her neighbors along Marine Way shared the same sentiments, and one of them called the police. The lights were shut off immediately and have not come on since.
But that was not the end. DePonte wants to make sure that the lights do not return.
“I'm writing the city,” she said, in the hope that it will not allow the lighting. She started by writing to the city engineer, who directed her to the Code Enforcement Board. She recently got a letter from the city stating that the situation is in the hands of Paul Dorling and his Planning and Zoning Department.
“I'll keep writing letters,” DePonte insists. “I think the ambiance of Marine Way will be negatively affected by strobe lights from across the waterway. “
“I think its horrendous, it's horrible, it's so not Delray.”
The restaurant confirmed that the lights have remained off, but no one was available to make an official comment.
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