The public is rightly concerned about how much more freight traffic there will be on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks with the opening of a deeper port in Miami and the widening of the Panama Canal.
    With the revitalization and rejuvenation of downtowns throughout the tri-county area, there is more motor vehicle traffic. And since many towns and cities lay aside the FEC tracks and are near the Intracoastal Waterway as well, motorists must deal with both the inconvenience of long freight trains and bridge openings.
    The situation could be addressed by the FEC adopting a limit on the future length and frequency of its freight trains. Another way of addressing the problem would be to transfer freight traffic to a more western, less populated route. As Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams has pointed out to SAFE in an email, “Our region has secured large federal and state grants for two crossovers to enable some FEC freight to cross over to the CSX tracks to take it off the FEC line. My understanding is that FEC is in discussions with CSX about shifting some of their freight over to the CSX line, especially once the crossovers are built, but they would have to confirm that.”
    Has the FEC considered this option? If so, what has it discovered? Obviously, if it is possible, there would be a cost involved. Has it determined that cost?
    This problem needs to be recognized and addressed by the FEC. It not only affects its public image, but it affects the public image of All Aboard Florida and may likely be the deciding factor with the public in supporting or opposing commuter rail.
    It is in the best interest of the FEC to address this problem ASAP.
Jim Smith, Chairman,
Safety as Floridians Expect
Delray Beach

The Mark at CityScape contains 208 residential units, 18,052 square feet of retail space and a 686-space garage.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

    Many downtown Boca Raton residents have watched intently as The Mark at CityScape, a mix of retail, offices and 208 apartments, rose from the ground at the southeast corner of Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road.
    The project was the first approved under the interim design guidelines implemented in 2008 that allow buildings 40 feet taller than the 120-foot limit in much of downtown — provided they are aesthetically pleasing.
    Now The Mark is completed, and residents can judge for themselves whether the new guidelines worked as intended. At an April 30 meeting to assess the results, the verdict rendered by many residents asking to speak was that they failed and the guidelines should be overhauled or tossed.
    “The IDG doesn’t require bad taste … but it is producing that because of loopholes,” said Antonia Gore, a member of BocaBeautiful.org, which wants to maintain a beautiful downtown. “The IDG are producing massive, bulky buildings. I think all of this should be reevaluated, if not scrapped.”
    Mayor Susan Haynie, listening in the audience, offered her own judgment during a break in the meeting. “If the IDG are yielding buildings like The Mark, they are not doing the job and we need to assess that,” she said. “We will have to roll up our sleeves and figure this out.”
    Downtown building heights have long been limited to 100 feet, or nine stories, plus an additional 20 feet for architectural elements. But residents complained of monolithic and unattractive buildings going up, even though they did not exceed the allowable height.
    The city brought in Urban Design Associates as a consultant to do a design overhaul after talking with residents. Its guidelines allowed developers to build taller provided their plans included pedestrian-oriented streets, public spaces and landscaping, as well as building setbacks and a varied skyline.
    But when the Great Recession hit, downtown development ground to a halt. The guidelines didn’t get a test until the economy improved and developers rushed forward with building plans.
    The Mark was the first out of the gate, but the city has since approved three other projects even though the The Mark wasn’t completed. Those approvals were roundly criticized by activists who want to preserve the city’s low-rise look. They have been pressing city officials for months to evaluate The Mark before approving any more taller projects.
    That finally happened on April 30, when UDA made a presentation to members of the Planning and Zoning Board, the Community Appearance Board and Downtown Boca Raton Advisory Committee, who asked questions and offered opinions about how the guidelines might be changed.  Members of the public were given three minutes each to comment.
    In his evaluation of The Mark, Eric Osth, managing principal of UDA, acknowledged some problems with how the project turned out. Tinted windows in the ground-floor retail space keep people from looking into the shops, windows on two sides of the project are too small and sidewalks are not pedestrian-friendly. The use of varying paint colors on the exterior would make the project look better and less massive, he said.
    But overall, “The Mark is doing what we asked for,” Osth said.
    Summing up Osth’s evaluation during a break in the meeting, Deputy City Manager George Brown said, “There are things they learned from it, but it is a good project.”
    Residents speaking at the meeting disagreed.
    “We don’t like The Mark,” said John Gore, Antonia’s husband and president of BocaBeautiful.org. “We think it looks like a prison.”
    UDA’s assessment of The Mark “made me feel like I was in an alternative universe,” said Andrea O’Rourke, chair of the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations.
    Ann Witte, a financial and economic consultant who is a board member of the watchdog website BocaWatch, said the IDG are so complicated that the city is not able to implement them, and urged UDA and city officials not to make them even more complicated.
“Complicated regulations never work,” she said. “They are gamed by the people who are being regulated.”
    UDA now will take what it heard and make recommendations to the City Council, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, on what changes, if any, should be made. Public hearings will be held before any changes are implemented, Brown said.
    How quickly that will happen is unclear. Osth said UDA could do its work quickly, but did not specify how long it would take.
Haynie said that if UDA’s report is ready this summer when many residents will be out of town, she would want to hold off until the fall.
    But the meeting highlighted for her some problems separate from whether the guidelines make for more attractive buildings.
She said UDA’s vision for The Mark was not communicated adequately to the Community Appearance Board, which could have objected to the window tinting, paint color and sidewalk design.
    “Something didn’t work,” she said. “What was revealed is that it was a process issue, a disconnect between the UDA and CAB.”
One benefit of the meeting was having members of three city committees that have a say in downtown development in the same room so that they better understand their respective roles in making sure that plans approved by the city translate into what is actually built, she said.
    Derek Vander Ploeg, an architect who is a member of two of the committees, noted the same problem in his comments to Osth.
“There appears to be a breakdown … between what is approved and what is finally built,” he said. “The collective ‘we’ should get better at this.”

Students from Boynton Beach Community High School practice maneuvers with their drones

prior to competing in a statewide student competition dubbed the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Challenge

at FAU in Boca Raton. Pictured left to right are Chase Carrier, Rich Blaise, Ryan Smith, Excelomano Daniel,

Omar Biggers and Julius Guerra, career and technical education teacher and coach. The teams competed

in three challenges: obstacle course, pickup and drop, and flight speed challenge.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

After final exams, FAU students hung out with a therapy dog, Kol,

and his owner, Jane Eisenberg, at Wimberly Library.

They petted, cuddled and played a game of catch.

Photo provided

INSET BELOW: Mari Suarez

By Rich Pollack

    Saying she is unhappy with being micromanaged by the Town Commission and the town manager, Highland Beach’s longtime library director, Mari Suarez, submitted her resignation late last month.
    “Based on the new directives given to me on my last evaluation, with which I cannot comply, I am, with sadness, resigning from my position as library director after 18 years, effective June 5,” Suarez wrote in her resignation letter.
    Suarez, who is credited with taking the town’s library from a small space adjacent to Town Hall and finding $500,000 in grant money to build the 11,000-square-foot library that opened in 2006, says she believes the Town Commission, through Town Manager Beverly Brown, is being too heavy-handed in its oversight of the library.
    “I resigned because of micromanagement,” she said.
    One of the key factors leading to Suarez’s resignation was a required change in her work schedule.
    For several years Suarez, who had a base pay of $95,907 plus a $4,000 annual education bonus, has been working from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. In her latest performance review, however, she was required by Brown to work regular town administrative hours, which are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
    Suarez, who will soon turn 70, says she needs to be home in the afternoons to care for her aging mother. She said she is able to do a lot of the administrative work that comes with running the library during the early morning hours before the doors open at 10 a.m.
    But Brown said the town has heard from residents who feel that Suarez’s hours make her less accessible.
    “We’ve had library patrons who have complained that when they need to talk to the library director, she’s never there,” she said.
Brown says that the town’s personnel policy specifies that town administrative offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and that the town manager is authorized to change those hours. She said she found no previous documentation authorizing a change in Suarez’s schedule.
    “The town of Highland Beach has to operate as a professional organization,” she said. “We have rules and regulations that must be followed.”
    Suarez says she was also told to change the hours of a library employee who comes in early but leaves for a short time in order to get his young son to school and then returns to work.
    “I find the micromanaging overwhelming,” she said. “I decided I’m not going to abide by directives that are not fair. I would not have resigned if things were running the way they were running before.”
    In addition to Suarez, part-time library employee Alice Witkowski also resigned.
    The Highland Beach library has been the subject of much discussion by the Town Commission in recent months as commissioners struggled to find contractors for two patio enclosures.
    Commissioners have requested bids for the project four separate times and each time rejected the recommendation of the town’s selection committee. One of the recommended contractors was Suarez’s son-in-law, whose bid was rejected when commissioners learned that Suarez’s daughter owned 50 percent of the company.
    Last month, town commissioners decided to place the project on hold for about a year after Vice Mayor Bill Weitz questioned the need for the enclosures and also raised questions about funding for the project.
    Initially, the Friends of the Highland Beach Library, a nonprofit organization that supports programs and materials not funded by the town, agreed to try to raise money to pay for half of the $150,000 cost. The organization was unsuccessful in its efforts, however, and as a result, the town was set to absorb the entire cost.
    Weitz and others also raised questions when they learned  that the Friends organization had purchased paintings for the library for $20,000 from Suarez.
    Suarez said she has since returned the money and received the paintings back.

By Rich Pollack

    Two lawsuits have been filed against the driver of a car that struck a couple bicycling in Highland Beach, fatally injuring a 69-year-old commercial real-estate pioneer and seriously injuring her husband, a retired New York dentist.
    A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by the son and daughter of Patricia Goldstein, a former top real estate executive for Citicorp and a former vice chair of Emigrant Bank, against the driver of a car that veered off State Road A1A on April 23 and struck Goldstein, 69, and Howard Epstein, 74.
    Epstein, who is recovering from injuries suffered in the crash, has filed a separate personal injury lawsuit.
    Both lawsuits name the driver of the car involved in the crash, Charles Clever, 57, and the owner of the 2014 Mazda Clever was driving, Elizabeth Bayram, as defendants. Epstein’s suit also names co-owner Semih Bayram as a defendant.
    In the wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Goldstein’s daughter, Alicia, and son, Jeffrey, Miami-based attorney Ira Leesfield contends that Clever was “negligent, careless, reckless” when he drove his car off the road and struck Goldstein who, along with Epstein, was riding south on A1A shortly after noon.
    Goldstein, according to police and the lawsuit, was thrown onto the hood of the vehicle and her head struck the windshield. She died from her injuries six days later.
    Police officers at the scene noted that both Goldstein and Epstein were wearing bicycle helmets.
    Although no charges have been filed against Clever pending the outcome of blood tests, sheriff’s deputies are continuing to investigate the accident and suspect Clever may have been driving impaired by either drugs or alcohol.
    In both lawsuits, attorneys allege that the owners of the car were negligent in allowing Clever to operate the vehicle. In the wrongful death lawsuit, Leesfield alleges that Elizabeth Bayram had been notified that Clever “abused prescription drugs” shortly before she allowed him to drive the car.
    Goldstein, according to Leesfield, was a pioneer in promoting women’s workplace issues in the commercial real-estate industry.
“She was a uniquely accomplished woman,” he said. “Her loss is a loss not just to her family but to the business community and to other women.”
    In the separate personal injury lawsuit filed on behalf of Epstein, Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Schlesinger contends that Clever’s negligence caused permanent and substantial bodily injury to Epstein as well as causing his client to incur medical care and rehabilitative care expenses.
    Schlesinger declined to discuss the extent of Epstein’s injuries.
    Both lawsuits seek damages in excess of $15,000.

    As we head into the 2015 hurricane season, it’s not too early to make preparations … just in case. Southeast Florida has not experienced the effects of a serious tropical weather system in 10 years, and some reminders may be in order.  
    There are numerous preparedness and information resources available, including websites and smartphone apps.
    Some you may find helpful include:

•     Palm Beach County Emergency Management: www.pbcgov.com/dem/knowurzone
•     Palm Beach County Evacuation Zones: http://www.pbcgov.com/dem/evacuate/
•     Palm Beach County Special Needs Shelter: www.pbcgov.com/dem/sections/logistics/scu.htm
•     Generators in PBC (gas stations, Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix): http://www.pbcgov.com/dem/hurricane/
•     National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov/
•     NOAA Extreme Weather Information: http://www.ncddc.noaa.gov/activities/weather-ready-nation/newis/
•     Pet Friendly Shelters by County: www.floridapetfriendly.com/pet-friendly-hurricane-shelters.htm

    Also, a refresher on the National Hurricane Center definitions of storm watches and warnings and what actions to take is in order.
Understanding the difference between National Weather Service watches and warnings is critical to being prepared for any dangerous weather hazard, including hurricanes.
    A watch lets you know that weather conditions are favorable for a hazard to occur. It literally means “be on guard!”
During a weather watch, gather awareness of the specific threat and prepare for action: Monitor the weather to find out if severe weather conditions have deteriorated and discuss your protective action plans with your family.
    A warning requires immediate action. This means a weather hazard is imminent: It is either occurring (a tornado has been spotted, for example) or it is about to occur at any moment.
    During a weather warning, it is important to take action: Grab the emergency kit you have prepared in advance and head to safety immediately.
    Both watches and warnings are important, but warnings are more urgent.

Watches
    Tropical storm watch: An announcement that tropical storm conditions are possible within the specified area.
    Hurricane watch: An announcement that hurricane conditions are possible within the specified area.
    Because outside preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, watches are issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.
    During a watch, prepare your home and review your plan for evacuation in case a hurricane or tropical storm warning is issued. Listen closely to instructions from local officials.

Warnings
    Tropical storm warning: An announcement that tropical-storm conditions are expected within the specified area.
    Hurricane warning: An announcement that hurricane conditions are expected within the specified area.
    Because outside preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, warnings are issued 36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.
    During a warning, complete storm preparations and immediately leave the threatened area if directed by local officials.
    Extreme wind warning: Extreme sustained winds of a major hurricane (115 mph or greater), usually associated with the eyewall, are expected to begin within an hour. Take shelter in the interior portion of a well-built structure.
— Compiled by Kathleen Bell

Helpful phone numbers:
Palm Beach County Emergency Management: 712-6400
Emergencies: 911
Traffic updates: 511
Palm Beach County Sheriff: 688-3000
South Palm Beach Police: 586-2122
Lantana Police: 540-5700
Manalapan Police: 585-4030
Hypoluxo Police: 540-5701
Boynton Beach Police: 732-8116
Ocean Ridge/Briny Breezes Police: 732-8331
Gulf Stream Police: 278-8611
Delray Beach Police: 243-7800
Highland Beach Police: 688-3400
Boca Raton Police: 338-1234

    Most preparations fit into three categories: people, pets, and property. A few suggested items to keep on hand and items to check include:

For people:

•  Bottled water and nonperishable food
•  Prescriptions and personal hygiene supplies
•  First aid kit
•  Cash
•  Personal identification, insurance cards
•  List of medications, doctors, emergency contacts
•  Flashlights, batteries, solar lights
•  Identify shelter in case an evacuation order is issued.

For pets:

•  Bottled water and food
•  Medication
•  Waste bags and litter
•  Leashes, carriers, crates
•  Favorite toys, blankets
•  Identify shelter or boarding in case an evacuation order is issued.

For property:

•  Important documents and irreplaceable items
•  Cell phones, tablets, laptops, and chargers
•  Back up computer records to flash drive or external hard drive
•  Inspect, test, repair shutters
•  Inspect and test generator
•  Home and auto insurance policy and contact information

Artist rendering of the new clubhouse and marina at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club.

The old clubhouse is giving way

to make more multipurpose member spaces.

Photos provided

By Steve Pike

    Robin Blankhorst, general manager and chief operating officer at Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton, calls it “operational flexibility.’’ That’s country club-speak for creating space that allows for a lot of club functions.
    Today’s country club clubhouses need operational flexibility to maintain and attract new members.
    Many of those members have families — sometimes young families — so the need for flexibility is imperative to creating a positive club experience for everyone. That phrase — and more important, its implementation— fits with the clubs’ “A Club of a Lifetime’’ mantra.
    Indeed, even storied and successful clubs such as Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton (World Golf Hall of Famer Sam Snead was the club’s first golf professional) are looking for new ways for members of all ages to get the most out of the club.
    So in that regard, Blankhorst is overseeing the design and construction of a 41,000-square-foot yacht clubhouse and marina renovation that includes 58 new floating docks that can accommodate vessels up to 130 feet long.
    The new clubhouse is part of an overall $30 million project, following the now-completed Nicklaus Signature golf course renovation.
    Club members last year overwhelmingly approved the renovation project on the club, which was created by Arvida Corp. in 1959. The new yacht clubhouse includes an outdoor waterfront entertainment patio, new pool and additional outdoor dining venues.
    “We’re looking at the next 50 years for the club,’’ Blankhorst said. “With new younger members and a multigenerational membership, the dynamics of the club are changing. Our goal is to meet these diverse needs and interests.”
    The original yacht clubhouse — built in 1959 — has been completely wiped out to make way for the new clubhouse.
    “We’re not locking ourselves into rooms that serve as only one type of venue, but rather, creating multipurpose member spaces,’’ Blankhorst said.
    The kitchen, according to Blankhorst, will accommodate casual a la carte and fine dining, simultaneous events, and banquets of up to 400 people.
    “Operational flexibility,’’ Blankhorst said, “is the key to this project’s success."

    The boardwalk loop at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, which the city shut down in February after being warned it was near collapse, will remain closed until the end of the year.
    Boca Raton officials are working to bid out the project; they expect construction will take 120 days.
    The city had asked the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, which pays the nature center’s operating and maintenance costs, for money to replace the boardwalk the day after it was closed. The district decided to have consultant Miller Legg review the city’s proposal and take a leading role.
    But on May 11, city Municipal Services Director Dan Grippo told the district he thought his department could handle the project as quickly as Miller Legg could.
    “Again, we are all after the same goal — a successful cost effective project resulting in a safe and structurally sound boardwalk at Gumbo Limbo,” he said in an email.
    The ¼-mile boardwalk was closed Feb. 23 after engineers reported that joists under the planks had “no positive means of support” and “could fail without warning.”
— Steve Plunkett

Willie Mae Jackson and Irene Carswell in Pearl City during the 1950s.

Lois Martin in 1980

Carolyn Brown on her tricycle in the ’50s.

Aerial photograph of Pearl City and Dixie Manor in the 1940s.

Photos courtesy of the Boca Raton Historical Society

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    On June 20, Boca Raton will celebrate its African-American heritage and the centennial of Pearl City with longtime residents sharing their “rocking chair” memories. Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie will present a proclamation of recognition and a “pop-up” exhibit will feature archival photos and artifacts.
    This is a chance to discover what life was like in this African-American community that was originally platted in 1915 and still exists today, says Susan Gillis, curator of the Boca Raton Historical Society, which is co-sponsoring the event.
    Pearl City began as an area set aside for African-American pioneers who wanted to own land and build homes. It includes Northeast 10th, 11th and 12th streets in Boca Raton, which originally were called Sapphire, Pearl and Ruby streets.
    No one really knows how the area got its name but the first residents were mostly sharecroppers and agricultural workers on nearby farms. Before Pearl City was set aside, these workers lived in a segregated area of Deerfield Beach and walked to the fields each morning.
    Pearl City’s first house was built in 1925. Lois Martin, 86, who still lives in Pearl City, arrived soon after when a midwife at her family’s home, then at 140 NE Ruby St., delivered her.
    Starting her education in the area’s one-room schoolhouse, she later became Boca Raton’s first African-American to attend college. She graduated as a mathematics teacher, married and, after a few years of teaching in Alabama, returned in 1970 to raise her son in Pearl City. She’s been there ever since.
    Amos Jackson, 82, moved to Pearl City in 1937 when he was about 5. He remembers growing up without electricity, running water or plumbing. There was no air-conditioning so screened-in porches on the front of the wooden houses were almost a necessity.
    Jackson, who started out as a laborer for the city of Boca Raton but after desegregation worked his way up to superintendent of parks, also recalls neighborhood boys and girls playing together. “It was one big happy family,” he says.
But it wasn’t all fun.
    Martin recalls her mama had to take in laundry she’d do by hand to earn extra money. The youngest of seven children, Martin was responsible for keeping the heavy metal smoothing irons clean and hot over a pot of coals so they were ready when one of her four older sisters needed them to attack the wrinkles.
    Even so, sitting in her Pearl City living room today, Martin thinks back on the old times with fondness.
    “We just accepted the area as being segregated. But it was Pearl City, a tight community. It was families with everybody knowing everybody else,” she says.
    With the coming of war, a land boom and a bust and then desegregation and recession, things have changed in this tiny area of Boca Raton.
    For example, Jackson moved to Pompano Beach in 1961 and, although he still owns a duplex in Pearl City, he’s not moving back. “My wife has passed and my children are grown so I’ll be staying where I am,” he says.
    But Martin can’t imagine living anywhere else. “I want my grandchildren to be able to say that their grandparents and great-grandparents came here when it was nothing but woods and helped develop this place,” she says.
    Gillis hopes that the Centennial Celebration will educate people about the small gem that is Pearl City and increase interest in its preservation since it was designated a historic district in 2000.
    “People in this part of the world associate historic preservation with mansions, not ordinary folks’ houses. The very ordinariness of these structures makes them important. I’m agog that Pearl City still exists,” she says.
    The Pearl City Centennial Celebration will begin at 9 a.m. June 20 with a ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church (200 Ruby St., Boca Raton) followed by a walk, beginning at 10 a.m., across Glades Road to Friendship Baptist Church (1422 NE Second St., Boca Raton).
    There at about 10:30 a.m. visitors can see historic exhibits and speak with longtime Pearl City residents as well as enjoy refreshments, music and fellowship. The event ends at 2 p.m.
    For information, contact John Brown, 221-4701; Mitch Smith, 305-7663; or Marjorie O’Sullivan, 213-6214.

Nautical Father’s Day gift ideas

from the Palm Beach International Boat Show

Fujinon 14 X 40 model image-stabilized binoculars
cost $1,399.

West Marine’s automatic inflatable model for deep-water use

provides 35 pounds of buoyancy. It sells for about $169.

Photos provided

The hookah system by Safety First Dive Equipment allows a pair of divers

to share a tank of compressed air and leave it on the surface.

Price: $1,200.

By Willie Howard

    The longer, warmer days of the summer season naturally lead us to the water.
    For those who live near the ocean in Palm Beach County, summer means time spent boating, fishing and diving in the clear Gulf Stream water that flows along our coastline.
    That opens a world of possibilities for families contemplating a nautical gift for dad on Father’s Day, which falls on the first day of summer — June 21.
    Exhibitors at this year’s Palm Beach International Boat Show presented a huge variety of boats and other products that would help fathers enjoy their time on the water.

    Here are a few Father’s Day gift ideas to consider from the boat show, ranging from jaw-dropping boats to gifts that could fit in a backpack:

    1. Image-stabilized binoculars. The 12-times magnification (12 X 32) Fujinon image-stabilized binoculars were advertised at the boat show by Shark Tested Optics for $899. The 14-by-40 model was $1,399. These might sound expensive, but if you’re serious about looking WAY out for signs of fish (such as flocks of birds) on the ocean from a moving boat, image-stabilized binoculars can save hours of running and lots of fuel. Both models are waterproof and submersible, but they don’t float.

The Engel Boom Box is part of a cooler.

    2. The Engel Boom Box, an on-the-water sound system, controlled by cellphone and built into a small Engel cooler. It’s designed for use on a paddleboard and can go pretty much anywhere on the water. Features include JL Audio speakers, eight hours of battery life and Bluetooth control from a cellphone. Plug it in to recharge the battery. Boat show price: $799. Details: engelcoolers.com.

The Billfish 24 bay boat, built in Fort Pierce, is a shallow-water vessel

that could easily be used offshore. Price: $85,000.

Willie Howard and provided photos

    3. Billfish 24 bay boat. Built in Fort Pierce, this wide bay boat (8-foot, 6-inch beam) is a shallow-water boat that could easily be used offshore — especially off Palm Beach County, where the blue water sweeps close to shore. The Billfish 24 at the boat show was rigged with a 300-horsepower Mercury Verado outboard. Features included twin power poles (for stopping in shallow water), a double-axle trailer, dual live wells and a 50-gallon freshwater washdown system. Boat show price: $85,000. Details: billfishboats.com.

Hammocks by Eagles Nest Outfitters were selling for $85 to $110.

    4. A compact hammock. An Eagles Nest Outfitters hammock would suit that adventurous dad who might want to string up a hammock for a nap (or to spend the night) wherever he happens to be. They’re popular with boaters, hikers and campers and come with straps for attaching the ends to trees. Accessories include mosquito netting and rain tarps. The hammocks sell for $85 to $110. Details: enonation.com.

    5. Skiffs from Dragonfly Boat Works. These made-to-order skiffs are popular on yachts, but they’d also be welcome on a boat lift or a trailer. Dragonfly skiffs can be customized for what the buyer wants to do with them. The Gentleman’s Classic 17-foot skiff ($58,000) at the boat show featured a teak deck, classic lines, LED cockpit lighting and lots of wood accents. The more basic DF 15 ($22,000 with a trailer) would be nice for a beginning boater or for an angler who wants to fish shallow flats and rivers. The DF 15 at the boat show was rigged with a 40-horsepower outboard. It has rod holders, a live well and hatches for storage. Details: dragonflyboatworksllc.com.

    6. A suspender-type inflatable life jacket. West Marine’s automatic inflatable model for deep-water use provides 35 pounds of buoyancy and fits chest sizes 30 to 56 inches. It sells for about $169. Details: westmarine.com.

   7. Hookah rig for divers who want to make shallow dives without scuba tanks. The hookah system shown by Safety First Dive Equipment allows a pair of divers to share a tank of compressed air and leave it on the surface. The tank sits in a float tube with diver-down flag and is connected to a pair of 40-foot hoses and regulators. The boat show price was $1,200. Details: safetyfirstdiving.com.

   8. A compact life raft that fits in a duffel bag. Viking’s 6-person coastal life raft features a strobe light, flares, a repair kit, a canopy and survival guide. Throw it overboard and tug on the painter line to inflate it. The raft needs to be inspected every three years and comes with a 12-year warranty. A survival life raft (along with other safety equipment such as an EPIRB) is a good idea for pleasure boaters crossing from South Florida to the Bahamas. Boat show price: $1,750. Details: viking-life.com.

Wasp action cameras bring sports action to life.

    9. Wasp action cameras. Shown by Tuppen’s Marine & Tackle, the Wasp cameras are designed to bring sports action to life in video or still images. They range from $140 for the basic model to $320 for the Gideon model that includes a wireless wrist remote. The remote enables the camera to be controlled from the wrist — and to see what the camera is shooting. These cameras would be great for diving, snorkeling or fishing. Accessories include a variety of mounting systems — including a pole mount that can be used to dunk the camera under water to capture live fishing action. Details: waspcam.com.

    10. The Bahama 41. This huge center console fishing boat, built in Palm Beach County by Bahama Boat Works, includes large live wells and an elevated helm typical of larger sportfishing boats that can’t be towed on a trailer.
Powered by triple 350-horsepower Yamaha outboards, the slightly used Bahama 41 at the boat show was fitted with a hard top, dual controls and a tower and was offered for $495,000. It sells new for about $560,000. Details: Bahamaboatworks.com.

Wendy and Jamie Greenhut pose in the bathroom of the Polaroid Fotobar in Delray Beach,

as family friend Missy Salaam washes her hands in the sink. The In-Stall-ation Project, made up

of photos that Wendy took of women’s feet in public restroom stalls, is to raise awareness of bowel diseases

such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis — which Jamie was diagnosed with as a teenager.

The humorous project’s motto is ‘Don’t let Crohn’s and colitis de-feet you!’

INSET BELOW: Some of the individual Polaroids in the exhibit.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Lona O'Connor

    It was one of those lightbulb moments when Wendy Greenhut first took out her iPhone camera and aimed it at a pair of feet in the public bathroom stall next to her.
    She continued to shoot photos of women’s feet, in airports, at bar mitzvahs, wherever she spotted them. Eventually she had a collection of about 200 photos, of fashion-forward shoes and sandals, brightly colored sneakers, always framed by bathroom stalls.
“Nobody knows I’m taking them,” said Greenhut. “Well, one person did.”
    That woman was wearing a particularly fine pair of open-toed ankle boots, so Greenhut asked her to return to a stall for a photo. As they chatted, it turned out the woman had colitis.
    Greenhut, who lives in Delray Beach with her husband, Doug, has been active in the local chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America since her daughter Jamie was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis as a teenager.
    She was always on the lookout for creative ways to explain the disease.
    Jamie had to give up drama and other high school activities because of flare-ups that sometimes sent her to the hospital.
Some of their friends understood, but many did not.
    Colitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases make digestion a nightmare. Sufferers cannot derive nutrients from the food they eat. Unless their ulcerative colitis can be controlled by surgery and other treatments, they spend hours every day in the bathroom. Because it is a disorder of the autoimmune system, they are vulnerable to infections.
    Since none of this is visible to anyone else, inflammatory bowel disorders are often called “ghost diseases.”
    So Greenhut launched her “In-Stall-ation Project,” an exhibit of her foot photos, at the Polaroid Fotobar in suburban Delray Beach last month. The photos were displayed in the gallery’s bathroom, of course.
    “She drew a lot of inspiration from something that’s intrinsically negative,” said Jamie Greenhut, who had her colon removed and is now managing her colitis. A junior at the Savannah College of Art and Design, she incorporates her illness into improv and comedy routines.
    “I get that from my mom,” said Jamie Greenhut. “To explain something serious or upsetting in a way that is also entertaining. It’s not a problem that can be seen when you look at me, so I tell people straight up that I’m missing a major organ, my colon.”
    Besides fundraising work, Wendy Greenhut has become an ally for families of children with inflammatory bowel diseases, which can take years to get under control.
    During Jamie’s hospitalizations, Greenhut introduced herself to other mothers — the ones who looked lost and overwhelmed.
“It helps to talk to somebody who’s been there,” said Wendy Greenhut.
    It’s not uncommon for people with inflammatory bowel disease to suffer in silence, so Greenhut’s efforts, from offering moral support to staging zany photo shows, are vital, said Lawrence Adams, the West Palm Beach gastroenterologist who treated Jamie Greenhut and who also works with the foundation.
    “Many people do a whole lot for their kids, and then there are special people who do a lot for other people,” he said. “I can count on one hand the parents who get involved and stay involved. Jamie’s mom has been a real trouper.”
    Adams sees Greenhut’s bathroom photos as “creative marketing. She’s created a campaign to get people’s attention. That’s the whole point of the bathroom thing. It’s a pretty smart idea.”
    For information about inflammatory bowel diseases, visit ccfa.org.

Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.

The Ready to Reel fishing team led by Kevin Spencer, right, ran into 600 feet of water on May 2

to catch the heaviest wahoo in the Lantana Fishing Derby. Angler Ben Bortnov

(front left) fought the 24.34-pound wahoo.

Photo by Brent Anderson/BAnature.com

Tim Massey holds the 42.25-pound kingfish that won $2,500 as the largest overall fish

in the Lantana Fishing Derby. Massey, of Lantana, caught the winning fish in 120 feet off Manalapan

while fishing on his boat, Living the Dream, with his wife, Debra, his brother, Travis (at right),

and friend Chris Wesley of Boynton Beach (background).

Photo by Brent Anderson

By Willie Howard

    With money on the line, spring tournament fishing brings out the competitive spirit among ocean anglers intent on catching the largest kingfish, dolphin or wahoo they can find in eight hours.
    Tournaments can be dramatic. Early-rising anglers filled with expectation often return to weigh-in stations with fish that don’t quite measure up to the competition, tales of sharks that ate a big fish, or the occasional story of amazingly good luck.
    May is among the most active months of the year for KDW (kingfish, dolphin, wahoo) tournaments in Palm Beach County, making it a good month to find out how, when and where fishing teams are catching the big ones.
    Tim Massey’s winning kingfish in the Lantana Fishing Derby, held May 2, is an example of how a plain-vanilla style of fishing — the triple-hook dead sardine rig used on most drift boats — produced a tournament-winning 42.25-pound kingfish.
    Massey’s kingfish was worth $2,500 as the biggest fish of the 68-boat Lantana Derby, organized by the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce.
    A firefighter who lives in Lantana, Massey was doing what most tournament captains do to catch big kingfish — using live bait.
Fishing with his wife, Debra, brother, Travis, and friend Chris Wesley, Massey was drifting in 120 feet of water off the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa (north of Boynton Inlet) around 9 a.m. on his boat, Living the Dream, when he hooked the big kingfish.
    “We were live-bait fishing with goggle-eyes,” Massey said. “Just for the heck of it, I put out a dead sardine on a flat line, which is what the kingfish ate.”
    The Ready to Reel team caught the heaviest wahoo of the Lantana Derby — 24.34 pounds — by running into 600 feet of water, deeper than usual for wahoo.
    About five hours into the tournament, the Ready to Reel anglers decided to troll ballyhoo in what angler Ben Bortnov called “the middle of nowhere.”
    It was way out, but there was something to warrant trolling there. Boat Capt. Kevin Spencer said he was trolling along a current edge and small temperature change when the wahoo hit a ballyhoo rigged with a Black Bart lure and the reel started screaming.
“He dumped half the reel before we could stop him,” said Bortnov, who handled the rod.
    During the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association tournament on May 9, an unconventional trolling bait — rigged squid — produced James Harrington’s winning dolphin.
    Harrington caught the 22.2-pound dolphin by trolling squid about 5 miles off Palm Beach while fishing aboard The Lecture.
Some ocean anglers troll rigged squid regularly because they’re so effective at catching dolphin, but squid are far less common than rigged ballyhoo as a trolling bait.
    Steve Ford of Jupiter caught the biggest fish of the May 9 Grand Slam KDW Tournament — 47.64 pounds — using a pretty standard tournament method. He drifted live goggle-eyes in about 100 feet of water off Juno Beach when the big kingfish hit around 8:30 a.m.
    Tournament-winning kingfish are often caught early in the morning, though there are plenty of notable exceptions.
Versatility is helpful in tournaments, too. Fishing with his brother, Bill, Ford took his 31-foot boat, Reel Addiction, way offshore to troll for dolphin after catching the big kingfish. Bill Ford caught the fifth-place mahi mahi by trolling a ballyhoo along a weed line in 675 feet.  
    The Ford brothers, who have fished together most of their lives, also caught the heaviest cobia of the Grand Slam tournament, 30.45 pounds, but only after a special effort pull it away from a huge shark.
    The cobia was following a tiger shark that Ford estimated at 14 feet long in the waters off Jupiter Inlet.
“The shark almost ate the cobia several times during the fight,” Steve Ford said. “I had to hammer the drag all the way down and risk breaking the line. Otherwise, the shark would have easily gotten the fish.”
    The presence of sharks often forces tournament anglers to make tough decisions on how tight to set their drags. A tight drag can cause the hook to pull out of the fish’s mouth or break the line. But a drag too loose when a shark is lurking could leave the angler with half a fish, and mutilated fish don’t count in tournaments.
                                          
Coming events
    June 13: National Marina Day Cleanup. Boaters are encouraged to clean up trash around marinas and in the water, then bring the trash back to a participating marina office to receive a T-shirt or hat. Participating marinas include Loggerhead marinas in Lantana and South Lantana (the Moorings). Register in advance at oceanconservancy.org/marinacleanup.
    June 20: Horizons Fishing Tournament based at Riviera Beach Marina. Captains meeting 5 -7 p.m. June 18 at Riviera Beach Marina. Weigh-in 1-4 p.m. at the marina. Awards party following the weigh-in. Details: hpbcf.org or 494-6884.
    June 23: Capt. Bouncer Smith speaks to the Boynton Beach Fishing Club, 7:30 p.m. at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Building next to the boat ramp in Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park.
    June 27: Lake Worth Fishing Tournament based at Palm Beach Yacht Center, Hypoluxo. Captains meeting June 26 at Tuppen’s Marine & Tackle, Lake Worth. Awards party June 28 at Dave’s Last Resort & Raw Bar, Lake Worth. Details: Lakeworthfishingtournament.com.
    July 11: Big Dog, Fat Cat KDW Shootout fishing tournament based at Sailfish Marina on Singer Island. Captains meeting July 10 at Sailfish Marina. Details: 315-3722 or bigdogfatcat.org.
    Aug. 8: 21st annual Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament based at Deck 84 restaurant in Delray Beach. Captains meeting 6 p.m. Aug. 6 at Deck 84. Details: 251-1945 or mgmft.net.
                                          
Deerfield Beach expects to attract divers with underwater work of art
    A new diving destination based on the native Polynesian statues of Easter Island is coming to the waters off Deerfield Beach in June.
    The Rapa Nui Reef, named for the native Polynesian people of Easter Island, is being built of concrete by artist Dennis MacDonald and is scheduled to be scuttled off the Deerfield Beach fishing pier.
    Jim Mathie, a longtime diver who has been working on the project, said the underwater work of art will be 150 feet long and 45 feet wide. Its tallest part will extend 22 feet up from the base.
    The $500,000 work of public art is being funded by philanthropist Margaret Blume of Boca Raton. The 15 Polynesian busts, or moai, as they’re called on Easter Island, will sit on top of a barge in 70 feet of water.
    A preview party to view the Rapa Nui Reef before it’s lowered into the ocean is set for 6-9 p.m. June 6 at Two George’s at The Cove in Deerfield Beach. The $35 admission fee includes a buffet dinner.
    The reef is scheduled to be scuttled at 11 a.m. June 7, weather permitting, off the Deerfield Beach pier.
    Photos of the Polynesian busts under construction can be found at  Facebook.com/Rapanuireef. For details, call the Greater Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce at (954) 427-1050.

Tip of the Month
    Drift over reefs for mutton snapper. Use a dead sardine with the tail removed or ballyhoo plug (head and tail removed) on double 4/0 hooks or a single 4/0 circle hook. Use 2 to 3 feet of 30- to 40-pound leader, with the weight placed above the swivel that connects the line to the leader. Start with 1 ounce of weight, and adjust it to the current. More weight might be needed to reach bottom in strong current.
    Let line out slowly during the drift, then check and reset the bait.
    Start fishing in 80 feet, but move deeper and shallower to find the fish and the right amount of current for an effective drift. Don’t forget to drift lightly weighted or flat-line baits (no weight) while bottom fishing. Dolphin and kingfish might hit shallower baits during a snapper drift.
    Mutton snapper must be at least 16 inches (total length, including the tail) to be legal. Daily bag limit: 10.
Mutton snapper make excellent table fare.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

Tim Link communicates with a dog.

Photo provided

By Arden Moore

    Far too often, we engage in one-way conversations with our pets. We talk. They listen. Or at least, they try to interpret what we are saying. Your dog may cock his head when you start a sentence with the words, “Do you want to …” and your cat may purr like a diesel engine and come racing your way when you rattle his treat jar and shout out, “Treat!”
    To me, one of the most fascinating movie characters for pet lovers was the legendary Dr. Doolittle — the guy who could magically talk to the animals. Rex Harrison starred in that title role in the late 1960s and then Eddie Murphy reprised the role in the late 1980s.
    Well, I’m happy to introduce to you a genuine modern-day Dr. Doolittle. Nationally renowned animal communicator Tim Link not only knows how to conduct two-way conversations with dogs, cats and other companion animals, but he also knows how to teach us. His strategies are all spelled out in his new book, Talking with Dogs and Cats: Joining the Conversation to Improve Behavior and Bond with Your Animals.
    Ever wonder what your pet’s bark, meow, chirp or stare really means? Are you ready to talk with — and not at — your pet? And, do you desire to find a way to reconnect with beloved pets who have passed away? Animal communication class is now in session.
    “More people these days really want to know what their pets are thinking and are looking for a way to better connect at a deeper level with their pets,” notes Link, who is also a reiki practitioner and nationally syndicated radio host of Animal Writes show on Pet Life Radio. “People are born with a natural ability to communicate telepathically, but not everyone realizes it or knows how to tap into this ability.”
    Link discovered his telepathic talents in 2007 when he attended an animal communication workshop with his wife, Kim. It was a birthday present for his wife. At the time, Link was focused on his telecommunication sales career. But during the workshop, he discovered he could truly communicate with his pets. He then tested his talents with friends’ pets and shelter pets in the Atlanta area as his confidence grew.
    “For me, interspecies communication involves establishing a telepathic connection with the animal by either being in the proximity of the animal or through the use of a picture of the animal,” explains Link. “Some animals can be very talkative, while others are not. But I have not encountered an animal yet who has declined my request to communicate with them on behalf of their human companion.”
    Link conducts workshops all over the country. He applies his telepathic abilities for practical purposes. He has reunited lost pets with pet parents and helped resolve pet behavior issues by conversing with cats to find out why they are suddenly boycotting their litter boxes or chatting with dogs to discover the cause behind their separation anxiety feelings.
    And, he outlines a specific game plan on how people can hone their abilities to engage in two-way conversations with their pets in his new book. To sharpen your communication skills with your pet, Link advises that you:
    • Recognize that each animal has a unique personality.
    • Understand that all animals have feelings and emotions.
    • Quiet your mind and open your heart to communicate with your pets.
    • Trust the information you receive from your pets.
    “We all need to center our energy and keep ourselves in the present moment in order to better connect with our dogs and cats,” he says. “Our animals live in the present moment. They don’t dwell in the past and they don’t wait for the future to arrive.”
    In his book, he identifies these three simple but vital steps to effectively communicate with your pet:
    • Say what you want out loud.
    • Mentally visualize what that looks like to you.
    • Communicate using a positive tone and positive energy.
    “The truth is that animals do understand us when we communicate verbally with them,” says Link. “They sense our meaning and moods on other levels as well, but they are perfectly capable of processing verbal information. We should talk to our pets just like we would talk to any person.”
    With the help of animal communicators like Tim Link, conversation in your pet household is likely to become quite engaging and enlightening. To learn more about Link, visit wagging-tales.com.

Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Each week, she hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting fourleggedlife.com.

Bicyclists cruise West Boca on April 25 during The ‘Loggers Run Ride.’

This ride includes many levels and is considered a safe ride with very little traffic.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Pike

    You’ve heard of “talking the talk” and “walking the walk.” To put those in cycling terms, the Boca Raton Bicycle Club talks the talk and rides the ride.
    With nearly 400 members, the Boca Raton Bicycle Club is the largest bike club in South Florida and one of the most active clubs — of any kind — in the area. Through fundraising and active membership led by President Jonathan Berman, the club gives back to local and national charities for the benefit of cycling in the community.
    For example, the club’s Bicycle Safety and Public Education Committee helps fund the Boca Raton Police Bicycle Program that resulted in 22 bicycles being given to students in Boca Raton Elementary School and 22 bicycles to students in J.C. Mitchell Elementary School.
    The Bicycle Safety and Public Education Committee participated in the Back to School Safety Fair. The fair is sponsored by the South Florida Safe Roads Task Force. This task force is a joint effort of local law enforcement agencies, the Dori Slosberg Foundation and FDOT, and its purpose is to promote safety for cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and motorists as they share the road.
    Although the bulk of its membership and activities are in the Boca Raton area, the club’s community reaches all through Palm Beach County.
    “We have a very robust organization,” said Berman, a Boca Raton plastic surgeon who has been a club member for five years. “It’s really important that we embrace all riders. I want everybody who cycles from the Hillsboro/Boca line and from Atlantic Avenue on A1A (in Delray Beach) to Hillsboro Avenue and A1A to join the club.”
    The more people who join the club, Berman said, “the bigger our voice” when it comes to raising awareness for such things as more bike lanes on roads and tougher safety laws.
    The club, which was founded in 1992, sponsors riding events almost on a daily basis — more than 500 rides per year — on different routes throughout Palm Beach County. Its most visible ride, and most successful fundraiser, is the annual Frank Stark Ride, a 62-mile round-trip ride that begins at Boca Raton City Hall and goes to Clematis Street in West Palm Beach and back.
    The 2015 Frank Stark Ride on July 12 is expected to attract approximately 700 riders from all over the state and beyond.
The ride, now in its 26th year, is named after the late Frank Stark, who was a member of the Boca Raton Bicycle Club and a former airline pilot. Stark was forced to retire because of quadruple-bypass heart surgery and two heart attacks. As part of his recovery, he took up cycling and celebrated his birthday by riding one mile for each year of his age.
    Over the past three years, Berman said, the ride has raised $44,000 for bicycle advocacy on the local, state and national levels. Among those are the League of American Cyclists and Florida Bicycle Association.
    The Frank Stark Ride, Berman said, “is our pride and joy. It’s our baby where we can show off the greatness of our club. It’s a very special ride.”
    A ride that talks the talk.

Frank Stark Ride
    On July 12, the BRBC will host the 26th annual Frank Stark Ride. Affectionately referred to as “the Hottest Ride in Florida,” it has 62- and 30-mile options along A1A, and is open to cyclists of all levels.
    At the end of the ride, a village will be set up with free lunches, ice cream and booths by sponsoring vendors, providing information as well as free samples and discounts.
    Registration is $40, when paid in advance.
    For more information, see FrankStarkRide.com.
    For information about the Boca Raton Bicycle Club, see BocaRatonBicycleClub.com.

Students sing in celebration of the beginning of spring during the annual Spring Frolic

at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach. Due to rain, the ‘bees’ and ‘flowers’

were forced to perform inside the church.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

The Gulf Stream School Field Day pits students on equally sized teams against each other

in a variety of good-natured competitions. For the first time in 10 years,

the  blue team beat the white team in the tug-of-war event.

Photo provided by Kim Bauer

The Pool by artist Jen Lewin has been exhibited around the country, including at SXSW Interactive 2013.

By Janis Fontaine

    The city of West Palm Beach is going to make a big splash with its latest production.
    Summer In Paradise is a month’s worth of activities planned around The Pool, artist Jen Lewin’s interactive outdoor exhibition. From now until the last fireworks fade away closing West Palm’s famed 4th on Flagler, The Pool will take over the Great Lawn at the West Palm Beach waterfront complex. From 7 to 11 p.m. every night until July 4, you can jump in The Pool.
    Lewin describes her work this way: “Imagine a giant canvas where you can paint and splash light collaboratively.”
    What it really is is 106 lighted disks about the size of manhole covers, laid out in a huge grid. These disks, called pucks, change color at varying speeds. When you step on a puck, it changes. Then your puck “speaks” to an adjacent puck, which “listens” and reacts. Then, when your friends step on their pucks, each movement creates a brand new ever-changing piece of art.
    Sybille Welter, the Art in Public Places coordinator for the city, thought the Boulder, Colo.-based artist’s work would be a good fit for the waterfront. Welter had seen The Pool at Burning Man, an annual seven-day art event in Black Rock Desert in Nevada, where participants create Black Rock City, “a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance.”
    The Pool was “a huge hit” there, Welter said.
    People like to see their energy spread out like ripples on a pond. With just a few people, it’s almost like a dance. With more people, the colors collide into chaos, or colorful patterns emerge. The color palette can be changed, as can the amount of pressure it takes for a puck to react. The light varies by color and by intensity, the size of the rings, the speed and the number of pucks you can influence. Each person’s ripple is unique.
    In a way, it’s computerized light art, except that The Pool has no single master computer and does not use a router to route or control connections.
    “Each pad is independent and simultaneously interacts and listens to its environment based on user feedback,” Lewin says. “Together, the 106 pads create complex, surprising and unpredictable color arrays with their user participants.”
    The way the pucks react really does make it seem like they are communicating. The Pool can be as small as 40-feet-by-40-feet or as large as 100-feet-by-100-feet. Since 2012, The Pool has been seen by thousands of people from San Francisco to Singapore.
    “Art is not a stagnant form any longer,” Welter said. “Visitors participate in and play with the sculpture.”
    And for a family event, what could be better? Instead of hearing “don’t touch! Don’t touch!” the kids will be hearing, “Please touch the art! Better yet, jump in.”
    After you hop, skip and jump through this artistic maze of pucks, you can play glow-in-the-dark games, including mini-golf with glowing golf balls, holes and clubs at the Glow for It nine-hole course. Golf is offered from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily through July 5. The fee is $2.50 per person per round with a $2.50 refundable ball and club deposit.
    Visit Palm Beach, the source for water-sports rentals in West Palm Beach, will be offering full-moon paddles in July and August for $35, including kayak or paddle board rental. Glowing Catamaran Cruises are offered on Fridays and Saturdays, from June 5 to Aug. 29, for $40, including beverages. Check it out at visitpalmbeach.com.
    And Summer in Paradise has still more to offer in June: Clematis by Night will celebrate its 20th year providing outdoor entertainment with two bands and $2 domestic beers every Thursday through August. Sunday on the Waterfront on June 21 will feature a Michael Jackson tribute. The new Northwood Village Mango & Music Fest, a tribute to the beloved fruit with music, art, entertainment and mangoes, takes place June 26-27, and the annual 4th on Flagler celebration, which is pretty much synonymous with Independence Day, will feature a weekend of patriotic fun.
    Other events include Screen on the Green on June 12, when they’ll screen Jurassic Park, and The Northwood Village Art Walk, which takes place June 13.
    “Just because it’s not season doesn’t mean exciting things aren’t happening,” Welter said. “It’s going to be a fun summer.”

Students learn valuable skills during a class at the Women’s Circle.

Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

    In four tiny rooms in a neat-as-a-pin yellow house a block off Federal Highway in Boynton Beach, 300 women are being saved from a life of poverty each year.
    The Women’s Circle has been offering free literacy programs and job training for anyone who wants it for the last 15 years. It has helped thousands of local women achieve financial stability through their literacy and job-training classes.
    “Illiteracy is our biggest challenge,” Sister Lorraine Ryan said. Ryan, a sister with the Medical Mission Sisters, founded the Women’s Circle 15 years ago with Sister Joan Carusillo. She has served as its executive director ever since. She accepts no salary for her work and calls herself a volunteer.
    The circle has six paid staff members and dozens of volunteers. Its annual budget was about $20,000 in 2000. Today it’s about $280,000. The money comes from grants, donations and volunteer efforts, including its annual gala. The 501(c)3 nonprofit is not supported by any government, church or religious organization.
    Ryan says many of the circle’s clients are Haitian and have never attended school at all. “They can’t read or write, so they can’t finds jobs.”
    The circle sponsors literacy classes in English and Creole, job training including a variety of computer classes, citizenship classes, and life-skills classes in parenting, health and nutrition. It also teaches sewing and knitting classes.
    And when someone is ready to go to an interview, the circle provides professional apparel for her to wear. “Our goal is empowering these women,” Ryan said, which means supporting them in every area of their lives.
    The programs are working. In 2013, Laurette Valcena and Tee Jackson, job development coordinators, helped 87 women find jobs. In 2014, 67 women found jobs as sales associates, administrative clerks, project managers, medical assistants and telemarketers.
    Ryan, who earned a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University, worked to combat extreme poverty in India for 15 years as a nurse, counselor and public health specialist. But she put her position as the coordinator of health services on hold to care for her aging parents in Boynton Beach.
    “I was well aware of the poverty, especially in single- parent families in Boynton, and I wanted to do something. I started by asking people what they needed. I surveyed 50 families.”
    There was one common theme: They wanted jobs.
    For some women, that meant starting with the ABCs. Associate director Helena Wallis says they didn’t know how to learn or study. And they needed help understanding our culture, and just fitting in. “We have a life-skills focus. We talk about practical things, like health and nutrition, we provide counseling to women who need it.”
    Some of these women started with little and lost what little they had. “They’ve seen a lot of sadness and death,” Ryan said. The 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti is a brutally painful memory for many of these women.
    But when you see them, they are happy to be learning. Happy to be making progress with their English and happy to feel like they fit in somewhere.
    All of this activity and personal growth takes place in four immaculate but crowded rooms, each smaller than the next. Women sit shoulder to shoulder, blossoming before your eyes.
    The staff and volunteers celebrate every success story;  and for these women those moments are huge: Like the woman who is confident enough now to speak up at the PTA meeting at her child’s school. Or the woman who can now fill out a job application online without help.
    Most new clients find the Women’s Circle through word of mouth, and currently, its client base is about 70 percent Haitian. “We working to expand our diversity,” Ryan said. “We would like to serve more Hispanic women, and more Caucasians.”
    A growing program called Moving Forward should attract those groups. This two-week intensive career-development  program covers topics such as resumes and cover letters, mock interviews, time management, and how to present yourself, including professional dress.
    Meetings are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first two weeks of the month at the United Methodist Church in Boynton Beach, because there simply isn’t enough room at the Women’s Circle.
    But that, too, will change. The circle is expanding. A new building will swallow up the existing structure and quadruple its square footage.
    The annual gala, which raised $134,000 in February, has supported the expansion so far: The Circle demolished the building next door and now has a nice parking lot.
    The new site is expected to cost $1.3 million and be finished in 2017. A capital campaign is underway to raise the money, and donations are needed. “There are naming rights available,” Ryan says.
    Sometimes people ask why the circle serves only women. Wallis said, “Most areas have a lot of programs out there helping men. We want to help women because they are the heart of the family.”
    Here are six ways you can help: Make a monetary gift; donate clothing suitable for job interviews; donate fabric for dressmaking or yarn for the knitting class; donate office supplies, paper products and flat-screen computer monitors; donate money to buy textbooks; become a volunteer. Call 244-7627 or visit womenscircle.org.
                                          ***
    First United Methodist Church of Boynton Beach is congratulating Nahdia Perez as the 2015 Danny Hall Memorial Scholarship winner. The Boynton Beach High School grad plans to study cosmetology.
    The scholarship is awarded to a physically challenged senior in memory of Hall, who was 43 when he lost a 33-year struggle with Becker’s Syndrome Muscular Dystrophy.
    Call 732-3435.
                                          ***
    The Interfaith Cafe will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. June 19, at the South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach. The Interfaith Cafe promotes interfaith dialogue, awareness and understanding by uniting people of different faiths in conversation. A different topic is discussed each month.
    Coffee, tea and light desserts are served. A donation of $5 is requested to defray expenses. Call 901-3467.
                                          ***
    Back to Woodstock 2015, a fundraiser for Family Promise of South Palm Beach County, which helps local children and families who are temporarily homeless, takes place at 7 p.m. June 19, at the Delray Elks Lodge, 265 N.E. Fourth Ave., in Delray Beach.
    Take a trip back to the late ’60s with live music, food, a costume contest and a best brownie contest. Everyone is encouraged to wear 1960s attire, such as your favorite tie-dyed shirt or Nehru jacket, love beads and bell-bottom jeans.
    Tickets are $25. Sponsorship levels are $500, $250 and $100. Call 265-3370, Ext. 103.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Email her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Middle-school students at St. Joseph’s Episcopal School’s Academy of the Arts presented the classic tale,

directed by Becky Cleveland, during three days of performances presented free to the public.

Attendees included students from Title I and other area schools, as well as members of the community.

ABOVE: Cameron Culver gets ready during hair and makeup.

BELOW: (l-r) Sebastian Tirado, Katie Trainor, Charlotte Rowley and Kate Lowry.

Photos provided by Carol Cunningham