By Dan Moffett

    Ocean Ridge commissioners wanted to crack down on nuisance rentals of single-family homes last year when they passed an ordinance that set new fees and registration requirements for landlords and tenants.
    While the law has helped clean up the nuisance rentals, it also has created a bureaucratic mess, with more confusion and unintended consequences than commissioners thought possible.
    Landlords have complained about getting socked with excessive fees. Tenants have complained about government invading their privacy. Most everyone — even town officials — has complained about not understanding exactly what the ordinance requires or how to enforce it.
    “The ordinance that was passed went too far,” Mayor Geoffrey Pugh conceded, as the Town Commission met July 7 to try to repair the damage.
    The law requires people who rent out their properties to register each unit at Town Hall and pay a $50 annual fee. It also requires the disclosure of renters’ identities, and that has raised concerns about privacy rights.
    Commissioner Richard Lucibella, who won his commission seat in March, said he didn’t want to second-guess the work of the previous commission, but the ordinance made him feel “a little queasy” about intrusive town government.
    “There were a couple people causing problems. It came up because it was an enforcement problem,” Lucibella said. “But you made the decision to get people to write their names down and give up personal information. You’re really confusing it. And now you’re trying to clean that up.”
    Lucibella said the town had overreached and probably could have solved the nuisance problem simply by enforcing the ordinances already on the books. For years, town law has allowed homes to be rented for a minimum of 30 days and prohibited homes from being occupied by more than five unrelated persons.
     Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi told commissioners that the registration ordinance appears to have significantly reduced rental violations during its first year. Town officials were surprised to learn from the registrations that Ocean Ridge has at least 90 units being rented.
    “It’s not a matter of Big Brother or anything like that,” Yannuzzi said. “We’re trying to maintain order in the neighborhood — who’s coming in and who’s coming out, what are they doing there.”
    Commissioner James Bonfiglio, who came to the commission with Lucibella in March, said the ordinance was accomplishing the goals the commission wants but “was a bit too intrusive.” He said commissioners shouldn’t repeal it but “tweak it a little bit to protect privacy.”
    Chris Currie and Bob Weisblut, who both own multi-unit rental properties in the town, told commissioners the ordinance was unfair and ambiguous.
    “I don’t remember the word ‘annual’ coming up in the initial law,” Weisblut said, referring to requirements that landlords would have to re-register and pay fees each year.
    Currie argued that the ordinance makes renters “a subclass of second-class citizens.”
He said commissioners originally aimed at reining in single-family home rentals, then wandered off course and put unreasonable restrictions on properties designed specifically as rentals.
    Town Attorney Ken Spillias proposed amending the ordinance to focus on registering property owners, not tenants, and charging a single fee. The commission agreed and told Spillias to make the changes and bring the amended ordinance back for review.
    In other business, Spillias proposed amending an ordinance as a potential solution to the long-running concern over what to do about the 5011 building on North Ocean Boulevard.
    Building owner Lisa Sivitilli is working on renovation plans for the town’s only commercial strip, a nonconforming-use property. Instead of writing new laws or changing the town’s comprehensive plan for the strip, Spillias believes it makes more sense to amend an ordinance that has been on the books for decades.
    Commissioners concurred and told Spillias to bring them a proposed amendment.

By Dan Moffett

    With the budgeting in Ocean Ridge comes a debate over semantics.
    A sizable new expenditure in the town’s proposed 2014-15 budget is $85,000 to hire another police officer.
    Town commissioners are supporting the hiring as a way to respond to the complaints of beachfront residents who say the town needs to crack down on misbehaving beachgoers from across the bridge.
    Just don’t call the new cop a “beach patrol officer,” however.
    During their budget workshop on July 23, one of the many decisions commissioners made was to make it clear that the additional officer won’t be charged exclusively with patrolling the beaches and will have the same job description as others in the department.
    Mayor Geoffrey Pugh calls the proposed new hire “an extra policeman,” avoiding potential controversies about designations that might appear to favor one neighborhood or another.
    Commissioners say decisions about how to deploy the extra policeman will be left up to Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi. But there is no debating that the commission hopes the new hire will help convince beachfront residents that the town is serious about reining in misconduct on the beaches, a nagging issue for most of the last year.

Briny costs not passed along in full

    The proposed budget also has $76,000 to replace two police cars. The department is receiving $203,500 from the town of Briny Breezes to provide police services for the next year, based on a formula that calls for a 1.5 percent increase over the consumer price index of 2.1 percent.
    Commissioner Richard Lucibella complained that the town’s law enforcement budget rose 18 percent last year and is going up 7 percent in the proposed budget, yet those increases aren’t getting passed on to Briny Breezes.
    “You’re passing only 3.6 percent on to Briny,” Lucibella said. “Let’s think about that. You’re falling behind every year.”
    Commissioners did more grumbling over the cost of fire and emergency medical services from the Boynton Beach Fire Department. The bill for 2014-2015 will be about $979,000, up from about $655,000 when the contract started 10 years ago, because of a 4 percent minimum annual increase.
    “We need to put something in the budget we can use as a negotiating point,” said Commissioner James Bonfiglio, who wants to explore other options for EMS providers. “We need to increase our hand.”
    Town Manager Ken Schenck brought forward a proposed budget based on last year’s tax rate of $5.35, meaning a homeowner would pay $535 for each $100,000 of assessed value. To balance his proposed budget, Ocean Ridge would have to use about $436,000 from its reserves. Schenck said a tax of $5.93 is needed to balance the budget without using reserves, a 17 percent increase over the rollback rate.
    Commissioners approved a maximum tax rate of $5.5 and scheduled another budget workshop for 5 p.m. Aug. 11. Public hearings on the proposed 2014-15 budget will be held at 5 p.m. Sept. 9 and Sept. 16.

    A man died after being trapped under a boat that capsized July 27 in a calm ocean off Delray Beach.
    City lifeguards and firefighters responded to a distress call from the boat at 3:56 p.m., Delray Beach Fire-Rescue reported.
    Lifeguards used personal watercraft to reach the overturned boat and removed three men from the water. One man, pulled from under the boat, was in critical condition. He died after being taken to the hospital.
    Officials had not released the names of the three men as of press time. It was not clear why the boat capsized.
— Willie Howard

By Jane Smith
    
    Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes residents will not have to worry about fire-rescue response times next summer, thanks to a directive given to Boynton Beach’s city manager at the city’s annual budget workshops, held July 21-22.
    City commissioners directed Lori LaVerriere to find $44,000 to pay for three firefighter salaries July-September 2015.
    A grant the city was using to pay those salaries runs out on June 30, 2015. Without that money, the city’s fire chief said, he would have to shut down Station 1, which also serves the barrier islands, next summer.
    “The response time would increase by 20 to 30 seconds all over the city,” said Fire Chief Ray Carter.
    Vice Mayor Joe Casello was against cutting those positions. “If you take a man out of a truck the mission is compromised,” said Casello, a veteran firefighter. “I ran on public safety and I firmly believe in my heart that we have to keep it up.”
    The city’s fire-rescue budget increased by 7.9 percent because of higher pension costs, higher health care costs, a 3 percent raise carried forward for firefighters and equipment that needs to be replaced, he said.
    But the police chief said losing five vacant police positions would not compromise public safety.
    City commissioners put off a discussion on the proposed new police headquarters until they hear from Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, which led a May workshop on the town center. The Planning Council staff will present its findings to the City Commission an an Aug. 5 workshop. The May workshop focused on municipal buildings, including the Police Department headquarters.
    Boynton Beach commissioners will then decide between two methods to pay for the new police facility, estimated to cost at least $24.5 million. The first calls for covering the cost by borrowing $27.9 million over 25 years. It would be repaid with pledged revenue, raising the city’s debt annually by $1.2 million or 0.35 percent.
    The second method would be to take the question to the city’s voters. In that case, the ballot wording would have to be ready by January for the March 2015 municipal elections, the city clerk said. Voters would decide whether to approve borrowing $25.3 million for 25 years, increasing the debt service annually by $1.6 million or 0.48 percent.
    “That would be a considerable raise in the millage,” said Mayor Jerry Taylor. “You might want to think about going out and asking the public.”
    Also at the budget workshop, the city utilities director discussed his department’s plans to lay pipe under the Intracoastal Waterway to allow St. Andrews Club access to recycled water to irrigate its golf course greens by May 2016.
    That project is part of a five-year, $9.85 million expansion of the city’s reuse system, said Colin Groff. It would conserve water and reduce costs for customers.
    As an example, the utilities director said, a water customer outside the city would pay $2 per 1,000 gallons of potable water monthly; the recycled water would cost 34 cents for 1,000 gallons.
    “Plus it has nitrogen, so the greens would need less fertilizer,” Groff said.
    Throughout the budget workshops, City Commissioner Michael Fitzpatrick warned that a day of reckoning was coming.
 “We are approaching the end game on budgets. We can’t keep dipping into reserves,” he said.
    Commissioners approved a preliminary budget of $73.3 million, a 2.9 percent increase.
    They kept the tax rate at $7.9 per $1,000 of assessed value, the same as the previous year’s, although most property owners will pay more because their taxable values increased.
    The City Commission is to adopt the 2014-15 budget on Sept. 16.

By Dan Moffett

    Briny Breezes is looking at a budget for the new fiscal year that is largely a mirror image of last year’s numbers.
    During July budget workshops, Town Council members gave preliminary approval to keeping the current tax rate of $10 per $1,000 of assessed value and holding the line on expenditures with a general fund budget of $662,330 that shows about a 3.8 percent increase in expenses, compared with the 2013-14 fiscal year.
    Taxable values in Briny crept up 0.52 percent over the last year, from $35.21 million to $35.39 million, according the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. The town figures to generate about $345,000 in ad valorem tax revenues.
    “Our property values are pretty stable,” said council President Sue Thaler. “We don’t have any construction project going on that’s going to increase our property values quite a lot.”
    The town’s biggest expenses — police service from Ocean Ridge, which comes in slightly under last year’s cost at $210,000 this year, and fire-rescue service from Boynton Beach, which increases 4 percent annually — will cost about $540,000, almost 81 percent of the general fund budget. But Briny Breezes Inc., the corporation that owns the town’s property, will pay about 37 percent of the combined bill: $120,510 for fire-rescue and $77,350 for police.
    The council will hold two public hearings in September on the proposed budget.

By Mary Thurwachter

    The tax rate in Lantana hasn't changed for six years and there will be no change in the rate next year. At its July 28 meeting, the Town Council again set the rate at $3.24 per $1,000 of taxable property.
    The town will have more money to work with, thanks to the rebounding economy and the $39 million increase in taxable property values.  But expenses are up as well, and the proposed budget does have a $93,426 deficit. To counter that, the town will dip into its reserves — about $5 million.
    Vice Mayor Lynn Moorhouse argued for increasing the tax rates during workshop meetings.
    “I don’t see why we can’t raise taxes just a smidgen,” he said. “It wouldn’t make that much of a difference to taxpayers and it would mean so much to the town,” he said during a July 14 budget workshop. “We can’t keep taking from reserves.”
    But council member Tom Deringer said he didn’t want to raise taxes one bit.
    Mayor Dave Stewart said that a small change to the tax rate wouldn’t make that much of a positive difference in levies paid to the town.
    The budget does not call for cost of living raises for town employees, but does allow for merit raises of up to 2 percent, depending on annual evaluations.
    Among capital improvement expenditures are computers, library books, computer software, beach parking lot lights, a generator for Town Hall, an air conditioner for the library and a new police car for the chief.
    After the tax rate has been set, it cannot be increased, but could be decreased.
    Public budget hearings have been scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 9 and Sept 23 at Town Hall.
    In other action, the town agreed to terminate its agreement for legal services with Corbett, White and Davis, P.A. and enter into an agreement with R. Max Lohman.
    Lohman, who has served as the town’s counsel for eight years as part of Corbett, White and Davis, resigned from that firm on July 28. He had been with the company since 2003.
    “It was just time for a change,” Lohman, who founded Lohman Law Group, P.A., in July, said. “I really do care about Lantana.”
    Before Lohman served as the town’s counsel, Trela White, founder of Corbett, White and Davis, was the town’s attorney.
    “I really feel like we have been represented by two of the best attorneys in the state with Trela and Max,” Stewart said.
    Town manager Deborah Manzo said Lohman has “been a tremendous asset to the town” and that she works well with him.
    Stewart said that Lohman was familiar with the town’s issues and would be helpful going forward with matters such as the development of the A.G. Holley property.
    Lohman, a former U.S. Navy aviator, is also the city attorney for Palm Beach Gardens and the West Palm Beach DDA.
    In another matter, Robert Korijn, of 319 Atlantic Drive, got the OK to hold a private, five-minute fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. on Aug. 8.

By Mary Thurwachter

    Forgotten Soldiers Outreach has been forgotten too many times, says Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart, and he is ready to do something about it.
    The Hypoluxo Island resident has agreed to have his hair and beard shaved off if the Chamber of Commerce can raise $20,000 for Forgotten Soldiers Outreach by Veterans Day.
    Stewart, 62, has sported a Hemingway-like beard since he was 25, and his wavy locks pretty much all his life.
    Hizzoner is not nervous about noggin nakedness.
    “I’ve seen cancer patients have to endure baldness for years,” he said. “Six months (the time he anticipates for regrowth) is nothing. It’s worth it.”
    The idea for the fundraiser sprouted during a Chamber of Commerce business card exchange, routinely attended by a Forgotten Soldiers volunteer holding a little plastic box for donations.
    “Every time he’d end up with six or seven bucks,” Stewart said. “I thought, you know, four soldiers were killed in Iraq today and here we are exchanging business cards and having drinks. I challenged everyone to put $10 in the box.”
    One woman said she would put $500 in if Stewart would have his head and beard shaved. But Stewart had a larger number in mind — $20,000.
    Forgotten Soldiers Outreach is a nonprofit organization based in Lake Worth that mails care packages with donated items (toiletries, edible treats, reading material) and letters to military men and women serving abroad.
    The Chamber of Commerce is planning a Red, White and Buzz Festival at the Recreation Center from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 9 to celebrate veterans and soldiers, and featuring vendors, children’s activities, food, entertainment and the mayoral shaving. The money raised by the Chamber event would go toward postage.
    The Lantana Town Council on July 14 agreed to waive the $200 rental fee, which will be donated to Forgotten Soldiers Outreach.
    Follicly challenged council member Phil Aridas said Stewart will benefit from a chrome dome.
“Chicks really dig bald men,” he said.
    Lynn Smith, executive director of the Chamber, said more than $4,000 has already been raised.

IF YOU GO

What: Red, White & Buzz Festival
When: 2-6 pm Nov. 9
Where: Lantana Recreation Center, 418 S. Dixie Highway.
To donate: Mail checks payable to Forgotten Soldiers Outreach to Lantana Chamber of Commerce, 212 Iris Ave., Lantana, FL 33462.  Or go to www.forgottensoldiers.org (please note on check the event the donation is for).

By Dan Moffett
    
    Unable to find help from larger governments or a financing plan that suits them, Manalapan commissioners have decided to pay for their Audubon Causeway Bridge project the old-fashioned way.
    They will raise taxes.
    The Town Commission gave unanimous approval to a $0.25 increase in Manalapan property owners’ tax rate on July 22, raising the town’s operating rate to $3.15, meaning for every $100,000 in assessed value, a homeowner will pay about $315.
    The good news for property owners is that even with the increase, Manalapan still has the lowest tax rate in Palm Beach County.
    “I think it’s important that we still have the lowest rate in the county,” said Mayor David Cheifetz.
    The new revenue will go toward the $501,000 needed to begin the Audubon bridge project. The town will still have to take about $68,000 out of its reserves to cover the construction cost. But, commissioners said, they supported the balanced approach of paying for the work with a modest tax increase and a small amount from the town’s savings account, which is roughly $1.8 million.
    Commissioner Peter Isaac reported that the bridge project is moving forward “basically on schedule, with no change in cost.” In total, the new bridge will cost about $760,000, which includes replacing a water main.
    Isaac said designers have approved a “clear span” design that will use a continuous section to link both ends of the bridge. The design will require fewer pilings, which should help reduce the cost and construction time — perhaps by as much as two weeks.
However, a clear span design will limit the options for architectural details, the engineers say.
    The project is scheduled to get underway in April, with construction of the south side span expected to last about three months. After completion of the south side, traffic can move across without any weight restrictions, Isaac said.
    Commissioners are expecting the entire project to take about eight months, putting the finish date in December 2015.
    Overall, the proposed operating budget of $3.35 million for 2014-15 is about $60,000 higher (1.9 percent) than that of the current year.
    Commissioners decided against spending $28,000 to replace the town’s 9-year-old generator, opting instead to set aside $12,000 to see if it could be repaired.
    The commission is going forward with a $20,000 plan to replace the 11-year-old telephone system at Town Hall. The figure includes money to upgrade the conference communication system in the hall chambers.
    Town employees will get a 2.1 percent raise to cover the cost of inflation, and commissioners have set aside another 0.9 percent for merit raises.
    “Everyone will get cost-of-living,” Cheifetz told Town Manager Linda Stumpf, “but we’re giving you discretion to reward those employees whose performance is good.”
    The commission scheduled public hearings for the proposed budget for 5 p.m. Sept. 17 and Sept. 23.

    DELRAY BEACH — It is with a heavy heart that the family of Arthur Algonas of Delray Beach announces his passing on July 20. He fought a courageous fight against melanoma for three years.
    Arthur was born July 25, 1941, in Neptune, N.J., and lived at the Jersey Shore until 1977 when he and his young family moved to Delray Beach.  He was the founder and CEO of Delray Title and Abstract Company, founded in 1979. He worked arduously in seeing that his company be successful. He started in the title insurance industry in 1964, working for Chelsea Title in New Jersey. One of his biggest projects was doing searches on the Wetlands property where the Meadowlands now stands.
    He loved the mechanics of cars and boats, and was an avid fisherman. He was a fantastic cook, having won the annual Delray Elks Chili Cook-Off three times. He was a past member of the Brick, N.J., Jaycees, Delray Kiwanis, Delray Sunrise Rotary and the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, and a St. Vincent Ferrer eucharistic minister.
    For several years, Arthur coached T-ball and girl’s softball for the Delray National Little League. He was a member of the Delray Beach Elks Lodge 1770.
    Arthur was the son of the late Charles and Elsie Algonas. He is survived by the love of his life, his sweetheart, his wife of 48 years, Susan (Vashlishan), their three daughters Colleen (Dan) Leonard, Nancy (Michael) Zammuto and Kelly Algonas; sisters, Elsie and Eileen, grandchildren Michaela, Hailey, Kelly, Joey, Lorelei, A.J. and Charley.
    Once you met this wonderful man, you never forgot him.
— Submitted by the family

By Steven J. Smith

    HIGHLAND BEACH — Mary Stockstill Willman, or “the original Banshee Girl” as her family lovingly called her, died peacefully in her sleep on July 6 in her Highland Beach home. Born in Dayton, Ohio, on Nov. 10, 1923, she was married for nearly 50 years to World War II veteran Edward M. Willman, who died in 1994. She was matriarch to her surviving family of three children, nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
    Kimberlie Willman-Federer, Mrs. Stockstill Willman’s eldest granddaughter, said she earned the Banshee nickname through her husband, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps Dive Bomber Squadron VMSB-244. Known as the Bombing Banshees, the squadron fought with distinction in both the Bougainville and Philippines campaigns.
    “Nana and Papa were married within two weeks of their first meeting,” Willman-Federer said. “She loved him and cared for him after he contracted polio and was told he would never walk again. He started sailing as therapy and they made their life sailing through the salt waters of Biscayne Bay on their boat, Banshee.”
    The Banshee nickname endured into another generation when Euri Luce-Mead, Mrs. Stockstill Willman’s next eldest granddaughter, adopted it as the moniker of her company, Banshee Girls, which manufactures clothing and accessories.
    “She loved fiercely and lived every day to the fullest until the last and final day,” Luce-Mead said of her grandmother. “She won her race and we celebrate her life. I love her more than words can say.”
    “She was ‘pedal to the metal,’ full of energy and in all her glory throughout her life,” Willman-Federer added. “It was hard to keep up, but we learned quickly.
    “Nana was the glue to the family and showed us by example to live life to the fullest, with love for everything and everyone. Those lessons will remain in each of our entire lives and will be passed down to our children.”
    Mrs. Stockstill Willman had a passion for painting, a talent that has been shared by many in her family.
    “She loved art,” Willman-Federer said. “Painting was therapy for her and she loved to paint the family. She has done portraits of most of us. She also loved pictures of the ocean and sailboats.”

    Austine Luce, another granddaughter, said Mrs. Stockstill Willman “is a cherished spirit to remember.”
    “She is definitely dancing up there in her shiny cowgirl boots,” Luce said. “The ones with fringes on them.”
    A memorial service was held July 7 at Lorne & Sons Funeral Home in Delray Beach.

John (left) and Luke Therien photographed at Prime Catch.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Scott Simmons

    For years, it was the great South County lament.
    Why isn’t there a place for fine dining on the water?
    All that changed in 2004 with the Therien family opened Prime Catch in Boynton Beach.
    The family had owned the über-casual Banana Boat since 1971, first in Fort Lauderdale; the Theriens moved the restaurant to Boynton Beach in 1978.
    The family had owned the land on which Prime Catch sits since 1982. So why wait so long to open a higher-end place?
    “We didn’t feel that Boynton Beach was ready for a fine-dining restaurant,” says Luke Therien, son of the restaurant’s founder, John Therien. “It’s a little more working-class. Boca, Delray, Palm Beach Gardens have the higher end.”
    The family waited a quarter-century.
    “We thought, ‘Now maybe Boynton Beach is ready for a nice restaurant,’ ” Therien says.
    That vision proved to be correct.
    “The tourists and the seasonal people feel they want to go to a restaurant that’s not another chain. They want something that connects them to the environment,” he says.
    It’s no surprise, then, that Prime Catch is a place frequented by locals and tourists alike, who have their jaws set for fresh snapper or grouper, or even just a cocktail.
    “That’s the epitome of Florida. You want to sip a cocktail and have a nice Florida fish and you want to do it on the water, if you can,” Therien says.
    Customers love familiar faces, too.
    Executive Chef John Bonk opened the Prime Catch in 2004, and General Manager Sandra Turner joined the company in 2005.
    “We’ve got servers and kitchen people who’ve been there since we’ve opened. You don’t hear about 10-year cooks, managers, servers and bartenders, but we have them,” Therien says, adding, “Retention is so important in the restaurant business, so that helps us a lot.”
    Prime Catch employs 75 to 100 depending on the season or off-season. The restaurant seats about 275.
    Through it all, running the restaurant has remained a family affair.
    “My brother Gilles is the chef at Banana Boat, and I have another brother who works in the office, then I kind of bounce around between the two places and the office,” Therien says. “And my father still comes into the places as well.”
    The family doesn’t just come in to work.
    Therien enjoys relaxing over a meal at his family’s restaurant, and he sits outside, regardless of the temperature.
    “We’re gonna sit outside right on the water, as close to the rail as possible. You smell the air and you see the boats go by. Even on a 90-degree day, most people want to sit outside,” he says, adding, “Even in the summer, there’s always a little bit of a tradewind coming off the ocean, so you can always be comfortable.”

Prime Catch, 700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach. 737-8822.

By Dan Moffett

    Decades of dealing with the world’s worst calamities could not have prepared the Red Cross for the unnatural disaster that was waiting on Point Manalapan.
    In June, representatives of Palm Beach County’s chapter won the Town Commission’s approval to stage a Red Cross Designers’ Show House fundraising event on Audubon Causeway.
    By July, a firestorm of protest had consumed the Point.
    Dozens of angry residents called Town Hall, wrote letters and sent emails complaining that life in Manalapan would be forever changed should the Red Cross be allowed to proceed.
    Fred Gould complained that the event would attract people who “have no reason to be in the community” who could be coming “solely to ‘case the community’ for criminal purpose.”
    “Statistically speaking, an increase in incidents from minor traffic violations to major crime-related activity is inevitable,” wrote Rebecca Romero. “I cannot fathom for a second why we are OK with this.”
    “I know firsthand the intricacies of putting a Show House together,” wrote Cindy Ray, an interior designer familiar with the event. “This always was a mess in the past and caused traffic jams with little to no parking or respect for parking. … This island was not built to support this kind of invasion (in all senses of the word) (of) our privacy.”
    Commissioners were inundated with callers demanding that they reverse their vote. But they didn’t have to. The Red Cross pulled out.
    “The Red Cross is always looking for opportunities to be neighborly,” said Tammy Jackson-Moore, spokesperson for the American Red Cross Palm Beaches-Treasure Coast. “So we will go somewhere else. We understand that some of the people in the neighborhood had raised concerns about the traffic and other issues. We do appreciate the people who supported us in Manalapan, however.”
    Lambert Van Der Walde, whose home at 45 Audubon Causeway was to have held the event from Feb. 19 to March 21, declined to comment. Van Der Walde had convinced the commission at its June meeting that parking and traffic wouldn’t be a problem, and that the event would raise about $250,000 for the Red Cross.
    The commission had voted 4-1 in favor of the plan, with Commissioner Ronald Barsanti dissenting and Commissioner Clark Appleby absent.
    Daryl Cheifetz (wife of Mayor David Cheifetz), spoke against the plan at the meeting and led a group of residents who circulated a letter urging homeowners to call Town Hall and complain. She told commissioners that “quiet little Manalapan” was threatened by hundreds of visitors “driving around and cruising” the streets.
    “The Red Cross has not taken into consideration the residents of Point Manalapan,” the letter said. “The reason many of us moved to Manalapan was for privacy and the serenity the neighborhood afforded. Are we to be faced with approximately 75 visitors per day driving and walking around our island?”
    Mayor Cheifetz commended the group for its grass-roots community involvement and for generating “a tremendous amount of support” against the Red Cross plan. He assigned Town Attorney Keith Davis the task of writing an ordinance governing the size and duration of special events, such as charity fundraisers, for the commission to consider at the August meeting.

    In other business:
    • The commission recognized Police Chief Carmen Mattox with a plaque honoring his “compassion and professionalism” and “job well done” in service to the town.
    • At the request of the town’s Architectural Commission, Town Attorney Davis wrote a definition of lawn ornaments that is intended to distinguish them from statues and other large, immobile objects: “Lawn ornaments are decorative objects placed in the grassy area of properties. Lawn ornaments are distinguished from statues in that they are small in size, not taller than 42 inches in height, and are designed and meant to be easily portable.”
Lawn ornaments generally do not require the town’s review, but statues and larger elements do. ;

The Sundy House originally was home to Delray Beach’s first mayor.

The house and surrounding properties sold for $21 million. 

Photo provided

By Christine Davis

    Hudson Holdings has purchased Delray Beach’s historic hotel property, the Sundy House, and surrounding properties for a combined $21 million.
    The assemblage is made up of more than 7 acres with approximately 265 feet of frontage on West Atlantic Avenue. Redevelopment plans include hotel, retail and office space anchored by the Sundy House, which will act as an event venue, bar, five-star restaurant and cottages. Other properties purchased in the portfolio include the Cathcart House, built in 1903, and the Rectory, built in 1912.
    The founding of the first bank and Baptist church took place in the Sundy home, as well as the incorporation of Delray in 1911, according to historic county archives.
    “I have owned many of the homes on these properties and I like the fact that we are going to do lots of new things there and do think it is important for us to keep in mind the history.” says Virgina Atrip Snyder, long-time resident, Delray Beach historian and muse for the well-known show Murder She Wrote. 
    Hudson Holdings recently purchased the historic Gulfstream Hotel in Lake Worth.
                                 ***
    To be clear, it’s the 7,200-square-foot commercial building on 1.37 acres — not the business — that’s for sale at 1353 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Priced at $3.7 million, the property is offered through Bryan S. Cohen of Cohen Commercial Realty Inc.
    The business, Kraeer Funeral Home, is moving just down the street and combining with Babione Funeral Home, 1100 N. Federal Highway. Both are owned by the same company, Service Corporation International, a provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services.
    “We don’t sell our funeral businesses. We sell real estate,” emphasized Melissa Pitalo, the company’s market director of operations. SCI acquired Kraeer Funeral Homes in 2006, and Babione was acquired by an SCI affiliate in 1994. “The families are still very active in day-to-day operations,” Pitalo said. “Mrs. (Helen) Babione resides behind the east Boca funeral home, and Mr. (R. Jay) Kraeer’s nephew, Bob Russell, is still involved, too.
    Both the Kraeers and the Babiones opened their first funeral homes in the early 1950s, she said. “The industry is made up of caring and compassionate people and there’s a true legacy of how they bonded with their communities.”
    Families who currently hold pre-need funeral policies have been told of the merger, she said. “It just made more sense to combine the two funeral homes, rather than operating them separately across the street from each other.”

Members of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches prepared a patriotic-themed picnic

for families at Quantum House in West Palm Beach.

Photo provided

                             
    On July 10, as part of a Florida Realtors initiative to help fight homelessness, members of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches toured The Lord’s Place to discuss how Realtors can assist in breaking the cycle of homelessness. “The facilities at The Lord’s Place are impressive and they provide amazing services to the less fortunate and, as a result, are changing many lives,” said Sherri Meadows, 2014 president of Florida Realtors. “The conversations we had will help the leadership team and I draft the necessary regulations and legislation to create an even bigger impact on our communities than what we are doing right now.”
    On June 28, members of the Realtors Association prepared a patriotic-themed picnic for the families at the Quantum House. Among the 14 Realtor- and affiliate-volunteer chefs were Matthew Halperin, the association’s president-elect, and Pamela Banks, chairwoman of its Community Outreach Committee.
    The Quantum House is a hospital hospitality house that serves families between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale with children who have a serious illness and are being treated in a medical facility in Palm Beach County.

BELOW (from left): Flowers, Gubana, Martin; (inset below) Van Vechten
                               
    Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing recently announced the addition of four new members to its advisory board.  
    Jesse Flowers II, vice president and commercial lender with 1st United Bank in Boca Raton, has more than 15 years of experience in the banking industry. A resident of Lake Worth, he is actively involved in several community organizations, including as a board member of the Downtown Rotary Club.
    Carrol B. Gubana has more than 40 years’ diversified experience in the banking, retail and travel industries. She is a past member representative of both the Boca Raton and Delray Beach chambers of commerce, as well as a member of Wells Fargo’s Reading to Children program.
    Joseph Martin is vice president and owner of Allegiance Home Health and Rehab Inc. He was instrumental in developing the Sapphire Parkinson’s Care program, a caregiver certification program. A member of the Boca Raton community for 20 years, Martin is involved in a number of community organizations, and serves as a trustee for the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce.
    Jay H. Van Vechten is the executive director of the annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities. Also, he is immediate past chair of the city of Boca Raton Advisory Board for People with Disabilities.
                                 

                               
     In addition to The Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s Festival Days events listed last month, add these to your calendar:
    On Aug. 4, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and Plum Productions Video will host “Boca’s Got Talent” at the Dubliner in Mizner Park. “We’re currently looking for acts to showcase like singers, jugglers, magicians, comedians, or anyone else who has a unique talent,” said Jennifer Jager, president of Plum Productions Video. “It’s a great opportunity for businesspeople in our community to reveal a different side of themselves, have fun and support a truly worthy cause: the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.” Admission for spectators is $20. To participate, call Jennifer Jager at (561) 800-2105, Ext. 3, or email talent@plumproductionsmedia.com
    From 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 15, the Junior League of Boca Raton will hold “The Taste of Royal Palm Place.” Guests will enjoy food and drinks from an assortment of restaurants in Royal Palm Place, 101 Plaza Real South, Boca Raton, with proceeds going to the Junior League of Boca Raton. Sponsors include Bell Rock Capital, Investments Limited and Royal Palm Place. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at jlbr.org.
     At 8 p.m. Aug. 15,  DocMiami International Film Festival, in partnership with The Shops at Boca Center and the Palm Beach Outdoor Cinema, will present a special screening of filmmaker Rich Gold’s In The Footsteps of Willie Sutton. The documentary chronicles Sutton’s long criminal career as a bank robber and his three masterful prison escapes. Gold will be available for a question-and-answer session after the film.
    The screening will take place at The Shops at Boca Center, 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton. VIP tickets for reserved seating cost $7 and are available at docmiami.org. Additional complimentary self-seating will be available at the event in the Courtyard.
    From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22, The Wyndham Boca Raton, 1950 Glades Road, will host “Battle of the Bartenders,” a Chamber celebrity bartending event benefiting the Best Foot Forward Foundation. Celebrity bartenders include Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Boca Raton Chamber; Randy Nobles, 2014 chair of the Boca Raton Chamber; professional auctioneer Neil Saffer; Leslie Glickman of Yoga Journey and returning champions J.C. Perrin and Ingrid Fulmer. Tickets are $25 until Aug. 21 and $30 at the door. To make reservations, visit www.bestfoot.org or call 470-8300. 
    The Golden Bell Education Foundation will partner with Image360 for “Boca Meets Broadway — Gold, White & Black,” from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Wick Theater, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Proceeds will go to the Golden Bell Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) corporation created by the Boca Chamber’s board of directors to support Boca Raton public schools. Tickets are $75 per person, or $130 per couple.

INSET BELOW: Garcia, Nunez

    In June, Currie Sowards Aguila Architects announced the addition of two architects to its firm, Oscar Garcia and Fernando Nunez.
    Garcia will lead the firm’s hospitality design studio. A graduate of Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning, Garcia’s credits include 50 hospitality projects throughout Florida and the Caribbean, including the Atlantic Hotel in Miami Beach, Trump International Hotel in Fort Lauderdale and the Inn on Fifth in Naples.
     Nunez joined the firm as a project architect and project manager. A registered architect with 13 years of related experience in the commercial and public-sector markets, Nunez will be an integral member of the firm’s commercial design studio. He holds a master of architecture degree from the University of Florida.    Nunez is currently managing the Rocco’s Tacos project and will be a key member of the West Atlantic Avenue mixed-use project.
                                 

    At its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 14, the Boca Real Estate Investment Club will feature local consumer credit experts and club members Stephen Leifer and Joseph Zappoli, presenting on, “All About Business and Personal Credit.” They will focus on credit repair, credit building, identity theft and how to obtain business funding. The meeting will be held at Gold Coast School of Real Estate, 7035 Beracasa Way, No. 206, Boca Raton. The cost is $20. For information, call 391-7325.

***
                                 
    Through Sept. 30, area residents can make Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa their private playground. “Locals looking for an appetizer-sized taste of the good life can experience a day of access to the resort’s amenities for the price of a $250 spa treatment,” said John Bradway, the resort’s director of marketing. “For those who want more than just a taste, locals can also treat Eau’s world-class and award-winning facilities like their own, for an all-summer price of $5,000.” To purchase treatments in Eau Spa, call 540-4960. For summer access, call 540-4830. For year-round membership at La Coquille Club, call 540-4830.

***
                                 
    At the Spa Care Center’s opening celebration on June 23, guests enjoyed vegan refreshments, received gift bags with samples of chemical-free De La Terre Skincare and learned about the center’s services. Boca Raton’s first oncology spa, the facility is dedicated to uplifting the spirits of cancer patients, through specialized treatments aimed toward making them feel and look their best. Spa Care Center is at 124 S. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. For information, call 465-5070.

***
                                  
    The Downtown Development Authority, Delray Beach Magazine and 16 downtown Delray Beach restaurants raised $3,331 as a donation toward the city’s beach pavilion project. The fundraising was part of a collaborative effort tied to the sixth annual Savor the Avenue strolling international food event to be held Aug. 7 and 8. The check was presented by David Cook, the owner of Hands Stationers on Atlantic Avenue. Contact Tastemasters of Delray for more information: 243-1077.

***
                                 
     At 11 a.m. Aug. 9 — almost in line with National Lighthouse Day — the Lighthouse Point Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will dedicate a national historic marker for the 108-year-old Hillsboro Inlet Light Station (also known as The Big Blue Diamond).
     The public is invited to attend and visit the museum, at Hillsboro Inlet Park, 2700 N. Ocean Blvd., Pompano Beach. Adults, and children with adults, can climb the lighthouse and take a boat tour (if they wear close-toed shoes and join the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Foundation).

Grace and Giovanni Marquez of Fashion Shoppes Boutique in downtown Boynton Beach.

Photo provided

     Of course, guys are enthusiastically welcomed at Fashion Shoppes Boutique, FSB, a 44-year-old men’s store at 515 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach, but they can visit online, if they prefer. With a Web presence for 15 years, and style conscious at its very heart, FSB recently relaunched www.fashionmenswear.com, making its shopping experience even better. FSB customers can now browse the latest in men’s fashions by brand, category and occasion.
    On FSB’s landing page, they will find owner Giovanni Marquez’s clothing recommendations, guaranteed to make the wearer “a trendsetter,” creating “lasting impressions.” On its blog, sports and fashion sensibilities are intermingled.
     Take this post for example:  “How are you celebrating Germany’s (World Cup soccer) win? We suggest that if you are an FSB Man and customer of FashionMenswear, that you dress like the players in Europe and the Americas. …” To do that, FSB’s fashionistas suggest that their shoppers put their best foot forward, and click-through to see FSB’s new arrival of Giovanni Marquez shoes.

***
                                 
    Palm Beach State College’s Public Safety Training Center on the Lake Worth campus has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
     LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices; gold is the second highest certification.
     The college’s training center, completed in April 2013, earned certification for its successful use of methods to conserve energy, water and resources.
     These included super-insulated walls, roofs and windows; energy-efficient lighting; low-flow water fixtures; materials with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds); and use of regional and recycled materials.
    A new central energy plant, built concurrently with the Public Safety Training Center — designed by Stephen Boruff, AIA, Architects + Planners Inc. and built by Balfour Beatty Construction — was designed to power the center and three other complexes on the Lake Worth campus.
“We added 140,000 square feet of new construction and our energy consumption went down by over 1.1 million kilowatt-hours,” said John Wasukanis, facilities director.
    “It just runs so efficiently that we actually reduced our overall electrical consumption by almost 21 percent, saving the college approximately $132,000 in the first year of operation.”

***
                                 
    In late June, Glades Brewery Partners and Palm Beach Brewery Associates, owners of Brewzzi restaurants with locations at 2222 Glades Road in Boca Raton, and CityPlace in West Palm Beach, filed jointly for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure their debts. Palm Beach Brewery Associates listed debt that includes $1.7 million owed to Florida Community Bank and $650,000 in unsecured debt for unpaid operating costs and services. The company’s assets are estimated at $2.5 million. Glades Brewery listed $3 million in debt, with $2 million owed to Florida Community Bank and $900,000 in unsecured claims. The company’s assets are estimated at $2.13 million. Brewzzi CityPlace closed after a judge ruled in favor of the landlord to evict the restaurant, and is appealing the decision. Brewzzi Boca Raton is operating as normal.

                   
Christine Davis is a freelance writer. Send business news to her at cdavis9797@comcast.net.

Robert Sweetapple surprises Fred Astaire Dance instructor Ashley Jones with a lift

during rehearsal for this year’s Boca Ballroom Battle to benefit the George Snow Scholarship Fund.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

    On a warm Wednesday evening in late July, Robert Sweetapple and Ashley Jones are navigating the floor at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Boca Raton as Rod Stewart sings the Motown classic Same Old Song from the loudspeakers.
    To be precise, Ashley Jones — a professional instructor at the school — is dancing. Robert Sweetapple, a high-powered lawyer, is … improving.
    “This is my 14th lesson, and I’m going to need 10 more,” Sweetapple joked during a break — which is unfortunate, because the eight amateurs competing in this year’s Boca Ballroom Battle get only 15 lessons before the Aug. 16 competition. 
    The event, now in its seventh year, raises money for the George Snow Scholarship Fund, and Sweetapple has put his commitment to education ahead of any fear of embarrassment.
    A managing member of Sweetapple, Broeker & Varkas, he has lived in Boca Raton for 28 years. He and his wife, Karen, have four children — all of whom attended Gulf Stream School. Three are away at college and the youngest attends St. Andrew’s School while their father attends the Fred Astaire.
    “I’m definitely slow on the uptake,” Sweetapple confessed before returning to the lesson, “but it’s amazing how with practice you can get the basic gist of it.
    “I just thank God I’ve done better in court than I do here!”
— Ron Hayes

TEN QUESTIONS

    Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
    A.  My dad died when I was 10, so in 1965 we moved to Perrine, south of Miami, from Fairfield, Calif., and I went to elementary school there. Then we moved to Plantation, where I graduated from Nova High School in Fort Lauderdale. That was the Broward County magnet school, and it allowed me to go on to Colgate University in New York, and then the University of Florida law school. If I’d stayed where I was, I’d be picking tomatoes with all the rest of my neighbors.
    
    Q. What professions have you worked in? What life accomplishments are you most proud of?
    A. I’ve been a trial lawyer for 34 years, primarily practicing commercial litigation, and I’m most proud of being able to help people who are sometimes in the worst situation they’ve ever been in and help them through tough times. And I’ve made a lot of very good friends in the process.
    
    Q.  How is it that you were pursued to dance in this year’s Boca Ballroom Battle event?
    A.  My wife and Tim Snow conspired. After 32 years of marriage, my wife wants to see some new moves.
    
    Q. Why is the George Snow foundation important to you?
    A. Because it makes education available to worthy young people who otherwise couldn’t afford to obtain a great education. There’s a very short window. If you don’t go to college in that window, the odds of you going back later in life narrow every year.
    
    Q. How did you choose to make your home in coastal Boca Raton?
    A. I’ve always loved boating and the water, and growing up in Plantation, a lot of my friends lived in east Lauderdale. In 1965, Plantation was in the middle of nowhere, and I vowed I would never live in the Everglades again. We’ve been in Boca since 1986.
    
    Q. What is your favorite part about living in Boca? 
    A. The boating. I have a Donzi 35-foot fishing boat and a Fairline cabin cruiser. I fish a little bit, but primarily we take it to the islands.

    Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 
    A. “Life’s battles are not always won by the stronger or faster man, but sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.” Napoleon Hill    
    Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. My biggest mentor other than my own mother was Joan Kamilar, who was my best friend’s mother when I was growing up in Perrine. I asked her once what was the most important word in the English language, and she said “empathy.” She said, “When you feel sorry for someone because you think you’re better than they are, that’s sympathy. When you realize you’re no better, that’s empathy.” She was a professed atheist, but I’ve never met a person I’d consider more of a Christian.
    
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
    A. Well, I’d want it to be a comedy. Could it be Eddie Murphy?
    
Q. Who/what makes you laugh?
    A. Everything! Having a sense of humor is inside you, and you have to start by laughing at yourself.

IF YOU GO
Boca’s Ballroom Battle, a fundraiser for the George Snow Scholarship Fund
Where: The Boca Raton Resort & Club
When: 6 p.m. Aug. 16
Tickets: Starting at $150
Information: 347-6799 or www.scholarship.org

Mark Gerretson, who loved to fish, started the Holiday Toy Drive Fishing Tournament

in 1994 to benefit the Delray Beach Police Department’s annual drive.

After his death in 2005, friends named the fishing tournament for Gerretson.

Contributed by Pat Gerretson

By Willie Howard

    Mark Gerretson loved fishing, cooking and raising money to help kids in Delray Beach.
    As president of the Delray Beach Jaycees, Gerretson founded the annual Holiday Toy Drive Fishing Tournament in 1994 to benefit the Delray Beach Police Department’s holiday toy drive.
    The tournament grew over the years and continued to raise money for a variety of charitable causes in Delray Beach, including the 505 Teen Center, the Boys & Girls Club and scholarships for Atlantic High School students.
    The 20th anniversary of Gerretson’s fishing tournament will be Aug. 9, and will be  based at Veterans Park on the Intracoastal Waterway at Atlantic Avenue.
    Gerretson, a self-employed tile setter, died in 2005 from a heart condition.
    His idea for an annual fundraising fishing tournament — now called the Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing Tournament — lives on through the dedication of a group of Mark’s friends and family members who serve on the tournament committee.
    “We really have tried to stay true to Mark’s vision for helping the community,” said his brother, Jim Gerretson, who will travel from Maryland to grill food this year at the annual Mark in the Park party near the weigh-in scales at Veterans Park.
    “We always feel he’s watching over us,” said Mark’s friend Chris Reich, owner of the Delray Camera Shop and member of the tournament committee. “It was his tournament. We feel his presence.”
    Committee member Tim Knapp, owner of the Printer’s Choice print shop, plans to fish the tournament again this year. He knows the competition will be tough, recalling the 2012 tournament when his 48-pound wahoo was beaten by two heavier fish.
    Attending the kickoff party the night before the Gerretson tournament and Mark in the Park cookout at Veterans Park has become an annual tradition for many, tournament committee member Carol Eaton said.
    “We’ve had people coming to that weigh-in for 20 years,” Eaton said.
    Tournament teams will be fishing for kingfish, dolphin, wahoo and a mystery fish.
    The mystery fish will be selected during the captains meeting and kickoff party, set for 6-8 p.m. Aug. 8, at the Delray Beach Elks Lodge, 265 NE Fourth Ave.
    On tournament day (Aug. 9), the scales will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Veterans Park.
    The entry fee is $200 per boat. To enter this year’s 20th anniversary tournament, attend the captains meeting or complete an application and drop off the entry fee at one of four locations before Aug. 8.
    The drop-off locations for tournament entries are:
    • Boynton Fisherman’s Supply, 618 N. Federal Highway
    • Delray Beach Elks Lodge, 265 NE Fourth Ave.
    • Delray Camera Shop, 186 NE Second Ave.
    • Ray’s Offshore Fishing Tackle, 1940 NW Second Ave., Boca Raton.
    For tournament info, call Noel Bourque at 927-8092 or visit www.mgmft.net.
                                     
Flotsam
    • Ron Smith caught a 19.75-pound mutton snapper May 24 while fishing on the Living on Island Time drift boat, based at the Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo. Smith’s chubby mutton snapper hit a dead sardine in 130 feet of water off the south end of Boynton Beach. Although his fish was very large, it’s still more than 10 pounds shy of the 30.25-pound all-tackle world record mutton snapper caught in the Dry Tortugas in 1998.
    • The regular spiny lobster season opens Aug. 6 and continues through March 31. The daily bag limit is six lobsters per person. To be legal to keep, a lobster’s carapace, or head section, must measure more than 3 inches. Lobster must be measured under water and brought ashore whole. No egg-bearing lobster may be taken. Don’t forget to display red-and-white dive flags on the boat and float-mounted dive flags marking divers or snorkelers in the water. For details, go to www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lobster.
    • Palm Beach County’s annual Lionfish Derby, a roundup of the invasive Pacific fish, will be held Aug. 16 at Sailfish Marina on Singer Island. It begins with a mandatory captains meeting on the evening of Aug. 15 at Sailfish Marina. The $150 entry fee includes two banquet tickets and gloves used to handle lionfish, which have venomous spines. For details, go to www.reef.org.
                                     
    Tip of the month:  Troll the ocean in the early morning for wahoo. The days around the full moons of August and September are among the best times of year to catch wahoo. The striped ocean speedsters can reach over 100 pounds and have been known to sever leaders and straighten hooks.
    Start by heading to a tackle shop to make sure you’ve got gear sturdy enough to handle wahoo — or fish with someone who targets wahoo regularly. Try trolling with artificial lures, rigged mullet, large ballyhoo or bonito strips behind a lure in 120 to 300 feet. Troll over structure such as natural and artificial reefs.
    The best bite tends to be early in the morning. Fish around inlets on the outgoing tide, if possible.
    Wahoo also hit live bait such as goggle-eyes and blue runners. Try slow-trolling live bait below the surface on a downrigger or let the bait fish run free while drifting.
    There’s no size limit on wahoo, but sporting anglers release the small “wee-hoo.” Daily bag limit: two wahoo per person.  Beware the wahoo’s sharp teeth. Handle them with a gaff, and move them directly into a cooler.

Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

The Boca Raton Musuem of Art in Mizner Park.

By Lucy Lazarony
    
    Sip a complimentary glass of wine, take in the art, people watch, grab a sketchpad and create your own version of an inspiring museum piece.
    Welcome to Late Night Thursday at the Boca Raton Museum of Art.  
    With free admission, later hours, invitations to create with drawing boards (paper and pencils provided), plus assistance from volunteer artists and teachers, it makes for a fun night for artists and art lovers alike.
    “It makes the art so much more accessible when you take a number of barriers away,” says Irvin Lippman, the new executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “Plus, you promise a good time. It’s a winning combination.”
    More than 500 people came to the first Late Night Thursday in June. And Lippman says there are plans for many more.
    “It’s great to be here with a lot of people to feel the energy,” Lippman says.  “It’s very exciting.”
    Upcoming Late Night Thursday events are scheduled for Aug. 28 and Sept. 18. Late Night Thursday begins at 5:30 p.m. and runs through 8 p.m., with sketching at the museum kicking off at 6.   
    In August, Late Night guests will have their first look at the 63rd Annual All Florida Juried Competition and Exhibition. And there will be a “blowout” sale in the museum gift shop in to make way for a redesign and all new merchandise.
    Sketching at the museum invites artists of all ages to create their own version of a museum masterpiece with feedback and drawing demonstrations by volunteer artists and teachers.
    “Copy it, draw it and be inspired by it,” Lippman says.
    The free sketching events are also an opportunity for museum guests to learn about classes at The Art School, which is located nearby at 801 W. Palmetto Park Road.  
     “If they are interested in developing the talent they have they should go to Palmetto (Park) Road,” Lippman says of inspired Late Night guests. “There’s something for everybody there.”
    Morning, afternoon and evening classes are available in ceramics, drawing, jewelry, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture for adults, teens and youths.
    “It’s a great way to release that inner creativity that everyone has,” Lippman says.  
    Classes for the fall term begin Sept. 8.  There is an open house for adult art classes at The Art School from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 23.

Summer sun and heat can turn the inside of a car or truck

deadly in just a few minutes, so don’t leave your pet inside your vehicle.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Arden Moore

    In Palm Beach County, August typically marks the month where hot merits capital letters in importance — and annoyance.
    Anyone — including our pets — can become overheated and suffer from heat stroke in a matter of minutes. Untreated, pets can go into cardiac arrest and die.
    Take the case of a 5-year-old French bulldog who was visiting Boynton Beach from Naples last summer. During the drive across the state, his owner glanced in his rearview mirror and discovered that his beloved dog was not moving. He steered his car directly into the parking lot at the Colonial Animal Hospital in Boynton Beach for emergency medical help.
    “When this dog entered our clinic, he had a 107-degree fever (100.5 to 102.5 is the range for a healthy dog) and was suffering from shock and severe heatstroke,” recalls Rob Martin, DVM, veterinarian and owner of this clinic and the Colonial Gateway Veterinary Center, also in Boynton Beach. “Most people know about not leaving a dog inside a closed car in a parking lot — even with the windows cracked — but this was a case of a dog overheating in a moving car with the windows down in the heat of the summer. This was not an uncaring or neglectful owner, but it demonstrates just how quickly a pet can overheat.”
    Fortunately, this French bulldog survived. He underwent intensive, lifesaving care at Martin’s clinic. He was cooled down upon arrival and received intravenous fluids to combat the shock and heatstroke he suffered during the car ride. He was rehydrated and his electrolyte imbalance was corrected. The next day, he was reunited with his owner.
    Sadly, veterinarians throughout Palm Beach County expect to be treating far too many dogs, cats and other pets for heat-related conditions this month.
    “Most dogs in South Florida live indoors and are used to living in environments between 72 and 74 degrees,” notes Martin. “They have no heat tolerance and they definitely should never be left in a parked car, even for a few minutes while their owner stops in a store to run a quick errand.”
    Martin, whose family shares their home with five dogs and three cats, shares this advice for protecting your dog during walks this summer.
    “Do the palm test first,” he says. “If you place your palm on the pavement and it is too hot for you, it is too hot for your dog’s paws. Our dogs are more used to walking on carpet in air-conditioned townhouses and should not be taken for a 2-mile walk on pavement during the heat of the day. They can lose tissue off the bottom of their feet and the paw pad surface can die and then would need to be treated as an open wound.”
    So, time your walks in the early morning and after the sun sets in the evening. And always bring water and a collapsible small bowl for your dog to stay hydrated during the walk.
    And, seek immediate veterinary care if your pet displays any or all of these signs of heat exhaustion:
    • Bright red gums
    • Excessive salivation
    • Dilated pupils with a panic look on the face
    • Excessive panting and difficulty breathing
    • Collapsing or convulsing
    • Vomiting and diarrhea
    “Dogs and cats cool themselves through breathing (panting) and they only sweat through their feet,” explains Martin. “They can get sick in a real hurry from heat exposure. And indoor cats who like to nap in sunny spots indoors can have problems with corneal lesions in our latitude.”
    If your dog or cat shows signs of being overheated, do not jolt their systems by putting them in icy water. Instead, place their paws in cool water and wrap their bodies in wet cool towels en-route to a veterinary clinic.
    “If you try to cool them too quickly with ice, you can cause shock,” warns Dr. Martin.
    Final advice: Do not give your thick-coated dogs a buzz haircut.
    I share my home with Chipper, a husky-golden retriever mix who sheds a lot. But I realize that her coat is designed to keep her cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Shaving her coat puts her at risk for sunburn and heat exhaustion because she cannot regulate her body temperature as well.
    If you have a dog or cat with a thick coat, have a professional pet groomer trim and leave about an inch of hair.  At home, keep your pet cool in the summer by stepping up your brushing and combing sessions.

Heating up in a car
So, how hot does it get in a parked car for a dog — even with the windows opened a bit? Check out this video from nationally known veterinarian Ernie Ward, DVM.
He sat inside a parked car as the temperature inside reached 116 degrees within a half-hour.
Watch how quickly his clothes and body get soaked.
To view this video, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOcCQ-y3OY or visit www.thecoastalstar.ning.com.

Learn more
Check out the services provided by Rob Martin, DVM, at his two clinics in Boynton Beach — Colonial Animal Hospital and Colonial Gateway Veterinary Center — at www.colonialanimalhospital.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 www.fourleggedlife.com.

By Ron Hayes
 
    In her 2009 memoir, Minor League Mom, Pamela Carey shared the humor she found among the home runs and foul balls after her sons, Tim and Todd, joined a Boston Red Sox farm team back in the 1990s.
    Now she’s back with a humorous look at the other end of life’s game.
    In Elderly Parents With All Their Marbles: A Survival Guide for the Kids, Carey offers 49 “essential points” for the adult children of aging parents. And again she finds the humor amid the heartbreak.
    “We brought my parents down here from Greenwich, Conn., when we bought our home in Gulf Stream 20 years ago,” Carey recalled recently. “It wasn’t an easy task, but I truly believe it added 10 years to their lives.”
    That’s Rule 1: Bite the bullet — move them closer.
    Carey’s parents, Walt and Ev, were in their 80s when they arrived in Leisureville, a retirement community just across the bridge in Boynton Beach.
    “That first year, there was a lot of ‘Why did you move us? We can’t drink the water. The A/C bills are so high. We have no friends,’” she said. “But Leisureville provided an instant support group, and my father became a block captain until his early 90s.”
    A former high school English teacher who still keeps a daily journal, Carey drew on those daily entries to flavor her rules with smiles.
    “My dad would always collect the uneaten food when we went out to eat,” she remembered, “and in addition, he would wrap all the rolls in napkins and put them in his pockets. One day, as we were preparing to leave, all the rolls spilled out.”
In time, though, her parents began to fail. Her father died at 90, her mother at 95. As Carey recounts their finals years, months and days, the advice grows more somber, with practical advice about hospitals, nursing homes and, finally, Rule 49: There is no right or wrong way to get through a loss.
    Carey’s book concludes with an extensive appendix of “Useful Definitions, Notes, Websites and Phone Numbers,” from AARP to Veterans Affairs.
    “I’ve read that there will be a 48 percent increase in the need for caregivers in the next 10 years,” she said, “but only a 1 percent increase in the supply, so the topic is extremely relevant right now.”
    For her part, Carey is moving on to a lighter and livelier subject.
    “My next book,” she said, “will be about women’s tennis teams and the stress of competing if you’re 55 or older and someone comes out in her 20s in a sports bra and wants to get the match over as soon as possible to go home and get the kids.”

Pam Carey’s books are available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Her blog can be found at minorleaguemom.blogspot.com.

The 17th hole at Seagate Country Club at the Hamlet is considered one of the best holes

at the club, which is lengthening its course to nearly 7,100 yards.

Photo provided

By Steve Pike

    In the golf world, longer is always better, whether it’s a new driver technology that’s touted to give a player 20 extra yards off the tee or a golf course that’s adding length to combat the aforementioned technology.
    Count The Seagate Country Club at the Hamlet in Delray Beach among those golf courses going long.
    The club, part of The Seagate Resort & Spa on East Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, is lengthening the course by approximately 300 yards, primarily by adding back tee boxes to seven holes.
    The new Seagate “Black’’ tees will lengthen the course to nearly 7,100 yards versus the nearly 6,780 yards currently on its scorecard.
    The most significant change will be on the course’s par-five, ninth. The new back tee will lengthen the course from 530 yards to more than 600 yards — a rare length for a South Florida course.
    “The course at 7,100 yards will bring in a lot of people,’’ said Darren Panks, the club’s director of golf.  “When players look at the scorecard they see 6,780 yards and think that’s a little bit on the short side. If we get something on the card that says 7,100 yards — that’s an attraction for better players. And with today’s equipment changes (clubs and balls) you have to have a course that’s at least 7,100 yards long to attract anyone who is somewhat of a better player.’’
    Even at slightly less than 6,800 yards, Seagate Country Club is formidable.
    At this past May’s qualifying round for the 2014 U.S. Men’s Open, for example, the low round was only three-under-par 69 shot by Korea’s Sunny Kim.
    “It was one of the more difficult courses in Florida (for qualifying) and showed that the course is a good test of golf,’’ Panks said.
    Being the host course for a U.S. Open qualifying round was a good step in Panks’ efforts to attract better players and more members to the club; lengthening the course is a  solid step in those efforts.
    A third step that should bring the club considerable attention is the Walgreen’s Charity Championship, which The Seagate Country Club will host Nov. 6-9.
    The tournament is part of the LPGA Legends tour that features past LPGA stars.
“We’re trying to get some other tournaments secured, too,’’ Panks said.
    The club earlier this year unveiled a new initiative that opened the club to public memberships with three options: country club, resort and associate.
    The Seagate Resort & Spa also is offering “stay and play’’ packages for its guests.
    “We’ve been getting some resort play and some new members lately,’’ Panks said. “And we’ve been getting a lot of people coming out and looking at the product and raving about it. The course is in as a good a shape as I’ve seen it in 17 years, so we’ve got everything going for us. The energy is out there and people are interested. Now it’s just a matter of getting them joined.
    “We’ve got to bring in more core members who are good players — people in their 40s who can energize the club. Once we have them, other people will know there are some good games going on here and that will attract other members.’’

Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club re-grasses
    Seagate Country Club isn’t the only club undergoing summer changes to prepare for fall play. The Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton is in the midst of a re-grassing project that will put Tiff Eagle grass on its greens and Celebration Bermuda on the fairways and in the rough.
    The course has been closed since May and, according to head professional Andy McMechan, will re-open Nov. 15.
    The project is being done with consultation from Jack Nicklaus’ Nicklaus Design team. In 2002, Nicklaus re-designed the course that was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1959. Nicklaus, who lives in North Palm Beach, visited the club last year for initial consultation for this project.
    In addition to the re-grassing, McMechan said minor changes are being made to 12 of the course’s 18 holes.
“We haven’t made any routing changes,’’ McMechan said. “But we’re doing work on some bunkers — adding some and taking some out — and rebuilding the green to their original specifications.’’

Guild creates art to soothe patients
of health center at Harbour’s Edge

Artists guild member Janis Cooper, her painting on the wall,

sits with Barbara Green, who was undergoing therapy

at Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Story by Linda Haase

    As a lifelong artist, Janis Cooper knows how color can lift one’s spirits.
    That’s why she and the other members of the artists guild at Harbour’s Edge continuing care retirement community created healing artwork for the campus’s 11,703-square-foot health center.
    The health center’s $6 million renovation, which included painting the walls soothing colors, expanding the dining room and adding a new kitchen in the 54-bed unit drew rave reviews, but Cooper felt something was missing.  
    “It needed more art,” explains Cooper, a former commercial artist and designer who moved to Harbour’s Edge in coastal Delray Beach five years ago.
    But, she emphasizes, it had to be a certain type of art — the kind that helps heal. So the guild members got out their brushes and created 13 paintings, then donated them to spruce up patient rooms and hallways.
    “We were passionate about it. We wanted to adhere to the protocols that help people heal. We wanted to use themes that look into the future and were optimistic so it would be a sign of a future and hope for them,” says Cooper, a graduate of New England School of Art in Boston and chairwoman of the guild.
    The result: colorful, soothing, inspiring artwork depicting sunsets, archways, meandering rivers, people rowing into the distance and other paintings that evoke serenity.

Paintings by the artists guild line the walls at Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    “This warms up what could be a very cold area, boosts a positive attitude and can help people heal faster,” says Cooper, whose work has been exhibited in galleries including the Rosen Museum Gallery in Boca Raton and the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, N.H.
    “These are pieces that touch you, that attract your eye and keep your interest. They give the patients something to think about instead of the pain they might be feeling and are nice conversation starters,” says Harbour’s Edge Health Center administrator Jennifer Stevens, who is grateful for the artwork — and even happier the guild has agreed to create and donate even more artwork (after all, there are a lot of walls at the health center). “We have some very large walls and these pictures really warm up the area.”             
    That’s the impact it had on Barbara Green, who is recovering from a fractured leg at the health center. “It makes it feel homey and brightens up the room,” says the Boynton Beach resident about the painting with the vivid sunset that adorns her room.
    As anyone who has ever been a patient — or even a visitor — in a hospital knows, it can be a dreary, depressing, stressful experience.
    Thankfully, stark white walls and white-starched uniforms that were the trademark of hospitals have gone by the wayside, says Cooper, lauding the soothing yellow/gold colors at Harbour’s Edge Health Center’s skilled nursing facility, which offers rehabilitation and short and long-term care to its residents as well as others in the community.
    The call for color in hospitals has a huge following. The Foundation for Photo Art in Hospitals Inc.’s mission is “to place large, framed photographs of nature and beautiful places from around the world in hospitals to give comfort and hope to patients and their families, visitors and caregivers.” The nonprofit organization, based in St. Louis and Florence, Italy, has donated artwork to more than 200 health care facilities on six continents since it was established in 2002.
    And here’s why:  According the group’s website, healingphotoart.org, “Scientific evidence is clear and convincing. Viewing nature scenes plays a key role in creating a healing environment which can improve patient outcome.” And research suggests that the right kind of artwork can “reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, reduce the need for pain medication, increase patients’ trust and confidence and be a positive distraction for patients, visitors, and staff.”
    Indeed. The American Journal of Public Health notes a study showing “surgery or critical care patients who participated in guided imagery or had a picture of a landscape on their wall had a decreased need of narcotic pain medication relative to their counterparts and left the hospital earlier.”
    The ladies at the guild — who meet weekly at their waterfront studio at Harbour’s Edge — are ready, able and willing to do their part to help further this healing process.
    One of them is Charlene Miletta, who has been with the guild since Cooper created it five years ago. “I love painting seascapes and landscapes, so this was perfect for me. I wanted to create something peaceful to help them take their minds off where they are,” says Miletta, who is in the studio at least twice a week.  
    For the artists, painting is just as therapeutic. The studio, which used to be a filled-to-the-brim storage unit until Cooper transformed it — is open for artists’ use at all times.
    After all, inspiration can strike at any moment. And that’s a very healthy thing.

    Linda Haase is a freelance writer on a quest to learn — and share — all she can about how to get and stay healthy. You can reach her at lindawrites76@gmail.com.