By Cheryl Blackerby

    The subject was climate change, and Bob Perciasepe, deputy administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, admitted early on, “I know I’m preaching to the choir here in southeast Florida.”

    Perciasepe was the featured speaker at the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit held Nov. 7 and 8 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale. 

    The annual meeting was started in 2009 by Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties as a way to work together to adapt to a changing climate. 

    One of the group’s findings: Sea levels are projected to rise 3 to 7 inches from 2010 to 2030 in Key West, according to calculations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. By 2060, Florida’s sea levels will rise 9 to 24 inches. 

    These and other calculations show the enormous risks, not only to people in Key West, but to the 5.6 million residents of these four counties.

    The event, which sold out weeks in advance, attracted 350 elected officials, scientists, nonprofit and business leaders. 

    “Climate change is already affecting us,” Perciasepe said. “Southeast Florida is recognized as one of the most vulnerable places in the country.”

    President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, which he signed the week before the conference, has three objectives, Perciasepe said: “Mitigation including reducing greenhouse gasses; preparedness such as safeguarding electric grids, clean water and roads; and establishing the U.S. as a stronger leader in the international discussion.”

    Many of the issues addressed in the president’s plan were the same as those in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, an action plan with 110 specific recommendations formalized by the four-county group after the first summit. The plan emphasizes the need to protect a vulnerable water supply and coastal infrastructure.

    Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties embraced the plan. The Palm Beach County Commission was expected to endorse it during the summit, but didn’t. 

    “The Board of County Commissioners has discussed the compact publicly and supports it in full,” said Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven Abrams. “I believe the staff recommendation was that we shop it around the county to elicit public support and greater awareness so there is community buy-in before we take official action.” 

    A town hall meeting during the summit featured U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Boca Raton, and state Rep. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, among others, who discussed how climate change is affecting the local economy.

    Republican representatives were invited to the town hall, but all declined to attend, citing busy schedules, said moderator Tom Hudson, a correspondent with WLRN-FM radio in Miami.

    “With climate change comes more rainfall,” Murphy said. “This year we had 150 percent above average rainfall. When you have that much water going into the Everglades, especially Lake Okeechobee, it has to come out somewhere. It came out in my district and the water was labeled toxic. We are not funding infrastructure needed to contain this water.”

    One of the questions was about the rising cost of flood insurance. 

    “The national flood insurance program was a fairly sustainable program until [Hurricanes] Katrina and Sandy and now it’s $27 billion in debt,” said Murphy. “FEMA has pushed a little hard and a little quickly and what’s happened is that we’ve seen some homes where the rates have gone up about 4,000 percent. That’s unsustainable. That is unrealistic.” 

    Frankel observed that “the practicality of this is if the cost of flood insurance keeps going up and you can’t get hurricane insurance, there are not going to be homeowners. People are not going to be even looking at 30-year mortgages.”

    She reminded the audience of what happened in Florida when house sales bottomed out. “If people are not able to sell their homes and people don’t want to buy homes, you’ll see dramatic effects on our entire economy.” 

    Frankel warned that South Floridians need to start taking preventive action, including “steering growth away from flood zones, moving drinking wells inland, and adapting building codes.”

    Unfortunately, Congress and the state legislature are doing little to address climate change, the lawmakers said.

    “Once you get past Martin County,” Powell said, “it becomes difficult to talk about climate change because some people aren’t really seeing the effects we see. It takes an emergency for people to start acting on it.”

This $450,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom can be yours if you buy

the $12.75 million Boca Raton home that comes with it.

Courtesy photo

INSETS BELOW: Adzem, Wenzel, Desmond, Pyfrom

By Christine Davis

    Here’s an interesting way to obtain a limited edition $450,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom with custom interiors. It’s free, if you purchase the $12.75 million home at 750 Lake Drive, Boca Raton that comes with it.

    The house is “very Hollywood glam. Very Great Gatsby,” said listing agent Senada Adzem of Douglas Elliman Real Estate. 

    “And the Phantom is the perfect complement to the Lake Drive property.

    “Everyone likes great perks,  and the Phantom is not just a car. It is THE car.”

    Located on Lake Boca Raton, the seven-bedroom home with 16,200 square feet is a yacht enthusiast’s dream, with dockage for a 130-foot yacht and a 75-foot yacht, plus a lift for a third boat up to 40 feet.

    And no worries about where to store the car. The house has a nine-car garage. 

    In November, Seagate Marina and Seagate Yacht Club bought the Yacht Club at Delray Beach, 110 MacFarlane Drive, from Iberiabank’s affiliate OB Florida CRE Holdings, for $7.28 million, which is at a 58 percent discount to the Yacht Club at Delray Beach’s foreclosed mortgage.

    The bank seized the 3.25-acre marina with a 9,845-square-foot clubhouse, 44 boat slips, and dockage up to 130 feet, through a deed in lieu of foreclosure in July. It forgave the $17.5 million mortgage of Morgan Yacht Club of Del Ray LLC in exchange for the property.

    Owners of Seagate Marina and Seagate Yacht Club are Thomas D. Laudani, Nicholas Nicholas and Demetrios Patrinos. “Seagate Marina and Yacht Club will form a joint venture with Anthony Wilson of Seagate Hotel and Beach Club,” Laudani said.

    While it’s too early to talk about development plans, he said “there will be a low-density, townhome community and the people who buy the townhomes will have some involvement with the beach club and country club. We will be working closely with the city of Delray Beach as plans develop.”

    If you’ve missed Mercer Wenzel, you are not the only one. Mark Wenzel has missed it, too, so much so that he’s just reopened Mercer Wenzel as a menswear outlet at 1350 Linton Blvd., A3. 

    Considering that the old Mercer Wenzel closed less than a year ago, this might come as a surprise. Even Wenzel is surprised. “I’ve got to stay busy,” he said.

    “I was retired, but I started to think about going forward. I had to do something. Some play golf or tennis six days a week, but that’s not what I wanted to do.”

    He carries tried-and-true favorites — Haggar, Palmland, Bamboo Cay, Dorfman Pacific Hats — so come in and take a look. The store is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

    “I know that people want quality and value, and I offer 25 to 50 percent off on all merchandise,” he said. 

    As part of its Neighborhood Builder program, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation awarded Habitat of Humanity of South Palm Beach County $200,000 in core operating support over two years. Habitat is at the halfway point of completing the Ocean Breeze West project in Boynton Beach. A community with 21 new homes, it is a collaboration between the city of Boynton Beach, the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Boynton Beach Faith Based Community Development Corporation. The project began in 2011 and is forecast to be completed by June 2014.

    In October, the tune was “Going. Going. Only one left” at One Thousand Ocean. Now the remaining two-bedroom unit, priced at $2.9 million, is gone, too, and that was the last of One Thousand Ocean’s 53 residences. When it sold in November for $2 million, Nancy Toomey with Lenson Realty in Boca Raton represented the buyer. The total sales volume for the project was roughly $251 million, according to Jamie Telchin, president of development with LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels.

    “Groundbreaking for One Thousand Ocean took place in October 2007 when the financial crisis was just starting,” Telchin said. “In order to sell these condominiums, we knew we had our work cut out for us.”  Telchin assembled a sales and marketing team with the knowhow to reach a niche demographic of buyers and he added some celebrity glitz into the mix.  One model was designed by Venus Williams; 

    Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham filmed a key scene for the movie Parker in a residence; and the Kleiers of HGTV’s Selling New York reality series filmed two episodes at the building.

    Denise Desmond and Cynthia Pyfrom have joined the Boca Raton law firm Yaffa & Associates. 

    Desmond will represent clients before the 4th District Court of Appeal and family law clients in Circuit Court. A member of the Florida and California Bars and a certified family law mediator, she has practiced family law since 1998. She has worked as an assistant public defender and a senior assistant attorney general in the Criminal Appeals Division, as well as having served as a law clerk or judges George Hersey and Robert Gross.

    Pyfrom will represent clients in family law matters. She received her J.D. from Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center, in December 2012, while maintaining full-time employment with Yaffa & Associates. She was sworn in on April 16. Pyfrom holds affiliations with the Palm Beach County Bar Association, South Palm Beach County Bar Association, Broward County Bar Association, and Florida Association of Women Lawyers.

    Yes, there was cake on Sept. 21 when John G’s celebrated its 40th anniversary. But here’s the icing. The festivities were held in conjunction with a fundraising effort for Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation, and amassed $1,400 through sales of its classics, “The Big Meal” and 40-cent sliders, as well as cash donations and a John G’s match.

    That day, the Giragos family wanted to honor the legacy of John Giragos, who opened the restaurant, explained Wendy Yarbrough, John’s daughter.

    “We wanted to take a moment to thank those who helped care for my father as he neared the end of his life,” she said. “We were overjoyed with the outpouring of support from our friends and customers.”

    John G’s is at Plaza del Mar in Manalapan.

    50 Ocean, located above Boston’s on the Beach, starts the season with new a la carte brunch menu offering a unique twist on its classic libations. Crisp pork belly with warm buttermilk biscuits and white chocolate pepper gravy; Devilish Eggs with smoked paprika, smoked salmon, chorizo bits, and Portuguese goat cheese; an omelet with mushroom, onion, piquillo peppers, spinach, and cheddar; blue crab puffs with melon and radish salad, chili mango, and buttermilk dressing; and lobster Benedict. How does that sound?

    Then consider its bottomless mimosas and its build-your-own Grey Goose Bloody Mary bar, with a selection of 30-plus ingredients, including crispy bacon spears, bleu cheese-stuffed olives, jalapeño and sun-dried tomatoes, cocktail onions, pickle-stuffed olives, sweet chili asparagus, pepperoncini, cherry peppers, pepperoni, salami, cheeses, and a collection of hot sauces. How does that sound?

    If you don’t know whether you’re hungry for breakfast or lunch, open 50 Ocean’s brunch menu and be treated to the best of both worlds.  Sunday brunch is available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To make reservations, call 278-3364. 

    The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce has moved to its new office space on the first floor of the Old School Square Parking Garage on Northeast First Street. 

    To bid on great auction items, while networking and enjoying food, wine and cocktails from local restaurants, mark your calendar for the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s 32nd Annual Holiday Auction, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 11. It will be held at Via Mizner Golf and Country Club, 6200 Boca Del Mar Drive, Boca Raton. 

    The event, which is expected to draw 300 to 400 people, will help support chamber programs and ensure the development of future programming. Tickets are $25 for both members and nonmembers. Register online at www.bocaratonchamber.com or call 395-4433. 

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

Bob Luptak is owner and president of the Steinway Piano Gallery.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

    On the grand scale, Steinway Piano Gallery in Boca Raton hits all the right notes, because it’s always been about pianos for owner Bob Luptak, who opened the showroom in 1999.

    Luptak started learning piano when he was 11 years old, and playing it helped get him through college. Then, he worked as a music educator and performer and for Baldwin Piano before he was hired by Steinway, where he represented the company in Chicago, Atlanta and parts of Europe, as well as Latin America.
    In the process, it eventually occurred to him that Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties, with their flourishing cultural life, were ripe for a high-quality piano showroom and he asked Steinway if he could represent the company here, choosing Boca Raton as a central location.
    One of 12 independent licensed dealerships in the world, Steinway Piano Gallery is a place where you can see, hear and play handcrafted Steinway & Sons pianos as well as the Steinway-designed Boston and Essex pianos. The gallery also features designer grand and petite baby grand pianos, as well as PianoDisc and PianoMation digital player systems.
    “We offer great pianos,” Luptak said. “Also, we host 40 to 50 independent piano educators in our studio recital space at our 70-seat, state-of-the-art performance room on Saturdays, and we have our own recital series on Sunday afternoons.
    “We also partner with music, health, cultural and social organizations for their fundraising events, and we can record students for auditions and competitions.”
    This type of business model has always been Steinway’s approach, he said. “Henry Steinway believed that when cultural life flourishes, so does business.
    “There has to be a cultural life in the community. We are not just selling lumber.”
    Clientele has changed, though, he noted.
    “Having lunch with Henry (the founder’s great-grandson)at Windows on the World at the former World Trade Center, he told me that the piano business was impacted by the invention of the Victrola.
    “Before, every house had a piano and everyone could play two or three songs, but after the Victrola, people just needed to put the needle on the record to enjoy Chopin.
“Fast-forward to today and we have music all around us. No one has the patience to sit down and learn how to play.”
    Some people do, though. “Now, our core customers are Europeans, Asians and Latinos. The process and discipline of learning to play the piano is part of their cultural life.”
    Surgeons, anesthesiologists and radiologists buy Steinways and play them, too.
“Some doctors even have a little piano at their office, so that between patients they can practice,” Luptak said.
    “I don’t know the significance, but I always say to moms, ‘if you want your son or daughter to be a doctor, buy the piano now.”
    He, like the doctors, currently plays to relax and unwind. “I come home, crack open a bottle of wine and play Ellington tunes,” he said.
    His son, Daniel, 13, who also plays, soon will audition at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts.
    “I never told my son, ‘you are going to play.’ When I asked him if he’d be interested, he, like the politician he is, said, ‘Let me think about it, Daddy.’ A few weeks later, he told me he’d like to learn.”
    Recently, Steinway was bought for $499 million by the investment firm Paulson & Co.
    “Now John Paulson is sole owner, and we feel at the company level that this is a good thing,” Luptak said. “Paulson has indicated that he wants to keep things as they are, and he has an affinity for Steinway piano; he owns three. We are looking forward to a relationship with him. We have great people on the manufacturing and management sides, and from my standpoint as a dealer, we are in good hands.”
    Luptak’s pride for Steinway shows through glowingly. “More than 98 percent of artists worldwide play our pianos, and we are the only company that has never paid an artist to play our instruments. That’s significant.
    “After 160 years, Steinway still represents the pinnacle of how the piano should look, play and sound.”

Delray Beach native Harvey Brown Jr. will speak at the 74th annual Library Association meeting

on Dec. 9 at the Delray Beach Public Library.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    If you want to know who’s who in Delray Beach, ask Harvey Brown Jr. He’s a lifelong resident of the city, owner of a downtown business his late father opened in 1955 (the Harvey L. Brown Insurance Agency), and a man with a gigantic circle of friends, both old and new.

    He’s also an avid storyteller and name-dropper.

    “Folks who are new to Delray say, ‘Oh, we’re going to the Sundy House for dinner.’ Well, I used to insure the place when Addie and Sadie [daughters of Delray’s first mayor, John Sundy] lived there,” Brown says. “And my mom’s maid of honor was Suzy Sundy. These were real people. They’re not just a brand to me.”

    Growing up, Brown met George Morikami, founder of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (“I remember him as an old dude. I was too young to appreciate what he was all about”) and aviation entrepreneur Warren Grimes, who had a Japanese-motif home in Lake Ida.

    Now 52, the coastal Delray Beach resident has a collection of friends that includes local real estate agent Jack DeNiro, uncle of actor Robert DeNiro.

    “Jack helped me spread Dad’s ashes on Runway 33 at the Lantana Airport,” Brown says. “We came in low and slow, and I said, ‘OK, Jack, do it,’ and he emptied out this special 3-foot-long canister we had, so the ashes would get outside of the plane and into the slipstream.”

    Brown earned his pilot’s license during college primarily so he could fly with his father, Harvey Brown Sr., who was a decorated Korean War fighter pilot.

    “We were just really good friends and had a lot of fun flying together. So when he died in 2005, it was just not the same for me.” Brown eventually donated his dad’s plane, an F-model Navion, to the Minneapolis wing of the Commemorative Air Force. 

    On Dec. 9, Brown is scheduled to be the guest speaker at the Delray Beach Public Library Association’s 74th annual meeting, celebrating 100 years of operation. He will tap into memories of his 14 years on the Library Board — and all the characters he met along the way.

    Prepare to be regaled.

— Paula Detwiller

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you? 

A. I was born at Bethesda Hospital and have lived in Delray Beach my whole life, other than the four years I spent at the University of Florida and six months living in London during my senior year at UF. I have a strong sense of hometown and have been influenced by the many personalities and characters I’ve met who lived here and have since passed on. Delray Beach has been a town of substance, with fascinating and accomplished people who usually didn’t advertise their success. There was a saying, “You can always tell a millionnaire in Delray because they drive a Ford station wagon with a dog in the back seat.” Those same people taught me about being of service to others without advertising it. 

Q. What professions have you worked in? What life accomplishments are you most proud of?

A. I did the pre-college stuff such as being a bagger at Publix while in high school. Once I graduated UF I went directly into the family insurance business and have been here since 1983. In 1998, I decided to fulfill a lifelong desire to get a law degree, which I accomplished at the Nova Southeastern University Law School night program. I took the Florida Bar Exam in the summer of 2002. I also am a licensed pilot, inspired by my dad, who flew 63 combat missions in F-86 Sabre jets as an Air Force pilot during the Korean War. 

Q. What is it that inspired you to become involved with the Delray Beach Public Library?

A. Growing up in Delray Beach exposed me to many positive influences in the form of the people who “ran” things around town. I was inculcated right off the bat with the idea that you did your part to help organize, run, and be of service to the town through the various organizations that existed at the time. I was “told” I was going to serve on the Library Board unless I had some objection. Naturally I didn’t, and I loved the 14 years I was on the board. 

Q. Tell us more about your community involvement. Why is it important to you?

A. Being involved for so many years with the library brought a sense of satisfaction for me, because the library is good for our city residents — not just for the services provided, but also because our library’s unique public/private funding structure means a reduced tax burden for city taxpayers. I was also involved for quite a few years with the Delray Beach Playhouse, which, like the library, was an efficiently run, locally governed community entity. The playhouse gives locals a chance to try their hand at acting, stage- and set-building, or other “behind-the-scenes” jobs that stimulate us culturally. 

Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray Beach?

A. My many friends and family, as well as my business being downtown, and my church. Every week I go to lunch with friends I’ve known my whole life. It’s a great feeling to know so many people in town who can give me some help or guidance when needed. I’m a member of Unity of Delray Beach, where I was baptized, and I serve on the board of directors there, too. My church continues to feed me spiritually, so I am grateful to have such a wonderful resource right here in town.

Q. What book are you reading now?

A. I just finished When Thunder Rolled, by Ed Rasimus, which is a dramatic view of the most hazardous combat missions conducted by fighters of the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. 

Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?  

A. I’ve been a lifelong Beatles and Rolling Stones fan, but my tastes have evolved more than I would have expected. Now I find myself, through the influence of my wife, Marilyn, listening to jazz, the Spa Channel and, strangely enough, the Sinatra Channel on my Sirius radio in my truck. 

Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions? 

A. I have been blessed with many mentors. My father, Harvey L. Brown Sr., springs to mind, as he was a smart businessman with such a warm heart for others and animals. He showed me that good business involves not just the bottom line but having compassion for others. I’ve also had the privilege of being guided by Delray Beach legends such as Ernie Simon and Ken Ellingsworth. Ken got me involved in the Chamber of Commerce 30 years ago and I was always impressed and inspired with his “lack of agenda” in the tasks he undertook. Ernie is a giant of a man who has given so much of himself through service in the founding of the Delray Beach Playhouse, as a former municipal judge for Delray Beach, as an active member of the Rotary Club for over 40 years. He is such a good friend and always has a kind and thoughtful word for me.

Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?  

A. Two come to mind. The first is the line from Scripture (Genesis): “They (man) meant it for evil but God meant it for good.” I firmly believe there is a divine order higher than all we see in our life experience. This quote reminds me I can safely stay focused on the fact that seeming setbacks or negative situations can, and usually do, have positive outcomes if I continue to stand firm in my faith and “hold the high watch.” The second quote is “Don’t sweat the small stuff,”  because we know that in the end, it’s all small stuff.

Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?

A. It would have to be someone really good looking and I’m sure the film would be a comedy!

By Steve Plunkett

    The city’s long-awaited dog beach will open to pets and pet lovers the second weekend of December at the north end of Spanish River Park.

    Hours will be 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to sunset on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The afternoon period will be 5 p.m. to sunset when daylight saving time resumes.

    Dog owners will need an annual permit or weekend pass to use the 300-yard-long dog-friendly area. Permits are $30 for Boca Raton residents and an undetermined amount for nonresidents.

    Permits will be sold at the James A. Rutherford Community Center in Patch Reef Park and the Sugar Sand Community Center.

    A three-day pass is $10 and can be purchased at the Spanish River Park gatehouse.

    “It’s a pilot program. If it doesn’t work out, we can certainly terminate it,” said Deputy Mayor Susan Haynie, who proposed launching the dog beach as a pilot program in September.

    City Recreation Services Director Mickey Gomez assembled a team of park rangers, lifeguards, park maintenance workers and department supervisors to evaluate all three of Boca Raton’s oceanfront parks before recommending Spanish River as the site.

    South Beach Park is convenient to parking and nearby homes but is also the most visited park of the three, with more than 420,000 beach-goers a year, the team decided. Putting a dog beach there would more likely result in “unwelcome encounters” between dogs and people, Gomez reported.

    Red Reef Park has only 200,000 visitors a year but is the narrowest beach in the city and has the heaviest concentration of sea turtle nests, the team said.

    Spanish River Park, which draws about 225,000 beach-goers a year, has parking lots as well as metered spaces on nearby Spanish River Boulevard. Gomez said he was trying to find a way to reimburse people who park at the meters out of the $10 weekend pass fee.

    Gomez recommended that nonresidents pay $60 for an annual permit, but Boca Raton City Council members feared that would leave the dog beach overrun with out-of-towners.

    “Delray’s just turned down their beach doggy park and they’re just waiting for us to open so they can all come down here,” Mayor Susan Whelchel said. “And we’ve just made it real convenient by being on our most northern beach.”

    Gomez will recommend a higher fee for nonresidents at the Dec. 10 council meeting.

    A park ranger will supervise the dog beach to ensure that patrons follow the rules and have a permit or pass. Three lifeguard stations also will monitor the area, which opens Dec. 13.

    Boca Raton becomes the second municipality in Palm Beach County to allow dogs on the beach. Jupiter lets canines play along a 2.5-mile dog-friendly stretch.

    Boca Raton modeled its pilot project after Fort Lauderdale’s successful Canine Beach, which is 100 yards wide at State Road A1A and Sunrise Boulevard. Dogs can be taken to the beach for four hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Fort Lauderdale also allows dog owners with a permit to walk their pets on the sidewalk west of A1A in the early mornings.

    Gomez said Fort Lauderdale sells 220 permits each year to residents and 30 to nonresidents.

    Until now dog owners in Boca Raton had only Mizner Bark, the city’s popular but landlocked park for dogs west of Interstate 95. Mizner Bark is free for residents of the city and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District; nonresidents pay $265 a year for a permit.

Dog beach rules

• Dogs shall be on a leash prior to entering, and upon departing, the Dog Beach.

• A person with a dog must be in possession of a device to properly dispose of any fecal matter deposited by their dog.

• The permit holder must carry permit on person at all times when bringing a dog to the beach. 

• Limit of 2 dogs/person.

• Dogs are only permitted between Towers 18 and 20.

• Dogs shall not dig in the sand.

• Dogs shall not create a nuisance by causing any form of disturbance such as excessive barking and/or similar undesirable conduct.

• Dogs in heat are discouraged from using the Dog Beach.

Father David Toups (left) leads seminarians Joe Plesko, Jonathan Emery, Felipe Gonzalez and Elixavier Castro in a 12-mile Central Florida obstacle course called the Tough Mudder.

Toups currently serves as seminary rector and president at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach.

Photo provided

Jeffrey Rose, board president of City House Delray Beach Inc., stands with Casey Cleveland, pastor of The Avenue Church,

at the Delray Beach apartment complex that forms City House, which will provide a haven

for homeless single mothers and their children.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal StarTim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Trinity Lutheran first-grader Dominic Bretti discovers a use for a sweet pepper after the Florida Farm Bureau

showed students at Trinity Lutheran School in Delray Beach how to make a salad using locally grown vegetables

to celebrate Farm to School Month.
Photo provided

Attendees of the Fall Family Festival at First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach help themselves

to hot dogs and chips following the 11 a.m. worship service.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Tanicha Emilcar (left) helps Barbara Whittaker of the Grass River Garden Club plant the vegetable garden

at Paul’s Place after-school program in Delray Beach. The school at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

serves as an after-school haven for 30 children and incorporates food from the garden into the suppers

prepared for students by volunteers.

Photo provided

By Tim Pallesen

   Prayers by the Catholic faithful are being credited for the excited young seminarians prompting an $8 million dormitory expansion at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary.

    Catholic seminarians studying to become priests have increased from 55 men five years ago to 85 men this year. 

    “The Catholic faithful have been praying and asking for good and holy priests to shepherd them,” said the Rev. Father David Toups, the seminary rector and president, who expects a new capacity enrollment of 110 students in three years. 

    The upsurge comes after scandals among priests rocked the Catholic Church across America in recent decades. The number of American priests dropped to a record low last year — 38,964 priests compared to 58,632 in 1965.

    “A very few have marred the vocation,” Toups said. “Now young men are saying that is not my church. People have begged the Lord and these men have responded.”

    Catholic bishops in Florida hired vocation directors to foster discipleship among youths. Eighth-graders from Catholic schools visit St. Vincent de Paul to meet the seminarians.

    The surge among Catholic youths wanting to become priests requires that St. Vincent de Paul build 76 new dormitory rooms and renovate 33 others to increase capacity. Construction starts Jan. 1 at the 70-acre campus on Military Trail south of Boynton Beach Boulevard.

    Toups, 43, arrived as the seminary’s dynamic rector and president last year. He led 26 seminarians through a 12-mile obstacle course at River Ranch in Central Florida known as Tough Mudder on Nov. 3 to raise money for injured soldiers.

    The mystique of young men studying to become priests lifted as other teams in the race saw that the St. Vincent de Paul seminarians were just as muddy as they were.

    “People could see these are normal, healthy men,” Toups said.  

    An anonymous donor has given a Delray Beach apartment house to be a safe haven for homeless single mothers and their young children.

    City House, a new nonprofit launched by members of The Avenue Church in Delray and Spanish River Church in Boca Raton, kicked off its fundraising to renovate the apartments for nine women and 18 children with a Nov. 7 party at the oceanfront home of Frank and Nilsa McKinney. 

    Organizers find their inspiration in James 1:27, the Scripture verse that tells Christians to look after orphans and widows in distress.

    “It’s just incredible what God is doing for the modern-day orphan and widow,” said Allison Good, director of the women’s ministry at The Avenue Church. “He has given us a vision and now a tangible expression of the gospel.”

    Volunteers hope to have City House open by Jan. 1. Board president Jeff Rose said $170,000 needs to be raised to hire a housemother and renovate the apartment house at 2250 Florida Blvd. before then.  

    The Caring Kitchen, which provides hot meals to the homeless, has alerted City House that their volunteers have already identified five single mothers with children who would qualify for temporary shelter.

Women who are chosen cannot have a history of drug or alcohol abuse. They will receive job training and counseling until their families are stable and secure.

    St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has begun a lengthy process to replace the Rev. Chip Stokes, who left to become the bishop of New Jersey.

    “The primary goal is for the congregation to examine themselves — their history, who they are now and what they want to be in the future,” said the Rev. James Knight, the interim rector who will guide St. Paul in the transition.

    The parish will study all aspects of life at St. Paul’s, including worship services, education, mission and outreach, pastoral care and stewardship.

    After the parish profile and vision are developed, everyone will work to identify the qualities and skills for a permanent rector to lead St. Paul’s in its vision. The process could take 12 to 18 months.

    Knight comes from Jackson, Miss., where he guided the largest church in the Diocese of Mississippi through the same transition process. He rebuilt a Gulf Coast church ravaged by Hurricane Katrina before that.

    Knight says he became enthusiastic about St. Paul’s when he and Stokes served on a national anti-racism committee of the Episcopal church.

    “I love the energy here,” he said. “We’re not going to slow anything down.” 

    “Imagine … a Night of Fantasy” is the theme for the annual gala to benefit Ruth Rales Jewish Family Service of South Palm Beach County on Dec. 12 at St. Andrew’s Country Club in Boca Raton.

    “From the moment guests enter the spirited cocktail reception, through dinner, entertainment and dancing, we’ll transport them into an incredible night to remember,” event co-chair Roxanne Lipton promises.

    Guests will bid at auction for luxury items including jewelry, fashions and sports memorabilia, plus sports and travel packages.

    Ruth Rales Jewish Family Service, a nonsectarian charity with Boca Raton and Delray Beach locations, offers food and financial assistance, senior services, counseling and mental health services.

    More than 500 runners are expected on Dec. 14 for the annual 5K Run for a Reason sponsored by Spanish River Church as an outreach ministry.

    Andrea Contant, the race director and longtime Spanish River member, began teaching fitness classes for mostly church members eight years ago.

    She grew her fitness ministry by organizing a 5K run to raise money for a charity each year. Runners are greeted warmly when they finish the race at her Boca Raton church.

    “My hope is that runners who don’t have a connection to God will feel a good energy from being on a church campus,” Contant said in explaining the unique outreach effort.

    Proceeds from this year’s run benefit Place of Hope, a group home for foster care children in Boca Raton.

    The Community Caring Center of Boynton Beach is rejoicing that a Delray Beach congregation is giving financial support.

    First Presbyterian Church now includes Boynton’s needy in its annual social action budget. “We’re very happy about that,” center executive director Sherry Johnson said.

    The faith-based Boynton charity has a food pantry and provides emergency financial assistance and caregiver training. It also operates the Secret Garden Cafe, where a commercial kitchen and retail market help the poor start small businesses. 

    Boynton church congregations also support the center that began 27 years ago. 

    Gleaning season is underway!

    More than 1,600 volunteer gleaners harvested 319,483 pounds of produce to feed the poor last season.

    This year promises to be more bountiful with 90 field-gleaning events on weekends and 80 opportunities to gather leftover sweet corn, cucumbers and cantaloupe from processing plants.

    Christians Reach Out to Society (CROS Ministries) reports more scout troops and private schools are signing up to glean this year. Groups and individuals may contact Keith Cutshall at 233-9009, Ext. 107, for more information.   

    The popular Prosperity Coffee Group that meets at 7 a.m. each Thursday at Unity Church of Delray Beach is adding a lunchtime gathering on Thursdays to share coffee and wisdom.

    The group has met for 20 years to explore well-being in every area of life. Between 35 and 80 attend. Everyone is welcome.

    The Rev. Nancy Norman presents a lesson from inspirational books that are spiritual, emotional and sometimes even financial — a recent source book was Your Infinite Power to be Rich.

Tim Pallesen writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Email him at tcpallesen@aol.com.

The proposed 13-story Hyatt.

Rendering provided

By Dan Moffett

    The prospects for economic revival in downtown Boca Raton just went up — at least 13 stories’ worth.

    That’s how high Hyatt intends to build a 200-room hotel on the southeast corner of Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road, less than a half-mile south of the Mizner Park shopping center.

    The plans Hyatt and project developer The Kolter Group submitted to the city in November also include an 8,000-square-foot restaurant, a rooftop swimming pool and an integrated parking garage. At about 140 feet, the Hyatt Place Hotel would be one of the city’s tallest buildings.

    It also would be the first hotel built within the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency district, and city officials are understandably optimistic about the impact it could have on business.

    “The time is right to add a hotel to the diverse mix of uses in downtown Boca,” said Ruby Childers, Boca’s downtown manager. “The city has been working hard to enhance the vibrancy and high quality of life for residents and visitors. Downtown Boca is alive with activity, and hotel guests will have easy access to a vast array of shopping, dining, nightlife, culture and more.”

    Childers thinks the location is ideal for promoting “walkability.” Tourists and business guests can step through the hotel’s front doors and make a short walk to the Pedestrian Promenade, Sanborn Square and the Mizner Park shops and restaurants.

    The company’s Hyatt Place brand targets business travelers and guests who favor practical amenities and mid-range pricing. Rooms come with media workplaces, 40-plus-inch flat-screen TVs, complimentary Wi-Fi access and refrigerators. People too busy to sit down for a restaurant meal can get “Grab-and-Go” sandwiches and drinks or order 24-hour room service.

    If the Hyatt-Kolter partnership sounds familiar, it should. In 2012, the companies opened a 134-room Hyatt Place in downtown Delray Beach and in 2009 opened a 165-room Hyatt Place in West Palm Beach. Rooms at the Delray Beach hotel go from about $220 to $300 per night during the winter season.

Dr. Denise St. Patrick-Bell, executive director of the Boca Raton Children’s Museum,

is leading a series of initiatives to bring more money into the museum.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

    After 34 years of financial insecurity, the Boca Raton Children’s Museum hopes a trio of fundraising efforts will nudge it into the black.

    The museum’s board of trustees decided at a “sustainability planning retreat” to sign on with Internet startup Rewards for Causes and a similar Internet concern, Round It Up America, to boost their donor base. A month earlier, Denise St. Patrick-Bell, the museum’s executive director, hired a philanthropy adviser to hunt down large endowments.

    “We’re trying all kinds of different ways. It’s not our product, it’s our lack of visibility,” Patrick-Bell said.

    Rewards for Causes is like the Internet deals that Groupon offers, but with a portion going to a specific charity, founder Nicholas Brusca said. But, he added, Internet deals can backfire and make customers think something must be wrong with the business.

    “We’re really trying to build up the business and the charity,” Brusca said.

    His website will create profile pages for both parties to maximize exposure. The business will get 50 percent of the revenue and the charity will get 30 percent, leaving him with 20 percent for setting up the deal.

    The Yard House restaurant in Mizner Park is already a partner in Round It Up. Patrons who sign on have their dining bills rounded to the next dollar, with the extra change going to the charity of their choice.

    A handful of change on dozens of restaurant bills can add up quickly, said Jon Sahn, the philanthropist hunter who recommended Round It Up to the board.

    “No matter how many dollars it is, it’s better than zero dollars,” Sahn said.

    Sahn, a chartered adviser in philanthropy, said the Children’s Museum must have successful fundraising campaigns and show it has an impact before he can woo wealthy donors to come aboard. The museum’s signature event, Breakfast With Santa, is Dec. 7 and features 40 tons of snow.

    “We need to museum to be the go-to place for kids,” Sahn said.

    Patrick-Bell played an online TED lecture for the trustees at the Nov. 9 retreat bemoaning the fact that few donors want a charity to spend their gifts on advertising.

    “I don’t mind giving money for advertising,” Penny Morey, president of the nonprofit museum’s board, said. “We’re business people. We know you have to spend that.”

    Patrick-Bell, who took over as executive director in May 2012, said she has increased revenues from admissions by 74 percent, added 79 families as members, recruited 32 new volunteers and participated in 15 community outreach events and six special events for groups of more than 2,000 people. She also made her part-time education director a full-time employee.

    Patrick-Bell also is excited that this year’s Leadership Boca class chose to raise money to buy the museum a vehicle to retrofit into a psychedelic “art bus” to take educational programs out into the community.

    While admission fees are up, they provide only 27 percent of the museum’s $300,000 operating budget, Patrick-Bell said.

    “We’re not trying to get rich. We’re not trying to give the executive director a six-figure salary. We want the museum to be economically viable,” she told the trustees at the retreat.

    The museum’s goal is to expose young children to history, sciences, art and the humanities. It leases 0.8 acres at 498 Crawford Blvd. from the city for $1 a year. Two of its three buildings were donated.

    It has been on increasingly shaky financial ground for some time. In June the museum received an emergency $127,000 grant from Boca Raton to help it survive until October, when it was counting on an annual $23,400 award from the City Council.

    The museum received a $75,000 bailout grant from the city, also for operating expenses in March 2012.

    “Will we need this again next year? Probably,” Patrick-Bell said. “Does that mean we’re a failure? No, it does not.”

INSET BELOW: Abdalla

By Steve Plunkett

    A ninth candidate has tossed his hat into the city’s municipal election ring.

    Mohamed Abdalla, 24, an admissions counselor at Lynn University, announced on his Twitter page Oct. 31 that he is running for City Council member Michael Mullaugh’s seat. Mullaugh said in early October he will run for re-election. Eric Gooden, a Lynn University senior, also wants the seat.

    Abdalla moved to Boca Raton seven years ago to become a freshman at Lynn. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and decided to stay for an MBA.

    “This is my home, a place where I feel a part of the community and where I want to make a difference, and believe that I can,” Abdalla said. Mullaugh was appointed to the council after Peter Baronoff resigned in December 2008. He was elected without opposition in 2011.

    Also on the March 11 ballot will be Deputy Mayor Susan Haynie and Councilman Anthony Majhess, who seek term-limited Mayor Susan Whelchel’s job; lawyer Scott Singer and corporate treasurer Craig Ehrnst, who are running for Haynie’s council seat; and lawyer and small-business owner Robert Weinroth, who seeks Majhess’ seat. Retired bank official Rosetta Bailey filed a statement of candidacy but did not specify which council seat she wants.

    The city’s official candidate qualifying period begins Jan. 2.

A worker tackles the extensive task of painting the town’s 500,000-gallon water tower.

The job was finished by the end of November.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Children are overjoyed as Santa Claus arrives during their performance of ‘Santa Claus is Coming

to Town’ at the Nov. 27 Holiday Tree Lighting at Mizner Park. The performance was one

of the many attractions at the free holiday festival, culminating  with the city’s traditional

tree lighting ceremony. A mountain of snow, carnival rides, carolers and  children’s crafts were all part of the fun.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Highland Beach resident Marlynn Wilson-Donaldson walks through the door of the Highland Beach

Post Office with several packages to mail for the holidays.

Rosalind Loomis, left, selects the best box to mail her holiday gifts.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    Want to avoid the predictable madhouse when you get ready to mail your cards and packages this holiday season? 

    If so, you’ll want to escape to the little post office operated by the town of Highland Beach — if you can find it, that is.

    “We’ve had residents who have lived in town for 15 years who come in and tell us they didn’t know a post office was here,” says Valerie Jacoby, the lead postal clerk and this post office’s only full-time employee.

    Tucked behind Highland Beach’s Town Hall on South Ocean Boulevard, the community post office is one of only a few in Florida run by a town and the only one in the area. 

    Operated at a cost to Highland Beach taxpayers of about $125,000 a year, minus the $25,000 the U.S. Postal Service pays the town to run it, the station is a hidden gem — a throwback to small-town post offices where the clerks know you by name and help you any way they can.

    “There’s always a smile — and sometimes a story,” says Lou Stern, a town commissioner who stops by the post office at least three times a week to buy stamps or mail a package. 

    Opened on Dec. 1, 1964, the post office has withstood Town Hall renovations and survived tough times when town officials were looking to trim costs. It has remained open for almost half a century mainly because it is an amenity that residents — and even a few customers from other communities — don’t want to ever see go away.

    “It’s really important to the people who live here,” Stern says. “They enjoy the convenience of having a post office within a couple of miles of their home.” 

    Ease and customer service, Stern says, are the cornerstones of the post office, where you’ll find specialty stamps that might no longer be available at other post offices and where you won’t see the long lines you might see at bigger stations.

    “If I go to another post office, especially during the holidays, there’s always a line,” Stern says. “Here, there is almost never a line, and if there is one, it’s usually not very long.”

    Jacoby, who has been working at the Highland Beach post office for almost 14 years, says that on the busiest days — during the holidays and tax season — the post office will serve as many as 300 customers between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. On a normal day in the winter season, the post office will see between 100 and 150 customers a day. 

    With Jacoby and two part-time clerks — Bob Wesson and Bill Miller — behind the counter, the post office is where customers will get advice on what packaging to use and how to best save money on their mailings. During slow times customers will also get help sealing up packaging and sealing their parcels and getting them ready to be shipped. 

    “We are representatives of the town of Highland Beach,” Jacoby says. “We’ll go above and beyond to help our customers.”

Hints for surviving the holiday mailing rush:

 Avoid Monday and Dec. 16, expected to be the busiest mailing days of the holiday season.

 Have your mailing boxes picked out in advance and your packages wrapped and ready to go.

 Remember that Mondays and Fridays are the busiest days at the Highland Beach Post office, which is closed on Saturdays.

 Late mornings or early afternoons are usually the best times to visit the post office.

 Remember to mail packages being sent by standard mail before Dec. 14 if you want them to get there on time for Christmas.

By Steve Plunkett

    Tower One Fifty Five will be built downtown with fewer but larger condo units.

    The nine-story condominium, first approved in January, will have 192 units instead of 209, with small condos giving way to larger ones. The revised building plan, approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency on Nov. 25, calls for two studio units instead of seven and 10 three-bedroom units instead of two.

    Two-bedroom units drop from 89 to 77, while one-bedroom condos decrease from 105 to 97. The number of town homes stayed the same at six.

    Project architect Derek Vander Ploeg said market research convinced developer Jim Comparato that the mix of units should be altered.

    “It’s the sum and total of a lot of little things that have a tendency to add up for a better project,” Vander Ploeg said. “To make sure that a king-size bed fits in every master and so forth, it got a little bit bigger. So that you had something greater than a 24-cubic-foot refrigerator so you get a 28 or bigger, that all the two-bedrooms have side-by-side washer-dryer units as opposed to stacks.”

    Vander Ploeg’s revised plans add at least 67 square feet to studio apartments, 56 square feet to one-bedroom units, 146 to the two-bedrooms and 98 to the three-bedrooms, “to make the units more livable, obviously,” he said. 

    “It isn’t very often that we have someone come in and ask for less apartments,” CRA Chairwoman Constance Scott said. “I want to commend Mr. Comparato for recognizing that making larger units and less of them would meet the needs and obviously satisfy our population that will be looking at purchasing those.”

    Tower One Fifty Five will go on 1.25 acres at the northwest corner of Mizner Boulevard and East Boca Raton Road. Professional offices at 133, 155, 169 and 199 E. Boca Raton Road will be demolished.

    “After we did the market study we did a second market study and we even did a third to make sure the first two were correct. We were very careful in our layout to make sure that the mix was right,” Comparato said.  

    The project, with a maximum height not to exceed 100 feet, is estimated to generate $430,932 in annual tax increment revenue.

By Steve Plunkett

    Interest has waned dramatically over opening a waterfront restaurant on the former Wildflower site.

    Three stand-alone restaurants, two multistory complexes, a recreation-oriented business and a recent architecture graduate offered proposals two years ago, when the city first solicited informal “letters of interest.”

    In September, the city asked for formal lease proposals but received only one.

    “We’ve just received it and it’s in the process of being reviewed,” Deputy City Manager George Brown told the City Council on Nov. 26. 

    The Hillstone Restaurant Group met the deadline, Brown said, giving no other details. Staff will present the proposal to the council in January.

    Hillstone operates Houston’s restaurants on Executive Center Circle in Boca Raton and in Pompano Beach and North Miami Beach. It also runs the Palm Beach Grill in Palm Beach and other brands across the country.

    In its earlier letter of interest, Hillstone said it would build a 7,500-square-foot restaurant with a 1,000-square-foot patio. It sought a minimum 20-year lease and said it would pay $500,000 a year in rent plus 5 percent of its gross annual sales. Rent would increase 5 percent every three years, Hillstone said.

    The city bought the 2.3-acre parcel in 2009 for $7.5 million. It fronts the Intracoastal Waterway at the northwest base of the Palmetto Park Bridge. Silver Palm Park is south of the bridge. Council members decided last spring that doing something with the land was their top priority of the year.

    They also decided they wanted a “signature” restaurant with “significant public space” at the Wildflower site, which once featured a noisy after-hours restaurant.

    Two restaurants dropped out of competition: Guanabanas in Jupiter and BrickTop’s, a Nashville, Tenn.-based chain founded by a former Houston’s executive. BrickTop’s has since opened restaurants in Coral Gables, St. Louis and Franklin, Tenn., and is hiring for another restaurant opening soon in Palm Beach.

    The Wildflower site is the east gateway to downtown, and city officials envision a hub of activity there as well as landscaping to emphasize the site’s waterfront.

    The council passed an ordinance Nov. 26 declaring the request for proposals to be the method of “selling” the site. City code considers a lease of public land for five years or more to be a sale.

    “We are not putting the Wildflower property up for sale by this ordinance. We are establishing the RFP as the process by which to negotiate a lease if we so choose,” Mayor Susan Whelchel said.

    The council can decide to open negotiations with Hillstone, start over, do nothing or come up with a different plan altogether, Brown said.

    DELRAY BEACH — Marylew Cooper Redd of Delray Beach passed away on Nov. 30. Mrs. Redd was born Aug. 13, 1935, in Abington, Pa., to the late Guy Manning Cooper and Dorothy Hughes Cooper. She was educated at Sweet Briar College, Va., and the University of Florence, Italy. 

    Mrs. Redd moved to Florida after her marriage to the late Dorn Lee Redd in 1960. Mrs. Redd was a founder and president of the Boca Raton Historical Society, the Junior League of Boca Raton and the Historical Preservation Board of Florida. She was a leader in historical preservation efforts in Boca Raton and Delray Beach. Mrs. Redd was instrumental in preserving landmark buildings such as the Old Town Hall, the FEC Train Depot and the Camino Real Bridge in Boca Raton. 

    She was a highly creative artist with a special talent for design and style. She was a devoted wife and mother. She is survived by children Blair Redd Barnes, Amanda (Orjan) Redd Lindroth, Dorn Lee (Diantha) Redd Jr. and Carter Cooper (Gracie) Redd; and grandchildren Eliza Lindroth, Raleigh and Lee Barnes, Taylor and Cooper Redd, Tripp and Wilson Redd; her sister, Joy Cooper (Dale) Fernandes; and numerous nephews. Her brother Guy Manning Cooper Jr. preceded her in death.

    A celebration of her life was held Dec. 6 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach.

    In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her name to The Gulf Stream School, Gulf Stream.

—Obituary submitted by the family

By Ron Hayes

    OCEAN RIDGE — The night before Gladys Kuhman died, a doctor at Bethesda Memorial Hospital couldn’t get a blood pressure reading.

    “Is she waiting for someone?” he asked.

    No, said her daughter, Gail Ennis. The family has said their goodbyes.
    “Oh,” the puzzled doctor said. “Is she always this stubborn?”
    Yes, she certainly was.
    “She was feisty,” Ennis says. “A very tiny, very strong woman, and the glue that held our family together.”
    Mrs. Kuhman died in the hospital’s hospice unit Nov. 1. She was 93, and had suffered a stroke Oct. 16.
    Mrs. Kuhman was born in Pittsburgh on March 9, 1920. After high school, she married Jerome Kuhman, a carpenter, who survives her.
    “They eloped in 1939 and always wanted to come to Florida, but they ran out of money in South Carolina and had to go back to Pittsburgh,” her daughter said.
    The couple finally made it in 1953 and moved into what is now the Seaview Mobile Home Park on Federal Highway in Boynton Beach.
    In 1968, the Kuhmans moved to Ocean Ridge, where Mrs. Kuhman kept a pet spider monkey named Poo, joined a bowling team and became a passionate gardener.
    Marie Speed has lived just across the street for the past 22 years. 

    One day, she glanced out the window to find her neighbor up on the roof, and a ladder down on the ground.
    “She’d climbed up there to fix the antenna and the ladder fell,” Speed recalled with a laugh. “She was just a real spunky, plainspoken woman. She was sort of ageless.”
    In time, age did catch up with Mrs. Kuhman, but she remained no less spunky.
    About four years ago, her daughter recalled, Mrs. Kuhman drove out Boynton Beach Boulevard to pick up a bucket of chicken — and didn’t return.
    The family put out a silver alert.
    “She left home at 4 p.m. and a state trooper found her at three o’clock in the morning, heading back east. She’d gotten on the turnpike and just kept going.”
    Mrs. Kuhman never drove again, but one detail still makes her daughter smile.
    “There was an emergency card in her wallet with my name and address and phone number on it, but she never called,” Ennis said. “I think she was just determined to get back on her own.”
    In addition to her husband and daughter, she is survived by another daughter, Joyce Rietano, of Homosassa; a son, Fred Kuhman, of Walhalla, S.C.; six grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Clockwise from bottom: Cranberry Chipotle Cheddar by Carr Valley,

Tomme Fleur Verte, Cahill Porter and Rogue River Bleu.

Cheese board and cheese selection provided by Cheese Course, Boca Raton.

Libby Volgyes/The Coastal Star

Cahill Porter cheese

Cranberry Chipotle Cheddar

Tomme Fleur Vert cheese

By Jan Norris

    Hosts who are tight on time or who prefer hit-and-mingle cocktail party food would do well with an old favorite, updated — the cheese board.

    A spread of cheeses, crackers, fruits and nuts is a simple way to please a variety of tastes and diets — and possibly surprise some tastebuds. 

    The bonus: no cooking.

    With literally thousands of cheeses available from around the world, an infinite number of combinations can make up a board.

    While you could rack up a bill with exotic cheeses, a few interesting ones and a few familiar ones will satisfy most partygoers.

    To simplify it for the average host, we talked to the experts at cheese and wine shops.

    Brooke Bretillina, a supervisor at the Cheese Course in Boca Raton, said cheeses can be chosen by country, texture, sharpness, animal or flavor profile. She recommends a wide mix to satisfy a mixed crowd.

    “You can definitely have a traditional cheese for the not-so-adventurous,” she said. A good Parmigiano Reggiano is a favorite hard cheese, while a burrata, a creamy mozzarella, can be a neutral, if salty flavor for those who are wary of stronger cheeses. 

    A French brie is the most popular creamy cheese for the season. Dress up the brie with cranberry or raspberry relish or a tapenade to add a holiday touch, she said.

    Throw in at least one stronger cheese out of the ordinary. A Rogue River Bleu cheese from Oregon has a balanced bite. A cranberry-chipotle cheddar from Wisconsin also has a spicy and sweet finish — it would make a good pairing with beers. 

    A fresh cheese to consider is Tomme Fleur Verte — a soft French goat milk cheese coated in tarragon. Goat milk cheeses can be mild to strong; for a cheese board, a mild is a smarter choice.

    New cheeses from Cheese Course are a variety of cheddars from Vermont — a Tea Hive Cheddar, rubbed with tea leaves; Big John’s Cheddar, rubbed with Cajun seasonings to give the cheese a distinct spiciness, and the Carely Buzzed, a mix of espresso and lavender rubbed on the rind. “It’s unusual, but it’s really delicious,” she said.

Pairing cheese and wine

    Lindsey Gastarini, one of the owners of the Wine Wave in Delray Beach, puts out a cheese board for her shop’s guests who are there for wine tastings.

    “We offered a rosemary goat cheese (a domestic goat cheese), a cave-aged cheddar from Spain, a Manchego (a firm, crumbly sheep’s milk cheese from Spain) and a cranberry-studded Wensleydale (a semi-hard white cheese from England).”

    With these, she put out a variety of white and red wines. “Each cheese affects the flavors of the wines differently. A good rule of thumb is bolder reds with pungent and salty cheeses. The floral notes of some whites come through with goat cheese, for instance.”

    Using geography as a base for wines also helps match cheeses and vinos. Rioja, a bold red from Spain, pairs well with a Manchego. A lighter wine — the just-released Beaujolais, for instance — pairs well with an unaged fresh cheese.

Add a little fruit or nuts

    Fruits, nuts and spreads, both savory and sweet, can enhance the cheeses.

    “We have candied walnuts — they’re good to balance the saltiness and add a bit of sweet,” Bretillina said. Roasted almonds and dried fruits are good with spreadable cheeses, but avoid salted nuts as most cheese is already salty. A slice of fresh honeycomb is a nice, different addition to a cheese board, especially when salty sheep cheeses are served.

    The Cheese Course sells a variety of fruit spreads like raspberry relish, but good quality fig or apricot preserves round out a cheese board. Fresh fruits such as sliced apples, pears and bunches of grapes are traditional pairings. 

    Choose non-flavored crackers — either multigrain or plain water crackers — to avoid overwhelming the cheese flavor. Crusty bread cubes and flatbreads also can be used.

    Sliced, cured meats and fish spreads are sometimes offered with cheeses, but these also can overwhelm flavors; experts say use them judiciously.

Present and serve

    To serve cheeses, always bring them to room temperature. Slice some, while keeping the majority whole. Place them on parchment sheets or grape leaves if available. A well arranged board needs little garnish.

    Offer small knives and picks, with plenty of crackers.

    Write the cheese name and a few words about its flavor on a slip of parchment paper and attach it with a pick in each cheese.

    Rather than put out all the cheeses at once, serve half at a time of each cheese to keep them fresh; wrap remaining cheese in waxed paper for storage on the counter and replenish as needed.

    To divide cheeses and wines in separate areas for a tasting — and to keep your guests from huddling around one board — group them with flavor profiles, milds and softs together, with bold and hard cheeses on another board. Put wine or beer selections to match each nearby.

    As for how much to buy, Bretillina recommends about 2 ounces of each cheese per person; more if the cheese course is a main food for a party. 

    Prepare to spend from $9 to $29 per pound on most cheeses, though some can cost upwards of $60 a pound. Shop for them at cheese shops, wine shops, specialty groceries, delis and membership clubs, which often have larger portions at a discount. Watch sell-by dates imprinted on labels, and buy the freshest cheeses possible. If allowed, sample the cheese before buying, and ask for recommendations for alternatives to those that are ultra-pricey.

    For cheese boards, any large cutting board will suffice; avoid metal and reactive metals for serving; use wood, glass, natural stone or acrylic. Cheese boards are available at many cheese and wine shops.

   Most cheese and wine shops also offer catering services, and can create a cheese board completely decked out for purchase. Advance notice of a few days is generally required.

    Don’t let leftovers go to waste: Cook with leftover cheeses, or freeze them, well wrapped — though their texture may be altered, their flavors will generally remain true.

Variegated crotons and multi-colored bromeliads are grouped along the Chicago brick paths leading to the front door.

A variety of palms and white birds of paradise rise above the home in Boynton Beach.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    Chicago-brick paths wind around this sunny yellow bungalow that has more nicely tended plants in the front yard than grass.

    Red Thai plants frame the black front door of this 1940s shingle home with its green gable. White birds of paradise towering 15 feet in the air offer plenty of privacy to anyone inside the front rooms. 

    Green and yellow trinetta; yellow, green and pink bromeliads; ixora with bulbous yellow blooms; and plenty of xanadu and foxtail ferns carry the color scheme of the house into the front yard.

    Coconut and foxtail palms add shade. And a bougainvillea surrounded by white marble stones provides a pop of color.

    In 2009, Colleen and Travis Klabon moved into this house at 405 SW First Ave. in the Forest Park neighborhood of Boynton Beach.  

    “It’s an up-and-coming area,” says Colleen, although she bemoans the fact that many of the nearby houses are rentals that could use a little upkeep.

    The previous owners renovated this house and landscaped the yard in 2005. The Klabons, who are both teachers, had always lived in apartments so weren’t used to gardening.

    “But when we moved here, we knew we had to maintain the landscaping. And we embraced it,” says Colleen. 

    For their efforts, the couple recently was named the November House of the Month by the Boynton Beach Garden Club. They are the first house to win this designation. 

    The new award is an effort to “encourage people to think about their properties and how they can beautify their neighborhoods and their city,” says Toni Manuel, who is a member of the newly created awards committee.

    The committee is looking for homes with curb appeal. “This house just seemed to fit the bill,” says Manuel, adding that the committee also is looking for owner involvement. “We don’t want to see something maintained by a landscaper. We’re not looking for whack and hack yard care,” she says.
Although the couple does hire yard help, you might find Travis out front with his weed whacker or Colleen trimming the crinum lilies.

    On other occasions, she might be sitting out front on the brick patio sipping a cup of coffee or doing Bible study. “It’s one of my favorite spots,” she says. 

    The house is built on a corner lot that measures about 120 by 70 feet. The backyard is nothing but a narrow strip of land. The side yard, which also is visible from the street, is shaded by a gumbo limbo tree. 

    But most of the land is in front, where the brick-lined flower beds are covered with a fresh layer of mulch. And carefully trimmed bushes come just to the white trim under the picture window. 

    The winning homeowner receives a sign to display out front for a month. It reads: “Congratulations! Thanks for beautifying our world.”

    “Having that award sign in our yard really encourages us to make sure everything looks nice,” says Colleen. “I almost wish everybody could have one.” 

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a certified master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net when she’s not in her garden.

Ledges and catwalks allow felines to move about the room without touching the floor.

The Mox Litter Tower keeps cats from tracking litter throughout the house.

By Arden Moore

    When it comes to roommates, cats are often underrated. Unlike some human roommates, cats will never “borrow” your credit card, read your personal email, nag you to wash the dishes or splash Merlot on your white cashmere sweater.

    Unlike their canine counterparts, felines don’t pester you to take them on daily walks, drool on your bedroom pillow or unleash a barking barrage each time a delivery person rings your bell.

    When you come home after a bad date or a demanding work day, you can usually count on your cat to greet you with soft eyes and a steady, soothing purr. Without uttering a human word, your cat has the ability to calm you, reduce your blood pressure and make you feel like a million bucks.

    Their worth in our lives is priceless. That’s why I say it may be time for you to invest in a feline home makeover. 

    Relax. I’m not suggesting you make your home look catty or break your bank. 

    But by adding the right fashionable-yet-functional feline furnishings and amenities, you can enrich your cat’s life — and avoid litter box boycotts or the unwanted confetti look on your sofa arms.

    Sadly, an indoor bored cat has few options: overeat, oversleep and become destructive. They deserve — and need — a home that provides mental and physical enrichments that bring out their hunter persona.

    “Cats have natural needs to kill, scratch, hunt, play and sleep,” says Kate Benjamin, founder of Catio Showcase and Hauspanther, a pair of websites that feature an array of feline furniture and toys.

    Kenneth Simmons, DVM, veterinarian and owner of Simmons Veterinary Hospital in Lake Worth, agrees. In designing the Purrington Inn boarding area at his clinic, Dr. Simmons tapped into feline instincts and interests in creating the designs and amenities.

    “Our three-story condos are designed so cats can climb from top to bottom in a jungle-gym set-up that provides them with outlets to exercise,” says Simmons, the proud owner of two cats named Merlin and Sirius Black. “These condos have visual access to the outside so the cats can see plants moving and birds flying — features healthy cats need.”

    At his home, he makes sure to play regularly with his felines who are fond of pawing bottle caps down the hallway or stalking shadows on walls from a penlight laser. He also provides Merlin and Sirius Black with a sturdy wide ledge and a cat tree for them to perch and survey their surroundings and look down on his three dogs, Bailey, Jesse and Sandy.

    The litter boxes are tucked inside decorative end tables that hide their visibility from houseguests, offer the cats privacy and prevent any access from the three dogs.

    Says Benjamin, “I consider myself a cat style expert with a dual mission: to meet the needs of cats and to make their people happy. Creating aesthetics and feline functionality at the same time can be achieved.”

    With the help of Simmons, Kate Benjamin and other feline experts, I offer these feline fashion ideas for your consideration:

     Treat your cat to a wall highway. The hottest feline décor trend is mounting catwalks or cat ledges on walls to enable cats to travel from say, the living room to the den without ever having to touch the floor. These catwalks should be about two feet wide to ensure the ability for two cats to be able to pass one another. They can be painted in colors to accent your home look. For ideas, check out the Cats House (www.catshouse.com) and Urban Cat Design (www.urbancatdesign.com). 

     Upgrade the simple scratching post. Cats claw to hone their nails as well as to mark their territory. Wobbly posts in inverted T-shape configurations just don’t cut it for 21st century cats. Invest in cat trees that provide multiple levels, hiding holes, dangling toys, ramps and various surfaces to scratch. You can build your own or check out these examples: Solvit’s Kittyscape (www.solvitproducts.com) or the Sebastian Cat Tree at Designer Pet Products (www.designerpetproducts.com).

     Disguise the litter box. There are many eye-appealing furniture ideas now to discreetly tuck litter boxes into end tables, cabinets (referred to as “catinets”) and more. For ideas, check out the Mox Litter Tower at Modern Cat Designs (www.moderncatdesigns.com) and the Merry Products Cat Washroom, available at Petco. Just remember to scoop the litter boxes daily and clean them weekly with mild dishwashing soap to keep your home smelling fresh and to encourage your cat to practice pristine bathroom habits. 

    Tap into your DIY talents. Rather than feel sticker shock by the price of some customized feline furnishings, be inspired by them to create your own. For example, you can tuck a hidden litter box inside an unused trunk or discarded cabinet. You can create safe and inexpensive cat toys out of cardboard boxes, wine corks and felt. For ideas, visit Benjamin’s feline-inspired home décor blog on Hauspanther (www.hauspanther.com).

    Parting advice from Simmons: “When you are decorating your home, you can make it win-win for you and your pets. And, you increase the chances of your cat being contented and less apt to display behavior issues such as house soiling or destroying furniture.”

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 Oh Behave! show on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

INSET BELOW: Barbara Cook

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    For Barbara Cook, Oct. 23 was a big night. That’s when she received Hall of Fame recognition for her service to the Ocean Ridge Garden Club.

    “Barb is someone who always goes above and beyond,” says Kim Hanson, the club president.

    But that was only one of three honors garnered by the 40-member club during this past year. 

    It began in May when the group took second place in the 2011-’13 National Garden Club President’s Project award for plantings in public spaces and special places.

    This prestigious award was given for the club’s use of native plants when landscaping the Ocean Ridge Town Hall. The members who worked on the garden project also were instrumental in having the informational kiosk outside the government building made colorful with tile sea turtle mosaics.     “It took a lot of work,” says Cook, who regularly watered and fertilized the plot. 

    Cook’s dedication to the garden club also was recognized at the District X fall meeting in Port St. Lucie. 

    Here she received Hall of Fame recognition from the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs for her work at Town Hall as well as her other service to the club. 

    She’s been club president and chairman of the ways and means committee. And she’s the “go-to” person when something needs to get done.

    “To be honored by my club just means the world to me. It’s nice to be appreciated,” she says.

    And finally, the Ocean Ridge Garden Club recognized Coastal Star Publisher Jerry Lower as an Earth Steward for heading up a project to return a dune at the south end of town to its natural state. 

    Working with garden club members from both Ocean Ridge and the Grass River Garden Club, he oversaw the removal of exotics and the planting of native species such as sea oats, sea lavender, and dune sunflower.

    “This award is encouragement to garden clubs and everybody else to use native plants and restore natural habitats,” Lower says.