A historic marker provided by Robert Hudson Neff and his family will document

the opening of the Boynton Inlet, seen here after sand had temporarily filled it in.

Photo provided

BELOW: Harvey Oyer III (left) confers with Robert Hudson Neff during a 2008 ceremony

to install a marker honoring the three pioneer women who donated the land

that’s now the Delray Municipal Beach.

Photo provided

INSET BELOW: Robert Hudson Neff was 95 when he died in 2011. 

By Ron Hayes

    Robert Hudson Neff made his mark on history simply by marking history.
    When he died at 95 on Sunday morning, July 24, 2011, Mr. Neff left behind a widow, three daughters, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and a generous legacy of historical markers.
    The words “Sponsored by The Robert Neff Family” grace several descriptive markers in his hometown of Canfield, Ohio, and several more in Palm Beach County.
    On Oct. 28, 2008, he was present when a coquina and bronze marker was unveiled, honoring three pioneer women who, in 1899, donated the mile of beachfront property that’s now the Delray Municipal Beach. That marker sits just across South Ocean Boulevard from the Sea Fields Club, where the Neffs spent much of their time since 1972.
    In 2009, Mr. Neff paid for a marker at the First Presbyterian Church on Gleason Street to celebrate its recognition as a State of Florida Point of Historical Interest.
    In 2011, he received the Historical Society of Palm Beach County’s annual award for historical contribution. Among those contributions is a marker on the south lawn of the society’s museum, the former 1916 courthouse in West Palm Beach.
    He died still looking ahead for ways to honor the past.
    “In July 2009, Mr. Neff sent me a check for $500 toward a historical marker he wanted to see erected at the Boynton Inlet,” recalls Janet DeVries, president of the Boynton Beach Historical Society and a longtime friend.
    Seated on a picnic bench at the northern end of Ocean Inlet Park, she pointed to a spot just west of the picnic pavilion. “It’s going to go right there.”
    The state Division of Historical Resources is expected to approve the society’s application this month.
    The remaining cost of the $2,110 marker is being donated by Mr. Neff’s survivors, the Neff Family Charitable Trust.
    “He would be absolutely thrilled that it’s going to happen,” said his daughter, Jennifer Neff, in a statement. “He wasn’t really able to handle the politics and applications, but he would be so thankful for the people who have carried on the work to get it done. He was committed to this, and so is the family.”
    Why a historical marker at the Boynton Inlet?
    To remind people that it wasn’t always there, and its arrival changed the area immeasurably.
    The inlet we commonly call the Palm Beach Inlet was dug at the northern end of that island in the mid-19th century and stabilized by 1917. But by the early 1920s, a second was needed to improve water quality and circulation to the south, where both West Palm Beach and Lake Worth dumped sewage into the lake.
    The South Lake Worth Inlet District was formed in 1923 and $225,000 appropriated for the work.
    Dredging began that September, and in August 1924 a concrete bridge was completed to accommodate traffic along State Road A1A while the work continued below.
    And then, at 11:18 p.m. on March 16, 1927, with dozens of spectators watching from the bridge, the Atlantic Ocean met the Lake Worth Lagoon, and Boynton Beach hasn’t been the same since.
    “The coastal tomato and strawberry farms were dying out,” says Ginger Pedersen, the historical society’s vice president. “Saltwater from the Palm Beach Inlet spoiled the farmland, but this inlet gave the area a whole new purpose. We got the whole Boynton Beach fishing village. A lot of men made their living with commercial fishing.”
    And, of course, also the charter boat industry, ferrying tourists in and out of the inlet for day trips.
    “The wives and children would stand on the bridge and wave to their husbands and fathers as they came back through with the day’s catch,” DeVries adds.
    Robert Neff’s son-in-law, Gordon Broom, remembers visiting the inlet with him.
    “I loved the guy,” he said. “We fished and talked, and he was very excited about marking that inlet because he had studied the history and how it had opened that part of South Florida to fishing. He was worried that he wouldn’t live long enough to see it happen.”
    Mr. Neff didn’t live long enough to see it happen, but because of his generosity, it will.
    “After we get the official approval, it will take two or three months to have the marker crafted,” DeVries says. “I expect we’ll have the dedication sometime in January. And I’m hoping for a boat parade.”

Mike Buonaiuto Jr. and Nate Frankoski cross the Texas state line.

Photo provided

Watch video of plea to be on the Ellen DeGeneres Show

 By Paula Detwiller

    With the provocative slogan “Biking for Boobies,” two recent graduates of Florida Atlantic University have embarked on a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

    They’re riding 3,700 miles from Boca Raton to Los Angeles because it’s there. Breast cancer, that is.

    “We have a heart for those at risk of losing a breast or losing their life,” said 23-year-old Mike Buonaiuto Jr., one of the riders, in a news release. “This bike ride is our way of giving back to those who have already struggled so much. And it’s way less cliché than going backpacking in Europe after graduation.”

    Buonaiuto, of Boca Raton, and his riding partner, Nate Frankoski, 27, of Lantana, shoved off from Key West on Aug. 24. By the time you read this, the pair should be more than halfway through their 75-day journey, somewhere in the middle of Texas. They carefully planned each overnight stay in advance, with the help of a website that connects travelers with home hosts. 

    “We cherish the finer things in life,” Buonaiuto told me from a stop in Lafayette, La. “Couch surfing and meeting the locals.”

    Along the route, they’ve been encouraging the folks they meet to visit their website (bikingforboobies.com), and make a donation to support breast cancer research. Their goal is to ride 70 to 80 miles a day and raise $37,000 by the time they reach LA.

    It’s easy to spot these guys on the road. They wear bright-colored bodysuits, helmets and sunglasses. Video cameras attached to their helmets capture footage for their website.

    They look a little comical and seem a little irreverent: “I like biking and I love boobies,” Buonaiuto says when I ask why he’s riding for this particular cause. He tells me they’ve heard plenty of “breastimonials” along the way — stories about how breast cancer has affected family members and friends.

    Despite the playful language, there is sincerity in this mission. It’s a mission fueled by their Christian faith (the two met at Victory Church in Boca Raton about five years ago), their desire for a physical challenge, and their dream of promoting the whole thing on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

    “Ellen is a huge supporter of breast cancer research, and an awesome human being,” says Buonaiuto. “Besides, we’re attention whores. We would love to dance with Ellen on TV.”

    As of this writing, Ellen has not responded to the pair’s many messages. But there’s still time — and many more miles to pedal.

    “The back roads have bumps and potholes and we’re feeling every one,” Buonaiuto tells me. A few days later, when they make it to the Texas state line and I ask if they are tired and sore, he texts me the following:

    “God is a spring of joy and energy. That being said, we are VERY tired and sore.”

    To follow their odyssey or make a donation, visit www.bikingforboobies.com.

    To see a video of their pitch to Ellen DeGeneres visit www.thecoastalstar.ning.com.

    Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Visit her at www.pdwrites.com.

By Ron Hayes

    Five hundred years ago, a Spanish explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon set sail from Puerto Rico, in search of new lands to conquer.
    On April 2, 1513, he discovered what appeared to be an island, and named it Florida.
    It wasn’t an island, but it’s still Florida.
    Five hundred years later, on Oct. 10, Ocean Ridge resident Bob Weisblut will go in search of an audience for a new monthly lecture series he’s organized at the Town Hall.
    The first speaker will be Tony Marconi, curator of education at the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, discussing the facts and fables of Florida’s discovery.
    “I don’t know if six people will show up or 100,” says Weisblut, the retired owner of a security firm and a full-time resident since 2004. 

    “I know the majority of our neighbors won’t be back until January, so the first two events won’t be a good measure of the interest.”

    The lectures are free, and both residents and nonresidents are welcome, Weisblut said. But be on time.
    “We’re going to start at exactly 7 p.m. and end exactly at 8,” he warned. “I won’t make the speakers hang around for an extra half-hour.”

    At this point, Weisblut is the sole force behind the series, finding the speakers, spreading the word, venturing forth to see if there’s enough interest to support a second season.
    “If there’s any person who would like to entertain, I don’t care if it’s a ventriloquist, a musician, a singer or a little Irish dance troupe,” he says. “I just want the townspeople to come out and meet and enjoy each other.”

    Future events in the monthly series are:
    Nov. 14: Contemporary music from Bill Hartmann, a 12-string guitarist and vocalist.
    Jan. 9: Dr. John C. Fine, a marine biologist and master scuba instructor, will discuss the marine life, reefs and shipwrecks off of Boynton Beach.
    Feb. 13: Eric Vandernoot, Astronomy and Physics Lab coordinator at Florida Atlantic University, will present information about the new planets found by the Kepler Space Telescope.
    March 13: Dr. Kirt Rusenko, marine conservationist at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, will describe the three turtle species that commonly nest on our beaches and provide information on what residents can do to keep turtles safe during nesting season.
    April 10: A story of the Macedonian king, Alexander the Great, as told  by Dr. Christos Papatheodorou.

Photo Above: Ocean Ridge resident Bob Weisblut seeks an audience for a new monthly lecture series he's organized at the Town Hall. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Costumed as bride and groom, these romantic pooches are all set

for Halloween (or a trot down the aisle).

Photo by Dean Payne

Bug-eyed and bushy-tailed, this photogenic doggie

is ready for treats and perhaps a trick or two.

File photo

By Arden Moore

    One of the biggest celebrated holidays — Halloween — is going to the dogs in a big way. Are you sitting down? According to a 2012 survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, Americans spent a record $370 million on pet costumes last year. 

    Now, that’s a lot of kibble. The money spent also signifies the growing trend of turning dogs (and some highly tolerant cats) into clothes hounds bound for costume parties here and all across the country. 

    Need a costume idea? Consider viewing the digital 38-page catalog of pet costumes on the website of Rubies Costumes, the world’s largest designer, manufacturer and distributor of Halloween costumes and accessories, based in Melville, N.Y.

    “Our top seller for this year is the hot dog costume that features a bun on each side and fake mustard on the back,” reports Erin Breig, in charge of national sales for the pet line at Rubies. “But our hot dog costumes don’t just fit dachshunds. They now comfortably fit a tiny Chihuahua up to a Labrador retriever.”

    Dressing pets up as ghosts, action or super heroes, witches, pumpkins, devils and bumble bees ranked among the most popular costumes last year. 

    Here in Palm Beach County, we know how to party with a purpose and with style at events year-round. If the invitation extends to our well-mannered pets, then the event is even more beckoning. 

    “Halloween can be a fun time for the whole family, but there are potential dangers and sources of stress for some pets when it comes to dressing for the occasion,” says Jo Jo Harder, the Boca Raton fashion designer who is the creator of America’s Top Dog Model contest. “A pet costume must fit well and remain securely in place. Tight clothing can impair circulation and a loose outfit can get tangled or cover the pet’s eyes.”

    The key is to know your dog’s personality and not force him into wearing a costume, adds Kenneth Simmons, veterinarian and owner of Simmons Veterinary Hospital in Lake Worth. Each spring, he sponsors Pawigras, a customer-appreciation event that raises money for local pet charities. Some of the four-legged attendees come in costumes while others appear comfortable sporting only collars or harnesses.

    “Test your dog’s reaction to wearing a costume first at home. If he starts shaking his head or pawing to remove hats or glasses on his head, remove these items,” says Simmons. “If he suddenly freezes in place or drops his head down, he probably isn’t a fan of wearing a costume.”

    Simmons says to avoid any costumes with small items, such as buttons, that could      be swallowed and choke a pet.

    “Opt for Velcro attachments and never use duct tape to secure a costume in place because you can pull fur and even tear a dog’s skin,” he adds.

    Equally important is to secure your pets in a safe, enclosed room with plenty of pet amenities when you answer the door to dole out candy to trick-or-treaters. Simmons encourages you to give your dog or cat plenty of exercise a few hours before the witching hour. Muffle the door bell sound by playing a radio or television in that room and offer pets some keep-busy toys.

    Definitely, keep the Halloween candy out of paw’s reach. Simmons reports an uptick in appointments during the holiday season due to dogs consuming chocolate candy as well as the wrappers. Chocolate contains theobromine, an ingredient toxic to dogs that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nerve damage and death, depending on the amount consumed, its concentration (dark chocolate is the most dangerous) and the size of the dog.

    Final decoration tip: Forgo wax candles and opt for battery-operated candles, jack-o-lanterns and other Halloween decorations that can still illuminate a frightening theme without burning whiskers or tails. If you are fortunate to have an outgoing dog who digs costumes, then consider selecting matching outfits to sport at this year’s Halloween party invite. 

    “One of the biggest and newest Halloween trends in pet costumes is to come as a couple in outfits for you and your dog,” says Caolaidhe Lundy, store manager and pet fashionista of Barking Babies, in Vancouver, British Columbia. “Last year, for example, I went as Priscilla Presley and my dog, Scotty, a Pekinese cross, went as Elvis. He can’t sing like Elvis, but he can sure dance!”

    Last year, my dogs — Chipper and Cleo — and I were decked out as ’80s rock stars, complete with striped leggings, colorful medallions and pink wigs. I’m not sure which one of us sported the widest grin. 

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.

The construction site in Highland Beach.

Cheryl Blackerby/The Coastal Star

By Cheryl Blackerby 

    In March 2003, workers were digging a trench for underground utility pipes at the Sea Frolic hotel in Highland Beach when they came across something unexpected and disturbing — human bones buried about three feet deep. 

    A routine construction site suddenly turned into a crime scene. Highland Beach police and the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office were called, and the bones were taken to the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner. Police tape surrounded the area. 

    The 22 bones turned out to be that of a woman about 30 years old and a child about 2. 

    And there was a surprising twist in this case: The bones were about 1,000 or more years old. 

    It was a lucky break for archaeologists who had a rare opportunity to examine Florida’s ancient history in an area covered with condominiums and parking lots. A stop-work order was issued, giving a team of Florida Atlantic University archaeologists 13 days to examine the ground. 

 Spanish River Complex. SOURCE: Christian Davenport (Palm Beach County Archaeologist)

  Ten years later, the Sea Frolic, at 4521 S. Ocean Blvd., has been torn down to make way for private residences, and archaeologists are fuming because they were not given the chance to look at what they think is an Indian burial mound. 

    They believe it is part of a well-known and well-documented ancient graveyard adjacent to the Sea Frolic, where more than 160 skeletons were found in the 1970s. That burial mound is under what is now the Parker Highland condominium. 

Site examined before

    Florida Atlantic University archaeologist Dr. Jerry Kennedy was called in to examine the Sea Frolic site 10 years ago. Researchers will never know how the the young woman died, whether it was injury or disease, he said, and even the tribe is unknown because they didn’t get a chance to examine the bones for disease or do DNA testing. 

    The bones were interred at the site where they were found. The burial was overseen by the Miccosukee Tribe, who along with the Seminole Tribe have jurisdiction over ancient Native American bones.

    In his 2003 report, Kennedy wrote to the state archaeologist that there should be an archaeological review of the site if the ground was disturbed in the future. 

    “We recommended that any further construction or maintenance from A1A east to the beach be monitored by a professional archaeologist,” Kennedy recalled as he looked over the lengthy report in an FAU office in August. “We said the site warrants additional excavation, and that it’s not a separate site but part of the burial mound.” 

    The city of Highland Beach and the project’s builder Darrin Dunlea, owner of Seadar Builders, say they didn’t know about the archaeological site. 

    But even if they had known, the city is not required to contact the county or state archaeologists in order to issue a building permit on a known burial ground unless the city has a historic preservation ordinance that specifies they should. Highland Beach does not have such an ordinance, said City Manager Kathleen Weiser. 

    Some cities do request such services from Palm Beach County Archaeologist Christian Davenport, however.

    “Highland Beach is not required to contact the County Historic Preservation Officer/Archaeologist as they are their own governing body,” Davenport said. “However, my services can be requested from a municipal government. I have worked for West Palm Beach, Delray and Boynton Beach.”

    “But if human remains are found on the present construction site, the state must be contacted,” he said.

    “A stop-work order would be issued if human remains were illegally disturbed,” said State Archaeologist Dr. Daniel Seinfeld. “If someone intentionally disturbed human burials, they could be subject to punishment under Florida statutes. Anyone who has information about exposed or disturbed human remains is required by law to report this information to law enforcement authorities.” 

Many sites on coast

    Ancient village sites are scattered on the east coast from Miami to Jupiter. In 2010, bones were uncovered during construction in the 900 block of South Ocean Boulevard in Delray Beach. Police were called, then archaeologists. There was a brief stop-work order, the bones were studied, then reinterred at the site where they were found. And construction resumed. 

    The town of Palm Beach has recently wrestled with how to protect archaeological sites. In June, the Town Council passed an ordinance that required residents who live on known sites to pay for an archaeological assessment. But a month later, the council voted to rescind the measure after hearing residents’ complaints that it was a costly duplication of state law.

    Robert Carr, executive director of the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy in Davie which has documented more than 1,000 archaeological sites throughout Florida, believes the burial ground at Parker Highland condominium likely covers the Sea Frolic property and beyond, as well as under A1A. 

    “Unfortunately so many sites have been destroyed because of intensive development,” Carr said. Florida statutes, he said, don’t tell property owners they can’t build on archaeological sites.

    Dating the Highland Beach site is difficult, say archaeologists, which is partly why they want the opportunity to further study the site. 

    “The artifacts (at the Highland Beach burial mound) date the site to Glades I, which ranges between 1000 B.C. to A.D. 750,” Davenport said. “It is just one part of a much larger archaeological site complex — the Spanish River Complex — that includes the Highland Beach Site(s), Barnhill Mound (the Boca Raton Sand Mound), and the Boca Raton Midden.”

    Carr believes the bones in the burial mound were from the Jaega tribe, who are believed to have lived in Southeast Florida from about 500 to 1700 A.D. “They moved about in canoes, gathered shellfish, conchs and oysters, and traveled the Intracoastal lagoons and inlet,” he said. 

    The men were 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 tall and the women were 5-foot to 5-foot-3 — much taller than the Spanish explorers who encountered them. 

    “Any development in Highland Beach needs to be subject to archaeological review, to make sure these kinds of sites are documented before they’re destroyed,” he said.

    Carr, Miami-Dade County’s first archaeologist, is author of Digging Miami, published last year and the first book on the Jaega and other southeast Florida tribes.

    “I think the burial ground at Parker Highland and Sea Frolic is one of the more spectacular burial mounds,” said Kennedy. 

    Small towns need to be more cognizant of what’s beneath their feet, he said. “It would be nice if there was an awareness of history.”

    On Sept. 18, 2003, the remains of the woman and child were wrapped in cloth and put in a metal container with a laminated card identifying it as a Native American reburial belonging to a burial mound.

    It was buried three feet deep in the area they were found — perhaps under the 15-foot high mound of bulldozed sand at the site in late August.

Marilynn Wick and her daughter, Kim, are preparing to open The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum

in the former Caldwell Theatre building on Federal Highway in Boca Raton.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Dale King 

    When the former Caldwell Theatre closed last year, it left what Marilynn Wick called “a gaping hole in the South Florida theater scene.” 

    Wick — owner of Costume World, the Costume World Broadway Collection and creator of a major theater gear rental firm — and her daughters, Kim and Kelly, are using their performance and business savvy to revive the Boca Raton cultural arts center. 

    The former Caldwell — shuttered and silent since spring 2012 when a bankruptcy receiver evicted the company and closed the doors on the $10 million North Federal Highway building — will once again resound with songs and dialogue. On Sept. 19, Marilynn and her daughters will reopen the venue as The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum with a production of The Sound of Music. Equity husband-and-wife duo Krista Severeid and Tony Lawson head a cast of 28. 

    Staging the Rodgers and Hammerstein gem is just the tip of the Wick-led reconstruction and revival effort that’s taken most of a year. 

    The back end of the Caldwell building has been gutted to accommodate Wick’s Broadway Collection Museum, which “basically outgrew the space in Pompano Beach,” she said. “The idea of moving it to Boca and making it a true multipurpose arts facility was very exciting.” 

    Seeing the lifeless Caldwell touched the entrepreneur’s heart. 

    “I drove by pretty regularly,” she said. “It was simply a tragedy to see that beautiful building sitting empty — particularly in light of the wonderful work the Caldwell had done for so many years. That’s when I got the idea to move my costume museum to the location and reopen the theater.” 

    Refurbishing involved “a near-total renovation of the interior and exterior entrances for the new museum,” she said. “The frantic pace has been palpable.” 

    Items moved from Pompano to Boca include original costumes from more than 35 Broadway productions and revivals. In all, Wick has accumulated some 1.2 million pieces. 

    The collection includes wardrobes from original Broadway productions of The Producers and Titanic; the Sarah Jessica Parker production of Once upon a Mattress, La Cage aux Folles and the Julie Andrews performance of My Fair Lady, with designs by Cecil Beaton. 

    The theater’s premiere performance will include original costumes from the Broadway revival of The Sound of Music, and some will also be on display in the lobby. 

    Wick was a single mom who had worked in several trades when she came to Florida from Pennsylvania in the early 1970s. She was running an industrial window-cleaning service when she decided to teach her two pre-teen daughters how to sew. 

    They created a Santa Claus outfit, and when mom offered it for holiday rental, the response was overwhelming. She followed that by acquiring thousands of costumes and, in time, both her rental and costume museum businesses soared. 

    There and then, she decided it was “going to be my livelihood.” 

    Today, Wick sees the theater and museum working hand-in-hand. 

    Tours begin Nov. 5 and will include visits to the museum, backstage areas and costume shops. Lunch will be served in the Wick Tavern, a re-creation of New York’s former Tavern on the Green, furnished with items purchased at auction from that famed eatery. Cabaret shows of current productions will also be staged. 

    “Evening visitors,” she said, “can arrive early and enjoy tapas and cocktails before the show, then cabarets and bar service following the final curtain.” 

    She has high praise for her production team: Stacey Stephens, head designer for the Costume Museum, will direct the theater’s second production, White Christmas (Nov. 14-Dec. 25); Michael Ursua, musical director and director of The Sound of Music, and Joseph Shannon, technical director. Michael Leeds, known for his work on Broadway and locally, directs The Full Monty Feb. 20-March 23. 

    Wick said the quality of shows will be the true payoff for her bold project. 

    “I have been around the theater and theater people most of my adult life, and I’ve probably costumed most of them. I know these shows and what they require. I am determined to spare no expense in seeing that necessary production values are applied to every aspect of this arts center.”

If You Go

The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum is at 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. 

Museum: Tours of the Costume Museum are scheduled to begin Nov. 5. Tours typically start at 11 a.m. daily. 

Hours: Museum hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends. 

Price: Tickets are available for the museum tour and luncheon, $38 ($48 in season beginning Dec. 1); museum tour, luncheon and cabaret show, $48 ($58 in season) and the complete package of tour, luncheon and matinee show for $88. Requires reservations; call 995-2333. 

Theater: Tickets for shows at the Wick Theatre are $58 and available at the box office, open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends.

By Cheryl Blackerby 

    Boca Raton Beach and Park District commissioners are willing to pay a greater share of the city’s beach renourishment bills. But before they start writing bigger checks, they’d like to start playing a bigger role in shaping the projects. 

    “We’re not the city’s daddy,” said Commissioner Steve Engel, who says the commission often feels like the parent of college kids who constantly come asking for money without saying what it’s for. 

    “The basis of the problem we have is they don’t see this as a partnership, but rather see us as a tax-raising facility, a fund-raising facility for them,” Engel said. “For us to really go forward, that’s going to have to change somehow. They’re going to have to understand that we’re not trying to work at cross-purposes. We’re not trying to defeat what their objectives are. We want to be part of them.” 

    At issue is a $6.1 million renourishment project for the city’s north beach from Yamato Rock to the northern boundary of Red Reef Park. 

    The federal government is expected to pay about $3.4 million of the bill through the Army Corps of Engineers, with the state, Palm Beach County, city and beach district covering the rest. 

    Together, Boca Raton and the district will have to come up with about $943,000. In the past, the city has paid two-thirds of renourishment bills and the district one-third. 

    But the city wants to change that precedent and make the partnership 50-50, meaning the district would pay about $471,500 for the north beach project. 

    “We have told the city we would consider an inter-local agreement in which we’re a 50 percent partner with the city,” said Arthur Koski, the district’s acting director, “with certain provisos that we would be involved in the projects from the beginning so we learned about issues early on, rather than learning about them at the commencement of the project.” 

    Koski says the city hasn’t responded to his requests to give the commission more input on projects in the new inter-local agreement. “The city disregarded our request for greater participation,” he said, but added he’s hopeful that the partnership can be redefined as the summer budget process grinds on. 

    Koski says the north beach project won’t begin before November, and the start date will depend on the Army Corps’ scheduling of two other renourishment projects in northern Palm Beach County. He said the plan is to have north beach completed before turtle nesting season begins next spring. 

    Boca Raton has another major renourishment project to address after that. Koski said early estimates are about $9 million to rebuild the district’s southern beaches, with the city and district’s partnership expected to cover about $3.5 million of that total. 

    Koski said that, depending on logistics, scheduling and finances, it might be possible to “piggyback” the work on the southern beaches immediately after the north beach is completed. 

    But it won’t be possible to figure out the whole renourishment picture until after bids come back from contractors with hard numbers. 

    Commissioner Earl Starkoff says he is optimistic that the city and district can redefine their partnership and improve their working relationship by then. 

    “We’re not talking about warring parties here,” Starkoff said. “We’re talking about willing parties who want to do this — us and the city.”

By Steve Plunkett 

    Ground hasn’t been broken yet, but the long-awaited Interstate 95 interchange on Spanish River Boulevard already has attracted development that someday will generate 13,300 trips per day. 

    Boca Raton City Council members approved a new “planned mobility” zoning category Aug. 27 for nearly 78 undeveloped acres next to the planned interchange. The parcel had been zoned for 239 single-family homes; the mixed-use rezoning dubbed University Village will allow 420 apartments, each about 1,000 square feet; 252,000 square feet of retail; 126,000 square feet of office space; and 42,000 square feet of civic uses. 

    The retail can include three businesses between 15,000 and 25,000 square feet and one business between 25,000 and 45,000 square feet. 

    Deputy Mayor Susan Haynie asked to double a 50-foot landscape buffer between any development and neighbors along Northwest Fifth Avenue and other streets whose property backed up to the acreage. She also proposed “decisional criteria” to enable the City Council to direct where any tall buildings might go.

    Boca Raton will defer to new Mizner Park tenant Lord & Taylor and to Black Friday shoppers and light its holiday tree the day before Thanksgiving instead of the day after. 

    In June, City Council members, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, briefly discussed moving the tree-lighting ceremony to the Spanish River Athletic Complex at DeHoernle Park. That’s where the city held its Fourth of July fireworks celebration this year. 

    Last year’s tree lighting drew 7,000 to 9,000 people to Mizner Park. 

    But this year Lord & Taylor plans a grand opening-type event of its department store there on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. 

    The tree-lighting was moved in 2005 from City Hall to the amphitheater at Mizner Park. 

— Steve Plunkett

By Steve Plunkett

    Forgive the city manager if he sounds almost giddy over Boca Raton’s finances.

    “If you live in neighboring Delray — we hear lots of great things and Delray’s a great place — but you’ll pay twice as much in city property taxes in Delray as you would in Boca,” City Manager Leif Ahnell said at the Aug. 26 budget workshop.

    “And West Palm Beach ... you would pay city taxes three times what you pay in the city of Boca. So we think we’re doing a good job cost-wise.”

    Boca Raton will spend $9.5 million in the coming year to replace the city’s 911 system.

    Ahnell also proposes spending $9.3 million to renourish the central beach and $2.6 million on the south beach. The north beach qualified for Hurricane Sandy relief money and will need only $888,000 in city funds, he said.

    The proposed budget includes $3.8 million in additional expenses, about a 3 percent increase. Of that, $1.1 million is for police raises, increased benefit and pension costs and to fill five previously unfunded positions. The department will replace 23 police vehicles for $739,000.

    The fire department will get almost $1.1 million for salary, benefit and pension increases. It will spend $114,000 to replace two sedans and two SUVs.

    Ahnell has recommended a rate of $3.72 per $1,000 of taxable property, the same as this year. But property values rose over the past year, which means property owners on average would pay 3.5 percent more.

    Mayor Susan Whelchel’s city tax bill, for example, will rise $65, or 1.8 percent, for a total $3,662. Last year she and her husband paid $3,597 in city taxes. Their property’s taxable value also rose 1.8 percent, to $983,654.

    Ahnell said the city’s request for restaurant proposals for the Wildflower property on Palmetto Park Road at the Intracoastal Waterway would be ready in early September.

    Ahnell is also looking into having more concessions at city beaches, including chairs, umbrellas, towels and possibly more food. 

    “As you know, right now we have a hot-dog stand — or cart I should say,” Ahnell said.

    Betty Grinnan, who chairs the library advisory board, was not happy with the proposed budget. The Friends of the Library and the advisory board began asking the city last spring to restore $380,000 cut from library personnel over the last four years.

    “We are very disappointed that at this point you have not,” Grinnan said.

    The new $10 million downtown library has added to demand for more service, Grinnan said, noting a 181 percent increase in applications for library cards. 

    “The library staff has done a fabulous job, but they are very stressed out,” she said.

    Budget hearings will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 17 and Sept. 24 at City Hall. City Council members can lower the rate, proposed at $3.72 per $1,000 in taxable value, but not raise it.

Stella Page, 7, poses for photographer Oona Cruger at Boca Raton Resort & Club

on Aug. 23. Stella is a Boca resident and a student at St. Andrew’s School.

French designer Laure Nell used the resort as background location for the shooting

of her Spring/Summer 2014 Children¹s Wear Look Book.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    Florida Power & Light Co. will be installing 40 new concrete utility poles along a stretch of State Road A1A, and that could mean temporary service interruptions for some customers and periodic lane closures affecting motorists. 

    The poles, scheduled to be installed during the next three months, are designed to better withstand storms and provide improved service. FPL says they should hold up against wind gusts of up to 140 miles per hour. 

    Here is the expected schedule of where FPL crews will be working through Dec. 1:

    • Sept. 9–30: From 3723 S. Ocean Blvd. to 3407 S. Ocean Blvd.

    • Oct. 1–31: From 3407 S. Ocean Blvd. to 3101 S. Ocean Blvd.

    • Nov. 1–Dec. 1: From 3101 S. Ocean Blvd. to 2727 S. Ocean Blvd.

    Residents whose service will be affected will be receiving advance notice. Motorists can expect single-lane closures on A1A during scheduled work hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

— Rich Pollack

By Steve Plunkett

    Domestic partners of city workers may receive even better benefits than their counterparts in Wellington.

    City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser reported Aug. 26 on how City Council members could add sexual orientation and gender identification and expression to the city’s equal employment opportunity criteria. Then she asked how soon council members wanted to act.

    Mayor Susan Whelchel asked whether the ordinances could be introduced the next day. “That’s what I want to see happen,” she said.

    Boca Raton decided to follow Palm Beach County in subsidizing health insurance and other benefits for domestic partners the same as it does married, opposite-sex spouses. Wellington does not. Whelchel had asked Frieser to add the county’s policies to her report.

    “The Wellington thing, as I understand it, recognizes the domestic partnership but doesn’t permit the funding of it,” Councilman Michael Mullaugh said. “If we’re going to recognize something we should be willing to pay for it.”

    Dave Barkey of the Anti-Defamation League said his group supported Boca Raton giving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees anti-discrimination and domestic partnership rights.

    “The city needs to be on the right side of history,” Barkey said. “From our perspective, it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s good for business. … Do we want to be open to all and attract the best and the brightest, or do we want to be exclusionary?”

    Councilwoman Constance Scott pushed for Frieser to research the issue in July and introduced the ordinances Aug. 27.

    That same day Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest U.S. employer outside of the government, announced it will offer health insurance and vision care to domestic partners of U.S. employees starting next year.

    On Aug. 13, the Palm Beach Town Council also voted to offer benefits to domestic partners of employees effective Jan. 1. Municipal workers will be able to insure their registered domestic partners for health and dental insurance. They will also have the same benefits as opposite-sex married employees on bereavement leave, illness in immediate family leave, family and medical leave and domestic partnership leave.

    Town staff had recommended against extending benefits it because it will cost $72,510 a year extra.

    “Once again, elected officials in Palm Beach County have looked beyond simple dollars and cents and have taken steps to equalize family benefits for their gay and lesbian employees,” Rand Hoch, founder of the nonprofit, nongovernmental Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, said in a statement.

    The council began pressuring Boca Raton last fall after City Council members refused to sign a $1.2 million hazardous waste cleanup agreement because it included an LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination clause.

    Frieser said public hearings on Boca Raton’s ordinances will be Sept. 10.

Excentricities Manager Diana Myers, inside the recently expanded showroom

on Northeast Fifth Avenue in Delray Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

    Excentricities recently expanded its Delray Beach showroom by more than 25 percent, store manager Diana Myers said.

    But the two months of construction did more than just add space, she added. 

    “Walls were torn down, unused rooms opened up, giving us room for more merchandise.”

    The casually elegant home furnishings store also offers design services to give home and condo owners a Florida feel. 

    “We get so many condo owners coming in who brought their dark, heavy furniture from up North,” she said. “They tried to make it work, but now they are ready for a change.”

    They want sofas with white slipcovers that can be easily washed, pillows with bright colors, and whimsical lamps and chandeliers that create a beachy feel, she said.

    The store features work by Delray Beach artist Tiffany Cant. Shell-framed mirrors also are available, along with bleached starfish for $1. A shell-covered side table, basically a conversation piece and made locally, sells for $1,200.

    This branch caters to the younger vibe of Delray Beach and the closeness to the beach, Myers said. The North Palm Beach location offers more traditional home décor because of the age difference of its customers.

    Owner Carol Adams echoed that sentiment when she chose to open the Delray Beach showroom for Excentricities in 2003: “I love the area — it’s bohemian and fun.”

    As to the spelling of Excentricities, Adams hopes that customers will take it to mean unusual but functional items for their homes in the four-store chain. 

    “We’re not a box store,” Myers said. She tries to obtain “different and unique things” on her semiannual buying trips to High Point, N.C. She’ll go next in October.

    During the real estate slump, Myers noticed that customers were scaling back on what they purchased. Instead of a $600 pillow, customers would go for a $150 pillow.

    She is cautiously optimistic about the coming season, pointing to a 39 percent increase in sales last year over 2011. With the expansion, she expects the store to top that increase this year.

Excentricities, 117 N.E. Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, 278-0886; 1400 Old Dixie Highway, North Palm Beach, 845-3250; 1810 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, 249-6000; and 89 Main St., Westhampton Beach, N.Y., (631) 288-0258; www.excentricities.com.

    BOCA RATON — Philip Vultaggio, a former resident of Massapequa, N.Y., passed away at his home in Boca Raton on Aug. 19 at the age of 91. He was dearly loved by his family and respected by all who knew him.

    Born on Feb. 4, 1922, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Amityville, he was the son of Italian immigrant parents, Josephine and Vito Vultaggio. As a child of the Great Depression era, he learned ways to help support his family at a young age.

    He would buy and resell the local newspaper, the Amityville Record, to commuters on the Long Island Railroad, making 2 cents on each copy, and would later deliver newspapers on his makeshift bicycle. To help heat their modest home, he would collect pieces of coal that had fallen alongside the tracks from passing trains. 

    As a young man, he worked as a masonry apprentice until he was able to secure a job at Republic Aviation assembling P-47 Thunderbolts, the unsung hero fighter plane of World War II. In 1943, he enlisted in the Army, and was a private first class in the 115th Infantry 29th Division. His tour of duty took him from Normandy Beach through Holland and on to the front line in Germany. He truly loved his country and flew the flag with pride.

    After the war ended, he returned home and started building houses in Amityville and Massapequa. He soon would meet and marry his late wife, Iole. For nearly 60 years, they were happily married and devoted to each other. Their shared core values of integrity, goodness, hard work and devotion would help them achieve the American Dream.

    Mr. Vultaggio was the founder and operator of two landmark businesses in Massapequa, the former Carvel, now Marshall’s Ice Cream Bar, and the All American Hamburger Drive-In, both of which are still family-owned and operated. He instilled in his family a strong work ethic and the importance of a unified family.

    Having spent winters in Florida since the early 1950s, he began developing properties in both Delray Beach and Boca Raton. He was instrumental in the early revitalization of Delray Beach. He loved the area so much, he retired to Florida in 1972.

    Mr. Vultaggio is survived by his four devoted children, William, Cecilia (Kevin) Egan, Diane (Jan) Marshall and Philip Jr. (Brema), 14 grandchildren, and 19 (soon to be 20) great-grandchildren. He leaves a legacy of courage, honor, humility and love of God and country. 

    Philip Vultaggio was a man who made an incredible difference in the lives of many. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

    A viewing was held Aug. 26-27 at the Massapequa Funeral Home South Chapel, Massapequa Park, N.Y. A funeral Mass was celebrated on Aug. 28 at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, Massapequa, NY. Entombment followed at St. Charles Resurrection Mausoleum. 

    Lorne & Sons Funeral Home, Delray Beach, was in charge of arrangements. 

Obituary submitted by the family.

Greg Rice and his wife, Lori Miller, take a break during activities at Lake Worth’s July Fourth celebration.

Photo by Annamarie Hunt

    Nice early birthday present for Boca-born Ariana Grande. Two weeks before she turned 20, her new song The Way, with Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller, was certified platinum for sales of a million records. That doesn’t happen very often in this day and age. Seven 

hours after its iTunes release, it was the No. 1 single. It debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and peaked at No. 9. Its sales in the first week were exceeded only by Suit & Tie, by Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z. 

    Not bad for Grande, who grew up in Boca and attended North Broward Prep. (Her father, Ed Butera, owns ibi designs in Boca.) After making a name vocally, the tiny girl (only 5 feet) with the big four-octave voice made the big jump to Broadway — as Charlotte in 13 — and then to Nickelodeon’s Victorious as Cat Valentine. She now stars in Nick’s Sam & Cat. In 2012 she won a Hollywood Teen TV Award for Favorite Actress. This year she was named Best Newcomer at the Billboard Mid-Year Music Awards and The Way is nominated in three categories for the Teen Choice Awards. Her first album, Yours Truly, will be released Sept. 2. 

    And to wrap up a wild and crazy summer, Grande will open three shows for Justin Bieber this month ... in Jacksonville (Aug. 7), Tampa (Aug. 8) and Atlanta (Aug. 10). Let’s hope the bad boy can handle it. 

    For Shane Todd’s family, no joy — and few answers. On July 8, a Singapore coroner ruled that the former Boca Raton resident’s death was a suicide. The family refuses to accept the finding, according to published reports in national and international media, claiming the suicide — asphyxiation by hanging — was staged to cover up murder. 

    Todd was born in California, his father a Navy pilot. They moved to Boca Raton, where Todd was an honor student and athlete at Boca High. Todd completed his undergraduate and master’s work at the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in engineering at the University of California Santa Barbara. He then signed on with the Institute for Micro Electronics, a division of the Singaporean government’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The work involved a gallium nitride-powered amplifying device for the controversial Chinese telecom company Huawei. 

    As the work continued, Todd confided to his family, who had since moved to Montana, that he was uncomfortable with some of the work he was asked to do. His mother said he once told her if she didn’t hear from him every week to contact the American embassy. He was prescribed antidepressants to help him cope with the stress. He gave 60 days’ notice at IME, then stayed an additional 30. On his last day, friends and co-workers said he was upbeat. His girlfriend discovered his body a day later. 

    When Todd’s family arrived in Singapore they noted many inconsistencies in the police report and signs that didn’t point to someone considering suicide — unfinished laundry, recently written price tags to sell his furniture, his airline ticket on a table. A Missouri medical examiner consulted by the Todds argued that photos of marks on the body didn’t support suicide but after seeing additional information retracted his statements. An Illinois criminologist said the tone of Shane’s suicide note didn’t match his personality. 

    The Todds sought help from members of Congress and a petition was circulated online asking President Obama to authorize a Justice Department investigation. The FBI offered to cooperate with Singapore police, but did not come to any official conclusions regarding the case. 

    At the inquest, numerous witnesses supported the suicide scenario, including two chief medical examiners from the United States who were brought in as independent experts. 

    Saying they no longer believed in the “transparency and fairness of the system,” the Todds discharged their lawyers, withdrew from the inquiry, and returned home to continue their mission in “the court of public opinion for judgment.” 

    Lake Worth may not have been born on the Fourth of July, but what better day to celebrate a centennial? And they did it up right with a big dance at the newly restored pavilion on the beach, a sink-or-swim parade of homemade rafts in the lake and a boffo fireworks display. 

    Greg Rice, the city’s unofficial ambassador and the centennial committee’s official vice chair, wasted no time celebrating the success of the celebration and tossing a friendly jab at the much bigger neighbor to the north. “I wanted to point out,” Rice wrote in an email, “that the fireworks display for Lake Worth’s Centennial was bigger and lasted longer that the city of West Palm Beach’s Fourth on Flagler Celebration. (And) no, there’s no ED joke intended here. Happy birthday, Lake Worth and America!’’ 

    Farther south, reviews are still mixed on the controversial move of Boca’s fireworks to the new de Hoernle Park on Spanish River Boulevard, just across I-95 from the old site on the FAU campus. The recently opened park is the newest contribution to the city by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District. 

    The district is a separate taxing agency, yet, without consulting the district board, city officials decided to relocate the event. Unlike the campus, which offered unlimited parking and four access points, the park has space for fewer than 300 vehicles and only one way in and out. To compensate, the city ran shuttle buses from parking lots at the T Rex Corporate Center to the north. 

    Assistant City Manager Mike Woika claimed a turnout of 10,000, with about 2,300 cars parked and the last shuttle leaving the park at 10:30. Many attendees, he added, walked in or rode bikes. 

    Boca police, however, said the park wasn’t clear until 11:30, and observers experienced in crowd estimates said 4,000 to 5,000 would be a more realistic count. Of greater concern was the number of attendees who forsook the shuttles for a risky walk along Spanish River between the park and T Rex. 

    The Tax District’s annual budget includes a sizeable contribution to the city for its fireworks, but unless the city adopts a new policy — communication — that money may go elsewhere. As one board member explained: “It’s called respect.” 

    Back in 1925, Boca Raton was little more than sand, scrub and The Cloister, the swank hotel on Lake Boca Raton. When Addison Mizner, the dreamer who built the hotel, began building his headquarters just east of the Boca Raton railroad station on Camino Real, he named it, rather unglamorously, The Administration Building. 

    The promise of millions soon fizzled; a year later, Mizner was broke. For six more years he scrambled to keep his business afloat, but in 1933, he died in Palm Beach from a heart attack. 

    Fortunately for us, his legacy lives on in his buildings: the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the Old Floresta homes in Boca and estates in Palm Beach, California and Colorado, The Cloister in Sea Island, Ga., even a Baptist church in Jacksonville, and yes, the old Administration Building. 

    Now The Addison, it hosts some 500 private events each year — small club luncheons, corporate extravaganzas, weddings — plus the occasional public party. Last month the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences presented The Addison with its Five Star Diamond Award, citing its historical architecture, cuisine, charm and service. It’s the only private events venue in South Florida to be so honored. 

    Just up the road, The Wick Theatre is alive with the sounds of construction, renovation and, most of all, ticket sales for the theater’s Sept. 20 opening gala and performance of The Sound of Music. Last spring the Wick took over the bankrupt Caldwell Theatre Company complex at the north end of Boca with elaborate plans to offer live theater, dining and a theatrical costume museum based on founder Marilynn Wick’s world-class collection. 

    “Ticket sales are going great,” Wick said. “Subscriber-ship, too! We’re working feverishly. The museum won’t be ready until November, but we plan to have four huge cocktail parties for opening week. Be ready to eat and drink.” 

    Profit is profit, and speculators have made lots of it in Florida since Juan Ponce de Leon first arrived. But when you’re movie star Kevin James and you’ve just paid $18.5 million for a beachfront home in Delray, it hardly makes sense to put it back on the market a couple of months later for a mere $19.95 million. 

    That was the news in early July, but it was all a mistake. The agency that initially listed the home erroneously blogged that several big homes were on the market, including James’. Zillow, the real estate website, quickly picked it up. Then the media picked it up and called James’ people to inquire. James people called the agency and the item was quickly pulled, but no one was sure how it all happened. 

    The 12,828-square-foot Delray estate features a saltwater pool, massage table, wine room and staff quarters. It isn’t much larger than his old place in Encino, Calif., (11,291 square feet) that boasted a state-of-the-art movie theater, gym, chef’s kitchen and backyard vistas of the valley and mountains beyond. James bought it in 2003 for $3.2 million and put it on the market for $5.49 million. Actual selling price: $5.55 million. 

    Natasha Tretheway was born in 1966 in Mississippi, at the height of the civil rights struggle, to an African-American mother and a Canadian father — when mixed-race marriages were illegal in that state. Her parents divorced when she was young. Her mother remarried and shortly after a second divorce, when Tretheway was 19, was murdered by her second husband. 

    “That was the moment when I both felt that I would become a poet and then immediately afterward felt that I would not,” Tretheway recalled. “I turned to poetry to make sense of what had happened.” 

    Tretheway’s verse continues to make sense … and to inspire. In 2007 she received the Pulitzer Prize for her collection Native Guard. She directs the creative writing program at Emory University in Atlanta. In June, Librarian of Congress James Billington appointed her to a second term as the 19th United States poet laureate. 

    And next Jan. 20 at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts at Old School Square, she’ll headline one of the most auspicious gatherings of poets ever at the 10th annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival. 

    In addition to Tretheway, the six-day festival will feature workshops by Nick Flynn, Carolyn Forché, Linda Gregg, Thomas Lux, Campbell McGrath, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Mary Ruefle and Tim Seibles. 

    The festival will be dedicated to the memory of poet Kurt Brown, a frequent contributor to the festival who died last month. Brown’s widow, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, will give a reading and introduce Tretheway. 

    Founder and director Miles Coon promises “numerous opportunities for the public to hear truly great poetry, written from and for our time, read by poets who engage and enthrall the audience. They are truly a diverse group, ethnically, demo-graphically and aesthetically. When people hear them, they will hear America singing.” 

    For details, go to www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org. 

    With Don Shula, nobody asks, “Where’s the beef!” 

    A winner, no matter where, “Shoes” has always known where to find the beef, first as a football player, then as coach of the Baltimore Colts and especially the Miami Dolphins, and finally as restaurateur. With the latter, he started at the top of the restaurant food chain with Shula’s Steak Houses and expanded into a league of restaurants — freestanding, in hotels, in airports — but all beef-centric with enough chicken and seafood to keep any team happy. 

    But just as football victories are ground out in the trenches, so is Shula’s newest concept — Shula Burger. Four have opened, including one last month at the spanking new Delray Marketplace, west of the Turnpike on Atlantic Avenue. Burgers start at $6.49 for the basic with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles, but from there the sky’s the limit with an ingredients list that includes roasted peppers, goat cheese, roasted corn and black bean salsa, peppered bacon, cucumbers, avocados and red onion jam. Most intriguing is “The Don.” Try to picture a brioche-style bun, slathered with onion sauce, ketchup, yellow mustard, with a slice of American cheese and a pickle, atop a burger AND a hot dog. 

    The menu, of course, offers more than beef, with chicken, turkey and veggie burgers, steak sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, beer and wine, even hand-dipped Haagen-Dazs milkshakes. 

    All the fixin’s for a winner.

    Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at thomsmith@ymail.com

By Dan Moffett 

    A night at the movies is getting to be a tough ticket in Delray Beach as the local movie houses go through some major changes.

    Last spring, the operators of the Plaza at Delray mall on the corner of Federal Highway and Linton Boulevard received approval from the city for a plan to demolish the Regal Delray Beach 18 Theater. They told the Planning and Zoning Department they intend to replace it with an LA Fitness.

    Then in June, Delray Square Cinemas, a low-priced haven for foreign and independent films, abruptly closed its doors at the financially troubled Delray Square Shopping Center on Atlantic Avenue.

    The net effect of the closures would be to force Delray moviegoers to gas up their cars and drive elsewhere for first-run films — that could mean Boca Raton, Boynton Beach or a trip west past Florida’s Turnpike on Atlantic Avenue to the new Frank Theatres Cinebowl & Grille & IMAX at Delray Marketplace.

    For many residents, this is an unwanted complication to their Saturday night dinner-and-a-movie routines.

    “People have been coming out of the woodwork and complaining the last two months,” said Kelli Freeman, president of the Tropic Isle Civic Association, a homeowners’ group near the Regal 18. “They want their movies, and they don’t want to have to drive to Boca to see them.” 

    The Community Redevelopment Agency is looking at two plans that could put high-end movie theaters on the old library property on Southeast Fourth Avenue in downtown Delray. But those plans are barely on the drawing board and many months away from selling popcorn and tickets to customers. 

    At least a small window of hope for keeping the Regal 18 open may still exist, however, according to Russ Nunley, vice president of communications for the Regal Entertainment Group in Knoxville, Tenn.

    “We continue to operate the Regal Delray Beach 18 and look forward to continuing operation for our loyal patrons,” Nunley said. “The landlord for the property has talked about another tenant that may be coming. Our lease includes the ability for the landlord to give us notice if they wish for us to leave, however, we have not received that notice.”

    The mall’s landlord, Ramco-Gershenson, based in Farmington Hills, Mich., has declined to comment.

    As far as Delray city officials are concerned, the demolition is a virtual certainty.

    “It’s pretty much a done deal,” said Candi Jefferson, a Delray senior planner. “The ball is in their court. They can come in and get the demolition permit for the theater today if they want it. There are no outstanding issues to getting it done.”

    While Jefferson said she has heard complaints about losing the theater, she has also heard from the other side. “I’ve had people tell me they are happy to see the fitness center coming, too,” she said.

    Losing Delray Square Cinema was less of a surprise. For most of the last decade, the Delray Square shopping center has either been in foreclosure or teetered on the brink of it. Jefferson said renovation plans that the city had approved years ago have long since expired.

    “There is no current plan to do anything with that property,” she said.

    Miami businessman Cesar Soto bought the six-screen Delray Square Theater about 12 years ago and turned it into a quirky alternative that was popular with older residents. During its heyday, Soto gave out free drinks to fathers on Father’s Day and flowers to mothers on Mother’s Day. All seats sold for $5 in recent years.

    Besides the shopping center’s financial problems, the theater was under pressure from the studios that are switching to digital distribution exclusively and phasing out film. The conversion from film projectors to digital can cost $75,000 per screen, a burden that has forced many small operators out of business across the country.

    Richard Huei has owned Tony Wu Seafood & Steak Cafe next to the theater for 26 years, with Publix the mall’s longest-running tenant. He said the cinema disappeared without warning or explanation.

    “An employee said they got a call from the owner and were told to pack everything up,” Huei said. “Everything was gone in two days.”

By Dan Moffett 

    Outgunned and outspent in the courts, six Delray Beach residents dropped their lawsuit against the developer of the Atlantic Crossing project, saying the fight had become too much. 

    “This was a monetary Goliath,” said Benita Goldstein, who gave up on the legal case and left the original group of opponents months ago. “We really couldn’t go up against them. I saw this coming and that’s why I pulled out.” 

    The suit had claimed that city commissioners were wrong in December when they gave conditional-use approval to a project that exceeded the height and density limits of the downtown master plan. The developer, Ohio-based Edwards Companies in a joint venture with Rexall founder Carl De Santis, countersued, charging the residents’ objections were frivolous and challenging their legal standing in the case. 

    “The plaintiffs had grown concerned that it had gotten to a point where it was going to start hurting them personally,” said Bob Ganger of the Florida Coalition for Preservation. “They were going to start filming depositions. The inconvenience and expense of legal fees was going to be too much.” 

    Project manager Don DeVere said four architectural companies have spent six months redesigning the project and trying to allay opponents’ concerns that it was incompatible with Delray’s “Village by the Sea” principles. The latest iteration of the plan, sent to the city in June, eliminated truck traffic from Atlantic Avenue and reduced the unit density by about 20 percent over the 9-acre footprint. 

    “We’re pleased that the suit is resolved and we can move forward amicably,” DeVere said. “We’ve listened to and incorporated many changes suggested by people throughout the community — including plaintiffs — as our plans have continued to evolve.” 

    The idea behind the new design is to use six architectural styles to create the appearance that the street grew organically and evolved. Parts of the $200 million project will feature Mediterranean design — parts Art Deco, modern or more traditional Florida architecture. 

    “We challenged our design team to return to the drawing board to capture Delray’s authentic look and feel,” said Jeff Edwards, president of the Edwards Companies. “We’ve listened to and incorporated literally dozens of changes suggested by people throughout the community.” 

    Gary Goldfarb, who has owned the large commercial building at 502 E. Atlantic for the last 12 years, believes the project will help satisfy a growing demand for downtown office space, while transforming the street into a destination that “draw visitors from all over the world.” 

    “I think it’s a first-class project,” Goldfarb said. “The developers have bent over backwards to address the concerns of people who opposed it. We’ll still have a village, but it’s time for changing the face of Atlantic Avenue.” 

    Goldfarb said he’s renovating his property to “evolve with the development,” adding 30 small-business office spaces to complement the Starbucks that anchors his building. “It’s going to be beautiful.” 

    Ganger says the Coalition is “going to start all over — go back to zero” and meet with city officials to begin reviewing the new plans. “The stakes are very high,” he said. “This is about the essence of the whole concept of comprehensive planning and visioning. It’s so easy to turn into Highland Beach or Singer Island.” 

    The city’s Site Plan Review and Appearance Board will examine the revised plans within the next month, and then the project goes back to the commission. 

    Goldstein says that, while she’s disappointed in the outcome of the legal battle, the project’s opponents may have succeeded in changing the way government operates in Delray. 

    “We were just a group of citizens trying to have a say,” she said. “I think that going forward, you’ll continue to see that everybody is questioning things now, and the new commission will see that. I knew we’d never outlast the developer, but I hoped we’d spark attention in a good way. Maybe we did.”

By Tim Pallesen 

    Delray Beach taxpayers are facing a $93 million debt to pay the pension benefits of the city’s police officers and firefighters. 

    The debt has grown 276 percent since it was $33.6 million in 2007, forcing city commissioners to either cut pension benefits or raise taxes. 

    “A $33 million hole has blown up into a $93 million crater that will continue to get worse if we don’t change how we do business,” Mayor Cary Glickstein told commissioners in City Hall chambers packed with police officers on July 9. 

    “We are seeing pension plans bankrupting cities. We have to address it,” Commissioner Shelly Petrolia agreed. 

    “This pension plan is a financial train wreck right now,” Petrolia said. “We’re plummeting deeper and deeper into a financial hellhole and it must stop.” 

    Many city pension funds have suffered because their income from stock market investments hasn’t matched the return that was projected before the recession. 

    But the commission’s pension adviser alerted them that their police and fire pension fund scores an “F” on a state grading system because of its unusually high debt ratio. “The unfunded liability has grown dramatically,” attorney James Lynn warned. 

    Glickstein and Petrolia criticized the investment decisions of the city’s Pension Board. But Commissioner Adam Frankel, who serves as the Pension Board’s vice chairman, drew applause from police officers when he vowed not to cut pension benefits. 

    “Our city needs to be competitive with other cities,” Frankel said. “We need to support you guys.” 

    Police union representative Gary Ferreri told commissioners that Delray police officers are exploring job opportunities elsewhere because they fear that their pension benefits might be cut. 

    “We understand that pension reform is needed,” Ferreri said. “We ask that it be fair.” 

    Commissioners made no decision about what to do about the debt. Glickstein said the subject will be discussed again during city budget talks this summer.

By Mary Thurwachter 

    With property values beginning to rebound — up 1.6 percent over last year — Lantana will have a little more money to work with next year. Taxable property has increased from $678 million to $689 million. 

    In July after its second budget workshop meeting, the Town Council voted to set the tax rate at $3.23 per $1,000 of taxable property value, the same rate it has had for the past five years. Public hearings have been set for 6 p.m. on Sept. 10 and Sept. 24 in council chambers. The town can lower the tax rate but not raise it during budget hearings. 

    One of Lantana’s big-ticket items next year will be $663,600 for the drainage portion of the beach park paving project (improving drainage and raising the surface). 

    “That’s a lot of money to put into a puddle,” said council member Phil Aridas. “That may be an area where we can do a little bit at a time.” 

    But others, including Mayor Dave Stewart, Councilman Malcolm Balfour and Vice Mayor Tom Deringer (council member Lynn Moorhouse was not at the meeting) convinced him the money, which will come from utility reserves, should be spent sooner rather than later. 

    “Our beach is our biggest asset and we have to keep it up,” Deringer said. “It’ll cost a lot more later.” 

    Balfour said the “beach is our calling card” and needs to be preserved. 

    Stewart said people from all over the world visit Lantana’s beach while staying at the (former) Ritz-Carlton and some end up buying million-dollar properties in the town as a result of it. 

    “This is one of those things we need to do within the next couple of years,” Stewart said. 

    Other spending includes $25,170 for a bridge opening party with fireworks, $32,850 for a Fourth of July celebration, and $60,000 for a lobbyist. 

    Cost of living raises for employees are not included in the budget, but workers could receive a merit raise of up to 2 percent, depending on their evaluations.