Army veteran Gerald Bregman of Highland Beach with his service medals.

Bregman (shown below in inset in 1943), landed at Normandy

with the 7th Armored Division and moved east to block the Nazi surge

known as the Battle of the Bulge. The Nazis captured him in Belgium,

and he went home after the Allied victory.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    Like many members of what Tom Brokaw calls America’s Greatest Generation, Gerald Bregman never felt compelled to discuss his years in the service, including a stint as a prisoner of war. 

    Even when he returned home in 1945 after the war had ended, Bregman didn’t share a lot of details with his parents. Later, during a successful business career, Bregman hardly spoke about the war, keeping many of the specifics tucked far away from his wife and two sons. 

    But at 88, Bregman tells the story of his years in the Army with the same pride he has in the medals that he earned decades ago but just received a few years back. He had written to the military asking for the medallions that were overlooked during the chaos following troops’ return from Europe. 

    “I just feel it’s time I spoke out about my experiences,” he said. 

    A self-proclaimed “Jewish boy from the Bronx,” Bregman was drafted in 1943 and sent to anti-aircraft training but ended up in the infantry as the need for foot soldiers grew. 

    Along with thousands of others, Bregman landed in Normandy shortly after the D-Day invasion. He spent time in France and the Netherlands before being sent with the 7th Armored Division to Belgium, in December 1944, to take part in the Battle of the Bulge, the bloodiest battle of World War II, in which 19,000 American soldiers lost their lives. The battle also resulted in the largest mass U.S. surrender of the war (although the U.S. ultimately won the battle). 

    Bregman was among those captured, and he remembers being marched to a nearby train station — with Allied planes dropping bombs all around — where he and other prisoners were packed into cattle cars. 

    “We were on the train for five days with no food or water,” he said. “We couldn’t even lie down because there were so many guys packed into the car.” 

    After a short stop at a large prison camp, Bregman was shipped to a rock quarry, where he spent six months breaking rocks from early morning until dark. Though he had warm clothes, Bregman suffered frostbite on his toes and lost close to 80 pounds. Fed only bread and water, he managed to barter for potatoes stolen from the Germans, only to have others in the barracks steal them from him. 

    Shortly before the war came to an end, Bregman was taken to a rest camp close to a German airfield. He remembers almost being killed twice by friendly fire as British planes bombed the airfield and strafed the surrounding area. 

    With German soldiers fleeing, the prisoners were free, and Bregman and others were able to walk back to American lines. He was flown back to France and then put on a crowded troop ship and returned to the United States. 

    After recovering and taking on several jobs, Bregman settled down. He raised his family in suburban New York, where he owned a vending-machine business and later a hardware store. 

    Today, Bregman, who came to Florida permanently after his wife of more than 50 years died, is enjoying retirement, playing poker and bingo. 

    He talks easily about everything, from his trips to New England to his trips to the VA clinic not far down the road. Now, he’ll even share stories about his trip to Europe in the 1940s, courtesy of the U.S. Army, tales he kept to himself for decades. 

— Rich Pollack 

TEN QUESTIONS

Q. Where did you grow up? 

A. I grew up in the Bronx and went to local schools, including Stuyvesant High School. I also went to City College. 

Q. What are some highlights of your life? 

A. Getting married and having two sons and five grandchildren. I had 56 wonderful years with my wife, Marilyn.

Q. How did you choose to make your home in Highland Beach?

A. I came down to stay with my son, who lives in Highland Beach. 

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

A. I enjoy the activities in my condo and living on the beach. 

Q. Why didn’t you talk about your WWII experiences for such a long time?

A. I didn’t think people would be interested. I just didn’t feel like talking about it. It wasn’t a pleasant time of my life. I don’t think many veterans found it pleasant to talk about.

Q. What kept you going during those days as a POW?

A. One of the things that kept me going was that I was able to trade cigarettes for potatoes. 

Q. What is the biggest lesson you learned from your wartime experience? 

A. I learned that I can survive in tough situations. 

Q. If someone made a movie of your life, who would you like to play you and why?

A. Don Rickles would be good. He has no hair, like me, and he’s funny. 

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

A. Light classical music. 

Q. Who/what makes you laugh? 

A. Comedians and funny movies. I also enjoy my own comedy moments.

Lindsey Gasparini (left), one of the owners of The Wine Wave, talks wine with David Spitzer, former owner

of the space, previously known as Old Vines, and Delray Beach residents

Eric Gebhard and Michele Palenscar.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Inset: Gasparini, 27, and her partner Jeremiah Flores, 29. 

By Ron Hayes 

    Old Vines has a new name.

    On June 5, the venerable wine shop at 900 Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach became The Wine Wave.

    “We wanted something that sounded young and beachy and more Delray,” says Lindsey Gasparini, 27, who bought the business with her partner, Jeremiah Flores, 29. 

    And Dave Spitzer, the owner since 2009, wanted more time with his grandchildren back in Chicago.

    “I used to joke that Old Vines referred to my arms and legs,” says Spitzer, a tall, enviably slender man who came to the shop after decades in the hotel and restaurant industries.

    “When I bought it, my knowledge of wines was about a five on a scale of 1 to 10,” estimates Spitzer, who’s still at the shop for a few weeks to help the new owners settle in. “I’m leaving at about 8½ or 9. It’s been great because now when my wife and I go out to eat, we can pick a wine we know is fun. And we’ve made great friends. That’s the part I’ll miss the most.”

    As Spitzer offered business tips and Flores greeted customers on a recent afternoon, Gasparini took a break to describe how two young professionals came to buy Old Vines.

    Both were working for Neogenomics, a national diagnostic testing laboratory. Gasparini was in Boca Raton and Flores — a former Marine who served nine months in Iraq and three in Afghanistan — in Los Angeles. Both dreamed of owning a small business.

    “One day, Jeremiah was sitting in a wine bar in Santa Barbara, surfing his iPad for business opportunities, and he found Old Vines,” Gasparini said.

    In January, they bought both the business and its real estate in the Waterway Building. And they’ve just bought a townhouse only blocks from the shop.

    “Jeremiah used to sit in L.A. traffic for three hours,” Gasparini laughs. “Now he walks three blocks to work.”

    A grand opening is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 1. In the meantime, they’ll stay open seven days a week, while a new hardwood floor, granite tasting tables and rustic racks and cabinets are installed in the off hours.

    Once the new website is up and running, Gasparini and Flores will tout themselves as purveyors of “Champagne, craft beers and premium liquors,” she said. But wine will always be their first wave.

    “We want to sell wines for everyone, from the average consumer to the most discriminating buyers,” she said. “Right now we have an inventory of about 25,000 bottles, but we want to get that up to 75,000 in the next couple of months. We’re going to buy four to six cases at a time because then you get a much better price and can pass the savings along to customers. We have some really good ones for $15.”

    After serving yet another customer, Flores finally got a break.

    “I don’t have time to be nervous,” he said. “We just want to take care of the local community. If we can give them what they like, we’ve done our job.”

The Wine Wave will host its next tasting on July 11, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The event is free. For more information, call 276-2076.

By Cheryl Blackerby 

    More than 100 people looking for long-term solutions for Palm Beach County’s storm-battered beaches crowded into the Boca Raton Resort and Club’s Valencia ballroom June 15 for the second meeting of Protect Our Beaches. 

    Established in August last year, the group says it has 20,000 members already, both individuals and condo associations, from Jupiter to Boca Raton, who live on or near 45 miles of beaches. 

    Singer Island residents Sonny Nardulli and Bob Gonstead, who grew frustrated trying to get help to fix their island’s eroding and surge-damaged beaches, founded the group. 

    “From 2008 to 2012, we waged a fight to come up with a permanent solution to save our beaches,” Gonstead told the group, adding that their members wanted “to get our elected officials on the state and federal level to help us with our problems.” 

    Other objectives of the group, Gonstead said, were “to get permits done in an expedited way; and to protect our homes, protect our ecosystems and protect tourism.” 

    After the meeting, he spoke of his frustration dealing with myriad federal, state and local agencies, including the Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Palm Beach County Commission. Plans for breakwaters and groins broke down time and again from 2005 to 2012, he said. 

    “There was disagreement between the DEP and the Corps of Engineers, and we went back to renourishment of the beaches. It’s better than nothing, but it’s the same old thing. We spend $2 million a year and then watch it wash away,” Gonstead said. 

    He and Nardulli decided they needed a bigger, regional voice to get anything done. “It was too easy for the county to marginalize a small part of the beach,” said Gonstead. “We knew we had to get professional help and hired a lobbyist and a public relations firm.” 

    They raised money by calling condo associations and asking for membership fees ($80 for individuals). “They have helped us create this one large voice to help create solutions to our problems,” Gonstead said. 

    The advisory board includes Highland Beach Mayor Bernard Featherman, Boca Raton Councilman Anthony Majhess; Republican state Sen. Joe Negron; Ocean Ridge Mayor Geoffrey Pugh; Highland Beach Commissioner Louis Stern and other community officials in Palm Beach County. 

    The meeting, hosted by Boca Raton Resort and Club and the Beach Condominium Association, featured speakers Mike Mullins, who has worked for solutions for storm-damaged beaches in Captiva, and John Englander, Boca Raton marine scientist and author of High Tide on Main Street: Rising Sea Level and the Coming Coastal Crisis.

The first inter-club team competition, with teams from The Ocean Club, The Seagate,

Rainberry Bay and the host Delray Beach Club, took place June 1-2.

The Ocean Club team of (from left) Trisha McKinney, Augusto Lopez-Torres, Bob Banting,

Mike McKinney, Kim Jones and Hillary Sullivan pose

with tournament organizer Chuck Narvin, director of tennis at the Delray Beach Club.

Photo provided

The opening of this exhibition of photographs of the Edmonds, Mitchell, Quine and Spells families

served as a reunion of sorts. ABOVE: Susan and Mark Reingold.

Photos provided by Corby Kaye’s Studio

BELOW: Michiko Kurisu pictured with her mother, Judy Kurisu,

curated the exhibit that illustrated each family’s contributions to the community. 

Eighth-grader Jack Young gets a hug from his father, Board of Trustees President Gregory Young,

during the 75th graduation ceremony at Gulf Stream School. Others in the photo include (front row)

Paolo Urso, Ryan de Haseth, Quinn Fender, Kaleb Fernandez, Kaitlyn Hart, Connor Hopkins,

Helen Huisinga, Christopher Klein, Isabel Long, Timothy Lynch, Ian MacDiarmid II, Ingrid Marinak;

(back row) Headmaster Joseph Zaluski, Joseph Morfogen, Marin Mullen, Kathleen O’Brien,

Moira Page, Isabel Pearce, Roman Pugliese, Peter Reed, Garrett Sargeant, Christoper Shannon,

Kyle Sipp, Madeleine Uible and Kiara Warren.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Jon Pugh, 15-year-old son of Geoff and Lisa Pugh of Ocean Ridge, shows off the brass bilge pump that he recovered

in the waters off Manalapan, north of the Boynton Inlet.  The pump appears to have been part of the wreckage

of a British barkentine, the Oh Kim Soon, which sank in 1897. The pump became exposed after Hurricane Sandy.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

The Palm Beach County Veterans Committee remembered and honored military personnel

who died in service to the country during the annual Memorial Day Ceremony

attended by local politicians and family members. The service ended

with a flyover by a vintage Huey helicopter. George Fisher of South Palm Beach,

a World War II Battle of the Bulge veteran, took part.

Photo provided by Janice Buch

Linda Gunn and Doug Paton celebrate their marriage with a dance at the Delray Beach Club.

Photo by David Decoteau/Downtown Photo

Bride: Linda Gunn, 45, grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich. She is a graduate of Michigan State University and migrated to Florida in 1990. She is the district sales manager in South Florida for Luxottica, the largest eyewear-frame manufacturer and distributor in the world. When she isn’t working, she spends her time volunteering. Linda currently works with the National Society of Arts and Letters, the Spirit of Giving Network and the Delray Beach Public Library, and is co-chairing the 26th annual Woman Volunteer of the Year Luncheon for the Junior League of Boca Raton. She also is a past president of the Junior League. 

Groom: Doug Paton, 54, was born in Canada. He moved to South Florida in 1996 after selling his business. Utilizing his management consulting skills, Doug worked with a local private school before accepting the position of CEO at Florence Fuller Child Development Center. Doug currently is a partner and COO of Flagship Solutions Group in Boca Raton. With Linda, he dedicates a lot of his free time to community causes and serves as the president of the Spirit of Giving Network. 

How they met: When Linda was the president of Junior League, she invited Doug to come speak at a meeting on behalf of Florence Fuller. They continued to see each other as they both sat on the board of directors for the Spirit of Giving Network. They started dating three years later.

The proposal: In April of last year, Doug and Linda traveled to Paris for a trip to celebrate her best friend’s birthday. On a very cold, wet and windy afternoon, they climbed, shivering, the 284 steps of the Arc de Triomphe. At the top, Doug reached into his pocket and took out a special penny he had owned for 45 years. The penny was from the 1967 celebration of Canada’s 100th birthday. Doug gave Linda the penny and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. She agreed. The couple will reside in Delray Beach. 

The wedding: June 22, at the Delray Beach Club. It was a perfect evening with a ‘supermoon’ and 122 guests in attendance.

Silt shoals and sandbars make navigating the Hillsboro Canal dangerous for mariners.

Photo provided by Marina One

By Cheryl Blackerby 

    Boaters are having a tough time navigating around dangerous silt shoals that have built up in the Hillsboro Canal over the last two years. Seeing no help coming from city governments, a group of local residents took the helm and raised $50,000 to get a dredging project started. 

    Tom Tyghem, co-owner of Marina One on the canal, gave $15,000 for the project. He and the other donors petitioned Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach, the cities that maintain the canal, to put dredging on the agenda for government funding. 

    “In the last 24 months it started to silt in, and boats are running aground. At low tide in some areas, the canal is almost impassable. I’ve lost customers over it,” Tyghem said 

    The busy waterway, which forms the boundary between Palm Beach and Broward counties, is a major connection to the Intracoastal Waterway and ocean. Boca residents have more than 1,400 boats docked on the canal, and many more boaters use the canal boat ramp in Deerfield Beach. 

    As conditions worsen, more boaters are getting stuck in the silt and more business owners are worrying about their future. Home and condo owners on the canal fear declining property values if they can’t use their boats. 

    “Boaters can get into trouble real quick,” said Gene Folden, chairman of the Boca Raton Marine Advisory Board. “We’re trying to address the problem before it’s intolerable. There is navigable water, but you have to know where it is. There are not a lot of markers indicating where deep water is.” 

    The last time the canal was cleared and deepened was 16 years ago. Dredging is long overdue, boaters and officials agree. 

    Boca Raton, on the north bank of the canal, and Deerfield Beach, on the south bank, have each contributed $25,000 toward the project, said Jennifer Bistyga, engineer with the city of Boca Raton. The total — including the residents’ contribution — of $100,000 will be used for studies and permits, the first step to getting the dredging project approved. 

    “We applied for a grant (for dredging) from the Florida Inland Navigation District. We filled out a lengthy application and submitted it April 1,” Bistyga said, adding that the city was preparing to make its case for the grant with a five-minute presentation that discusses phase one of the project. 

    The city will find out if it received the grant, and the amount it could receive, in September. 

    The two cities and private donors could potentially get 75 percent of their money back from the grant, she said. 

    There are no projections for the cost of the dredging project. That won’t be known until the bids come in. 

    “The canal needs to be investigated, and we will need to determine the areas of greatest concern,” she said. 

    Bistyga is optimistic the cities will get the money to fix the canal. “It depends on where we fall on their (the Florida Inland Navigation District) priority list. I think we have a good chance.” 

    Boaters who use the canal can thank local residents who put up money for pushing the project forward. 

    “I think it’s wonderful they were able to come together for this cause,” she said.

By Rich Pollack 

    Faced with a disjointed Police Department located in two separated buildings, and the recent discovery of mold in the police chief’s office, Highland Beach commissioners moved a step closer to spending $750,000 on renovations to Town Hall. 

    At their June meeting, commissioners unanimously agreed to spend $25,000 for architects to put together construction plans for a renovation to connect the Town Commission’s chambers and two-thirds of the Police Department to the remainder of the department and Town Hall. 

    The creation of construction documents, the third phase in a four-phase renovation process, signals the town’s intention to go ahead with the sometimes controversial project. Commissioners, however, stopped short of fully committing to the construction. 

    “We can’t say yes to the project until we know how much it will actually cost, and we won’t know how much it will cost until we get construction documents,” Commissioner Lou Stern said. 

    Once the plans for construction are completed, he said, the town could begin getting bids. 

    “We have signaled with a 5-0 vote that we want to go ahead, and, if the bids we receive are realistic, we can move forward,” Stern said. 

    Funding for the project, which would be done within the existing Town Hall footprint, will be included in the budget commissioners will begin discussing this month. The project could still be cut, however, should commissioners decide to delay the renovations. 

    Plans for the construction, which would eliminate a breezeway that essentially splits the Police Department and Town Hall into two separate buildings, were included in last year’s budget. Financial constraints and questions from residents over whether the work was needed, however, led commissioners to postpone the project. 

    “We just didn’t know how to do it financially,” Stern said. 

    This year, he said, it appears the town may be able to make the improvements without having to raise the tax rate. 

    In addition to increased property values and new construction, which would generate increased tax revenue, the town could use money from the sale of two parcels it owns in Boca Raton, said Town Manager Kathleen Weiser. 

    The sale of the parcels to a private developer for $3.5 million is expected to close within the next few weeks. 

    Until commissioners determine whether the town will indeed go ahead with the renovations, Police Chief Craig Hartmann will continue to work out of a conference room, rather than his office, where mold was discovered. 

    If the renovations are postponed again, the town will hire contractors to eliminate the mold. If the project gets the go-ahead, Hartmann will continue to work in the conference room until the renovations — which could start at the end of the year and last six months — are completed. 

    Currently, the conference room, the chief’s office and the office of the department’s training officer are on the south side of a breezeway that splits Town Hall in two, while the rest of the department — including locker rooms, other offices and workspace for officers — is on the north side of the walkway. 

    “The offices are scattered,” Weiser said. “The renovations will put the Police Department’s existing space together and make it more functional.”

With panoramic water views, One Thousand Ocean appeals to affluent buyers.

Photo provided

By Christine Davis 

    During the past year, there have been eight luxury condo sales for more than $5 million in Boca Raton — and all of them at One Thousand Ocean. 

    On June 4, “The Shore” penthouse sold for $11,678,000, one of the highest-priced condominium residences ever to sell in the history of the county. This follows two Palm Beach sales: an oceanfront unit, S-34 in Two North Breakers Row, for $11.95 million recorded on May 21; and No. 6A in Il Lugano, recorded on May 15, for $17.45 million. 

    With “The Shore” gone, there are no more penthouses available at One Thousand Ocean. In fact, only two residences of 53 remain: Residence 208 priced at $2.9 million; and Residence 601, where a key scene in the action thriller Parker (Jennifer Lopez, Jason Statham) was filmed on location, priced at $6.4 million. 

    Total closed sales dollar volume for 51 units at One Thousand Ocean is approximately $243 million. 

    These recent sales certainly made Jamie Telchin’s day. President of development for LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels, he’s delighted. And thankful.

    “Our story is a rare good story, and I’m very proud of our team and partners holding the line,” he said. 

    Keep in mind that this development was conceived in 2006; broke ground in 2007; and finished in February 2010, right in time and all in line with the real estate downturn. 

    “The big story here, we decided to build it when the market was showing signs of tanking, and we stuck with it. We tried to maintain prices as best we could. We’ve sold the lion’s share, and now we are looking at selling the rest of the building out. 

    “I feel lucky,” he said. “We didn’t get into fire selling; we weathered the storm; and we had some fortuitous situations develop that worked to our benefit.” 

    The first of the last five sales in March really got the ball rolling and the word out, he said. 

    “Three were Boca residents who’ve been watching; the other two were international buyers. The first, who bought a penthouse, was focused on Miami and the Sunny Isles market, but thought there was better value here, and they liked the fact that they could customize their unit. The last penthouse buyers were friends of theirs.” 

    “The Shore,” with 7,550 square feet of living space and 4,591 square feet of wraparound terraces, is ready to be built out. The unit offers southern views over the Boca Raton Inlet and ocean shoreline, as well as northern and western Intracoastal panoramas. 

    Highlights include a private elevator lobby, 14-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, a freestanding glass-enclosed area on one of the terraces, an outdoor kitchen, a cabana and three-car parking. Building residents may elect private membership at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. 

    Tim Shane with Meridian Realty in Boca Raton represented the buyers in the transaction. “We showed them all the top buildings in Boca. There are about 10 on the beach,” he said. “There’s not much competition to One Thousand Ocean. It’s newer and higher-end than the other properties. The gorgeous views were most important to them. 

    “We’re rocking and rolling. International buyers are buying the Boca Club lifestyle and they are buying the beach. I have quite a few more acquaintances who are coming over, and I’ll be selling more.” 

    Boca Raton does appear to be on the upswing. According to Realtors’ Association of the Palm Beaches April report, closed sales year-to-date are at 1,385, an 18.2 percent increase over last year. The median sales price is at $230,000, up 21.1 percent over last year, and days-on-the-market is at 133, down 19.2 percent. 

    “We are seeing affluent buyers turning to the real estate market and buying ultra-luxury units,” said Jack McCabe of McCabe Research & Consulting. “They are paying cash, and if financed, they pay cash and refinance after the acquisition. It’s good news for those developers and unit owners who will be trying to sell in the near future,” he said. 

    “It does appear that the ultra-luxury condo market has come back this year. It will be interesting to see if it lasts, because we are seeing a buyers’ frenzy right now, created by hedge-fund acquisitions that have developed inventory in all markets. In particular in Florida, they’re targeting the Tampa area and southeast Florida as their top markets in all price ranges.” 

    The market in Highland Beach doesn’t “rock and roll” quite as much, according to the Realtors’ Association April report. Closed sales, year-to-date, are at 68, down 5.6 percent; and the median price is at $360,000, down 5.9 percent. Days-on-the-market, however, is at 164, down 26.4 percent.

By Cheryl Blackerby 

    Boca Raton Beach and Park District commissioners are working on a $19.5 million budget for capital improvements that will force them to make some tough decisions this summer. 

    One of the toughest is explaining to Boca Raton City Council members that they won’t be getting everything they want during the next fiscal year. 

    Since the district and city haven’t always seen eye to eye in recent months, this may not be an easy compromise. 

    The most critical decision both parties must agree on soon is whether to spend millions on white sandy beaches or bright green artificial turf. The city wants the district to pay $7.5 million to build two new sports fields with the turf at the Spanish River Athletic Complex at DeHoernle Park. 

    But Arthur Koski, the district’s acting director, says that if the district does that, it may not have the money to cover everything else — including a $2 million bill from the city for completed beach renourishment work that the federal government declined to pick up. 

    “The city can’t have it both ways,” Koski said. “There just isn’t enough money to give them artificial fields and give them the $2 million.” 

    Koski says the solution is to use natural grass at the new Spanish River fields at an estimated cost of $5 million and a $2.5 million savings over the artificial turf. 

    Whether the city will go along with the change in plans is an open question. 

    “Once they see the numbers we have, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see we can’t accomplish everything we want to if we go with artificial turf,” said district Commissioner Robert Rollins. 

    The district will have no problem splitting the costs of two other beach renourishment projects with the city. The district will pay $471,500 for work done on the north beach and $1.7 million for new sand on the central beach. 

    Koski says he’s hopeful that common ground can be found on the Spanish River fields. “I’m cautiously optimistic that the elected officials of Boca Raton will make the best decision for all their constituents.” 

Other items commissioners are considering on the budget: 

    • $138,900 for improvements at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Commissioners also want the center to come up with a master plan for future projects. 

    • Paying consultants from Experis Technology Group to design a Wi-Fi and security video system for Sugar Sand Park, which will serve as the prototype for installing systems at parks throughout the district. 

The amount of the consultant fees will be determined later this month. 

     • Setting aside money in a new reserve account to cover minor expenses for the city on an as-needed basis.

By Steve Plunkett 

    Did you find a parking space for the city’s Fourth of July celebration at Spanish River Athletic Complex at DeHoernle Park? 

    If you did, you may be trekking back there in November to watch the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree — if you can tear yourself away from the biggest shopping day of the year, that is. 

    City Councilwoman Constance Scott, who chairs the Community Redevelopment Agency, floated the idea of moving the tree-lighting to the park, noting that last year’s event drew 7,000 to 9,000 people to Mizner Park. 

    “It was a huge, just an abundance of people and activity,” Scott said at the June 25 CRA meeting. 

    Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the largest shopping day of the year. Scott said that’s the scheduled date for the Christmas tree lighting and also for a grand opening-type event for Lord & Taylor department store. 

    “There are concerns about parking, there are concerns about congestion. We had a lot of issues last year,” Scott said. 

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

    Councilman Anthony Majhess preferred moving the date of the tree-lighting instead of moving the venue. 

    Mayor Susan Whelchel said changing either the date or the venue would require a lot of thought. 

    “You don’t want to continuously change venues, so if you’re going to change a venue, you better darn well pick the one that’s going to work, because you don’t want to be doing that again in a few years,” Whelchel said.

Insets: Boca Raton Police Chief Dan Alexander (top) and Capt. Josh Mindick (below)

Boca Raton: Correction

By Steve Plunkett 

    For their work in ejecting a squatter from a $2.5 million Golden Harbour mansion, Police Chief Dan Alexander and Capt. Josh Mindick are now “Knights of Justice.” 

    And they have the medals to prove it. 

    Christine Cherepy, president of the Golden Harbour Homeowners Association, presented the awards at the City Council’s June 11 meeting. 

    “We scratched our heads on how we could recognize them,” Cherepy said, referring to her neighborhood’s “issue with intruders” in December. 

    Residents were shocked to find Andre Barbosa, a 23-year-old Brazilian, and eight other people moved into 580 Golden Harbour Drive sometime after the Bank of America foreclosed on the waterfront property last July. 

    They called police the day after Christmas to remove what they thought were squatters, but Barbosa showed documents he had filed claiming “adverse possession” of the 7,522-square-foot, five-bedroom home. Florida’s adverse possession law enables someone to move into a property and claim the title if they can stay there seven years. 

    A month later, the bank claimed rightful ownership of the house, which has canal views outside and a curved staircase and marbled bath inside. In early February, police and bank officials seized the home and had the locks changed while Barbosa and his group were away. 

    “It was an issue that could have caused a lot of harm. It caused neighbors to be very personally concerned about their safety,” Cherepy said. 

    At one point, edgy residents called Cherepy to report a suspicious vehicle, she said. It turned out to be Mindick on patrol in an unmarked car. 

    “These men did an outstanding job. They went above and beyond in trying to resolve this issue,” Cherepy told council members. 

    The homeowner association researched and found out the medals were available from the American Police Hall of Fame and Museum in Titusville. They wrote nomination letters and collected supporting documents. 

    “I think if anything that came out of this whole ordeal, it really exemplified, defined, what we are as a city,” Alexander said. “Residents were engaged from the beginning. We have no tolerance for anything that diminishes our quality of life in this city.” 

    Mindick said he has had the opportunity to be recognized a lot over the years. 

    “But it’s even more special, it means a lot more, when it comes from the residents themselves. So it’s very rewarding,” he said. 

    Mayor Susan Whelchel said the honor validated her and her colleagues’ belief that Boca Raton has “the best police department and fire department and every other department that’s part of our city.” 

    “And you know, now we have some proof, right?” she said. 

    The American Police Hall of Fame, founded in 1960, was the first national police museum and memorial and is dedicated to law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty. It hosts thousands of police officers, family survivors and dignitaries every May 15, Police Memorial Day. 

    The Knight of Justice award is for the “good Samaritan who comes to the aid of those in need,” according to the organization’s website. 

    The 3 1/4-inch medals for Alexander and Mindick also came with a certificate, a uniform bar and a lapel pin.

By Mary Thurwachter 

     Among the county’s top high school graduates this year were two familiar faces — Alex Nusbickel, valedictorian of Boca Raton High School, and Christine Lauren Sullivan, salutatorian of Pope John Paul II High School. 

     Nusbickel, who plans to become a doctor, said one of his greatest accomplishments was helping an ESOL student graduate from high school. 

     “I tutored an ESOL class in FCAT, SAT and ACT math during my junior and senior years,” Nusbickel said. “Few spoke English, so the tutoring was almost entirely in Spanish. I worked with the students every week, teaching algebra and geometry, and translating word problems. One of my students used these skills to score high enough on the ACT, largely due to the math section, for the school to waive the graduation requirements.” 

     Sullivan isn’t sure about what career she will choose after college, but said it’s likely that whatever she does will be connected to her love of the sea. 

     “I want to do things with the ocean to help preserve it and keep it safe for future generations to enjoy the way we do,” Sullivan said. 

     She said winning one of the FHSAA Academic All-State Team scholarships was a high school highlight for her. 

     Here's a little more of what the top grads had to say about themselves:

Alex Nusbickel

18, valedictorian of Boca Raton High School

Parents: John and Wendi Nusbickel

Hometown: Boca Raton

What I’m doing this summer: I just got back from a mission trip to Haiti, and was able to speak Creole well enough to work in a health center where no English was spoken. I am volunteering at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and will be traveling to North Dakota at the end of the month. I also would like the opportunity to shadow a doctor.

What I’ll miss most about high school: The diversity and being able to speak with people from so many places in different languages.

What clubs/sports/charities I was involved with in high school: Basketball, volleyball, Portuguese Club president, teaching assistant for English Spoken as Other Language (ESOL) math, sea tank guide at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, studying languages (I speak five), kayaker, family farm hand in North Dakota.

College plans: I will attend UNC at Chapel Hill and study pre-med and languages. I plan to pursue a career as a physician because I feel I could use my science and language abilities to make a true difference in the lives of others.

Someone who has inspired me: Arnold Schwarzenegger has inspired me due to his rise from humble beginnings and his success in so many different areas. I also admire his positive outlook and sense of humor.

What I’m listening to lately: Wyclef Jean because I am learning Haitian Creole.

Something many people don’t know about me: I have a talent for impressions.

Christine Lauren Sullivan

18, salutatorian of Pope John Paul II High School

Parents: Gregory Michael Sullivan and Mary Jane Sullivan

Hometown: Boca Raton

What I’m doing this summer: My family and I are going to Chicago for a week, and I am going to the Keys with some friends toward the end of the summer. 

What I’ll miss most about high school: My friends, the teachers and the close family atmosphere. What clubs/sports/charities I was involved with in high school: I ran varsity cross-country and track and field all four years, Science Club/Doctors of Tomorrow, French Club, and Leadership Council. I volunteered at the Nail Depot annual breast cancer fundraiser, Boca Raton Museum of Art summer camp, and First United Methodist Church Vacation Bible school summer camp. College plans: I will be attending the University of Miami to major in environmental engineering and marine science. 

Someone who has inspired me: Harry Truman because he was forced to make the critical decision to bomb Japan during World War II in order to save the nation after Pearl Harbor attacks.

What I’m listening to lately: Everything from country to hip-hop and alternative. I especially enjoy Jason Aldean, Of Monsters and Men, Luke Bryan and Ed Sheeran.

Something many people don’t know about me: I have a twin sister, Danielle, (who graduated in the top 10 percent of her class). She will be attending Loyola University. We have never lived apart for more than a few days. It’s going to be incredibly different without her the next few years.

More than 300 people turned out downtown on June 20, including these children from Miss Fran’s

Early Learning Center in Boca Raton, to take part in a unique book brigade. It was the manner

chosen to accomplish the move of the last 100 books, one by one, from Boca Raton’s old downtown library

to the new, $9.5 million facility. Participants of all ages formed a human chain

spanning the two-block distance between the two libraries.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett 

    More than a month before the new downtown library opened, the Friends of the Library started beating the drums for more money. 

    “Ours is a world-class city, and it is imperative that our libraries be world-class as well,” Susan Sosin, chairman of the Friends, wrote Mayor Susan Whelchel on April 29. “In order to accomplish this, there must be adequate funding to support the wonderful services that such libraries require.” 

    Sosin forwarded a copy of her letter to each member of the Friends. 

    “Write to the mayor and City Council today and express your concern for the future of our library as a valuable community service,” she told them. “Your voice matters in these critical times.” 

    The new library, which opened June 22, is more than double the size (at 41,932 square feet) of the 50-year-old facility it replaced. But the overall library budget has been cut 25 percent the past few years, Sosin noted. 

    “Although we are sure that the current dedicated staff will attempt to meet the challenge of extra patrons, extra programs and extra space that come with the larger facility, mathematically it doesn’t seem feasible,” Sosin wrote. 

    Whelchel said partnerships the library is pursuing will help it dollar-wise. 

    “It really is an attraction, as well as an educational and librarian opportunity,” she said. “I believe that they will soon find that people will step up to the plate for the necessary naming rights that will enhance the budget.” 

    City Councilwoman Constance Scott praised the design of the $9.5 million building. 

    “The open area is like the spine of a book. And when you visualize that and you look up and you see that, it really, truly gives you the visual that you’re in the middle of a book,” Scott said. “It is an extraordinarily beautiful facility.” 

    Each year the Friends of the Library donates more than $30,000 for programs, staff enrichment, research materials and equipment. The group also gave $250,000 for construction of the new facility.

By Steve Plunkett 

    The latest incarnation for the planned Via Mizner project calls for a few more residential units, much less office space and more retail square footage in the project at the corner of Camino Real and Federal Highway. 

    The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency approved the site revision June 24, following unanimous recommendations for approval of the project from the Planning and Zoning Board and the Community Appearance Board. 

    The CAB asked architect Derek Vander Ploeg to articulate the north and east sides of the building more. 

    “The views should be pretty spectacular from some of these units,” Vander Ploeg told CRA members. 

    Under the revisions, Via Mizner will have 16 more residences, for a total 366 units, while office space will drop from 27,723 to 5,499 square feet and retail space will increase from 6,542 to 13,593 square feet. 

    One-bedroom units will command rents of at least $1,800 a month, Vander Ploeg said. About two-thirds of the units will view the golf course to the east, while south-facing apartments will see the Royal Palm Country Club and the Boca Inlet. The agency approved the revised project 4-1, with CRA Commissioner Anthony Majhess dissenting. 

    Also unhappy with the plan was activist Lenore Wachtel, who complained that the open-space component was not open to the public. 

    “This doesn’t look like if you put up this big dense thing it’s going to help it to be a walkable city. I’m a little dismayed about what’s happening, and I know there are other people who feel the way I do,” Wachtel said.

An impressive display of sparkling gems from New York City’s Jeri Cohen Fine Jewelry, as well as

limited-edition Louis Vuitton handbags from Lauren Schachter’s Palm Beach Closet, helped raise

$40,000 for the South Palm Beach Chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation.

The fundraiser featured lively music, signature cocktails, vintage wine and tasty hors d’oeuvres.

ABOVE: Stu Perlin, Etoile Volin and Joyce Overdorf.

Photo provided by Andrew Goldstein Photography