By Steve Plunkett

    Don’t be surprised to get a ticket if you park at Ocean Strand.
    The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District is asking the city to help it keep people off the almost 15-acre parcel that stretches from the Atlantic to the Intracoastal Waterway.
    “We will get with the city to see about access that is being made to the land on the west side of A1A and try to get more control on individuals who go down into the western part of Ocean Strand,” said Arthur Koski, the district’s executive director.
    “It’s got to be secured so they cannot get back there with ATVs,” Commissioner Robert Rollins said.
    Gabriel Banfi, who lives in Boca Towers next to the undeveloped property, told commissioners Oct. 26 that people reach the site in a variety of ways.
    “Some of these people are very unruly,” Banfi said. “Some people just stop their cars there, they are walking there, some others come in bicycles and others in motorcycles.”
    Commissioner Earl Starkoff asked why access to the property, midway between Red Reef and Spanish River parks, is blocked off.
    “Here’s this wonderful piece of land, and we’ve got it fenced off from people who could maybe park there,” he said.
    Koski reminded the board that it decided in 2012 to let “the next generation” decide what to do with the parcel after a consultant said there was no current demand for another beachfront park.
    He also said Ocean Strand would need at least a traffic signal on State Road A1A to keep pedestrians crossing the highway safe if the district were to open the property.
    The site also has mangroves and sea grapes overrunning its seawall on the Intracoastal, a number of exotic plants and an aging dock that is not suitable for public use, Koski said.
    Ocean Strand has sat unused since the district bought it 21 years ago for $11.9 million.
    Starkoff said he wants commissioners to consider short-term and long-term uses of the land at a future meeting instead of waiting for the next generation.

By Rich Pollack

    There’s good news for electric car owners who like to zip around downtown Boca Raton in a Toyota Prius, Tesla or Nissan Leaf.
    The city installed its first public electric car charging station in late September in an effort to provide convenience to those who already own battery-powered vehicles and to encourage others to be more energy efficient.
    “We have to support people who have cars to charge,” says Deputy Mayor Robert Weinroth, who is the owner of an all-electric Nissan Leaf. “People are buying electric cars and we need to encourage people who want to go to an alternative-type vehicle and support them.”
    In placing the charging station, city officials looked for a public site that would be centrally located and convenient. They chose the city’s downtown public library at 400 NW Second Ave.
    “It’s a great location,” Weinroth said, adding that visitors to the library can charge their cars while browsing through books, using computers or attending a meeting.
    The library is also close to downtown shops and restaurants, so those waiting for their cars to charge can take a short walk or catch a ride in one of the free on-demand electric vehicles operated by the Downtowner.
    The EVlink 220-volt station, which can charge two cars at a time, cost the city about $2,800. The city will also pick up the tab for the electricity used, which is expected to be minimal.
    Weinroth said the charging station fits in well with the city’s plans to encourage residents and visitors get around town in a more environmentally friendly way.
    “It’s all part of an overall shift away from the passenger vehicle,” he said. “You can’t just pave your way out of traffic congestion.”
    Weinroth said the city encourages developers in its planned mobility district to include electric car chargers in their development plans and has received a favorable response.
    With the new downtown charging station, the city will be leading the way.
    “This is a great first step,” Weinroth said. “I’m hoping that with the use of this station, there will be another one right behind it.”

By Steve Plunkett
    
Boca Raton will have a “public outreach” workshop to evaluate and analyze the intersection of Palmetto Park Road and Northeast Fifth Avenue, long a sore spot in discussions on what to do with the city-owned Wildflower site.
    People who attend will have the opportunity to offer input on the needs and wants of adjacent residents and property owners, city consultant Calvin, Giordano & Associates said.
    Although it is not a City Council meeting, the consultant anticipates several council members may be present. The meeting will be 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Downtown Library’s community room, at 400 NW Second Ave.
    “This is a good opportunity for everyone to come in, listen to the facts and weigh in on the intersection and its improvements,” Mayor Susan Haynie said.

By Steve Plunkett
    
Boca Raton has a new Web page to guide residents to its host of social media sites.
    Chrissy Biagiotti, the city’s new communications and marketing manager, said she created MyBocaLink.com after meeting with the 30 municipal workers who communicate with residents “on a regular basis, either managing social media pages or sending out newsletters.”
    “It was news to me that we have 15 different Facebook pages in the city,” Biagiotti told City Council members Oct. 26. “And we have 11 different Twitter accounts for the city, five Instagram accounts for the city. So if we didn’t even know that, then I’m thinking, how do the residents know that?”
    Biagiotti said her overall objective is to develop a strong partnership with the community and increase civic engagement by providing timely information that’s accessible, understandable, interactive and engaging.
    “It sounds simple, but this is an objective that each department needs to be making sure that we’re using and utilizing,” she said.
    “Let’s add to that accurate, since we’ve heard some comments about that,” Mayor Susan Haynie said.
    Biagiotti called MyBocaLink a “landing page” that includes an index of social media sites. “It’s a place for people to go to connect and discover and engage and share,” she said.
    Councilman Scott Singer asked whether it might be time to get rid of some of the social media pages. Biagiotti answered that she already had shared some protocols with the staff communicators.
    “If you’re not posting at least four to five times a week as a general rule, then you probably shouldn’t have a Facebook page,” Biagiotti said.
    She also thanked everyone on staff who had helped her gather details for the media.
    “A lot of our residents still get their information from the newspaper and from the television news,” Biagiotti said. “So we have to make sure that we are responding in a timely way to the reporters and bloggers that are calling for information.” The city’s main website, www.myboca.us, has more than 800 pages of information, she said. 

The Rotary Club of Boca Raton revealed its list of 2016 OPAL (Outstanding People And Leaders) honorees during a reception at The Little Chalet on Nov. 3.
Honorees include: Dr. Kathy Schilling for medicine and healthcare leadership; Dr. John Kelly for educational leadership; Howard Schnellenberger for community leadership;  Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie for Civic Leadership; and Rabbi Jessica Brockman for spiritual leadership.
The Rotarian Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Bill Allen.
Awards will be presented during a gala starting at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 at Boca West Country Club.  Proceeds benefit the Rotary Club’s service missions, including youth scholarship programs.
For more information, see www.rotaryclubbocaraton.com.

—Staff report

By Rich Pollack
 
    The Boca Raton Airport Authority is considering asking for proposals from law firms interested in representing the agency, but that step could end up costing the authority more money than it is paying its current firm.  
    During its October meeting, the authority agreed to table a vote on whether to seek requests for qualifications from outside firms until additional information is gathered.
    In a presentation to the authority members, Executive Director Clara Bennett said the authority has been using its current law firm, Berger Singerman, since August 2006.
    The firm, which provides a wide range of legal services and has experience working with Federal Aviation Administration and Florida Department of Transportation regulations, has billed the authority at an all-inclusive hourly rate of $250 since it was first contracted.
    Bennett said she surveyed 10 other general aviation airports and found hourly rates varied depending on the practice area, ranging from $150 an hour to more than $500 an hour.
    “If we have a rate of only $250 an hour in today’s world, that’s amazing,” said board member Bill Schwartz.
    Other members of the authority, however, indicated they would like to see what other firms would charge and suggested going ahead with issuing a request for qualifications.
    “Our goal is to get the best possible legal representation at the most affordable price,” said authority member Robert Weinroth, who also is Boca Raton’s vice mayor.
    Weinroth added that he is not unhappy with the quality of work provided by Berger Singerman.
    “Prior to joining this board I had reservations about outside counsel,” he said, adding his opinion has changed. “I’ve been satisfied with the services we’re receiving.”
    In responding to comments from board members, Berger Singerman’s Dawn Meyers — a partner of the firm’s government and regulatory team and lead attorney working with the airport authority — said keeping the rate of $250 an hour has been a source of contention within the firm.
    She said the airport authority is the only client that has not seen a rate increase over the course of nine years and that there has been pressure from within for an adjustment.
    “$250 an hour is 45 percent of my standard rate,” Meyers said.
    Should the board choose to go ahead with testing the waters, Meyers said, her firm would mostly likely submit a proposal but at a higher rate.
    “I can tell you we will not bid at $250 an hour,” she said. “There are certain things I cannot control.”
    During her presentation, Bennett told board members that the authority has spent $233,000 on legal fees so far this year out of its operating budget. It also has spent close to $70,000 on legal fees associated with capital projects.
    Bennett also said that the authority received significant reimbursements from the state and federal government for legal fees and that it would not be eligible for those reimbursements were it to hire an in-house counsel.
    After the board agreed to table the decision on whether to issue a request for qualifications, authority member George Brown suggested a possible alternative means of reducing legal fees.
    “There may be an opportunity to further manage the cost by having staff doing some of the work,” he said. “These are the kinds of things we can look at.”

By Sallie James

    A beachside condominium can prune native sea grape trees that are obstructing ocean views if special measures are taken to protect nesting sea turtles, the city’s Environmental Advisory Board has decided.
    The Sea Ranch Club of Boca, at 4301 N. Ocean Blvd., must shield or screen lights that are exposed when the vegetation is trimmed, and require condo owners to tint or cover windows that might expose turtle hatchlings to additional lighting, according to a report by Boca’s senior environmental officer, Nora Fosman.
    The 8- to 10-inch leaves of the sea grape help shield sea turtles from the invasive artificial light of beach development. The shrub’s sprawling structure also stabilizes sand dunes, helping to prevent erosion.
    The condo can prune about 700 feet of sea grapes, but must leave 100 feet untouched, according to Chrissy Biagiotti, Boca’s communications and marketing manager. The 16-foot-tall sea grapes located along the eastern side of State Road A1A would be trimmed to 4 feet in height.
    A 200-foot-wide viewing corridor is planned on the north, and a 500-foot-wide corridor is planned on the south, Fosman’s report said.
    The condo would be prohibited from trimming any sea grapes located within 10 feet of an existing sea turtle nest.
    It is not the first time such projects have been approved. The Ocean Club condominium project was completed in November 2009; the Spanish River Park project was completed in June 2012; and the Boca Raton Yacht and Racquet Club project was completed in March 2014.
    A permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is required because trimming can increase lighting levels on beaches and disorient hatchlings.
    Keen attention must be paid to the effect on nesting sea turtles, because Boca has the highest sea turtle nesting density of any urban area in the country, Fosman’s report said.
    According to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, hatchlings can become disoriented by lighting  near the beach and wander inland, where they often die when they are run over, become dehydrated or are eaten by predators.
    Scientists believe turtle hatchlings have a natural instinct that propels them in the direction of the brightest light, which would normally be moonlight reflecting off the ocean, the Sea Turtle Conservancy said. Artificial lights often draw the hatchlings inland, where they are killed.

By Sallie James
    
A plan to develop the south end of Hillsboro El Rio Park — an area once used as a city dump — would cost about $3 million, according to Boca Raton City Manager Leif Ahnell.
    The north end of the park at 499 SW 18th St. was developed years ago and includes soccer and baseball fields. The future of the park’s south end was discussed during a recent City Council workshop meeting.
    The project could be pricey because special permits would be required to build anything near the mangrove swamp, and remediation would be required to develop anything on the area previously used for a landfill.
    Suggestions ranged from a waterfront kayak launch that would allow paddlers to glide silently among leafy mangroves, to construction of a jogging and fitness trail, a playground, picnic pavilions and restroom facilities.
    The property is west of South Dixie Highway and north of Southwest 18th Street.
    The development proposals stem from a May workshop that was attended by about 45 city residents. About a third of those in attendance made the suggestions, noted Dan Grippo, municipal services director.
    Council member Scott Singer wondered if enough residents had weighed in on the park development to justify moving ahead.
    “I want to make sure we are getting a representative sample,” Singer said. “I don’t want to hold this as sacrosanct if it really is just 15 residents at one particular meeting.”
    Cost estimates to develop the property range from about $3 million to more than $7 million, depending on the amenities and remediation required for the area that previously served as a landfill, said Ian Nestler of PGAL, a firm of architects, designers, engineers and planners.
    “We’re talking about a pretty big investment,” said City Council member Jeremy Rodgers. “I think we need to get more input.”
    The biggest expense would be remediating the dump at a cost of $300,000 per acre, Nestler said. The landfill is composed of about 14 acres.
    Glenn Gromann, a member of the city’s Planning and Zoning Board, said the city could run into big trouble if it disturbs the old landfill and discovers something that is costly to clean up.
    “The problem with uncovering a site of this nature is that you get what you pay for,” Gromann said. “If a significant amount of contamination were uncovered, that would be … on the city’s dime. That we might have to seek federal assistance for potential cleanup is my only concern.”
    Ahnell said city staff will take into consideration what was said at the workshop and come back with a proposal in a month. He estimated a cost of $500,000 each for development and a master plan, and $2 million to remediate the landfill property, for a total of $3 million.

By Sallie James
    
Residents who need to renew their annual beach parking permits can now do it by mail or email.
    “It seems so archaic to make everyone stand in line at our community centers. How wonderful that we are doing it through the mail and Internet,” Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie said at a recent City Council meeting.
    City officials also renamed the $57 annual permit to “vehicle entry permit.”
    The permits are issued for Spanish River Park, South Beach Park and Red Reef Park. City residents and property owners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District are eligible for the permits.
    Property owners who live west of Florida’s Turnpike and/or north of Clint Moore Road have access only to South Beach Park.
    The changes provide a more “customer friendly” way of issuing the permits, said Boca Raton Recreation Services Director Mickey Gomez.
    “We’re no longer requiring the resident to come to one of our three community centers to prove residency and receive a beach permit,” Gomez explained during an Oct. 14 City Council meeting. “We are now allowing them to apply online through an online application process and we will simply send them a permit.”
    To renew your permit online, go to: www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/pages/beaches/where-obtain-beach-permit.
    Residents are required to provide current proof of residency and current vehicle ownership to receive a permit. The following documents are required for such:
    • Proof of residency requires one of the following original documents: current city/county tax bill; water bill; Florida Power & Light bill; rental/lease agreement; current driver’s license; or a notarized letter from a condo association. University students and faculty residing on campus may establish residency by submitting a signed letter by the director of housing certifying that they live on campus.
    • Proof of vehicle ownership requires one of the following original documents: current motor vehicle registration; title; current bill of sale; vehicle rental/lease agreement in applicant’s name; or current insurance card for each vehicle. Applicants will be required to also provide their license plate numbers if they are not on their documentation.
    Residents who still want to apply/renew their vehicle entry permits in person can still do so at the following city locations:
    • Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Blvd.
    • James A. Rutherford Community Center at Patch Reef Park, 2000 W. Yamato Road
    • Sugar Sand Park Community Center, 300 S. Military Trail
    • City Hall, 201 W. Palmetto Park Road

By Ron Hayes

    BOCA RATON — After he retired from his financial consulting firm a couple of years ago, Alan Alford became a city employee once again.
    “He went to work as a ranger at Sugar Sands and Patch Reef parks three days a week,” recalled Lenore Alford, his wife of 59 years. “He said to me, ‘Where else can you be in a beautiful park, riding around in a golf cart?’ ”
    For Mr. Alford, who was 84 when he died Oct. 10 at home, being a park ranger was the last in a series of city jobs that began more than 50 years before.
    Alan Carlisle Alford was born in Mineola, N.Y., on Aug. 4, 1931, and came to Florida after his honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy.
    After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in business administration, he arrived in Boca Raton in 1958 and became assistant city manager in 1960. Six years later he was promoted to city manager, and when a dispute with the City Council led to his dismissal, he ran for mayor, and won.
    After serving as mayor from 1973-74, Mr. Alford opened Alford & Associates, then went on to serve on the City Council for many years.
    “He was a very, very smart person who knew what needed to be done,” said Al Travasos, a former council member who served with Mr. Alford in the 1980s. “He understood the issues, and politics wasn’t a part of his decision-making process. It was, ‘What’s the best thing to do here?’ And he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind.”
    During his time in public life, Mr. Alford was devoted to preserving open spaces for the public’s use, focusing on the purchase of coastal property and public parks.
    Following his retirement, he and his wife enjoyed traveling the world, including trips to China, Italy, Norway, Greece, England, Spain and Vietnam.
    “We had a wonderful life of travel,” his wife said. “Our bucket list was to go to the Panama Canal, and last fall we took a cruise there. He was just a very special man.”
    In addition to his wife, Mr. Alford is survived by two sons, James and Gregg; two daughters, Dawn Zook and Patricia Washam; a sister, Patricia Lockwood; and 11 grandchildren.
    A memorial service was held Oct. 16 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Boca Raton.
    The family asks that remembrances be made to Hospice by the Sea (www.hbts.org) or St. Paul Lutheran Church.

HIGHLAND BEACH — Daniel Featherman, a resident of Highland Beach and formerly of Philadelphia, died Oct. 2 in hospice care at Delray Medical Center. He died from complications resulting from surgery.
    Mr. Featherman, 83, was secretary and treasurer of Pennsylvania Steel Co., a chain of steel service centers. He was a lifetime partner with his brothers Bernard and Franklyn in their ownerships together of industrial, commercial and retail businesses, as well as real estate holdings.
    Mr. Featherman was born in New York and attended Bordentown Military Institute, graduating with honors at 14 years of age, before going on to college. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and moved to Florida to be near his retired parents, graduating with an engineering degree from the University of Miami.
    Mr. Featherman was a friendly man who helped many other people to start or to stay in business. He invented several patented steel storage equipment and automotive products.
    As a hobby, he enjoyed playing billiards, and became an expert at it, sometimes running over 100 balls in a row against competition. He held active Masonic and Shriners memberships for over 50 years.
    In addition to his wife, Carol, to whom he was married for over 54 years, he is survived by sons Barry, a lawyer in Washington, D.C., and Glenn, a dentist, and his wife, Carol, in Arizona; daughter Barbara Hillman, and her husband, Carlton, of Highland Beach; two grandchildren; and brothers Bernard, the mayor of Highland Beach, and Franklyn, who resides in Pennsylvania.
    Interment took place at the family mausoleum in Roosevelt Cemetery, near Philadelphia.
Obituary submitted by the family.

By Ron Hayes

    BOCA RATON — When staff members at the Boca Raton Historical Society wanted reliable information about the city’s early days, they called Dave Ashe.
He had lived those early days as a boy, and then, as a man, founded the society to help preserve them.
Mr. Ashe died Oct. 5 at Hospice by the Sea Care Center, leaving behind a city marked by his involvement in countless civic improvements. He was 90.
    “I came to work here in 2002, and I’ve known him ever since,” recalled Susan Gillis, the historical society’s curator. “He was a wonderful contributor and informant who really saw the changes in the community, for good and bad.”
    Mr. Ashe was born July 7, 1925, in Oak Hill, Fla., the fourth oldest of two brothers and nine sisters.
In 1930, when he was 5, the family moved to tiny Boca Raton. His father, Haden Ashe, was a bridge tender, first at the twin bridge over the Hillsboro Canal and later the Boca Raton Inlet Bridge, which was renamed the Haden Ashe Bridge in his honor. The family lived on a houseboat by the canal.
    After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Mr. Ashe returned home, opened Causeway Lumber, a building supply company, and began a lifetime of community service, both in and out of government.
    In 1950, he helped found and sponsor Little League baseball in the city.
    When the U.S. government closed its local base, Mr. Ashe and two residents, Aris Smith and Dominic Jalbert, sued to retain 200 acres for what is now the Boca Raton Airport.
    In 1960, he persuaded Arthur Vining Davis, owner of the Boca Raton Hotel & Club, to donate 12 acres for what is now the Silver Palm Boat Ramp.
    In 1970, Mr. Ashe was a founder and first president of the historical society and was instrumental in preserving the old train depot, the Lillian Race Williams home and the old town hall, which now houses the society.
    As a City Council member from 1973 to 1975, he and W.M. Cruickshank backed a bond issue to buy beachfront property from  J. Myer and the Shine and Fisher families. The issue was approved, and today that land comprises Spanish River Park, Red Reef Park and South Beach Park.
    An active member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Elks and Lions clubs, Mr. Ashe raised money to build the YMCA, founded the city’s Pioneer Club, and was first chairman of the blue ribbon beautification committee.
    “What a gentleman he was!” said Al Travasos, who came to the City Council after Mr. Ashe’s tenure. “A really kind guy. He was a person who didn’t care if he had his picture in the paper or was social. He just had a vision for the city, and he initiated everything when Boca Raton was just beginning.”
    Mr. Ashe is survived by his daughter, Sharon Springman, of Jupiter; a son, Joe Ashe, of Boca Raton; their mother, Betty Jo Whiddon; and three grandchildren.
    A graveside service was held Oct. 9 at Boca Raton Cemetery.

Mrs. Arnold MacSpadden (left) with Mrs. Horatio Ebert and Mrs. J. Myer Schine at a 1956 Artists’ Guild fundraiser.

A painting by Albert P. Murrow, circa 1965, of the building at 801 Palmetto Park Road that first housed the Boca Raton Museum of Art and was the Artists’  Guild’s first home. It’s now the Museum Art School.

By Lucy Lazarony

Back in 1950, a group of socially active women in Boca Raton formed a civic club with the aim of building their small city a library. They held an arts and crafts fair in the city’s original town hall, and when more than 1,000 people showed up, the Artists’ Guild was born.

The Artists’ Guild holds a sale at the Boca Raton Hotel & Club in the early 1950s.

“I always underscore that this is a museum founded by artists,” says Irvin Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art. “It makes it very distinctive. When you’re founded by artists, it really underscores the importance of working artists.”
The Boca Raton Museum of Art is celebrating the Artists’ Guild 65th anniversary with an exhibition at the museum’s Wolgin Gallery through Dec. 13.
The juried exhibition of art by guild members kicked off on Oct. 29 with a backyard bash featuring food trucks, craft wine and beer, live rock and surf music and a birthday cake.    
“It celebrates the creativity we know is here in South Florida, particularly in Boca Raton,” Lippman says of the exhibition and birthday bash.
And it was the creativity, passion and dedication of Guild artists all those years ago that led to the creation of the Boca Raton Museum of Art and The Art School.   
After 1950, Artists’ Guild exhibits were held at the Boca Raton Hotel & Club. And in the early 1960s, land lots were purchased and one was donated in Boca Raton’s Old Floresta neighborhood. This campus-style facility was completed in 1962, and became the site of the Boca Raton Museum of Art in 1983, with classrooms for teaching as well as exhibition space.
In 2001, the Boca Raton Museum of Art opened a new 44,000-square-foot facility in Mizner Park, and The Art School took over the Old Floresta location. Guild members continued to create and display their art in exhibition spaces around Boca Raton.
In 2008, the Artists’ Guild moved to 512 E. Atlantic Ave. in downtown Delray Beach (for a better location and traffic)  and opened the Artists’ Guild Gallery.
“The space is beautiful,” says John Frazee, a participating signature member of the Artists’ Guild and the gallery’s director. “Every time, I finish a painting I take it to the Guild.”           

The Guild’s 287 members create art in oils, pastels, acrylics, mixed media, wood, glass, metal bronze, stone, clay, collage, plus photography and digital imagery.

Mike Gora in the Artists’ Guild’s gallery on East Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

“Many of the signature artists who have work in this gallery can regularly sell pieces in oil painting, watercolors, lithograph and sculpture,” says Mike Gora, president of the Artists’ Guild.  “And some of the transactions are up to $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000.”
A photographer who took classes at the museum’s Art School before joining the Artists’ Guild, Gora says artists in the Guild learn from and support each other.
“All artists want to improve their art and one of the ways to do that is observe other people who share genres of work,” Gora says.  
Each month, the gallery presents juried shows of original art by signature members of the Artists’ Guild.  Award winners are announced at opening receptions with live music and food and wine, and the public is welcome.       

The first opening of the season was Nov. 5., and an opening and holiday party are planned from 6 to 10 p.m. Dec. 10.  
“The camaraderie is wonderful,” says Teresa Frazee, a participating signature member of the Artists’ Guild since 2008.
“You get to network and be with fellow artists, like-minded people. It’s very rewarding and interesting.  Being around creative people is always stimulating.”
Juried shows by Artists’ Guild members also can be seen at the Living Room Theaters at Florida Atlantic University and at Boca Raton Community High School. 

I Hear You, by Lenny Holland, current member of the Artists’ Guild.

New Arrival, a bronze sculpture by Roger Franklin of the Artists’ Guild.

Scent of Devotion, a recent acrylic painting by Teresa Frazee, of the Boca Raton Museum of Art’s Artists’ Guild.

For more information on the Artists’ Guild, call 278-7877 or visit www.bocaguild.com.

By Amy Woods
    
“Well, hardest substance found in nature, they cut glass, suggest marriage, I suppose it replaced the dog as the girl’s best friend.”
    So said Sean Connery’s James Bond in the movie Diamonds Are Forever, the theme of the Community Caring Center of Greater Boynton Beach’s Black & White Gala. The line, along with others made famous by Ian Fleming’s spy novels — “Bond, James Bond” and “shaken, not stirred” — will set the tone for the Nov. 12 fundraiser featuring a dapper Bond impersonator, sexy Bond girls and a sleek BMW Z4 from Braman Motorcars.
    “He looks and sounds just like Sean Connery — with the gray hair, not the younger version,” Sherry Johnson, executive director of the nonprofit, said of John Allen’s 007. Guests attending the affair will have the opportunity to pose for photos with the cast of well-dressed characters and participate in a raffle, bid in the silent auction and enjoy a special presentation by Fred Astaire dance studio.
    “We were told we would sell out before we sent our first invitation,” Johnson said. “This is going to be the biggest event that we’ve ever had.”
    The 15th annual gala is expected to draw a crowd of 250 and raise $50,000 for feeding programs, including Children’s Gardening and Nutrition Education, Senior Veggie Mobile and Urban Farming Project.
    The first program teaches children how to grow and harvest food through interactive classes, and the second program provides fresh produce to more than 1,000 seniors, one-quarter of whom are frail elderly in a city pocket called the “Heart of Boynton.” The Urban Farming Project is a downtown community garden on Northeast Third Street.
    “We want healthy food going out, but we also want to teach so that whole cycle of not eating properly — we can address that and make that better,” gala chairwoman Doreen Robinson said.
    The organization also provides social services such as emergency financial assistance, a food pantry, help with food stamps and volunteer caregiving.
    “Part of my mission is just spreading the word and building relationships throughout the community,” Robinson said. “People don’t realize how bad the hunger is.”

If You Go
What: Community Caring Center of Greater Boynton Beach’s “Diamonds Are Forever” Black & White Gala
When: 6:30 p.m., Nov. 12
Where: Benvenuto, 1730 N. Federal Highway,   Boynton Beach
Cost: $100
Information: Call 364-9501 or visit

www.cccgbb-org.webs.com.

The YMCA of Palm Beach County welcomed more than 125 guests to the launch of the 2015 Annual Campaign. The kickoff event featured first-hand stories about the impact the organization is having in the community. LEFT: (l-r) Trustee Charles ‘Buzz’ Hill Jr., Community Outreach Executive Director Megan Keenan and President and CEO Richard Pollock. Photo provided

Gold Coast Tiger Bay Club’s October meeting featured ‘Dirty Politics’ as its theme and presentations by Jamie Miller and Gregory Wilson, of the Tampa Bay Tiger Bay Club, on both Democratic and Republican viewpoints. ABOVE: (l-r) Joanne Epstein, Danielle Silverman, Charlotte Beasley, Johann Leigh and Arlene Herson. Photo provided by Carol Porter

With the theme ‘Cellar & Chef,’ this year’s culinary caper raised more than $37,000 for area foster children and Place of Hope. Funds will be used to purchase school supplies, clothing and recreational equipmen for those in care. ABOVE: (l-r) Ron and Susan Pertnoy, with Marti LaTour and George Elmore. Photo provided

Milagro Center, a nonprofit arts and education organization, honored its donors, mentors and volunteers at its annual appreciation event. More than 75 guests gathered to recognize those who have supported the award-winning after-school and summer-camp programs that interweave academic with cultural arts and values lessons. ABOVE: (l-r) Denise Kantrowitz, Betty Biro, Kim Hermanowski, Joan Hermanowski, Barbara Stark, Lisa Cody, John Miller, Beverlee Miller, Luke Stocking, Silvia Evans, Daryl Houston and Theresa Kinsloe. Photo provided

Soroptimist International of Boca Raton / Deerfield Beach had its 42nd-annual fundraiser to honor the 2015 Women of Distinction: Jeannette Deorchis, Terry Fedele, Andrea Garcia, Dr. Gladys Martine and Patti Sirbola. ABOVE: (l-r) Terry and Jerry Fedele, with Dr. Louise Morrell, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Photo provided by Barbara McCormick

The university celebrated the opening of its Theatre Lab, which is dedicated to developing new work in American theater and providing a training ground for students interested in careers onstage, with a preview for guests and supporters. LEFT: (l-r) Marny Glasser, Margot Green and Bernice Kaminski, of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Advisory Board.  Photo provided