Richard Pollock, president and CEO of the YMCA of South Palm Beach County, walked away with the Business Leader of the Year Award from the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. The award celebrates those who give back to the community not only through generating economic prosperity but also through a commitment to philanthropy. Photo: Pollock with Chamber President Troy McLellan. Photo provided

Wells Fargo Private Bank sponsored an event to benefit and bring awareness to Boca Helping Hands, which provides food and emergency provisions to the needy. Photo: Jason Freeman, Karen Swedenborg, Bonnie Koenig, Kelly Thill, Pattie Damron and Jonathan Bernstein. Photo provided by Janis Bucher

   Mr. and Mrs. William Harve Lozier of Des Moines, Iowa, announce the engagement of their daughter, Charlotte Anne, to John Case Lundquist, son of Mr. and Mrs. David John Lundquist of Ocean Ridge.
    Charlotte graduated from Northwestern University where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.  She is director of marketing and communications for The  Shelter Corp., a real estate development firm.
    John graduated from Pepperdine University and was a member of the tennis team.  He received his MBA from Cornell University, where he was a Park Fellow. John is an investment professional for Värde Partners, an alternative investment firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. 
A June wedding is planned.  The couple will reside in Minneapolis.

Kids learn key board positions during the 2013 Delray Water Sports Surf Camp. Photo provided

By Shelley Gilken

Not many camps can boast this: No shoes needed.
    On the sandy shore of Delray Beach, dozens of campers each year get their feet wet with an introduction to water sports at the Delray Water Sports Surf Camp.
    “Kids don’t need to be on an athletic field five miles inland with socks and shoes on,” said Patrick Heaney, director of the camp. “We’re water people.”
    And the camp is not just for surfing. There is also stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, boogie-boarding and skim boarding.
    “It’s an introduction to all these water sports and a hands-on experience of water sport awareness,” Heaney said. “Kids get fundamentals and supervision.”
    The campers also venture out to the historic Delray wreck, where they snorkel in 15 feet of water. The Delray wreck is the remains of a British ship that sank just offshore during a hurricane in 1903. In addition to the ship’s hull, campers may spot snapper, lobsters, leatherback turtles, stingrays or puffer fish.
    “It’s kids having fun,” Heaney said. “Riding the waves and seeing marine life.”
    Heaney said that the campers don’t have to be physically fit or strong swimmers, but they do have to be able to swim, and some campers use life jackets. For children who are unsure whether they want to do an entire week, Heaney offers a one-day option for children that allows them to try it out.
    Because of the camp’s location at the Seagate Beach Club, the camp also draws visitors from around the world. While most campers are local, Heaney said, he has signed up children from Germany, France, Brazil and Canada.
    Heaney said the campers gain more confidence in their skills as the week goes on, or if they return for more than one week. Many of the campers do end up catching a wave, but everyone can excel on a boogie-board.
    “I help them catch waves. I’m in the water pushing them,” he said. If campers are tired, they can play games on the beach.
    The campers spend an average of two to three hours in the water in each session. There is also some instruction on the sand, as well as breaks to towel off, rehydrate and reapply sunblock.
    Parents get to see highlights of the day’s activities in daily posts to the camp’s Facebook page.
    And on Fridays, there’s another treat for parents. The camp hosts lunch, which is usually pizza or a cookout. Occasionally, the meal is an especially fresh catch.
    “If lobsters are walking (at the Delray wreck), I pull out lobsters during camp and put them on the grill,” he said.
    If going to the camp sparks a greater interest, additional camps are held year-round that coincide with school breaks. That way, campers can enjoy summer fun in the water all year. 
    For information on more area summer camps, please see our guide at www.thecoastalstar.ning.com

Delray Water Sports Surf Camp
500 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach
Ages 6-15
8:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday.; 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Friday
Runs June 9 through Aug. 29
$325 per week for new students or $70 per day (discounts available for returning students and siblings)
For more information, see www.delraybeachwatersportsrentals.com or visit DelrayBeachSurfCamp on Facebook, where photos and daily updates are posted.

    The wedding of Keriann Boone, daughter of David and Beverly Boone of Delray Beach, to Jon Filippi, son of Robert and Marlene Filippi Sr., of Churchville, Md., took place on May 3, at the Colony Cabana Club in Delray Beach.         

    The bride and groom arrived by trolley moments after the rain stopped. As the clouds parted and the sun came out, the bride was escorted by her father down the aisle lined with aloe toward a bamboo and fishnet arbor with seashells and starfish. The bride wore an ivory silk dress and her bouquet with white roses and succulents was wrapped with burlap.  
    Rebecca Bull served as her sister’s matron of honor. The maid of honor was Shannon Watson. Bridesmaids included Megan Bull, niece of the bride, Kerry Maki and Kristin Price, sisters of the groom, Jennifer Schrage, and Amy Stewart.  
    The bridesmaids wore navy blue dresses and carried bouquets of succulents. Charlotte and Amelia Bull, nieces of the bride, and Taylor Filippi, Adriana Maki and Meghan Price, nieces of the groom, served as flower girls and carried pails of white roses.
    Robert Filippi Jr., served as his brother’s best man. Groomsmen included Jacob Boone, brother of the bride, Rick Braun, Adam Donofrio, Patrick Doonan, Eric Miller and Doug Petrick. Payton Filippi, Branden Price and Nathan Price, nephews of the groom, served as ring bearers with the couple’s bulldog, Biscuit.
    A reception with dinner and dancing followed the ceremony with live music provided by Girlfriend Material.
    The bride received a bachelor’s in French and writing and rhetoric from Pepperdine University. She earned a master’s in teaching English to speakers of other languages from the University of Southern California. She is employed at North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek.
    The groom received a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University and two master’s degrees from the University of Florida. He is employed at Lockheed Martin in Riviera Beach.         

     The couple will reside in Palm Beach Gardens.

Motorists maneuver through a new four-way stop at Gleason Street on East Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. The overhead traffic lights have been covered in preparation for temporary removal due to structural concerns. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Tim Pallesen

      Motorists are urged to use caution after stoplights on East Atlantic Avenue near the ocean were turned off on May 29.

      Only stop signs will guide traffic at the Gleason Street and Venetian Drive intersections for three months after it was discovered that the support arms for the stoplights were about to collapse.

      Residents and business owners objected to the traffic danger for motorists and pedestrians during a May 6 City Commission meeting.

      “Safety is obviously the big issue here. This could be catastrophic,” Beach Property Owners vice president Andy Katz told commissioners after state officials originally said the intersections would be without stoplights until late 2015.

      “This will be a major traffic and safety nightmare,” Delray Beach Marriott general manager Rick Konsavage agreed at the meeting attended by other oceanfront business owners.

      “Our business relies on guests walking and driving the avenue,” Konsavage said. “Removing the stoplights would be unsafe and an unfair burden on residents and tourists.”

      The Florida Department of Transportation responded the next morning by saying temporary stoplights on wires will go up in mid-August. FDOT now predicts that replacement support arms will be installed by June 2015.

      State inspectors first discovered that the old support arms were rusting from the inside out in May 2013, but didn’t sound an alarm until more inspections this year.

      “The state is trying to get them down as soon as possible because they fear they will fall down,” city environmental services director Randal Krejcarek told commissioners.

      Mayor Cary Glickstein criticized FDOT for not seeking money for the replacement arms in this year’s operating budget, which begins in July.

      “Why didn’t we know about this until the last minute?” Commissioner Shelly Petrolia asked.

      With only stop signs for the next three months, Katz said, left turns from Gleason and Venetian onto westbound Atlantic will be the most dangerous for coastal residents. He urged flashing lights and an electronic billboard to alert motorists to the hazardous intersections.

      FDOT district traffic operations engineer Mark Plass promised to work with city officials this week to improve the safety at the two intersections.

By Christine Davis

It’s official. Urban Outfitters signed a ten-year lease with EASSA Properties LLP and plans to open by November 1, according to Roxanne Register, CBRE’s Vice President of Retail, who represented EASSA.

Urban Outfitters' new store location will be at 306 E. Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach. With 10,954 square feet on two floors, the company will redo the interiors as well as the façade keeping some of the architectural features, Register said.

“The word has been out on the street, and other owners I’ve talked to want a good mix of national and local retailers here. It’s good for the street and supports the restaurants.

“You’ll see a big change going forward,” she adds. “There will be more national retailers coming in. Urban Outfitters has been a catalyst in the past for that trend, and it will also be a frontrunner for Atlantic Avenue.”

Urban Outfitters is an edgy apparel retailer carrying preppy attire. In South Florida they have stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Miami and Miami Beach.

What Should You Do?

What Was Done by the City's Public Utilities Department?

The distribution system was flushed by means of opening and running fire hydrants until subsequent testing indicated the desired water quality.  Additionally, as routine preventive maintenance, an alternative enhanced disinfection procedure of the distribution system was conducted from April 25 to May 5 2014.  During this time, free chlorine was utilized as the primary disinfectant, as well as enhanced hydrant flushing.  Increased sampling and testing for coliform bacteria was conducted, and will continue.  To date, routine sampling indicates acceptable levels for total coliform.

For additional information, please contact the Public Utilities Department at (561) 243-7312 between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm - Monday through Friday.

By Cheryl Blackerby

    Palm Beach County joined Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties in 2009 to present the first Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit. Elected officials from all four counties came together to discuss challenges and strategies for responding to the impacts of climate change.
    So it was a mystery and a subject of discussion at the 2013 summit held in November in Broward, over why Palm Beach County had still not yet signed the group’s Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, drafted after the first summit.
    The strongly worded and detailed action plan has 110 specific recommendations that address the need to protect a vulnerable water supply and coastal infrastructure, among other issues.
    On April 15, five years after the plan was written and after the other counties signed on, Palm Beach County finally voted to adopt the plan.
    The reason for the county’s reluctance in the past?
In spite of the long lag, County Commissioner Steven Abrams says there was no reluctance.
    “The Board of County Commissioners signed onto the plan last because we made a conscious decision to spend time building consensus among the cities and others. County officials met with numerous groups to explain the plan and then the commissioners formally signed onto it,” he said.
    Palm Beach County has, in fact, not only backed the plan but actively worked on it, he said. “The commission has supported the compact from the very beginning, has been participating with staff, hosting one of the annual meetings, etc.,” he said.
    The compact’s challenges are daunting, according to the counties’ research. One of the group’s findings: Sea levels are projected to rise 3 to 7 inches from 2010 to 2030 in Key West, according to calculations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
    By 2060, Florida’s sea levels could rise 9 to 24 inches. These and other calculations show the enormous risks, not only to people in Key West, but to the 5.6 million residents of these four counties.
    Asked how the plan will affect county business such as building codes, Abrams said the county will concentrate on planning ahead.
    “Fortunately, Palm Beach County is on higher ground than our neighbors to the south, so we can be less reactive and more proactive regarding our infrastructure,” he said.
    Plans for building projects, for example, will have to take a changing climate into consideration.
    “As new projects, both public and private, come through, attention will be paid to climate implications,” he said. “Many builders are already taking the environment into account in their buildings by seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications, for example.”

By Ron Hayes
 
    At 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, a 90-year-old real estate agent named Woody Gorbach took off from Palm Beach International Airport aboard a US Airways jet, bound for Washington, D.C.
    At 8:20 that night, he returned.
    In between, Woody Gorbach spent the day remembering a boy from Bridgeport, Conn., who enlisted in the U.S. Army at 19, sailed to Italy with the 34th Infantry Division, carried an M1 rifle into the battles of Monte Cassino and Anzio beach, rode one of the first tanks into Rome amid Italian cheers, and made it home alive. And he spent the day remembering comrades who fought just as bravely but didn’t come home.
    He wasn’t alone. And he wasn’t the oldest.
    Gorbach was one of 85 area veterans to join the latest trip sponsored by Southeast Florida Honor Flights, a nonprofit organization that thanks World War II vets by flying them to Washington to visit the national memorials honoring their service.
    “This is our fourth year,” said Todd Tucker, a lieutenant with Martin County Fire-Rescue and chairman of the organization’s Southeast Florida branch, which has no paid staff. “Our goal is four flights a year, two in the spring and two in the fall.”
    There is no charge to the vets, who are paired with a guardian for the day, each of whom pays $400 for the privilege of accompanying a veteran.
    “A lot of our volunteer guardians are firefighter paramedics, so there’s almost no situation we can’t deal with,” Tucker said. “We’ve flown double amputees, and we have a 99-year-old on this flight.”
    Gorbach was aboard because his wife, Lois, happened to spot a newspaper story about the most recent flight.
    “Woody, why don’t you call?” she suggested.
    “Well, I hadn’t seen any of the memorials,” Gorbach reasoned, “but I’ve spoken to people who’ve been and they all say it’s an experience you never forget.”
    He called, then filled out a detailed application. After he was accepted, Lois learned more about her husband’s war than she’d heard in 60 years of marriage.
    “At Monte Cassino, I was only there three days and I got trench foot with frostbite,” Gorbach remembered. “They sent me to a hospital in Africa for three weeks, and while I was gone my platoon was annihilated. Frostbite saved my life.”
    In May 1944, he hit the beach at Anzio.
    “I was in the first division to land,” he said. “All mountains, horrible weather, snow. We took a lot of casualties. The Germans were all over the beach and at the top of the mountains. I didn’t think I was going to make it back, to tell you the truth.”
    Gorbach made it back in November 1945 with a Bronze Star and a Croix de Guerre. He was 21.
    He got married, started a family, started law school and quit to work in his father’s real estate firm. He’s sold real estate ever since, except for a brief period in 1998, when he and Lois retired to South Palm Beach.
    “I tried retirement for a month or two and it got boring,” he says. “I played too much tennis.”
    Now he’s back, selling real estate at Lang Realty in Manalapan, where his son, Donald, is also a Realtor.
    “I enlisted 71 years ago,” he says with a smile, “and I’m still going strong.”
    A single day in Washington is scarcely enough to remember a war that lasted four years and claimed 291,557 American lives, but it was a full day.
    Gorbach toured the Iwo Jima Memorial, was served lunch by the Knights of Columbus, watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and ended the day with a visit to the World War II Memorial on the National Mall.
    The monuments moved him, but the surprises brought tears to his eyes.
    “As we were departing on the runway,” he recalled, “a truck from Palm Beach Fire-Rescue gave us a fantastic salute, washing down our plane to salute us for our service.”
    They arrived at Reagan National Airport to be greeted by a huge crowd of men, women and children waving signs and reaching to shake their hands or kiss them.
    A band was playing, a choral group from West Point was singing. “It brought tears to everyone’s eyes,” Gorbach said. “We couldn’t help it.”
    During lunch at a Knights of Columbus hall, he was met by three cousins he hadn’t seen in years, and at the World War II Memorial on the Mall, his grandchildren, Averi and Jared Seligmen, suddenly emerged from the crowd.
    Nearby, former Sen. Bob Dole, another 90-year-old vet, sat greeting anyone who wished to shake his hand.
    “He saw my nametag and said, ‘Hello,’ how’s everything in Florida?’” Gorbach recalled. “A real politician, but he seemed sincere.”
    And then they were back at PBIA, with another crowd cheering and waving signs.
    “Seeing my wife and son in the crowd — well, I cried again. … God bless America. What more can I say?”
    About 16 million Americans served in World War II. Today, only about a million survive and most, like Woody Gorbach, are in their 90s.
    “At the age these folks have reached, they’re not always able to fly with us because of health,” says Tucker, Honor Flights’ chairman. “We’re finding we have to call two veterans to get one.
    “We’re accepting applications from Korean War vets, but currently we’re just for World War II. It’s a race against time. ”

    For information about Southeast Florida Honor Flights, call 1-855-359-2838 or visit www.honorflightsefl.org.

Photos: ABOVE LEFT: Woody Gorbach displays his World War II-era medals and documents. ABOVE RIGHT: Gorbach, pictured in Pisa, Italy, served in Europe. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Thurwachter

    A proposal to redevelop the retreat property owned by the Catholic Cenacle Sisters into a high-end rental community took a step forward on April 23 when the Lantana Planning Commission gave its blessing to a needed zoning change.
    There is a contract on the 10-acre property at 1400 S. Dixie Highway, pending a zoning change from commercial to mixed-use waterfront.
The next hurdle for the buyers, Ocean Ridge developer Jerry Goray and Trinsic Residential Group (a Dallas-based company with an office in Miami), will be securing approval for the zoning change from the City Council. The matter is expected to come up at the town’s May 12 meeting.
    The Cenacle property stretches between Dixie Highway and the Intracoastal Waterway and is across the street from a shopping center at the corner of Hypoluxo Road and Dixie Highway. The land was zoned commercial several years ago to make way for a proposed hotel. But that deal fell through.
    Boca Raton attorney Bonnie Miskel, representing the developers, said the plan is to build 319 units with resort-like amenities and lush landscaping.
    The mixed-use waterfront designation, she said, would be a better fit for the area than the current commercial designation.
Some of the apartments would likely be live/work units to accommodate small businesses such as architects, designers or attorneys. Renters would have their businesses on the first floor and live upstairs.
    Attorney Al Malefatto, who represents the Catholic Cenacle Sisters, said the nuns are very much in favor of the proposal.
    Manny Martinez, managing director of the Trinsic Residential Group, said the proposed development would be attractive not only to people who already live in Lantana, but to those who work in West Palm Beach or Boca Raton.
    “Lantana has a small village feel and you can get to Interstate 95 in five minutes,” he said.
    Martinez’s company bought the Peninsula on the Intracoastal in Boynton Beach before construction was finished and the property was in foreclosure. His firm turned the condos into rental units.
    “All 70 units were rented for an average of $2,500 a month,” he said. “We sold it to a condo converter.”

By Mary Thurwachter
    
   Rather than borrowing money from a bank, the town of Lantana will finance the extension of natural gas lines to Hypoluxo Island using money from its general fund.
    In March, the Town Council directed Town Manager Deborah Manzo to take necessary steps to obtain financing for the design, construction and installation of natural gas lines. After consulting with Lantana Finance Director Stephen Kaplan, Manzo determined that the most cost-effective financing available would be for the town to underwrite the project itself.
    Both the general fund and the utility fund have sufficient balances to accommodate the loan, Manzo said during the town’s April 28 meeting. As of Oct. 1, 2013, the general fund had $4,109,878 and the utility fund had $5,545,807.
    Based on estimates from SunTrust and TD banks, the prevailing interest rates range from 3.75 to 4.5 percent. The cost estimate to obtain bank financing for the $590,000 project is $47,000 over the 10-year assessment period, of which nearly $30,000 could be avoided through town financing. Assuming an interest rate of 4 percent over 10 years, the maximum annual assessment per property would be less than $270 per year.
    But the total cost and amount of the special assessment will ultimately be determined by the Town Council. With the town financing the loan, the average annual interest revenue to Lantana will be about $12,000 a year for 10 years.
    “It’s a win-win situation,” said Rod Tennyson, one of the islanders who led the push for natural gas. “The town’s going to earn some revenue and we’ll save money.”
    While the town is providing the financing, Hypoluxo Island residents will pay for the gas line extension, Mayor Dave Stewart said. “The majority of the people on the island wanted it.”
    In October, the town sent letters to all 309 property owners asking for a yes or no vote on whether they wanted a natural gas line extended. By deadline, 197 yes votes came in, 11 more than required for passage.

By Dan Moffett

    Briny Breezes Town Council members are trying to figure out how to redefine the deputy clerk’s position so they can offer residents more access to Town Hall services.
    The issue comes down to whether Deputy Town Clerk Lesa Shoeman should continue as an independent contractor — the town’s only one — who has some flexibility over when and where she works, or should she become a town employee who is required to work in Town Hall during specified hours?
    The distinction between contractor and employee is important because of potential liabilities and tax issues the town might face, depending on which arrangement it chooses.
    “Essentially, what was happening was the town needs more on-premises work here at Town Hall for the residents,” said Town Attorney John Skrandel. “Residents have been complaining about not being able to get communication, whether it’s permits or other information, except on Tuesday and Thursday, which is the time the Town Hall is open.”
    Shoeman took the position in September 2012 and has been under contract as a part-time independent contractor. But that arrangement probably won’t work if the town wants her to keep Town Hall open more days each week.
    Skrandel said it “tends to make her more of an employee” than a contractor if she’s required to be in the office.
    “Residents can’t go to her home to get things,” Skrandel said during the April 24 council meeting. “If she’s not here, it’s a problem. If she is here, she’s more of an employee.” Mayor Mike Hill, also an attorney, said that, as a legal matter, the description of her position doesn’t count nearly as much as the nature of the relationship between her and the town.
    “Just because we call Lesa an independent contractor or because she wants to be an independent contractor doesn’t make her an independent contractor,” Hill said.
    The mayor said that if the Internal Revenue Service considers her an employee, then the town would have an obligation to withhold payroll taxes. Hill said he believes that what the town wants from her “makes her sound a lot to me like an employee.”
    Skrandel said that, because the deputy clerk has access to public records, allowing her independent contractor status and off-site work raises custody issues about the possibility of important documents leaving the Town Hall. What if they’re lost, stolen or destroyed?
    Briny has struggled to come up with the right formula for the deputy clerk position for several years. Shoeman, 40, the daughter of town bookkeeper Linda Harvel, is the third person to hold the job since 2011.
    Council members have said they have no complaints about Shoeman’s performance, but do want her duties to change. They voted unanimously to cancel her contract, but to keep paying her until May 18, hoping that a new arrangement with her can be worked out by then.
    In other business:
    • Council members unanimously approved the proposal of Alderman Karen Wiggins to cancel the July Council meeting.
 Wiggins said it’s been too difficult to get a quorum for meetings during the summer months.

ABOVE: A conceptual rendering of the $1.6 million Harbor Master project that is under construction near the fuel dock at Boynton Harbor Marina. Rendering courtesy A.W. Architects.
BELOW: Construction is underway at the Harbor Master building near the fuel docks at Boynton Harbor Marina north of the Two Georges restaurant. Courtesy of Boynton Beach CRA

By Willie Howard

    The latest renovation project at Boynton Harbor Marina, the Harbor Master building, was under construction in mid April despite a lawsuit filed by West Construction that seeks to stop the work.
    Attorneys for Lake Worth-based West, the lowest bidder on the Harbor Master project, filed suit against the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency on March 13, less than a week after Lake Mary-based Collage Design and Construction Group broke ground on the building.
    Collage was the second-lowest bidder on the contract.
The complaint against the CRA, which owns the marina and awarded the construction contract to Collage, asks a judge to stop the work and award the contract to West.
    The lawsuit claims that stipulations in the invitation to bid on the marina project — including a requirement that the bidders had not been a party to litigation or arbitration arising from a public project within the past two years — violate Florida law.
    West filed a protest of the contract award to Collage, claiming the responsible bidder qualifications were “arbitrary, capricious, vague, indefinite, uncertain, unclear and exclusionary.”
    CRA attorney Ken Spillias said the judge will not consider West’s request for an injunction until after a hearing on the CRA’s motion to dismiss the case. The hearing on the motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for May 5, Spillias said.
    “It is still our position that there is no legal basis for the entry of an injunction,” Spillias said in an April 17 email.
    The Harbor Master project will include restrooms, a ship’s store, landscaped open space and new fuel pumps. It’s part of a multi-phase redevelopment of Boynton Harbor Marina, which was purchased by the CRA in 2006.
    Earlier work on the marina included building a decorative entry sign on Ocean Avenue and rebuilding the boat slips and the fuel dock.
    Future marina projects will include tearing down a two-story building near the Sea Mist III drift boat docks on the west side of the marina to create open space with benches and landscaping, said Michael Simon, assistant director of the CRA.
    At about 1,500 square feet, the Harbor Master building will include an office for the dockmaster, who currently works from a metal shipping container at the fuel dock.
    The project is scheduled for completion in January if it’s not delayed by West’s complaint.
    “It’s going to be a big improvement,” said Bill Forbes, captain of the Great Day charter fishing boat moored near the Two Georges restaurant. “This place has come a long way.”
    Capt. Geno Pratt of the Geno IV charter boat said he will be glad to see the new Harbor Master building completed.  
    But Pratt said he would like the CRA to expand public parking at the marina. He said marina parking spaces become scarce on weekends, especially during the winter season.

A bulldozer levels the sand escarpment in Ocean Ridge just south of Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park while beachgoers and sea shell collectors enjoy the beach. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Cheryl Blackerby

    In a surprise move by the contractor, dredging on the north Boca Raton beach has stopped midway through the project, and won’t restart until November.
    Bad weather caused Boca Raton to miss the April 30 deadline for finishing the dredging project on the north beach.
    Up against the time limit, the city scrambled to apply for 15-day-extension permits needed from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
    Just when Jennifer Bistyga, city coastal program manager, had permit confirmations from the two agencies on April 28, the dredging contractor pulled out with only 55 to 60 percent of the beach work done.
 Even with the extension, there wasn’t enough time to finish the job and the dredge contractor had another job to go to, Bistyga said. “The contractor left on Saturday (April 26) morning,”          The dredging contractor, Marinex Construction in North Charleston, S.C., won’t be back on the beach until early November, she said.
    The permits will come in handy to make the beach ready for turtle nesting season, which has already begun, she said.
    “We need to take all the pipes off the beach and we need to comb the beach for turtle nesting,” she said.
    Combing means tilling the sand to fluff it up and make it easier for turtles to dig holes for nests. “Often the sand is very compact and hard for the turtle to lay the eggs,” Bistyga said.
    Even though the beach project is only half-finished, there’s enough sand to give protection for summer storms, she said.
    “The northern section has enough material to provide some protection for hurricane season. And we had sand return after we lost it to Sandy,” she said.
    The north beach of Boca Raton is the fourth and final project in a series of dredging projects that include Delray Beach, Ocean Ridge and south beach in Boca Raton. The back-to-back projects that used the same dredging company were plagued by high winds and rough seas in the fall and spring.
    The Ocean Ridge project also has had problems including escarpments as high as 5 to 9 feet, carved out by waves and wind. On April 23, the county started leveling the scarps, or cliffs. The escarpments made it difficult, if not impossible, for turtles to nest.
    “The contractor finished April 23 and the turtle monitor and I checked the beach this morning. All is good,” said Tracy Logan, coastal geologist for Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management.
    Turtle monitors found two turtle nests on the beach, which were marked so bulldozers could work around them.         

County sea turtle experts will make the decisions on whether to relocate any newly deposited nests near an escarpment, she said.
    “The turtle nests were north of the bulldozer work, north of Ocean Hammock Park. They were leatherback turtles, early nesters,” Logan said.
    The escarpments were, to some degree, expected, she said.
    “Renourished beaches characteristically scarp after construction as the new beach profile equilibrates,” she said. “The sand pumped onto the beach has not yet been sorted by wind and waves. Even some of the native beaches have been scarping in response to the sea conditions we have had this spring.”
    Boca’s north beach project, as well as the beach projects in Ocean Ridge and Delray Beach, are U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beach renourishment projects. The fourth project was south Boca Raton beach, which is not an Army Corps project, but the city used the same contractor to save money. 

Gloria Adams has worked at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts at Old School Square for 25  years, 23 of them as director of the Cornell Museum of Art. Libby Volgyes/The Coastal Star

By Lucy Lazarony

    For 25 years, artist Gloria Adams has brought eclectic and engaging collections of art to the Delray Beach Center of the Arts.  
    She’s served as director of the Cornell Museum of Art since it opened in 1990.  
    Before the museum opened, she worked as administrative assistant for all of Old School Square, the original name for the Delray Beach Center for the Arts.  
    “Everything I do on a daily basis feeds my soul,” says Adams from her office at the Cornell Museum, which she was expected to leave at the end of April for her retirement.
    She enjoys discovering unknown talents, working with her “priceless” volunteers, and keeping her office door open for visits from the community.
    “The fun part of this job is the people you meet and the experiences you have,” Adams says. “Every day you wake up and it’s an adventure.”
    And there’s the excitement of creating new exhibits and showcasing them in the Cornell Museum, a restored and renovated 1913 Delray elementary schoolhouse with rare Dade County pine floors and tall windows.
    “Every time you get an exhibit, it’s like Christmas morning,” Adams says.
    Under Adams’ guidance, the Cornell Museum has hosted a wide range of art and American cultural exhibits over the years.
    “We’re a pretty eclectic museum. And we pretty much can do everything. And we have,” Adams notes. “Just about anything that comes across that would interest the public.”
    From teddy bears to Barbie dolls to pirates; from military miniatures to wood carvings of birds; from art showcasing local Delray and Florida history to the museum’s first national juried exhibition, featuring glass, jewelry, oils, photography, sculpture and watercolors from artists from across the United States — the Cornell Museum has spotlighted it all.
    Adams got the idea for what became her favorite exhibit watching a George Carlin comedy bit about people’s stuff.  Inspired, she invited the community to “bring us your stuff.”
    And they brought it. Betty Boop dolls, Victorian jam jars, stamps, purses, hats: All kinds of cherished items from people’s homes were contributed. Soon there were memory walls for the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s. But Adams still needed a star, a standout to make the exhibition complete. Into her office walked artist Jay DePalma, who creates gorgeous, graphite drawings of the glamour girls of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s.
“The same day, he brought them in,” Adams remembers.
“I can’t tell you how I do a show. It just sort of falls into place.”
    Joe Gillie, president of the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, says it is Adams’ own creativity that brings together the exhibits. Adams knows how to find works of art and she knows how to work with the community.
    “For us, Gloria has been the consummate professional. She has been able to transform this museum into something the community really cares about,” Gillie  says. “And she’s been able to do it on a shoestring budget and that’s amazing.”
    Adams has the Cornell Museum booked until February 2015 with shows including a paper as art exhibit and a “red, white and beautiful” quilting exhibit from Gold Coast Quilters.  
    After 25 years focused on creating exhibitions of other people’s art, Adams, a watercolor artist, will be picking up her paintbrush this summer.
    “I’ll probably start painting again. Volunteer somewhere. Spend the summer with my grandchildren,” Adams says.
    Will she still contribute to the Delray Beach Center for Arts?  
    “Oh yeah! It’s in my blood. Morning, noon and night for 25 years! How could I not? I’ll be around.”

Donna Schneier’s collection forms the show ‘Unique by Design’ at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    Envelopes get pushed when art dealer Donna Schneier is involved.
    The Manalapan resident’s latest coup is an enviable exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City titled “Unique by Design.” It will become part of the permanent collection.
    “It’s really cool,” said Schneier, noting the exhibit will be curated as 20th-century art, not jewelry. “This is art. It just happens to be art-to-wear.”
    She donated the 100-plus pieces she has collected throughout the decades to the museum in 2007, the year she left the Big Apple and moved to South Florida. The pieces were designed by 88 artists from 17 countries and date mostly from the 1960s and ’70s.
    “Everything was revolutionary at that time, even jewelry,” Schneier said. “Big, bold, dangerous. I thought it was an amazing envelope to push because traditional jewelry has always been associated with precious metals. If you think about other cultures, that’s not true. Jewelry has always been simply something which denoted your stature in life.”
Schneier will make another mark at The Met when the museum publishes a book to accompany the collection featuring 150 photographs and an essay written by metalsmith editor Suzanne Ramljak.
    “That city gave me so much,” said the former New Yorker, whose company Donna Schneier Fine Arts specializes in post-World War II ceramics, glass and sculpture. “That city changed me totally as a human being and offered me incredible opportunities. I wanted to give something back.”
Closer to home, Schneier chairs Bijoux, a daring art-jewelry sale that raises money for the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach. This year’s sale took place at the end of February.
    “It turned into a wonderful, exciting, educational, glamorous event,” Schneier said. “The message is that there are other forms of body decorations other that diamonds and pearls.”
— Amy Woods

Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
    A. Miami Beach. In the ’50s, Miami Beach was similar to Palm Beach today — a quiet, elegant lifestyle but with lots of “sparkle plenty.” You can take the girl out of Miami Beach but not Miami Beach out of the girl.
    
Q. How/when did you begin collecting jewelry?
    A. I always collected some form of art jewelry, like art-deco jewelry, Bakelite — a plastic product — and Matisse Renoir copper and enamel costume jewelry of the ’40s to early ’60s, based on the modernist art forms. I encountered contemporary art jewelry on a trip to London in the mid-’80s.
    
Q. Have you had other careers? What were the highlights?
    A. I have been an art dealer since 1966, but left the art world for 15 years to import gold jewelry from Italy to large-volume discount users in the United States. The business, Una Donna, was the country’s third-largest gold importer. It was sold in 1991. I couldn’t wait to return to the art world.
    
Q. What advice do you have for those pursuing a career in the fine arts today?
    A. If you do what you love, you won’t work a day in your life.

    Q. Tell us about your exhibit at the Norton Museum.
    A. The event at the Norton is a fundraiser for the museum called Bijoux. It is a four-day event in its third year. We invite artist from all over the world who make art jewelry their career to participate.
    
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Manalapan?
    A. New York City — that routine was just too much for us. We decided we loved Florida, we’d lived in Florida before, so we decided we’re going to stay in Florida.
    
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Manalapan?
A. It reminds me of growing up in Miami Beach — a safe, beautiful place to live. You can easily get to any cultural activity, and shopping, restaurants, tennis, golf ... what could be better? Everytime I look out my window and I see water — which is such a sedative­ — I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to live here.
    
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
    A. “I ask not for a lighter burden, just broader shoulders.” (A Jewish proverb.)
    
Q. Have you had mentors in your life — individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. My father, Dr. Irwin Makovsky; and my beloved art-history professor, Abe Chanin. My father was probably the most ethical man I’ve met in my life. He was a physician. He was deeply religious. He said to us, “I never want to see your name in the newspaper because you’ve done something wrong.” Ha!
My art-history professor was a great inspiration, and he knew that I wanted to collect, and so he would say to me, “Always buy what you can afford and pay it out.” That’s what I did.

    Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. Meryl Streep. I think she’s the epitome of the modern woman. She has a career. She has a family. I used to see her up in the New York playhouses with her children. She’s intelligent. She’s compassionate. She’s all the things that I hope I am.

The $37 million Ocean Avenue Bridge, opened in November, features a designated fishing platform for fishermen and cast netters.  Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

    Palm Beach County has posted four “cast netting prohibited” signs at the walkway entrances to the new Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana.
    County Commissioner Steven Abrams said the county posted the signs (in mid-April)  in hopes that cast netters would  use the designated fishing platform below the bridge, instead of throwing their nets from the bridge span.
    The move follows complaints from Lantana Mayor David Stewart, who lives on nearby Hypoluxo Island and has seen cast netters there several times in the wee hours of the morning since the $37 million county bridge opened in November.
    Stewart said he often sees the netters between 2 and 5 a.m. and worries that some are taking more than their share of bait fish and other marine life, sometimes filling drums with the harvest from their nets.
    Early April 7, Stewart said one cast netter was filling a bucket with the catch from his net on the bridge, then transferring his catch to a 55-gallon barrel.
    “I’m passionate about people not taking more than they need,” Stewart said.
    Hypoluxo Island resident Jennifer Spitznagel said she, too, is concerned that commercial netters are taking too many fish from the waters around the bridge.
    “They’re hitting it hard,” Spitznagel said. “The habitat is just coming back. That area is getting slammed.”
    Some cast netters have left oyster shells and fish scales on the walking path of the new bridge, which opened in November and features a designated fishing platform on its west side.
    Stewart and Abrams say anglers — and cast netters —should use the fishing platform instead of throwing nets from the walkways and observation platforms on the north and south sides of the bridge.
    Stewart said he has asked Lantana police to check anglers and cast netters who are fishing from the new bridge.
    “I want it documented that they’re there so often, taking fish out of there,” Stewart said.
    Lantana police have checked several anglers and netters since the new bridge opened. None had been charged with any wrongdoing as of early April.
    A spokeswoman for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission said in early April that FWC officers had not charged any cast netters with violations at the Ocean Avenue Bridge since it opened last fall.
    On Dec. 1, Lantana police noted that people fishing from the bridge refused to move when the bridge tender needed to open the drawbridge for a boat to pass through. They moved after police arrived.
    In several cases, people fishing and netting from the bridge span have moved to the designated fishing catwalk or nearby sea walls as suggested by town police. But others have refused to leave, telling police that they catch more fish near the center of the bridge.
    Lantana Manager Deborah Manzo said the town can’t outlaw fishing or cast netting on the bridge because it’s owned by Palm Beach County.
    “We just check for fishing licenses and ask that they use the fishing pier,” Manzo said.
    Abrams, the District 4 county commissioner, worked  with county staff to post “cast netting prohibited” signs on the new bridge and on the County Road 707 bridge leading to Jupiter Island.
    “Due to the fact that the people fishing do leave quite a mess behind, the county will be posting signs for no cast netting on two of our bridges,” Abrams said in an April 8 email.
    “The county and this commissioner, working with the town of Lantana, devoted a lot of time, energy and money towards constructing the fishing platform as part of the bridge project, specifically so the needs of those wishing to fish would be met,” Abrams said.
    Meanwhile, the Lantana Town Council recently decided to add parking meters to the spaces at Bicentennial Park, a move that could deter cast netters from using the bridge.
    The waterfront park on the north side of Ocean Avenue is a popular destination for anglers. Installed in March, the meters charge $1.50 an hour for parking at Bicentennial Park.
    Ann Spickler, owner of Perk’s Bait & Tackle off Lantana Road, said the hourly parking fee is discouraging families from fishing at the park — and hurting her business.
    “They slipped it in without telling anybody about it,” Spickler said. “How many people will go down there and take the kids if they have to pay a meter?”
    Marc Lee, owner of Bar Jack’s Fish Tales tackle shop and the Lady K drift fishing boat on the west side of Sportsman’s Park, said he has no objection to the parking meters — except that they worsen an already troublesome parking situation along Ocean Avenue. 

By Dan Moffett
    
After viewing an engineering consultant’s slide show and getting reassuring answers to another round of unsettling questions, the Manalapan Town Commission unanimously agreed to move forward with a plan to replace the aging Audubon Causeway bridge.
    The decision ends months of administrative hand-wringing over the cost, design and construction inconvenience for the 25-foot span that links two portions of Point Manalapan.
    Commissioner Peter Isaac called the April 22 vote approving the $750,000 project a “kick it back in gear” resolution.
    The town now will seek bids from contractors and approval from state and federal agencies, a permitting process that could itself take several months to complete.
    The goal is to begin construction about a year from now, at the end of the 2014-15 tourist season. Brian Rheault, the owner of the town’s engineering consulting firm, West Palm Beach-based Bridge Design Associates, says it will take about eight months to finish the work once the actual building begins.
    One lane of the bridge will be kept open at all times during construction to allow traffic to cross, Rheault told the commission, but the waterway underneath the span will be closed to boats. He said motorists will be left to use “an on-your-honor system” when it comes to yielding to oncoming vehicles.
    “This type of bridge replacement requires residents to be polite and develop some type of common decency,” he said. “They have to develop some sort of etiquette.”
    Rheault put on a slide show for commissioners of a similar project his company oversaw, replacing the Island Drive bridge in Ocean Ridge five years ago.
    He said much of the concrete sections of the structure will be precast to avoid downtime and keep the project moving. Most of the materials and equipment will be staged off-site to avoid cluttering the construction area and annoying homeowners.
    It will take about 4½ months for workers to complete half the bridge, opening a new lane that will have no load restrictions on trucks and utility vehicles. “Anything can cross at that point,” Rheault said.
    The town can expect “50 years plus” of service from the rebuilt bridge, according to the consultants, who says the current Audubon bridge is about that old and has none of the more durable modern materials that will go into the new span.
    Rheault told commissioners they might be able to shorten the construction time by offering the contractor financial incentives to finish early — typically, something in the order of $1,000 for each day the project beats a set deadline. The town could also put penalties into the contractor’s contract for going past the deadline.
    “You’d be surprised how many contractors do that because they see that as pure profit,” he said. “But if you offer the incentive, you have to have the disincentive, too, for finishing late.”
    In other business:
    • Commissioners unanimously approved spending $23,500 from an unassigned fund to cover the cost of making the entrance to the Town Hall compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
    A consultant’s report recommended design changes that included building a ramp to the main entrance and reconfiguring parking spaces to provide better access for people with disabilities. Town resident Kersen de Jong had complained to officials that the building was not compliant with ADA standards.
    • Mayor David Cheifetz said he is frustrated over the difficulties commissioners have had getting things done and will offer a reorganization plan at the next commission meeting.
    “Part of it is the process itself,” Cheifetz said. “I’ve learned that there are many more acronyms than I even want to think about — there’s RFQs, RFPs, BMAs and Sunshine Laws — and getting the simplest things done in the public sector is sort of frustrating for me.”
    The mayor says his plan will draw principles from businesses in the private sector that he hopes will allow the commission to function more efficiently.

Police Chief Carl Webb and Town Clerk Yudy Alvarez were sworn in to their official positions. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett
    
Carl Webb’s career in law enforcement began in Pittsburgh during the 1970s when he volunteered as a reserve officer with his hometown’s police department.
    Webb went on to earn his certification at the Indiana (Pa.) University academy, and then decided to abandon his beloved Steelers to seek employment in a warmer climate. He came to Florida and got a job as an officer with the Greenacres Police Department in 1986, and three years later showed up in South Palm Beach, looking for an opening.
    The town hired Webb on Jan. 12, 1989. It was the start of an enduring relationship between cop and community.
    On April 22, 2014, South Palm Beach made him its police chief.
    “Twenty-five years means an awful lot,” said Councilman Robert Gottlieb, after the Town Council unanimously approved Webb’s promotion from acting chief, a position he held since Chief Roger Crane’s retirement in November.
    Webb, 60, said his goal is to maintain the level of service residents have received in recent years and do so with a commitment to openness.
    “We have nothing to hide and everything to show,” Webb said.
    “I want to be more available to everyone to let them understand what we are doing. Sometimes police departments are perceived as secret entities. I want the perception to be that we are an open door. If you have any questions, any time, stop in and see me.”
    Council members have praised the attention to detail in Webb’s monthly incident reports since he took over running daily operations six months ago. Down the road, he says the town will have to consider making some capital improvements to the department.
    “I’m always willing to take a look at advances in technology,” Webb said. “We have in-car camera systems that are first generation and need to be updated. Even our cars are starting to age. Our weapons are 20 years old, and it’s about time to make improvements with them.”
    During the last year, Webb has been directly involved in the hiring of four of the seven officers he now commands, so this is a department that already bears his mark.
    “It’s an honor to serve,” he said, “and I appreciate the faith the town has shown in me.”
In other business:
    • Council members unanimously approved Yudy Alvarez as town clerk, ending her probationary appointment that began when she replaced Janet Whipple, who resigned in October to take a part-time position as town clerk of Loxahatchee Groves.         Alvarez had been deputy town clerk since 2008 and was hired in 2006 as the town’s permit clerk. She will earn $45,000 annually and last year was designated a certified town clerk by the Florida Association of City Clerks.
    Mayor Donald Clayman said Alvarez’s promotion “was seconded by everyone — with definite unanimity.”
    • The town got a glowing financial report from its outside auditor, Ronald Bennett of West Palm Beach-based Nowlen Holt & Miner PA.
    Bennett said that in 26 years of doing audits for numerous towns along A1A, South Palm Beach is virtually the only municipality he’s seen that has no debt and no issues with its balance sheet. Despite the nosedive in property values from the economic downturn and corresponding loss of tax dollars, the town has steadily increased its surplus revenues in recent years and now has $1.1 million in its unassigned fund.
    Bennett credited town administrators for their sound fiscal management and keeping a tight rein on expenditures through some tough years.
    “The town manager has done an outstanding job,” Clayman said of Rex Taylor, “and this just proves it.”

South Palm Beach Police History

May 1955: Town of South Palm Beach is created, five-eighths of a mile long. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies patrol main road, A1A.
April 1973: South Palm Beach has an estimated population to be just over 300 people living in 12 condo buildings. Town officials meet with the state attorney to determine how to enforce ordinances without a police department.
1976: Town creates Public Safety Department and hires retired New York City officer Stanley Morse to run it.
July 1977: County Planning Board suggests the towns of South Palm Beach south to Gulf Stream form one police agency.
Aug. 13, 1979: South Palm Beach police assist Manalapan in capturing two alleged immigrant smugglers. The boat captain and deckhand are tried for six counts of murder for allegedly forcing a woman and her children overboard off the coast of Manalapan. They drowned.
January 1983: After another incident of immigrant smuggling, Morse criticizes the federal government for not providing money or assistance to South Florida communities to deal with the flow of refugees.
 Oct. 1, 1985: Town approves hiring of a ninth police officer at $22,000 salary.
1986: Lantana provides emergency service to South Palm Beach.
1993: Chief Morse retires. He hired eight men to patrol A1A and the parking lots of condo buildings. The town becomes noted for the many speeding tickets the officers issue.
January 1994: Capt. Roger Crane promoted to chief.
 February 1997: County agrees to spend about $430,000 to expand West Palm Beach’s police radio system to include South Palm Beach and five other cities.  
2001: South Palm Beach, already protesting its population count, files formal challenge to Census 2000 count. Its 2000 number of 699 is 781 people less than the 1990 count of 1,480. The Census population number is used to determine national crime rates.
February 2001: Robin Scoggin, town’s first female public safety officer, resigned minutes before she was scheduled to give a taped interview regarding her firefighting background for a South Palm Beach police internal investigation.
April 2004: New state fire regulations force South Palm Beach to contract with county for fire-rescue.
2005: Starting salary for a police officer is $34,500.
October 2005: Hurricane Wilma, a backdoor storm, blasts through the town. Police officers work 24/7 for eight days. Town Hall lost a window on the east side, forcing two officers to hold a piece of plywood on the opening during the storm. The town didn’t have water or power for days. The police officers, who provide “kid-glove service” to their residents, drove a truck out to the South Florida Fairgrounds to pick up bottled water. The officers then climbed flights of stairs to deliver the water.
Aug. 17-18, 2009: Mayor Marty Millar has dust-up with the town police after having too much to drink at Rachel’s strip club and trying to use his own town police cruisers as a taxi service, a request nixed by Crane.
Oct. 1, 2009: Police dispatch handled by Lantana.
November 2011: In a rare violent crime, a shooter fires 22 rounds in the hallways of a condo building where he lived. He said he fired the shots to warn others about a bomb in the building. But officers did not find a bomb, and he was arrested on two felony charges.
Nov. 12, 2013: Crane retires, Capt. Carl Webb is appointed interim chief. Town has eight police officers including the chief. Starting salary for a police officer is $43,000.
April 22, 2014: Carl Webb sworn in as South Palm Beach’s police chief.

— Compiled by Jane Smith