Ben Zafir and Giovanni Griffin of Boca Raton pose with their take during the two-day lobster mini season, July 26 and 27. The 2022 regular season begins at 12:01 a.m. Aug. 6, and ends at midnight March 31, 2023.
Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

When students return to Unity School in Delray Beach this month, they’ll find a new smile greeting them in the carpool line. It belongs to their new head of school, Genevieve Hoppe.
“I do carpool every morning,” Hoppe said. “The kids deserve to have someone greet them with a smile.”
Hoppe (pronounced HOP-pea) believes a good attitude is half the battle and starting the day with a positive mindset sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Hoppe, soon to turn 40, was hired from North Broward Preparatory School in Coconut Creek, where she was assistant head of school.
Hoppe says she has already fallen in love with Unity School’s tranquil campus — five buildings situated on 7 acres with its own Lake Eden just 2.5 miles from the Atlantic Ocean — and now she’s falling in love with the city.
She and her husband, Cole, the athletic director at St. Mark’s Episcopal School in Oakland Park, own a house in Deerfield Beach. Now she and Cole will be exploring Delray in search of a pocket of paradise of their own.
Hoppe was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She went to the same private school from second through 12th grades, so she understands the closed campus atmosphere where you go to classes with the same kids your whole school life.
Her school was larger though, with 150 in her graduating class, whereas Unity serves a maximum of about 300 students from its Montessori preschool through eighth grade.
Hoppe inherited a passion for the Spanish language and Latin culture from her father, who had gone to medical school in Mexico. She majored in Spanish in college and studied abroad twice, in Valencia, Spain, and San Jose, Costa Rica.
“I fell in love with the rich traditions,” Hoppe said, but she never imagined she’d be immersed in such a diversity of Spanish culture every day like she is in South Florida.
Hoppe also didn’t plan to become a teacher. “Permanent student” would be her dream job, she joked, but her love of learning is something she wants to pass on to others. She earned her master’s degree in modern languages from the University of Memphis and is working on her doctorate in education leadership and administration at Florida State University.
Of her new role, Hoppe says, “I think the head of school has to have a strategic vision and they have to communicate it to their team. Then, they have to empower people to implement it.”
She says she doesn’t plan any major changes at Unity. Founded in 1964, the school is a sister organization to Unity of Delray Beach church.
Schoolwide, the day begins with a peace bell that tells students and teachers it’s time for a mindfulness exercise. Hoppe says it helps calm the kids before they start their day of learning.
“Peace education” is a core concept at Unity. It’s part of Unity’s “Lessons in Living” curriculum that teaches life strategies for a better world. These are things as basic as knowing right from wrong, following the Golden Rule and understanding that kindness matters, but as complex as how to settle our differences nonviolently and loving your enemy as yourself.
First, Hoppe says, children learn to be at peace with themselves. This happens in part through feeling accepted at school, whether you’re an athlete or an artist, a math whiz or a budding violin virtuoso.
Next, children learn to create and nurture peace within their community (for example, fifth-graders help younger kids with conflict resolution) and, finally, they consider peace in the world.
“We are educating good citizens,” Hoppe said.
The holistic approach to education and to nurturing each child’s gifts and talents are the lifeblood of schools like Unity. As the South Florida population grows, the demand for a learning environment where a child is an individual, known to faculty and staff, is growing as well.
Advantages of a school like Unity, Hoppe says, are that each child gets a personal learning plan. No child falls through the cracks, which is one of the problems with a large campus.
“We’re able to keep close eyes on them,” Hoppe said. “We really get to know each student, who they are and what they care about.”
The coronavirus pandemic dramatically affected education.
“I think it changed school for the better,” Hoppe said. “It showed us what is really important. We need to have everyone on the same team pursuing the same goal. That’s the heart of what a school should be.”
When it’s time to recharge her batteries, Hoppe says that she’s an extrovert who finds renewed energy through introverted activities like cooking a meal, walking on the beach and playing with her French bulldog.
“Everyday things bring me comfort,” she said.
Hoppe has a very simple personal motto as well: “Work hard, love kids.”

Casey takes to the microphone during Arden Moore's Four Legged Life program on the Talk Media Network. Photo provided

By Arden Moore

One day, I am talking with a pair of American veterinarians about their experiences aiding pets at the Ukraine border. The next, I am picking the brain of one of the world’s top veterinarian behaviorists who is sharing insights into doggy actions. A few days later, I am chatting with a globe-trotting animal advocate who is using a high-tech drone to save wildlife and lost pets.
Behind a microphone inside my backyard office aptly named Ard’s Den, I face no geographical limits as the host of a new nationally syndicated weekly radio show. It’s called Arden Moore’s Four Legged Life.
Welcome to my — new — world. I am inviting all of you pet advocates along for the ride.
My editors at The Coastal Star asked me to share my radio tale in this column. So, here goes.
Let me back up a bit first. Since the debut of The Coastal Star, I’ve written the pet column. It has given me an opportunity to spotlight people in our community doing extraordinary things for companion animals and wildlife. And since 2007, I’ve hosted the longest-running pet podcast on the planet — the Oh Behave! show on Pet Life Radio.
Then earlier this spring, I got an unexpected call. Producer Brad Sperling, who lives in Port St. Lucie, invited me to host this new weekly radio show that airs coast to coast. Then a few weeks later, he told me my show got noticed and added to the Talk Media Network. Welcome to the big leagues!
My radio show hit the airwaves on May 21. It also streams on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and more outlets, so I hope to reach as many pet people as possible.
The premiere episode featured two top veterinarians always ready to give back: Dr. Marty Becker, known as “America’s Veterinarian” and the founder of Fear Free Pets; and Dr. Gary Weitzman, a best-selling author and president of the San Diego Humane Society. When war broke out in Ukraine, both packed supplies and headed out to help dogs, cats and other companion animals accompanying displaced Ukrainians at the Poland and Romania borders.
Becker shared meeting a man in his 60s who crossed the border in a wheelchair, cradling his two scared cats.
“He told me that his apartment had been bombed and he threw himself on his two elderly cats to protect them,” Becker said. “He took shrapnel in his back and was in bad shape when he arrived. He was crying out of joy more than pain because his cats were safe.”
Becker, who serves on the board of World Vets (worldvets.org), added: “I have never been to a war before and did not know what to expect, but what I saw and what I was able to do to help was life-changing.”
Weitzman served in the Air Force decades earlier. He, too, felt the need to assist in Ukraine, so he packed bags with medical supplies and equipment to assist in the veterinary tent at the Poland-Ukraine border. He helped reunite a family with its scared, hungry, lost dog that had been wandering for days.
“Seeing family pets being part of the exodus is proof that companion animals are so important to people, even in bleak situations like this,” he shared on the air. “I have never done anything in my life that has felt better than this. I will be back.”
My show also spotlighted one of the nation’s top pet experts: Dr. Lisa Radosta, a certified veterinary behaviorist who operates the Florida Veterinary Behavior Service based in West Palm Beach.
She unleashed insights into a few common doggy behaviors, including how dogs really feel about being given belly rubs.
“If you are giving a belly rub and the dog snaps at you, it could be because he is in pain,” she said. “Also, belly rubs to people do not mean the same thing in a dog’s mind. When a dog rolls over on his back to show his belly, he could be saying stop. It is like they are displaying a big stop sign to not pet.”
Her advice? “Assume your dog speaks another language,” Radosta said. “Slow down and start to observe them more to improve your communication with them.”
In another recent episode, I tracked down Doug Thron, an aerial cinematographer and take-action environmentalist. He calls home a houseboat in Fort Lauderdale, but he travels the globe as host of the docu-series called Doug to the Rescue that airs on Curiosity Stream.
What sets him apart is his high-tech drone.
“I primarily used drones as a cinematography tool, shooting for shows like Nat Geo and Discovery,” Thron explained. “I got the idea to put an infrared camera on the drone and fly over disaster areas to look for animals.”
The infrared depicts heat signatures of any animals, he said.
“I have a spotlight to verify if it is a hurt animal or an animal who needs rescuing. I also have the GPS coordinates on the drone to be able to locate the animal quickly.”
These are just a few examples of the guests and topics on my show. My goal is to always make guests feel welcome and to educate and inspire my audience in an entertaining tone. Yes, I do unleash pet puns that I hope put a smile on your face. Tune in!

About the show
Arden Moore’s Four Legged Life airs in many ways, from satellite radio to iTunes, YouTube, Spotify and Google Play. You can subscribe for free and never miss an episode by going to www.fourleggedlife.com and picking the streaming service of your choice.

Arden Moore is a best-selling author, professional speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts a nationally syndicated weekly radio show, Arden Moore’s Four Legged Life, and the popular Oh Behave! podcast on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.

By Janis Fontaine

In 2017, Gena Vallee heard God’s call. When she answered, he put her to work immediately. “I don’t know if I can really call it work,” she said. “Much of what I do is an honor, and most times it goes by in a wink.”
Vallee, 43, was a lifer at FedEx, destined from age 18 to oversee the shipment of packages in some capacity until she reached retirement age, but she didn’t plan on retiring so soon.
In 2016, Vallee met her partner, Rose, and they started attending St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca Raton. In April 2017, they were married at St. Gregory’s and Vallee became fully committed to serving God. She had volunteered with the church’s feeding program, at the time a small commitment. She was so adept at solving problems, the church tried to hire her, but she said, “no, but thank you,” more than once.
“But God kept thumping,” Vallee said, and she finally left FedEx in 2017 and joined the church as the director of its youth ministry and outreach coordinator, as well as the driving force behind the church’s initiative to feed hungry people.
Vallee, with Rose’s help, started Meals with Meaning, which each Sunday provides several dozen homeless or food insecure people with homemade, hot, takeout meals and other basics at 1:15 p.m. in the Harris Hall courtyard next to the butterfly garden.
Volunteers from the community and businesses such as Publix and Crumbl Cookies step up to help. The food and volunteers on July 17 were from Kindness Angels, a local charity “dedicated to serving our homeless and our hungry one good deed, one small act of kindness at a time.” It is an affiliate of Kindness Matters 365 (kindnessmatters365.org).
The volunteers served vegetarian lasagna, salad, fruit and huge ciabatta rolls from frequent donor Old School Bakery in Delray Beach. Shloimies Kosher Bakery in Sunrise donated 96, inch-thick brownies. Volunteers also handed out toiletry bags with a variety of goods from baby wipes to snack crackers.
The volunteers from Kindness Angels included Risa and Amol Naiksatam, who brought along their children Micah, 10, and Chloe, 7.
Risa is a social worker and understands the importance of serving others. “We want them to always treat people well,” Risa said of her children, “and this is a great place to learn.”
Micah was a natural. Not the least bit shy, he stepped up to offer bologna or turkey and cheese sandwiches, always remembering the little packets of mustard and mayo. (All the guests who want a sandwich or two for later can pick them up at the end of the queue.) Chloe staffed the dessert table, picking out the largest slice of cake she could find for the man who wanted it. Both were happy.
The line for the meal is long and moves slowly. Each person gets one-on-one time to choose his food and ask questions, share concerns and just talk.
The volunteers try to make no judgments and to look people in the eyes and smile at them.
And though the number of people needing help may change, the problem will never go away, Gena Vallee says.
“One of the biggest challenges is keeping the community aware of the need, keeping our mission out in front,” she said.
Food insecurity has escalated since the pandemic began to food injustice, Vallee said. meaning food is available but not fairly distributed.
According to a study by Craig Gundersen, Adam Dewey, Monica Hake and Emily Engelhard — “The Impact of the Coronavirus on Food Insecurity in 2020 & 2021” — more than 70,000 children in Palm Beach County were going to bed hungry each night. The number of residents struggling to keep food on the table was more than 226,000, a 35% increase since 2018.
Want to help? Support food drives and the local food banks whenever you can. And volunteers are always needed. The St. Gregory food pantry volunteers commit to work three or four hours on weekdays. Meals with Meaning volunteers work for four hours on Sunday.
Nicole, Margo and Chris were first in line to pick up their meals. “The food is tasty, it’s filling and it’s a blessing to have it,” Nicole said. “And the desserts? OMG!”
Some guests take their meals to Sanborn Park when the weather is good.
Chris, a middle-aged man waiting for his lunch, said, “I never pass up even a penny. Everything has value. If someone offers me something, I take it. If I say no, I’m not letting them show their love for me. You don’t turn away love.”
St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church is at 100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton. Interested volunteers should call 561-395-8285, email gvallee@st-gregorys.com or visit mealswithmeaning.org. The organization also serves a supper starting at 4:30 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of each month.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423e@outlook.com.

Statue of Mary is carried during one procession. Photo provided

With “joy and hope,” a procession outside St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church on July 13 recognized the 105th anniversary of the Third Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal in 1917.
On the 100th anniversary in 2017, St. Vincent Ferrer was consecrated to the Blessed Mother.
Other processions are planned on Aug. 13 after the 4 p.m. vigil Mass, and after Mass on Sept. 13 and Oct. 13. All are welcome. St. Vincent Ferrer is at 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach. Call 561-276-6892 or visit stvincentferrer.com.

Backpack blessings
Have the kids practice getting up and dressed early with their backpacks for a special Blessing of the Backpacks from 8 to 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 14 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. A prayer for a great school year in 2022-23 will be part of the blessing. Call 561-276-4541.
First Presbyterian Church, 33 Gleason St., Delray Beach, will hold its Blessing of the Backpacks at 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7. Call 561-276-6338 or visit firstdelray.com.

Open house
St. Paul’s Day School will host an open house beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 12, at the school, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.
The preschool has an annual enrollment of fewer than 40 children. It is offered for fully potty-trained children ages 3 to 4 years old by Sept. 1. St. Paul’s Day School accepts VPK vouchers for the 4-year-olds class. Full day hours are 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., with an optional Stay and Play program from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Parents of prospective students are encouraged to visit. Call 561-278-4729 or visit stpaulsdelray.org/day-school.

Yiddish Fest
The fourth annual I Love Yiddish Fest ’22 takes place Aug. 30 through Sept. 4, with three shows in Boca Raton.
This extravaganza of comedy, concerts and plays features contemporary Jewish headliners. For tickets and more info, visit YILoveJewish.org, email info@ YILoveJewish.org or call 888-945-6835.
The festival also will be in Coral Springs and Miami Beach.
The Boca Raton shows are:
“The Gospel According to Jerry” — 2-4 p.m. Aug. 30, Levis JCC Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center, 21050 95th Ave. S. A play reading about a divorced rabbi and a reserved African-American gospel choir director.
“Stars of David: Story to Song” — 7:30-9 p.m. Aug. 31, Sandler Center. A musical revue full of original songs and based on the best-selling book by Abigail Pogrebin.
“YidLive” — 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 4, Mizner Park Cultural Center 201 W. Plaza Real. The creators of “YidLife Crisis” bring an evening of comedy, music and thought-provoking shtick. The show has some adult content but is appropriate for anyone over bar/bat mitzvah age.

— Janis Fontaine

This three-story, six-bedroom walled and gated coastal contemporary home was built in 2020. It has 18,906 +/- square feet and abounds with elegant classical components. The interiors are well proportioned and open to wraparound wrought-iron-embellished columned balconies, porches and rotunda terraces on all three levels that overlook the ocean and pool. Floors are large-format porcelain tile and hardwood.

The designer ceilings have custom molding and wood paneling. For inviting, gracious entertaining, French doors open from the formal dining room to the pool and patio. The spacious gourmet kitchen is fitted with custom easy-close wood cabinets, snow quartz countertops, two cook islands, professional-grade appliances, a casual seating area and a wet bar that serves the dining room. The sun-filled breakfast area is in an ocean-view bay window, and the family room features sliding doors that lead to the covered loggia and summer kitchen. The home offers maximum privacy for guests. French doors in the first-floor en suite VIP guest bedroom access the front porch. On the next floor, three en suite guest bedrooms all have ocean-view balconies. A game and gathering room features sliding glass doors opening to the pool-view loggia, which then connects to the guest house.
Completing the floor plan are a laundry, an elevator, cabana bath, wine room and a large guest house above the five-car garage. The guest house has a large bedroom, kitchen, one-and-a-half baths, family room and large living room that opens to the second-floor patio. Offered at $19,950,000.
Contact the Pascal Liguori Estate Group at Premier Estate Properties, 561-789-8300.

Town Manager Tracey Stevens is leaving Ocean Ridge in September, a departure town commissioners will discuss Monday, July 25 at an 11:30 a.m. special meeting at Town Hall.

Stevens, who replaced Jamie Titcomb in March 2019, submitted her resignation on Friday, July 15, effective in 60 days. She plans to take a job as town manager in Haverhill. 

“I really wasn’t looking to leave Ocean Ridge because I love serving the residents here. However, I was presented with an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up to manage the Town of Haverhill which aligns with my professional and personal goals,’’ Stevens told The Coastal Star in an email. 

“I will truly miss serving the residents of Ocean Ridge and working alongside some of the best colleagues in local government any Town Manager could ask for. I am confident that the extremely competent and professional staff that Ocean Ridge employs will carry on my care and compassion for the Town.”

A majority of town commissioners said they are sorry to see Stevens go.

“She has a very good offer and probably a little less stress,’’ said Mayor Susan Hurlburt, who spoke with Stevens in person on Friday and today, July 18. 

“She proved herself to be a true professional at every turn. She doesn't do things lightly. This must have taken a lot of thought.’’ 

Stevens, whose salary is $132,500 and who also served as finance director, had worked for the town for six years. Her last day will be Sept. 12 unless the commission decides to let her go sooner.

“A sad day for our town indeed,’’ Vice Mayor Kristine de Haseth said in an email to Stevens and the other four commissioners on Friday. 

“Tracey was hands down the most professional, transparent, impartial and hard working town manager we’ve ever had. She has helped us transition to a sustainable, wonderfully staffed town with an admirable level of service on all fronts. She will be sorely missed and difficult to replace,’’ de Haseth said in the letter.  

“But don't think for one second that the inmates will be allowed to run the prison again. Those days are in the rear view mirror.’’

Commissioner Martin Wiescholek called Stevens’ departure “a huge loss for our town.

“I can only hope we find a replacement who is equally as good as she is and equally as committed. I know she is very well liked with the residents, and her open door policy I'm sure will be missed by many when she is gone,’’ he said.

Commissioner Steve Coz, a frequent critic of Stevens, did not immediately return a call from The Coastal Star. 

“Everybody should be able to move on to bigger and better things and I wish her luck,’’ said Commissioner Geoff Pugh, who has served on the commission through five different town managers. “Through five town managers, she has been a reasonably efficient town manager.’’

While the other three commissioners gave Stevens glowing reviews in her most recent evaluation, Coz and Pugh raised questions about her abilities and effectiveness. 

Hurlburt and Wiescholek are up for election in March 2023. If either loses, that could lead to a shift in the balance of power on the commission. 

“She told me she was leaving because she was unexpectedly offered a position that she could not refuse,’’ Wiescholek said. “And not knowing what her employment status is after the ‘23 election, she probably didn't want to take a chance on being unemployed in April 2023.’’ 

Her departure comes a month after Town Clerk Karla Armstrong announced she was leaving to attend law school. 

“We were short-staffed as it was in the beginning before those two left and we are putting a whole lot more strain now on our remaining employees, which could potentially trigger them to be overworked and at some point decide they will seek other employment as well,’’ Wiescholek said.

FAU College of Medicine benefactor Ann Wood and previous Wood scholarship recipients attend a May event announcing a $28 million gift from Ann and her husband, John, the largest scholarship gift in FAU history. One current recipient is Ivan Grela, fourth from left, a second-year medical student. Photo provided

Couple pledges $28 million for FAU scholarships

By Mary Hladky

Ivan Grela’s career goal is to become a physician, but he faced a major hurdle. By his calculations, four years of medical school would cost him $245,000.
“That is way too much,” he said. “My family could not help me with tuition or rent.”
That left him with one unpalatable option: take out loans that would saddle him with debt for years to come.
“I was disheartened,” said Grela, a University of Florida graduate who was born in Argentina and moved with his family to Miami when he was 9 years old. “I really didn’t want to do this. It did make me think twice.”
Even so, he applied to medical schools and was accepted by both the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University.
UCF offered a $6,000 scholarship. FAU, his preferred choice, offered him one established by Boca Raton philanthropists John and Ann Wood that covered his entire first-year tuition and provided $10,000 for each of the next three years.
That decided the matter: Grela would be attending FAU’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, where he is now in his second year.
He and the other students who received the scholarships are “extremely thankful,” Grela said. “We are so much more relieved that at least we got some sort of aid.”
Even so, Grela estimates he will graduate with $180,000 in loan debt.
His problem is widely shared. Seventy-three percent of medical school graduates had debt, with the median amount at $200,000 in 2019, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.
John and Ann Wood are well aware of this dilemma. That is why they stepped forward again in May with a $28 million estate pledge to support scholarships for medical college students — the largest scholarship gift in FAU’s history.
This gift allows the college to launch an initiative to move toward providing a debt-free medical education, following in the footsteps of a handful of prestigious medical colleges. They include Cornell University, Columbia University, University of California, Los Angeles, and New York University.
“That was our goal,” John Wood said. “We are fully aware of the debt load.”
Wood, who moved with his wife to Boca Raton in 1983, knows that FAU’s annual medical college in-state tuition and fees is $35,000.
“There is no way an ordinary kid coming from a middle-class home can afford that,” he said.
The couple, who owned a prestressed concrete business that built bridges, piers and cruise ship terminals throughout the Caribbean that they sold in 2005, hopes that news of their gift will inspire other philanthropists so that all of FAU’s medical college students can graduate debt-free.
“We are hoping that will be a catalyst to get more people in the community to do the same thing,” Wood said.
The couple has helped students for years. After the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that claimed 17 lives, they began providing 10 four-year scholarships each year to graduates.
Their first gift to FAU’s medical college in 2021 originally supported 10 medical students through four years of medical school, and was expanded earlier this year to support an additional 20 students each year.
Two of their charitable efforts are named in the memory of their sons, Bruce and Robert.
While the amount of the Woods’ latest gift is extremely generous, it will help about 10% to 15% of FAU’s medical students, said Dr. Julie Pilitsis, dean and vice president for medical affairs.
She shares the Woods’ goal that the donation inspires others to join the cause.
“We hope the community rallies behind this to realize the vision of doctors without debt,” she said.
This isn’t just about helping students afford medical education. It is vital to providing adequate medical care to South Florida residents, Pilitsis said. Florida is expected to be short nearly 18,000 physicians by 2035, according to the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida and the Florida Hospital Association.
“It is really important … we provide the health care workforce we need today and tomorrow,” she said. “In order to do that, we need to attract doctors from the community who want to stay in the community and serve their neighbors.”
With debt-free tuition, “I think we can attract the best and brightest and retain our local talent,” Pilitsis said. “Taking this burden off is one way to compete.”
Joining other trailblazing universities “would really elevate our institution,” she said.
Reducing the cost of medical education also will help FAU attract a diverse group of medical students who are more likely to meet the needs of underserved populations. And it relieves pressure on students to become highly paid specialists rather than badly needed but lower paid primary care physicians.
Grela hasn’t decided yet what type of medicine he will practice. But he said he probably would choose primary care or emergency medicine if he didn’t have to worry about money.
Since he does, “this makes me reconsider which field I want to go into. I am concerned with the loans piling up, interest rates, how long it will take me to pay this off,” he said.
As it aims for debt-free medical education, FAU’s medical college, launched in 2010, already is able to point to successes in diversifying its student body and aligning graduates with the most-needed practice areas.
The 64 members of the class of 2022 are 46% female and 54% male; 20% are underrepresented minorities in medicine. Twenty will specialize in primary care, including family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
About 30% of FAU’s 2022 medical college graduates will conduct their residencies in Florida, and 50% of those residency graduates will stay in the state, Pilitsis said.

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach residents likely will see a slight drop in the municipal tax rate this year even as the town incurs more than $700,000 in start-up expenses as it moves to create its own fire department.
During a June 21 special meeting of the Town Commission, Town Manager Marshall Labadie unveiled a $14 million general fund budget for 2022-23 that is an increase of $832,000 or 6% over the current budget.
If there are no major changes to the proposed budget, the town’s total tax rate will dip from $3.62 per $1,000 of assessed value to $3.59 per $1,000 of assessed value, due solely to a reduction in the debt service rate.
“We’re financially positioned to remain strong here in Highland Beach,” Labadie said. “We’re going to hold our operating tax rate flat while we reduce our debt service tax rate while working to enhance our three miles of paradise.”
This will be the fourth consecutive year the town has levied $3.23 per $1,000 for its general fund rate. Labadie said that Highland Beach will continue to have one of the lowest tax rates in Palm Beach County as well as in the state.
While the rate will be dropping, that might not translate to lower taxes for most residents largely because property values increased significantly.
Overall, Highland Beach saw a 13.8% increase in values, from $2.7 billion to just over $3 billion, according to the county property appraiser.
That increase is expected to generate about $10.5 million in tax revenue for the town — about $909,000 or 9.5% more than was received this fiscal year. In Highland Beach, property taxes are almost three-fourths of general fund revenue.
To keep the operating tax rate flat, the town is pledging about $375,000 from reserves, most of which will be used to offset the impending costs of starting a fire department.
Should that money be taken from reserves, the town would still have almost $10 million in reserves with $3.62 million still earmarked to offset charges associated with implementing a fire department.
The town, which has been receiving fire and rescue services from Delray Beach for decades, will not begin operating its own department until May 2024 but will incur start-up costs in the next fiscal year while continuing to pay Delray Beach for service.
In all, Highland Beach will be spending more than $6 million for fire rescue service in the next fiscal year, the town’s largest single expense.
Payment to Delray Beach of about $5.35 million — an increase of about 4% over the current fiscal year — accounts for the bulk of the cost, but the town will also spend money on salary and benefits for a new fire chief and on a new rescue vehicle in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
Also in the additional fire expenses are costs associated with designing a new station that will accommodate an additional rescue vehicle and fire truck.
As the planning for a fire department continues, the town has created a new shared support services department, which will track services provided between departments and funds.
In addition to the fire chief, the town will add an assistant town manager, a management analyst and a custodian to its staff.
“We’re taking all these steps during unsettled economic conditions,” Labadie said.
Overall, salaries and related expenses will represent about 37% of the town’s budget. Labadie also anticipates providing non-union employees with a 5% cost-of-living increase and is exploring a one-time employee payment to address the cost of inflation and other external economic factors.
Commissioners and members of the town’s Financial Advisory Board will continue to review the budget throughout the summer, with the town setting its tentative maximum tax rate on July 19. A public hearing will be held in September, before the budget is finalized Sept. 21.

Plans for a new cultural arts center at Mizner Park are next likely to come before the City Council at its July 26 meeting, with a decisive vote to follow Aug. 23. The city and the development group have agreed on the parameters of a deal. Rendering provided

By Mary Hladky

A proposed cultural arts complex in Mizner Park took another big step toward becoming reality on June 23 when Boca Raton’s Planning and Zoning Board voted to recommend that the City Council approve the project.
With two members absent, the board voted 4-1 in favor, with Chair Arnold Sevell dissenting.
City Council members are expected to take up the matter at their July 26 meeting and cast their decisive vote on Aug. 23. It’s all but certain that council members, who deeply desire to have a cultural showplace in the heart of downtown, will approve the deal between the city and the Boca Raton Arts District Exploratory Corp.
The $130 million complex to be built on city-owned land on the north end of Mizner Park will include a performing arts center whose venues can accommodate 6,000 people, completely renovated amphitheater, jewel box theater, rooftop terrace and outdoor performing arts spaces.
If built, the complex will fulfill a long-held vision to transform Mizner Park into the city’s cultural center.
Sevell questioned whether BRADEC, a consortium of local arts organizations, had the necessary experience to bring the project to fruition and whether it could raise enough money.
The city is not contributing funding. BRADEC plans to finance the entire cost with donations from cultural arts supporters and corporations that have long wanted such a facility in the city.
BRADEC President Andrea Virgin tried to reassure the board on both points.
The nonprofit’s consultant is DeVos Institute of Arts Management, which has extensive experience guiding the development of cultural centers. DeVos has conducted feasibility studies that determined the appropriate complex size and that BRADEC would be able finance it.
“We had some of the best consultants in the world working with us on this,” Virgin said. “I assure you we have a very competitive team with worldwide experience.”
Further, greater Boca Raton has a very large philanthropic community eager for such a complex, she said. Their numbers have grown since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Thanks to COVID, we have been the recipient of a tremendous number of high net worth individuals that have moved to this area that not only desire this … they demand it,” she said.
“It is even more feasible now because of the tremendous desire of the people in South Florida to see this type of vibrancy and culture in the place they now call home.”
Under terms of the deal hammered out between the city and BRADEC, the length of BRADEC’s lease of the city-owned land will be 74 years with two 10-year extensions. The lease term is a compromise between the city’s desire for a 50-year lease and BRADEC’s for a 99-year lease.
BRADEC must have at least $75 million in cash, or a loan that cannot exceed 50% of the construction cost, to start the project. It also must have reserve and endowment funds totaling nearly $22 million in cash. It has 11 years to complete the project, but Virgin has repeatedly said the doors will open sooner than that. The city can terminate the deal if BRADEC is unable to raise enough money.

By Rich Pollack

The impact of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to veto more than $3 billion of projects and programs before signing a $109.9 billion state budget into law in June is being felt in Highland Beach, where the ax fell on three funding requests.
There may still be hope for the town’s chances of getting funding for at least two of the projects, however, thanks to a new grant program funded by the Florida House of Representatives.
As DeSantis trimmed the massive state budget last month, Highland Beach’s requests for $700,000 toward drainage improvements along State Road A1A, $400,000 for help funding a new fire station and $60,000 for crosswalk lighting were eliminated.
“We were all surprised,” said Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who led the commission’s effort to secure the appropriations. “We really thought we had a shot.”
Although it is uncertain why Highland Beach’s requests were turned down, state Rep. Mike Caruso (R-Delray Beach) and Gossett-Seidman believe the town’s strong tax base combined with the governor’s decision not to fund fire station projects may have sparked the specific vetoes.
“Those communities that emerged healthy financially, they may have been considered well positioned to move forward without an appropriation,” said Gossett-Seidman, who is running as a Republican for House District 91.
She and Caruso pointed out that funding for fire house improvements in other municipalities — including the town of Palm Beach — were also vetoed by the governor.
DeSantis and his staff, Gossett-Seidman said, may see a need for those types of capital projects to be funded by municipalities.
Caruso said he is now working with the town on applications for the House’s 2022 local support grants program, which includes $175 million to be distributed to municipalities.
The decision on whether Highland Beach gets the funding bypasses the governor’s office as well as the state Senate and is up to House leadership.
Caruso said he and Gossett-Seidman will apply for money to help with two of the projects — construction of the fire station and drainage along A1A — and believes chances are good for approval.
“Highland Beach hasn’t had an appropriation in 72 years, its entire existence,” he said. “I’m encouraged by the new grants and confident we’ll bring at least one project home.”
Caruso said he’s not planning to ask for the $60,000 for embedded crosswalk lighting that was in the original appropriations request. But Town Manager Marshall Labadie said Highland Beach could ask again and perhaps have the project done when the Florida Department of Transportation resurfaces A1A.
That project is scheduled for summer 2024.

By Mary Hladky

With looming retirements, Boca Raton is on the verge of a wholesale change in its top leadership.
Deputy City Manager Mike Woika will end his 22-year career with the city this summer. Deputy City Manager George Brown, a 45-year city employee, will leave by the end of this year. And City Manager Leif Ahnell, who has held Boca Raton’s top position for 23 years, will depart in 2024.
Andy Lukasik, North Palm Beach village manager since 2017 who previously served as Jupiter’s town manager for 13 years, will replace Woika on July 25.
Lukasik said he wasn’t actively looking for a new position, but by chance saw that Boca Raton was conducting an applicant search.
“The opportunity to work in Boca, given the complexity of the issues and projects they are working on, was really intriguing,” he said. He had worked on complex projects in Jupiter and missed that when he joined much smaller North Palm Beach.
Both the city and Ahnell have a great reputation, he said. “I couldn’t pass up the opportunity with Boca.”
The salary range for deputy city manager is $175,000 to $195,000. A recruiting firm aided the city in its search for candidates.
A recruiting firm also will help identify a replacement for Ahnell, in a process that potentially could start in the fall of 2023, Ahnell said at the City Council’s May 31-June 1 goal-setting sessions.
Ahnell has been held in high regard by council members for many years. He consistently receives top marks in annual evaluations for how he runs the city.
The departures were on the minds of council members as they set priorities for the coming year, with several saying they needed to start succession planning.
With the retirements, “we are having brain drain,” Mayor Scott Singer said. “We need to plan for that now.”
The city manager selects his top lieutenants, but the City Council makes the final call on who will serve as city manager.
For that reason, it is important that the council be involved in the process early on and identify what experience and capabilities they are looking for in whoever replaces Ahnell, Singer said.
The departures come at a time when Boca Raton and other cities are having difficulties in hiring and retaining city workers.
City government pay falls behind what the private sector is offering, and the strong employment market affords attractive opportunities to move into new jobs. Workers also are less inclined now to stay in the same job long-term.
Even so, Boca Raton is faring better than many other cities in retaining employees, according to a report distributed to council members before the goal-setting sessions.
The city’s employee turnover rate is about 10%, well below the local government average, the report said. In 2021, the city received almost 15,000 job applications and hired 103 full-time and 158 part-time employees. The city has just over 1,900 employees.

By Mary Hladky

The City Council has given a formal go-ahead to hire a consulting firm that will create a vision for a reimagined five-block stretch of East Palmetto Park Road from Federal Highway to Fifth Avenue.
At a June 13 workshop, the council approved a staff proposal for the scope of the work for which the consultant will be responsible. The city will seek a firm with urban planning, engineering and architectural expertise that is capable of handling a complex project.
Deputy City Manager Mike Woika estimated it could take four to six months to select the consultant and that the project could take several years to complete.
The firm’s work will include projecting future traffic patterns, volume and speeds and pedestrian patterns and volumes; providing recommendations for mitigating pedestrian/vehicle conflicts; recommending revisions to current urban design regulations; providing parking analysis and recommendations; designing the corridor, and managing construction projects.
The consultant also will be responsible for studying evacuation options for barrier island residents and access to and from the island by fire-rescue units.
City staff was responding to Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke’s campaign to improve the five blocks, which was supported by her fellow council members in May.
Work also is progressing, albeit slowly, on improving the section of Palmetto Park Road from the Intracoastal Waterway to State Road A1A.
Katie Barr MacDougall, president of the Riviera Civic Association, asked the council for changes more than one year ago that included better walkability, the addition of bicycle lanes and safety improvements that included crosswalks.
She pressed her case again at a June 1 council goal-setting session, which prompted O’Rourke to ask city staff for a project update.
Since the county owns that section of the road, the city can’t act on its own. It has been coordinating with the county, said Municipal Services Director Zachary Bihr. The county should be able to start improvements this summer that will eliminate some of the on-street parking on both the north and south sides of the roadway.
With the extra space that makes available, sidewalks on the south side that now are very narrow because Florida Power & Light poles jut out will be widened. The elimination of spaces also will improve visibility for drivers.
A decision on whether more crosswalks can be added for pedestrian safety should also be coming soon, Bihr said. Barr MacDougall had proposed installing them at Olive Way and Wavecrest Way.
The city has not been dragging its feet, City Manager Leif Ahnell said. The slow progress is the result of the need to coordinate with the county, whose priorities can differ from the city’s.
Working with the county “takes a lot of time,” he said. “There is a lot that has been going on behind the scenes.”
He offered as an example plans to add crosswalks with flashing lights along A1A, which he said would be installed by the end of this year.
That road is controlled by the state, which must approve any changes, and originally the Florida Department of Transportation said it could study the idea “in a couple of years,” Ahnell said. That would have meant crosswalks could be installed in 2025.
Not wanting to wait that long, the city negotiated with the state to take over the project. The 11 crosswalks along A1A between Highland Beach and Deerfield Beach will be installed by the end of 2022, Ahnell said.
“It took a year just to get all that figured out with another jurisdiction,” he said.
In other business, the council on June 14 voted 4-0, with O’Rourke abstaining, to reimburse her $1,625 that she spent on an attorney after an ethics complaint was filed against her.
Boca Raton resident Dario Gristina filed the complaint, contending that O’Rourke had acted improperly when she endorsed candidates in last year’s city election.
The Florida Commission on Ethics found that she had done nothing illegal or improper and that Gristina’s complaint was “legally insufficient.”
Florida law allows elected officials to be reimbursed for legal defense costs that arise out of their performance of official duties when they are found innocent or there is a finding of legal insufficiency.

The walls and roof were added to Brightline’s Boca Raton station in June as construction continued next to the Downtown Library. Crews were also reconstructing the train crossing on Northwest Second Street, a project scheduled to be finished on July 8. Groundbreaking for the $46 million station and its parking garage was in January, and it is expected to open to passengers in December. The 1.8-acre site is across the railroad tracks from Mizner Park. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Construction prices more than double what was expected have forced the city and the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District to delay plans to rebuild the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center observation tower and refurbish Lake Wyman and Rutherford parks.
The bid for the work at Lake Wyman and neighboring Rutherford came in at about $15.5 million, city civil engineer Lauren Burack said. City staff had budgeted $5.6 million, with $2.6 million of it coming in grants.
Burack told City Council members at a June 13 workshop that the “excessive” price was “primarily due to the boardwalk cost, the number of pavilions and the additional shade structures and pier cost.” The price of lumber for boardwalks was $2,000 per linear foot, more than double what the city historically has paid, she said.
City Manager Leif Ahnell said the lumber prices have “come down significantly” in the past couple of months and recommended that council members wait and rebid the project.
“We expect further declines over the next several months as well,” Ahnell said. “We think we can find a better price at the end of the year.”
Burack also gave council members two options to lower the cost. Demolishing the existing boardwalk rather than renovating it and deleting walking trails on the north and south sides of the parks would save $4 million, she said. Omitting another section of boardwalk and not building new restrooms and the observation pier would trim another $4 million.
Either option would still leave restoration of the silted-in canoe trail, installation of two kayak launch sites and a boardwalk connecting them to the parking lot, removal of invasive vegetation, native planting and mangrove planting and trimming.
The parks are adjacent to each other on the west side of the Intracoastal Waterway near Northeast 20th Street.
In 2012 the city rejected a plan put together by former Mayor and then-County Commissioner Steven Abrams that would have restored Rutherford Park’s canoe trail, extended its boardwalk and created a sea grass basin on the large spoil island just east of Lake Wyman Park.
That project would have been funded by a $2.1 million grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District and $450,000 from Palm Beach County, with the city and the Beach and Park District each chipping in $225,000.
The city was tempted by the outside money but ultimately did not want to cede control of the project to others.
In 2016, the city drew up a $6.5 million plan that included two double boat ramps in Rutherford Park and no money from FIND. That plan was dropped in favor of the current configuration.
Regarding the Gumbo Limbo tower, Beach and Park District commissioners also decided to wait to rebid the project after the city advised that before it could rebid, the district would have to budget the full $2.6 million of the previous bid. The district had expected the bid to be $1.2 million.
Commissioner Steve Engel was pessimistic about the cost changing much.
“Prices very rarely come down when it comes to capital projects, whether it’s the city or us or anyone else. This is a fact of life,” he said.
District Chair Erin Wright said rebidding the project now would not be smart.
“If we go into a recession, we don’t want to be putting $2.6 million into a tower. That’s just not the No. 1 priority on our list of projects,” she said.
Commissioners decided to leave the tower out of their next year’s budget and amend the budget to accommodate rebidding if prices do come down.
They also returned to the Gumbo Limbo Coastal Stewards, the new name of the Friends of Gumbo Limbo, the $250,000 private donation that started the push for the tower in 2019. The Coastal Stewards also raised $263,000 to more than match the first gift.
In other business, commissioners congratulated Bob Rollins and Susan Vogelgesang for being elected to new four-year terms. Nobody filed to challenge either incumbent.

A FedEx driver leaves his truck along East Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton as he delivers a package to a business. The city plans to redesign the road from Federal Highway to Fifth Avenue for better function. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton City Council members have voiced their support for Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke’s campaign to improve a five-block section of East Palmetto Park Road.
After O’Rourke made a presentation at a May 9 meeting, her fellow council members backed her request to hire an urban planning consultant to evaluate the street span from Federal Highway to Northeast/Southeast Fifth Avenue and create a new street design.
But much remains up in the air. O’Rourke and other council members did not suggest specific changes and left it to City Manager Leif Ahnell to determine which consultant to hire and to specify the scope of the consultant’s work. Council members will review and potentially revise his plan.
But based on council member comments, the review could include pedestrian safety, controlling vehicle speeds and avoiding changes that would make it more difficult for barrier island residents to get to and from downtown.
Also still to be resolved is how to pay for the consultant and construction.
Downtown street improvements have long been a priority for O’Rourke. At last year’s City Council goal-setting session, other council members rejected her proposal to prioritize making street changes throughout the downtown. But they did agree to prioritize improvements to another section of Palmetto Park Road, east of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Since then, O’Rourke and land use attorney Ele Zachariades formed an ad hoc group that included prominent architects, engineers and a Florida Atlantic University urban planning professor to tackle how the five-block area west of the Intracoastal could be transformed.
The group held a visioning session on March 24 to gather input from city residents, who backed changes that included wider sidewalks, more shade trees and the addition of bicycle lanes and crosswalks, while eliminating on-street parking.
A second visioning session was planned in advance of this year’s goal-setting session on May 31-June 1. Instead, O’Rourke took her case directly to the City Council, asking for the consultant and a council-approved list of requirements the consultant would have to take into account.
Noting that this is her last year on the City Council because she is term-limited, O’Rourke said she wanted to get the project underway before she leaves office.
“I would just really like to see us finish what we started,” she said, referring to unrealized plans in 1982 and 2007 to create a new vision for downtown. “Complete the vision. Complete the dream and make this happen.”
People and companies are moving to South Florida, she noted. To compete with other cities trying to attract them, Boca Raton needs to provide a vibrant downtown that offers more than it does now, she said.
While she would prefer a more comprehensive revisioning, O’Rourke said her proposal is a good first step.
Her comments drew applause from the audience, which included members of the group she and Zachariades had recruited.
Speaking of dynamic cities such as San Francisco, architect Juan Caycedo said, “What we have is an opportunity to create one of those memorable places” and make Boca Raton unique.
Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the county’s Business Development Board, said improvements would help her persuade companies to move to Boca Raton.
“As you are creating the vision, I urge you to think bold,” she said.
Only one Beachside resident spoke at the meeting, but many have contacted council members urging that their concerns be considered before any changes are made.
While they favor an improved roadway, Beachside residents want to head off any traffic lane reductions that would add to their travel time on and off the barrier island and impede fire-rescue personnel and evacuations during hurricanes.
In an April interview with The Coastal Star, Emily Gentile, president of the Beach Condo Association of Boca Raton and Highland Beach, said Beachside residents are not being heard as city officials consider road upgrades.
Much has changed since the city last looked at a new vision for downtown in 2007, she said, including a large increase in the number of people living year-round on the barrier island.
Reducing the number of Palmetto Park Road travel lanes would increase traffic congestion and lead to bottlenecks on both that street and State Road A1A, she said.
“Removing travel lanes from East Palmetto Park Road is a ridiculous idea,” and one that no traffic expert would support, Gentile said.
Drivers spend as long as 20 minutes getting off the barrier island because of traffic congestion, and reducing lanes would exacerbate that problem, Gentile said. That also would create a major safety issue when a hurricane is approaching.
She advises city officials to add barrier island residents to the ad hoc group to ensure their needs are considered as planning moves ahead.
Highland Beach commissioners also are worried about any possibility of reducing lanes from four to two. “If in fact it ends up going through, I believe it would lead to a significant increase in traffic on Spanish River Boulevard because people would avoid Palmetto Park Road,” Mayor Doug Hillman said at a May commission meeting.
He and other commissioners agreed to closely monitor developments and any impact on Spanish River Boulevard, which is just south of the Highland Beach border with Boca Raton.
In other Boca Raton business, the council on May 10 approved charging a $500 fee for buildings undergoing a certification process to ensure they are safe.
The city, acting in response to the Surfside condo collapse last June that claimed 98 lives, launched its certification program in January.
It requires buildings that are 30 years old and taller than three stories to be inspected. The first notices that buildings must start the process went to 14 building owners in January and another 14 were set to go out by May 1. A total of 191 properties meet the criteria for certification.

Honoring the fallen

Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, began after the Civil War to remember the fallen of that conflagration. It now honors all who have died in military service to the country.

Community members listen to one of the speakers during the Memorial Day ceremony at the Boca Raton Cemetery on May 30.

Boca Raton Police and Fire Honor Guard members walk in procession to begin the ceremony, which was hosted by the city of Boca Raton.

Beth Becker Agami, a Gold Star Mother from Boca Raton, addresses the crowd. Her son, Army Spc. Daniel J. Agami, died on June 21, 2007, while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mary Allen, a Gold Star Family Member, and Korean War veteran Larry Boyden applaud a speaker at the ceremony, which included music by the Fort Lauderdale Highlanders and the Coastmen Chorus.

Members of the Boca Raton Community High School NJROTC perform a
ceremonial folding of the American flag.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

The wooden signs are rotting and ‘beyond repair,’ Vice Mayor Natasha Moore says. The town intends to solicit residents’ ideas for a new design. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

They are the first things motorists entering Highland Beach see — either from the north or the south — but the town’s entry signs are no longer very inviting.
“They’re made of wood and they are rotting,” Vice Mayor Natasha Moore said. “They are beyond repair.”
Armed with a budget of as much as $75,000 for each of the gateway signs, town officials are in the process of coming up with replacements — and they want residents to help.
As early as this month the town will put out a request to residents for design ideas on what the signs should look like.
While some of the nitty- gritty details still need to be worked out, the town hopes that residents will either sketch out a design idea or take a photo of a sign that might serve as a model for the new town signs and send it in.
Moore, who is leading the effort, says the tentative plan is to have commissioners look over the submissions, narrow them down to a reasonable number and then put the choice out to residents for a vote.
The person who submits the winning design, Moore said, will get bragging rights and most likely recognition on or beside each new entry sign.
Moore and other commission members see the contest as a way to continue strengthening relationships between the town and the community.
“The goal of the project is to replace the signs and to encourage residents to be a part of the process,” she said. “We value resident input and we want to be in partnership with them.”
The contest, she said, is at least partially in response to feedback from residents following a March referendum where some in town said they wanted to have more involvement in community decisions.
Moore said she is hoping residents embrace the idea of a contest and come up with ideas that can be developed.
“You don’t have to be a graphic designer,” she said, adding that ideas can be submitted either electronically or on paper.
Some ideas, she said, could come from signs residents see during summer travel, even overseas.
The chosen design, Moore said, could also be used as part of the signage in front of Town Hall.
“I think the signs are important to residents,” she said. “They’re a reflection of our town and they set a tone for people coming into town.”

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach may have found a financial unicorn.
As the town continued the process of starting its own fire department separate from Delray Beach, leaders began to look for ways to finance a little more than half of the expected $10 million startup costs.
Rather than go through the time-consuming and cumbersome process of issuing bonds — which would require a vote of residents — town leaders agreed last month to look for bank loans that would provide flexibility and a fixed rate.
What they found was a loan from Georgia-based Synovus Bank with a combination of flexible terms that appear to be just as rare as the elusive mythical creature.
“We call it the unicorn because our financial adviser had never seen anything like it in the marketplace,” said Town Manager Marshall Labadie.
Because of the unique structure of the just over $5 million, 10-year loan, the town likely will see significant savings on the interest it pays.
“In the long run, it will end up costing us less,” said Mayor Doug Hillman, who along with others on the Town Commission looked at several options. “This is a better deal for the town.”
Under terms of the loan, which comes with a fixed 3.26% interest rate, the town is not required to take all of the money at close and will not begin paying interest until it begins taking the money or until a year and a half after closing.
The arrangement also allows the town to begin paying off the loan early without any penalty and makes it possible for partial payments or a full payment before all interest has to be paid.
“It also means we don’t pay interest on money we don’t use,” Labadie said.
Those terms are important to Highland Beach since the town is planning to use the loan to help pay for the cost of building a new fire station.
Both Labadie and Hillman point out that expenses related to the construction will not all come at once, so finding a loan that allows the town to take money when needed rather than all at once was important.
Hillman also pointed out that the town may not need all of the loan since it may be able to find additional money during the course of the construction.
The Town Commission already has pledged to use $4 million from reserves to start the fire department and could pledge additional funds should the reserves grow.
Hillman led the charge for the town to get the loan quickly — and lock in an interest rate — recognizing that interest rates most likely will continue to rise.
“It behooved us to get the loan now, even though we don’t need the money today,” he said.
Along with rising interest rates, the town has had to deal with rising material costs and supply chain issues that could affect the cost of the fire station.
Labadie said he is going over plans for the new station to see if the town can make changes to reduce costs.
Changes, he said, could include different, more accessible materials for things such as flooring than had originally been planned.
“We’re looking at what do we absolutely have to build to satisfy the requirements of what we need for our own fire department,” Labadie said.