Mary Kate Leming's Posts

Manalapan Budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 29, 2011 at 14:00

Manalapan Budget
324 taxable parcels
                                                         2010-2011    2011-2012
Tax Rate                                             $2.8000*        $2.7830*
General Fund Budget                         $3.4 million    $3.2 million
General Fund Reserves                       $1.98 million    $1.98 million
% of Budget                                               59%                   62%
Reserves used                                              0                        0

*Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value
NOTE: Town Commission will consider capital projects case by case and fund them with unassigned reserves.

Boca Raton Budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 29, 2011 at 12:50

Boca Raton Budget
42,431 taxable parcels

                                                            2010-2011        2011-2012
Tax Rate                                                      $3.02*            $3.15*
Operating Budget                            $161.3 million        $160.4 million
General Fund Reserves                    $22.6 million        $19.4 million
% of Budget                                                  14%            12%
Reserves used to balance budget           $3.5 million        $1.3 million

*Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value
NOTE: Boca Raton residents also pay $0.36 for debt service and $1.01 for some park services by the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District. Total combined tax rate for 2011-2012 is $4.52

Highland Beach Budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 29, 2011 at 12:49

Highland Beach Budget
4,196 taxable parcels

                  2010-2011    2011-2012
Tax Rate                                              $3.2542*        $3.407*
General Fund Budget                          $10.7 million    $10.1 million
General Fund Reserves                        $5.3 million    $4.5 million
% of Budget                                                 49.5%        44.6%
Reserves used                                               $1.05 million    $710,031

*Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value.
NOTE: Highland Beach residents also pay $0.9337 for city debt service. Total combined tax rate for 2011-2012 is $4.3407.

Halloween Picks: Pumpkins and ghosts dominate October events

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 18:00

Say Boo! to Halloween with everything from ghostly hauntings to pumpkin-inspired meals and cocktails.

    A not too scary place to start is at “Halloween in the Hammock” at The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton on Oct. 22. Take a mysterious (but not frightening) stroll through the hammock where visitors have the opportunity to find spiders, snakes, ancient shell middens and maybe other surprises the hammock has hidden. There’s also an hour-long nighttime nature walk with ghostly guides and ghouls.
    Walks will depart every half hour from 6:30-9 pm. For age 6 to adult, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Advance: $7 for members, $10 for non-members. Walk-ins (if available): $15 per person. Reservations and pre-payment requested at least three days in advance; space is limited. See www.gumbolimbo.org.
On Oct 28, Trick ’Em Treat ’Em Costume Party for children ages 2-5 will be held at the James A. Rutherford Community Center, Patch Reef Park, 2000 Yamato Road, Boca Raton. The costume party includes munchies, mayhem, games and more. 10 a.m.-noon. Free. For more details, call 367-7035 or see www.bocaboodays.com.
Get in to the swim of things during Monster Mash — at The Swim Center, 21618 St. Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton on Oct. 29. Come in costume, bring a swim suit. Activities will be held in and out of water. Featuring trick-or-treating, bounce house, face painting, popcorn and more. For ages 6 and up. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. 544-8542 or www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us.
On Oct. 30, ages 9-14 can participate in a Special Halloween Workshop: Horror Claymation at Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton. Participants make thier own Horror Claymation Movie while learning about story boarding, set design and character design, stop-motion animation and post production, including sound effects, voices, music and titles. Materials and equipment included. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $60/residents, $75/non-residents. 347-3901 or www.sugarsandpark.org.
At Mizner Park Amphitheater catch a bewitching stage show complete with a large cast of “scary” dancers, “ghoulish” singers and thrilling magical illusions on Oct. 28. The Spook-Tacular Stage Show is free, but please don’t bring coolers, chairs, pets, umbrellas, outside food or beverages or backpacks. Produced by ZMC Entertainment, the show is 7-9 pm. For more information call 393-7827.
There’s plenty more stuff for the big kids, too. The Boca Raton Resort & Club’s Cielo Restaurant will host the Tower Bar of Terror with a Halloween celebration at 8 p.m. Oct. 29. There also will be a Teen Scream party at 8 p.m. Oct. 29 with (non-alcoholic) mysterious mocktails. The events are only open to club members and resort guests.
The resort’s “Uniquely Boca” package is good through Oct. 10 and its Waldorf Astoria Luxury Fall Escapes is good through Dec. 15. Visit www.bocaresort.com.
    The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach is going pumpkin crazy in October, with such things as pumpkin muffins and pancakes for breakfast; pumpkin bisque, pumpkin ale and pumpkin ravioli for dinner; and pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin crème brûlée for dessert.
    The resort’s Eau Spa by Cornelia is even getting into the act with a Pumpkin Perfecting Facial ($220). “Pumpkin is a super-ingredient for the skin and a powerful anti-oxidant,” said Spa Director Kristin Carpenter, “it is high in zinc, beta carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A so not only does it help fight the free radicals that are believed to cause aging but it is also acts as a natural cleanser that exfoliates, soothes and softens your skin. Plus, it smells good enough to eat.”
    The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach also is hosting a sweet treat Cupcake Tea and Costume Party on Oct. 22 featuring Great Pumpkin Cupcake and Vampire’s Blood Red Velvet Cupcakes. The event is from 1 to 3 p.m. Reservations are required. The price is $50 for adults and $35 for children. Visit www.ritzcarlton/palmbeach.com.
— Staff Report

Coastal Stars: Police volunteers excel and have awards, coverage to prove it

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:33

Members of Delray Beach’s Volunteer Patrol Scott Westall (left) and John Goodman, write a ticket for a vehicle parked at an expired meter along A1A. Photo by Jerry Lower

By Liz Best

    They are the unsung heroes of Delray Beach — a team of volunteers, some 400 strong, who last year alone donated a staggering 42,000 hours of the time working for the Delray Beach Police Department.
    Problem is, they have an identity crisis.
    “You’d be surprised. There are a lot of people who don’t know what we do,” said Volunteer Major Bernard Zaretsky, co-coordinator of the department’s volunteer program.
    His partner, Volunteer Major Martin Tencer, also co-coordinator of the program, agrees.
    “There are even officers who don’t know what we do,” Tencer said.
    Well, what they do is remarkable and has been repeatedly recognized for its excellence around the country and around the world. And the best part is, there’s something for everyone.
    If you enjoy office work, there’s plenty of paperwork and computer work that must be completed. Are you a people person? Consider joining one of the patrols — volunteers patrol downtown in cars, golf carts and on foot. Parking enforcement detail is another good way to meet people (and to ruin other people’s days).
    Last year alone, volunteers wrote parking tickets to the tune of more than $500,000 in revenue.
    Overall, the volunteer program has 20 divisions. They have won too many national awards to list and have been featured on all three major television networks as well as on CNN, the BBC and in Time magazine. They were also awarded the 2008 Excellence in Law Enforcement Volunteer Programs by the International Chiefs of Police.
    That simply means they are one of the best law enforcement volunteer programs in the world.
    Tencer, 75 and a retired auto dealership owner, and Zaretsky, 79 and a retired aerospace engineer, appreciate the recognition, but don’t really have time to rest on their laurels. Both of them consider their volunteer duties to be a full-time job and they are always looking for ways to improve and expand the program.
    Recently, the volunteer marine patrol was dismantled due to departmental budget cuts, said Tencer, adding that he is determined to re-establish it. It would help if a local angel would step up to the plate and donate a boat and fuel, he added.
    Public Information Officer for Delray Beach Police, Sgt. Nicole Guerrero, can vouch for the level of devotion she sees from both the majors as well as their force of volunteers.
    “They’re amazing. They do so much for the Police Department and the community and expect nothing in return, including a salary,” she said.
    While the bulk of volunteers are retirees from all walks of life, the program attracts volunteers as young as 20 and as old as 90.
    Volunteer Scott Westall, a 69-year-old retired business owner, started working for the program two years ago. He donates four hours a day, five days a week to the parking enforcement detail.
    He chose parking enforcement because of the opportunity to get out in the community. As he roves around in his department-issued golf cart writing parking tickets, he also has a chance to meet people and help point out Delray’s finest features to tourists.
    “I really like people and while I’m riding around I get to help tourists find their way around town and even tell them where to get a good hamburger,” said Westall.
    Tencer and Zaretsky can’t say for sure why theirs is one of the best law enforcement volunteer programs in the world but they believe it has something to do with both the place and the people.
    “Delray is a great city and it has a lot to offer,” said Zaretsky, adding that the program has a lot to offer people looking to contribute to the community. “Whatever it is you’d like to do, we’ll find something.”
    Tencer gives a lot of credit to the quality of the volunteers themselves.
    “These people are just unreal,” he said. “They love what they do.”

Manalapan: Economic downturn leads to uptick in home building

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:30

An oceanfront custom home is under construction at 1040 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan. The home includes 23,795 square feet and a guest house. Photo by Jerry Lower

By Christine Davis

Waterfront building in Manalapan is booming, big time.
“Oh, my! We are so excited!” said Lisa Petersen, Manalapan’s town clerk. “Right now, there are eight new houses under way in some form or another.
“I haven’t seen anything like this in the eight years that I’ve worked for Manalapan. I’d be scared to guess why. Maybe people are feeling more flush?”
There’s good reason for excitement. When put in perspective, there are 58 single-family homes on the ocean, and seven of those eight new homes are oceanfront.
“Manalapan is on fire,” said Stuart Lepera, managing member of Lands End Developers, the company contracted to do three of these waterfront homes. “It’s active like Palm Beach. Anything on the water is alive and anything else is dead,” he added.
He started working on the Italian-style home at 1680 S. Ocean about two months ago for Dr. Peter Bonutti. It will have 24,000 square feet, a boathouse and a tunnel. A home he will be building at 1790 S. Ocean is approved and will soon be permitted.
A new home he’s building on the Intracoastal Waterway, at 1675 Land’s End, was started six months ago and will have 9,000 square feet.
Another oceanfront project worth noting is at 1340 S. Ocean, where he’s building a guesthouse, a tennis court and a 13,000-square-foot addition to the existing house.
Waterfront has limited availability, he said, and, right now, buyers can get more value for their dollar. “The price-per-foot has not come down drastically — there’s no recession on materials — but the value of the land has come down, as well as the cost of labor.”
Mark Pulte, owner of Mark Timothy Inc., who has the contracts for four Manalapan oceanfront homes, explains it this way: “In the last two years, you could buy a lot on the ocean and build a home, and the price would be the same as if you’d purchased an existing home on the ocean.”
In this economic downturn, however, these custom homes are no less plush. No belt tightening going on here, he said. “A couple of these houses have tennis courts. One has a sports court. They all have lots of amenities. One has a basement. All have elevators. None has a theater room, but they all have a multipurpose room, which combines a family room with a theater room.”
The home Pulte is building at 700 S. Ocean is a Georgian-style with 12,000 square feet. The Georgian-style home at 750 S. Ocean has 14,000 square feet. The French-style home at 800 S. Ocean is approved and will soon be permitted. It will have 21,000 square feet and, finally, a South Pacific-style home at 1780 S. Ocean will have 12,000 square feet. They range in price from $14 million to $29 million.
The last custom home at 1040 S. Ocean, built by Casto Homes in Juno Beach, is 23,795-square-feet and has a guest house.
Randy Ely, a Realtor with the Corcoran Group who focuses on real estate from Manalapan to Highland Beach, sold two of these oceanfront properties in the last year, and offers his input: “The minimum beachfront footage in Manalapan is 150 feet and in Delray Beach and Gulfstream it’s 100 feet. In Delray Beach, rule of thumb is $60,000 per foot of ocean frontage, which comes out to $6 million for the purchase price. In Manalapan, purchase price for oceanfront is $6 [million] to $7 million. There’s better value in Manalapan. You are getting a bigger lot for the same amount of money, and buyers have realized that,” he said.
Developer Frank McKinney was on the selling side last year — he sold three properties. “Overall, most of these oceanfront buyers are end users. If you have end users coming in, they will put their head on the pillow and that’s a nice shift. They are investing in an emotional return,” he said. “One of the buyers of my properties bought two properties at one time. That’s a big deal.”
Although the commodity — in this case, oceanfront real estate — has been devalued, it’s still blue chip, he said, and the ultra-wealthy recognize the amenities.

Ocean Ridge/Briny Breezes: Trims to Boynton fire-rescue may slow island service

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:30

By Angie Francalancia

Starting Oct. 1, fire service — or ambulance service — will take longer to reach Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.
    That’s because Boynton Beach, which provides fire rescue services to both towns, will be removing from operation one of its two emergency vehicles now run out of the closest station.
    Earlier in the month, members of the Boynton Beach City Commission had discussed closing that station all together, but the idea didn’t have support from a majority of the commission and didn’t arise again as Boynton Beach finalized its budget on Sept. 20.
    But Boynton Beach saved $378,467 by eliminating six firefighter positions. The positions had been vacant, so no one was laid off. But without the positions in the budget, there won’t be the staff to operate two vehicles out of Station 1 at Boynton Beach and Seacrest Boulevards, which handles most of the calls from Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.
    As of late last month, Boynton Beach interim Fire Chief Ray Carter still was deciding whether to remove the fire truck or the transport vehicle from service.
    “Of all five of our stations, it is the one with the lowest volume,” Carter said. “There’s no perfect solution. We feel like response times in that general area won’t be impacted based on the first arriving unit. The only thing is we’re going to lose some function one way or another.”
    Both vehicles carry medical equipment and can act as the first response to a call, Carter explained. However, the rescue truck doesn’t have firefighting equipment, including a pump, hose, ladder and water. And the fire engine doesn’t have the capability of transporting people to a hospital.
“My understanding is we’re leaning toward pulling the ambulance out of service,” Interim City Manager Lori LaVerrier said. “With the fire truck, we could fight a fire, run advanced life support and basic life support from it. When you’re dealing with limited resources, you’re going to try to use the apparatus that gives you the most resources as possible.”
    That’s little comfort to the coastal towns, which already had been raising questions about response times.
“We’ll just have to keep monitoring this issue with the ambulance service, we’ll have to find out what the impact is going to be,” said Ocean Ridge Mayor Ken Kaleel. “I did request a meeting with them, and hopefully that will take place soon.”
    “It’s real short and sweet,” said Ocean Ridge Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi. “Service delayed is service denied.”
    Yannuzzi, who also serves as town marshal for Briny Breezes, had sent a letter to Carter expressing his concern about what he saw as an increase in response times over the past few months. Yannuzzi said he calculates response time as the time from when a call is placed to when help arrives. In contrast, Boynton Beach calculates response time as driving time only, he said. “I’ve been concerned that there seems to have been an uptick in response times for several months, and I’ve communicated that to Chief Carter. Do they not care that somebody is paying them $1 million for service and they don’t even bother telling them they’re reducing personnel?”
    Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes signed a 12-year contract with Boynton Beach for fire-rescue services in 2004. It includes an escalator of 4 percent annually. This year, Ocean Ridge will pay $875,000 and Briny Breezes will pay $293,202 for fire-rescue service.
    Although the six positions were vacant, Boynton Beach had been able to fill the equivalent of those firefighters’ shifts using overtime, Carter said. With the positions eliminated from the budget, that won’t be possible. And leaving both vehicles in service presents problems when fire rescue teams need to go immediately from one call to another, he said.
    “If you’re in the rescue truck and you have a fire, what do you do,” he asked. “You’re in the wrong truck. That’s a Catch-22 that we struggle with when we make these kinds of decisions.”
    Carter said Boynton Beach Fire-Rescue will be monitoring so they’ll know the impact of eliminating the firefighters.
    “I know the commission will ask that question. We will be developing data on a daily basis as to what that impact is,” he said.

Boynton Beach: Dive shop, city agree on details for move

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:27

By Angie Francalancia

    On the verge of a trial and already having spent thousands on legal fees, the owners of Splashdown Divers and the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency agreed late last month that their money would be better spent not paying lawyers.
    The CRA agreed to a settlement that allows Splashdown to remain through the end of the year in the aging building destined to be razed.
It also agreed to give owner Lynn Simmons a seven-year lease on her boat slip and $18,750 in credit toward the rent on the slip, which will be set at market value.
    “I’d love them to stay. I’d love them to be successful, but both sides are going to spend a lot of money on attorneys,” Mayor and CRA Chairman Jose Rodriguez said. “I think for $18,750, I can support it.”
    As for the dive shop, Simmons is looking to buy a spot across the parking lot in Marina Village condominiums that formerly housed an ice cream shop.
    Splashdown Divers sued the CRA, alleging the dive shop had been promised a permanent spot once the CRA’s renovations to the marina were completed. The dive shop already occupied the building on the water’s edge when the CRA bought the marina in 2006.
    But the CRA’s master plan doesn’t include renovating the building or constructing any new buildings that it could lease, Executive Director Vivian Brooks said. The spot the building now occupies is destined to be green space.
    “We actually hired a firm to do a master plan for the whole marina and that firm did an analysis of that building. The building doesn’t meet current code both in setback and in structure,” Brooks said, and even if it could be improved to meet the building code, it still couldn’t meet the setback requirement.
    “We want marina uses, but there’s commercial space around the marina where it could go,” Brooks said.
    Before the building can be torn down, a second tenant, the Sea Mist, which sells tickets for its drift-fishing boat from a small space in the structure, also will have to move out, Brooks said.
And late last month, the CRA learned it will have to get Palm Beach County’s approval to raze the building.
That’s because the resolution allowing the purchase with money from a 2004 bond refrendum prevents material changes to the marina.
    For Simmons, moving won’t be simple, she said.
    “I’m looking at $150,000 that it’s going to cost me to do this,” she said. “I can’t get a mortgage. I’m trying to raise the money from my customers and friends, and I hope they’re going to come through.”

Briny Breezes: Town challenges Census count

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:24

By Tim O’Meilia

The U.S. Census Bureau says the seaside mobile home town of Briny Breezes has precisely 800 homes. Everyone in town knows that’s wrong by several hundred.
    Just walk down the street and count them: 484.
    The bureau was much closer to the actual number in 2000, when it declared 534 mobile homes were in town.
    So the Town Council has challenged the census count of housing. “We will be in touch with the University of Florida regarding the current census data,” Town Attorney Jerome Skrandel said at the Sept. 9 council meeting.
    The school’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research keeps track of population, housing, sales and other trends on an annual basis. Based on such statistics as electrical connections and water and sewer hookups, the bureau keeps yearly tabs on Florida’s economic trends.
    Skrandel also may tap the statistics from the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office to bolster the town’s claim.
    “When they correct the housing units, they will also correct our population. We will use the new numbers for our comprehensive plan,” Skrandel said.
    But fewer dwelling units likely will mean fewer people in town.
    The town’s 601 official residents may shrink closer to a more likely 411, the number in the 2000 census. Officials found it hard to believe that Briny’s population jumped by 46.2 percent in 10 years.
    “The census figure for population is related to the number of persons per household,” Skrandel said. “They didn’t actually count noses. They used a statistical approach.”
    The population number is derived from multiplying the number of dwellings by the expected number of people per household, which varies from census parcel to parcel.
    A lower population could cost the town a few dollars in revenue-sharing money from the state.
“I don’t know if it’s that significant an issue,” said Skrandel, suggesting that the difference in money based on 411 townspeople or 601 would be negligible.
    In other business, conducted at meetings Sept. 9 and Sept. 22, the Town Council:
    • Approved by a 4-0 vote an agreement “in principle” with Briny Breezes Inc. that would require the corporation to pay for 30 percent of the cost of fire-rescue service from Boynton Beach, 30 percent of the cost of police protection from Ocean Ridge and all of the cost of utility service from Boynton Beach. The one-year agreement was proposed by the corporation to solidify the ongoing practice. The corporation is expected to consider the contract at its November meeting.
    • Agreed by a 4-0 vote to allow property-owners and shareholders, as well as residents, to be members of the planning and zoning board. The question was raised because two members of the board own property but do not live in town. Current law says that when the board sits as the local planning agency, members must be residents. The change will require an ordinance amendment.          Ú

Briny Breezes Budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:23

Briny Breezes Budget
493 taxable parcels
                                                           2010-2011    2011-2012
Tax Rate                                            $10*                               $10*
General Fund Budget                        $525,293        $601,176
General Fund Reserves                        $85,189        $84,140
% of Budget                                                   16.2%        14%
Reserves used                                                  0        0

*Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value

Ocean Ridge: Stalking allegation dismissed by state

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:22

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement dismissed 2009 allegations against former Ocean Ridge Police Officer David Cazzolli that he stalked his former girlfriend, according to FDLE spokeswoman Kristi Gordon.
The claim was one of two brought by the Ocean Ridge Police Department against Cazzolli, who was fired in July 2009 following an internal investigation.
The FDLE dismissed a second claim, offense against intellectual property. But it was replaced with an allegation of misuse of official position against Cazzolli for accessing the DAVID computer database without authorization to look up confidential information about his former girlfriend.
Cazzolli, who appeared before commissioners at their July meeting, said he wanted to put the record straight on the disposition of the allegations. — Margie Plunkett

Gulf Stream: Regret tinges vote on demolition of historic home

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:19

By Steve Plunkett

No joy marked the advisory approval of what could become the town’s newest subdivision — six homes on the 6-acre-plus Spence estate.
“I would recommend with great sadness that we approve the demolition permit,’’ Architectural Review and Planning Board member Charles Frankel III said before the panel voted 3-0 to send the plat plan on to the Town Commission for final consideration.
“I hate to see the property go, to be honest with you. I wish that somebody would come and restore the house,’’ Board Chairman Bob Ganger said of the sprawling two-story British Colonial residence designed by Palm Beach society architect John Volk around 1937.
The request by Delray Beach-based Seaside Builders LLC to subdivide the parcel illustrated how tightly woven residents are with town affairs. ARPB member Thomas Smith recused himself from the issue because his accounting firm represents the Spence estate. Vice Chairman Scott Morgan, who lives just south of the planned project, also left the dais so he could argue as a private citizen against it.
At the commission level, Mayor William Koch Jr. will not vote on the subdivision because his real estate firm listed the property, asking $6 million. Commissioner Chris Wheeler, whose Hidden Harbor house abuts the land on the west, said he will decide whether to recuse himself when he sees the proposal.
Other Hidden Harbor neighbors signed an agreement with Seaside Builders less than an hour before the review board convened Sept. 22. The developer promised to put a new access road into the project from State Road A1A so no extra vehicular traffic would use Hidden Harbor’s road.
Seaside also agreed to cover all liabilities created by the subdivision’s drainage and septic systems and to not alter the tree canopy over Hidden Harbor’s road. The developer plans to demolish the Spence house and smooth the mound it sits on into a dip between the house and A1A.
“I hate to see the natural beauty of this site changed, including the contour of the land,’’ Ganger said. “But some people would say that’s progress.’’
Seaside also agreed to not use “Hidden Harbor’’ as part of its name, although the plat if approved can continue to be labeled “Hidden Harbor Estates Plat Two.’’ The project will be marketed as “Harbor View Estates.’’
The original plan would have had two homes with driveways on A1A, two with driveways on the south edge of the property and two with driveways on the west side.
Seaside representatives assured both William Himmelrich, the estate’s neighbor to the north, and Morgan that the developer would provide similar drainage indemnities to them.
Morgan argued that the new project at 1220 N. Ocean Blvd. was not compatible with other homes in the town’s “Ocean West’’ district to the north and south.
“This is a shoehorned development of six lots in an area of large, estate-like feel, long-road driveways, with large-parcel properties. This does not fit,’’ Morgan said.
But Frankel said looking east to west, the proposed lots were comparable to parcels in Hidden Harbor.
“It will virtually become a new district,’’ Ganger said.
The architectural board first heard Seaside’s proposal in July but deferred its review to give the developer and neighbors time to negotiate.
Seaside promised then to document the house’s architecture before it was demolished. Ganger asked that its archeological record also be preserved.
The 9,446-square-foot house has had only two owners in its 74 years.
Seward Webb Jr., a grandson of William H. Vanderbilt, and his wife, Gertrude, the daughter of a New York City mayor, bought the land from financier E.F. Hutton. Edmond and Regina Spence bought the estate after Webb’s death. Regina Spence died last December.

Gulf Stream: St. Andrews condos will benefit from utilities project

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:18

By Steve Plunkett

Residents of condos at the St. Andrews Club just north of town will benefit from Gulf Stream’s underground utilities project without spending a dime.
    Town commissioners decided Sept. 15 to pull $450,000 from reserves to prepay Gulf Stream’s portion of the project, which includes assessments for six town-owned parcels and the share St. Andrews residents would pay if they lived inside town limits instead of in Boynton Beach.
The St. Andrews Club condos are included in the project because they will enjoy aesthetic and other benefits from the removal of powerlines on Little Club Road.
    Twenty-two Gulf Stream property owners already had sent in checks totaling $169,000, beating the Nov. 1 deadline to prepay and saving $10,424 in first-year capitalized interest, financing costs and administrative fees, Town Manager William Thrasher said.
    The underground assessment for Town Hall, for example, is $10,898.61 with a $638.24 prepay savings.
    Gulf Stream mailed notices about the prepay option Sept. 2 that warned a 20-year installment plan could include interest rates “not to exceed 10 percent,” Thrasher said, “which prompted a lot of people to prepay.’’
    He noted the exact interest rate won’t be known until February, but added it should be closer to 4 percent.
    Town Clerk Rita Taylor said the first prepayment check arrived even before the notice was sent out. A second, final notice about prepayments was to be mailed Sept. 30.
    Surveyors finished measur-ing the south part of town and their work was forwarded to Gulf Stream’s consulting engineer, Thrasher said. The engineer has said actual construction to bury electric, phone and cable TV lines will begin next spring.

Lantana/Hypoluxo Island: Water rates to increase slightly in Lantana

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:16

Lantana residents will see a slight increase in water rates starting in October.
    A customer who uses 6,000 gallons of water/wastewater per month will see his bill increase by $1.23 or 1.8 percent. Someone who uses 10,000 gallons per month would see his bill go up by $1.65.
    The increase is expected to raise $40,000.
    According to town’s code of ordinances, all rates established by fees and charges are adjusted annually. At its Sept. 12 town meeting, most council members voted for the fee change, saying the increase was minimal.
    “I’m not going to see the difference for $1.68,” council member Cindy Austino said.
    But council member Phil Aridas disagreed. “I have trouble with this,” he said. “It only brings in $40,000 when people are struggling. I’m against this.”
    “We had a water study done in 2005,” Town Manager Mike Bornstein said. “Technically we’re required to bring it to you.”
    Council member Lynn Moorhouse said he thought the town’s rates were very fair.
    Mayor Dave Stewart said the fee was service-based. “Those who get the service pay for it.”
— Mary Thurwachter

Lantana Budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:15

Lantana Budget
4,407 taxable parcels
                                                                 2010-2011        2011-2012
Tax Rate                         $3.2395*        $3.2395*
General Fund Budget                               $9.1 million        $8.3 million
General Fund Reserves                            $5.5 million                 $5.1 million
% of Budget                                                60%                                       61%
Reserves used                                    $1.1 million                          $413,586

*Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value
NOTES: Lantana residents pay for Fire-Rescue services at a county tax rate of $3.46. Total combined tax rate for 2011-2012 is $6.7.

Gulf Stream insisting that county pay back taxes paid for annexed properties

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:13

By Steve Plunkett

    Gulf Stream town officials are taking off the gloves in their quest to recover some of the tax money property owners in the annexed pocket paid Palm Beach County for 2011.
    Mayor William Koch Jr. asked County Commissioner Steven Abrams in a Sept. 14 letter for more help getting $19,469 reimbursed by Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue for services from March 15, the date of the annexation, through Sept. 30. Koch wants $21,728 from the Sheriff’s Office for the same time period.
    An Abrams-facilitated phone conversation allowed Gulf Stream’s town manager to verbally present the request to county fire-rescue in August, but a follow-up call prompted Koch’s letter, he wrote.
    “The information provided to our town manager is that the ‘legal’ department is checking into this matter and the town must wait until a legal opinion is provided,’’ Koch wrote. “It does not seem appropriate or responsive on the part of the county and the town to delay the FY [fiscal year] 2011 payment.’’
    Town commissioners also asked Town Attorney John “Skip’’ Randolph to investigate suing the county if negotiations fail.
    Gulf Stream based its request for police services on 199 days of coverage times its total police budget times the 3.2 percent additional acres the annexation added to the town. The fire-rescue amount equals the additional amount Delray Beach demanded following the annexation.
    “If the annexation vote could have been predetermined or guaranteed, this ‘after the fact’ reimbursement request would have been provided much sooner,’’ Koch wrote.
    The annexed pocket, bordered by Sea Road on the south, County Road on the west, the St. Andrews Club on the north and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, will add an estimated $69 million to the town’s tax base.
    The $19,469 Gulf Stream wants back for fire-rescue is a small fraction of the roughly $240,000 the county department charged the pocket in municipal service taxes for the full fiscal year.
    The county levied nearly $176,000 on the pocket to fund the Sheriff’s Office in
2011.

Gulf Stream budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:12

Gulf Stream Budget
538 taxable parcels
                                                2010-2011                        2011-2012
Tax Rate                                         $2.8655*                         $2.9265*
General Fund Budget                    $2.55 million                 $3.1 million
General Fund Reserves**            $1.3 million                     $0.8 million
% of Budget                                            51%                       27.3%
Reserves used                                    $127,010                  $450,000

* Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value
** Reserves were used in 2010-2011 for underground project fees that could not be budgeted before the straw poll. Reserves for 2011-2012 will be used to prepay the town’s underground assessment and avoid debt.

South Palm Beach: Shoreline protection study can start up again

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:10

By Tim O’Meilia

    The on-again, off-again breakwater project to protect South Palm Beach’s eroding shoreline is back on the drawing board six months after Palm Beach County officials had declared it so much scrap paper.
    “Finally, I have some good news,” Leanne Welch, a supervisor in the county’s environmental resources management department, told the Town Council Sept. 20. “We have the go-ahead to restart the environmental impact study.”
    The study was halted in March after county officials ended similar plans for a breakwater project on Singer Island; the Army Corps of Engineers opposed breakwaters that protruded from the ocean because of concerns that they would block the paths of turtle hatchlings. Submerged breakwaters are much less effective in preventing erosion.
    “I don’t want to go down an avenue that is a no-go, that we already know is a locked door,” said Vice Mayor Joseph Flagello.
    Welch said protecting the sea turtle population is less of a problem in South Palm Beach. “We don’t have one-tenth of the sea turtles here that we have at Singer Island,” she said, suggesting that there would be less concern about emergent breakwaters.
    Welch and other county officials already have met with federal officials and determined that the study needn’t start from scratch with another scoping meeting, a public hearing and subsequent period for public comments. The meeting was held in March 2010.
As a result of complaints from environmentalists and surfers, engineers modified the plan to include nine groins instead of breakwaters in the area from the Mayfair House to the Ritz-Carlton resort, including in front of the Lantana public beach.
    Along the remainder of the 1.3-mile project from Palm Beach to Manalapan, 16 visible breakwaters averaging 120 feet long would be placed 200 to 250 feet off shore.
The nine 115-foot groins in front of the five buildings just north of the Lantana beach would connect to the seawalls and be covered with 100,000 to 200,00 cubic yards of sand. The initial deposit of sand makes the structures more effective, Welch said.
“We don’t want something that looks like an eyesore on our beach,” Flagello said.
    Two of the town’s 13 oceanfront condominiums have been evacuated during recent years because of storms, and several buildings have erected seawalls for protection.
    Welch estimated the study would take 18 to 24 months. She said the county has set aside its share of the $400,000 cost of the study and later permitting.
South Palm Beach has $1.3 million in reserve for beach projects. Its share of the study is $40,000, 20 percent of the cost.
    Neither the county nor the state has any construction money appropriated if the project is permitted. Federal protection for beach projects dropped from $56 million in 2009 to $9 million last year, Councilwoman Bonnie Fischer noted.
    Several council members were concerned that the project may never be constructed for lack of money and were reluctant to spend more town money on preliminary studies.
    “But then we’ll be shovel-ready,” Welch said. “The fact is there’s no sustainable beach now. We’re looking for the study to evaluate from an environmental, storm protection and recreational perspective what’s our best option.”
    Of the ongoing erosion threat, Councilwoman Susan Lillybeck said: “I hope we can figure out a way not to make the situation worse.”

South Palm Beach Budget

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:09

South Palm Beach Budget
1,868 taxable parcels
                                                                    2010-2011        2011-2012
Tax Rate                                                         $4.3174*        $4.3174*
General Fund Budget                                     $1.88 million                      $1.7 million
General Fund Reserves**                              $2 million                              $2 million
% of Budget                                                    106.3%                              117.6%
Reserves used                                                  $175,000        $58,000

* Tax rate per $1,000 of taxable property value
** Includes $1.3 million designated for beach projects.
NOTE: South Palm Beach residents pay for Fire-Rescue services at a county tax rate of $3.46. Total combined tax rate for 2011-2012 is $7.78.

Lantana/Ocean Ridge: Changing health care brings big savings

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on September 28, 2011 at 17:07

By Margie Plunkett
and Mary Thurwachter

    Health-care insurance checkups are turning up substantial savings for at least two coastal municipalities as they near completion of this year’s budget process.
    Lantana saved $230,000 by switching employee health insurance from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to a comparable Aetna plan. And Ocean Ridge hopes to save $50,000.
    Insurance broker Dave Adams, a Hypoluxo Island resident, pitched both the towns, informing them he could find thousands of dollars in savings in their employee health-care plans.
    Prior to the switch, Lantana Town Manager Michael Bornstein said he was content to let stand the deal with Blue Cross, because the town’s insurance carrier had planned no increases, charging $1.2 million for next fiscal year. But the town manager was directed to get more quotes after a July 20 budget workshop.
    Council members, including Cindy Austino, pushed for new health-care estimates after the budget workshop in which Adams spoke at the public portion to challenge the existing plan.
The town’s insurance broker, Kurt Gehring of the Gehring Group, also present at the meeting, defended the current coverage, noting that swapping the old plan for a new could significantly alter the benefits available to employees.
    Bornstein echoed the concern over reduced benefits.
“If you want to change the benefit package,” he said, “They do not offer this insurance that we get any more. You are not going to get the same insurance. We went out to bid — we got a zero percent increase. It’s not something I’m recommending you do.”
    Changing benefits and costs to the employee was part of the primary discussion for Ocean Ridge commissioners and public before the vote for the insurance change.
    Ultimately, the government leaders are obligated to explore possible savings, said Lantana Mayor David Stewart during the town’s budget workshop. “I think we owe it to our residents to make sure the services we are providing are the best for the money,” the mayor said. “If we can get the same insurance for $200,000 less, why aren’t we doing it?”
    Preserving benefits in the health plan was critical, however, he said, noting he didn’t want to see benefits lost for any employees.         Ocean Ridge also discussed the changes for employees, including a $2,000 deductible a — but the town will subsidize that by $1,200. That means the employee pays only $800 for the deductible.
    “Sounds like a better situation,” Mayor Ken Kaleel said.
    Questions were raised on the timing of the new health plan, with Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi pointing out that some employees who have reached their deductible for this year, may have to pay all over when the new plan kicks in on an earlier schedule.
    Overall, commissioners seemed happy to accept the savings the new health plan offered.
    While residents attending Lantana’s meeting questioned whether the town shouldn’t annually bid out its health-care insurance, others, such as council member Tom Deringer, pointed out that private sector business routinely shops around for less expensive insurance coverage.
    “You do this every year,” said resident Peter Reed, who runs a real estate company. “You have to keep them honest.”                                     Ú