Mary Kate Leming's Posts

Officials monitor tragedy, prepare for mass exodus from Haiti

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 5, 2010 at 9:04

By Dianna Smith

As the world watches Haiti’s collapse just a few hundred miles from South Florida, are preparing for some of Haiti to end up right here, along Palm Beach County’s shores.
The Jan. 12 earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands in the poor, desolate country prompted Palm Beach County Emergency Management Center Director Charles Tear to meet with city representatives recently; assuring them the EOC is ready should a mass exodus head our way. The county has a mass migration plan, updated just two years ago.
Details of the plan cannot be revealed, Tear said. However, “We maintain a state of readiness. We have reviewed our plans. Our job on a regular basis is to monitor everything.”
The coastal towns are often where Haitians come ashore, risking their lives on rickety boats and rough waters to journey to America for better lives. In May 2009, a boat capsized 15 miles off the coast of Boynton Beach, killing more than 10 people, mostly Haitian, including a pregnant woman and a 1-year-old girl.
Because Haitians were so desperate to leave their country even before the earthquake, many expect more Haitians to flee in the weeks to come. The earthquake toppled the capital city of Port-au-Prince and destroyed outlying villages, leaving more than 1 million people hungry and homeless.
Tear said he doesn’t expect a mass migration right now and the U.S. Coast Guard has also been told to stand down, said Ed Greenfield, public affairs officer for the U.S. Coast Guard Lake Worth. Right now, it would be difficult for earthquake victims to leave because the Coast Guard is patrolling Haitian waters.
Local law enforcement also regularly patrols the beaches. Manalapan Police Chief Clay Walker said of his department: “We’re on the lookout for anybody. Who knows where this will lead further down the road.” Walker said that typically rough sea conditions in winter months would make it difficult for Haitians to reach South Florida beaches safely.
Regardless of the rough seas, Delray Beach Mayor Woodie McDuffie said he expects to see an influx of Haitians to the area.
“I don’t think it’s if, I think it’s how many,” McDuffie said. “The country was in such dire straits before this that I can’t even imagine what it’s like now.”
Many Haitians have relatives here in Palm Beach County, where the Haitian population is said to be as many as 50,000, including a large Haitian community in Delray Beach.
McDuffie expects it to increase in the next several months, so much so that he’s even thinking about temporary housing. “I want to make sure we’ve got someplace to take care of them,” he said.
But if Haitians do come ashore, most likely won’t make it very far.
Undocumented Haitians living in the United States on or before Jan. 12 are now eligible for temporary protected status, which is granted to nations in the midst of an armed conflict or natural disaster. If a Haitian qualifies for TPS, he can stay in the country legally for 18 months.
But Haitians who arrive in the states after Jan. 12 will be taken into custody and sent right back to Haiti. Those in Haiti are already being warned not to leave.
Matt Chandler, deputy press secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said his agency’s “focus remains on discouraging Haitians from attempting the journey overseas.”

Rip currents are the biggest danger in the ocean

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 5, 2010 at 9:01

By Ron Hayes

In 1975, Steven Spielberg made a movie called Jaws, and we’ve all been terrified of shark attacks ever since.
John Fletemeyer wishes he’d made Rips instead.
By any measure, rip currents are far more deadly than sharks, and South Florida’s winter season brings together both the rough seas that help spawn them and the family and friends from up north who know the least about them.
“In reality, sharks account for only one or two serious incidents a year in Florida," says Fletemeyer, a research professor with the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami. “We estimate between 100 and 150 people drown in rip currents in the U.S. every year.”
Last year, for example, lifeguards at Delray Beach’s eight towers alone affected 59 ocean rescues, of which 53 were caused by rip currents.
“I’d estimate 90 to 95 percent of our rescues are rip current related,” says Bob Taylor, superintendent of the city’s Ocean Rescue division and a 29-year veteran. “Sharks are a nonissue.”
Fletemeyer and his colleague, professor Stephen Leatherman, will host the first International Rip Current Symposium at FIU Feb. 17-19 to discuss, in part, surveys they’ve conducted to measure the public’s knowledge of the danger.
“We found that tourists know a lot less about rip currents than locals,” he reports. “You get somebody from the Midwest down on vacation and they’re basically clueless.”
To begin with, rip currents are not riptide. And undertows don’t exist.
“A riptide is associated with a bay or inlet,” he notes. “It’s water coming in as a tidal current, then escaping, such as at Palm Beach Inlet. Rip currents really have nothing to do with tides. They’re more about the underwater topography.”
And rip currents aren’t undertows, either. They don’t pull you under, they pull you out.
A rip current forms because water naturally seeks the easiest way back to the sea. If a gap exists between two offshore sandbars, the outgoing tide from both north and south will flow toward that gap, creating a current that rushes seaward at 6 to 8 feet per second, strong enough to overwhelm even the most experienced swimmer.
The pull of a rip current is so strong, Fletemeyer warns, that even waders in waist-deep water can be caught, with the very young and very old especially vulnerable.
“We actually put an Olympic swimmer in a rip current in Palm Beach eight or nine years ago as a demonstration, and he couldn’t swim against it,” he recalls.
Two factors that increase the likelihood of rip current drownings are east winds, blowing toward the shore, and rough surf, most common during winter months. And while there are usually fewer swimmers in the water during February, they are also most likely to be tourists, increasing the danger.
They don’t know what a rip current is, and they don’t know what do if caught in one.
First, don’t panic. And then ignore your intuition.
When being pulled out to sea, the natural inclination is to swim toward shore. Do that with a rip current and you’re actually swimming against the oncoming current.
Instead, float on your back until the current takes you out and beyond its “neck” and starts to disperse. Then swim parallel to the shoreline, either north or south.
Best of all, though, is to avoid the danger as much as possible by always swimming near a lifeguard, where you have only a one-in-18-million chance of drowning, according to the Florida Beach Patrol Chiefs Association.
“Rip currents can happen anywhere,” says Taylor, “but a healthy dose of respect for the ocean will take you a long way.”

Proposal would have Boynton fire rescue respond to ‘pocket’

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 5, 2010 at 9:00

By Nirvi Shah

The November night Bill Dunn choked to death, it took Palm Beach County Fire Rescue nearly 13 minutes to get to his home just outside the Boynton Beach city limits.
During the painful wait for paramedics, the dispatcher tried to help Dunn’s friends fill his lungs with air, and get him to vomit and dislodge the food caught in his throat. His friends attempted to follow the dispatcher’s instructions, pleading with the dispatcher to send help, but Dunn had a seizure and stopped breathing.
“We have people dispatched. Help is on the way,’ the dispatcher said again and again.
But by the time help arrived, Dunn had stopped breathing. He was dead.
Palm Beach County help was coming from more than five miles away, from a station at Military Trail and Woolbright Road.
Scarcely a mile away, a Boynton Beach Fire Rescue station had no idea about Dunn’s blocked airway. “We never want to see a tragedy like that happen again,” said County Commissioner Steven Abrams, who represents the area where Dunn lived, known as the county pocket. Abrams met with Palm Beach County Fire Chief Steve Jerauld and Boynton Beach Fire Chief William Bingham in January to find a solution.
“Boynton Beach stepped up to say that they would work out an agreement where they would cover that entire area in the future,” Abrams said. “A tragedy is just a tragedy unless something good comes out of it.”
The agreement would most likely have to be approved by the rest of the County Commission, Abrams said, but he doesn’t expect anyone to vote against it. Any financial obligation on the county’s part would be addressed when the agreement is proposed to the commission, he said.
Boynton Beach Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Lewis said it is too early to discuss the arrangement. “At this point, it is still a conversation rather than anything formal,” Lewis said.
County pocket resident Mike Smollon, a retired firefighter and one of Dunn’s friends, was told of his death the morning after it happened. He took it upon himself to investigate.
“He was 48,” Smollon said. It was at his prompting that Abrams met with both fire rescue agencies. “Someone shouldn’t die because of choking to death.”
Smollon, who worked for Boynton Beach Fire Rescue for 28 years, said he is looking forward to better emergency services for residents of the county pocket. But he is still concerned about how the 911 call on the day of Dunn’s death was handled.
He remembers Boynton Beach paramedics and firefighters responding to calls on behalf of the county many times, both in life-threatening and more routine situations.
“I was in charge of my shift for the last six or seven years,” he said. If county dispatchers called, the procedure was “you send the help. Then you ask questions. Never refuse. Never ever refuse.”
But in Dunn’s case, Boynton Beach was never notified that he was choking to death, so it couldn’t respond.
The agreement between the county and Boynton Beach will have to change all of that.
“They have to get the call,” Smollon said. “That’s all the county’s going to have to do.”

Coastal Star: Marine gave mom early hint of direction

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 16:17

Looking back, there really wasn’t much doubt about what John D. O’Connell was going to be when he grew up. “I have a picture of him when he was 3,” said his mother, Debby O’Connell, a Realtor with Hampton Real Estate in Ocean Ridge. “He was saluting.” Flash forward 21 years. The saluting toddler is now a 24-year-old Marine, a first lieutenant stationed in Afghanistan. “When he heard he was going to Afghanistan, he was thrilled,” Debby O’Connell said. “I was devastated. He loves his country. He’d say to me, ‘Mom, someone has to do this.’ ” As for O’Connell, he’s not exactly sure how it all happened, but he’s glad it did. “I am still trying to figure out why I became a Marine,” he wrote in an e-mail from his undisclosed posting. “I do know that I love what I do.”

What he does is command a platoon of about 40 Marines who fire missiles —the setup is called HIMARS, for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — at Taliban positions. Each rocket carries a 196-pound payload of high explosives with a range of about 10 to 50 miles. Suffice it to say, they can make a lot of noise. Yet O’Connell has a quieter battle to fight: loneliness. He wrote that his greatest challenge is “the loneliness that comes with being a position commander.” Lacking peers for casual banter, he said, “When I would see other lieutenants from the battery, it was awesome just to talk with them.” Down time is spent working out in a “gym” he and his fellow Marines built. “Our pull bar is made out of poles from an old cot,” he wrote. In the arid plains of woolly Afghanistan, (“When we first got here, it was 130 degrees. Now it gets into the low 30s during the night”) he misses the ocean. Brought up in Boynton Beach, O’Connell worked as a dive master in Fort Lauderdale. A 2007 graduate with a degree in criminal justice from University of North Florida in Jacksonville, he had already attended officer candidate school. Debby O’Connell misses her son fiercely. “I can’t even watch the news. I just want my son to come home. John and I are very, very close. Even in college, even (in basic training) in California, we’d talk three, four times a week. “When he was sent overseas in July, the first month, I heard nothing from him. That’s the horror. Not knowing.” She’s covered the front of her refrigerator with funny e-mails she receives from her son and counts the days until his return. She sends him care packages, which take more than a month to arrive. “We mailed his Christmas package the day after Thanksgiving, and it got there just in time,“ she said. Her son’s only proviso: “Don’t send me anything that would embarrass me.” What do the troops like to get from home? Don’t laugh: “The best things to send are baby wipes. You can’t run out. “The packages are nice. When my fiancé would send me stuff, it was amazing because I could smell her perfume in the box. That helps with the loneliness.” Reading materials? “The most popular magazines were US, People and Cosmo. The Cosmo because the perfume ads are amazing.” O’Connell is proving his mettle in the war on terrorism. He is up for review at the next captain promotion board and could be made a captain sometime next year. The family has a history of military service. Debby O’Connell recalled what John’s grandfather, a military engineer, told his father, who served in the Air Force: “I loved the Marines. They would go in and make it safe, and then we would go in there.” If all goes according to plan, O’Connell will be home for a visit at the end of this month. He said to tell his family: “I love you guys and I will see you soon.” John O’Connell was nominated to be a Coastal Star by his mother, Debby O’Connell, and the staff at Hampton Real Estate.

Editorial: Just the facts ma'am

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 16:13

We don’t publish advertorials. You know: the stuff that looks like a news story, but when you begin to read it you recognize it as being purely promotional. It’s been suggested by other small publishers that we do this as a way to increase revenue and get editorial content for free. We won’t. True, we are trying to make a living from The Coastal Star, but we are also attempting to deliver a publication that is trusted by our readers. That’s important to us. We realize we are hiking into deep woods by starting a community newspaper during economically trying times; and we are trying to keep an open mind when it comes to ideas for generating revenue. But even though we could make money by publishing content written by advertisers, we choose not to. Blurring the line between reporting and advertising could jeopardize the affinity we have built with readers over the past year, and maintaining readers’ confidence is paramount to us. There is a way to reach readers with a business message, however, by self-publishing on our Web site, www.thecoastalstar.ning.com. Just click on Forums and select either Business Announcements or Classifieds. Both are free. Several local businesses are already using this service to reach our online community. Similarly, many of our readers have asked us to publish their columns, stories or opinions. Among them are proven or aspiring writers, whose work we are interested in sharing — particularly those informative and timely topics that resonate with other readers. In the economics of newspapers, however, story space is created by the sale of advertising. As editor, I am always balancing space needed for news and features with revenues created by ad sales. And there is always more “copy” than there is space in the print edition. But once again, our Web site provides an alternative for material that does not make it into print. Reader/writers can post their work at www.thecoastalstar.ning.com. Again, select Forums then choose Island Talk to share your writing with our online community. And don’t forget photos! We love photos: sunrises, surfers, pets or events. Just log in to our Web site and click Photos. Many of our online members do this on a regular basis. It’s always great to see what’s happening in our community. And community, after all, is what The Coastal Star is all about. Mary Kate Leming, editor

New sea turtle rehab center comes to the rescue in a big way

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 16:00

By Mary Thurwachter January’s longer-than-ever cold snap had us all crawling under our covers and turning up the heat. But for sea turtles, warming up wasn’t so easy. When the water dropped below the normal body temperature of the cold-blooded sea turtles, their metabolic rate dropped as well. They became lethargic and stopped swimming and eating. Many were left floating, and sometimes washed ashore. By the middle of the month, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s new sea turtle rehabilitation center had more patients than they ever imagined.

“We have been getting an average of 20 turtles every day in the past week,” says Kirt Rusenko, a marine conservationist at the Boca Raton facility. So far, more than 170 turtles had been admitted and about 90 released since Jan 5. One was dead on arrival and was later buried at the beach. “We have 17 greens without papillomas (tumors) who are staying on longer as patients due to pneumonia or other issues,” he says. “We have around 35 turtles with fibropapilloma (a disease is known to be infectious among sea turtles) and are assessing their state of health and awaiting instructions from the state as to what to do with them since we do not have the equipment (carbon dioxide laser) to treat them yet.”

Volunteers turned out in record numbers to help with the afternoon turtle releases at Red Reef Park. And they got a chance to watch marine conservationists treat the sick turtles behind the large sea-turtle tank at Gumbo Limbo.

Most of the cold-stunned turtles came from the intracoastal waterways north of Brevard County and many came from the Mosquito Lagoon and other areas around Merritt Island up to the Jacksonville area. When Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission workers brought the turtles into the center, the slow-moving marine reptiles got a complete blood workup, X-rays and medication. They were kept in the heated pools until the weather outside warmed.

“Our water temperature has not gotten lower than 68 degrees in any tank during the whole event,” Rusenko says. “That temperature was perfect for rehabilitating a turtle that comes in with a body temperature of 47 degrees. You cannot heat them up too fast or other issues may arise.” Some turtles arrived with pneumonia. Rusenko says he thinks the center’s efforts have been pretty good “for a hospital that opened a few days before all this hit the fan, plus we only have eight beds (tanks) really allocated for rehab.” This couldn’t have been done without the assistance of Florida Atlantic University and Dr. Jeanette Wyneken, he says. “She allowed us to use many tanks in the FAU marine sciences building at Gumbo Limbo. Additionally, the city of Boca Raton is fully backing the effort for my staff who are city employees. Our nonprofit arm, Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, has spent the whole year’s budget in our first two weeks of operation. We only counted on 35 patients for the whole first year, not 130 plus. It is heartening to see donations of money and supplies coming in, especially considering the tragedy in Haiti.

“This unprecedented event demonstrated that I am fortunate enough to have a staff with little experience in rehab step directly into the melee that ensued for the last two weeks and come out of the situation as experienced sea turtle medical care personnel,” Rusenko says. “Even though we are now exhausted, the event has jump-started our experience and confidence and we are now more ready than ever to face the challenging task of sea turtle rehabilitation as well as our normal beachside conservation duties. “I am extremely proud of my staff and our volunteers that made this effort successful. In two weeks we have cared for five years’ worth of patients. I see a bright future for the rehabilitation facility.” The data that have been collected by facilities throughout the state will yield valuable information about green sea turtles, Rusenko adds. “ We have learned a lot about their current health status (and) the prevalence of fibropapillomas. And overall, we — all of us that helped in this effort in the state — have tagged nearly 3,000 turtles, which is sure to yield important information in the future.” How you can help Want to help the rehab center help the sea turtles? Send money. Every turtle they are able to save helps increase the nesting population in the next five to 15 years. Write your check to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and mail to 1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33432. Make a note on the check that your donation is for the cold-stunned turtles. Gumbo Limbo is the nonprofit arm that funds the rehab center. For more information, call 561-391-8110.

BRINY BREEZES: Officer finds quiet town a contrast to Boynton

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 15:52

By Kelly Wolfe It’s 8:03 on a Saturday night in January — arguably the busy season — on a mild evening just after the cold snap. Boynton Beach Police Officer Mike Mulcahy is on duty. In the past hour and a half, he’s cruised each Briny street; shined his spotlight in between each trailer; walked the length of the clubhouse and checked the beach for vagrants. He’s sat at the red light; shined lights on the boats and been invited to a fish fry.

Suddenly, screams pierce the quiet night. Mulcahy races in that direction. In his bulletproof vest, flashlight and sidearm, he’s ready for anything. But what Mulcahy discovers is an overzealous swimmer. This is the Briny beat. It came at a price tag of $212,100 in 2009, and Briny Beach’s contract with Boynton Beach calls for a 4 percent increase each year. But the contact expires Oct. 1. Briny has sent out a request for proposals. And residents are expected to be locked in debate over the next few months, weighing the cost of the contract with whether this level of service is required. “It’s a lot of money,” said Harold “Doc” Burton, who’s had a presence in Briny for the past 40 years. “Does Briny get its money’s worth? I can’t tell you that. It’s something that deserves, and should have, discussion. I don’t know.” Before hiring Boynton, Briny contracted with the 13-member Ocean Ridge Police Department for much less — $149,860 in 2006-07. This year the department responded to Briny’s RFP with a proposed cost of $185,000 and without conditions requiring that if an emergency were to occur in both places at the same time, police officers would respond to Ocean Ridge first — a condition objected to by Briny. Still, Briny Breezes had requirements that Ocean Ridge felt they couldn’t meet. "They wanted us to guarantee that a police officer would sit in Briny Breezes for eight hours," Terry Brown, Ocean Ridge City Councilman said. "That's a whole shift. We can't do that." Briny Breezes Mayor Roger Bennett said the town started to get quite a few “curious visitors” back in 2006, when it looked like a property sale was going to make the residents of Briny millionaires. He said the town’s contract with Boynton is worth the extra money. “We were concerned with the traffic we were getting,” Bennett said. “That has been really controlled and we don’t have any problem with that now. “ Bennett said he feels a lot more secure with Boynton than he did with Ocean Ridge. “It’s just my view, but they pay more attention to us,” Bennett said. He added, “They really know the criminal element. They have all kinds of problems in Boynton and they know what’s going on in this world.”

After the swimmer, Mulcahy cruised by the ping pong tournament and exchanged pleasantries with everyone inside.

Then he crossed the street and busted in on a six-woman Dominoes game. “Hide the money, hide the money,” they shout when the tall police officer strides in. Even with the bulletproof vest, Mulcahy is no match for these ladies. “Do you have a grandfather?” one asks. They ask Mulcahy where his counterpart is. (Two Boynton Beach officers are unofficially assigned to the Briny beat. They take turns on the night shift.) “We haven’t seen him in a while,” one lady said. Then she points at her buddies. “They asked him to frisk me and he never came back.” Mulcahy laughs. He said he’s not bored out here. He said he enjoys the people, and enjoys keeping an eye on things. When the weather is nice, he rides a police-issued bicycle. It’s a welcome break from Boynton Beach — where crime is so steady the city is a regular on the television show Cops. “I catch my breath here,” he said. But when dispatch reports that a gun-wielding man has barricaded himself in his house, Mulcahy can’t help himself. “I would love to be there right now,” he said. Harold “Doc” Burton said the biggest crime in Briny involves trespassers — people who aren’t shareholders sneaking on the property and using the Laundromat, beach or pool. These are all matters Briny resident Rita Taylor said could be handled by a smaller department. “I don’t have anything against Boynton,” Taylor said. “I just think the needs of Boynton are different than the needs of Briny.” She said, for her, it’s not so much about the money as it is about having a force that understands the community. “We don’t have bars or fights breaking out; we’re all too old to fight,” she said. “We have trespassing, loose dogs or a car going the wrong way.”

LANTANA: More beach access points put forth

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 15:15

By Margie Plunkett Lantana isn’t obligated to provide beach access to its neighbors, as far as the county’s concerned, and an increasingly obstinate Mayor David Stewart said he told the county that Lantana won’t allow it for anything less than a six-digit fee. Mayor and council also planned to send a letter to South Palm Beach to set it straight on the facts in that town’s correspondence with the county. The saga of beach access started late last year as the ocean rolled up to Imperial House’s door and threatened to topple the co-op, undaunted by the failed seawall, which needed repairs from earlier storm damage. When Imperial House of South Palm Beach sought beach access to stage equipment and materials to repair the wall, Lantana put up a $250,000 fee to cover beachgoers’ inconvenience as well as costs the town said it incurred because of the unrepaired wall. Lantana also said it didn’t want its taxpayers paying for South Palm Beach’s responsibilities. The latest correspondence included a Jan. 7 letter from County Attorney Howard Falcon, responding to South Palm Beach’s inquiry to County Commissioner Steve Abrams about use restrictions on Dorothy Rissler Drive that would allow beach access. The attorney said he didn’t believe Lantana had violated use restrictions set by the county, and therefore the property would not revert to Palm Beach County. Falcon also wrote he didn’t believe the use restrictions gave South Palm Beach or Palm Beach County any rights to access the beach. And the county itself had to enter an interlocal agreement with Lantana giving it access for beach management. The county has no legal reason to require Lantana to allow South Palm Beach access, the attorney wrote. Mayor Stewart and council agreed to send South Palm Beach a letter setting straight facts in that town’s inquiry to the county. In December, Town Manager Michael Bornstein wrote similarly to Imperial House’s attorney to address earlier contentions he had made. Meanwhile, during the early January council meeting Lantana Mayor Stewart got counsel consensus to investigate whether an area of South Palm Beach docks that is actually in Lantana waters is being properly assessed in Lantana’s tax rolls. The mayor says if Lantana isn't getting money from them, it should be. Bornstein requests — and gets — a pay cut The Lantana council approved Town Manager Mike Bornstein’s annual evaluation and accepted Bornstein’s proposal to reduce his salary of $102,000 to $97,000 and to extend his contract through 2012. Council approved it despite sentiment voiced by several members that Bornstein was worth his salary — and that they would only support the proposal because he asked them to. Bornstein, who also drew praise from residents attending the meeting, said later that over the last couple of years he has often read about bankrupt companies laying off the rank-and-file, but he never reads about leadership making sacrifices themselves. The town manager said he believed it was the right thing to do.

Ocean Ridge: Colonial Ridge residents seek access control

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 15:04

By Margie Plunkett Colonial Ridge Club residents want to put up gates to stop motorists and pedestrians from cutting through the property located between A1A and Old Ocean Boulevard as well as using the condo’s parking spaces. A group of residents and officers appeared before Ocean Ridge commissioners in January, requesting permission to install an electric gate at the A1A entrance of the condominiums at 5505 N. Ocean Blvd., which would be attached to a wall that already encroaches the town’s right of way. Commissioners, however, noted that the plan had grown beyond the initial request and could require a site plan of parking spaces and traffic flow. They also directed Ocean Ridge Police Chief Edward Hillery to talk with Boynton Beach fire-rescue officials to ensure the plan allows acceptable access for emergency crews. The Colonial Ridge Club group was ultimately directed to meet with Town Attorney Ken Spillias to determine its next step, but not before laying out a plan that would add gates to entrances on both Old Ocean Boulevard and A1A and that could change the traffic pattern within the complex. The gate at Old Ocean Boulevard would be an entrance only, while the A1A gate would be used solely as an exit. At least some parking spaces would be redesigned at a slant. Patricia Colica and Mary Ellen Bernklau told commissioners that the gate was necessary to prevent access by motorists who don’t live in the community as well as to curtail increasing instances of crime. Besides beach-goers’ frequent use of the parking spaces, the community has had break-ins and an intruder who refused to leave its pool for hours, they said. Also, the parking lot has become a shortcut between A1A and Old Ocean Boulevard. “If we tell people they’re encroaching on our property, they swear at us,” said Bernklau. The exit-only gate would also ease traffic congestion on A1A, which backs up when motorists make a left turn into the community. While residents would have “clickers” to electronically open the gates at will, service providers — such as for regular garbage pickup — could be given a code for access. Commissioners raised safety concerns after they were told residents could use clickers to exit through the entrance gate, and two-way traffic was planned inside the community’s gates. “We want you to all be happy, but we have to be concerned with the safety of it,” said Mayor Ken Kaleel. “It has to meet whatever codes that we have to deal with.”

OCEAN RIDGE: Town Hall to feature artists’ work

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 15:01

By Linda Haase The walls in Ocean Ridge Town Hall will be transformed from stark to spectacular this month. Instead of white, barren space, visitors and staff will be greeted by vibrant watercolors depicting banyan trees, feeding koi and palm fronds, oils portraying stunning horizons and intriguing bronze sculptures. The exhibit — which kicks off with an open house/silent auction/meet the artists at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 — will be displayed for two months. “Since its official inauguration Oct.7, 2008, the walls of the new Town Hall of Ocean Ridge have been bare. That is about to change,” says Ocean Ridge resident Dr. John Wootton, who organized the exhibit. Hopefully, says Wootton, it will jumpstart other exhibits and activities at the building. “We have a beautiful Town Hall, but it’s not utilized for many things. We’d like it to be more of a hub for the community since Ocean Ridge doesn’t have any gathering spots other than the beach,” Wootton says. “There’s a book club that meets there monthly, but it would be nice to have more activities. Bringing people in for this exhibit is the first step.” The artists, Max Matteson, Olga Moore and Steve Greenhut, hope visitors realize the importance of artwork in public places after seeing the exhibit. And, they say, it’s a great way to showcase their art. “A beautiful new building with stark white walls, that’s what every artist yearns for,” says Moore, an Art Institute of Chicago graduate whose work showcases the vibrant colors in nature, using deep shadows for emphasis. Eight of her watercolors will be displayed, including Feeding Frenzy, created after she saw fish clambering for food at the Morikami museum pond.

Greenhut’s bronze sculptures will also be displayed. Greenhut, an Ocean Ridge resident who studied under artist Luis Montoya, starts with clay to create his intricate work. His display includes The Soothsayer of Truths, an abstract of various people he has known.

Oil paintings from Matteson’s “Horizon Series” are minimalist in nature, imparting a sense of pleasure, rest and repose. “I use a blending of colors which is very soothing,” says Matteson — also an Ocean Ridge resident, whose work is also displayed at Button Gallery in Douglas, Mich. “The commission wanted to get some paintings up but didn’t have money to buy them. John took the bull by the horns and organized this,” says Ocean Ridge Town Manager Ken Schenck. “These are first-class, professional artists and their work will definitely beautify things. It will also be something else for citizens to see and get involved in.” Moore and Matteson’s artwork will be available for sale. Proceeds will be used to support public art in Ocean Ridge. If you go: Grand Opening Art Exhibition and Reception Where: Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N. Ocean Blvd. When: 6 p.m. February 25, 2010 Details: Silent auction will feature three artworks (two by Olga Moore and one by Max Matteson). One hundred percent of the proceeds from that will be donated to public art in Ocean Ridge as will thirty-five percent of the proceeds from any sold exhibited artwork.

Along the Avenues: Five ♥ recommendations for Valentine's Day

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 15:00

By Thom Smith Virginia may be for lovers, but let’s face it, if you could choose where to be on Valentine’s Day, which would you prefer: some icy condo along the Chesapeake Bay or one of the choice beachfront resorts along A1A between Lake Worth and Highland Beach? To sweeten the pot, several of our local resorts are offering lovebird specials that show off the best in their bedrooms and their kitchens. ♥ While the Palm Beaches have nothing to compare to the Seine, The Restaurant at The Four Seasons will offer Valentine’s Day images of Paris represented by brilliant flower arrangements, a chocolate Eiffel Tower, candles and live jazz, plus a special four-course menu from Executive Chef Darryl Moiles. Price: a modest $95. (561-582-2800).

After a summer hiatus, The Restaurant reopened in late November with a new look and a more casual atmosphere and a new menu acknowledging guests’ desires for more Atlantic seafood dishes, the fresher the better. Thanks to modern technology and transportation, Moiles can order Dover sole from Europe at 6 p.m., and serve it the next night, usually enhanced with herbs from the resort’s own organic herb garden, weather permitting. Sometimes, however, weather prohibits, as the recent cold snap left the garden wilted and useless. It will recover quickly, but in the interim, Moiles can rely on fresh herbs grown locally in greenhouses protected from the elements. ♥ For six couples only, the Omphoy — a brief northward stroll from the Lake Worth Pier — offers a sweetheart deal: private beach dinners for two, in one of four private beachside dining rooms or one of two pagodas nestled among the lush foliage on the terrace. James Beard Award-winning chef Michelle Bernstein has worked up a five-course menu that starts with oysters, a classic aphrodisiac, and caviar and ends with a decadent dessert for two with wine and Champagne to complement each dish. Strolling musicians, glistening stars and the sounds of waves breaking on the shore add to the romantic experience. The private dining rooms start at $500, the pagodas at $400. Once those are taken, or for those with more modest expectations, dining reservations also are accepted at Michelle Bernstein at The Omphoy. Guests wishing to make a day of it can hit Exhale Spa for a deep flow massage or a facial, followed by dinner and then extend the bliss in one of the resort’s 130 rooms with rates starting at $349. (561-540-6440 or www.omphoy.com). ♥ Based upon first impressions, you might think Ritz-Carlton Executive Chef Ryan Artim has gone off the deep end of the resort’s pool. He’s featuring a deluxe BBQ burger for two in The Breeze outdoor patio. But the Ritz never does anything ordinary. The Breeze’s Bubbly & BBQ dinner, meant to be shared, includes a 16-ounce sirloin burger for two, with barbecue-braised short ribs, Gorgonzola tater tots and a bottle of Champagne. The complete dinner is $100, or share just the burger with your sweetheart for $40. Artim also has a cabana dinner of four courses: a seafood ice starter (with Florida stone crab, citrus poached shrimp, Wianno oysters and American caviar), farmer’s dream salad (Local heirloom tomatoes, Buratta cheese, Opal basic and aged balsamic drizzle), Land & Water Delight Main Course (wood-grilled dry-aged filet mignon, horseradish-crust fennel-glazed sea bass, Champagne buerre blanc-herbed Parmesan polenta, jumbo asparagus, roasted porcini mushroom sauce) and Cupid’s Heartbeat dessert (strawberry chocolate Kit Kat bar, strawberry sorbet). Wash it down with two premium cocktails, two glasses of Champagne and a choice bottle of wine for $500 per couple. Artim has even come up with a take-out Valentine’s special: a bottle of Champagne, a seafood platter (12 Gulf shrimp, eight oysters, four stone crab claws, with sauces), fresh salad of field greens, red beets, spiced walnuts, cucumber and a Champagne dressing, a main course of two eight-ounce filets mignon with horseradish crust, au gratin potato, asparagus and fricassee of mushroom, and a decadent Cupcake Tic-Tac-Toe Dessert. Price: $150. Temple Orange, the resort’s signature restaurant, will offer Valentine’s Day pre fixe menu at $120 per couple on Feb. 13 and 14. From Feb. 6-21, the Ritz’s Eau Spa is offering “Pearls and Champagne” Valentine’s specials ranging from a $75 do-it-yourself package to a $485 signature treatment that includes cocktails, chocolates, Champagne bubble bath and full body massage. (561-533-6000). ♥ A little further south, the Delray Beach Marriott’s Romance Package, not only for Valentine’s Day but throughout the season, offers a deluxe oceanfront suite, breakfast for two, a $75 voucher applicable for dinner or room service, bottle of Champagne and strawberries upon arrival and late check out. Valentine’s weekend price $449, with promotion code LVU. Additionally, the Marriott’s Seacrest Grill has lovebird specials for non-guests. (561-274-3200). ♥ And just a block to the west, The Seagate in Delray is offering deluxe rooms, Champagne and “tuxedo” strawberries upon arrival and a couples massage in The Seagate Spa for $725 a night from Feb. 11-21. That’s 20 percent off its regular rate. For guests who prefer not to hit one of the many restaurants along Atlantic Avenue, executive chef Adam Gottlieb has worked up a romantic menu. (561-665-4800). • Joyce Brown at Flamingo Clay studio has put out a call to her fellow artists to fire 1,000 individual bowls for the Haitian Empty Vessel project at Clay Glass Metal Stone Gallery in Lake Worth. People can buy the bowls ($25 or four for $80 in advance, $35 at the door) and then use them to sample a “taste of Lake Worth” at many of the town’s restaurants on a date to be determined in early March. Details are still sketchy because Brown wanted to generate bowl production first, but restaurants are already responding, she said. Each bowl will be handcrafted and buyers will be able to choose theirs at the gallery, first come, first served. Those e-mailing Brown at jclay6@aol.com will be notified of the details. Anyone wishing to become involved or seeking more information may call 561-588-8344. • Now that his new Delray gastropub, The Office, is open, and celeb chef Mark Militello is lording over the kitchen, owner David Manero can finally relax. R-i-i-i-ght! Word has it Manero often sits at an outside table that allows scrutiny of not only The Office, at the northeast corner of Atlantic and Second Avenue, but also his popular Vic & Angelo’s across the street. Manero describes The Office as “not quite a bar and not quite a restaurant … offering a casual-meets-refined atmosphere that welcomes beer drinkers and wine snobs, non-fussy eaters, and foodies alike … A charming neighborhood watering hole.”

BRINY BREEZES: Theft spree unsettles residents, police advise locking cars

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:52

By Margie Plunkett A rash of burglaries from parked autos this month sent Briny Breezes residents a clear message: Lock your cars. Boynton Beach police arrested a suspect, the 21-year-old son of a Briny Breezes resident, on Jan. 27 after GPS units, cash and other valuables were swiped from several cars in the area, none of them locked. At least two unlocked homes also were burglarized of computer equipment, camera and cash in the same timeframe, although it was unclear if the cases were related. After the crime spree — rare in Briny Breezes — Town Council played to a full house at the monthly meeting Jan. 28, as 40 concerned residents filled the seats and learned an arrest had been made. Questions arose addressing what is the best time for Boynton’s regular police shift in Briny Breezes, and how the arrest stacked up to others in the past. “This has been the first crime spree in the area. This is not an everyday event,” said Sgt. Frank Danysh, the Police Department liaison for Briny Breezes. Police don’t know if others were involved with the burglaries, he said. Boynton Beach police made the arrest after Ocean Ridge police detectives provided a possible suspect, according to Boynton Beach Public Information Officer Stephanie Slater. “It goes without saying that we are always appreciative of any organization or individual that provides us with information that leads to an arrest,” Slater said. Both police departments have put in proposals for providing police services to Briny Breezes when the current contract with the Boynton Beach Police Department expires this year. Boynton police confirmed the lead with records from a pawn database that showed the suspect pawned three GPS units at the Fassst Cash Pawn shop in Boynton Beach, which Briny Breezes residents later identified as units stolen from their cars. After the arrest, police discovered 10 more GPS units in the suspect’s home. While the incident started with the three burglaries, more later emerged as word of the crimes started to spread and more residents checked the contents of their cars. The suspect is thought to have committed more than a dozen car burglaries and was charged with 12 felony counts of burglary, grand theft, dealing in stolen property and false verification of ownership of property to a pawnbroker. More charges were pending, the Police Department said. Officers took the opportunity to urge residents to “try a little TLC:” Take out valuables. Lock their cars. Close the windows.

Haiti Relief —How you can help

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:46

Local Boynton Beach fire stations: Station No. 4 at 1919 Federal Highway, and Station No. 5 at 2080 High Ridge Road, are accepting food, water, medical supplies and diapers. The Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach is collecting money for the Catholic Relief Services. Checks can be sent to Catholic Relief Services, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203. Write “earthquake in Haiti” in the memo field or call 1-877-435-7277. Community Caring Center of Boynton Beach: The Ocean Avenue Green Market Cafe is accepting blankets, medicine and water on behalf of the community center. Items can be dropped off at 400 E. Boynton Beach Blvd. Call 752-8598 for more information. Delray Beach fire stations: All fire stations and the Delray Beach City Hall are drop-off sites for canned food, medical supplies, bottled water, flashlights, etc. Our Lady Of Perpetual Help Church: The Haitian Catholic Mission is accepting non-perishable food and water at 510 SW Eighth Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33444. St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church: 840 George Bush Blvd., 276-6892, accepting non-perishable food and water. United Way of Palm Beach County: Donate to the disaster fund at www.unitedwaypbc.org or send checks to 2600 Quantum Blvd., Boynton Beach, FL 33426. Make the checks out to UWPBC/Haiti Relief Effort. National American Red Cross is accepting donations at www.redcross-pbc.org, or send checks to the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, 825 Fern St., West Palm Beach, FL 33401, or call 833-7711. Cell phone users can make a $10 donation by texting HAITI to 90999. Doctors Without Borders: Donations can be made at 1-888-392-0392 or checks can be mailed to Doctors Without Borders USA, P.O. Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741. Food For The Poor is accepting monetary donations as well as canned food, condensed and powdered milk and medical supplies. These can be dropped off at 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073. You can also call 954-427-2222 or donate online at www.foodforthepoor.org. The International Firefighters Assistance needs relief supplies and monetary donations. Drop-off sites include any West Palm Beach fire station and checks can be mailed to IFA, 10693 Wiles Road, Suite 119, Coral Springs, FL 33076. Missionary Flights International needs donations such as blankets, snacks, soap, flashlights and batteries. Drop-off sites includes New Beginnings Chapel, 8431 Lake Worth Road, Lake Worth, FL 33467 and the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, 9901 Donna Klein Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33428. On the Web at www.missionaryflights.org. Partners In Health: The nonprofit which brings modern medical care to poor communities is accepting monetary donations online at www.standwithhaiti.org. Or checks can be mailed to Partners In Health, P.O. Box 845578, Boston, MA 02284. Write “Haiti” in the memo field. Salvation Army: Checks can be sent to The Salvation Army of Palm Beach County, P.O. Box 789, West Palm Beach, FL, 33402. Write Haiti Disaster in the memo field. Donate online at

www.uss.salvationarmy.org

www.uss.salvationarmy.org. UNICEF: Call 1-800-UNICEF or donate at www.unicef.org. World Food Program: Donate online at www.wfp.org or text the word FRIENDS to 90999 and $5 will go toward the effort in Haiti. Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund: Created by Haitian musician Wyclef Jean. Go to www.yele.org or text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 from your mobile phone. Youth Co-Op Inc. Refugee Services: Accepting canned goods at its office at 2112 Congress Ave., Palm Springs, FL 33406.

Delray men among earliest responders to Haiti

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:35

By Christine Davis Frank McKinney, Delray Beach real estate developer and founder of the Haitian charitable foundation The Caring House Project, has been chartering planes to travel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, along with medical and search-and-rescue experts.

Four Delray Beach firefighters — Ed Beardsley, Ed Crelin, Steve Moews and Greg Tabeek — were part of the first group to respond in mid-January. The group set up tents and slept at the end of the runway of the city’s airport. They took search assignments from United Nations officials and worked with a Peruvian rescue team and Jordanian and Nicaraguan security teams. “During the time that we were there, 43 people were extracted,” McKinney said. “We were responsible for four rescues.” The first people they rescued were trapped in an apartment building, and it took more than 12 hours to dig them out. The third rescue, a man trapped under a metal bed in the collapsed Doctors Without Borders hospital, took a little under three hours to free. A fourth man was taken to the hospital by McKinney, who had been flagged down while acting as an “ambulance driver,” he said. By the time McKinney’s first team left, there were “2,500 search-and-rescue individuals from 49 countries,” he said. Now, though, as the search and rescue portion is finished, the relief effort is under way. “At the point of our departure, huge cargo planes were being offloaded by 5,000 military,” McKinney said. On Jan. 21, McKinney sent a second plane with 3,000 pounds of food to the town of Jeremie. The Caring House Project has raised $3 million over the past 12 years to build self-sustaining villages. “Through the schools and orphanages, the project has touched the lives of 4,500 people,” McKinney said. Now, half of the villages are either completely destroyed or damaged. The Caring House Project was ready to build three more villages this year, but McKinney will put that off until next year, he said. “The funds we had set aside we used for the search and rescue effort. Our charity is also good at rebuilding, but that’s phase six, and now is not the time for that.”

Mayfair House board offers beach access to Imperial House

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:25

By Tim O’ Meilia The Mayfair House has come to the rescue of the Imperial House, a nearby six-story co-operative in South Palm Beach in danger of collapsing into the Atlantic Ocean during another angry nor’easter. The Mayfair House, five buildings north, has offered to allow its neighbors access to the beach through its parking lot for the equipment and materials necessary to build a seawall to protect the Imperial House against the encroaching ocean. “It’s humanitarian,” said Mayfair resident Joan McManus, who urged her board of directors to allow the access. “If another nor’easter or a hurricane comes, they’re finished. I couldn’t let that happen.” Imperial House had tried unsuccessfully to persuade the town of Lantana to allow access through the town’s beach. Lantana wanted more than $200,000 to make up for redesigning its own seawall when the Imperial House didn’t erect one in 2008. South Palm Beach appealed last month to Palm Beach County for help, but the county attorney’s office said that Lantana was not overstepping its rights. “We’re going to take it and run,” Imperial House board member Bonnie Fischer said of the agreement. Not all of the details have been worked out. Imperial House likely will pay a fee but tens of thousands of dollars less than Lantana’s demand. Mayfair House is in the midst of erecting its own $1.6 million seawall. In November, waves lapped against a sidewalk surrounding the Imperial House and emergency concrete and boulders were trucked in to halt further erosion. “Before, there was no hope,” Fischer said. “Now, it’s like a miracle.”

SOUTH PALM BEACH: Planning board members keep seats

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:23

By Tim O’Meilia For the second time in three months, South Palm Beach Mayor Martin Millar’s attempt to remove three planning board members failed by an identical 3-2 vote. The mayor called for the removal of planning board Chairman Mike Nevard and members Pat Festino and Dee Robinson at the Jan. 26 Town Council meeting after a fourth planning board member, Michael Mead, complained that the three had conflicts of interest in considering a proposed 10-story hotel. “Why is everyone afraid of an investigation by an independent body?” asked Mead, who said his complaints to Town Hall were unheeded for several months. The owners of the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, whose plans to erect a larger hotel were rejected last year, complained by letter last month that the three planning board members violated state law and were biased against the project. Festino and Robinson live in buildings next to the proposed hotel and Nevard lives across the street. Millar and Councilman Brian Merbler voted to remove the members. Council members Joseph Flagello, Donald Clayman and Charles McCrosson opposed the removal. In November, the council asked the state ethics commission to review the actions of the planning board members. In response, the general counsel for the ethics board said an advisory opinion could not be given because the facts in the case are in dispute. He said a formal complaint leading to an investigation and presentation of evidence was the alternative. No complaint has been filed. “The town has spent $2,000 and 11-and-a-half hours of legal resources on this issue. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a dead issue,” Flagello said.

Filing open for March 9 municipal elections

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:18

By Margie Plunkett Municipal elections are scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, and candidates for open seats face deadlines in the second week of February. Election dates at seven municipalities in The Coastal Star’s coverage area run in synch with Palm Beach County Supervisor of Election’s uniform election date this year, the second Tuesday of March. All but one town has seats up for election, although all contenders won’t be known until the end of the candidate qualifying period. The following seats are open for election: Briny Breezes: Seats up for election this term are mayor, three aldermen and town clerk. The incumbents are Mayor Roger Bennett and Town Clerk Kathleen Bray and Aldermen Sharon Kendrigan, Nancy Boczon and Karen Wiggins. Candidates must file by noon Feb. 9. Delray Beach: Two commission seats with two-year terms are open and candidates must file by noon Feb. 9. The seats are currently held by Commissioners Fred Fetzer and Angeleta Gray. One other candidate had filed to compete for Fetzer’s seat by the end of January, Darin Wade Mellinger. Gulf Stream: No seats are up for election. Lantana: Two council member seats with three-year terms are open, held by incumbents Lynn Moorhouse and Vice Mayor Cindy Austino. Candidates must file by noon Feb. 9. Manalapan: Three commission seats with two-year terms are open. Candidates must file by noon Feb. 9. Candidates for incumbent Peter Blum’s seat must reside on the ocean; for the seat held by Robert Evans, candidates can reside anywhere in the town; and for the seat held by incumbent Tom Thornton Jr., they must reside in the Point. Ocean Ridge: One commission seat is open for a three-year-term, held by incumbent Lynn Allison. Candidates must file by 3 p.m. Feb. 12. South Palm Beach: Two council seats with two-year terms are up for election this year. Incumbent Vice Mayor Charles J. McCrosson is relocating and won’t run. The second seat that opens is held by Dr. Joseph Flagello. One candidate, Iris Lieberman, had filed by the end of January. Deadline for contenders is noon Feb. 9.

SOUTH PALM BEACH: Petition drive falters with clerk’s ruling

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:15

By Tim O’Meilia A petition drive to banish a high-rise hotel permanently from the South Palm Beach landscape was rejected by town officials Jan. 26. More than 20 percent of the town’s 1,300 registered voters signed petitions to put three charter questions on the March 9 ballot. But Town Clerk Janet Whipple ruled that the paperwork did not meet town charter or state law requirements. If approved by voters, new buildings would have been limited to a 60-foot height, voters would have decided comprehensive plan changes instead of the Town Council and no non-residential uses could be expanded. The signature drive, headed by resident Stella Jordan, was aimed at preventing any expansion of the two-story Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, the only non-residential building in town. Although more than the required number of signatures were obtained (15 percent according to the town charter, 10 percent according to town ordinances), the petitions were not filed the required 90 days before the election. Whipple also ruled that organizers did not follow other requirements, including forming a five-person committee. She also said they conflicted with state law on comprehensive plans.

Art and antiques events will whet a collector's appetites for finery.

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:05

It’s high season for antiques in South Florida. In the next month alone, there will be four major art and antiques shows in Palm Beach County, two of them noteworthy for the caliber of their wares. In addition to those, there also is a specialty glass and dinnerware show in Pompano Beach, and an estate sale that’s guaranteed to be loads of fun. And, if that’s not enough, you even can party among the finery in West Palm Beach. Enjoy! — Scott Simmons West Palm Beach Antiques Festival Shop for antique glassware, furniture, silver and glassware, as well as newer collectibles. This show, the largest of the season, with more than 1,000 dealers, typically takes up several buildings at the fairgrounds, so allow plenty of time to walk and shop. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 6; 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds, off Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach. Tickets: $7 adults, $6 seniors, free for 16 and under. $1 discount coupon available on the Web site: www.wpbaf.com. Phone: (941) 697-7475. American International Fine Art Fair See Old Master paintings, sculpture, jewelry and other fabulous things at this show, which is vetted by leading museum curators and experts. Designer Nancy Corzine, known for her contemporary luxe designs, is among the lecturers (3 p.m. Feb. 7). There also will be lectures on Van Cleef and Arpels jewelry (3 p.m. Feb. 6 and 1 p.m. Feb. 8) and on the legal issues of art appraisals (noon Feb. 7), among others. Noon-7 p.m. through Feb. 8 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Blvd. (across from CityPlace), West Palm Beach. Tickets: One-day pass, $25; one-day pass with catalog, $45; multiday pass, $35; multiday pass with catalog, $55; student, $10. On the Web: www.aifaf.com. Phone: (239) 949-5411. Delray Beach Antiques Show This show is small in size but traditionally is big in style and substance. The 30 dealers will offer period furniture, paintings, prints, glass, ceramics, textiles, rugs, silver, clocks, jewelry, maritime antiques and folk art from five centuries. Dealers specializing in such items as Staffordshire pottery and antique brasses will exhibit at the show. Each item is backed by a guarantee of authenticity, according to the show’s presenter, Armacost Antiques Shows. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 6; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 7, Delray Beach Community Center, 50 NW First Ave., Delray Beach. Tickets: $10 ($8 online). On the Web: www. ArmacostAntiquesShows.com. Phone: (202) 441-7407. Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show This is where royalty would shop; even one of the lecturers is a British lord. Two hundred dealers from around the globe — the United States, England, Canada, France and Turkey — will bring some of the finest in jewelry, furniture and Old Master paintings. And about those lectures — the first is 1 p.m. Feb. 13, and features that aforementioned noble, the Right Honourable Lord Raynham, Patron, American Friends of British Art, who will lecture on “The Townshends: An English Noble Family and Their Art.” Other lectures include talks by Gloria Lieberman of Skinner Inc., who will lecture on jewelry (3 p.m. Feb. 13), and the Flagler Museum’s own John Blades (1 p.m. Feb. 16), who will expound on “Tiffany at the World's Columbian Exposition.” Visit the show’s Web site for a complete schedule. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Feb. 13-15; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 16, Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Blvd. (across from CityPlace), West Palm Beach. Tickets: $15 daily; $25 for a four-day pass. On the Web: www.palmbeachshow.com. Phone: (561) 822 5440. American Glass, Pottery, Dinnerware Show and Sale The South Florida Depression Glass Club’s 36th annual show promises a little of everything from museum-quality pieces of art glass to that iced tea tumbler you need to replace in Mom’s Fostoria pattern. Dealers come from all over the country, so you never know what you’ll see. There also will be glass repair on site, as well as raffles and door prizes. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 13; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 14, Emma Lou Olson Civic Center, 1801 NE Sixth St., Pompano Beach. Tickets: $6.50. On the Web: www.sfdgc.com. Phone: (305) 884-0335. Evening on Antique Row The 15th annual Evening on Antique Row, sponsored by the Young Friends of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County and the West Palm Beach Antique Row Art & Design District, offers a great chance to help the historical society and enjoy a night out on the town. The high-end shops along Antique Row will be open, and booths up and down the highway will offer samples of fare from such places as III Forks Restaurant, Cafe Boulud, Cafe Chardonnay, C’est Si Bon Cucina Dell’Arte, Echo, Four Seasons Resort, Marcello’s La Sirena, Sushi Jo, Temple Orange at The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach and White Apron Catering, among others. 6-9 p.m. March 6, between the 3300 and 3900 blocks of South Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. Tickets: $45; $100 for general admission and after-party at Hotel Biba. Tickets available at check-in booths at the event, or online at www.historicalsocietypbc.org. Kofski Antiques Estate Sale This is as much a social event as it is a shopping opportunity. Hundreds of decorators, designers, socialites — you name it — queue up for these sales, which offer everything from fine antiques and carpets to household wares. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 6-7, Kofski’s Estate Sale Facility, 5501 Georgia Ave. (at Bunker Road), West Palm Beach. On the Web: www.kofskiantiques.com. Phone: (561) 585.1976.

Manalapan: Sand plant work goes on; new town manager sought

Posted by Mary Kate Leming on February 4, 2010 at 14:00

By Margie Plunkett

The sand transfer plant at South Lake Worth Inlet is up and running, but the new silence of its electric motor may be offset by the pounding of pilings through March, according to Manalapan Mayor Tom Gerrard.
“The plant was dead quiet from the outside,” said the mayor. The quiet motor pumps more efficiently than the old, smoky engine — and the mayor said during the town’s January commission meeting that he thinks a lot more sand will be pumped to the Ocean Ridge side. “That’s good for the county, not necessarily good for the beaches,” Gerrard said.
The Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management started reconstructing the sand transfer plant, jetties and a seawall on Bird Island in April. The construction was planned to increase the plant’s efficiency and replace damaged jetties and seawall.
While the plant is operating, construction is still off schedule and the county may be driving pilings for the jetties until March, Gerrard said. That could draw neighbor complaints, as has the noise and lights from a bulldozer that’s been in operation at the sand transfer plant to help move and pump sand accumulated while the plant was out of commission, he said. The town intended to verify that the county plans work only within normally allowed working hours.
In an effort to start building consensus on how much sand should be pumped, Gerrard said he met with Ocean Ridge Mayor Ken Kaleel.
“My hope is that it’s an agreement we have between the parties without having to convene a technical committee,” Gerard said. “The bottom line, we don’t have the final say.
“Ocean Ridge is interested in getting more sand on the beach,” the mayor said. “The county said even if it pumped 24/7, it would not satisfy the erosion of Ocean Ridge.” The county has replenished the sand in the past and paid for it, he noted, adding, “The county is interested in filling that beach with as much sand as they can.”
January’s commission meeting was the first without Town Manager Greg Dunham, who resigned late last year. The commission has started the search process and Commissioner William Berstein sorted through some 300 resumes submitted in response to advertisements, including in the Wall Street Journal and Craig’s List and government job Web sites.
Bernstein sorted out six candidates that he recommended, noting that the educational level of the bulk of resumes received was high. None of the candidates in his short list were from South Florida, although several had experience as town managers in Florida and elsewhere. Others had experience in the upper ranks of the military and private sector.
Mayor Gerrard directed commissioners to submit their own ranking of Bernstein’s recommended candidates by next meeting, and welcomed them to riffle through the stack of resumes to pull other candidates if they thought it appropriate. At its Feb. 23 meeting, the commission will select the top three candidates to be brought in and discuss the compensation package for the position.
In other business, Manalapan is expecting proposals it had solicited from Boynton Beach and Palm Beach County to outsource management of its water utility to be submitted by the February meeting.