Former part-time Manalapan resident Tom Petters was found guilty Dec. 2 of masterminding a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme.
Jurors in St. Paul, Minn. found the Minnesota businessman guilty on 20 counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
According to the government, Petters attracted massive investments from hedge funds and other institutions, ostensibly to buy consumer electronic goods and re-sell them to national big-box stores like Wal-Mart and Costco. But there was actually little or no merchandise and the operation consisted mostly of faking documents and keeping the cash.
“The verdict speaks clear,” one of three federal prosecutors on the case told the media following the verdict. “The Petters Company was a fraud and the company was Mr. Petters’ company.”
In July, a court-appointed receiver sold Petters’ Manalapan home for $9.5 million.
Petters faces up to life in prison. His attorneys say they plan to appeal.
— Mary Kate LemingRead more…
By Margie Plunkett
Following months of work by a committee, Manalapan officials and residents met in a December workshop to debate ways to landscape town swales yet protect electric, cable and water utilities.
The efforts seek a landscaping plan that provides guidance for residents who want to plant trees, but also allows the town to determine what trees are appropriate and won’t threaten infrastructure, either underground or overhead.
While commissioners can’t take action at a workshop, they agreed more information is needed: They directed staff to look into whether the water utility could map its lines and find a means to map other utilities, and asked Renny Reynolds of the landscape swale committee to supply names of landscape architects they could query.
Commissioners voiced their desire to protect the infrastructure, but also supported the committee’s efforts, noting a draft ordinance may be too restrictive.
“I happen to think that if our constituents want to improve the look of the town, we should accommodate them to the degree we can,” Commissioner Robert Evans said. “I’m concerned we may be too restrictive in an attempt to protect our infrastructure. We need more expert kinds of advice so we can determine what our town’s going to look like.”
Reynolds. a town architectural commission member and landscape architect whose work is published in magazines including Elle Décor, Architectural Digest and House Beautiful, told the committee that the draft ordinance is “so restrictive that there would be practically nowhere on the entire Point that trees would be allowed in the swales, and that if the guidelines were followed, many of the trees along A1A would need to be removed.”
Roy Rogers, a consultant who was involved with planning Weston, cautioned commissioners: “Don’t go into an ordinance that you may later regret and will have to later revisit. It’s important to know what the vision is as you go forward.”
Commissioner Kelly Gottlieb provided a reality check, reminding commissioners and residents that this year’s tight budget may be prohibitive.
At Manalapan’s regular meeting in December, commissioners:
• Directed attorney Trela White to draft an ordinance that would limit the size and number of real estate signs and eliminate all construction signs. They also asked her to research the development agreement for signs at Plaza del Mar.
• Approved Lisa Petersen as new town clerk to replace Kathryn Sims, who is leaving to move closer to her family. Petersen, now zoning and licensing administrator, will become clerk Jan. 4. Mayor Tom Gerrard suggested exploring ways to restructure the two positions and outsourcing building department responsibilities that could allow the town to eliminate one of the positions.
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By Nirvi Shah
For Donald Silpe’s 70th birthday, he got the ultimate gift for a lifelong scuba diver: an artificial reef built and named in his honor.
Silpe, who lives in Manalapan, said his family came up with the idea to make a donation to the county in exchange for a reef named in his honor. After months of paperwork, the family foundation’s $10,000 donation led to the creation of the Donnyboy Silpe Reef — just minutes from the edge of his beachfront home.
“It’s just been so much fun,” said Silpe, who has been scuba diving all over the world, including the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and reefs near Thailand and in the Red Sea. “We’re all ecology-minded and care about the reefs.”
Silpe retired to Manalapan about 20 years ago after working at a specialty meat company in Connecticut founded by his father. He and his family had been vacationing in Palm Beach County long before that.
He started scuba diving more than 50 years ago off Long Island, where he grew up. All three of his children, Jennifer, Greg and Jay, are also avid divers and his wife, Linda, snorkels. His granddaughters, Ava and Mariel, are learning to swim. The county had received donations for artificial reefs in the past, including from the West Palm Beach Fishing Club. But an individual donating the amount needed for a reef was a first. So although Silpe’s birthday was this past March, it took several months for the county to build the reef.
“We just didn’t have a policy,” said County Commissioner Jeff Koons, chairman of the county’s artificial reef enhancement program.
Over the summer, Silpe watched from his home as nearly 830 tons of limestone boulders were dropped 67 feet deep into the ocean alongside another artificial reef project the county had already invested in.
“We watched the barge with the actual reef go by,” Silpe said. Now, all county artificial reef documents will reflect the newly christened reef, which was officially named after Silpe in early December.
“We dive all over that area,” Silpe said.
He and Koons hope the donation encourages others to do the same.
“It kind of opens the door,” Koons said.
Although it took a few months, it could have been far longer. The county already had the site, and others, permitted for artificial reefs. Because of the number of agencies involved, permitting can take up to two years, said Carman Vare, a program supervisor in the county’s environmental enhancement and restoration division. So the county applies for multiple permits for a single area at once, Vare said. But once permits are obtained, a single approved area of a square half-mile of ocean floor may allow for 20 artificial reef projects. “We have a lot of fisherman, a lot of divers,” Vare said. “Everybody’s using the same amount of reef out there. It puts too much burden on the limited resources that are there.”
The artificial reefs provide the raw materials for sea life to flourish.
“It can be very productive by kick-starting a snapper fishery that otherwise wouldn’t be there. The reefs themselves, if you look at the complexity, there are nooks and crannies, hidey holes for small fish,” Vare said. “Soon the entire food chain will develop.”
This time, it’s thanks to Donald Silpe's family.
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By Tim O’Meilia
With the Imperial House facing another winter without a seawall, the South Palm Beach Town Council voted on Dec. 15 to ask Palm Beach County to intervene in a dispute between the condominium and the town of Lantana over beach access.
The 58-unit co-op adjoins the north end of Lantana’s oceanfront beach and needs the access to move construction equipment onto the beach to erect the seawall.
“We can’t support them financially but at least we can support them morally,” said Councilman Donald Clayman. South Palm Beach has no public beach of its own.
The council questioned whether Lantana could deny access to the beach under its agreement with the county when the town acquired Dorothy Rissler Road between the Ritz-Carlton and the south end of the Lantana beach.
Mayor Martin Millar opposed the letter. “It’s not our fight. We shouldn’t get into their fight,” he said.
On Dec. 14, the day before South Palm Beach met, the Imperial House offered to pay Lantana $5,000 for access, an offer Lantana Mayor David Steward called “insulting.”
Lantana wants a $213,500 payment from Imperial House which officials said is the cost of having to re-engineer its own seawall plans, change its permit and build an additional section to its seawall last year when the co-op delayed its plans to build a seawall. The co-op offered $35, 000 last month.
Imperial House directors say they can’t afford the fee on top of the $500,000 cost of building the seawall. Lantana granted emergency access in November so boulders could be moved in to shore up the condo’s temporary wall of blocks after a storm washed away a sidewalk near the six-story building.
“I’m deeply disappointed in Lantana’s denying access,” said Councilman Brian Merbler, who made the motion to send the letter to county officials through County Commissioner Steven Abrams. “For all intents and purposes, it’s shakedown of a quarter of a million dollars.”
Imperial House must begin work in January to complete the project by April 1, when turtle-nesting season begins and construction is forbidden.
Although he agreed it was a private fight between the co-op and Lantana, Merbler said, a damaging northeaster “would be a catastrophic event for the Imperial House and for the town of Lantana.
The 223-unit Mayfair House, five buildings north of Imperial House, began work on its own seawall. Lantana wanted $75,000 for access, but Mayfair House will use its own property although the project will cost more than the original $1.6 million.
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By Margie Plunkett
The Lantana Town Council dismissed as “insulting” a counterproposal from the Imperial House to pay $5,000 for beach access to fix its failing seawall, and said it would investigate if, under an agreement for emergency work, it could demand Imperial House put the beach back together and vacate within seven days. Mayor David Stewart and other council members balked at the counterproposal during a Dec. 14 meeting — a day before South Palm Beach voted to request assistance with beach access from the county. An earlier proposal by Imperial House had offered a $35,000 payment for access, which was still far lower than Lantana’s demand for $213,500 in total from Imperial House and the neighboring Mayfair House, which is also performing seawall work.
The Imperial House in South Palm Beach sought beach access after its failing seawall put the building in jeopardy of tumbling into the ocean. The co-op needed access to stage equipment and materials for construction of the seawall.
Lantana objected to free access for several reasons, including that the co-op’s failure to rebuild its seawall promptly after storm damage resulted in escalating costs for neighboring Lantana taxpayers when the town reconstructed its own seawall. Lantana also feared damage to its newly rebuilt seawall and said using the beach as a staging ground would deny residents enjoyment of the beach.
In its most recent proposal, Imperial House said that Lantana didn’t communicate the desire to coordinate seawall construction until three months after the town had completed its work and it was unreasonable to “punish” the Imperial House now. It took two years for the Imperial House to secure a Department of Environmental Protection permit for its construction, which DEP has never complained was an unacceptable time frame, the proposal said. And if Lantana has the right to charge for beach access, the fee should be based on “the value of access,” not current or projected costs to build Lantana’s seawall, it said.
While Imperial House’s proposals offered cash payments, they also listed other activities and services that the co-op assigned dollar value to and that it claims is a $214,500 value to Lantana. The latest includes that the co-op would build its seawall 15 feet farther west, which would save the town $90,000, but cost Imperial House nearly $40,000 more. It also offers that it could use a more northern access, rather than Dorothy Rissler Lane, and would extend that access to Lantana for the town to finish connecting its seawall to the co-op’s. It would also leave “rip rap” in place to protect the town’s dunes until the town has completed its seawall extension.
A second option in the same proposal would allow Imperial House to use Dorothy Rissler Lane for access and the co-op would obtain a security bond for any damages. The proposal would still extend the co-op’s seawall farther west and pay $5,000. Both Lantana officials and residents slammed Imperial House at the Dec. 14 meeting because it should be working with its own town, South Palm Beach, for access rather than expecting Lantana taxpayers to foot the bill.
When attorney James Charles of Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A., representing Imperial House, spoke, Stewart jumped in to say, "There's no opportunity at $5,000. You might as well sit down."
The minutes from the Dec. 7 special meeting indicate that the council voted to not allow heavy equipment access through Dorothy Rissler Lane that would cross over the Lantana seawall, unless approved by the town manager; it allowed an exception for smaller all-terrain and rubber-tire vehicles. In the minutes,Stewart said after visiting the Imperial House he believed the Imperial House had opportunities it hasn’t pursued for beach access without having to come through Lantana's beach.
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By Thomas R. Collins
Of all the tense exchanges over the years between city leaders and residents over whether to save the old Boynton Beach High School, it might be hard to find one more openly bitter than the one between Mayor Jerry Taylor and 50-year resident Victoria Costello recently.
“You could tear it down and build something as nice or better for less money than that,” Taylor said, to catcalls, as the commission considered a historic-preservation ballot item.
Costello came up to the microphone and scolded him.
“Don’t you ever say, ‘Tear down our history,’ ” she said. “What do you care about this city? … As far as you care, just rip it down.”
“That’s right,” Taylor told her.
“That’s disgusting,” Costello said.
“I’m sorry. That’s the way I feel,” Taylor replied.
Yes, the question of saving the school is as hot as ever.
Commissioners decided at their last meeting not to put on the ballot an item asking voters whether they’d be willing to spend $5.4 million on bonds to save the high school — a victory for preservationists, who feared the measure would never pass and who now have the time to put together a financial package to pay for the job instead.
“I believe that we should study this a little bit further and we should put the pieces together,” said Barbara Ready, chair of Save the Old School Space committee. “There’s a lot of funding out there available that we need to take advantage of before we go to the voters and ask them, in these times, to approve further debt.” She presented a rough proposal for turning the old high school into office, retail and cultural space, estimating that the job could be done for about $6 million, with a contribution of about $2 million from the city.
The bill could be paid for partly by tax credits and loan assistance, she said.
Not designating the entire building as cultural space means part of it would be generating revenue. But she urged the city to do a feasibility study to examine it more.
The 1927 building is on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation’s 10 Most Endangered list. The vote not to put it to voters was 3-2, with Taylor and Commissioner Ronald Weiland voting no, saying the voters should decide.
“You’ve got to go ask them whether they want to go out and borrow the money right now and redo that building and if they want to, great, I’ll be a hundred percent behind them,” Taylor said. “The city doesn’t have the money.”
Weiland doubted that any plan would actually work.
“We’ve been beating this up for more than 10 years,” he said. “I don’t see it happening.”
Commissioner Jose Rodriguez, who made the motion to abandon the ballot item, said that the building can be saved if the effort is made.
“This is history,” he said, “and once you tear it down, you cannot rebuild it.”
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By Thomas R. Collins
Palm Beach County public radio station WXEL President Jerry Carr is retiring from the station he has piloted for 13 years.
Carr ushered WXEL’s TV and radio operations into the digital age and led the station through repairs after Hurricane Wilma in 2005.
“It’s been a phenomenal ride,” Carr said. “No question about it.”
Carr will depart on March 31. His contract actually ran out at the end of the year, but was extended with Barry University, which runs the station. The interim president will be chief financial officer Bernie Henneberg.
Carr leaves with the potential sale of WXEL still up in the air. Barry University announced four years ago that it intended to sell the station, but the sale is still undone.
A sale to a New York buyer was shot down by the Federal Communications Commission and a potential deal with the Palm Beach County School District never materialized.
Barry spokesman Mike Laderman said nothing new has arisen on the sale front the past two months. He said Carr’s departure doesn’t lend any urgency to the sale efforts.
“We do not wish to rush into any decisions,” he said by e-mail. “Time is our ally, as we look to do what is in the best interest of all parties involved — WXEL’s employees, the communities the stations serve, and Barry University.”
The Community Broadcast Foundation, a group of local residents, is making a bid to buy the station, but nothing much has happened on that front, either. Carr, who has long been the public face of the station, has been reluctant to discuss the sale, saying that it’s being handled by the university and that he isn’t a part of the dealings. He admitted to avoiding media calls on the topic in the past.
He said that the board that ultimately oversees the station after it is sold should understand its fund-raising role. The Barry University board now, he said, is composed of university officials, not fundraisers.
“I think in the long run, in the long-term, it will be very beneficial for the station when there is a new board of directors and they accept the responsibility that their mission is to raise funds to operate the station and to oversee without getting involved the operation of the station,” Carr said. “That’s what it’s designed to do. That’s what every public broadcasting board is supposed to do.”
That said, the financial stability of the station is good, he said, contrary to the view that Barry wants to sell WXEL because it is troubled.
“That’s not the case at all. We’re doing nicely, thank you,” he said.
As he spoke, he said, a TV pledge drive was running ahead of its goal. All of the radio and TV drives have met their goals, he said. “I can’t complain,” he said. “The foundations have been good to us. Our donors have been good to us.”
Laderman said Carr quickly met the station’s goal of adding new local programming, and kept at it for a dozen years.
“His knowledge and understanding of the Treasure Coast, Palm Beach and South Florida audiences, as well as his overall experience, will certainly be missed,” he said.
Carr, who worked in the for-profit broadcasting business before coming to WXEL, said he will still work on programming and might serve on WXEL’s board after retiring. He said he’s enjoyed his time in the non-commercial business more than anything else.
There have been problems, including a four-year haggle with an insurance company for $625,000 in roof repairs after Wilma and having to raise $7 million — above the normal operations budget — to move from analog to digital. “It’s been an interesting time — there hasn’t been a day or week that hasn’t offered a challenge, but that’s what this is all about,” Carr said.
“I’m one of the lucky ones in that I thoroughly enjoy getting out of bed in the morning and coming to work.”
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By Margie Plunkett
County and town officials urged residents to keep pets up-to-date on rabies vaccinations after a rabid raccoon attacked a miniature Doberman at 9 E. Ocean Ave. early in December. Two family members were expected to undergo precautionary treatment for rabies and the dog is required to be in double-cage quarantine for six months, according to Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Health Department.
Rabies is deadly for animals and humans, according to the Health Department, which said anyone who has come in contact with a raccoon in the area should call 561-840-4500. The raccoon was confirmed rabid by the Florida State Laboratory in Lantana.
The dog’s owners and a veterinarian were evaluated by the Health Department to determine whether they should be given a series of shots used to treat rabies because they had come into contact with the raccoon’s saliva on the dog, O’Connor said. Michael Dubose, listed as owner of 9 E. Ocean Ave. along with Sharon Dubose, declined to comment, although he confirmed the pet, Rusty, is quarantined. Dr. Rob Martin of Colonial Animal Hospital, where Rusty is being cared for, said the dog’s vaccine was four or five months overdue when the incident occurred. “He’ s doing fine,” said the veterinarian, calling Rusty a well-loved pet.
The threat of exposure is probably over, Dr. Martin said, but “the potential exposure from this dog to the family could come for up to six months in the eyes of the law. Everybody’s desire is to keep the family healthy.” Other animals and staff at Colonial are at zero risk, Dr. Martin said, explaining that Rusty is in a separate room. Dr. Jim Weege of Colonial, who saw Rusty initially, wasn’t required to be treated for rabies, he said.
Ocean Ridge alerted residents to the attack on its Web site and warned them not to approach animals such as raccoons or attempt to feed them. It reminded residents that all dogs and cats must be confined inside the home or in a fenced yard, currently vaccinated against rabies and wearing a rabies tag.
Health Department spokesman O’Connor said this has been an average season for detected incidence of rabies. Residents have no reason to panic, he said, but warned that they should always keep pets up-to-date with rabies vaccines to protect both pets and family.
Animals that are not current on shots automatically must go into isolated quarantine when bitten by wildlife, whether rabies is confirmed in the attacker or not, O’Connor said.
Capt. Dave Walesky of Palm Beach County Animal Control said residents can have their pets vaccinated at either private veterinarian offices or by Animal Control. Call 561-233-1215 for vaccinations, to report sick wildlife or strays, or to report a person or pet has been bitten by wildlife or stray animals.
In separate news, Ocean Ridge commissioners voted at their December meeting to:
• Draft an ordinance increasing penalties for people failing to obtain building permits. For work under $5,000, the penalty will be two times the cost of a building permit plus $200; for work more than $5,000, it will be four times the cost of a permit. The previous penalty was two times the price of a permit.
• Pay remaining $1,000 health insurance deductible in 2010 for town employees using $26,000 from last year’s budget surplus.
• Approve placement of eight pedestrian signs in the middle of the road in crosswalks on A1A. The signs tell motorists to stop for pedestrians.
• Pay town employees a $500 year-end bonus from the contingency account.
• Give retiring Police Officer Gene Rosenberg an $800 outstanding bonus and his service weapon. Rosenberg will continue to work as a reserve police officer.
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By Christina Denardo
In an effort to revitalize Boynton Beach’s downtown and save money, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency is moving the annual free concert series from the waterfront to downtown.
It’s a return to downtown for the concert series, which was created 14 years ago under a different name, Tunes in Town, to boost city spirit. In 1998, the series moved to Oceanfront Park on A1A in Ocean Ridge. The monthly waterfront performances were popular, drawing about 400 people at each concert, said Kathy Biscuiti, the special events director for Boynton Beach’s CRA, which took over the event three years ago when it became a victim of the city’s budget cuts.
But because the park was not in the CRA’s zone, it couldn’t use taxpayer money to hold the free concerts and had to rely on private donors to pay for them. The concerts cost the agency between $7,000 and $10,000 every year.
The agency didn’t want to move the series because the venue was popular with concert attendees and it didn’t have a problem raising the money during the area’s economic boom.
“In years past, we had donors and it wasn't that hard,” Biscuiti said. “People were used to going there and people didn’t want change.”
Now organizers have no choice because of the economy. Private donors don’t have or won’t part with the extra cash. State and local budgets are also being axed.
But they hope that the additional parking downtown — previously attendees had to take a shuttle to the concerts — and nearby playgrounds will attract an even bigger and wider audience, including families and young adults.
The 2010 concert series begins Jan. 15 near the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum on Ocean Ave., and will be held the third Friday of every month through May. This year’s lineup will feature an array of local bands playing country music to calypso. Attendees should bring chairs or blankets.
“People are looking for a free night out, and this is something that brings in a lot of people from all over,” Biscuiti said. “We want to highlight our downtown. This is going to be a good change.”
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By Margie Plunkett
Briny Breezes’ appeal to pay lower residential water rates backfired after supplier Boynton Beach denied the request and determined that the seaside town actually should be billed even more.
Boynton Beach said it realized it has been undercharging — for 351 properties instead of a total 488 Briny homes — and Briny Breezes owed $68,000 more. That debt will be forgiven, but Boynton Beach will not repay a separate $26,000 it previously overcharged the smaller town.
Briny will end up paying an annual water bill of about $110,000 now, compared to $80,000 if it were charged inside rates, Mayor Roger Bennett said, adding that’s more than $40,000 higher than the last one-year period.
At the town’s December meeting, Bennett said he has sought the town attorney’s advice on Briny’s next step in the negotiations.
The plea for lower rates was made after Boynton Beach raised water rates across the board, which translated into 25 percent higher bills for Briny, according to Bennett. Briny also pays a 25 percent surcharge because it is outside Boynton city limits. Bennett argued that since neighboring Ocean Ridge pays inside rates, Briny should also.
Ocean Ridge pays the rates because when it split from Boynton Beach to form its own municipality in the early 1900s, it entered into an agreement that allowed it to own its water infrastructure and pay inside rates. Bennett contends Briny also was formerly a part of Boynton Beach and should be treated the same as Ocean Ridge. In addition, Boynton Beach has lower costs to service Briny Breezes, he says. Briny residents don’t have meters on their homes. The town is billed for three meters that serve the entire population. In Ocean Ridge, however, Boynton Beach has to read and bill some 800 meters by Bennett’s guess.
Water was among the escalating costs that led Briny Breezes to adopt a head-turning millage rate for its budget, assessing residents $10 per $1,000 of home value for municipal taxes. The town said it adopted the high rate because it didn’t know at the time how much water and services, including police protection, would cost.
“So our millage rate to cover all eventualities is coming to pass,” Bennett said at the December meeting.
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By Margie Plunkett
Gulf Stream commissioners are looking into hiring a consultant to determine the feasibility of burying electric lines and determining how much of the study’s cost the town’s Civic Association would pay.
Burying the town’s power lines would cost roughly $3.5 million, according to Bob Ganger, Civic Association president, who said power outages and safety considerations are behind the move. Underground electric lines would help eliminate outages, particularly during severe weather, he said.
A consultant could cost $25,000 to $40,000 for a study, which commissioners would like to address feasibility with the perspective of trying to save money.
Mayor William Koch Jr. directed Town Manager Bill Thrasher and the Civic Association to “get together and talk about participation of this study as a first step” and determine what the town would pay. The mayor contemplated some sort of taxation may have to be used to pay for it, while the longer term project could involve a municipal bond issue.
The Civic Association has said it would pay for at least half of a study. Ganger said that Jupiter Island’s project cost about $8 million, while Jupiter Inlet Colony, which he said is more comparable to Gulf Stream, was at $2 million to date in burying its lines.
Separately, the town gave final approval of an ordinance to regulate golf carts with speeds under 20 mph, a move to help police enforce responsible driving. State laws already regulate golf carts with higher speeds that require a driver’s license.
The ordinance limits the number of people riding in the cart to the number of seats and prohibits standing, towing and children riding on the driver’s lap. Gulf carts driven at night would be required to have safety equipment including headlights, taillights and turn signals.
While the ordinance does not require a driver’s license, state law doesn’t allow anyone younger than 14 to drive the carts. Golf carts are commonly used in town by residents running errands, taking children to and from school and general transportation. The town had received resident complaints about kids hanging off overloaded golf carts and golf carts towing skateboarders.
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By Christine Davis
In real estate it’s always been about location, location, location and our beautiful barrier island fits those requirements perfectly. This might explain the recent rash of real estate brokerage consolidations, mergers, moves and even new office openings in the Lantana/Manalapan area lately.
If you’re keeping a scorecard, break it out and follow the changes:
Ocean and Intracoastal Properties, at 237 E. Ocean, Lantana, which Bob Montgomery started 20 years ago, has been taken over by Linda and Tom Shea and Diane Harbison of Keller Williams.
“It’s a perfect match,” Montgomery said. “They are delightful and they are very entrepreneurial. They want to build the company and I’m past that. I just want to service my clients.
“It’s now their company, and that frees me up to sell, which is what I love to do. I never did want to spend my time as an administrator.”
This is a win-win for the Sheas and Harbison, too. “We are owners of two other Keller Williams market centers (franchises), in Lake Worth and Wellington,” Linda Shea said. “We went into this area because we know the value of that waterfront property and we want to be a part of that. The value that Keller Williams adds — we are a nationwide franchise, 72,000 agents strong — offers a nationwide reach to this wonderful boutique office.”
In July, Illustrated Properties Realty opened a new office at Plaza del Mar, 230 South Ocean Blvd.
Palermo-Long Realty, which had an office in Lantana for 35 years, merged with Illustrated and moved to the Plaza del Mar office.
“Once Bob Long, owner/broker of Palermo Long Realty, decided to close his office, I wanted to connect with a brokerage firm with similar values of the Palermo-Long brand, which had a reputation of integrity, expertise, customer service through relationship-building and networking within the community,” said Diane Duffy, a realtor with Palermo-Long who, after the merger, joined Illustrated Properties.
“Illustrated Properties was a perfect choice for me, since it is a long-standing family-owned business, yet it also provides a 26-office network of real estate professionals and offers corporate support, including specialized divisions in Relocation and Luxury Properties as well as a strong regional and international marketing plan.”
The transition has enhanced services for sellers and buyers, she said. “The Palermo Long roots run long and deep in the community and our personalized service and long-term relationships continue to sell properties.”
Bill Quigley, who opened Illustrated Properties’ first franchise nine years ago, has closed his office and moved to the new Illustrated Properties office in Plaza del Mar.
It’s a good move to be east of the bridge, which is scheduled to be closed for repairs, he said. “Most of our business is in the coastal communities.”
It’s a good business decision, too, he adds: “Illustrated, the largest independently owned real estate company in the area, saw an opportunity to increase market share,” he said.
“I had quite a few listings, as did Palermo Long. By combining the two offices, Illustrated Properties immediately had increased its market share and dominates the Hypoluxo Island and Point Manalapan area.”
Illustrated Properties strengths include “a complete marketing department and Web site coverage throughout the world,” Quigley said.
“We had opened a small office with Bill Quigley years ago,” said Chappy Adams, Illustrated Properties president. “We thought this would be a great opportunity to bring some great people together.”
Further south, Tauriello and Company Real Estate, which had branch offices in Manalapan and Lake Worth, has merged those offices with its Delray Beach office. “Delray Beach is my home base,” Sue Tauriello said. “When the market was booming, it was fine to have branch offices, but, in a recession, it just wasn’t cost-effective to keep them open.”
The new player in the area — Engel & Volkers — is a franchise purchased by Sheri and Paul Reback and their family last summer. They opened a Manalapan office in Plaza del Mar in December.
“Our franchise in Palm Beach was going well, and we decided that we wanted the bordering area,” Sheri Reback said. “When we learned that we could have the location we wanted, across the street from the Ritz-Carlton, which would be good for walk-in traffic, we bought the franchise.”
The Rebacks, who owned Reback Realty and have a 35-year history with North Palm Beach high-end residential properties, chose Engel & Volkers for the firm’s connections in Europe as well as its network here.
“The company did $7 billion in sales in Europe in 2008, and that was in a down market,” Reback said. “There are 500 franchises in 32 countries, and the company now has 28 offices in Florida.”
Another perk, she said, are three magazines that the company publishes that are good marketing tools for her agents: Global Guide European, Private Office and Private Residences.
“We have lots of listings in the Manalapan area. Within the next few months, we could have listings adding up to $150 million.”
Joining the Rebacks at Engel & Volkers in the Manalapan office are Bunny Hiatt and Jack Elkins, who specialize in waterfront homes in the Manalapan area and previously worked for the Corcoran Group. Also in the office is Charles Velie, formerly a Realtor with Premier Estate Properties.Read more…
Delray Beach commissioners authorized the Fire Department to apply for a grant from U.S. Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency that would fund four firefighter positions for Fire Station No. 2.
A successful grant would fund four positions for two years for about $300,000 a year. Delray Beach would have to commit to funding the third year. The Fire Department earlier this year reassigned paramedics on the rescue transport at Station No. 2 to the understaffed fire engine, idling the transport. The measure was expected to be temporary until the positions could be funded in the budget.
— Margie PlunkettRead more…
By Mary Katherine Stump
OCEAN RIDGE — Alphonse “Al” Lembo of Ocean Ridge died Nov. 23 at the age of 96. He was a 30-year resident of Ocean Ridge, and an active member of the Hypoluxo community.
“Al may have resided in Ocean Ridge, but his heart resided in Hypoluxo,” said Hypoluxo Mayor Kenneth Schultz.
Mr. Lembo was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., and for many years owned and operated the All Boros Building Materials Company there. “It was a building supply yard where you would go to get all of your building materials, before Home Depot existed,” said his daughter Margaret Lembo, a Lantana resident.
He was active in the Lion’s Club while in Brooklyn, and later the Lantana Kiwanis Club.
He spent his entire life working in the building and real estate industry, later founding and operating Hypoluxo Storage in 1981 after his move to Ocean Ridge in 1975. “There is a Lembo Circle in Clearwater because his father was a builder as well. Building was his life, “ said Ms. Lembo.
“My father was very self-motivated, and very entrepreneurial,” said Ms. Lembo. He worked for himself his entire life, and was always helping other people and getting to know his neighbors.”
Mr. Lembo was preceded in death in 1997 by his wife of 40 years, Antoinette Lorenzo Lembo. He is survived by three children: Nicholas Lembo of Brooklyn, N.Y., Mary Ann Garofala of Long Island, N.Y., and Margaret Ann of Lantana; four grandchildren and one great granddaughter.
Funeral services were held Nov. 27 at the Boynton Memorial Chapel, Boynton Beach.
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By Ron Hayes
OCEAN RIDGE — On Feb. 27, 1945, a B-24 bomber exploded during a bombing run over Leipzig, Germany.
Nose gunner/bombardier Don O’Fee, who normally didn’t wear a parachute, was wearing one that day. He landed in a field and was dragged until the chute was stopped by a large pile of cow manure. He was 19 that day, and would regale family and friends with the story for the rest of his 84 years.
An Ocean Ridge resident since 2002, Donald Robert O’Fee died Dec. 8 after battling cancer for a year.
“He was very lighthearted and always had a smile, always a joke,” recalled his son, Donald Jr., at whose home a memorial celebration was held Dec. 20. “He read two or three books a week and was a history buff who could talk to you about the American Revolution or the Civil War. He was a very intelligent guy.”
Taken prisoner by the Germans, Mr. O’Fee weighed 90 pounds when he arrived at an Army Air Corps convalescent hospital in Plattsburg, N.Y., after the war.
During a visit to the hospital, the famed World War II ace and founder of Eastern Airlines, Eddie Rickenbacker, told Mr. O’Fee to get in touch when he was released. With Rickenbacker’s help, he became the airline’s liaison and goodwill ambassador at its Newark terminal, and later handled airline and hotel accounts for a Madison Avenue marketing firm.
In 1972, the family moved to Hilton Head Island, S.C., where Mr. O’Fee and his wife, Jean, operated Harbour Lights Book & Gifts, The Bookmark, The Bookmark Volume II and Jean O’Fee’s Good Health for more than 25 years.
After his wife’s death in 2000, Mr. O’Fee moved to Ocean Ridge to be near his son. In recent years, he had worked as a concierge at the Delray Beach Marriott hotel.
“You never realize who your Dad was until you get older,” his son said.
In addition to Donald Jr., he is survived by another son, Douglas W. O’Fee; two daughters, Nancy Dunbar and Bonnie Moody; seven grandchildren; a brother, and three nephews.
A military burial will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on March 19, during the cherry blossom festival.
Donations in Mr. O’Fee’s memory may be made to the Vitas Foundation, 1901 S. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, FL 33426.
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Kathy Fazio “came home” to coastal Delray Beach with her husband, John. Her daughter, Annie, is now 22 and in Washington, D.C. Her son, Jay, is a junior at Southern Methodist University. In her spare time she keeps her fingers in the investment business by working with Bill Timpson, a Delray Beach investment adviser.
Kathy Fazio’s family grew from 2 to 27 children in eight years.
After her daughter and son left home, Fazio heard that Paul’s Place, an after-school program for neighborhood children at St. Paul’s, needed volunteers.
“Working with at-risk children right here in the local community had great appeal for me,” she said. “I had worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Boston.”
Years ago, some children had found the church’s playground — and some adults who were willing to help them with homework, Fazio explains. “The church recognized the need and formalized the program in 2000.”
In 2001, Fazio began volunteering by cooking a meal, one day a week. Soon, she was cooking every day. Then the program needed a new director, “and I found my hand going up,” she said. Now, she’s the everything person. “Mine is a wide and varied position, believe me,” she said. She shops, cooks, works on administrative duties, drives and fundraises.
“We have an annual budget of $100,000, and it’s my responsibility to raise that, and that’s not in my background,” she said.
Nevertheless, the school is thriving. It has grown to 27 children ages 7 to 17, mostly Haitian-Americans. She didn’t do it alone, she emphasizes. She takes a neighbors-helping-neighbors approach, and thanks many who volunteer time and money.
On staff with her is an FAU graduate student, Denise Copeland, and a social worker, Flore Die.
“We are lucky,” she said. “This time of year, a lot of people from the barrier island volunteer over here with cooking and driving.”
“Most of the dollars we raise — about 40 percent — come from individual donations from people from Delray Beach, Gulf Stream and Manalapan. For grants, we have a local family foundation and the church. We have a beautiful garden, thanks to the Grass River Garden Club. Sandoway House Nature Center and CROS Ministries have helped us out with scholarships for summer-camp programs. Gulf Stream School has been good to us, giving us food, clothes and even Christmas trees for the families.”
In the process of all this, Fazio has learned patience and that you don’t have to be a big organization to make a difference. “To know us is to love us,” she said.
— Christine Davis
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up in Grosse Pointe, Mich. I went to school there until the 10th grade, when I went away to boarding school in New York. I graduated and attended Pine Manor Junior College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park with a BA in history and political science.
Q. How did you become involved with Paul’s Place After School Program at St. Paul’s?
A. As my two children got older and went away to boarding school, I felt the need to fill up my “empty nest.” I more than accomplished this by volunteering for Paul’s Place and eventually becoming the director. I now have 27 children each day.
Q. What is the most challenging part of your job?
A. The most challenging part is doing everything from soup to nuts. I do the grocery shopping; I cook; I tutor; I drive; I schedule; I oversee staff and volunteers; I referee; I care-take and I fundraise. I love every minute!
Q. What other work experiences have you had; what were the highlights?
A. My background was in the investment business in Boston with several mutual fund companies. When I moved to Delray and had a young family, I started my own home-based stationery business that I eventually sold after 10 years. The stationery business allowed me to meet many, many of my barrier island neighbors, who have since become instrumental in the success of Paul’s Place.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person pursuing a career today?
A. Be dedicated and focused. Stop texting and put your cell phone away!
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Delray Beach?
A. My maternal grandmother (Mrs. William C. Mudgett) moved to the barrier island in early 1960. We would visit her, and eventually my parents bought a vacation home on Nassau Street. I have been coming to the area since 1965. My husband, John, loves to deep-sea fish and has a wonderful boat. After the birth of our daughter, we decided that living in Boston was no longer for us, so we decided to give Delray a try. It was immediately as if we were moving home. Everything felt so right.
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. My brothers, Clif and Charlie, are my mentors and role models. They are committed to family, friends and community. They are responsible yet fun-loving.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A.The Tender Bar. The message it gives to me is that sometimes in life people don’t have parents and families to guide them, so it is useful to get certain truths from outsiders like teachers, social workers or volunteers at mentoring programs.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. Motown music both inspires and relaxes.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. Life is short. Eat dessert first!
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By C.B. Hanif
A monthly book discussion group at the Delray Beach Public Library has been getting good reviews for addressing engaging topics. The latest theme: “ ‘The Other’ — Other Cultures and How We View Others,” was intriguing.
So when I heard the title of December’s featured book, and Googled the author, I knew I didn’t want to miss the discussion of The Muslim Next Door — The Qur’an, the Media and That Veil Thing, by Sumbul Ali-Karamali.
Carl Wetzstein, one of the discussion leaders, opened up Dec. 17 by asking, “If you think of an Islamic woman, how do you picture her?” He elicited such responses as: “I picture her covered, burka,” and “a fourth-class citizen in her own ethnic group.”
Wetzstein proceeded to display Ali-Karamali’s smiling, soccer mom-looking book cover photo. “I think the cover is a metaphor for the book,” he said. “Because what she’s saying is what we see of Islam in the media is not what Islam is really like.”
Her Web site describes Ali-Karamali as “a Stanford-educated mom and corporate lawyer, with degrees in Islamic law and English,” who shares a warm, funny, yet scholarly and surprisingly down-to-earth conversation about life in America from an observant Muslim American woman’s point of view.
“She says what we see in fundamentalist Saudi Arabia and what we see in the Taliban and other terrorists represent just a tiny fraction of the billion or so Muslims in the world, and these people have twisted Islam into something it isn’t,” Wetzstein said of the Southern California-raised daughter of Indian immigrants. “She says what we observe, such as women’s dress, are a matter of culture, not of religion as expressed in the Quran.”
The 16 discussion participants arrived with definite points of view, yet were open-minded, indicated by such caveats as, “as far as I know.”
Refreshingly, the group shared experiences on Muslim culture from India to Canada to London to here, and no one seemed so stuck in his or her views as to be closed to new information. The previous month’s book was T.C. Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain, commenting on the immigration controversy. Next month’s is The Faith Club, whose three authors, Jewish, Christian and Muslim women, spoke to 400 people in Delray during their tour several years ago.
That’s Jan. 21, 10:30 a.m. The discussion is free.
For more information, contact the Delray Beach Public Library, 100 W. Atlantic Ave., 266-9490.
C.B. Hanif is a writer, editor and media and inter-religious affairs consultant. Find him at www.interfaith21.com.Read more…
By Arden Moore
These days, with the price of gas gushing skyward and foreclosure signs littering lawns, penny pinching is now in vogue. We need to figure out ways to s-t-r-e-t-c-h our family budgets and that includes spending on pets.
Unless you’re lucky enough to have a pet that Hollywood howls for — like that lovable South Florida lab named Marley or a marvelous cat named Morris — chances of pocketing an income from your pet’s personality are as likely as having I-95 all to yourself at 5 p.m. on a Friday.
With scorecard in hand, let me rundown some costs related to pets.
According to the ASPCA, expect to shell out about $1,035 for the first year of your kitten’s life and $1,580 for your pup’s first year. These figures include vaccinations, veterinary care, flea and tick prevention, food, toys, treats, pet insurance, collars, leashes, training, grooming and other necessities. After that initial year, the average cost for adult cats and dogs totals $365 and $565, respectively. These figures do not include boarding or pricey outfits or airline travel. So, if your pet reaches age 15, at bare minimum, you’ve spent $6,145 for your feline friend and $9,490 for your canine chum.
Like many of you, I have more than one pet. With two dogs and two cats, it’s little wonder why I warranted a “Big Dog” card at Petco. These cards are reserved for those who come often and spend a lot. I nearly fainted when I reviewed my household budget and discovered that I spend more at pet stores than at supermarkets. Let me run down six ways to save on pet care without sacrificing your pet’s health:
• Do be down in the mouth. By that I mean start brushing your dog or cat’s teeth daily, or at least a few times a week. Use toothpastes and brushes designed for pets. Or opt to use a thimble-like rubber device that easily slips over your index finger and allows you to massage the itty bitty teeth and gums of cats and small-breed dogs. Dental preventative care will save you expensive professional dental cleanings performed by a veterinarian. These dental items are minor compared to a dental cleaning that ranges between $100 and $300.
• Package the necessary vaccinations. You can save up to $200 if you have your pet receive three-year vaccinations instead of yearly ones. Consult your veterinarian about what vaccinations your pet truly needs and base it on your pet’s age, health and outdoor access.
• Become your pet’s personal stylist. Each time I take Cleo, my 12-pound Bichon-met-a-poodle-met-a-terrier mix to the groomer, it costs $45. I’ve stretched the time between appointments by bathing her in my tub and using a grooming scissors to keep the hair trimmed on her face. Instead of every month, I now book appointments every two months weeks, pocketing an annual savings of $270.
• Bring out your pet chef skills. Save money by making healthy homemade treats in a large enough batch that you can store the extras in the freezer. Use these treats instead of those high-priced ones showcased in a doggy bakery. Add carrots and green beans to your dog’s bowl to help your dog feel full on less kibble.
• Score bargains at discount and warehouse stores. Price check the cost of litter, leashes, bowls, beds and treats and you will save a few pennies to a few dollars by buying them at places that primarily cater to two-leggers like Wal-Mart, Target and Costco.
• Purchase pet insurance. I’ve learned the expensive way after my dog, Chipper, underwent a delicate rectal surgical procedure priced at $1,200. Pet insurance helps you prepare for the unexpected. It is far less expensive to purchase plans when your pets are young.
These days, we need to be smarter than ever on where we unleash our dollars. Just remember: Doggy kisses and full-throttle cat purrs are always free.
Arden Moore, an animal behavior consultant, editor, author and professional speaker, happily shares her home with two dogs, two cats and one overworked vacuum cleaner. Tune in to her “Oh Behave!” show on Pet Life Radio.com and contact her at arden@ardenmoore.com.Read more…
Manalapan will hold a workshop on landscaping in swales at 10 a.m. Dec. 15 at Town Hall. Town Attorney Trela White drafted a proposed ordinance after discussions on what vegetation should be allowed in swales. The workshop continues the discussion that has focused on protecting infrastructure in swales including electric lines.
The regular commission meeting will be held at 1 p.m. on that day.
— Margie PlunkettRead more…
By Ron Hayes
One day in 2000, a high school freshman from Ocean Ridge decided to volunteer as an “attorney” in the county's Youth Court.
Anthony Arash Arsali would alternately act as both prosecutor and defense “attorney” in determining appropriate sentences for fellow teens who had already pled guilty to relatively minor crimes such as shoplifting and marijuana possession.
A teen who had painted a swastika on a water tower, for example, might be sentenced to watch the film Schindler’s List and write an essay about the symbol’s meaning.
All the defendants were teens, the jury were teens, the prosecutor and defense “attorneys” were teens.
A real judge, Circuit Judge Lucy Chernow Brown, presided.
On Oct. 2, the quotation marks around “attorney” disappeared when Arsali, 22, was sworn in as a full-fledged member of the Florida Bar — by Judge Lucy Chernow Brown.
The young man who went looking for a class credit has found a career.
“Every Thursday night I would go to the South County Courthouse for about four hours, and I got so interested that I ended up doing over 700 hours of community service there,” he recalls.
After Youth Court, Arsali, who moved to Ocean Ridge when he was 12, went on to earn a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Florida, and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in May.
“He was very serious, very diligent and very talented,” remembers Brown. “I would say he did an outstanding job.”
Now an attorney with the prestigious law firm of Boies, Schiller and Flexner in Fort Lauderdale, Arsali is enjoying the hard work.
“It’s pretty exciting,” he said during a recent weekend home to visit his parents. “We represent big corporate clients, but also class action suits, so you have to go in-depth about each subject. Right now I’m learning about the credit card system and the shrimp farm industry.”
Among his firm’s clients are the Oklahoma attorney general, whom Arsali is helping to represent in a price-fixing suit against British Petroleum.
“I’ve been trying to come back to Ocean Ridge on weekends,” he reports, “but it’s hectic. The last week and a half I've been working one case 13 or 14 hours a day.”
Nicholas and Afsoon Arsali also have two other sons, Christopher Armin, 13; and Benjamin Aryan, 15.
“I’m so proud,” says his mother, Afsoon. “I tell him that when I walk I feel like I’m a giant because I’m walking so proud. They’re all wonderful, wonderful boys.”
Anthony Arash Arsali was nominated to be a Coastal Star by Ocean Ridge resident and Circuit Judge Lucy Chernow Brown.
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