By Mary Katherine Stump
OCEAN RIDGE — James Clark died July 21 at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Katherine Clark.
Mr. Clark was born in Fayetteville, Ark., and graduated cum laude from the University of Arkansas with a degree in business administration. He began working for Price Waterhouse in 1938 and became a partner in 1955. He oversaw the company’s St. Louis offices from 1968 until his retirement in 1976. He is a veteran of WWII.
He was very active in the community in St. Louis, having served on the board of the Girl Scout Council, the Missouri Baptist Hospital, and the Central Presbyterian Church. He was also an active fundraiser for Washington University, the YMCA and the Arts Education Council in St. Louis.
Mr. Clark was a resident of Ocean Ridge for over 25 years, having first moved here with his first wife, Harriet, who passed away in 1986. He was a member of the Gulf Stream Golf Club, where he served on the board and on the financial committee, as well as The Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club and The Little Club. He was an avid bridge and golf player.
“He was very intelligent and quiet,” said his wife, Kathleen. “But we used to provoke each other for kicks to see how the other one would react. He had a wonderful sense of humor. A dry wit.”
In addition to his wife, Kathleen, his is survived by his half-sister, Margaret Jewell of Paige, Texas, and nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be private. Lorne & Sons Funeral Home, Delray Beach is in charge of arrangements. Contributions may be made to the Bethesda Memorial Hospital, 2815 S. Seacrest Boulevard, Boynton Beach, FL 33445.
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The Boynton Beach City Commission has taken the first step toward the possible creation of a historic preservation ordinance.
The commission voted at its July 21 meeting to appoint an ad hoc committee to look into the issue. Although commissioners are intrigued by the benefits of such an ordinance, they want more information, including the impact on affected property owners and what rules the ordinance would mandate.
Barbara Ready, chairman of the Boynton Beach Arts Commission and the president of Save Old Boynton High, urged the commission to probe the issue.
“I would encourage you to establish a task force to look into this,” Ready told commissioners, adding that she knows a few people who would be eager to join that advisory board.
“This does come with pots of money,” she said, although matching grants would be required.
Boynton Beach has several historical properties, including the Boynton Woman’s Club and the 1913 Schoolhouse, which are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Although Delray Beach has a historic preservation ordinance, she noted,
“We aren’t Delray Beach, we don’t need to have one as strict as theirs.”
— Linda Haase
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By Margie Plunkett
Anyone fishing for shark, be on notice: Delray Beach commissioners in July voted to prohibit shark fishing 300 feet from the municipal beach.
As part of the ordinance passed July 21, no chumming or baiting — using cut up bait to attract sharks — or the use of lures or rigs for shark fishing is allowed. And any accidental catches are required to be thrown back, the ordinance said.
The commissioners were responding to recent resident concern that shark fishing on the municipal beach may create hazardous conditions for swimmers, according to a memo to commissioners from Terrill C. Pyburn, assistant city attorney.
The ordinance passed after a long line of speakers from the public passionately voiced various perspectives on conservation, swimmer safety and the land fisherman’s freedom to pursue the sport. In the end, the preservation of Delray Beach’s “jewel” — the beach — won unanimously.
“Our Delray beach is our pride and joy,” said Vice Mayor Gary Eliopoulous, who favored the ordinance on the basis of public safety. “I think what the ordinance was written for was that we don’t want to be attracting sharks to our shore. With the exception of one, most of the Delray residents who spoke tonight were in favor of this ordinance.”
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Florida’s resident saltwater anglers who fish from shore, or a structure affixed to shore, will need to buy a shoreline fishing license by Aug. 1, unless they have a regular resident saltwater fishing license. The cost is $7.50, plus administrative and handling fees.
The new license applies only to Florida resident saltwater anglers who fish from shore. Resident anglers may prefer to purchase the regular recreational saltwater license that covers them no matter where they fish for saltwater species in Florida.
Florida has always required nonresidents to have a license when fishing from shore, and they will still need to purchase a regular nonresident saltwater fishing license.
The new shoreline saltwater fishing license for residents goes on sale July 15. It provides all of the same exemptions as a regular license, including senior citizens, children, disabled people who meet certain qualifications, active-duty military personnel while home on leave, and anglers who fish from a licensed pier. In addition, the shoreline license requirement includes anglers drawing food stamps, temporary cash assistance or Medicaid.
For more information, go to MyFWC.com.
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By Craig Dolch
Palm Beach Par-3 has long billed itself as “golf on the ocean” — that’s even the name of the course’s Web site — and soon this statement will be more appropriate.
Thanks to a long-awaited $4.8 million renovation that combines public and private money, Palm Beach Par 3 will have 50 percent more holes on the Atlantic Ocean when it reopens Nov. 1. Architect and Palm Beach resident Raymond Floyd’s plans have expanded the ocean holes from four to six, as well as changing the routing of the course and the direction of all 18 holes.
“These are major changes,” said head professional Rick Dytrych, who has been at the club since 1978. “Not only are there more holes on the ocean, but you will now finish on the ocean. Before, most of the holes always ran north-south. But with the different layout of east-west holes, you’re going to see the wind play a much greater role out here. I think the golfers are really going to like that.”
Palm Beach Par-3 was once rated the best short course in the U.S. by Golf magazine, but the layout has been worn down by thousands of rounds every year and the ocean climate. Finding the resources to renovate the course likely wasn’t going to happen until Floyd, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, stepped in last year and led the effort.
Not only did Floyd volunteer his services for free, he helped raise more than $2 million in private donations from Palm Beach residents. The rest of the money came from the town of Palm Beach.
“Without Raymond, this doesn’t get done,” Dytrych said. “It’s as simple as that.”
Golfers will notice many other changes when the course reopens. Within the next month, the white sands that dominate the landscape will be grassed over with paspallum, an environmentally friendly turf that doesn’t require freshwater for irrigation. Installing paspallum is more expensive than conventional grass, but because it can be irrigated with brackish water from a well 1,400 feet beneath the course, it will save the course thousands of dollars in water costs.
Instead of two smaller lakes, there will be one large lake that brings water into play on four holes. Dytrych said each of the 18 holes will play longer by an average of 10 to 15 yards, but there will be multiple teeing areas so players can find their comfort zone. There also will be two putting greens (instead of one) and an enlarged range.
Dytrych said the second part of the project — building a state-of-the-art clubhouse that overlooks the ocean — has been delayed until probably 2011 because of zoning issues.
Greens fees will be higher when Palm Beach Par-3 reopens, Dytrych said, but he estimates by no more than 20 percent. There also will be discounts for Palm Beach residents and tourists who stay at Palm Beach hotels.
“The town of Palm Beach deserves a great golf course,” Dytrych said, “and that’s what we’re going to have.”
Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course
Chris Waller, club manager at Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course, said there were no major changes at the club this summer, but that won’t be the case next year.
“We felt with Palm Beach Par-3 and West Palm Beach Golf Club closed [for major renovations], it was important for us to stay open,” Waller said. “But the plan is to re-do all the greens here next year.”
Boca Raton Municipal Golf Course
No major changes this summer, according to golf course manager Greg Jerolaman. He hopes there will be some renovation work in 2010.
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Obituary
Ralph R. Zuckerman
By Mary Katherine Stump
OCEAN RIDGE — Ralph Zuckerman, 93, a long-time resident of Crown Colony, died Monday, July 20. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Violet Schmitt Zuckerman. “Theirs’ was a true love story,” said his niece, Pam Holy. The two met at the Ford plant responsible for the production of airplane parts during WWII on the Southside of Chicago. He was a supervisor. She was responsible for quality control down on the line. They were married in 1946.
In the 1940s the two began driving down to Florida from Chicago, having fallen in love with the ocean, the unique vegetation and wildlife, and the climate. In 1969 they purchased a place in Crown Colony, where they vacationed until a permanent move in the 1970s.
“Up until the end they continued a nighttime routine,” said Ms. Holy. “Every night one of them would say ‘I love you’ and the other would say ‘I love you more.’ ”
Mr. Zuckerman was born and raised in Chicago and was an electrician there until his move to South Florida. He was a veteran of WWII. “He was the best-natured man you’d ever want to meet,” said Ms. Holy. “He was like a father to me. He loved to have a good conversation and never talked at you. I remember that even from when I was little.”
Mr. Zuckerman is survived by Ms. Holy and a grandnephew, Michael, both of Chicago. His ashes will be placed along with his wife’s in a columbarium at a V.A. cemetery in Florida at a later date.
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By Ron Hayes
DELRAY BEACH — Cavet Snyder made money selling cold air, then gave it away with a warm heart.
Entering the nascent air-conditioning business just after World War II, Mr. Snyder sold the Stromberg Sheetmetal Co. of Rockville, Md., in 1987 and established the CCS Charitable Foundation.
“He lost his mother at 3 and his father at 10, so he always gave to children’s charities,” recalled his son, Marc Snyder. “Make-A-Wish and Habitat For Humanity, he had a special place in his heart for children who were orphaned or disadvantaged. He was just a very classy and elegant guy.”
A snowbird who retired to Delray Beach permanently in 1989, Mr. Snyder died July 9. He was 87 and a resident of the Banyan House condominium, where he served as the board’s president from 1989 to 1994 and vice president from 1998 to 2000.
He was also an occasional guest lecturer to business students at Palm Beach Community College and a member of the Delray Beach Club.
Cavet Cloyd Snyder was born Sept. 30, 1921, in Warm Springs, Va., and graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in engineering.
Mr. Snyder's wife of 49 years, Peggy Krinning Snyder, died in 1993. In addition to his son, of Manitou, Colo., he is survived by a daughter, Kelly, of Highland, Md.; their spouses, Kelly and Hunter; and four granddaughters, Katie, Cassidy, Annie and Riley.
A memorial service was held July 14 in Delray Beach, with a scattering of ashes planned at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a favorite charity.
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By Ron Hayes
COUNTY POCKET — Mark Alba was never a mayor, but to his many friends and acquaintances in South County, he was "The Mayor."
"You couldn't go anywhere in Delray Beach without someone knowing him," remembers his roommate, John Kiggins. "He was just very popular, very social, and a real mainstay in the nightspots along Atlantic Avenue, even though he wasn't a drinker, so he became known as the mayor."
Mark "The Mayor" Alba died suddenly of heart failure on June 26. He was 53, and had lived in the area since 1989.
Before moving to Lake Worth shortly before his death, Mr. Alba shared a house with Kiggins on Surf Road in the county pocket south of Briny Breezes.
"About a year ago, he built an amazing Tiki bar in the backyard that sort of became the centerpiece in our neighborhood," remembers John Ferber, another longtime friend.
Only after the bar was complete, did the renters remember that they hadn't asked their landlord's permission to erect the structure.
"Then the landlord saw it and loved it," Ferber says. "He said, 'I always wanted to do this.'"
When not impulsively building, Mr. Alba was a book lover who spent hours on the beach, pursuing an amateur historian's love of World War II military history. He retained a love for his native New England, followed the Red Sox and New England Patriots faithfully, and also dabbled in the local antique market.
"He had a knack for buying something at the Goodwill store for $10 and selling it in an auction for $200," says Kiggins.
Mark Benjamin Alba was born on Dec. 17, 1955, in Winchester, Mass. A 1977 graduate of Boston College, he had worked for Merrill Lynch of New York before coming to Florida, where he continued to work as a financial trader.
Mr. Alba is survived by two sisters, Beverly Alba and Cynthia Alba, and a brother, Bruce, all of Massachusetts.
A memorial service was held in Winthrop, Mass., with a local memorial on the beach to be announced.
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By Mary Thurwachter
Everyone who lives on a barrier island should have a hurricane evacuation plan and that plan should include Fido and Fluffy.
There is a shelter in the area that accepts pets, but if a shelter or a friend’s house is not in your plan, and you’re thinking about fleeing the storm, consider booking a room at a nice pet-friendly hotel like Casa Monica in St. Augustine or the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando. There are extra fees, of course, but you and your pets can get some pampering, which you’ll undoubtedly appreciate after fleeing the storm.
Of course, you could board your beloved 4-legged friends during the storm. At Colonial Animal Hospital in Boynton Beach, for example, dogs can weather storms for about $22 a day and cats for $17 a day. There are other choices for boarding, too, including Barkingham Palace in Delray Beach, Camp Canine in Boca Raton and the Delray Beach Veterinary Hospital.
Gulf Stream Police Chief Garrett Ward says residents typically make provisions for their pets during storms. Most take them along with them to the homes of friends, family or to a hotel. “It hasn’t been a problem for us,” he said. Other coastal town police departments agree.
“We just encourage residents to have a plan in place for pets,” says Manalapan Chief Clay Walker. “Most residents are gone during the summer, so it isn’t a problem here.”
Lt. Chris Yannuzzi of the Ocean Ridge Police Department says, “We don’t make arrangements for pets, other than to tell residents to make plans — and make them early.”
When you and your best friend leave the island, be sure to pack a leash and collar, a crate, a two-week supply of food and water, vaccination records for your pet and medications. For cats, don’t forget kitty-litter and a container.
To make a reservation for your pet to stay at a shelter, call Animal Care and Control, (561) 233-1266 or see www.pbcgov.com/pubsafety/animal. The gymnasium at West Boynton Recreation Center (east of high school), 6000 Northtree Blvd. in Lake Worth (between Hypoluxo Road and Gateway Boulevard off the east side of Jog Road) will be available as a pet-friendly shelter. Dogs, cats and birds are accepted, but not reptiles. The shelter is restricted to county residents residing in a mandatory evacuation zones or in mobile homes. Proof of residency is required. Space is limited and restrictions apply. Pet owners are required to stay at the shelter. Pets will be housed in an area separate from people; pet owners will be given a schedule to attend to their animals’ needs.
Some nearby pet-friendly hotels: Colony Hotel, Delray Beach, (561) 276-4123; Comfort Inn & Conference Center, West Palm Beach, (561) 689-6100; Courtyard by Marriott, Boynton Beach, (561) 737-4600; Days Inn, Airport North, West Palm Beach, (561) 689-0450; Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, Jupiter, (561) 748-5252; Fairfield Inn & Suites, Boca Raton, (561) 417-8585; LaQuinta Inn and Suites, West Palm Beach, (561) 689-8540; PGA National Resort & Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 627-2000; Royal Inn, Royal Palm Beach, (561) 793-3000; Grandview Gardens B&B, West Palm Beach, (561) 833-9023.
Some pet-friendly hotels a little farther away: Casa Monica, St. Augustine, (904) 810-6810; Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Orlando, (407) 503-3000; Grand Bohemian Hotel. Orlando, (866) 663-0024; Hilton Ocala, Ocala, (352) 854-1400; Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, (941) 309-2000.
Mary Thurwachter is a West Palm Beach freelance writer and founder/producer of INNsideFlorida.com (www.innsideflorida.com).Read more…
By Arden Moore
Love your mutt, but perplexed when it comes to pinpointing his breed blend? Sure, you make your best guess — and maybe solicit the suggestions of others. Now, thanks to a new DNA test, there’s a scientific way to sniff out your canine’s family tree.
Just be prepared to be surprised. I was. Two years ago, I adopted Cleo, my sweet 12-pound mystery mutt. At the time, she was a scared stray, dodging cars in my neighborhood in quest of a home. Looking at her, my dog-loving friends pegged her as a Bichon-Maltese- poodle-met-a-terrier mix.
Wrong. A DNA test, specifically called the Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed Analysis by Mars Veterinary, revealed Cleo’s true — and surprising — ancestry. She is a lot of miniature poodle with a dash of basset hound and a sprinkling of other breeds too diluted to identify.
In other words, Cleo is truly an all-American mutt. Or as Dr. Angela Hughes, DVM, a veterinary geneticist, describes: “Cleo’s ancestry has certainly been around the block — and then some.” Based on the results of Cleo’s blood test, her parents were mutts, but at least one grandparent was a miniature poodle and at least one great-grandparent was mostly basset hound. That probably explains why Cleo sports a wavy, apricot-colored coat, but spends way too much time on walks sniffing trees and lawns.
Why do the test? Because knowledge is power. Gleaning as much as you can about your dog’s breed background — and its past — can be valuable when it comes to bringing out the best in your dog’s health and temperament.
Veterinarians, professional breeders and dog trainers know a lot about the 158 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club. There’s a definite association between certain breeds and specific diseases, nutritional needs and temperament tendencies.
For example, basset hounds live by the motto “Have nose, will travel” and can be challenging when it comes to training them off-leash to heed the “come” command. Health-wise, the doe-eyed Cavalier King Charles spaniel has a genetic propensity for developing a heart condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Large breeds like German shepherds are at greater risk for hip dysplasia and fare better when kept at healthy weights and engaged in low-impact exercises like swimming or taking long walks.
Two methods of collecting canine DNA exist. One involves swabbing inside your dog’s mouth and sending off the cheek-cell sample to a lab. Be aware that this test carries a risk of false results (the sample could mistakenly also contain bacteria or food particles). The second type requires taking your dog to a veterinary clinic for a quick blood draw and then mailing off the vial to a lab.
“The blood draw is the far more accurate test because the best possible source of a dog’s DNA is in the blood (white blood cells) and it is least likely to be contaminated,” Hughes explained.
It can take a few weeks for the results to come back to reveal just who your dog really is. The day the results arrive can be one of surprise (as in my case with Cleo) or affirmation. But knowing the principle breeds that make up your marvelous mutt takes away some of the guesswork when it comes to providing the best type of veterinary care — and selecting the right training approach — to suit your dog. Cleo’s “mystery mutt” moniker has now been replaced by a more accurate nickname: “your royal hound-ness.”
Arden Moore, an animal behavior consultant, editor, author and professional speaker, happily shares her Oceanside, Calif., home with two cats, two dogs 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…
By Nirvi Shah
See 100 photos of Ocean Ridge beach at night
Outdoor lights at 41 properties along the Ocean Ridge coastline may have led to the disorientation of more than 2,000 sea turtle hatchlings in 2008, Palm Beach County officials said.
An inspection by the county’s Environmental Resources Management department yielded a number of concerns about lighting along the town’s coast, including flood lights mounted on roofs and lights atop poles. When sea turtles hatch, artificial lighting from the beach is one of the biggest threats to their survival, said Carly DeMaye, who oversees sea turtle protection for the county. The number of disoriented turtles in Ocean Ridge in 2008 was a sizeable increase over 2007, when about 1,300 hatchlings were found to have trouble making their way to the ocean.
Ocean Ridge was told about the concerns in May. Town Manager Kenneth Schenck said property owners were notified soon after about the county’s concerns.
“The Police Department went out and met with all the residents,” he said. “They physically went out door to door. As far as we know, everything’s OK.” The 2008 county monitoring showed 20 percent of the disoriented hatchlings observed by the county were in the Boca Raton area, and 33 percent were in the Singer Island area. But DeMaye said it is difficult to compare one area to another, because monitoring methods may vary. One area may be closely monitoring lights, but not looking for disoriented hatchlings. And the lengths of one area’s coastline may differ from another.
The green and leatherback sea turtles that use Palm Beach County for nesting are endangered species. For loggerhead turtles, a threatened species, the county is home to one of the animal’s largest nesting habitats in the Western Hemisphere.
Few disoriented hatchlings are actually found dead on the beach, DeMaye said. But they may be found in parking lots or storm drains, and some are eaten by predators. The county estimates 70 percent of them do make it to the water, but tired from traveling unnecessarily, they might never make it to the relative safety of the Gulf Stream.
Of Palm Beach County’s 45 miles of coastline, the county monitors about nine miles. The rest of the coast is monitored to varying degrees by individual municipalities. Ocean Ridge was a part of the county’s efforts for the last two years because of the South Lake Worth Inlet Maintenance Dredging project, which involves placing sand on Ocean Ridge beaches, DeMaye said.
The 2008 nesting season was the last the county will monitor. But the county was awarded a $75,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and has spent the last two years monitoring coastal lighting conditions along the entire 45-mile coastline. Many municipalities have their own coastal lighting ordinances, DeMaye said, while others use the county’s. The patchwork of regulations led to lighting surveys that varied from one area to the next.
Some of the Ocean Ridge properties cited by the county had a single offending light, while others, especially multifamily buildings, had as many as 40 light fixtures that need to be turned off or swapped for a more turtle-friendly type. At Oceanfront Park, which is in Ocean Ridge but run by Boynton Beach, 13 lights were found in need of being turned off, shielded or replaced with something that wouldn’t disorient hatchlings.
DeMaye said the park is slated for renovation and the city is pursuing permits for that facelift.
“Lighting is a big part of that,” she said.
Merrilee Lundquist, of North Ocean Drive in Ocean Ridge, was upset by the survey’s findings. It found a single east-facing light as out of place at her home.
“We have one little light on to make the place look occupied,” Lundquist said. “I've been trying to be a very careful steward.”
She said the darkness around her home has led to damage to her gates. Beachgoers have helped themselves to a dip in her pool, uninvited.
“If there is something wrong, I'll try to do better.”
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By Vicki McCash Brennan
Boaters beware: Anchoring on coral, even accidentally, can be expensive. New federal and state laws make it a crime to damage two species of coral that are most common along the coast of South Florida. Federal law provides for a civil fine up to $25,000 and up to six months in jail. State laws can make a boater who damages coral responsible for repair and rehabilitation of the coral, which can cost thousands more.
Public-education campaigns warning boaters of the penalties for damaging coral will be launched in cities from West Palm Beach to the Keys this summer as a requirement of their marine event permits issued for the Fourth of July.
“Our biggest concern is spectator boats anchoring,” said Ed Tichnor, director of Palm Beach Reef Rescue. It’s no small concern. He said 97 percent of staghorn and elkhorn coral has died within the past 20 years. In November, these two species of coral were added as threatened species to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. “It’s fragile and easily damaged,” Tichnor said of the coral. “Once it’s hit by an anchor, it’s prone to disease and it can die.”
Reef Rescue and state and county environmental regulation officials put pressure on the U.S. Coast Guard to include protection of the reefs in its marine event permits this year.
City officials from West Palm Beach, Lantana, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and in Broward, Miami-Dade and the Florida Keys cities sweated out most of June, waiting for Coast Guard permits to arrive so that their Fourth of July celebrations could go on as planned.
“Our goal is to approve events as long as they’re safe,” said Lt. Commander Matthew Moorlag, the Coast Guard’s South Florida spokesman. “As you’re enjoying the Fourth of July, remember there are protected species on our reefs. Be good stewards of our environment. Don’t anchor on any hard-bottom area.”
The Coast Guard permits also require protection of sea turtle nests and nesting habitat, which is of particular concern at the Fourth of July, which falls in the middle of nesting season. Boaters, fireworks and crowds on the beaches can discourage female turtles from crawling ashore. Boaters also are cautioned to watch for turtles swimming near shore at night.
In Lantana and Boynton Beach, the fireworks are launched from barges in the Intracoastal Waterway. Concerns there are with spectator boats anchoring in areas where protected Johnson’s seagrass grows. Boaters attending Intracoastal events also must watch for manatees.
In all areas, patrols will be increased for the long holiday weekend, particularly during events.
Reef Rescue’s Tichnor said his focus now is on enforcement of the laws protecting coral reefs. “I'm sure we’re going to get that,” he said. The Department of Environmental Protection has already been sending out warning letters to boaters who have anchored near or on the reef, he said. Tichnor's group, along with local and state law enforcement, will be active during the upcoming lobster mini-season, July 29-30, and throughout lobster season, which begins on Aug. 6, watching for boats anchoring where they should not.
“We just don’t want any anchors dropped on corals,” he said.
Keep Reefs Safe
• In Palm Beach County, the coral reefs are about a mile off shore, parallel to the coastline.
• It is against state and federal law to damage coral. Two species of coral common to southeast Florida are listed as threatened on the U.S. Endangered Species list.
• Violations of federal law can result in civil fines of up to $25,000 or six months in jail.
• Violations of state law can result in penalties including the cost of repair and rehabilitation of damaged coral.
• Never anchor on a coral reef.
• Anchoring near a reef requires care. It is best to “swim” down your anchor and anchor firmly in sandy bottom. • When diving, swimming or snorkeling near coral, watch your fins.
• Touching or standing on a coral reef is prohibited.
• Do not collect coral, dead or alive, as a souvenir or for any other purpose. This also is illegal.
• If you injure a coral, contact NOAA Fisheries Service. Restoration may be possible.
• If you run aground, turn off your engine immediately. Do not try to power off the reef. Raise your lower unit or outdrive and allow your boat to drift free. Radio the Coast Guard, Marine Patrol or VHF Channel 16 for assistance.
• To report an injury to coral or an anchoring violation: Call the NOAA Fisheries Service, Office for Law Enforcement at 800-853-1964.
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Like in Lake Wobegon, we know our coastal kids are way above average.
The children and teens I've met in our area are without exception more charming and poised than I ever was in my misspent youth.
I'm sure there are plenty of coastal kids who will spend their summer — like I did — at the beach or the library or the mall, and many will head off to camp to learn new skills and share experiences with new friends.
I applaud them. I'm a big fan of developing leisure skills at an early age.
But there will be others who spend the summer reaching for their dreams: composing music, writing poetry, taking on leadership roles and working as volunteers.
Regardless of your child's plans, we'd like to share with our readers the exceptional things your kids are doing this summer. So please drop a note to editor@thecoastalstar.com and tell us how your child is making a difference during summer vacation.
— Mary Kate Leming, editor
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In the sifting sands along the Ocean Ridge shore, there is one constant: Gary Solomon.
Solomon is the founder of Sand Sifters, and one Saturday morning a month, he and volunteers he has recruited descend on the beach to pluck the cans, bottles, cigarette butts and the other detritus left by careless beachgoers and the tides. It started small, with an afternoon stroll.
“I’d always done volunteer work and one day I took a walk on the beach, noticed the trash and decided to join a group,” he said. But there was no such group.
Solomon, 48, decided to start one himself. With a few friends who live near him in suburban Boynton Beach, he organized the first cleanup five years ago.
Today, Sand Sifters boasts hundreds of volunteers, an e-mail list of 1,100, programs for after-school groups, and solid working relationships with governments ranging from Boynton Beach and Ocean Ridge to Palm Beach County.
“One thing goes to the next,” he said. “We’ve won awards. We take the award, smile, and then put on our gloves and go pick up more trash.”
Solomon is especially proud of a deal struck with county officials to post signs and trash cans at entries to all county beachfront parks, asking people to deposit their cigarette butts before heading to the beach and on their way out. They should be in place by next month, with an official unveiling July 18 at Gulfstream Park. Cigarette butts and plastics are among the banes of beaches because of the harm they can cause to sea creatures, especially turtles. Those items, and ribbons, balloons and shards of plastic get twisted in seaweed and wash out to sea where turtles might eat them, with potentially fatal results.
What’s the oddest thing he’s found on cleanup? “Headless chickens.” Likely from some Santeria rite, he said.
Dr. Joseph Belmonte, an Ocean Ridge resident and now a frequent volunteer, is an admirer.
When he moved to the town in 2001, Belmonte said, he “was very surprised to find the beaches in Ocean Ridge to be rather trashy relative to other beaches along the Florida coast.
“Then, like the Lone Ranger on his beautiful white horse, along came Gary Solomon with his newly formed band of volunteers who felt that our beaches must be made beautiful once again.
“It is a sight to behold as the band of volunteers spread out along the beaches of Ocean Ridge wearing their Sand Sifter shirts and Sand Sifter caps, gathering the unwanted trash in order to make our beaches pristine, yet at the same time leaving these beaches in their natural setting,” Belmonte said. Solomon is pleased with the effort so far. “We’re happy. We want to keep growing and reach younger people so they can pass it on,” he said.
“It makes my heart feel good. People of all ages [Volunteers range from 4 to 92] come out and really want to do it.”
Gary Solomon was nominated to be a Coastal Star by Ocean Ridge resident Dr. Joseph Belmonte. For more information about Sand Sifters, please visit: www.sandsifters.orgRead more…
By Thom Smith
In many ways, it seems like forever, and in others like only yesterday, but after two years away, Dak Kerprich is back in action on Ocean Avenue in Lantana. In early June the veteran restaurateur unveiled his newest concept, Pizzeria Oceano, at 201 E. Ocean, just a half-block east of Federal Highway.
It’s a no-frills pizza house. No frills, that is, in the décor. All the frills are on the pie, and even those are limited.
“I want to keep it simple,” Kerprich said. “You won't see any drawings or designs zig-zagging on the plates. Just good, natural food. We’re trying to be as organic as possible.”
Minimalist cuisine is nothing new to Kerprich, who cut his South Florida restaurant teeth in Dennis Max’s operation in the 1990s. He opened Kyoto in Delray Beach, then Suite 225, a hip sushi shop just a few lots east of his new pizzeria, before leaving two years ago to open Miss Marsha’s Pizzeria on Singer Island.
“It’s great to be back; I think we’ve got a winner in this one,” Kerprich said, although some customers may need some educating about wood-fired fare. “One woman complained about black marks on her pizza, but I explained that’s the way they come out. And they may not be perfectly round either.”
The charring comes from glowing coals of Georgia oak inside the oven, which was built in Italy on a scale slightly smaller than the Pizza Hut variety. But everything about Pizzeria Oceano — the pizza, the antipasti, the stromboli — is basic, and that's just what Kerprich wanted. All the produce is fresh, supplied by farms in Loxahatchee, Lake Worth and Boynton Beach. The sauce, a margharita base, is organic. Kerprich makes his own mozzarella and sausages. All the cured meats are natural — no steroids, no antibiotics, no nitrates. If Kerprich puts a special on the board, it’s because he was able to find an unusual product, not because of price. One recent offering was Key West “Pinkies.”
“They couldn’t have been fresher,” Kerprich said of the jumbo shrimp. “They were great on pizza or just tossed into the oven and roasted with a little olive oil and lemon.” The interior features a wood bar, a half-dozen stools, pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, and the centerpiece oven. A few tables on the front porch finish it off.
“I wanted to make it like a bar,” Kerprich said. “Good food, good times. It’s best to have it right out of the oven, still sizzling when it’s served.”
Pizzeria Oceano is open daily from 5 p.m. ’til whenever. Call 561-429-5550.
Across the Intracoastal bridge at Plaza Del Mar, however, the mood is much less confident. The hardest blow was struck in early spring when The Epicurean market closed, only six months after it opened.
“It's dead since The Epicurean closed,” an employee at Mail & More +, a sundry and shipping store tucked into a corner behind the former market, said. “We're just holding on. It's always better during the season. . . if we can get there.”
Advance sales for Florida Stage'sSome Kind of Wonderful (July 1-Aug. 30) are ahead of those for last summer's musical. This production features the music from 1960-65, but Producing Director Lou Tyrrell already is looking to the future. The fan base has been loyal, but in these times Tyrrell is already pressing to boost winter sales.
Similarly, business at Aqua, a women's clothing shop has stayed strong, an employee said, largely because the Ritz Carlton has completed its major renovation.
The Ritz, however, doesn't attract many surfers, and Aqua's next door neighbor Coastal Surf & Ski couldn't stay afloat. “Stay stoked! We will!” the nevertheless upbeat owner Mike Baer wrote in a farewell message posted next to the door. “See you in the water!”
Down in Delray Beach, the awning is gone, the bar made from car ramps has been dismantled, and the service bays are gutted. The building that for nearly two decades housed Elwood’s once again looks like a gas station. The new owners, also rumored to have bought the space next door formerly occupied by Aspen Jack’s, say a new, better restaurant and nightclub will open in the fall. But it won’t be Elwood’s, and Delray skeptics, including some former employees, say the earthy charm that characterized the barbecue-and-blues hangout is likely gone with the ramps. All we can do now is wait and see.
But if anything is constant in Delray, it’s change. As Elwood’s leaves, two more arrive. Just to the west, on the south side of Atlantic Avenue, work continues on two new spots from the cold north that will make their Southeast U.S. debuts in August or September.
Ask anyone to name two attractions in Maine and you’re likely to hear lobsters and L.L. Bean. With Linda Bean’s Perfect Maine Lobster Roll, you get a cozy sit-down cafe from the already legendary granddaughter of the legendary outfitter. Topping the menu will be Bean’s version of a quarter-pounder — four ounces of fresh-from-Maine lobster meat, with no fillers, on a toasted bun. You can also get shrimp rolls, salads, hot dogs (for landlubbers), and Maine microbrews and sodas.
Linda Bean has been lobstering all her life and is spearheading the trap-to-table branding of Maine lobsters — as opposed to the generic New England crustaceans. The live lobsters in the take-home tank even bear tags certifying the exact Down-East traps they had the misfortune to occupy.
Why Delray? “Linda's been there and she liked it,” company spokesman Al Casucci said. “No. 1, it’s a great location, and a lot of snowbirds down there are familiar with real Maine lobsters and with us and with what we’re trying to do.”
Atlantic already is home to two Starbucks, but Spot Coffee, a block west of Bean’s, has grounds to offer some stiff competition. In addition to the usual espresso bar, the Buffalo-based chain boasts a full kitchen offering everything from full breakfasts to late-night pizzas, plus sandwiches, wraps, focaccia and pastries — all prepared fresh from organic ingredients. Look for a late summer or early fall opening.
A word to the wise: News doesn’t always travel quickly or accurately on the Internet. The Omphoy Ocean Resort in Palm Beach is a good example. Several Internet sites, including Yahoo and AOL, already list booking options and Trip Advisor even offers guest reviews, even though it won’t open until the newly announced date of July 31.
The confusion may arise because the 134-room luxury resort at 2842 S. Ocean in Palm Beach is rising at the site formerly occupied by the Palm Beach Hilton, but any relation to the old Hilton is purely coincidental. For example, Ceebraid Signal, which also owns The Brazilian Court in Palm Beach, paid $42 million just to buy the property, then poured $55 million into redoing the 134 units. That’s nearly three-quarters of a million per room. In more comprehendable terms, if they charged $500 a night per room and sold out every night, they would take in that much in … hmmm … about four years.
Of course, with former ballerina turned Miami restaurant legend Michelle Bernstein lording over the kitchen, plus the latest addition to Annbeth Eschbach's international chain of Exhale Spas, Omphoy will not just be charging for rooms. Add to that the appeal of a short limo drive to Worth Avenue and the luxury traveler/shopper/diner couldn’t ask for more.
By the way, for those wondering about the name Omphoy, it’s a hybrid. Om, from the ancient Sanskrit, means spiritual, and phoy is Scottish for gift. Omphoy General Manager Deborah Carr is promising a pre-season, trial-run rate of $149. Look for some preliminary reviews in late August and September.
As summer heats up in Boynton Beach, life keeps moseying along. But it does have its cool spots, especially on the Intracoastal near Ocean Avenue. For years, it’s been a great place to eat and party at the Banana Boat and Two Georges or charter a sportfisherman or take a drift boat out of the marina. Now the area is changing, thanks to the completion of Marina Village, the twin 15-story condos. Shops eventually will fill the ground floor, but with the economy in its present straits, entrepreneurs aren’t exactly clamoring for space. An ice cream shop that made its own product on premises is for sale. Currently the only soul in business is Beth Domino, who runs Pilates Body. But closer to the water, you can find a little gem that few people know about — Mangrove Park.
Easily accessible by a traffic circle, this passive boardwalk/nature path snakes through the mangrove hammock to the Intracoastal. Interpretive panels describe the flora and fauna; benches, water fountains and a restroom provide respite for the weary. Check it out. In the winter, you might even spot a manatee.
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By Margie Plunkett
BRINY BREEZES – Town Council will solicit proposals for police protection from local law enforcement agencies as its current contract with Boynton Beach will expire in the fall of 2010.
The contract with the Boynton Beach police department requires Briny Breezes to notify whether it will renew the contract a year before its Oct. 1 expiration date.
Council discussed neighboring municipalities that could potentially provide police services, including Boynton Beach, Ocean Ridge, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department, Gulf Stream and Delray Beach.
“It’s no reflection on Boynton Beach: They’ve done a good job. We wanted to test the water, see what’s out there,” said Briny Breezes Mayor Roger Bennett. “Like everyone, we’ve got to do some tightening.”
Alderman Kathy Bray agreed, saying Briny Breezes has been relatively satisfied with Boynton Beach’s services, but “there’s always room for improvement.
“It’s a very tight fiscal year coming up,” Bray said. ”We’re trying to get the best, closest contract for the best price. A competitive nature is good in a climate like this.”
Briny paid $203,935 for police services this year and the three-year contract allows for an increase of about 4 percent annually.
Competitive bidding helps Briny Breezes get the best price possible. “We’re a small town and need to conserve,” said Alderman Karen Wiggins.
Ocean Ridge previously provided services to Briny Breezes. Bennett said a couple things bothered him about that contract, including clauses that said in the event of simultaneous emergencies in Briny and Ocean Ridge, police would go to Ocean Ridge. They had to make the provision because they’re such a small force, Bennett said.
It was one of the factors that helped Boynton Beach win the contract three years ago. “Boynton has a large department – they had 170 men and would never have that problem,” Bennett said.
The Boynton Beach Police Department also has a marine patrol, although it’s had some cutbacks there, Bennett said.
The town’s decision to solicit proposals generated discussion of whether a small municipality such as Briny Breezes was better served by a big city or small town police department. “Both have shortcomings and both have benefits,” Bray said. “It’s going to be getting the most of what Briny’s looking for at the best price.”
Bray was uncertain whether the town would seek a bid from a private security firm, but recalled a similar bid in the past was very expensive.
The Boynton Beach Police Department doesn’t assign specific officers to Briny Breezes, but uses the full force to serve the town, Bray said. “It’s a desirable position and they do request it.”
The police department dedicates officers to an evening shift in Briny and regularly patrols the town 24 hours each day, Bennett said.
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By Margie Plunkett
LANTANA – Residents will see rates on the rise in Lantana, as the Town boosted fees for garbage, water, building permits and other services as of June 22.
Rising rates will help cover expenses including equipment for trash collection that’s in need of repair or replacement, Council members noted recently.
The increases come as budgets in Lantana and other municipalities throughout the state are pressured by plummeting revenue from property taxes that have fallen as home values decline. Lantana’s property taxes declined 14.6 percent, according to June 1 estimates by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.
The fee for trash and garbage pickup for residential users rose to $19.95 a month per unit, compared with $18.04 previously. Recycling fees increase to $2.07 a month from $1.88. And special trash pick-ups go up to $60 from $50.
Businesses will pay $52.95 per month for trash pick up, up from $48.14.
Residential water rates are also increasing. For users with ¾ or 5/8 inch meters, the minimum monthly fee for each residence will rise to $19.06 from $18.15 as of July 2008. The usage rates rise to $1.18 per 1,000 gallons from residents that use up to 5,000 gallons, compared with $1.12 per 1,000 gallons last July.
Wastewater services for the lowest meter size are going up as well: to a minimum $12.55 a month from $11.95 a month. For each 1,000 gallons of usage, residence will now pay $4.34 per 1,000 gallons, up from $4.13 a year ago.
If you want to have your water meter tested, and it turns out there’s nothing wrong with it, the charge is now $132 for the smallest meters, compared with $50 previously. If the meter is faulty, the fee is waived.
Lantana is charging more for a building permit, boosting the minimum fee to $60 from $40 and revising a sliding schedule based on construction value. This year, the fee is 3 percent of value for $100,000 or less, 2 percent for $100,001 to $200,000 and 1 percent for $200.001 plus. Plan reviews also rose to a minimum $60 from $40.
Some marine safety rates are changing as well. Parking meters at the beach rise to $1.50 per hour from $1. The town estimated it can raise $50,000 with the added fee.
Beach access permits for non-commercial vessels – like jet skis and Hobe cats – rise to $10 a day from $5. And beach access permits for commercial services like beach cleaning increase to $15 a day from $10.
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By Margie Plunkett
LANTANA — Sportsman Park is getting three sets of docks with $300,000 from the county, a measure that will relieve the wait when pulling boats out of the water.
In addition, the new docks give boaters the chance to pull up and dock at the Ocean Avenue park while they come into town for dinner, for example, said Lantana Town Manager Mike Bornstein.
The park, which allows access at the south end of Lake Worth Lagoon and the Boynton Inlet, currently has two paved boat ramps.
“Right now it gets confusing. You have one boat coming in, one going out. They have to wait for the ramp to be cleared,” Bornstein said. With the added docks, “You get three or four people queued up” making the process more convenient.
No marina is planned at Sportsman Park and there will be no accommodations for overnight docking, according to Bornstein.
The town is working to put together a proposal for the addition of the three docks, which involves environmental and permitting issues, and will take several months, Bornstein said.
“The allocation is part of the Waterfront Access Bond referendum approved by the voters in 2004,” County Commissioner Steven L. Abrams said in a statement.
“This project will provide the much needed dockage for area boaters and, in return, help stimulate local businesses catering to their needs.”
The $300,000 allotment became available from another project in the county that didn’t ultimately use it, Mayor David Stewart said at a meeting in May, thanking Bornstein for drawing the money to Lantana rather than its going elsewhere.
Strings attached to the county funds require the waterfront access is open equally to benefit all of Palm Beach County, attorney Max Lohman clarified. The town can’t charge different rates for its residents and boaters from elsewhere in the county.
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By Mary Thurwachter
For folks who have left the island for safer ground during a hurricane, it’s natural to get antsy about returning home to see how houses held up during the storm and to get a jump on the cleanup of fallen branches and other debris.
Not so fast, advises Lt. Chris Yannuzzi of the Ocean Ridge Police Department. You can’t just get in your car and drive across the bridge when the big winds pass. A few things have to happen first.
Police from all the island communities follow state and federal guidelines regarding evacuations, and need to get back to the island first to assess damage and make sure the roads are cleared of debris and conditions are safe for residents to return.
“We don’t stay during the hurricanes if there’s a mandatory evacuation,” Yannuzzi said, “even though the new (Ocean Ridge) Police Department was built to sustain 155 mph winds.” And before the storm, when an evacuation is called for, police will go door to door to make sure everyone knows it’s time to go.
“If they refuse to go, and we can’t force anyone to go, we give them a next-of-kin form and tell them to fill it out and put it in the freezer,” he said. “That way we know where to look if things go badly. If they need us during the storm, we won’t be there.”
If you’re in a shelter, don’t leave until emergency officials announce that it’s safe. Yannuzzi said residents should tune into local TV and radio stations to find out when authorities say it’s OK to go back to the island. Checkpoints will be set up at the bridges and at the north and south entrances to the coastal communities on A1A. Residents should have proof of residence, like a driver’s license or an insurance document, to get through the checkpoints. Before residents leave the island, police will issue placards residents can put in their cars, too. If the power is out and traffic lights don’t work, remember that all intersections must be treated as four-way stops.
After they return to their properties, islanders can begin their own assessments of damage, take photographs of any damage, place tarps on roofs where needed, remove storm debris and, if necessary, begin filing insurance claims and finding contractors to design plans for reconstruction.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Mary Thurwachter is a West Palm Beach freelance writer and founder/producer of INNsideFlorida.com (www.innsideflorida.com).Read more…
By Linda Haase
After years of discussions, the Boynton Inlet will remain as it is. At least for now.
Boynton Beach commissioners voted June 2 to adopt the Boynton Inlet Committee’s recommendation to bypass other options, including widening or deepening the channel, ebb shoal dredging, shifting the south jetty and replacing the A1A bridge over the inlet.
However, they didn’t shut the door entirely on future changes that would improve the safety of the popular inlet. They’re sending the recommendation, along with an 83-page report detailing the alternatives, to the Palm Beach County Commission for review. Although they didn’t advocate any long-term structural changes, they favored more signs letting boaters know about dangerous conditions there.
The non-action vote was just what Manalapan was hoping for, said Manalapan Town Manager Greg Dunham, who noted that a study the town conducted showed that a wider or deeper inlet would cause significant flooding during a severe storm. That report will also be forwarded to the County Commission.
“Considering the alternatives, we prefer to keep things status quo unless we see some kind of alternative that would not cause a storm surge,” he said after the meeting.
Those sentiments were echoed by the executive director of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, Kristine deHaseth. “We feel that the committee came up with a good plan,” deHaseth said, adding that warning signs and boater education classes are also necessary. “I think it is OK to send this to the County Commission as long as they get a complete package that tells the entire story. And it’s imperative that the commission gives advance notice when they will be discussing this, so everyone involved can attend and have their views heard.“
The narrow inlet’s fate has been in limbo since 2004, when Applied Technology & Management was hired to identify ways to improve safety there. The inlet’s jetties limit boaters’ visibility, and shoals to the east of the inlet create shallow waters which in turn stimulate waves that have capsized vessels.
Making the inlet safer would also have a positive economic impact according to Boynton Mayor Jerry Taylor.
A committee studying that $180,000 report voted to keep things as they are, citing hurricane storm surge that could flood coastal towns when water rushes from the ocean through a wider or deeper channel.
Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Geoff Pugh, who was on that committee, said Boynton Beach’s decision was a logical one.
“There is a lot more to this issue, a lot more information that needs to come to light, especially about environmental concerns. You can’t make a decision of this magnitude without all of the information,” he said. “And who would bear the brunt of the cost if these changes were made? That was never brought up.” Making the inlet wider or deeper could cause flooding to many Ocean Ridge homes, he said. “That’s not what we want here.”
The inlet, which was created to improve the water quality in the Intracoastal, was never intended to be used for boaters. “It was never intended for boating, but anyone who can get under the bridge goes under it," said Taylor, who said he has been concerned about the safety in the inlet since he saw a boat rocked by a huge waves there in 1980. Taylor indicated he hoped the County Commission would seriously consider all the options.
And when they do, said Ed Tichenor, director of Palm Beach County Reef Rescue, they need to investigate any impact changes would have on the reef. He also cited a recent NOAA study showing that the inlet had a significant amount of pollution. “In theory,” he said, “if you increase the size of the inlet, you will increase the pollution.”
Widening the inlet would also have a big economic impact, he said. “The inlet would be shut down for six months and would impact businesses that are barely hanging on now.”
The report is expected to be sent to the county after Boynton and the county finish their budget discussions, which will probably be in August or September, said Boynton Beach City Manager Kurt Bressner.
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