By Christine Davis
See photos of the house
When you think of an “old” house in Florida, a 1920s Spanish Mediterranean villa or a 1930s Key West-style cottage might come to mind.
But time waits for no man, or building either, it seems. And now, mid-century modern architecture is “old,” and can be designated historic.
Take, for example, interior designer Virginia Courtenay’s house, at 212 Seabreeze. It was designed by noted mid-century modern architect Paul Rudolph and built by James Sinks for art collector Sewell C. Biggs in 1955.
Virginia and her husband, Erskine, bought the Biggs home, a rectangular steel and glass boxlike structure on stilts, in 1973.
“We were attracted to the architecture,” she said. “I couldn’t believe that there was a house like this in our area.”
Rudolph, she explains, was a leading architect in the 20th century American design field whose testing ground was Florida. “Outside of his (Florida) west coast homes, I know of only two here: this one and another in Ocean Ridge.”
For her, the house “was all steel and glass. It was all about light, and that’s pretty special,” she said.
In 1983, a storm caused some flooding, and the home needed to be renovated. “There was a foot of water in the lower level,” she recalls. She also wanted to add a library, guest bedroom and laundry.
At that point in time, Rudolph was in New York City, and the Courtenays consulted with him on their renovation. Then they hired Bob Currie of Currie, Sowards, Aguila Architects, to implement Rudolph’s design.
“The house, on blocks and on four columns, had to be raised and the I-beams cut off, in order to slide another box [housing the new rooms] underneath it, which became the balcony for the unit upstairs,” is the way Currie describes the project.
“And that was done with Rudolph’s approval. It was his idea and we implemented it. It more than doubled the space. I thought it was a good solution.”
At that time, designation was not an issue, he said. “It was the same architect and the same style.”
Then, a couple of years ago, Courtenay planned some new additions — an elevator, a new master bedroom and bathroom and an art studio. Also in that time frame, she nominated her property to be designated historical.
“I wanted to leave Delray a good example of a very well-known architect’s work, and the designation allowed that to happen,” Courtenay explains.
“It also allows people to understand that you can add on to a historic home with the blessings of our historic community. People shouldn’t be adverse to designating their home if it has significance or is a rare house.”
Courtenay rehired Currie to design the new addition.
Said Currie: “We wanted to do something completely opposite, so that the new addition wouldn’t interfere with the original intent of the older structure.”
The new addition is sculptural, a nice juxtaposition with the original rectilinear building. The two structures are connected by a glass bridge, which houses the elevator stack.
“We wanted to touch the original house as lightly as possible, and it had to be done clearly in a different style,” Currie explains.
Courtenay is thrilled with the outcome.
“I loved the whole process. I know every single bolt, beam, the tie-in for the terraces. The way Bob designed the structures; they look like they just float. The scale and proportions are wonderful. These are all the reasons to hire a top architect.”
The Delray Historical Preservation Board recognized Courtenay and Currie in May for their renovation and addition with one of its annual awards.
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Robert John Wibbelsman, Junior passed away on May 2nd, 2009 at the age of forty-one in his home in Venice, California.
Mr. Wibbelsman was born in New York City on May 16th, 1968. He was raised in Los Angeles, California and Louisville, Kentucky, where he graduated from the Saint Francis School. He went on to graduate from Union College in Schenectady, New York, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1990. He was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. After graduation he returned to Venice, California, where he founded and served as president of WibbCorp, a computer service company.
Mr. Wibbelsman is survived by his wife, Michele Michael Wibbelsman of Houston, Texas, his son, Robert John Wibbelsman III, his mother, Ann Warren Merrick of Naples, Florida, his father, Robert John Wibbelsman and his wife, Nancy Benson Wibbelsman both of Gulf Stream, Florida. Mr. Wibbelsman is also survived by his brother Warren Mahlon Wibbelsman, his wife Elizabeth Baker Wibbelsman, and their children Anne Benton and Augustus Baker. Mr. Wibbelsman’s step-sister Elizabeth Paige Nesbitt and step-brother Patrick Michael Nesbitt Jr also mourn his loss.
A celebration of life service was held at the Presbyterian Church of Pacific Palisades on Friday, May 15th, 2009, and the Reverend Betsy Anderson of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pacific Palisades, California, presided.
Obituary submitted by the familyRead more…
By Arden Moore
With Mother Nature unleashing hurricane season upon South Florida this month, our dogs, cats and other pets depend on us for protection. I remember sitting in the bathtub with my two cats in Lantana while listening to the winds of Hurricane Andrew back in 1992. Back then, I relied on prayers but did not properly prepare for myself or my pets.
Lesson learned.
Since then, a slew of hurricanes going by the names of Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Ivan, Wilma, Dennis and Katrina have stormed through the Sunshine State. Yes, Mother Nature can put the “n” in nasty, but it is also important to acknowledge that our pets don’t live in protective bubbles. Just like us, they are out and about and that makes them prone to injuries and illnesses.
As I’ve discovered, showing true love for your pet can be as easy as A-B-C. I’m not talking about the alphabet, but rather these life-saving ABCs: airway, breathing and circulation. That’s why I encourage you to enroll in a pet first-aid/CPR class sponsored by the American Red Cross. I just completed a four-hour course and learned how to properly take a temperature, find a pulse, bandage a bloodied paw and perform CPR on cats and dogs. You would be surprised how similar the CPR techniques are for pets and for people.
The class taught me to prepare before disaster strikes.
Inside my SUV, I’ve stashed a backpack that contains a pet first-aid kit, three-day supply of food and water, spare leashes, blanket, photos of my four pets and more. My cell phone includes the phone numbers for my veterinarian, emergency vet clinic and pet-welcoming hotels.
Pet carriers are stacked on a garage shelf for easy access should I receive the order to evacuate. After learning that home fires rank top in the list of natural disasters, I’ve posted stickers on my front window that alert firefighters of the type and number of pets inside.
I also did a room-by-room inventory of my home that led to my storing antifreeze, household cleaners, medications and even chocolate candy out of a paw’s reach. I posted the phone number for the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435) on my refrigerator door.
“You need to be a voice for your pet — not only in the good times, but when they are in need,” says David Winters, lead health and safety instructor for the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. “The more you are prepared, the better you can address the needs of your pets.”
Winters emphasizes the need to keep people and pet first-aid kits on hand and up-to-date, to make an evacuation plan in advance and to pre-register at shelters if you are in an evacuation zone.
When a disaster occurs in South Florida, Winters will be among the Red Cross workers caring for displaced residents at shelters while his family — including Josie, an Australian shepherd, and two cats named Sassy and Sushi — head to a pre-arranged place of safety.
“Before I started my job at the Red Cross, I was not fully prepared, but now I am,” says Winters. “We have a plan and everything is ready just in case.”
Recently, a free pet first-aid class was offered at the Count & Countess de Hoernle Service Center of the American Red Cross in Boca Raton. The event drew several local vendors with pet ties, including Club Bow Wow of Boca Raton and Tri-County Humane Society. Attendance met expectations and plans are to offer more classes in the future.
We love our pets. We adore them and even pamper them with ultra-cushy pet beds, gourmet treats and yes, even designer outfits — if they tolerate wearing them. When I came home after completing the Red Cross pet first-aid course, I immediately hugged my dogs, Chipper and Cleo and my cats, Callie and Murphy — and then gently placed them on their sides, placed my fingers to their inner thigh to check their pulse rate. They responded with sloppy kisses and purrs.
When you know pet first-aid, delivering TLC to our pets is as easy as A-B-C.
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…
Lothar Mayer, the former president of Liberty Hardware Manufacturing, a supplier of decorative cabinet hardware and bath accessories, sold one of his two Ocean Ridge properties, a home at 6017 Old Ocean Blvd.
The house was listed for $11.5 million and the recorded selling price is $9 million.
The six-bedroom and 8.5-bath house, with 13,687 total square feet, and 9,266 square feet under air conditioning, was bought by Yves Moquin.
Says Realtor Paul Fishman of Estates and Fine Homes in Boca Raton, who was the listing agent: “This is the highest-selling-price house ever sold in Ocean Ridge. This will definitely help property values in Ocean Ridge.”
The next highest sale price goes back to 2004, when 4555 Coquina Road in Pelican Beach changed hands for $6.4 million.
The house, built in 2003, was on the market for less than a year, Fishman says. “The buyers and sellers were quality people. Both experienced businessmen, the seller and his wife invited the buyer and his wife to their house and had a discussion to make the deal.”
The house, which has ocean access, has nice features, according to Fishman, who lists “the size of the house, its layout, its finish quality, space and views.”
— Christine DavisRead more…
Photos courtesy The Boston Red Sox
By Ron Hayes
OCEAN RIDGE — His older brother was “Joltin’ Joe,” the baseball legend with the 56-game hitting streak. He was the “Little Professor,” the 5-foot-9 center fielder with spectacles. But in the hearts of Red Sox fans, Dom DiMaggio was as big a hero, and a nicer man.
A seasonal resident of Pelican Cove for more than 20 years, Mr. DiMaggio died May 7 at his summer home in Marion, Mass., while watching the Red Sox beat Cleveland 13-3. He was 92 and had been suffering from pneumonia.
“He was in a haze, but he knew what was going on,” said Emily DiMaggio, his wife of 60 years. “You could tell by the smile on his face that he was pleased.”
Signed to the Red Sox in 1940, Mr. DiMaggio enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the 1942 season, then returned to the team in 1946.
He retired in 1953 as a .298 career hitter. He batted .300 four times and led the American League in runs twice and triples and stolen bases once each. He was a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame and still holds the team hitting record of 34 consecutive games in 1949. That number doesn’t approach his older brother’s all-time 56-game hitting streak of 1941, but the fans in Fenway Park retaliated with a ditty:
“Oh, Dominic DiMaggio,
“He's better than his brother Joe!”
And if not a better player, he was by all accounts a kinder one, always happy to spend time signing autographs and chatting with fans, unlike his more famous, and famously prickly, brother.
“I know a lot of athletes and some are nice and some are not so nice,” said John Sullivan of West Palm Beach, a former executive with the Topps baseball card company and a friend for more than 50 years. “Some are full of themselves, but that was not Dominic. He could be in a circle of people and the kids are dragging on him and asking for his autograph, but it never got him upset. He just did what he had to do and laughed.
“He never achieved his brother’s fame,” Sullivan said, “but he was a better person, in my opinion.”
Dominic Paul DiMaggio was born Feb. 12, 1917, in San Francisco, the youngest of the nine children of Guiseppe and Rosalie DiMaggio. Like his older brothers, Joe and Vince, Mr. DiMaggio got his start with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League.
Joe DiMaggio died in 1999. Vince, who also played 10 seasons in the National League, died in 1986.
After leaving baseball, Mr. DiMaggio founded a company that manufactured automobile upholstery.
He was a supporter of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Pediatric Oncology Support Team at St. Mary’s Medical Center and hosted golf tournaments both in Massachusetts and Palm Beach County for these and other charities.
In addition to his wife, Mr. DiMaggio is survived by two sons, Dominic Jr., of Atkinson, N.H., and Peter of Westford. Mass.; a daughter, Emily of Wayland, Mass.; six grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass was held May 11 in Wellesley, Mass.
Donations in Mr. DiMaggio’s memory may be made to the DiSanctis Clinic Research Fund, c/o MGH Development Office, 165 Cambridge St., Boston, MA, 02114.
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By Mary Katherine Stump
DELRAY BEACH — William Seach, a resident of Delray Beach and Pittsburgh, Penn., died April 26 after a long illness. He was 81 years old.
Mr. Seach was a native of Clairton, Penn., and a longtime resident of Bethel Park, Penn., where he was actively involved in the Saint Germaine parish, most specifically with its missionary work in Chimbote, Peru. In nearby Pittsburgh, he operated a homebuilding and development company, Seach Homes Inc., with his brother Ray, and campaigned for the modernization of building codes, forming Action Housing to produce low-cost housing in the city.
Along with his son David, Mr. Seach was also involved in the development business in South Florida during his 23 years here through his company Meadowland Development, whose projects include Jupiter By the Sea and a number of residential developments in Wellington.
Mr. Seach’s connections in the development business placed him in a unique position to recruit funds and building materials for the people of Chimbote, Peru, which were used to build new homes for the residents, who were displaced after a devastating earthquake in 1970. The Centro de Obras Sociales, a hospital built by Saint Germaine parish with his help, served over 195,000 people in 2008 and is credited with helping to lower Chimbote’s high infant mortality rate.
“He was a wheeler and a dealer,” said his son Mark, a resident of Wellington. “He twisted some arms to get the people of Chimbote what they needed.”
Of his time spent in Delray, his son David says, “His recreation was his grandchildren. He loved having the kids down.”
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Marilyn; children, James, Mark, Mary and David and five granddaughters. A memorial Mass was held May 16 at St. Lucy Church, Highland Beach. The family requests in lieu of flowers that memorial contributions be made to: Hospice of Palm Beach County, 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33047.
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By Mary Katherine Stump
Delray Beach — Lucienne Driskill, of Delray Beach and Greenwich, Conn., passed away on May 17.
Mrs. Driskill was preceded in death by her husband, Walter S. Driskill, with whom she helped to found Dribeck Importers in 1967. Dribeck was the first importer of Beck’s beer in the United States. Mr. Driskill was also the former owner of the Baltimore Colts, serving as president and general manager.
Mrs. Driskill was a philanthropist throughout her life — even more so after the passing of her husband in 1998 — and was honored in 2005 as the Philanthropist of the Year for Palm Beach County. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Walter S. & Lucienne Driskill Center for Caring Excellence and the Walter S. & Lucienne Driskill Endovascular Center, both at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach.
“She was an accomplished business woman,” said Kay Harvey, executive director of the Bethesda Hospital Foundation. “She was someone who saw a need and, because of her enormous heart, she was driven to fill it, regardless of the glamour involved.”
The Driskill Center for Caring Excellence at Bethesda Hospital is the first of its kind, a program that “recognizes and addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual needs” of Bethesda’s patients, in addition to their physical needs.
“She gave because wanted to impact others in a positive way and because she was interested in the individuals,” said Ms. Harvey. “She had a great wit and was very humble about her work with Bethesda.” Mrs. Driskill is the largest donor in Bethesda Hospital’s 50-year history.
Mrs. Driskill was also a dedicated member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Delray Beach, where she established the Driskill Education Center, which encompassed a gymnasium and classrooms.
A funeral service was held May 21 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Entombment followed at the Boca Raton Mausoleum.
Read more…
10 questions
Howard Schnellenberger has proved to be one of football’s enduring coaching figures. An all-America tight end at the University of Kentucky, Schnellenberger went on to complete his playing career with stints at Hamilton and Vancouver in the Canadian Football League and in the U.S. Army.
After his military service ended, both his college coaches called him to work as an assistant. First was Blanton Collier, who was “renowned for the great detail that goes into coaching,” Schnellenberger says. Then came Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama, where Schnellenberger played a prominent role in bringing marquee offensive players such as Joe Namath, Steve Sloan, Richard Todd and Ken Stabler to the Crimson Tide.
In 1966, he left the college ranks for the pros, becoming an assistant for Rams coach George Allen, then switching to the Miami Dolphins with Don Shula, where he spent three years.
In 1973-74, Schnellenberger was head coach of the Baltimore Colts, but was fired after three games. He returned to the Dolphins, until the University of Miami came calling.
The UM program he inherited in 1979 was on the skids, and in four years’ time, Schnellenberger lifted the team, rebuilt its foundation with a pro-style attack and propelled it to its first national championship.
In 1983, Schnellenberger left Miami to become part owner, general manager and head coach of the Washington Federals of the ill-fated United States Football League.
After the USFL’s demise, he returned to the college game in 1985 for his hometown team, the University of Louisville Cardinals, where he remained for a decade.
Following a brief stint at University of Oklahoma, he returned to South Florida, where he met Anthony Catanese, then president of Florida Atlantic University. Catanese hired Schnellenberger as the university’s first director of football operations in 1998, and when it came time to hire a head coach, Schnellenberger nominated himself. As the Owls’ coach, Schnellenberger has built the program from scratch, playing its first game in 2000. By 2006, the team was playing in its first bowl game.
Schnellenberger and his wife, Beverlee, have been residents of Ocean Ridge since 1999. Coach Schnellenberger was recently selected for induction into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2009.
— Cynthia ThumaQ. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that background has influenced you?
A. I’m from Louisville, Ky. I went to Flaget High School, a brand-new Catholic high school at the time there, and was coached by Paul Miller, who had just come from the military. He had developed an offensive scheme at Iowa Preflight that was too hard for most high school teams to handle. He may be the first guy who gave me the great feeling of being in a building position. He took the approach that we’d travel anywhere to play the best teams in the country.
Q. When, where and how did you start coaching?
A. I went to the University of Kentucky, where I had been recruited by Paul “Bear” Bryant, who left after my sophomore year. Blanton Collier, a brilliant coach who is known for being a coach’s coach, came back home and took over the team when Coach Bryant left. In 1959, after I had played in the Canadian Football League and after two years in the Army, where I played football, I was called by Coach Collier and I stayed with him for two years. Then I was called by Coach Bryant, who asked me to go to Alabama. I was there for the 1961, ’64 and ’65 national championships. We were one of the few programs that had a pro-style attack, and Coach Bryant saw where that would be important.
Q: Have you had mentors in your life?
A. If you can be as lucky as I have been, being taught by some of the great football minds in the country as I was, you’d have to be an idiot to not succeed.
Q. What is your favorite part of the job?
A. When you start a football program, as we did, there’s no tradition, so you tend to get a different kind of kid who wants to play for you — kids who want to give rather than receive. When you get a team of 85 givers against 85 takers, you’ll usually win more than you lose.
Spring practice is a good time for me. It’s a pure time for teaching and making young men into football warriors. There really aren’t any bad things about my job.
Q. What advice would you give a young person selecting a career today?
A. I advise what my dad told me: Tie yourself to the best in the profession. If you’re going to be an eye doctor, you want to tie yourself to the best medical schools, the best programs. As I lecture to young coaches and others about keeping our great sport alive, it’s our responsibility to teach those who follow us. It’s like a mile relay team and I liken it to passing the torch.
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Ocean Ridge?
A. We had kept a home in Miami Lakes when we moved to Oklahoma, and my three children lived down there. When I left Oklahoma and decided to become a bond salesman, I thought it would be easier to build a career in South Florida, so returned. When President Cantanese called, commuting from Miami Lakes wasn’t appealing and we’d always talked about being on the water. Most importantly, our children and grandchildren were nearby.
Q. What’s your favorite part of living in Ocean Ridge?
A. Our home in Ocean Ridge is 13 miles from FAU and 11 of them are on A1A. I go to work before sunup and return home after twilight. Making that trip at twilight is magical. It’s living in paradise.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. I don’t have much time to read. I’ve had a little shoulder problem, so I try to do a little swimming when I can. We’ve been talking about riding bicycles and on the weekend we get the chance to spend some time with our children and grandchildren.
Q. If there were a movie to be made about your life, who would you like to play your role?
A. John Wayne, I guess, but that would be presumptuous on my part.
Q. What makes you smile?
A. What would make me smile would be the announcement that we were going to go to the bond house to start the financing on our own (FAU) stadium.
Coach Howard Schnellenberger married Beverlee Donnelley on May 2, 1959. They are the parents of three sons: Stuart, Tim and Stephen. Stephen died after a long illness in March 2008. They have three grandchildren: Teather (a Miami Dolphins cheerleader), Joey and Marcus.Read more…
By Dan “the Beer Man” Oliver
Standing a hundred yards from the Atlantic Ocean, enjoying the balmy
breeze, cold beer and good conversation, I had this thought: "Why don't I
do this more often?" Now this may qualify as a "duh" moment to many of you,
so I'll go even further to contend if you haven't taken a six pack to the beach, you are not a true Floridian. It's a simple pleasure, but a good one.
I must admit it was difficult deciding what summer beers to feature for this article. There are dozens of summer beers on the shelves these days. It seems almost every brewery in America — from A-B to Z Street Brewing — has come up with a quenching warm weather quaff.
A few years ago, I would have scoffed at talk of “summer beers” and just told you to go out and find a beer you like, whatever the weather. But things change. I will still stick to my guns in pointing out beers such at Belgian Wits and German Hefeweizens are natural summertime suds, and if you find a couple of good ones you like, you need look no further.
But of course, I did, and selected for review beers from across the summertime spectrum.
With eight intrepid tasters on board, we took to sampling six different beers of summer and came away with some surprising results. We rated each on a 10-point scale. Here’s how they ranked (with lowest to highest scoring), although I think you’ll see how the points may not tell the entire story.
Sea Dog Raspberry Wheat: Average score 5.1
This is a good seller in our area, but polarizing for the panel. They either loved it or loathed it. Fruity wheat beers are a summer staple, but the consensus seemed to be that this Dog was interesting at first, but probably wouldn’t hold that interest for too long.
Comments: “It does taste like fresh raspberries, especially those first sips.” … “This tasted more like an alcoholic Mister-Misty.” … “A delight at first and then you realize this is not a beer you’d want to spend the night with.”
Franziskaner Weiss Beer: Average score 5.4 This German Hefeweizen, with flavors of cloves and banana from the yeast, comes from Munich’s oldest brewery, and my guess is it would garner more respect in a more “beer nerdy” environment. We made a Hefe fan out of two of the panelists though, so it wasn’t a total loss.
Comments: “I really liked this one. It was light, but had a full flavor. I would buy this and drink it on a hot day.”… “Hated this beer, tasted like Double Bubble bubble gum.” … “Love the clove aroma.”
Native Lager: Average score 5.6 Brewed “specifically for Florida,” Native Lager would seem to be a natural summer quencher. While it claims to have “NO aftertaste,” our panel was coming up with “orange, citrus, fruity,” definitely NOT what the makers are looking for. (My guess is some tasters were actually identifying the hops as fruit, which isn’t a stretch, since many hops have a citrusy flavor.) Comments: “Very pleasant but slightly heavy and no sparkle … not as Sunshine State-y as the label.”… “Tastes like a wheat beer with a fresh orange slice in it.” … “Like the bottle and the label.”
Harpoon Summer Beer: Average score 5.8 Brewed in the Kolsch style of Cologne, Germany, but with an American twist, Harpoon Summer Beer is meant to be mild in flavor with a crisp, dry finish, but our tasters were all over the map. Generally, let’s just say the men preferred this more than the women did. Comments: “Crisp, hoppy, refreshing … this would be great on a hot, sticky day.”… “At first taste I thought of lemon dish soap.”… “Too sweet for me.”
Dale’s Pale Ale: Average score 6.0 The Oskar Blues flagship beer, Dale’s Pale Ale is “America’s first hand-canned craft beer.” It’s not really what you might consider a summer beer, except for the fact that being in a can makes it more nature friendly in outdoor pursuits. Our group recognized the quality, but wasn’t entirely sold.
Comments: “Easy for camping, floating in the pool and on the beach … but too strong for me.”… “This is a fine beer, rich color, nice aroma.”… “Wouldn’t drink it on a hot day, but good on a cooler one.”
… And now for the real shocker:
Shock Top Belgian White: Average score 6.07 The guys at Anheuser-Busch win this one by a nose! Shock Top is an Americanized version of a Belgian Wit, brewed with orange, lemon and lime peels and coriander, with the latter spice taking the lead in aroma. And while it came out on top in points, only one panelist listed it as her favorite of the bunch.
Comments: “This would be a fine beer to drink one of right after trimming the hedge or washing the car.”… “The first taste of this beer reminded me of a mix of Bud and Nehi orange soda.”… “A bit too fizzy and left me burping.”
Conclusions? It’s easy to see by the close scoring no one beer was a runaway favorite, and only your taste buds can tell which of these would suit you best on a searing afternoon in Florida. Personally, I favored the Harpoon for a summer offering, but have long been a fan of the Kolsch style.
I think more research is needed. Perhaps we can turn this into a monthly summer beer series. We have plenty of time, that’s for sure. Meet you at the beach. I’ll bring the beer.
Dan Oliver is a local beer lover who writes about his favorite brews. He is a member of the Palm Beach Draughtsmen homebrew club.Read more…
By Mary Katherine Stump
South Florida is known for, among other things, its fishing and its glamorous black-tie benefits. Rarely do the two pastimes intersect.
Enter Microgiving.com, the brainchild of Advertising.com founder John Ferber, a resident of the county pocket.
For the first benefit, being held June 20, he will host a fishing tournament in honor of Jon Alsop and Jason Strauss, two colleagues and friends who passed away in January. Jason died from complications of lupus and Jon from a heart attack.
“I’d known Jon for over 25 years and Jason for over a decade,” said Ferber. Jon had recently moved to Boynton Beach to run the company’s sales office and Jason was heading up their New York office.
“When they passed away within a week of one another, it was incredibly challenging and difficult for us at Microgiving.”
Ferber, Alsop and Strauss, along with a handful of friends, had a tradition of hanging out at Ferber’s on Fridays to fish and relax — the reason why a fishing tournament was chosen for the benefit, expected to become an annual event.
“Jon and Jason’s character, and frankly the culture at Microgiving, encourage the involvement of everyone,” said Ferber. “You don’t have to pay a huge price tag to come to our benefit.”
The same goes for Microgiving.com, where people receive donations for myriad needs— from a single mom trying to make ends meet to a family trying to recover from hurricane devastation.
Founded in January 2008, Microgiving.com was inspired by Ferber’s wish to give back specifically to individuals in need.
“I had a sister-in-law who passed away from cystic fibrosis,” says Ferber. “It came time for me to give my yearly donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to give directly to someone and not have to deal with the bureaucracy of these larger non-profits?’ ”
Ferber decided to anchor the company in South Florida after falling in love with the area during his time at Florida Atlantic University in the early ’90s. Says Ferber, “The first thing I did after selling Advertising.com in 1997 was buy a place down here.”
“Jason said once that donating on Microgiving.com was a way to atone for his sins after getting a speeding ticket, or something similarly small,” laughed Ferber.
“But Jason was the first person to donate when we were raising money for our holiday fundraiser, and he did so from his hospital bed. And Jon was the first person to donate to Jason after his passing.”
If you go:What: Microgiving’s First Fishing Tournament and Beach Party
When: Saturday, June 20
Offshore KDW Sportfishing Tournament: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Weigh-in location: Two Georges, Boynton Beach.
Inshore Surf and Reef Competition: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Location: 4555 Coquina Road, in the county pocket north of Gulfstream Park.
Beach Party: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.. Live music, barbecue, Red Stripe beer and a cash bar, a raffle, volleyball and other beach and water sports, a paddle boarding competition, and a fishing clinic for all ages. Location: 4555 Coquina Road, in the county pocket.
To learn more:http://www.microgiving.com/content/116/events/view/fishingtournament or contact Michelle Fraedrick at microgiving.com, michelle@microgiving.com.
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By Mike Holliday
There’s something inherently special about walking on the beach barefoot. Ninety percent of my reasoning for living along the coast is related to being able to feel sand between my toes. The other 10 percent toggles between an affinity for sea breezes and an aversion to insects and alligators.
In some areas, like Daytona Beach and Cocoa Beach, and many of the beaches along the west coast of Florida, the sand is composed primarily of salt crystals, along with a mixture of minerals. In southeastern Florida, the sand mixes with other elements like coquina, worm rock and sand dollars. The finest particles of sand along the beaches in Palm Beach County are actually Appalachian quartz crystals carried from river to sea in coastal Georgia, then washed south with the alongshore currents.
The larger particles in the sand here are shell fragments, rolled constantly by the surf and mixed with the quartz until small and light enough to push onto shore. The shells give our local beaches their burnt orange hue, much like the outgoing tide at Boynton Inlet jades the crystalline Atlantic. For all its color and coarseness, the compound is appealing enough to make it one of the most attractive features in coastal America.
It’s hard to live along the coast without surrounding yourself with sand. It’s a component of the soil, as well as the floor mats in my Jeep, instep in my shoes, floor in the laundry room and drain trap in every sink, bathtub and shower in the house. It’s also a frequent guest in my bed, so I guess you can say we’ve been intimate. Sand particles adhere to my body like a bad smell sticks to a garbage can, and both require concerted effort to dislodge, although my kids have the unique ability to coax sand into jumping off them and onto inanimate objects like tables, couches and chairs. I’m quite sure it’s not a targeted effort on the sand’s part to discriminate, and the proof is on the insides of their bathing suits, each of which hold enough sand to make a Hacky Sack.
My children find sand a source of amusement and are drawn to it much like I am drawn to microbreweries. With a shovel and small bucket they can build castles that stretch their imaginations. The holes they dig serve as forts, which, once they tire of them, are easily transformed into burial plots.
My oldest daughter, who is 10, is always first in line to get buried up to her neck, a trait I personally attribute to a plot to build a sandbox in my Jeep. Once she’s uncovered, it takes all my superior adult skills of persuasion to get her to wash off before we leave. Even then, I suspect she’s smuggling sand in her suit for a quick release on the floorboards.
For all the hassle sand can produce, its pleasantries make a warm, sunny day at the beach as much a lifestyle as a love. For without our sand, we’d just be hanging out on the jetty.
Mike Holliday is the editor of Florida Fishing Weekly. He wrote this essay for The Coastal Star.Read more…
By Jan Norris
Here’s an easy Father’s Day gift: Clip this article and slip it inside a nice new charcoal grill.
Sure: He’s got a gas one already, but a real wood-and-charcoal fire is the fuel of choice for making great ribs, at least according to three pro ribbers we talked to.
Their tips parallel with only a few differences. Key words are know, low and slow.
First, you have to know your meats, said Rufus Allen, of Rufus’s Ribs. He sells his from a white trailer set up on First Street in Boynton Beach off Federal Highway. Find him there on the weekends.
“Choose your meats. Don’t go with just what’s on sale or in the supermarket. I buy IBM ribs from Sam’s Club.” They’re consistent and he knows what he’s getting, he said. He uses a pork tenderloin for shredded pork. “It shreds better.”
Clean them and then marinate them. “I have a special marinade — it’s a secret. But I don’t use any water. That’s very important: no water! Water is what creates those flare-ups and that burns the meat.”
Then it’s on to the low fire. Building the fire is a crucial element. “I use red oak and charcoal. Don’t use any lighter fluid, because you can taste it in the meat. Just use lighter wood or crumpled paper to start it under the wood. The object is to get the heat and smoke to come from the bottom of the cooker — not the top of the fire,” he said. “You don’t want to burn them or cook so fast they’re not done on the inside.” The rack should be set well above the smoldering wood.
Finally, take it slow. “Meat should cook at around 220 degrees — that’s a slow fire — for about two and a half hours. I turn them maybe once. None of this 20 to 30 minutes stuff. I guarantee they’ll fall off the bone.
Marcus Carver is an aspiring barbecue chef. He sells at the Boynton Beach Green Market during season, at the Greenmarket Café on weekends, and does functions through the cooperative kitchen at the Community Caring Center. He caters complete barbecue dinners, but doesn’t cook on site yet.
He agrees with much of what Allen said. “You want good quality meats to start. Inspect them and clean them up well — get rid of tiny bits of bones, and trim up any fatty parts.”
The next big thing is the fire. “I use real wood charcoal. You don’t want the fire too hot. It’s actually dangerous because the outside of the meat will cook and the inside won’t be done. And you want a hot and cold side, so you can move the meat to the colder side if it’s cooking too fast.”
He uses the hand test: If he holds his hand over the grill rack but can’t hold it there a few seconds, the fire is still too hot. “You get to know what’s right,” he explains. And there should be no flame, just hot coals. There should be air circulating in and around the coals and bottom of the grill, too. It can’t be closed off completely, he said. “This keeps the fire even and keeps it from flaring up, too.”
He said the key to marinade is no sugar.
“Sugar burns on the grill and will burn the outside of the meat.” His tips for chicken include making sure the heat source is not too hot; chicken must be cooked through and it’s easy to burn if you don’t watch it. “The breast and thighs are thick pieces and take longer to cook. Split the chicken or cook them individually, but move them so the breast and thigh are cooked the longest.”
Troy Davis, the pit-boss and owner of Troy’s BBQ in Boynton Beach, has definite ideas about proper barbecue.
“First, get the fire just right. You don’t want a flame — no flames, just smoke.”
But meat choice matters. “Get good ribs. I use three-and-a-half-down spareribs,” he said, referring to a butcher’s designation of size. “They go up to five- and six-down. You don’t want them that big — the bone is too big in them.”
These are most recognizable as a St. Louis-style sparerib, he said, much preferred to baby backs for long and slow cooking. He cleans the ribs by soaking them in a combination of cider vinegar and water. This tenderizes them and cleans the fat in the pork, he said. For cooking, he’s in line with the others: “I use a combination of charcoal and oak. I don’t have a thermometer on the big smoker outside. You do it a while and you know the heat’s right. I keep it at around 350, 375; a normal heat, with vents in the smoker — you have to have vents. And I cook with the hood down to keep the smoke in and keep the meat tender and falling off the bone.”
There’s another element, he said. “You’ve got to have TLC: tender, loving care. You’ve got to watch them while they cook; you can’t walk off and leave them. I turn them consistently — I cook 25 to 40 slabs at a time — and baste them every 15 or 20 minutes. It’s a long, slow process, but that’s the only way to get tender ribs. You got to use yourself as the rotisserie.”
The result is great texture and flavor. A tender, smoky flavored rib that’s moist and needs no other flavor is the goal. It’s telling that none of them serve a sauce on the rib, but wait for the customer to ask for it. “A good rib doesn’t need anything on it,” Davis said.
Allen agrees. “Mine are so good, I promise you: You can’t eat just one.”
Grill cleaning tips:
One of the biggest problems home grillers have is cooking on a dirty grill. Whether gas or charcoal, the residue from previous dinners shouldn’t be on the grates. Buildup of grease on gas jets can mean uneven and unsafe cooking.
Clean the grates: The best time to do it, Troy Davis of Troy’s BBQ said, is when the grill is still hot after cooking. Use a wire brush to scrub the grates clean, and crumpled newspaper to wipe them off. If they’re so charred with grease and sugar buildup, an oven cleaner can work, but use it on cold grates and never over a flame.
Clean gas jets by disconnecting the gas, and disassembling down to the actual jets. Use a scrubber to clean grease debris and the fittings.
Burn off residue on lava rocks by placing them on top of the grate and heating them till coal-hot. Allow to cool and wipe off any ash. Replace the rocks if buildup is severe.
Burn a fire in the grill for 30 minutes before adding foods after cleaning, so that any residue from cleaning products is burned off.
Clean the grill after every use to make cleanup easier.
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By Margie Plunkett
Steven Abrams made his “12-city tour” in May, introducing himself as the new Palm Beach County commissioner for District 4 — the successor to former commissioner Mary McCarty, who resigned after public corruption charges.
“It’s been a very smooth transition on the County Commission,” Abrams told Delray Beach commissioners, continuing with what became a common refrain during his visits: “The training we get in local government has served me well. Sometimes I tell people I went to this very elite prep school called Boca Raton — and now I’ve graduated to college. And boy did they train me well.”
The lawyer served as a council member for Boca Raton from 1989 to 2008 and as mayor for three of those years. He was mayor in October 2001 during the anthrax threat that started at the AMI building, which gained him national exposure and acclaim. Abrams was awarded a distinguished service medal from the Israel National Police for leadership.
Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Abrams in March to fill the position left vacant after McCarty’s resignation in January; the term ends in November 2010. McCarty pleaded guilty in March to honest service fraud after claims that she voted on bond deals involving her husband Kevin’s firm; influenced Delray Beach bond work to her husband’s employer; and accepted free and discounted hotel rooms.
Kevin McCarty was sentenced to eight months for not reporting Mary McCarty’s crime; she is scheduled for sentencing in early June.
Abrams mentioned to Delray commissioners one of the things he looks forward to in working with the city: When, as mayor of Boca Raton, he sometimes came to Delray Beach to eat dinner, he “was inevitably ratted out.” Someone would recognize him and question, “What are you doing here?” he said. “Now I can call it my district and come to Delray legally and officially.”
The commissioner said he is moving forward with the $90,000 trolley system in downtown Delray Beach and with other commitments made to the city.
Different conversations marked different visits by Abrams to the other municipalities in his jurisdiction. In Gulf Stream, for instance, the conversation turned to McCarty.
“I thought Mary did a good job for our community,” Gulf Stream Mayor William F. Koch Jr. said. “It’s a sad occasion in many respects. The whole thing is a tragedy.” Abram noted efforts to restore confidence in the county commission.
And in his comments on the county Web site, Abrams said, “I am ready to address the difficult challenges in our community such as restoring economic prosperity and transparency in governmental policies and procedures.”
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By Nirvi Shah
When a developer offered to buy Briny Breezes recently, the deal fell through in part because state planners didn’t warm to the deal. The state was concerned the proposed waterfront high-rises would overwhelm the surrounding area.
But a bill on Gov. Charlie Crist’s desk could kick aside similar roadblocks in the future — and lead to development that doesn’t have to gibe with the capacity of surrounding roadways. Crist must sign it by June 2 for it to take effect, or it could become law if he simply chooses not to sign it. He recently told The New York Times he “probably will” sign it.
The bill, which passed easily in the House and Senate, was proposed under the guise of economic development. Proponents say it would allow more projects to be approved because permitting would go more smoothly; curb sprawl by concentrating development in cities; and create more construction work. Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus finds fault with those justifications, however, and told Crist so in a letter she sent him in mid-May. At the end of the month, she persuaded the entire commission to write to Crist, joining her in opposition.
“It just totally guts growth management as we know it in Florida,” Marcus said.
She notes that there are plenty of approved development projects on the books, but there is little demand. Thousands of residential units across the state sit vacant. And she said the bill will rob local government agencies of the ability to address traffic concerns brought on by new development.
The bill would eliminate the state Department of Community Affairs’ authority to oversee projects of regional impact in a large part of the state. There would be no oversight for the way one government agency handles a large development that affects nearby municipalities.
The proposal applies to counties with at least 900,000 residents, labeling them “dense urban land areas.” They would be designated traffic concurrency exception areas, allowing developers to look past the requirement that roads be built — at their expense — to accommodate the traffic their projects cause.
But the “urban areas” the bill defines could have as few as one house per two acres. Bob Ganger, president of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, says the bill would consider much of Florida’s coastline such an urban area — and they are anything but. The group opposed the last proposal for development of Briny Breezes. “Ironically, the state has long recognized that the land and marine environment along our extensive shoreline require special protection from overdevelopment,” he said. “By exempting these priceless areas from traditional state scrutiny, we could be opening ourselves to abusive development practices affecting residents, visitors and the native habitats alike.”
Agencies that have the goal of boosting development — or redevelopment — including Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency, support the bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, a Bradenton electrical contractor. Bennett has said local opposition to projects that have the potential to turn roadways into parking lots could outweigh the effects of the bill, if it becomes law.
“The CRA supports giving cities and counties the power to enact their own restrictions when it comes to traffic enforcement,” spokeswoman Margee Walsh said. “Each city has different needs.”
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By Christine Davis
Bob Montgomery has “found the bottom” and it is at $1.5 million.
Montgomery, of Ocean and Intracoastal Properties in Lantana, had been dropping his selling price daily for a couple of months to pique interest in his two-bedroom, two-bath Hypoluxo Island home. His mortgage was the determining factor, he said.
“I thought it would sell, but it didn’t,” he said. Never the less, “It’s listed perfectly. This is a fabulous piece of property. The views, the location — you can’t find better. It has a deep-water dock and is within walking distance to the beach.”
The property has been on and off the market, but he wasn’t motivated before. Now, though, he’s been diagnosed with macular degeneration and would like to move on. This past January, he had listed the house for $1.7 million, offering a $5,000 price reduction every day until he “found the bottom.”
“I’m keeping it at this price because it’s a phenomenal buy,” Montgomery said, choosing to stay positive, even though the home at 3 Barefoot Lane on Hypoluxo Island did not sell. “Today, we have great homes priced perfectly, and a fabulous inventory. The cream does rise.
“I really think things are going to pick up.”
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By Margie Plunkett
Coastal residents just can’t stop the drifting, shifting sand from slipping through their fingers — or off their beaches.
Palm Beach County is working on beach erosion projects all along the coast, including Lantana and South Palm Beach as well as at the South Lake Worth Inlet, in a never-ending battle with the elements.
Ocean Ridge and Manalapan saw work start this spring on the South Lake Worth (Boynton) Inlet jetties and sand transfer plant that moves drifting sand back to eroding beaches. And Manalapan is taking steps to protect its beaches from being pumped away, an issue that 20 years ago was at the center of litigation involving Manalapan and Ocean Ridge.
Kent Shortz, former mayor of Manalapan, proposed a list of preliminary recommendations to provide protection, including adhering to pumping protocols; establishing scientific measurement of sand pumped; reporting quarterly how much sand is pumped; installing two permanent marker poles; and re-establishing the technical review committee.
While the town wants to closely monitor the sand transfer plant’s work, Dan Bates of Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management says a great deal of how much sand is pumped depends on weather, and while the average is 60,000 cubic yards, it can be greater or less. Bates painted a picture in which residents’ work to restore beaches seems an eternal effort that will ultimately be swept away by the elements. “Ocean Ridge will never have sufficient sand. There’s still a deficit there,” Bates said, responding to a question at Manalapan’s April commission meeting about a different approach to sand pumping.
The status of the beaches in Manalapan and vicinity a decade from now will rely heavily on what beach erosion prevention measures are taken on northern coasts, including Palm Beach. “I don’t see where I can bring you any good news,” he said.
“We can’t keep up with it. I don’t think we’re going to see a net increase in flow.”
The efforts of the town of Palm Beach — which is being very proactive — are crucial to Manalapan, Bates said. “It all flows downhill.”
Proposed breakwaters to protect beaches in Lantana and South Palm Beach could be under construction as early as 2010. Palm Beach County recently approved a contract for a $362,811 environmental study required by the Army Corp of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection before work permits can be issued for the rock breakwaters, which would run parallel to the shore to battle chronic beach erosion. The state DEP has designated the coast of Lantana and South Palm Beach as critically eroded, according to Palm Beach County Commission documents.
Six dune restoration projects have been constructed since 2003, the last finished in January involving about 12,000 tons of sand.
Plants next on Lantana list
Lantana has completed its $1.5 million seawall, an emergency project approved in December after a storm washed away beach here.
The town is awaiting its permit from the state DEP, which town Parks and Recreation Manager Mike Greenstein expects within two to three weeks.
That will allow both Lantana and the county to get planting under way there, he said.
Kimberly Miranda of Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management said it typically puts in native dune plants, including 90 percent sea oats and 10 percent diversity species such as railroad vine and dune sunflower.
Lantana also planned to remove exotic plants in the area, said Miranda, who had met with Lantana officials including Greenstein in April to survey the site. Lantana wants to add shrubs, trees and perennials in the dune area it’s planting, including possibilities of gumbo limbo, sea grapes and bay cedar, Greenstein said.
The condos to the north are proceeding to build a seawall and applying for its permit now, Greenstein said. And Lantana is starting to design ramps and sidewalk for the area from its seawall to the Imperial House, he said.
Artificial reef planned
Offshore to the south, the county also plans to construct about 5.25 acres of artificial reef along the coast of Ocean Ridge, beginning within Ocean Inlet Park just south of the Boynton Inlet and running south for a quarter mile. The reef is planned to provide public access for snorkeling and fishing as well as fish habitat.
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Artificial reef planned
Offshore, the county plans to construct about 5.25 acres of artificial reef along the coast of Ocean Ridge, beginning within Ocean Inlet Park just south of the Boynton Inlet and running south for a quarter mile. The reef is planned to provide public access for snorkeling and fishing as well as fish habitat.
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By Ron Hayes
MANALAPAN — Police Chief Clay Walker has asked the state Department of Transportation to study traffic conditions at the Chillingworth curve, where two speeding drivers crashed their Bentleys in a four-day period in May.
“We've had seven crashes there in the past two years,” Walker said on May 14, the same day he wrote the DOT to request the review. “The last two were pretty intense.”
On Thursday, May 7, the southbound driver of a 2006 Bentley missed the S-curve in the 1500 block of State Road A1A, glanced off the guardrail and came to a stop in the landscaping of a private yard. The driver and four passengers suffered minor injuries. Police say the speedometer registered 100 mph, and the driver was cited with careless driving.
The following Sunday, May 11, police in South Palm Beach clocked a 2004 Bentley at 105 mph. The chase ended when the driver struck the guardrail at the same curve and fled the scene, leaving two passengers with minor injuries, including a broken arm.
Sigrud Henriksen, 49, a corporate pilot from Norway, turned himself in the next morning and has been charged with hit-and-run driving and failing to stop at a crash involving injuries.
In addition to a guardrail, the sudden curve is already marked with street reflectors, reflective arrows, lane boundaries and signs clearly noting the 25 mph speed limit.
The two crashes, coming so close together and involving Bentleys, were startling, but not the most deadly at the site.
On Jan. 8, 2008, Michael Linehan, 48, was killed when his motorcycle spun out of control on the curve. An autopsy found Linehan’s alcohol level to be .14, or almost twice the legal limit.
Walker said alcohol is also suspected in the two Bentley crashes.
“We're waiting for the toxicology results in the first crash,” he said. “We weren’t able to do a DUI test in the second because the driver fled, but based on statements there’s some probable cause.”
While alcohol seems to be a factor in many of the mishaps, Walker said he was asking the DOT to determine if any further enhancements, such as flashing lights or additional signs, might help.
“We’ll review the crash data for all of the crashes in the time frame and also review the roadway characteristics during that time,” said Barbara Kelleher, a public information director for the DOT’s district office. “In the past two years, we had a resurfacing project under way in that area, so we’ll take that into account as well.”
Such such studies usually take about a month, she said.
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By Thom Smith
Rock ’n’ roll legend Dion stopped by for The Dillengers’ last gig there a couple of weeks ago; “Elvis” closed it May 24. After 17 years along the tracks in Delray Beach, the venerable Elwood’s has closed. But don’t despair, the new owners, two Pittsburgh restaurateurs, intend to fix it up and reopen — with Elvis (retired Delray cop Scott Ringersen, a Thursday night regular for years).
Even without Elwood’s, fans of Atlantic Avenue still have plenty of choices this summer. Il Bacio opened in April, half a block south of Atlantic on Southeast Second Avenue in the original City Limits spot.
Il Bacio is Italian for “The Kiss,” and new owner Steve Pellegrino and his family hope it will be the kiss of life. A restaurant, bar and night club, Il Bacio offers a tapas menu, served up, both indoors and out, by Peter Masiello, formerly at Ristorante Bova in Boca. There’s a huge courtyard and stage — ideal for open-air dancing to a DJ and small live acts.
Il Bacio is located at 29 SE Second Ave. in Delray. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Phone 561-865-7785.La Cigale won’t serve lunch this summer, but manager Francis Taboul is still welcoming his loyal patrons at dinner seven nights a week. If they want lunch they can take a short drive to his new Atlantique Café in Atlantic Plaza, next to the Intracoastal. Taboul has taken over the site formerly occupied by The Market and converted it to a French-American café and pastry shop.
Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, the café serves breakfast all day and a grillful of lunch items, including daily specials ranging from jumbo hot dogs with kraut and pomme frites ($6.25) to pan-seared black grouper, scampi-style, with mashed potatoes and corn ($12.95).
A pastry chef from France will handle the baking as soon as his visa clears, and as at La Cigale, everything is fresh. “I can’t cut corners,” Taboul said, “I can only cut prices.”
Too noisy in Lake Worth? Apparently some residents who live on either side of Lake and Lucerne avenues believe life just off the main drags is unbearable and they’ve called upon the City Council for relief. The result: The council is considering a noise ordinance that would set a maximum level of 85 ear-damaging decibels from 6 p.m. until 3 a.m. and 65 decibels the rest of the time. Council action is weeks away.
Some area artists, however, hope the new Clay Glass Metal Stone will make some noise — the positive kind. The new artist cooperative at 605 Lake Ave. is open from noon to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays and features ceramics, fused glass, metal work, jewelry, stone sculpture and mixed media by local artists. Look for artist receptions during Evenings on the Avenues from 6-10 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month. Phone (588-8344).
First came Whole Foods and Publix Green Markets, then the economy tanked. Too much pressure for small gourmet markets. Even one of the richest women in the country, Sheila Johnson, knew when to throw in the towel, closing her spectacular Market Salamander in Palm Beach. Is it for the summer or forever?
Let’s talk bread — not that soft, fluffy, pre-sliced white stuff but the crusty, textured, dark kind with the homey aroma. In previous summers, Jouko (pronounced yo-ko) Vaskivuo has closed his tiny Palm Beach Bakery and Cafe at 206 E. Ocean in Lantana (585-0222). Not this year. If you love Finnish multi-grain or ruis limppu (that’s Finnish for rye bread), he’s baking it, fresh every day, come heatstroke or hurricane.
Haste makes waste. Plus it’s summer, so the builders of the Omphoy Ocean Resort want to make sure everything is “right” before “the season.” So the opening of the first luxury hotel to rise along the beach since the Ritz-Carlton 18 years ago has been pushed back: The previously expected June opening for the 134-room hotel is now set for July. When you’re Ceebraid Signal, which also owns The Brazilian Court, and you spend $42 million to buy the former Palm Beach Hilton and another $55 million to fix it up, you can’t play around.
Can’t help but be excited, though, because dinner — as well as breakfast, lunch and catering — will be overseen by one of the nation’s hottest chefs, Miami-based Michelle Bernstein. The arrangement is similar to The Brazilian Court’s with Daniel Boulud.
Thom Smith is a freelance writer, who also dabbles in public relations. A journalist for more than 40 years, he was a sports writer for the Miami Herald, also worked for the Aloha Daily News in Hawaii and for 34 years was a writer and columnist with The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at thomsmith@ymail.com.Read more…
By Margie Plunkett
Delray Beach commissioners gave staff the go-ahead on permanent design changes to U.S. 1 at Atlantic Avenue, an $11 million project that reduces the highway to two lanes from three in each direction for better traffic and pedestrian safety. The design, which has already been implemented temporarily between SE 10th Street and George Bush Boulevard, would be funded with state and federal money if all requests come through, City Engineer Randal L. Krejcarek told commissioners at their May meeting. All commissioners backed the changes, but they also raised questions of when other areas in the city would get development. “I think we have to have some movement near [Interstate] 95. I haven’t seen it,” said Deputy Vice Mayor Mack Bernard.
The temporary U.S. 1 changes allowed observation of pedestrian and car traffic under the plan, which was intended to improve traffic safety, control speeds, beautify the highway with landscaping and make it pedestrian friendly.
Data collected in a study of the intersection since the temporary change show traffic volume was lower in 2009 than 2007; traffic speeds were 6 mph slower; and crashes were reduced by about 50 percent, the city engineer said. When asked about gridlock, Krejcarek said the city had to adjust timing of the traffic lights. Delray Beach is admired for its vision, Vice Mayor Gary Eliopoulous said, also noting, “This is design 101. You don’t take your best asset and have your pedestrians crossing four lanes of traffic to it.” And slowing the traffic shows off retail to vehicle occupants. If the permanent change moves forward, construction could begin in 2011.
Construction funding, committed or requested, in the amount of $4 million would come from state funds for resurfacing projects; $6.65 million from federal transportation bill earmarks and an enhancement grant; and $350,000 from development projects. “If the House and Senate can agree on the next transportation bill, it should go for a vote in the September time frame,” Krejcarek said.
The CRA would pay for design costs, which run about 10 percent of the project, Krejcarek said. The design is part of the Delray Beach master plan adopted in 2002.
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