Delray Beach city staff propose the city follow best practices set by the Government Finance Officers Association for selling bonds and selecting bond personnel, as set forth in a memo by Delray’s finance director, Joseph Safford.
The recommendations follow the indictment of former County Commissioner Mary McCarty, which raised questions on some Delray Beach bond issue practices. Larry Brown of Brown, Garganese, Weiss & D’Agresta, P.A., was hired to conduct an independent review. Though the review said no violation of law was found while the city worked with underwriting companies that employed McCarty’s husband, Kevin, some GFOA best practices were not followed.
Safford’s memo said that, when selling municipal bonds, Delray Beach should provide written justification from its financial adviser on selling bonds either through competitive bidding or a negotiated sale, depending on market conditions, and an evaluation of the best method to get the lowest cost for taxpayers. Requests for proposals would be issued for selection of a bond underwriter, bond counsel and financial adviser. The commission agreed with Assistant City Manager Douglas Smith’s suggestion at the May 12 workshop that the staff write up a formal policy and present it at a future meeting.
— Margie PlunkettRead more…
Thank you to George Weide of Boynton Beach, who wrote to suggest we check with the City of Boynton Beach about the installation date of the current boardwalk in Oceanfront Park. As a regular beach visitor during the 1990s, he suggested the city might have given us the wrong date. He was right. We checked back with the city and learned that the current recycled plastic boardwalk was installed in 1994, not in 1986, as we published in our last edition.
Thank you to Stacey Winick of Delray Beach, who wrote to offer kind and constructive feedback concerning how tightly rolled The Coastal Star is when delivered — and how it often ends up in the bushes rather than the driveway. I’ll address delivery packaging first: Since The Coastal Star is delivered for free to our neighbors, we use the complimentary plastic bags that our printer provides. We are exploring the cost of using larger bags and hope to in the future. On that other delivery issue: I’ll speak to the publisher (my husband). He and I deliver the papers each month. I drive, he throws. I’ll ask him to try to avoid the bushes.
If you’d like to pick up a flat copy of the paper, they are usually available at the following Delray Beach area locations: The Trouser Shop, Atlantic Avenue; Huber’s Drugs, Atlantic Avenue; Old School Square, Swinton Avenue.
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Like a vanished handprint that reappears when condensation coats a windowpane, foggy mornings on the beach recall for me the wave of Cuban rafters in the summer of 1994.
I can still see a tiny raft aslant on the beach, shreds of a handmade sail hanging limply in the fading shadows just before daybreak. Handmade oars lying beside a damp notebook streaked with ink and what had once been handwritten Spanish words. Final thoughts for a loved one? Directions to a relative’s place in Miami? A prayer?
Surely prayers were on the lips of the mostly Haitian immigrants dumped into the Gulf Stream by human smugglers in May.
As I hustled down the beach, cell phone in hand, in an attempt to photograph the rescue boats arriving through the Boynton Inlet, the news continued to unfold: a large boat overturned, two people dead. A boat loaded with immigrants sunk overnight, search and rescue under way. Immigrants found floating in the Gulf Stream 15 miles from shore, at least 10 dead including infants, 16 survivors.
As this news reached me I passed some of the most beautiful homes in South Florida on some of the most private and pristine beaches in the state. It’s no wonder humans whose lives are spent in poverty and fear would feel compelled beyond reason to risk their lives, and the lives of their children, to come here.
These stories of desperation haunt me each time I see an old shoe or water jug washed ashore. Like the Statue of Liberty that served as a beacon for previous generations, now our sparkling coastline beckons the tired, the poor, the huddled masses of our island neighbors.
If conditions in their home countries don’t improve, there will come a morning when the flotsam found on the beach is not the detritus of a desperate life, but what was once life. Gone. Vanished like a handprint wiped from a windowpane.
— Mary Kate Leming, EditorRead more…
Jim Bonfiglio is an attorney known for using his skills to serve the community. Bonfiglio specializes in defending mortgage foreclosure actions. As one of a small number of attorneys in the country who are expert in the Federal Truth in Lending Act, he has received numerous awards for his work, including the Legal Aid Society’s 2008 Pro Bono Consumer Law Award.
Jim is also one of the initial inductees in the Palm Beach County Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Hall of Fame. Recently, Matt Lauer interviewed Jim on NBC’s Today Show as an expert on mortgage foreclosure issues.
A longtime resident of Ocean Ridge, Jim has served on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission and was recently elected its chairman.
Jim is also active in the rescue of Shar-Peis. His first dog arrived as the result of a sports injury in 1989. After a season as a bullpen catcher for the Florida Senior League with the West Palm Beach Tropics, Jim ruptured his Achilles tendon. After three months in a hip-to-toe cast, his foot had frozen in the down position. The next six months required therapy to stretch the tendon, so he bought his first two dogs to keep him company on his daily therapy walks.
He is now the owner of four dogs; or 240 pounds and 16 legs of wrinkle-faced love.
Jim Bonfiglio was nominated to be a Coastal Star by Ocean Ridge Commissioner Terry Brown. For more information about Shar-pei rescue, visit: http://www.floridasharpeirescue.com/Read more…
By Emily J. Minor
In the days of scattered families — one kid in Boston, another in Seattle, the aging parents retired to Arizona — these people are downright odd.
“They all came back,” says the patriarch, Bill Strucker.
“I think they missed their mother.”
Perhaps.
But there is something else that has drawn all three of Strucker’s daughters home again, back to this place along the ocean with the ringing telephone and the familiar smell and the Fanny May candies stacked neatly in the front freezer. It’s the family business, Gulfstream Pharmacy Inc., where their dad has been the handsome, compassionate face behind the prescription counter since 1957.
So all-knowing is this guy that the customers have been known to call him Dr. Bill. He’s a pharmacist, of course, learning the profession back in the 1950s when pharmacists did things like grind and mix and measure. Bill Strucker’s daughter, Erin Craig, is the main pharmacist at the store now. But it’s Strucker himself who has the worn-out journal stuffed with old prescriptions for things like tooth powder and eye drops and Dr. Abbey’s Scalp Lotion.
He could probably mix you up some, in a real pinch.
Strucker, who’s 79 and still works every Saturday, came south from Erie, Pa., in the mid-1950s. He was a new, licensed pharmacist, determined to “come to Florida and strike out alone.”
But strike out he did not.
This stretch of A1A in Briny Breezes was a farm back then, with one building sticking out quite noticeably. Strucker said it was a small gift shop — the only thing between Palm Beach and Deerfield Beach except for two restaurants.
He leased the building in 1957, started a pharmacy and eventually hired his parents — they escaped the cold and retired to Florida. His dad was the delivery boy; his mother was the clerk.
These were the days of Sealtest ice cream and Whitman’s Chocolates and a whole section devoted to the latest line of Kodak cameras. Strucker and his wife, Virginia, raised their three girls here. Besides Craig, another daughter, Alison Goodridge, 33, eventually left to study elsewhere, but is back. She works part-time in the store. A third daughter, Elizabeth, is also local again. How has the store changed since the girls were young?
“It hasn’t, really,” says Craig.
“The smell is still the same,” says Goodridge.
And therein lies the beauty of Gulfstream Pharmacy.
It’s bigger now. Years ago, Strucker added on, changing the configuration of the store so the pharmacy counter is off the left. The old typewriter that Strucker used to type out his prescriptions is long gone. Instead, there are four computers and three DSL lines. And getting reimbursed for a prescription purchase is a complicated tangle of bureaucratic formulas that never seems to benefit the little guy. Strucker said it was really about 10 years ago that the big chains started squeezing out shops like his.
But, still, there’s something oh-so special about coming in here, sick as a dog, and having Erin or Tom or Alison or Mr. Strucker himself behind the counter, asking about your family, knowing what you want before you even have to ask.
“This business has survived because of his personality and service,” says Tom Craig, Erin’s husband, who learned to run the pharmacy under his father-in-law’s tutelage.
“Everybody loves him.”
A family business is a special commitment, and it makes for some pretty good reminiscing: Strucker used to mix the compounds for the polo horses when the grounds were closer to the ocean. He’s been summoned for almost every kind of emergency, including an attempted suicide. And one time a customer’s artificial eyeball kept, well, falling out.
“He told the eyeball story at the dinner table,” Alison says. And while all that is well and good, it’s the customers who have kept this special place so special. Customers like Natalie Latimer, who has been coming here for 20 years.
“Oh, my goodness,” she said one recent morning, a greeting card fluttering in her hand. “You can get anything here. Even jewelry.”
And perhaps some scalp lotion, if it’s a Saturday and a certain Mr. Strucker is in the mood.
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By Thomas B. Collins
DELRAY BEACH — Aaah, the sights, the sounds, the smells. The chatting coffee-sippers at an outside table. A delicious Asian fusion scent tempting you from a fine restaurant. Rollicking music coaxing you from a bar and grill.
On Federal Highway at Atlantic Avenue, the good times always seem to roll. A few blocks up the road, though, you might as well be in another city. Aging strip malls sulk behind mostly empty parking lots, with auto shops, car dealerships and pawnshops interspersed. Planners up and down Florida’s east coast have struggled with re-doing U.S. 1, the former highway in chief that was relegated to second class when I-95 was built.
In Delray Beach, planners are preparing for what they hope will be a transformation that will turn Federal Highway, frequently traveled by both coastal residents and mainlanders alike, into a close cousin of Atlantic Avenue. But the economy has stalled the progress, leaving many approved projects unbuilt and a string of vacant lots to advertise hard times.
“Once the economy turns around, we’ll see what happens,” said Ron Hoggard, a senior planner with the city.
Some activity now
For now, the list of approved projects that aren’t built include Parc Place North at Delray Beach, a development of residences, shops and offices on Federal just south of Gulfstream Boulevard; Village Parc, another mixed-use project that would replace a swap shop near the north edge of town; and Atlantic Plaza II, an ambitious collection of 197 dwelling units, and about 100,000 square feet each of office and retail space.
Among projects in the works but not yet approved is the redevelopment of the old library site just south of Atlantic, which would be replaced by a hotel, a garage, and retail and office space. Planners are hopeful that they will all get off the ground.
There is some activity now, though.
The five-story 5th Avenue at Delray — with 47 residential units along with retail and office space — is under construction just north of Atlantic Avenue.
So is Latitude Delray, planned as a 114-residential-unit project with 23,000 square feet of commercial space. Latitude is 60 percent built. And Isack Merenfeld, a principal of the project owner, Delray-based Savion Companies, said it will “absolutely” be completed as planned.
Fifteen units are already being rented, Merenfeld said. “Those ones we’re renting help with the cash flow to keep the project afloat.” He was optimistic about a turnaround, saying that sales of foreclosures and short sales are a sign that the bottom has been reached.
“That takes units off the market and creates pressure upward,” Merenfeld said, though he added it will be a year or more before the economy will actually have rebounded.
Eager for end of downturn
The optimism along Federal is not there for the seeing, especially north of downtown. There, any given lot is just as likely to be an active business or residential development as it is to be empty, sandy and week-choked.
Planners have been poised for a transformation on North Federal for years. In 1999, city commissioners approved a master plan calling for pedestrian-friendly development. It would bring an end to the parking lots that separate the road from the businesses and bring shops, restaurants and residences to the sidewalk near the roadside. It would mean more landscaping.
Planners are also encouraging more interesting architecture, similar to the 5th Avenue at Delray project, Hoggard said. “There’s a lot of variation of the building,” he said. “It isn’t as straight up along the road line.”
Existing business owners and entrepreneurs are hoping the turnaround does eventually arrive.
Merenfeld said that with the decline of the auto industry, the car dealerships along Federal — and there are many — might present even more redevelopment opportunities.
Amber Ortoll said more activity is bound to help her brand-new business, a vintage clothing store on Federal north of downtown called Frugal Fashionista (“A Thrifty But Chic Resale Boutique”). She said she’s all in favor of new development, as long as it’s pedestrian-friendly and calls for shops along the sidewalk. “Five hundred people living in a condo next door — your traffic would definitely increase,” Ortoll said.
Hoggard, the city planner, acknowledged that some of the projects — such as Parc Place North and Village Parc, with their tens of thousands of square feet — are ambitious, especially given the economic times, though he said he couldn’t say whether they’re too ambitious to get built.
“I haven’t looked at their pro formas, but they’re pretty large,” he said. He said that the downturn at least gives planners time to step back and make sure the plans they’re laying are the right ones for the future of Federal, but he’d rather not wait too much longer. “The sooner we come out of it,” he said, “the better for everybody.”
How you can help protect sea turtles
Avoid visiting sea turtle nesting beaches at night, unless accompanied by a guide permitted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Do not disturb or handle sea turtles, their eggs or their nests. All are violations of both federal and state laws.
Report all dead, injured or stranded turtles and hatchlings, or anyone harassing/molesting sea turtles or their nests, to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Law Enforcement at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
Prevent all lights from illuminating or being visible from the beach, including security lights, balcony and porch lights, flashlights and car headlights.
Dispose of your trash properly, picking up any plastics and fishing line.
Cooperate with local groups monitoring sea turtles by not disturbing nest markers. Do not cover sea turtle tracks or mark nests yourself, unless you have a marine turtle permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Source: Palm Beach County Dept. of Environmental Resources Management.
For information about joining a moonlight walking tour — and maybe even a seeing a nesting turtle — contact these organizations:
Marinelife Center of Juno Beach
Loggerhead Park, 14200 U.S. 1, Juno Beach, FL 33408.
Reservations accepted by phone at (561) 627-8280.
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Nature Center
10900 State Road A1A, North Palm Beach (Singer Island)
Reservations accepted by phone at (561) 624-6952.
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Boca Raton
1801 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton.
Tickets must be purchased in person.
Call (561) 338-1473 for more information.
Source: Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation CommissionRead more…
Loggerhead
Florida's most common sea turtle, the loggerhead is named for its large head. It grows to a length of 3 feet, can weigh 200 to 250 pounds, and is a threatened species.
The loggerhead nests from April to September.
Leatherback
Named for its smooth and rubbery shell, the leatherback weighs between 700 and 1,500 pounds and nests from March through July. The leatherback is an endangered species.
Green
With a greenish color to its body fat, the female green turtle weighs about 300 pounds and grows to 304 feet long. They nest from May through September.
The green is also an endangered species.
Source: Loggerhead Marinelife Center of June BeachRead more…
By C.B. Hanif
How prayer would manifest in a municipal setting was my question when I learned that Delray Beach would host a National Day of Prayer observance in front of City Hall. The event, celebrated nationwide on the first Thursday each May, was established by Congress to encourage Americans to pray for our nation, its people and its leaders.
Delray’s announcement of two “interdenominational” public prayer events resonated with me. For the first, citizens gathered at City Hall at noon on a chamber of commerce day as they have for more than a decade. And that’s the problem, said Geoff Kashdan.
I had just finished telling two city commissioners of my appreciation for the city’s support of the event when he strolled up to greet me. The self-described “progressive activist” stressed that he was not speaking on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, for which he has advocated in the past. But he said there’s a concern “when public property such as city hall is used. Especially if it’s used by one religion, which gives the appearance of municipal or governmental sponsorship of that one religion. So I’m just here to watch, learn, listen and monitor.”
I understand that slippery slope, and the influences that want to define America as a Christian nation. It is that, of course. But also, as our praying president has said, a nation of many faiths and home to people of no particular faith.
Two later events I attended better lived up to the interdenominational billing. I left a joyous musical prayer circle, on Lake Worth’s beach, to head to Delray’s Duncan Conference Center for “Many Paths — One God: Celebrating our Unity in Diversity.” Smiles and hugs were even more in abundance at that gathering, sponsored by the Delray Beach Interfaith Clergy Association. The warmth was even more encouraging given the diversity: prayers in the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, African-American, Christian Science, Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu and other traditions. Benedictions in English, Hebrew, Arabic, Creole and Spanish.
Throughout the day, one could imagine scoffing from the haters of religion, and haters in the name of religion. They should talk to Addie Lee Hudson.
“It brings us closer together as a people,” the retired educator told me after she had delivered the “Prayer For Our Schools” at City Hall. “And it reaffirms our belief that there is a God. Not a God for one group of people, but a God for all of us.”
Her focus on unity underscores why those who trust in prayer should trust that we can’t pray enough.
C.B. Hanif, former news ombudsman and editorial columnist for The Palm Beach Post, is a freelance writer, editor, media and interreligious affairs consultant. His blog, InterFaith21.com debuts soon. Look for more insights as he visits or speaks at synagogues, churches and mosques from here to infinity, connecting with folks who are making the Golden Rule real, not just an ideal. C.B. can be reached at cbhanif@gmail.comRead more…
Watch a slideshow of experts and volunteers on their morning patrol
By Ron Hayes
Bright and early Mother’s Day morning, Joan Lorne climbed aboard an ATV and tore down Gulf Stream beach on a rescue mission for countless mothers who will never know how many of their children’s lives she saved.
Turtles are mothers, too, after all.
Loggerheads and leatherbacks, greens and the occasional hawksbill — on moonlight nights between March and September, female sea turtles crawl from the ocean to bury their eggs on the beaches of Palm Beach County.
By sunrise, they’re gone, with only flipper tracks in the sand to recall their visit.
And then the dangers arrive. Beach walkers and picnickers, foxes and raccoons that forage for the eggs, human poachers who sell them as rumored aphrodisiacs.
Three mornings a week, Lorne patrols the beach, before the tides and human traffic wipe those flipper tracks from the sand, to mark the newly laid nests with Do Not Disturb signs, reminding beachgoers that stealing turtle eggs is a third-degree felony.
She is not alone. In Manalapan and Ocean Ridge, Lantana and Delray Beach, dozens of licensed permit-holders and volunteers mark and monitor the nests.
“To me, it’s the beauty of it all, and the fact that these turtles are still here,” she says. “It’s gorgeous out here early in the morning, and to see what’s come out of the ocean at night is just really cool.”
Lorne was brought to the cause by her daughter, Jackie, a marine biologist and one of 11 men and women in Palm Beach County who hold monitoring permits issued by the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Where the Lornes leave off, John Fletemeyer takes over. A research professor in coastal studies at Florida International University, Fletemeyer has monitored Delray Beach’s turtle nests for 25 years.
“We get an average of 250 nests a year on the 2.5 miles of Delray Beach,” he said as the sun peeped over the horizon one recent morning. “Ninety-six percent of them are loggerheads, with just a handful of greens and leatherbacks.”
When Fletemeyer first began monitoring, he walked the beach. Now he, too, uses an ATV.
“In the past 25 years, I’ve seen a slight decline in the nesting population,” he said. “There seems to be a slight increase now, but 25 years is really too short a span to tell what’s actually going on.”
Phil Stone was a Lantana lifeguard when he started guarding sea turtle nests. Now he holds a permit for the stretch of sand between the Ritz-Carlton hotel and the Boynton Inlet.
“To get out early in the morning and ride an ATV on the beach — hey, the only people who get to do that are lifeguards, law enforcement and me,” he says.
Ripping down the sand not long ago, Stone stopped to scoop up a Mylar “Happy Birthday” balloon, one of a surprising number that seem to wash ashore from coastal parties and cruise ships.
“The turtles mistake them for jelly fish and eat them,” he explained.
The Lornes report finding two dead turtles on their stretch of sand, a green and a hawksbill. Autopsied at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, both were found to have ingested plastic.
Threatened by foxes, raccoons, poachers and Mylar balloons, sea turtles face outrageous odds simply trying to survive.
After laying their eggs, the mothers return to the ocean, leaving the hatchlings to find their own way to the sea. Instinctively, they are drawn to the moonlight on the water, but the lights from nearby homes, passing cars and the “urban glow” of cities can disorient them.
“Sea turtles need a dark beach,” says Meghan Koperski, an environmental specialist with the FWC. “If you live on the coast, that doesn’t mean you have to black out every light on your property, but you do have to manage it so it isn’t visible on the beach. And it’s not only hatchlings who get disoriented. Nesting females can also become lost on the way to lay their eggs.”
The odds are not good. According to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center of Juno Beach, only about one in every 1,000 to one in every 10,000 hatchlings reaches adulthood.
But for volunteers like Phil Stone, that’s all the more reason to give them the best chance possible.
“There's a great sense of satisfaction in knowing that I’m helping one of Florida’s endangered species,” he says. “Most of the tourists who come here won’t see any turtles, but if you dive off Florida’s beaches, you’re going to see turtles. And that’s because we’ve helped protect them.”
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MANALAPAN – Town Commissions won’t fund efforts to rid neighborhoods of iguanas, but are compiling a list of licensed contractors residents can call to perform removal services.
An annual town contract would cost $12,000 to $13,000 and would necessitate giving the contractor access to all Manalapan properties, according to Town Manager Gregory Dunham. But he questioned using town funds for iguana eradication.
Individual calls for iguana control can run about $250 to $325, Dunham said, after taking calls and letters from interested contractors. Mayor Tom Gerrard asked Dunham to bring a list of acceptable contractors to the next commission meeting.
--Margie Plunkett
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By Margie Plunkett
What’s more painful than nasty no-see-um bites? The question of who should pay to get rid of the pest — the town or property owner.
“All of you have beautiful homes and have moved to a beautiful area — and are upset by the bug problems. You moved to the nuisance,” resident Marrett Hanna said at a May Town Commission meeting. “It’s ridiculous and utterly elitist to think you can go to the town when you can pay for it yourself.”
The question of who pays joins an already intense discussion centering on concerns about the environmental soundness of pesticides used to combat no-see-ums.
“You can see that it’s a divided issue,” Mayor Ken Kaleel told Frank Clarke of Clarke Mosquito Control in Orlando, invited to the meeting to explain chemicals and the process used to eradicate no-see-ums.
The issue has re-emerged, along with the biting midges, after a year the town did not contract for spraying. Some residents have strenuously complained that the seemingly invisible — or is that invincible? — creatures are out in force, making it impossible to enjoy the outdoors for more than a couple minutes at a time without being eaten alive. Others, opposed to spraying, have argued it is not in the best interest of the environment, potentially harming the ecosystem and welcome insects like butterflies and bees. Opponents also point out that not all residents are affected.
Commissioner Terry Brown, who is opposed to spraying for environmental reasons, said, “There is an issue as to whether you should use public funds for a private purpose.”
In previous years, the town paid about $65,000 to $70,000 annually to Clarke for treatment that included spraying by truck once a week and applying a pesticide barrier on a limited number of properties.
The cost for a resident to treat his or her own property would be $200 a week, Clarke said.
The question of whether the town or individual resident should foot the bill doesn’t just involve money, but the effectiveness of spraying. According to Clarke, previous spraying of about 46 individual properties was meant to build a chemical barrier against no-see-ums’ migrating from their habitat, including the mangroves, to other residential areas, not just those being treated.
For the individual property owner, it begs the question of if they are responsible for the no-see-um problem and for paying for a service that could benefit other town residents as well.
“I’m not raising no-see-ums on the property,” said Robert Happ, who asked Clarke how much treatment costs a homeowner and had previously produced a petition signed by residents in favor of spraying. The mayor and commissioners questioned Clarke on the effectiveness of barrier spraying without the weekly treatment by truck, which they discussed as a possibility if the budget supported it and requested a quote from Clarke. The barrier is applied by workers walking each property and spraying insecticide with a backpack. The truck had kept to roadways, spraying at dusk, a peak of daily no-see-um activity.
The truck treatment was intended to kill no-see-ums its spray contacts, keeping the population down by preventing them from laying more eggs, Clarke said. The barrier technique goes for the “harborage area,” coating foliage, including the backs of leaves, with a chemical that kills no-see-ums for about a week. The no-see-ums typically hide under leaves until they fly out when they’ve detected carbon dioxide that exudes from their would-be victims.
Insecticides aren’t effective against no-see-um larva, Clarke said. And another method the University of Florida has experimented with in South Florida — killing the no-see-ums after attracting them with carbon dioxide pots — isn’t commercially viable, he said.
Commissioner Brown wondered if the barrier method would keep no-see-ums from returning to the swamps from whence they came.
“They’re not going to be attracted there,” Clarke said. “They’re migrating toward their food source — your residents.”
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By Mike Readling
After years of watching the thick mangrove shoreline along the Intracoastal Waterway in Boynton Beach become thinner and host to substantially fewer mangroves, Palm Beach County’s Environmental Resource Management department has taken action.
ERM recently began installing breakwaters just north of the Ocean Avenue Bridge, in the area of Two Georges restaurant.
The construction of the riprap breakwaters is a move the department hopes will help buffer some of the boat wakes that have been pounding the shoreline vegetation. Loss of mangrove cover along the shoreline leads to loss of habitat for a variety of species, both land- and water-based.
“Over the past few decades, we’ve lost a lot of mangrove shoreline around that area,” said Brock Stanaland, senior environmental analyst for ERM. “It was continuing to erode, so we decided to build these breakwaters to help prevent erosion and protect the mangroves.”
Stanaland said ERM has had its eyes on this particular area for a long time, but only recently was it able to move to correct it.
“We’d been watching this situation for years,” he said. “It was a matter of getting stars to line up so we could attack the given problem. This just happened to work out.” The breakwaters will be constructed on both sides of the Intracoastal by Pinellas County-based M & J Construction. They are being constructed with limestone boulders and will measure a total of 2,200 square feet when they are finished. Stanaland said work should be completed by the first of June at an estimated cost of $650,000.
“There will probably be five separate breakwaters on each side of the waterway,” Stanaland said. “We wanted to break them up to allow for some natural flushing and to allow fish — or anything else — to be able to come and go without getting trapped.” In addition to this project working to control boat wakes on the Intracoastal, several groups of residents recently voiced their concerns to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission about that same subject.
About 50 citizens packed into the auditorium at the Boca Raton Administrative Building to let their voices be heard regarding changes the FWC is considering.
The FWC Boating and Waterways Division released eight pages of proposed rule changes for the 47-mile stretch of Intracoastal Waterway that runs through Palm Beach County. The changes are in the preliminary phase, with the division seeking comments. Comments from the group looking to slow boats down focused on protecting boats tied to docks, the impact of waves on sea walls and worry for people participating in activities such as water skiing and jet skiing.
“There are kids being pulled on tubes behind Jet Skis that fall in the water and those people in the big boats can’t see them just bobbing there,” said Anita Casey, who lives on the Intracoastal, just south of the Bush Boulevard Bridge. She was backed by a large contingent of residents from Seagate Towers condominiums in Delray Beach.
“They need to slow down the big boats that are doing a lot of damage and putting human lives in danger,” said Seagate resident Don Platz.
Several residents stood to oppose any changes to the current regulations, which include a combination of no-wake, slow-speed and 25-mph zones. Two of those, Lisa Wilcox and Cass Riese, live in the Regency Highland condominiums in Delray Beach and are regular waterway users. “I like watersports and I chose to move here to be close to the water,” Wilcox said. “I don’t want the Intracoastal to become paralyzed. During the time I have lived here, I have seen respect for and between boaters and people cooperating with each other.”
One outspoken proponent of keeping the waterway speed limits where they are was Highland Beach resident Joe Kuhn, who summed up his group’s argument with a simple question.
“These people sit here and talk about all the boats going fast and kids bobbing in the water that are going to get hit. Where are the numbers? Where are the numbers of people dying in the Intracoastal?” Kuhn asked. “I feel there is a lot of hyperbole that doesn’t belong here. The Intracoastal belongs to the people of Florida. You can own your land, you can own your house, but you can’t own the water.”
The FWC will hold several more meetings in the coming months to continue to hone the language and direction of the new regulations. For more information, go to http://myfwc.com/RECREATION/boat_waterways_index.htm.Read more…
By Mary Thurwachter
Those of us who live on barrier islands are vulnerable to the storm surges hurricanes bring. Which means, when a hurricane warning is issued, it’s time to skedaddle.
“We go by the state of Florida guidelines,” says Diane Spears, park manager in Briny Breezes. “The first to go are people in mobile home courts and people on barrier islands —and that’s us!”
Regardless of what kind of building you live in, islanders are subject to evacuations as hurricanes close in.
When you leave the island, take blankets, pillows, food, water, flashlights, rain gear, changes of clothing, medicine and prescription drugs, portable radio and reading material to the shelter. Plan to be away from home a minimum of 48 hours.
How do you know when it’s time to go?
Keep tuned into TV and radio news, local authorities say. And when you go, be sure to take an ID like a driver’s license with your island address on it so authorities will let you come back over the bridge when the storm passes.
Manalapan Police Chief Clay Walker advises residents to pick up a pass at the Police Department. Many summer residents are caretakers. With a pass, they’ll have an easier time returning home after the storm.
Ocean Ridge Police Lt. Chris Yannuzzi advises residents to arrange lodging with friends or relatives on the mainland, west of I-95, if possible. You also could book a room at a sturdy hotel, but make reservations as soon as you hear of a hurricane watch because rooms will be hard to come by when the storm gets closer.
Evacuation routes are via the Linton Boulevard Bridge, Atlantic Avenue Bridge, George Bush Boulevard Bridge, Woolbright Road Bridge, the Ocean Ridge Ocean Avenue Bridge, and Lantana Bridge (Ocean Avenue).
The bridges will be raised and lowered as required for the flow of boat traffic until the wind reaches 35 miles per hour, and then they will be secured in a closed position and bridge tenders will not be in attendance during the storm. If you need to move a boat, you should do it at the first hurricane watch notice of the storm.
If you need a shelter, here are several to consider:
Park Vista High School, 7900 Jog Road, Boynton Beach; Boynton Beach High, 4975 Park Ridge Blvd., Boynton Beach; Atlantic High School, 2455 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; and Forest Hill High School, 6901 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach.
Check with hurricane guides published by local daily newspapers (Palm Beach Post, South Florida Sun-Sentinel) in June for an expanded list of shelter locations.
What’s the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning?A hurricane watch is an announcement that hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.
A hurricane warning is an announcement that sustained winds (74 mph or higher) associated with a hurricane are expected within 24 hours. A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force.
Source: NOAA’s National Hurricane CenterRead more…
By Margie Plunkett
Residents can build bigger beach houses in Manalapan as a result of the wide-ranging zoning ordinance the Town Commission passed on second reading in May.
After extensive discussion over several meetings, the commission decided to compromise on a 750 square foot building, raising the square footage of a beach home from a previous limit of 500 square feet, but not going as far as the proposed 1,000 square feet.
The beach house debate brought in environmental and aesthetic concerns on one side and the right of coastal homeowners to build to fit their needs on the other. A particularly strenuous argument was posed for 1,000 square foot structures by residents with larger properties that could more easily accommodate the larger structures.
The Commission tweaked some beach house language in the ordinance to indicate that the structures must be heavily screened from the road and neighbors, and landscaped on the ocean side. Standalone decks cannot be visible to road, neighbors or on the ocean side.
The ordinance addressed a variety of zoning modifications, including to allow six-foot dune walkovers; gas-fueled fire pits as large as eight feet on beach properties; 1,000-square foot decks for beach properties with no beach house; and hedge heights rising to eight feet rather than the previous four in some areas.
While the just-based ordinance removes some multifamily uses in one area of town, commissioners have sent a resolution to the zoning board to review whether to continue to allow the use of townhouses in two districts.
Read more…
Delray Beach Commissioners will determine if they can fully staff Fire Station No. 2 this fiscal year after reviewing county Property Appraiser’s figures, due in on June 1, Mayor McDuffie said at a special commissioners meeting in May. The Commissioners won’t reveal until then how much Gulf Stream would pay for fire services under a new contract.
The meeting was held after a temporary staffing change at Fire Station No. 2, which serves the coastal area including Gulf Stream, transferring two paramedics to the fire engine. The rescue transport would not run, and Gulf Stream would be served by the nearest available rescue transport. The temporary staff change was made to insure safety of the firefighter’s on the understaffed fire engine.
At its April meeting, Gulf Stream commissioners had approved a new 10-year contract for fire and emergency services with Delray Beach for $229,000 annually, up about 41 percent from the previous contract. Mayor Woodie McDuffie said it was unfortunate that the process had been done backwards – that Delray Beach failed to review the contract before sending it to Gulf Stream.
--Margie Plunkett
Read more…
NOTE: Here is an updated summer camps schedule, with additional listings. With so many summer camps offered in our area, we selected those located between the Boca Raton Inlet and the Port of Palm Beach. We kept most of our listings east of I-95. Please check directly with camps for registration and/or schedule changes.
CLOSE TO HOME
American Heritage School Summer Day Camp: 6200 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach. Ages 3-13. Sports and musical theater academies. Four two-week sessions, 6/8-7/31 and one one-week session 8/3-7. M-F, 8:30 am-3:30 pm. Junior Program (age 3-4) from 8:30 am-1:30 pm. Extended day care available. $840/ two-week session, $345/one-week session, and $690/1/2 day Junior Program. 637-2440 or www.ahschool.com.
Art-Sea Living Gallery & Studio: 640 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. Age 4-12. Five different one-week art classes offered for age 13-16. 10:30 am-1:30 pm, T-F. 6/9-8/7. $125/week or $35/day. Begins 6/15. All classes meet 2-4 pm. M-F. $120, includes supplies. Sibling discounts. 737-2600 or www.artsealiving.com.
Boynton Beach Recreation & Parks Department Summer Camps: 7:30 am-5:30 pm, M-F, 6/15-8/7. $440-$550. Themed camps with age-appropriate activities meet at various locations: Boat Club Park, 736-9372; Intracoastal Park Clubhouse, 742-6650; Civic Center, 742-6240; Ezell Hester Community Center, 742-6550; Carolyn Sims Center, 742-6550; Art Center, 742-6221; Art Camp: $688-$550. www.boynton-beach.org
Bucky Dent’s Baseball School: 490 Dotterel Rd, Delray Beach. Age 7 & up. 9 am-3 pm, M-F. Baseball games, batting practice, pitching. Sessions start 6/15. $275/week, discounts available. Rookie Camp: Age 5-7, 9 am-12:30 pm, M-F. Includes lunch. Begins 6/29. $175/week. 265-0280 or www.buckydentbaseballschool.com
Cougar Sports Camp: St. Mark’s School, 730 NE Sixth Ave., Boynton Beach. Age 6-12. Basketball, cheerleading, football, soccer & vollyball. 9 am-3 pm. M-F. 6/15-19, 6/22-26. $225/week, $180/second week. 732-9934 or www.stmarkboynton.com.
Delray Beach Playhouse Acting Camp: 950 NW Ninth St., Delray Beach. Age 6-13. Write and act a sketch for a variety show (by age group.) 9 am-4 pm (after-care available until 6 pm for $50/week), M-F, 6/8-8/14. $210/week. 436-9554 or www.delraybeachplayhouse.com.
Delray Beach Summer Camp: Delray Beach Parks & Recreation Dept. is currently holding registration for all three camp sites (Community Center, Pompey Park, and Pine Grove Elementary). Parents should bring: completed registration application, $25.00 registration fee, $110 (first payment), a headshot of the child(ren) & a copy of the child(ren)’s birth certificate. Camp held 6/15-8/7. $465/eight-week program. 243-7249 or www.mydelraybeach.com
Delray Water Sports Surf Camp: 500 S. Ocean Blvd./1100 Casuarina Rd., Delray Beach. Age 6-15. Surfing, skim and boogie boarding, kayaking, snorkeling. 8:30 am-noon, M-F, 6/1-8/28. $300/week. 703-7210 or www.delraywatersports.com
East West Karate Kid Academy: 125-H Hypoluxo Rd., Hypoluxo. Age 5-12. Karate, field trips and more. 7 am-6 pm. M-F. 6/8-8/21. $175. 493-0082 or www.ewkarate.com.
Explorer’s Club at the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum: 129 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. Age 5-9. Art, crafts, dance, nature, games, field trips. 9 am-2 pm. M-F, 6/15-8/7. $175/week. 742-6783 or www.schoolhousemuseum.org.
First Impressions Pre-School: 2214 S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach. Age 5-12. Field trips to area attractions. 6:30 am-6 pm. M-F. 6/4-8/25. $145/week. $50 registration. 737-4373 or www.firstimpressionsschools.com.
Gulf Stream School Summer Camp: 3600 Gulf Stream Road, Gulf Stream. Two one-week sports camps are offered starting at the close of school in June. Lower school student camps combines a variety of both on-campus and off-campus activities. Pre-Kindergarten camp provides educational play. 276-5225 or www.gulfstreamschool.org.
Kickin’Arts Camp: Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Age 6-12. Visual and performing arts activities. Three one-week sessions. 9 am-2 pm. M-F. 7/13-7/31. $230/week includes materials. 243-7922 or www.oldschool.org.
The Learning Place Summer Camp: 1400 SW Third St., Boynton Beach. Activities and field trips. 6:45 am-6 pm. M-F. 6/1-8/24. $140/week includes meals. $25 registration. 742-4441.
Ocean Discovery Summer Day Camp: Sandoway House Nature Center, 142 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. Age 7-12. Kayaking and snorkeling plus beach scavenger hunts, nature crafts and games. 6/8-12 (age 7-9). 6/15-19 (age 10-12). M- F, 9 am to 4 pm. $350/week. 274-7263 or www.sandowayhouse.com.
Palm Beach Fashion Camp: Boynton Beach Mall, 801 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach. Age 5-18. Seven-week program. Modeling techniques, health/nutrition, pilates, musical movement, hair, nail and skin care, fashion trends, etiquette, acting. Age 5-10/10-11:30 am; age 11-18/11:30-1 pm. Saturdays, 6/6-8/16. $195/week. 747-6594 or www.palmbeach
fashioncamp.com.
St. Joseph’s Episcopal School Summer Camp: 3300 S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach. Arts & Athletics for age 5-12. $225-$250/week. Aftercare: $10 per hour. $30 registration. 6/22-8/14, 8 am-4 pm. Aftercare 4-6 pm. 732-2045 or www.sjsonline.org.
Seacrest Christian School: 2703 N. Seacrest Blvd., Delray Beach. Age 2-11. Arts, crafts, and science. 7:45 am-3:30 pm, M-F. $84-$167/week. Aftercare $3/hour. $120 registration. 276-5552.
Summer Dance & Musical Theatre Camps: Civic Center, 128 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach. Summer Dance (age 7-18). Ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical and choreography by skill level. 9 am-12:30 pm. M-F. 7/20-24. $125-$156; Princess Dance (age 4-10). Focus on different princess each day. 9 am-4 pm. M-F. 6/8-12. $175-$229; Musical Theatre (age 6-18) Singing, dancing, acting, costuming. 9 am-4 pm. M-F. 8/10-14. $175-$220. 542-0215 or www.dancetrendsboynton.com.
Summer Vacation Bible Camp: Church of The Palms, 1960 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Age 6-12. 9 am-3 pm. 7/20-7/24. $55/per child. 276-6347 or 294-8143
DeVos-Blum Family YMCA Camp: 9600 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach. Grades k-5. Field trips, entertainment, arts & crafts, swimming, sports, games. M-F, 7:30 am-6 pm. 738-9622 or www.ymcaspbc.org.
TO THE SOUTH
Advent Camp ADVENTure: 300 E. Yamato Rd., Boca Raton. Grades K-8. Christ-centered arts, sports, science, cooking, nature and fieldtrips. 7:30 am-5:30 pm, M-F, 6/1-8/18. Full- and half-day programs. $200-$275/week. 395-5322 or www.adventlifenet.org.
e-soccercamps: Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Age 6-17. Soccer for all ability levels. Day camp (9 am-3 pm). Half-day (9-11:45 am). M-F. 6/8-12, 6/15-19, 6/22-26, and 8/3-7. $115/half day, $225/full day. Residential & commuter programs. 6/13-17 (age 13 and under) & 6/27 -7/1 (age 14-18). 297-3743 or www.e-soccercamps.com.
Exploring the World Through Art: Boca Raton Museum of Art School, 801 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. Age 6-11, in three age groups. 9 am-4 pm, extended care and discounts available. M-F, 6/8-7/31. $250/week. 392-2503 or www.bocamuseum.org.
FAU-Goal To Goal Soccer Camps: 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Foundations for beginners and skill enhancement for the competitive/travel team player.Camp activities offered in afternoon. Half-day: 9 am-noon, full day: 9 am-3 pm. M-F, 6/8-8/14. $115/week half-day, $225/week full-day. Advanced Training Camps for age 10-14 and age 15-18 available. 297-3711 or www.goaltogoalsoccercamps.com.
FAU Summer Arts Camps: 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Piano, creative writing, junior band, junior choral, ballet, tap and creative movement, theater performance, musical showcase. Camps divided by age. 9 am-4 pm. 6/15-7/31. $260/week. $10 registration. 297-3820 or www.fau.edu/tops.
Performing Arts Summer Camp: Sol Children’s Theatre, 3333 N. Federal Highway, Suite 5, Boca Raton. Vocal music, acting, dance, theater. Two sessions: The Lilliputian Opera Company from 9 am-3 pm. M-F, 6/8-6/26. $725/3-week session and Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland from 9 am-3 pm. M-F, 6/29-7/31. $1,200/5-week session. Lunch included. www.solchildrentheatretroupe.org
Saint Andrew’s School Day and Sports Camps: 3900 Jog Road, Boca Raton. Age 4-14. Four, two-week sessions 6/8-7/31. M-F, 8:40 am-3:10 pm, after-care available 3:45-5:45 pm. Day Camp, Adventure Camp, Sports Camp and Sports Travel Camp. $750-$800. All program/registration fees must be paid by 5/22. 210-2100 or www.saintandrewsschool.net.
St. Paul Lutheran Summer Camp: 701 W. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton. Age 3-grade 6. 7:30 am-5:30 pm (half-days available). M-F. 6/8-8/14. $175/week. Sibling discounts. $50 registration. 395-8548, Ext. 152 or www.cyberfalcon.com.
The Salvation Army (Boca Raton): 300 SW Second Ave. Boca Raton. Elementary school age. Themed camp programs and trips. 8 am-5 pm. M-F. 6/15-7/31. $100/week. $25 registration. 931-1344. www.salvationarmypalmbeachcounty.org.
Summer Youth College: Palm Beach Community College, 3000 St. Lucie Ave., Boca Raton. Age 8-14. Students pick classes and enjoy a unique college experience. 9 am-4 pm, M-Th. $59 per class (each class is 2 hours per week for 6 weeks.) 862-4730 or www.pbcc.edu.
Peter Blum Family YMCA of Boca Raton Camp: 6631 Palmetto Circle South, Boca Raton. Explorer Camp (K-2nd grade); Challenge Camp (3-5th grade); Teen Camp (6-8th grade). Nine one-week sessions (6/8-8/12) and one half-week session (8/9-8/12). Explorer/Challenge fees: $225-$325/session. Teens: $255-$355/session. Sibling rates available. $50 registration. 395-9622 or www.ymcaspbc.orgTO THE NORTH
Actor’s Rep Summer Youth Actor’s Academy: The Cuillo Centre for the Arts, 201 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Age 8-17, grouped by age. Sessions end with showcase performances. 8:30 am-5:30 pm. M-F. 6/8-8/7. $900/four-week session; $600/half-days. $35 registration. 352-5671 or www.actorsrep.org.
All-Star Performing Arts Academy: Temple Beth El, 2815 N. Flagler Dr., West Palm Beach. Age 7-13. Classes plus a staged production. 9 am-5 pm. M-F. 7/7-31. $200/week. $25 registration. 242-5033.
Aloha Surfing School: 2695 S. Ocean Blvd., Lake Worth. Beginners-intermediates. 8:30 am-noon. Early drop off and late pickup available. M-F. 6/1-8/17. $200/week. Discounts available. Includes equipment. 543-7873 or www.alohasurfingschool.com.
Armory Art Center Summer Camp: 1700 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach. Age 5-7, 8-11 and 12 and older. Focus on artistic development and fun. 9 am-4:30 pm, M-F, 6/8-8/7. $215-300. Extended care available. 832-1776, Ext. 21 or www.armoryart.org.
Arts Camp at Dreyfoos School of the Arts: 501 W. Sapodilla Ave., West Palm Beach. Age 6-11. Dance, music, theater, communications and visual arts. 8 am-5 pm. M-Th, 6/8-11. Register noon-2 pm on 5/9. $65. 802-6029
ArtsCamp: Cohen Pavilion, Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Age 9-11. Dramatic composition and performance. 9 am-4:45 pm, M-F. 6/15-7/2. $177/week. 651-4366. www.kravis.org/artscamp.
The Breakers Jr. Golf & Tennis Camp: 1 South County Road, Palm Beach. Age 6-13. Camp includes morning golf and afternoon tennis lessons. Lunch, swimming and other activities included. 9 am-4 pm. M-F. 6/8-8/14. $495/week. $125 registration. Discounts available. 659-8474 or www.thebreakers.com.
Flagler Museum Summer Camps: One Whitehall Way, Palm Beach. Grades 6-8. 9 am-4 pm. M-F: Crime Investigation During the Gilded Age: 6/15-19; Inventions that Changed the World: 7/6-10; Magicians and Magic in the Gilded Age: 7/20-24. $200-$225. Extended hours until 5 pm. 655-2833 or www.flaglermuseum.us.
Gold Coast Summer Gymnastics: 1420 Rupp Lane, Lake Worth. Age 4-12. 9 am-3 pm. M-F. 6/8-8/7. $50-$150/week. $30 membership fee. 585-2700. www.gcgym.com
Lake Worth Playhouse Summer Performance Camp: 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth. Age 5 and up. Summer Session 1: Disney’s Aladdin: Three-week half-day includes performance classes, rehearsals, and participation in a full-scale musical production. 6/8-27, M-F. 1-5 pm. Performance dates; 6/23,24,26 & 27. $400;
Summer Session 2: Enchanted Sleeping Beauty: M-F. 1-5 pm. 7/20-8/13. Performances: 8/14 & 15. $450. Additional individual classes available: $100-$125 each. $800/4 weeks of classes and performance camp. 586-6410. www.lakeworthplayhouse.org.
Lotus Kids Yoga Camp: Bindu Yoga Studio, 5913 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach. Age 5-12. Yoga, dance and games. 1:30-3:30 pm. 7/6-30. Age 5-8 on M&W. Age 9-12 on T&Th. $180/eight classes. 233-9882 or www.bindu-studio.com.
Palm Beach Atlantic University Summer Sailfish Camps: Greene Sports & Recreation Complex, 1100 S. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach. Age 9-18. Boys Basketball, Sun-Th. 6/14-18. $140-$280. Includes meals; Boys Basketball Team (six games plus playoffs), Th-Sun. 6/18-21. $450 per team; Father & Son Basketball, F-Sun. 6/21-25. $180 pair; Girls Volleyball (Individuals, age 11-18) 9 am-3 pm, M-Th. 7/6-9. $200; Girls Volleyball (Play), 6 pm-8 pm, M-W. 7/6-8. $50-$75; Girls Volleyball (Team), 9 am-3 pm. M-Th. 7/13-16. $200-$300. Includes meals. Girls Volleyball (Position), 6 -8 pm. M-W. 7/13-15. $50-$75. 803-2533 or www.pbasailfish.com.
Palm Beach Suzuki School of Music: First Evangelical Luthern Church, 2405 Parker Ave., West Palm Beach. Age 3-7. Piano, violin, cello, guitar, art, yoga. 9 am-noon, M-F, 6/8-19. $320-345. 308-7954 or www.pbssm.com.
Progressive Arts & Theatre Camps: St. Ann School, 324 Third & Olive Aves., West Palm Beach. Age 3-8th grade. 8:30 am-4:30 pm. M-F. 6/8-7/31. $260/two week session. Aftercare available until 6 pm. $75 registration. 792-0448 or 602-0730.
SCUBA Camp: The Scuba Club Inc., 4708 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach. Age 12-18. Scuba certification, equipment, and five open-water dives. 9 am-4 pm. M-F. 6/15-19, 6/22-26, 7/6-10. 7/20-24 and 8/3-7. $300. 844-2466 or www.TheScubaClub.com.
South Florida Science Museum Summer Camp: 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach. Age 6-11. Science lessons, laboratories, crafts and outside activities. 9 am-4 pm. M-F. Extended hours from 7:30 am-5:30 pm. 6/15-8/14. $200-$225/week. 370-7708 or www.sfsm.org.
Summer Sail Camp: Palm Beach Sailing Club, 4600 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach. Age 7-15. Water safety, boat handling, team work and sailing basics by age, weight and skill level. Basic swimming skills required. Half days 9 am-12 pm, or 1 pm-4 pm, or full day 9 am-4 pm. M-F, 6/8-8/14. Half Day camp $195-165. Full Day camp $260-$325. $20 registration. 881-0809 or www.pbsail.org
Summer Zoo Camp: Palm Beach Zoo, 1301 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach. Unique wildlife themes with zookeeping experiences and zoo activities including animal encounters, exhibit visits, crafts and games. Zoo Camps for ages 5-10: 6/8-8/7, $225-$200/week. Jr. Zookeepers for ages 11-14, 6/22–26, 7/6–10, 7/20–24, 8/3–7. $250-$275/week. 533-0887, Ext. 229, or www.palmbeachzoo.org.
I drive fast. Not too fast — I don’t get tickets. But I do push the limits.
I commuted to West Palm Beach on A1A for many years, and consider myself lucky that my job required only a couple years of I-95 commuting — to Hollywood and Miami Beach.
Now I travel closer to home, and often on foot or bicycle.
Traffic on A1A feels very different to a body not ensconced within an air-conditioned space secured behind heavy metal doors. I notice now when cars whiz by or when large vehicles crowd the sidewalks.
Since the A1A road construction ended earlier this year, there are now 16 pedestrian crosswalks between Linton Boulevard and Lantana. I think that’s good.
So, as summer settles in, I’ve decided it won’t kill me when behind the wheel to slow down, check my rear view mirror, and stop to let people cross when they are waiting at the crosswalk signs. They just want to get to the beach — and that seems like such an enviable ambition — why would I want to make them wait? Besides, it’s the law.
I’m going to slow down.
— Mary Kate Leming, editorRead more…
By Emily J. Minor
There are people you like and people you love.
And then there are people like Manalapan Police Chief Clay Walker — the kind you’d pretty much like to clone.
“He’s not just doing this because it’s the law,” said Joan Gindlesperger, who 25 years ago started the Deaf Service Center of Palm Beach County. “He’s doing this because he cares.”
Walker, a Clewiston boy and fourth-generation Floridian, recently sat at a nice luncheon and accepted a nice plaque from the Deaf Service Center. For years, he’s helped working police officers throughout Florida understand the nuances and challenges, complexities and struggles of being deaf or hard of hearing.
And while the plaque is lovely — indeed, it’s the only one in his office that says “I love you” in American Sign Language — it’s the work that led him here that has been so fantastic for Walker, his officers and the people he’s met along the way.
“I’m the kind of guy who likes to get things done,” he says.
Elinor Eastman knows all about this.
Walker, 53, was a lieutenant at the North Palm Beach Police Department and the guy in charge of the department’s communication system when Eastman, who is deaf, dialed 911 one night back in 1990.
Her 91-year-old father-in-law had fallen out of bed and she could not lift him. Eastman knew she wouldn’t be able to communicate with the emergency operator, but she had no other choice.
And she was right. The operators hung up, but because those were the early days of “enhanced 911,” a parade of emergency workers soon arrived at her door. The dispatch team could tell her address from the incoming call.
“They sent everyone over here, even though I hadn’t talked to them,” she said.
The very next day, Lt. Clay Walker introduced himself.
The department had just received boxes of TDD equipment — telecommunications devices for the deaf. And it was all just sitting there at the North Palm station.
“I had all this equipment, and I needed a deaf person to help me figure it out,” Walker said.
Elinor Eastman turned out to be his go-to girl.
In the months and years that followed, Eastman would call dispatch on her TDD machine and teach rescue operators how to respond quickly and comfortably. At first, they’d hold conversations about pretend problems. But eventually, Eastman would call and the dispatchers would know who she was and they’d talk about television shows and family, children and husbands, holidays and recipes.
Each night after she’d call, the dispatchers would take the paper tape of their conversation and clip it to their paperwork from that shift.
“We used to talk to Elinor by the foot,” Walker said. “She took this technology and she made us fearless of it.”
Eastman, now 73 and a widow, still calls there sometimes, just to “keep them on their feet,” she says.
Walker eventually moved on to take the job in Manalapan in 1999, but his devotion to deaf services has continued.
He holds officer training days, sometimes even setting up a car full of deaf people for his officers to pull over. Then he sees how long it takes for them to figure it out. He preaches deaf services to judges, lawyers, social service advocates and other chiefs around the nation. And he’s just now finishing up a video series that will be given to all law enforcement in Florida.
It’s a training DVD with a paper operator’s manual showing law enforcement how to handle deaf drivers, deaf witnesses, deaf victims of crime.
For Walker, it’s something he started because if felt right.
For Elinor Eastman and Joan Gindlesperger, it’s something he continued because the Manalapan chief wears a suit of shining armor.
“I wish every city in every county in every state had a Clay Walker,” Gindlesperger said.
“I loved him from the start,” Eastman said.
But she does have this one tiny little bone to pick with him.
Years ago, when Elinor Eastman tried to teach Clay Walker sign language, he really wasn’t that great of a student.
“He just remembered the signs for all the bad words,” she said recently. “You know how guys are.”
Read more…
By Emily J. Minor
The original barefoot mailman probably didn’t have a microphone headset or bottled water or a blue shirt from Macy’s.
And he probably didn’t meet up at the Ritz-Carlton after his route, sitting with the folks who are celebrating Palm Beach County’s centennial at pretty tables set up to catch the perfect afternoon breeze.
But Michael Bornstein is Michael Bornstein — meaning he is a Florida history buff who is extremely ingenious, to put it nicely, and he knows how to make weird things work.
“So many people are from other places, they might not realize that Florida has a history beyond when air conditioning was used,” he says.
That’s why one recent Sunday, the clouds casting just enough cover, the locals sidling up to him like eager school kids, Bornstein walked a 2-mile stretch of beach in his barefoot mailman getup, yakking all the way. In years past, Bornstein — Lantana’s town manager — has walked the stretch from Lake Worth to Miami along the beach. That’s about one-half of the roundtrip route done by the barefoot mailmen of the late 1800s — give or take a few condominiums, a few more people, a few new roads.
Bornstein, born in Jacksonville, says he fell in love with this idea after moving to Palm Beach County in the late 1980s, helping to organize the renovation of the old county courthouse. He then realized that people here “don’t know anything about local history. They associate all their identity with their former place and Florida is kind of like Disneyland to them.”
So he went online and started searching for the perfect barefoot mailman outfit. It’s simple, really: navy blue knickers made from lightweight canvas, suspenders and … OK, the shirt’s from Macy’s.
About 30 people, many of them supporters of the Historical Society of Palm Beach County, walked with Bornstein on April 26, starting at the Lake Worth Pier and ending at the Ritz-Carlton in Manalapan.
And because the barefoot mailman is a solitary sort — both then and now — Bornstein had to re-do his speech.
“I don’t usually walk and talk at the same time,” he said. “I’m usually left to my own thoughts.”
The barefoot mailman routes were established in 1885 to get mail from one distribution point to the next from the Lake Worth Lagoon to Miami. The 138-mile round trip took six days and the stories of what happened along the way are that of legend.
One mailman walked naked. Supposedly.
Another was eaten by an alligator. Or was it a crocodile? His body was never found.
Even Bornstein, 46, claims to have walked his “toenail off” on one of his present-day jaunts, brushing it repeatedly against the hard sand.
The walk went quickly on this sunny Sunday, this group of eager, stumbling followers happy to hear Bornstein’s tales. He showed them the proper walk - heel down first, leg extended straight out. With this form, he claims, the barefoot mailman could walk 3, 4, 5 miles per hour.
Folklore, or fact?
Vince Burkhardt has heard a mix of the two all his life. He is a Florida boy whose great-great-uncle Henry was one of the original barefoot mailmen.
The route was stopped in 1893 when a rock road was built to connect Lantana with Lemon City, in what is now Miami-Dade County.
Burkhardt, who actually walked the route for the first time with Bornstein, along with his sister, Cheryl, said the tales of their great-great-uncle Henry were everyday stuff when they were growing up.
“I guess the greatest one about Uncle Henry is he used to walk with his clothes off,” Burkhardt says, laughing.
And, of course, sisters being sisters, Cheryl must pipe up. “I’m not sure that’s true,” she says. But it is deliciously satisfying, this tale that’s been batted around their whole lives, so even Cheryl Burkhardt, a woman of sound mind and logic, cannot quite abandon the iffy details. It would be like walking away from her childhood.
“Who knows?” she muses, clinging just a bit.
“Let’s just say Uncle Henry wore very light clothing.
“That sounds better.”
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