By Steve Plunkett

The owner of the vacant beachfront lot at 2500 N. Ocean Blvd. had a different lawyer and different experts from those representing a vacant lot two parcels north but got the same result — a recommendation to deny permission to build anything seaward of the Coastal Construction Control Line.

Attorney Neil Schiller, representing property owner Natural Lands LLC, told Boca Raton’s Environmental Advisory Board at its April 10 meeting that the evidence he would show was more “competent and substantial” than what the city had prepared. Natural Lands wants to build a 48-foot-tall, 8,666-square-foot single-family home.

But after a three-hour meeting that included 14 members of the public condemning the proposal, advisory board members voted 5-0 to urge the City Council to deny a variance. City staff also recommended denial.

The neighbors’ comments did not please Schiller.

“Multiple times during the public testimony they said, ‘This is our beach. Our beach — I walked on that property, I took those pictures.’ Ladies and gentlemen, for everybody in the room, this is private property. You may not like it, but it’s private property,” Schiller said.

The environmental board in January similarly voted to recommend denying a CCCL variance for a duplex proposed at 2600 N. Ocean Blvd.

But 2500 has something 2600 doesn’t — approvals from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and its Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Jane Herndon, a former division deputy director at the DEP, explained what the approvals mean.

“This document is stating the department’s conclusion that this project would have no significant adverse impacts to the beach dune areas or to the adjacent properties and that the work is not expected to adversely impact nesting sea turtles, their hatchlings or their habitat,” Herndon said.

The Natural Lands proposal went through 16 reviews at her agency before it was issued a notice to proceed, she said, “a very significant level of review.”

The approval, originally set to expire in October, was recently extended to 2022.

Schiller said the state’s OK raised no red flags.

“After that approval, no one filed an appeal — the city didn’t file an appeal, the neighbors didn’t file an appeal, the U.S. Department of the Interior did not file an appeal here,” Schiller said.

He also showed an aerial photo of the affected stretch of State Road A1A.

“It’s interesting to note that just down here there are two single-family homes built at 2330 N. Ocean Blvd. with no reported environmental impacts,” Schiller said.

He said Boca Raton’s experts, consultant Mike Jenkins of Applied Technology & Management Inc. and city marine conservationist Kirt Rusenko, produced reports that were “flawed” and that neither was a true expert, assertions that both men disputed.

“Of the projects that I have personally been involved with that have involved beaches in the state of Florida, 100 percent of them have had some relation to turtles and nesting,” said Jenkins, who has 20 years’ experience in coastal construction.

Rusenko said his reports, one made for the developer and another for the city, did not contradict each other.

“If you look at the report I at no point say that this project should go ahead. I would never agree with anything like that,” Rusenko said.

He also said simple physics explains the effect of lights near the ocean.

“The closer you are to the beach, the brighter it’s going to be,” Rusenko said.

Natural Lands’ application next goes to the City Council, which in February denied a CCCL variance to build a four-story duplex at 2600 N. Ocean Blvd. That applicant has asked the Palm Beach County Circuit Court to review the EAB and City Council decisions for irregularities.

A court review is a prerequisite to filing a Bert Harris Act lawsuit for damages resulting from a government taking of private property.

The City Council caused a public outcry in late 2015 when it approved a zoning variance at 2500 N. Ocean to allow something to be built on the 85-foot-wide lot. City rules normally require lots at least 100 feet wide. 

By Mary Hladky

Suspense was high as residents jammed the City Council chambers on April 8 to find out whether elected officials would approve or deny a developer’s plans to build 346 luxury apartments and retail buildings on the southwest edge of the downtown.

The proposal by FCI Residential Corp., a subsidiary of sugar producer Florida Crystals Corp., to redevelop a blighted 9.1-acre shopping center site at 171 W. Camino Real is the latest in a long string of downtown development projects that have generated complaints that too many have been approved.

At the same time, the City Council’s decisions against a luxury assisted living facility downtown and the 300-acre Midtown redevelopment near the Town Center mall have mired Boca Raton in costly litigation.

FCI attorney Ele Zachariades made it plain that the city could land in legal hot water again if the council voted against Camino Square, as she ran down a list of reasons why the project complied with the downtown development ordinance and of deal sweeteners volunteered by the developer and landowner.

Mayor Scott Singer and Deputy Mayor Jeremy Rodgers acknowledged that the city could lose a legal challenge if Camino Square were not approved.

Litigation “doesn’t scare me,” Singer said. “It is a factor to consider.”

In the end, council members, sitting as Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners, approved the project by a 3-2 vote, with Singer, Rodgers and Andy Thomson voting in favor.

Andrea O’Rourke and Monica Mayotte, who opposed intense downtown development in their campaigns for office, voted against.

Noting that the developer and landowner have acknowledged residents’ concerns about traffic congestion by agreeing to spend $2 million to reduce delays at the intersection of Camino Real and South Dixie Highway, Thomson said the deal was too good to pass up.

“They are not required to do that,” he said. “To me, that is incredible. We cannot not take advantage of that.”

FCI has made “significant improvements” to its original plans and “the amount of give [by FCI] here is sizable,” Rodgers said.

“I understand this project will be a catalyst for improvement in the area,” Mayotte said. “I just wish it wasn’t as dense.”

“I am here to stand by our vision of downtown,” O’Rourke said.

The project will include two eight-story apartment buildings and two parking garages on the eastern portion of the site, just west of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, and two retail buildings and surface parking on the western portion.

All will be completed at the same time and the roadwork will be done before tenants move in, Zachariades said.

Nearby residents want to see redevelopment of the derelict shopping center where a Winn-Dixie closed in 2010. But most opposed FCI’s plans.

While some said the residential component is too big, their main concern is that Camino Square will worsen traffic tie-ups that they say have worsened since Virgin Trains USA, formerly called Brightline, launched service on the FEC tracks last year.

J. Albert Johnson, the immediate past president of the 2,000-member Camino Gardens Association, said he does not believe FCI’s traffic surveys showing a significant decrease in delays under street reconfigurations proposed by the developer.

His association’s board, concerned about the “dangerous” Camino Real/Dixie intersection, voted unanimously to have him “oppose this project any way I could,” he told council members.

“The problem is not with the development itself, but the abject failure of the city of Boca Raton to provide for the infrastructure to accommodate development in downtown Boca Raton,” he said after the meeting.

But Johnson did not fault the council for approving Camino Square, saying the project met the requirements of the downtown development ordinance and FCI had made significant concessions.

“If they did not vote the way they did, a lawsuit was sure to follow,” he said.

The project has a troubled history with the city. The Planning and Zoning Board unanimously rejected it and city staff also opposed it last year.

Since then, FCI made numerous changes and city staffers acknowledged that the project is much improved. Even so, they wanted the developer to make more changes and feared that Camino Square would worsen traffic congestion.

Late last year, the Community Appearance Board unanimously recommended approval, and the planning board agreed in a 4-1 vote. City staff also recommended approval in January, but the council members delayed a decision until their questions about the project were answered.

But in an unusual development, city staffers offered no recommendation in advance of the April 8 meeting. Instead, they offered “discussion” points that raised concerns about the project and appeared to give the council sufficient reasons to reject it.

Development Services Director Brandon Schaad also emailed Zachariades in February with a long list of possible project changes, which the developer largely rejected.

But FCI offered to pay for road improvements on Camino Real, including an additional left turn lane and a new right turn lane onto Dixie, that will cost $1.6 million, along with changes to the intersection at Southwest Third Avenue costing $400,000. The developer will seek reimbursement from Palm Beach County.

The city canceled plans to improve the Camino/Dixie intersection in 2015 on grounds that they were no longer needed because new downtown residential units generated less traffic than office buildings.

FCI also added a pocket park along Camino Real that it will maintain, and agreed to contribute $100,000 for sculptures in the park and to convert eight of the apartments into four “live-work” units that would add some retail to the two residential buildings. 

ABOVE: Hundreds of boats crowd into Lake Boca for the 2019 Boca Bash. Although it’s not sanctioned by the city, the party has become an annual spring ritual. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman said FWC officers made 13 arrests on charges of boating while impaired.

BELOW: A couple of kayakers show that not all of the participants have to use motorized boats.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

The city has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed against it after Francis Roselin drowned during Boca Bash last year.

Before being reported missing, Roselin, 32, of West Palm Beach, was last seen swimming in Lake Boca on April 29, 2018, during the popular boating party. His body was found five hours later at the bottom of the lake.

Tamekia Rich, the mother of Roselin’s 5-year-old daughter, A’niylah, and the personal representative of Roselin’s estate, filed the lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, contending the city and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not regulate or control the “wild and overcrowded” event.

She also argued that the city and wildlife commission were negligent because they allowed too many boats into Lake Boca and failed to remove boats when it became apparent they caused a hazard to public safety.

In its motion to dismiss filed on April 5, the city countered that it did not host or sponsor Boca Bash and that Rich had failed to state a valid liability claim.

Lake Boca is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, which the city does not own and does not have the authority under Florida law to regulate. Further, previous court rulings have established that cites are immune from lawsuits based on claims like Rich’s, the motion states.

“While the city acknowledges that Mr. Roselin’s passing was a tragic event, it is simply not an occurrence for which municipal liability can be imposed,” the motion states. “All of the alleged ‘duties’ allegedly ‘breached’ by the city are discretionary functions from which the city is immune.” 

By Mary Hladky

More parking meters are coming to the downtown.

But first, new meters replacing outdated ones will be installed in July.

The city soon will ink a deal that will allow drivers to use the free smartphone app to pay for parking at the new meters. The ParkMobile app can alert users when time on a meter is about to run out, and lets them extend the time.

Kiosks connected to the new meters also will take credit cards, coins and bills.

City Council members on April 22 decided to add additional meters in the core downtown area.

The additional meters will cost $550,000 to install and will bring in about $400,000 a year.

Council members see meters as a way to help alleviate the downtown parking shortage by better managing on-street parking spaces.

“We are not doing this to make money,” said Mayor Scott Singer.

People now park in unmetered places all day or night, making them unavailable to others looking for spots.

And some people who live in downtown high-rises are grabbing free on-street parking places instead of parking in their buildings’ garages, council members said.

Paying for street parking is intended to curtail those behaviors and encourage drivers to park for shorter periods of time, freeing up spaces.

Council members originally considered installing more meters in two phases. But Stephen Timberlake, Boca Raton’s special projects manager, said that unless all are installed at the same time, people will shun metered spaces and flock to free ones.

Most council members agreed that would worsen the parking problem.

“I am all or nothing,” said council member Monica Mayotte. “Do it all.”

“Let’s just do it,” said council member Andrea O’Rourke.

Council members soon will pass a resolution authorizing the additional meters that will allow city staff to begin work. Timberlake estimated roughly seven months for engineering, installation and a grace period before ticketing starts.

The additional 156 metered spaces will be on Federal and Dixie highways between Camino Real and Palmetto Park Road, on East Palmetto Park Road from Northeast Fifth Avenue to Mizner Boulevard, in the Sanborn Square area and around Royal Palm Place. 

Continuity reigned as Boca Raton City Council members decided on their leaders at an April 8 organizational meeting.

They unanimously voted that Jeremy Rodgers should continue in his role as deputy mayor. Andrea O’Rourke nominated him, and Andy Thomson seconded her motion at the five-minute meeting.

But that vote happened after Monica Mayotte nominated her political ally O’Rourke. The effort failed when no one seconded her motion.

Rodgers nominated O’Rourke and Mayotte to continue serving as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Community Redevelopment Agency. Thomson seconded the motion, and the vote in favor was unanimous.

Mayor Scott Singer was elected by voters in August. He was elevated to the position after Susan Haynie was arrested in April 2018 on public corruption charges and suspended from office by then-Gov. Rick Scott.

— Mary Hladky

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach wants some of its money back from the organization it contracted with for help with three major improvement proposals that failed to get voter approval.

Following the overwhelming defeat of an up to $45 million bond issue referendum in March, town commissioners have fired off a letter to the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council saying Highland Beach will not pay the remaining $44,000 owed and asking for the return of some of the close to $103,000 already paid.

In the April 10 letter, the town expressed concerns over the work done by the planning council, which was contracted to help create a conceptual plan for the three projects and help shepherd them through a state approval process.

The work, which included a stormwater improvement project, improvements to the Ocean Walk multiuse corridor and surrounding areas, and installation of underground utility wires, would have been done in conjunction with Florida Department of Transportation improvements to State Road A1A.

“Because the town did not get all that it bargained for and appears to have been misled, the town will not be making any further payments,” the letter said. “In fact, the town is hereby requesting the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council refund a portion of the fees already paid.”

Town officials made it clear they were not satisfied with the services the organization provided.

“The town put a great deal of faith in the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, primarily because of purported expertise in this area,” said the letter, signed by Mayor Rhoda Zelniker. “The town is very disappointed in how the project was handled.”

Highland Beach also contended that it was misled regarding a very tight deadline imposed by the state in which to do improvements.

For months town officials had been told they needed to have the conceptual plans to FDOT by late March, but they later learned that the project could be postponed for a year. 

Thomas Lanahan, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council’s executive director, defended his team, saying it did its best to meet the town’s requirements under a tight timeline. He also disputed that the town was misled regarding the deadline.

“The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council staff and our consultants worked very hard to explore and develop the concepts that the town engaged us to pursue on the very tight deadline established by the FDOT and the town’s need to hold a referendum,” he said. “Contrary to the assertion in the town’s letter, we notified the town immediately when we learned of FDOT’s decision to change the deadline late in the process.”

Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman, who favored asking for money back, was an opponent of spending money on the three projects and has been outspoken in her concerns about the performance of the regional council.

“We contracted with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council for a service and instead they provided a disservice,” she said. “They perpetuated proven false and misleading information which cost the town dearly in time, money and credibility.”

Highland Beach did not specify how much money it would like to get back from Treasure Coast but offered to meet to hammer that out.

“In the spirit of cooperation, the town would suggest a meeting with the appropriate representatives in an effort to amicably resolve this matter,” the letter said.

Lanahan said he too would like to see the issues settled.

“We look forward to a constructive dialogue with the town manager on a wrap-up to the project,” he said. 

Greg Babij is sworn in to the vice mayor’s job after the Town Commission selected him over Doug Hillman. The term has almost a year to run. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

It took more than three hours of interviews, discussion and lobbying by the public, but in the end Highland Beach commissioners managed to appoint Financial Advisory Board Chair Greg Babij to fill a vacant vice mayor seat.

Babij, who applied for the position along with fellow resident Doug Hillman, is the third person to take a commission seat this year, following the December death of Mayor Carl Feldman, the March election defeat of incumbent Commissioner Elyse Riesa and the resignation of Vice Mayor Alysen Africano Nila for health reasons.

“I am excited to have been appointed to the commission,” Babij said. “I look forward to leveraging the collective wisdom of the residents to help us construct well-thought-out, incremental improvements to our town.”

Using a new selection process that was designed by Town Manager Marshall Labadie, Highland Beach sought applications for the open position, screened the candidates and then conducted open interviews during an April 23 meeting.

In accordance with the town charter, commissioners had until April 25 to fill the spot, 30 days from Nila’s resignation, and at one point it appeared a 2-2 deadlock would keep that from happening.

Commissioners Barry Donaldson and Evalyn David — both recent additions to the board — expressed support for Hillman, who has an extensive corporate background and is the president of the Boca Highland Beach Club and Marina.

Mayor Rhoda Zelniker and Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman indicated support for Babij.

Town Attorney Glen Torcivia noted that other communities faced with deadlock have tossed coins or drawn straws, but before it came to that, Donaldson broke the tie.

“I honestly don’t want to see this drag on,” he said. “I have very strong feelings but I also know we need to move on with this. I am going to back Greg on this, reluctantly but happily.”

Following the 3-1 vote for Babij, with David the lone no vote, Hillman stepped to the podium. “I want to be the first to congratulate Greg,” he said.

Throughout the interview process and during a community forum sponsored by the Committee to Save Highland Beach, residents and commissioners painted both Babij and Hillman as strong contenders.

“I think we’re lucky to have two very strong candidates,” said resident Fred Rosen, a supporter of Hillman’s. “I hope whoever isn’t chosen will be on the ballot in March.”

Hillman said he might consider running for mayor but said that in the short term, he would apply for the position on the Financial Advisory Board that will come open as Babij moves to the commission.

“I hope to be able to provide some additional insight to the already depth of knowledge that is currently serving on the board,” he said.

During discussions, both Gossett-Seidman and Zelniker said Babij had experience on a town board and was involved with the town in other ways. In addition to his work on the finance committee, Babij is a member of the Highland Beach Police Foundation, on the finance council of St. Lucy Catholic Church and served as the president of his previous homeowner association.

For Gossett-Seidman and Zelniker, Babij’s experience working with town leaders gave him an edge over Hillman, 72, whose executive background included time as president of clothing company London Fog.

“Greg’s involvement in the community is the only difference,” Gossett-Seidman said. “I think Greg has a couple of half-steps ahead in the process.”

David pointed to Hillman’s strength at building teams and helping to create groups that can work together. “Doug has the ability to turn this commission into an exemplary cohesive unit,” she said.

During his interview Babij, 46, said his educational background as a civil engineer and his professional background as a financial manager could be an asset to the commission.

While he said he’s committed to serving on the commission until the next general election in March, Babij said he would wait and see if he wants to run for the position after his term expires — and if he thinks residents would want him back.

“This is a great chance for the residents to get a try-before-you-buy,” he said. 

By Steve Plunkett

A 17-page letter from City Hall probing development phases and finances for the planned Boca National Golf Course has set off a storm of anger and frustration in Boca Raton’s golf community.

Deputy City Manager George Brown’s 36 questions to the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District ranged from simple (Is a lightning detection/warning system included in the design?) to troubling (Is the district requesting financial support from the city for the construction of BNGC?).

The letter included five attachments with still more questions and concerns from the city’s police, fire, municipal services, utilities, and recreation services departments.

Rick Heard, a PGA teaching professional who lives in Boca Raton, said there should be no financial concerns and that the letter “is all the evidence anyone needs in order to see that our representative bodies are not working together as a team.”

The Beach and Park District bought part of the former Ocean Breeze course outright for $5 million and borrowed $19 million for the rest via bonds issued by the city. Its latest estimate for building the new course is $28 million. 

District commissioners reviewed Brown’s letter on April 23. The special meeting was the district’s first in its new headquarters at the Swim and Racquet Center on St. Andrews Boulevard.

Residents filled almost every chair.

Heard made it clear how he thought the city should proceed. He said the deal started as “a simple golf course land swap,” with Boca Raton selling its municipal course west of the city for $65 million “in order to pay for the resurrection of another, with $10 [million] or $15 million left over as profit for the city.”

“Any other use of this money is at best political sleight-of-hand and at worst a travesty that can undermine the Boca National project,” Heard said. 

Greg Galanis, president of the 200 golfers in the Boca Golf Association, and Harold Chaffee, a leader of Keep Golf in Boca Raton, agreed.

“The city should be obligated to taking out a significant amount of the money from the sale of Boca Municipal and put it into Boca National,” Galanis said.

“The city’s got $65 million,” said Chaffee. “Now they’re thinking of all different ways to use up that money. What they should do is to put the money into this project.”

Both men also urged the crowd to pressure City Council members. 

“You guys need to show up, City Council workshop, get on the public request thing and get up there and speak,” Galanis said.

Said Chaffee: “Everybody here, write an email to the city and tell them why don’t they move this project forward? What’s the problem? Are they jealous because the Beach and Parks got it and they didn’t get it?”

Resident Bill Blevin said he already had emailed Mayor Scott Singer.

“He said he is willing and ready to open the pockets and fund you guys, but they haven’t met with you since July last year,” Blevin said. “If he is willing, ready and able to cooperate, why can’t you get together?”

The City Council and district commissioners have a joint meeting tentatively scheduled for May 13. District commissioners spent three hours at their special meeting fine-tuning their answers to the city’s questionnaire.

“I feel like there’s this tug-of-war pressure between what’s happening at the city and what’s happening at the district, and there’s a lot of pressure to do different things. And I don’t like that,” Commissioner Craig Ehrnst said.

Instead of opening in September 2020, Boca National is now predicted to open in March 2021, missing a possibly lucrative winter season, unless the city can speed up its permitting process.

Commissioner Robert Rollins asked to have the district’s Ocean Strand property on the barrier island appraised for a possible sale to the city, with the proceeds used to pay for the golf course. But his colleagues disagreed.

“I feel like the city almost owes the residents a portion of paying for the course. I don’t feel like we are 100 percent responsible,” Commissioner Erin Wright said.

“Ideally I think the city, having sold the western course, should take whatever portion of that money is necessary to build this course. … It should be ideally an out-and-out swap,” Commissioner Steve Engel said.

In the end, commissioners decided not to specify how much financial help they expect.

“We feel that the proceeds from the sale of a major recreational facility such as the Municipal Golf Course should be put back into recreational facilities for residents,” the district’s interim executive director, Briann Harms, wrote.

“We have hired the best professionals of the highest caliber to guide us through this project, and they spent countless hours working with an entire team of professionals. And we’re going to have a world-class golf course,” District Chair Susan Vogelgesang said. 

By Mary Hladky

Attorneys are still aiming for suspended Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie to go to trial in October on public corruption charges, but no date was set at an April 15 court hearing.

Palm Beach Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen will take over the case from Judge Glenn Kelley, and both Assistant State Attorney Brian Fernandes and Haynie’s criminal defense attorney Bruce Zimet asked to allow Gillen to set the trial date.

The next status check on Haynie’s case will be on July 15.

“We are shooting for an October trial date,” Zimet said after the brief hearing.

He also reiterated that no plea deal is in the works.

“Innocent people don’t have plea bargains,” he said,

Haynie, 63, a fixture in Boca Raton politics for 18 years, did not appear at the hearing. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Haynie was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison.

Former Gov. Rick Scott suspended her from office, but she has not resigned. Scott Singer was elected mayor on Aug. 28 for the remainder of Haynie’s term, which expires next March.

Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on four matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she and her husband received from him.

The investigation by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office found that Haynie failed to report $335,000 in income on financial disclosure forms required by the state, including $84,000 from Batmasian or his company Investments Limited, from 2014 through 2017.

Before her arrest, the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics also investigated Haynie regarding votes on matters that financially benefited Batmasian. It reached a settlement with her in which it reprimanded and fined her for failing to disclose a conflict of interest, but dismissed a second allegation that Haynie misused her public office.

The Florida Commission on Ethics in October found probable cause that Haynie violated state ethics laws in eight instances, but that case is pending resolution of the criminal case.

The state commission, which also probed Haynie’s financial links to Batmasian and Investments Limited, found that she failed to disclose income, acted to financially benefit herself and her husband, and improperly voted on matters that benefited Batmasian and his wife, Marta, without disclosing a conflict of interest.

The evidence gathered against Haynie by the three agencies is similar. One key difference is that while local prosecutors determined Haynie voted on four matters that financially benefited Batmasian from 2014 through 2017, state ethics investigators found 17 such votes between 2012 and 2016. 

Rabbi Ruvi New of the Boca Beach Chabad speaks at the inaugural Women of Valor brunch in January. New invited women to share stories of courage and commitment for the Chabad’s book, due to be published early next year. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Mother’s Day is May 12, but Rabbi Ruvi New, director and spiritual leader of Boca Beach Chabad, hasn’t needed a holiday to think about the mothers and wives, sisters and sisters-in-law, in his congregation.

    New says he’s seen “a coming together” that has put women’s issues front and center. Amid the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, people seem to be listening, he said.

Now the rabbi wants to provide a platform to present the stories he’s heard about the quiet courage and unbreakable commitment, the strength, resolve and stamina, of Jewish women. He realized that those stories were being lost.

So he found a solution.

In January 2020, Boca Beach Chabad will publish Women of Valor: Sharing Stories, Celebrating Lives, a coffee-table style book of pictorial retellings of personal stories about women who represent the best of humanity.

“These stories need to be disseminated,” New said, “now, before they are lost.”

There are few restrictions on the stories you can submit. You can write your own story or someone else’s. The subject can be living or dead, famous or unknown. They can even be reluctant, like Sibyl Silver.

Silver, who lives in Boca Raton, was asked by New to include her story. Silver is no egotist. But when you shift the focus to something she does want to talk about — the Torah — she comes alive.

On a trip to Budapest, Silver and her husband, Robert, learned that 113 Torahs taken from the Hungarian Jewish community during World War II were decaying in a sloppy pile in the dank basement of the Lenin Scientific Library in Gorky.

Silver, a fixer and a rescuer, set upon a mission to rescue the Torahs, but then her husband died. Eventually Silver moved forward and started the Jewish Heritage Foundation to pay for the scrolls’ restoration and return to the community.

The rabbi told her that publishing her story would help her rescue more Judaica, so she agreed. Returning these precious heirlooms to their rightful owners is very important to her.

“The way I looked at it, rescuing the Judaica confiscated during the Holocaust gave meaning to the lives of those who didn’t survive, and returning it to the families was the best good deed I could ever do,” she says, insisting again that it’s about the act, not the actor.

Author and lecturer Lieba Rudolph wrote her own story and she signed on to edit the book, using her skills as a writer and researcher to flesh out the stories and polish them to a high shine.

“Women have a wisdom that has to be heard,” she said from her home in Pittsburgh.

They don’t have to save lives or donate a million dollars, she said.

“Every bit of good a person does helps accumulate good in the world.”

    New thinks memorializing a woman you love would make an appropriate and meaningful Mother’s Day tribute, and he’d like to publish 100 stories in the book.

The rabbi says the response has been positive and widespread, with inquiries from around the world and from people who want to copy the idea.

“I hope it will be emulated,” New said. “Research shows that children who know about their parents’ lives, their struggles and their achievements, feel closer and more connected to their families.”

The full-color hardback book should be available early next year, New said. Submissions are being accepted now.

“These stories can be a legacy,” New said. “We want to create a repository where these stories can be preserved and passed on.”

Rudolph stresses that all women are worthy.

“Every woman has a story,” she said. “Every good deed, every kind word, even a positive thought tips the scales. Good accumulates.”

You can call New with questions at 394-9770 or email him at rabbi@chabadbocabeaches.com. For more information or to submit a story (there is a fee), visit BocaBeachChabad.org or womenofvalor.life.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Easter fell in late April this year, and happened to be blessed with perfect weather and a beautiful sunrise.

ABOVE: As the sun was about to rise over the horizon, dozens of people made their way to the water’s edge to watch and photograph the event.

BELOW: Hundreds gathered before sunrise on A1A just south of Atlantic Avenue for a non-denominational service with sermons and hymns.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Robyn Raphael-Dynan and her mom, Beverly Raphael Altman, visit a project site of their construction company. They are also co-chairs of Women Build, Habitat for Humanity’s all-female project this month. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Joyce Reingold

Robyn Raphael-Dynan knows that she and her friends and family are the lucky ones.

“For as long as I can remember, all of our Mother’s Days are so easy for us,” she says. “It’s what can we do to relax that day. Our husbands make it nice. Our kids do something special for us.”

That’s why this year, she and her mother, Beverly Raphael Altman, decided to pay their good fortune forward as co-chairs of Women Build, Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County’s third annual all-female build-a-thon, May 9-11.

The mother and daughter from Boca Raton are smashing fundraising records to make the dream of homeownership a reality for another mother and daughter, Ilomane Brivaus and Jessie Demesmin. By late April they had raised $215,350, a 50 percent increase over last year.

“This is really about empowered women and making a difference in our community,” says Kari Oeltjen, vice president and chief development officer of Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County.

“We already have 193 women — and we’re growing every day — who are actually raising the funds to purchase the construction materials for the Habitat partner family, who happen to be an incredible mother and daughter who are hardworking. And we have incredible mother and daughter co-chairs who are also leading the way and are very hardworking.

“And so, the culmination of this is really about women transforming communities through harnessing the power of sisterhood and getting out of the comfort zones that we’re in.”

The event will kick off May 9 as the builders don pink hard hats and raise the trusses for Brivaus and Demesmin’s Delray Beach home, which, weather willing, should take six to seven months to construct.

To earn membership in the Sisterhood of the Pink Hard Hats, each Women Build participant must raise or donate a minimum of $1,000 and then paint and hammer her way through a four-hour shift.

Professionals will be on-site supervising, and teaching volunteers how to use power tools — or to hone home repair know-how — in the skills tent.

The builders

Those are skills that Altman and Raphael-Dynan know a little something about. Altman is the president and CEO of RCC Associates, a Deerfield Beach-based general contracting firm, and Raphael-Dynan is vice president of operations. 

“My late husband was a builder,” Altman says of Richard Raphael, who founded the firm in 1971. “And he was such a giving person. And even though he wasn’t in a position to be a wonderful philanthropist, he helped a lot of people in different ways. We feel like we’re personally completing the circle because it is something that he would have wanted very much to be able to be a part of.”

Besides their personal volunteer efforts, Altman and Raphael-Dynan, a Habitat for Humanity board member, donate their firm’s time and resources to build homes in the organization’s footprint of Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton.

Raphael-Dynan says she and her sister Lindsay learned from watching their parents that “it’s not about you, it’s about giving back to the community.” And as a mother now herself, she models that spirit for her two children.

“At the last house we dedicated, there was a little boy the same age as my son, and I had to keep saying to my son, ‘This is his house now. He’s never had a house. He’s never had his own room,’” she says. “You take for granted that it doesn’t even cross their mind. That’s just their normal. Without them seeing that, they would have no idea. I love that they’re getting to experience it. And when they’re a little older, I’m putting them to work.”

For Jessie, her mother has been a source of great inspiration. Intent on a better life, a 22-year-old Ilomane chanced fate by boarding a sailboat for a 10-day, sometimes treacherous passage from Haiti to Florida. Ilomane’s strength, determination and hard work as a housekeeper, now at Abbey Delray Beach, helped seed her daughter’s dreams. Today, Jessie is an oncology and neurology nurse at Delray Medical Center and is earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing at Florida International University.

“My mom has sacrificed so much,” Jessie says. “She always says yes.” And so, when Ilomane applied to Habitat for Humanity to become a homeowner and asked Jessie to join her, she knew it was her turn to say yes. Even so, it was not a decision she made lightly. Habitat requires partner families to log 500 hours of sweat equity before work on their own homes can begin.

“So, my favorite thing I’ve learned is that it’s a hand-up, not a handout,” Raphael-Dynan says. 

“The families have to do so much sweat equity and have skin in the game to even be able to work on their own house. They have to work on other people’s houses first, which I just think is such a great message.”

“Think about that,” Oeltjen says. “That’s while you’re working a full-time job. So, you have another job that you’re taking on with Habitat. It’s set at their own pace, but typically we see it takes most people one and a half to two years to complete. And it’s also that combination of financial literacy classes. Because, if you’ve never had anybody in your entire family who’s owned a home, you don’t have anybody who can pass down that knowledge to you. …

“Our goal is to set the homeowners up for success, and we’d love nothing better than when 25, 30 years down the road, that very affordable zero-interest mortgage is paid off by the family.”

Habitat will build a home similar to this for Ilomane Brivaus and daughter Jessie Demesmin, who will assist the effort.

Sweat equity

With Women Build, Ilomane and Jessie can now direct sweat equity to their own home. “Every time she leaves work she stops by the property, just to look at the area,” Jessie says of her mom. “She’s super, super excited.”

New Habitat for Humanity volunteers will learn during Women Build that they’re doing more than constructing safe and affordable housing, Oeltjen says.

“They’re really building hope for another family. One of the most impactful things is when each woman builder inscribes a message or a blessing or a wish for the family inside the home on the two-by-fours. And then as the home is constructed, and that’s put inside the walls, that stays with this family — all this love and nurturing from all the woman builders who helped create this home. That’s with that family forever.”

“It’s actually my favorite part of the whole thing,” Raphael-Dynan says. “There’s a part when you’re all sweaty, and you feel gross, and then they come around with the markers, and it kind of gives you a little rejuvenation. Everybody’s writing these nice things all over the walls, and it really does remind you exactly what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. And the homeowners are there, and they’re watching you write on the walls, and they’re saying, ‘Thank you’ and ‘God bless you.’ And it’s very moving.”

It is a blessing, Jessie says. “I really do love what they’re doing for people in the community. The little bit that you give back goes a long way and affects so many people. I’d like to encourage people to go out, to go help. … Any little thing you can do will make a huge difference in someone’s life.”

“There’s nothing like this,” Altman says. “You know, I’ve been involved for years with a lot of different philanthropies and this is so hands-on. This is not just writing a check and never meeting the people that it actually benefits. This is a process where we meet them before we ever start construction, before we ever raise one penny for Habitat, before we get all of the people who have joined us on the committee to give up their time, and then to reach out to all of their friends and family to support this.

“And all we had to say to them was, we guarantee this will be unlike any experience you’ve ever had in terms of doing something for someone else. And that’s what we’ve really gotten out of this. You can’t help but feel good about it.” 

Ilomane Brivaus (l-r), Beverly Raphael Altman, Habitat for Humanity executive Kari Oeltjen, Jessie Demesmin and Robyn Raphael-Dynan are preparing to build a home for Brivaus and Demesmin. The Raphael family’s construction company will assist. Photo provided

Pink Hard Hats

For information about Women Build and Habitat for Humanity, visit www.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org.

Jang-Yen Wu, Ph.D., professor of biomedical science in Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine, and Dr. Brian Snelling, chief of cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery and medical director of the Marilyn and Stanley Barry Center for Cerebrovascular Disease and Stroke at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute and Boca Raton Regional Hospital, have joined forces to combine an interventional procedure for stroke with a new drug compound.

Snelling performs a procedure (mechanical thrombectomy) that uses a stent within the walls of the artery to retrieve and remove blood clots in stroke patients. This method significantly reduces stroke-related disability and death, and one out of every two patients can walk out of the hospital soon after the procedure.

Wu has been developing a method to replenish new brain cells with a drug (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) used to enhance blood cellular development. The idea is to administer the drug during a thrombectomy directly to the site of the blockage.

“Dr. Wu’s discoveries have the potential to deliver pharmaceutical solutions to treat stroke in combination with Dr. Snelling’s cutting-edge interventional procedure,” said Daniel C. Flynn, FAU’s vice president for research. “The combination of their expertise could revolutionize the way we treat stroke patients and ultimately patients with other devastating neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.”

After her recent trip to Indonesia, Dr. Juliette The, a Lynn Women’s Institute radiologist, invited a group of Indonesian radiologists to experience the breast imaging technology offered at Lynn Women’s Institute’s Boca Raton facility. The group viewed methods in screening and diagnostic mammography, ultrasound and MRI, and learned about related procedures.

“By sharing our expertise, visitors can bring home new techniques to their communities and implement more advanced strategies to better detect and treat breast cancer,” The said.

The ORBEYE 4K-3D Video Microscope has begun to be used by neurosurgeons at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute for skull-based and spine procedures. The technology provides superior visualization, shortens surgical time and enhances patient outcomes through minimally invasive techniques.

Delray Medical Center recently honored Delray Beach Fire Rescue EMS 111, Engine 114 and Rescue 112 for their efforts in saving the life of a patient with a cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism. The patient, Chris Castaldo, made a complete recovery.

Delray Medical Center recently appointed Mary Elizabeth “Libby” Flippo as its new chief nursing officer. Flippo will also serve as the CNO for Tenet Healthcare’s Palm Beach Group hospitals. She has  extensive health care leadership experience and focuses on patient-centered care and performance improvement.   

Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Philanthropy Guild reception in March recognized lead donors of Keeping the Promise — the Campaign for Boca Raton Regional Hospital, a fundraising effort to support a building initiative. 

The following donors were thanked for each entrusting a minimum of $10 million: Stanley and Marilyn Barry and the Barry Family Foundation; Louis B. and Anne W. Green; Christine E. Lynn, E.M. Lynn Foundation; Billi and Bernie Marcus, Marcus Foundation Inc.; Richard and Barbara Schmidt, Schmidt Family Foundation; and Elaine J. Wold. 

The event also recognized lead donors who each gifted a minimum of $1 million: Anonymous, Eleanor R. Baldwin, Sandra and Malcolm Berman, Jean Blechman, Edward and Freyda Burns, Diane and Lawrence Feldman, Michael and Michelle Hagerty, Mary Perper, Rubin Obstgarten Family Foundation — Sandra and Marvin Rubin, Rubin Obstgarten Family Foundation — Carrie Rubin, The Sands Family Foundation and Constellation Brands (Rob and Pamela Sands), Betty and Bill Scaggs, G. Robert Sheetz and Deborah Lindstrom, Myrna Gordon Skurnick, Mason and Graziela Slaine, Martin and Toni Sosnoff, Fran and Stuart Steinberg, and Thea Stoneman.

The evening concluded with a tribute to Jerry Fedele, president and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital since 2008, who plans to retire this year.

The YMCA of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, held a Healthy Kids Day in April as part of its initiative to improve the health and well-being of kids and their families. The free event offered face-painting, health and wellness discussions, American-Latin cuisine, and entertainment. Kid activities featured a 40-yard dash, a punt/pass/kick competition, three-point basketball contest, Zumba and an obstacle course.

The Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s eighth annual Run for the Ribbons 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile is 7 a.m. June 2. The 5K race starts at Lynn Cancer Institute and continues through Old Floresta. The 5K costs $35 to enter, the mile $25. Proceeds benefit the cancer institute’s League of Ribbons. For more info: Darci McNally at 955-4501 or DMcNally@brrh.com.

Register at runsignup.com/Race/FL/BocaRaton/RunForTheRibbons5K.

Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.

Presley Elizabeth, 3, and her owner, Rebecca Shelton, won for Best Look-a-Like outfits. The event was run and sponsored by Dezzy’s Second Chance Animal Rescue. Photos by Rachel O’Hara/The Coastal Star

SEE MORE PHOTOS

Judges (l-r) Miranda Christian of WPTV, Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia, Marie Speed, editor-in-chief of Boca Magazine, and Bill Bathurst, Delray Beach deputy vice mayor, are thrilled with Sparkles, 6, and Dawn West’s entry for Most Tropical in the 18th annual Easter Bonnet Pet Parade on April 7 at Old School Square. Sparkles and West won their category.

Peyton, 6, and Luca, 7, owned by Kathryn Bradeis, were a big hit in their carrot carriage and Easter outfits.

ABOVE: Doodle, 11, looked very much like the Easter Bunny. 

BELOW: Buddha, 41/2, was dressed as a sheep.

See more photos at www.thecoastalstar.com

Looking for a fun portrait of your pet? You can get one on May 8 at the Delray Beach Public Library.  Photo provided

By Arden Moore

Walk into the Delray Beach Public Library between May 4 and May 10 and you may see it going to the dogs. It’s all done by design in an effort by pet-loving librarians on staff.

You see, the library’s mission goes beyond checking out books or helping you search for answers on the computers. Thanks to new technology, you can also operate a 3-D printer, participate in a recording session or head to the auditorium to watch a free movie at the library.

In celebration of Be Kind to Animals Week, you may spot a paw-painting Chihuahua or a poodle posing for a pet photographer, or catch a scent of peanut butter-bacon dog treats being prepared by a chef.

Going to the dogs — and cats and other animals — is a welcome event for Isabella Rowan, the library’s educational programs and volunteer manager and proud pet parent to a fine feline.

“The library is one place that people of all walks of life can come and for Be Kind to Animals Week, we are staging events to celebrate pets and animals of the world,” says Rowan.

In true librarian research fashion, Rowan did her homework about BKTAW, discovering that this designated week was started in 1915 by the American Humane Association.

“Be Kind to Animals Week is the longest-running humane campaign in America,” Rowan says. “Each year, it was been supported by presidents, movie stars and pet lovers.”

Rowan’s cat, Quito, is a gray-striped tiger with green eyes that Rowan says match hers. Don’t look for Quito, however, to make an appearance during the pet events scheduled at the library during this special week.

“Quito really doesn’t like people, but she is a true cuddler with me and loves to nuzzle me or sit on my desk when I work from home,” says Rowan.

Here is a rundown of what to expect at the library during Be Kind to Animals Week:

• 10 a.m.-noon, May 4: Paint ’n’ Paws. Look for tarps and art paper carefully taped in the library’s big meeting room. Between 10 a.m. and noon, you and your well-behaved dog under 35 pounds can test your artistic skills. Paws will be dipped in nontoxic, pet-safe paint, or pet parents will use foam brushes to create paw prints that may be suitable for framing. And, there will be a kiddie pool for the canine artists to rinse off their paws. This event is free, but you need to register by calling the library at 266-9490.

• 5-8 p.m., May 6: Barky Pines Animal Rescue and Sanctuary adoption event. Volunteers from this nonprofit group will bring kittens, cats, puppies and dogs in need of forever homes.

“Libraries are all about presenting people with information and opportunities,” says Rowan. “We are always looking for ways to be innovative and creative. You don’t expect to walk into the library and see a pet adoption, but how novel and how great is that!”

• 10-11:30 a.m., May 7: Canine cooking class. Chef Michael Walters of the Publix Aprons Cooking School in Boca Raton will demonstrate how to make yummy, no-bake dog treats. Look for recipes on how to make “chilly dogs” frozen treats, peanut butter-bacon treats and pumpkin biscuits for your canine pal.

• 9 a.m.-8 p.m., May 8: Pet portraits. Photographer/librarian Robyn Huff will bring her camera gear and backdrops to take stunning photos of your posing pet. Call Huff in advance at 266-0799 or email her at robyn.huff@delraylibrary.org to book your pet photo session.

• Starting at 2 p.m., May 9: Catch the movie Who Gets the Dog? starring Alicia Silverstone and enjoy free popcorn in the library’s auditorium. The movie runs 90 minutes.

• 4-5 p.m., May 10: Emergency preparedness pet session. The staff from Barky Pines will give you tips on basic pet care, following county pet licensing laws and how to keep your pet safe during natural disasters.

All of these events are free, but the library staff is asking that participants bring pet cleaning supplies, toys, harnesses, leashes, pet beds, pet food/treats and other items that can be donated to the Barky Pines group. For more information, contact Rowan directly at Isabella.rowan@delraylibrary.org.

Are you planning a special way to celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week? Please post your activities in the comments section for this story at www.thecoastalstar.com.

Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, author, speaker and master certified pet first-aid instructor. She hosts the “Oh Behave!” show weekly on PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.ardenmoore.com.

ABOVE: Celebrating the groundbreaking are (l-r) Marilyn Barry, Stanley Barry, Andrea Levine O’Rourke, Christine E. Lynn, Michelle Maros, Richard Schmidt, Barbara Schmidt, Mayor Scott Singer, Mark Larkin and Jerry Fedele. Rendering and photo provided

BELOW: A vast campus transformation project will create a new 972-space parking facility with direct access to the hospital.

By Joyce Reingold

Blood pressure monitoring is a routine part of most doctors’ office visits, yet according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 5 adults with hypertension is unaware of it. Left untreated, hypertension can lead to heart disease, stroke and a host of other physical conditions.

Since May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month, it’s a perfect time to check in with your physician and tune in to your blood pressure.

“I think one of the biggest take-home points is that you can have high blood pressure and feel perfectly fine,” says Dr. Leonard Berkowitz, lead physician at FAU Medicine Primary Care, which opened in Boca Raton in February. “Not everybody has headaches or dizziness. And that’s why it’s important in prevention to get your blood pressure checked.” 

Berkowitz will present a free lecture, “High Blood Pressure Prevention,” from 10:30 a.m. to noon on May 22 at the downtown branch of the Boca Raton Public Library.

Some of the good news he will share is that many adults can ease their way back to normal blood pressure readings — now designated as lower than 120/80 — by making common lifestyle changes such as losing weight, eating healthier foods and becoming more active.

“If someone comes in with high blood pressure, we always try — as long as it’s not extremely elevated — to go with conservative approaches if we can, which includes things like a proper diet. That’s a very important piece,” he says.

Berkowitz recommends the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension  — the DASH diet, which is high in fiber and low in saturated fat and sodium.

The American Heart Association says losing even 5-10 pounds may help lower blood pressure. In managing salt consumption, the AHA recommends adults stick to between 1,500-2,300 milligrams of sodium a day.

“In a perfect world, we try to minimize the amount to less than 1,500 mg a day, but that is usually difficult to get to,” says Dr. Carlos Victorica, a primary care provider in Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s BocaCare Physician Network.

Cooking at home is an effective way to control and lower salt intake, since the AHA estimates that over 70 percent of the sodium in diets comes from packaged and restaurant foods.

“People will always mention, ‘I don’t add any salt to my food,’ but salt is a very common preservative,” Victorica says. “It helps to improve the palatability of food. We just advise patients to be mindful of what the ingredients are in their foods, and to try to cook more on their own.”

Some patients are using apps to track their sodium consumption, he says. 

Starting an exercise program can be a hurdle for sedentary adults, so the experts advise making gradual changes.

“Something is better than nothing, and we all have to start somewhere,” the AHA says.

Optimally, adults should engage in a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week, according to the AHA.

Tobacco, caffeine and alcohol consumption are other risk factors your physician may discuss with you.

“I think education for patients is important because they may not be aware that some very common things can raise your blood pressure, i.e., too much alcohol, certain medications like Advil and products like that,” Berkowitz says. “So, I think general education about hypertension is important, because we have to make sure we address it on all levels.”

Scheduling a blood pressure check can begin that conversation. “Avoiding the situation can lead to problems, whereas going in and getting it checked and treated can really help,” Berkowitz says.

“When people can make modifications in these risk factors … they feel healthier,” Victorica says. “Their diets have improved, their physical activity levels have improved, they sleep better. It’s an avenue for us to improve many facets of a patient’s health.”

To register, or for more information on Berkowitz’s presentation May 22, visit the calendar page at bocalibrary.org or call 393-7852.

Joyce Reingold writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to  joyce.reingold@yahoo.com.

ABOVE: Native plants such as Fakahatchee grass, dune sunflower, dwarf Yaupon holly, necklace pod and golden creeper dominate the entranceway to Ocean Ridge Town Hall.

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

As you drive, walk or pedal along A1A in Ocean Ridge, take a break in front of the Town Hall. Or, if you have business to conduct at this government center, take a minute in the parking lot.

What’s worth noticing is the small but thriving native garden set like a tropical island in the macadam.

The members of the Ocean Ridge Garden Club’s beautification and conservation committee donated their time, energy and knowledge to landscape this spot.

“When we started, there were only a few straggly shrubs from the initial landscaping. We felt it was time to revisit the spot and fluff it up,” says Julia Walker, co-chair of the committee.

To fully enjoy the garden, take a seat on one of the donated concrete benches by the white informational kiosk that, along with the flagpole, anchors this garden area.

Notice the charming sea turtle mosaic on the side of the kiosk. It was donated by Geoff Pugh, who was mayor of Ocean Ridge when the garden was planted. He was so pleased with the project that he wanted his family to participate.

Work on the garden began in 2011, and it took about a year from planning to planting to getting those plants acclimatized to having the garden turned over to the town for ongoing maintenance.

The people who worked on this garden hoped it would educate newcomers about what could be done with native plants in the landscape. After all, “a native garden has benefits beyond the beauty of the plantings,” says Rita Ginsky, a longtime Garden Club member who worked on the project.

These benefits include the ability to withstand the wind, salt and limited water that affect this oceanside setting. The native plants also require little maintenance and attract local wildlife.

“This was our way of letting people know what our town is all about,” says Barbara Cook, another longtime club member who was instrumental in installing this garden.

To plant the garden, the women consulted with Jane Thompson, owner of Indian Trails Native Nursery west of Lake Worth Beach, who expanded on their knowledge of native flora and then delivered the plants they’d bought.

ABOVE: Two Alexander palms frame the Cape Dutch style entrance to Town Hall. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Dr. John Wootton, a club member at the time, had been instrumental in the earlier planting of two sabal palms that were carefully chosen for their arched trunks. When planted, they reached toward each other to suggest a heart shape.

To finish this garden centerpiece, the committee members opted to create a natural tableau with seven thatch palms placed between the graceful sabals as well as Alexander palms spaced around the plot. The gardeners not only worked with the town to get the project approved, but also dug the holes for planting and distributed bags of mulch carted to the site in the trunk of one of the member’s cars.

Over a week, they installed long-lived ornamentals such as Fakahatchee grass, 200 dune daisies, dwarf Yaupon hollies, 10 necklace pod plants that would grow into a defining hedge with dune sunflowers and bead-like seed pods, as well as dark green coontie that can attract atala butterflies.

The gardeners worked and sweated to plant in what they expected to be sandy soil. And it didn’t go too badly until they hit coral rock. Then they had to enlist Thompson’s strong back and shovel, which she had sharpened to a blade-like edge for chipping through the substrate.

With the holes dug, the plants in place and mulched, it became Cook’s job to keep them watered throughout the summer as some other club members headed north to escape the heat. That meant “dragging” the hose from the police station and hand-watering the garden, she said.

But she and other club members must have done a good job because since then, regardless of the storms and droughts that hit town, they haven’t lost a single plant, Cook said.

“We hope that anyone who sees this project today will think of Ocean Ridge as a small town that, like this garden, is flourishing,” said Garden Club President Kimberlee Duke Pompeo.

ABOVE: New leaves emerge every spring on the hardy coontie plants.

Gardening tip

  It doesn’t matter if you plant local or exotic plants, they have to be nurtured and acclimatized to their new environment in order to grow. That means you need to generously water the plants every day for about a week after planting.

  The next two weeks, you water every other day and, the following week, you skip two days between waterings.

  Then, for a generous period of time, you check the plants regularly to be sure they have their water needs met.

—  Barbara Cook, member of the Ocean Ridge Garden Club and Florida Federation of Garden Clubs liaison 

If You Go

What: Ocean Ridge Garden Club’s Native Garden

Where: Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N. Ocean Blvd.

Admission: Free for the stopping

For more information: The club has published  ‘A Gardening Guide for Living on the Barrier Island.’  The 16-page booklet is available for $2 at Town Hall. 

To learn more about the club: Kimberlee Duke Pompeo at kimberleein florida@gmail.com.

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

K-8 students participating in the center’s after-school programs perform weeding before an Earth Day planting event. Children at the In the Pines North complex began pulling weeds when the maintenance crew had to attend to another project. ‘This has been an eye opener as the students are enthralled by the books they are reading and the discussion of doing something to keep our community beautiful,’  said Donna Marie Goray of Ocean Ridge, founder and volunteer treasurer of the Children’s Center. Photo provided