Eight-term mayor navigated ‘crazy time’

By Dan Moffett

Roger Bennett was sworn in as the mayor of Briny Breezes right when the town needed him most. 

“I’m so pleased the people had enough faith in this old loon to elect me,” he told a reporter in 2007 after easily defeating two opponents in what was then only the second contested election in Briny’s history.

Mr. Bennett died Jan. 12 at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach after a short illness. He was 85 and serving his eighth one-year term as mayor.

Mr. Bennett would become the right mayor at the right time when a condo developer offered $510 million to buy the mobile home community and build condos — lots of them. Things were about to get crazy in Briny.

The prospect of becoming instant millionaires turned some neighbors against each other.

Council meetings got raucous. Residents in surrounding communities hurled sanctimonious complaints about excessive growth — and greed. Reporters from across the country came to tell an often unhappy story.

Neighbors had persuaded Mr. Bennett to run for office, believing his long career as a journalist and educator equipped him to articulate the town’s case to the public, and perhaps more important, to Briny’s corporate board.

“It was a crazy time,” said Barbara Bennett, his wife of 58 years. “It was such an unknown. It was really unknown territory for Briny Breezes. We didn’t know where this was going.”

The real estate deal ultimately fell apart, but Briny Breezes didn’t. Through all the tumult, Mayor Bennett kept his smile and good cheer, defusing conflict with an ever-ready quip. He steered Briny through its greatest storm.

“He was our best mayor,” said Nancy Boczon, who served with Mr. Bennett on the council then. “He was such a good mayor he spoiled us for what a mayor could be.”

During the 1980s, Mr. Bennett ran the Mass Communications Department at Texas State University in San Marcos. He said that was a lesson in human nature that prepared him for turmoil in Briny Breezes.

“When you’re dealing with 25 faculty members and 3,600 students, it’s always fraught with drama,” he told The Coastal Star in 2013. “I’ve never been one to bulldoze people. I try to be sensible and forgiving.”

The Bennetts bought their lot in Briny Breezes in 1991 and moved to the town full-time after retiring in 1995. 

Becoming Brinyites was easy, Barbara Bennett said. “There was a real community here. Everybody looked after everybody else. The feeling that we’re all neighbors has always been here.”

Roger and Barbara met while working at his hometown paper in southern Ohio, the Portsmouth Times. He was the City Hall reporter and she was the society editor. Mr. Bennett served five years with the Navy during the Korean War and after his discharge focused on his education.

He earned journalism degrees from Ohio University and then a doctorate from the University of Texas. Mr. Bennett went on to teach at Ohio U., specializing in First Amendment issues, and earned professor of the year honors. He spent the last 23 years of his career at San Marcos.

In retirement, the Bennetts used their Briny home as their base for traveling the world — cruising, backpacking, exploring.

“It’s easy to travel from Briny,” Mrs. Bennett said. “When the time comes, you close the door, leave and you don’t worry about a thing.”

The Bennetts sailed twice around the world with 400 students and faculty on Semester at Sea, the shipboard university. They lived in Poland for a time when Roger taught at the University of Silesia. The only continent the Bennetts didn’t visit was Antarctica.

After a four-year hiatus, Mr. Bennett returned to public service in 2017 when the town found itself without a mayor and in need of his leadership.

“Roger was an incredible role model,” said Sue Thaler, president of the Briny Town Council. “He was one of the most positive people I’ve known. He was a lifelong educator who was committed to the town of Briny Breezes and educating people about the importance of our municipality.”

Said Boczon: “A great sense of humor. A great mayor. A great man.”

His daughter, Jo Bennett, a former Briny Breezes resident who lives in the County Pocket with her husband, Jay Kelley, said her father would want to be remembered for his unpretentious, genial nature.

“He was an open-minded friend of everyone,” she said. “He was a welcoming kind of guy who’d slap people on the back and open his arms to them. He never wanted to be thought of as judgmental. And he wasn’t.”

Besides his wife and daughter, Mr. Bennett is survived by his son, Roger Bennett II, and his son’s partner, Takahiro Oda, of Cologne, Germany.

The family is planning a celebration of life service on the Briny beach, probably in early June. A group of Mr. Bennett’s former students is planning a memorial service in San Marcos. 

The family requests memorial donations go to Semester at Sea, semesteratsea.org/giving/ or 800-854-0195. 

Residents tied black ribbons on about 50 trees along Swinton Avenue to protest proposed changes to the street.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related Story: Canopy policy in the works for Tree City

By Jane Smith

The fear that Swinton Avenue could lose scores of shade trees to make way for  bike lanes and sidewalks rekindled the spirit of community activism in Delray Beach resident Annette Annechild.

It began last November when she saw a “big truck on my front lawn that busted my bushes.”

She soon learned workers were marking the location of underground utility lines to prepare for a $2.2 million makeover of Swinton Avenue.

Annechild got angry.

She urged her neighbors to attend a gathering at the city library, where an early version of the design was revealed by the Florida Department of Transportation. 

They did not like what they saw.

For the bike lanes, sidewalk and traffic changes, 33 trees would be cut down in the heart of the Old School Square Historic Arts District, which runs on both sides of Swinton Avenue from South 2nd Street to North 4th Street.

Overall, the plan called for the removal of 147 trees from Swinton Avenue between South 10th Street and North 4th Street. Annechild spent about $500 to buy 1,000 yards of black ribbon and 100 small signs that read: “We say ‘NO’ to bike lanes on historic Swinton.” 

“I’m not rich, but I believe in saving trees,” said Annechild, who lives in the 300 block of North Swinton. “It was my Christmas present to myself.”

Soon, the nonprofit Delray Beach Preservation Trust got involved.

Trust members had worked for years to secure national designation of OSSHAD and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

The trust wrote in late December to the Florida Department of State officer who oversees historic properties, asking what it could do to preserve the tree canopy along Swinton Avenue.

Jason Aldridge, the state’s historic compliance and review supervisor, replied in early January that protocol required FDOT to contact his division, but it had not yet done so. In the meantime, he suggested residents attend any meetings on the project and make their views known.

The push was on.

Residents flooded city commissioners’ email boxes. They used social media to urge preservation of the trees. Trust members bought more signs.

They turned out in droves at a Jan. 15 regular City Commission meeting and a Jan. 22 workshop.

Faced with mounting opposition, state staffers and their design consultant came up with several alternative proposals, including one that spared all the trees on the six-block stretch of Swinton Avenue in the historic district, but city commissioners quickly dismissed all of them. But they still managed to secure a portion of the $2.2 million grant intended to fund the project. The money comes from federal gasoline tax dollars funneled through the county’s Transportation Planning Agency.

Commissioners asked if a portion could be used to repave Swinton Avenue and add sidewalks that meander around the trees on the west side without removing any.

Nick Uhren, the TPA executive director, said it could. Mayor Shelly Petrolia told him, “You deserve a white hat.”   This is the second grassroots campaign for Annechild. More than 13 years ago, she co-founded the SaveDelray.com website to help preserve the small-town ambience of Delray Beach. 

Beyond the removal of trees, mailboxes and light poles would need to be moved if the state puts bike lanes on Swinton Avenue. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

In the days leading up to the commission meetings, Annechild assembled neighbors and friends to plant the signs and tie the funereal black ribbon around every tree between Northeast Second and Fourth streets.

The City Commission planned to discuss the Swinton Avenue project at its Jan. 22 workshop, but public comment is not allowed at workshops. So the Swinton Avenue tree supporters spoke out at the Jan. 15 regular meeting. Preservation Trust co-president Joy Howell asked the commission “to scrap the plan” and protect the tree canopy.

Another North Swinton resident, Richard Ott, was among those who objected. “I don’t like the FDOT plan,” he said. “You wouldn’t let me put in a racetrack next to my house.”

Even bike enthusiasts were opposed. Jason Bregman, vice chairman of Human Powered Delray, said his group wanted to save the trees. HPD preferred bike lanes on streets like George Bush Boulevard to get cyclists to the beach.

A week later, so many opponents packed the commission chambers that the city’s assistant fire chief was forced to move standing audience members to a nearby room because the chamber exceeded capacity.

Commissioner Bill Bathurst said he would work to create a “historic overlay” for Swinton that could cover the entire avenue from Southeast 10th Street north to the city limit.

Bathurst, a former member of the city’s Historic Preservation Board, said it was important to preserve the fabric of the city’s most historic street, which is home to Old School Square and the Sundy House, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“The story of Delray is told along Swinton Avenue,” he   said. 

When the windows are open at my Ocean Ridge home, I hear the cars roll by on State Road A1A. Bicyclist friends shout our names as a wake-up call early on Saturday mornings as they ride by. On our morning walks we wave to friends heading out for work or coffee.

And as years tick by, we’ve watched neighbor kids grow up in the back seats as parents dutifully drove them to school.

From inside our newsroom we’ve learned to count the public safety vehicles screaming down the road and contemplating how we might report our local breaking news.

In other words, for most of my adult life, A1A has been my main street.

When we started The Coastal Star, I had visions of getting the municipalities along A1A to come together to create a unique and defined place. I could see an expanded commercial district in the Briny Breezes/Ocean Ridge/County Pocket area as a midway point between Plaza del Mar in Manalapan and the shops off Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton.

I thought a sidewalk all along the highway would create unity among our towns while improving pedestrian safety. It seemed to me that streetlights sharing a design style along the road would provide a sense of place.

I even thought that having Wi-Fi along the corridor would give this newly defined area some zing.

And, it seemed to me, all of this might have been possible with the creation a multi-municipality overlay district.

But then, battles over commercial zoning and bike lanes ensued. It became increasingly clear that consensus was nowhere in sight.

I suspect a couple of our towns would fight the very mention of sidewalks — even with the benefit of public safety — and any agreement on multi-city project spending was probably doomed from the start.

It appears obvious that the Florida Department of Transportation too has witnessed the strident independence of each local government and has chosen to take the slow road on implementing changes to our main street.

Although there have been few changes over the years, it’s been heartening to see consistent pedestrian crosswalk signage go up along the road. This has been a vast safety improvement in areas where people — like me — enjoy walking to and from the beach.

With Highland Beach’s March referendum on whether or not to spend $45 million on A1A-area improvements, we have a chance to see if one town embraces features that other municipalities may perceive as beneficial. Highland Beach’s proposals for installing underground utilities along A1A, lighted crosswalks, landscaping and walking path improvements and designated bicycle lanes could help jump-start discussions in other towns.

But I wouldn’t count on it. Each municipality on the barrier island is, dare I say, an island. Hopefully, islands that aren’t sinking.

No matter how (or if) Highland Beach embraces change, we will all continue to watch flooding and rising tides.

FDOT currently has little concern about rain events unless standing water remains for more than several hours. Having A1A flooded for this long presents a serious public safety concern during increasingly frequent rainstorms and rising flooding. This is one area unlikely to benefit from the slow and steady approach.

Otherwise, it’s safe to say A1A will stay pretty much the same for some time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s still a very special road through a very special place: our main street.

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Stylist and salon owner Dawn Edwards is on the committee working on the 64th annual Bethesda Ball, which will be Feb. 23. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related Story: Bethesda fundraiser finds new device can save lives — including her own

By April W. Klimley

Dawn Edwards relishes challenges. Last summer, the beauty expert and businesswoman was asked to join the Bethesda Hospital Foundation Board. Next came a request to work on the hospital’s biggest fundraiser: the 64th Bethesda Ball, coming Feb. 23.

And she answered, “Yes!”

“Honestly, I have a heart for the hospital. It’s an important part of the community of Delray and the towns nearby,” Edwards said. “I live here. I have a beauty salon here. My clients come in and they talk about the hospital. Many of them are benefactors.”

Bethesda Hospital was founded more than 60 years ago by residents in and around Boynton Beach. It opened in 1959 with 70 beds.

In 2017, the hospital merged with Baptist Health South Florida. Today, it continues its not-for-profit mission with more than 2,500 employees and 675 physicians at two main campuses, Bethesda Hospital East and Bethesda Hospital West.

Last year, the ball raised $670,000  for Bethesda Women’s Health Center to purchase a state-of-the-art 3-D mammography unit with breast biopsy capabilities. Money raised this year will go to the medical center’s  heart hospital — which means all the comprehensive cardiology services of the hospital.

Commenting on the “Rock the Foundation” theme for this year, Edwards said, “This year it’s all about music. Our guests love to dance.”

Edwards’ tasks range from finding vendors to troubleshooting.

   The work for this event seems to be even more intense than Edwards’ earlier involvement with hospital fundraising. For five years she served on the hospital’s Women of Grace committee, which honors five local woman philanthropists each year. Last year’s event raised more than $200,000.

Edwards’ charity work began around the time her daughter Gianna — now a 16-year-old junior at Boca Raton High School — started school at St. Vincent Ferrer.

“My involvement blossomed from there. I love charity work, and whatever you can do to help the community. I’m sure everyone would do something like that if they could,” she said.

Edwards, 52, has another passion — beauty salons. She began with Fantasia in Coral Springs (funded by her dad, Frank Morales, when she was 20), opened Elite Salon on “the Avenue” 19 years ago (when she and her husband, pilot Larry Edwards, moved to Delray Beach), and started her third salon, Dawn Edwards, a few years ago in east Delray.

Edwards also developed her own hair-care and makeup lines and became active as a color educator.

Edwards found her calling in her last year of high school, when she took an extra credit course in the beauty field.

“I developed a passion for the beauty industry,” she said. “I am an artist and I actually wanted to be a sculptor. But now I am a sculptor — a sculptor of hair every day.”

The Dawn Edwards location is much quieter and more compact than the downtown location, but its customized interior radiates relaxation and tranquility.

“It’s a boutique salon,” Edwards said. “This one’s for me. I wasn’t going to do it again [after a five-year break]. But I love it too much not to have my hands in it. I get to play with color all day.

“You know the saying ‘Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.’ That’s been my career.” 

If You Go

What: The 64th annual Bethesda Ball, “Rock the Foundation.” Proceeds benefit Bethesda’s department of cardiology

When: 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23

Where: Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, 100 S. Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan

Tickets: $375 per person; evening attire, black tie suggested

Info: bethesdahospitalfoundation.org or 737-7733, ext. 84445

By Dan Moffett

Ocean Ridge Town Manager Jamie Titcomb is resigning his position in March to become the first manager in the upstart town of Loxahatchee Groves.

For Titcomb, the change is a return engagement of sorts. Thirteen years ago, when he was with the Palm Beach County League of Cities, he helped shepherd the fast-growing western community through the thorny process of incorporation.

“For me, this provides an opportunity to see through some unfinished business in the steps of creating a viable town from scratch, a professional challenge late in my career,” Titcomb said, “and the ability to make a difference assisting the community to grow to the next level of governance.”

Loxahatchee Groves, a town of roughly 3,500, was incorporated in 2006 and for the last seven years has hired a management services company to run its operations.

With the addition of Titcomb, the town intends to move toward a more traditional manager-council form of government.

Ocean Ridge Mayor Steve Coz scheduled a special Town Council meeting for 2 p.m. Jan. 30 to discuss finding Titcomb’s replacement.

Titcomb, 61, took over as Ocean Ridge’s manager in October 2015, leaving a similar position in Melbourne Beach.

He also has worked as the lead administrator in Lake Park and North Palm Beach. He was the executive director of the county League of Cities for 13 years and a former Boynton Beach city commissioner.

The Ocean Ridge commission hired Titcomb largely because he committed to handling the town’s budget preparation and finances. For roughly 25 years, former Town Clerk Karen Hancsak had performed those duties until she retired shortly after Titcomb’s arrival.

Titcomb and the commission clashed several times during his first year over difficulties preparing the 2016-2017 budget.

He attributed the problems to the town’s outdated computer software and to necessary changes in methodology to improve transparency.

Besides overhauling budgeting, Titcomb developed in-house building inspection services for the town, with a full-time inspector.

He helped oversee a review of building codes and a citizens review of the Ocean Ridge charter. Titcomb also put in place an aggressive maintenance program for the town’s aging drainage system.

“I’m proud of building a professional staff, implementing best-practices process, an issues-free budgeting and auditing program and making headway in the town toward high-level, concierge-service local government,” he said.

Titcomb’s annual salary in Ocean Ridge is $112,500. He said the salary details of his Loxahatchee Groves contract were still being negotiated. 

By Mary Thurwachter

Beach-goers will see some welcome improvements in the year ahead. On Jan. 28, the Lantana Town Council authorized contracts to remodel beach restrooms and to add a deck to the special events pavilion.

CH Global Construction of Hialeah, the lower of two bidders, won the contract to redo the four restrooms for $98,756. Two of the restrooms are at the south end of the beach in the marine safety building. The other two, at the north end, are part of the pavilion.

West Construction of Lantana, the lowest of four bidders, won the contract to build the

49 by 29 foot pavilion deck, made of composite decking wood for $134,000.

“The pavilion is used for rentals but somewhat limited in space,” said Mayor Dave Stewart. “The deck will make more room for a band or families or other groups.”

Both projects will be paid for by the penny sales tax that took effect in 2017.

Bids are still being gathered for beach boardwalk and railing repairs, according to Town Manager Deborah Manzo.

Lantana Police Chief Sean Scheller, left, congratulates Police Officer Ryan Church as the Employee of the Year for 2018.

Mary Thurwachter/The Coastal Star

In other action, the town:

• Recognized Officer Ryan Church as Police Department Employee of the Year for 2018. Police Chief Sean Scheller said investigations by Church, who was also employee of the first and fourth quarters, resulted in numerous felony charges against a known narcotics dealer. Church, Scheller said, has made the community safer by identifying and arresting impaired drivers and catching thieves. Church was also praised for building rapport and positive relationships with youths in the community, mentoring students and coordinating basketball and kickball events where officers, students and teachers play alongside one another.

• Authorized the use of McKinley Park and town resources (tables, chairs, tents, garbage bins) for the Hypoluxo Island Property Owners Association’s annual picnic and membership drive on Feb. 24. The picnic is free to members, but others may attend. There is a $10 charge for food. Ú

This sprawling ficus tree in front of the home at 3400 Polo Drive is spurring a debate about tree preservation in Gulf Stream. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

Town commissioners have sent the architects back to their drawing boards to save a towering ficus tree that helps define the charm of Polo Drive.

Kevin and Michelle Clark, who bought 3400 Polo Drive last April, two lots up from their present home, want to tear down the existing house and build a 7,406-square-foot, two-story Bermuda-style house. But the plan presented to commissioners Jan. 11 called for the ficus to be chopped down and two palm trees planted to frame the front entrance.

Commissioner Paul Lyons Jr., who moved to Polo Drive in 2007, said he frequently walks by the property and wanted the ficus preserved.

“There’s a section in the [town] code about preservation of the natural state,” Lyons said. “The ficus tree is the prominent trophy tree on Polo Drive, in my mind. And the code states that to the extent possible, practical I think it is, we should preserve them.”

Resident Cuppy Kraft agreed. “The people that are building the new houses want to … put new landscaping in so to change the feel of the town, whereas what had drawn people to Gulf Stream is really the old look of the town with the big trees. And you know, eventually they’re going to be gone,” she said.

Landscape architect Maureen Smith and home architect Carlos Linares said they would come back with a plan to keep the ficus where it is or possibly lift it to another spot in the front yard.

“We’re going to need one of those cranes for the high rises kind of thing to come in here and do that. But it could be moved to the south side,” Smith said, estimating the cost at $25,000.

Linares also will change the roof tile from gray to white to not duplicate the gray roof on the Clarks’ current home.

To keep the 3400 project moving ahead, commissioners approved permits for land clearing and demolition and granted a special exception for a 30-foot rear setback to make room for a pool and pavilion. 

In other business:

• Town Manager Greg Dunham said he and consultant Mathews Engineering would do an “alignment study” on the water main along State Road A1A before ordering a survey of the Australian pines lining the scenic highway.

• Staff attorney Trey Nazzaro told commissioners he is still working on a proposed ordinance to limit house construction times, saying rules in Broward County’s Lighthouse Point would help. Before, he was modeling his effort on town code in Palm Beach.

• Town maintenance worker Brian Dietrick told commissioners that mold in Place Au Soleil’s guardhouse is more rampant than previously thought, with wood rot inside the walls. He will return with estimates for repairs.

Not all the Muscovy ducks were removed from the golf course: These two and an ibis were present Jan. 23. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

The decision to remove 24 Muscovy ducks from The Little Club property in late January left one member angry and others disappointed.

Robert Lehner, who has been general manager at the Gulf Stream club only since May, said club administrators made the decision to relocate the birds because of safety and health concerns.

“They were being fed, and that was a major issue,” Lehner said on Jan. 22, one day after having Wildlife Removal Services of West Palm Beach collect the birds and relocate them to a property near Lake Okeechobee.

“They were aggressive. We had someone who was bitten. We have a [dining] patio out back and they were pretty much living off the patio. The Health Department could shut us down if they did an inspection and found duck feces back there.”

Lehner’s explanations did not sit well with member Jackie Robinson, who resides with her husband, Richard, in Ocean Ridge. Claiming that only eight ducks out of 88 born on the property last February are still alive, Robinson said she took it upon herself to feed and take care of them.

“Yes, once in a while they pooped outside. If you’ve been to any golf course, there’s poop everywhere,” she said. “These ducks have lived there for the decade I’ve been [a member] and never bothered anyone. One of them apparently nipped at a lady when she went to pick up her purse, [but] she was out there playing with them to begin with … and when she went to pick up her purse she got nipped.

“Obviously they thought she was going to feed them. That was a non-issue.”

The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida recommends not to feed Muscovy ducks, as once they are fed they become reliant on handouts and too lazy to forage for their natural diet. It consists of vegetation and insects, both of which are abundant in South Florida.

“All I have to do is call their name and they come running to me,” Robinson said.

Robinson was also upset that members were not notified ahead of the removal. Lehner sent out a letter notifying them of the decision after the birds had been taken.

“It read, ‘The ducks have been fed by a member, which is not allowed,’” Robinson said. “No one has ever told me that in the 10 months I’ve been taking care of them. A bunch of people feed them.

“It also said, ‘We have been assured the ducks have been relocated to a waterway out west.’ First it was Okeechobee, now it’s a waterway out west. I should go out there. They’ll come running to me if I call their names.”

Lehner said he was told the ducks would be taken to a “28-acre property off Lake Okeechobee,” but did not say where. “‘I am aware that you cannot relocate them into the wild. That’s why I was told they were going to a private property,” he said.

Repeated calls to Wildlife Removal Services seeking clarification were not returned.

Similarly, a request to speak to the woman who claimed to have been bitten did not get a response.

Robinson insisted that the ducks had not been relocated but instead had been euthanized.

Florida regulations do not permit Muscovy ducks to be put back into the wild for fear of spreading disease.

“They’re an invasive species, which means they’re not supposed to be here,” Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control spokesman David Walesky said. “There are very limited options [to relocate] them.

“Humane euthanasia is oftentimes the most practical. I have heard of sanctuaries, I have heard of people in certain cultures eating them, but humane euthanasia is most practical.”

The Little Club members Casey Syring and Maria Guoth expressed disappointment the day after the removal that the ducks were no longer around.

“They were the most tame animals you ever saw,” Syring said. “I’m very disappointed.”

Guoth agreed, then added, “But people feeding them was not good. That changed the balance. Some people got angry, there were too many ducks.”

Robinson said she was going to continue the fight, “blasting it on social media” and reaching out to her representatives in Washington for action.

“I love them more than I love my dog,” she said. “It just breaks my heart.” 

By Dan Moffett

Stella Gaddy Jordan insists that she has been an unwavering supporter of the luxury condo project at 3550 S. Ocean Blvd., the site of the old Hawaiian Inn hotel.

The South Palm Beach councilwoman says that her frequent complaints about the building have been mostly about the construction process, not the product.

“I’ve always been OK with the 3550 project,” Jordan said. “I just think we need to know how we got here. We want to be sure this doesn’t happen again. There was miscommunication throughout.”

For months, Jordan has criticized how the town signed off on plans for the project and how the Town Council didn’t get a final review before construction began. She blames the town’s building inspector and three town managers, who have come and gone during the past five years, for failing to enforce building rules and for cutting council members out of the approval loop.

“The plans should have come to the Town Council after they were approved by the architectural board,” she said after the council meeting on Jan. 8. “We didn’t get to see them. That has to change.”

Had the council given the project that final review, Jordan says, she would have questioned the building’s height and the site’s landscaping. She believes the building, at roughly 106 feet above grade level, is 10 feet higher than code allows. She also thinks the project’s footprint doesn’t have adequate space for landscaping, as state building rules require.

It has been difficult to find a South Palm Beach official, elected or hired, who shares her concerns.

Mike Crisafulle, the town’s building inspector, told the council the project looks the way it is supposed to look.

“The building is being built in the way the plans were submitted,” Crisafulle said. “To me, there is no issue.”

The town’s last two managers, Bob Vitas and Mo Thornton, have agreed. No issues, no problems. Shortly before abruptly retiring in December, Thornton said the 3550 “conforms to the town’s code and was built according to approved plans.”

Council members Elvadianne Culbertson and Bill LeRoy have suggested it’s a moot point to second-guess the project — now that the building is standing and soon to be ready for occupancy.

“What do we do about it?” Culbertson asked with a shrug.

Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb has focused on the positive — and there is a substantial amount of it. With 30 high-end condos selling for as much as $5 million each, the town’s tax base could rise by roughly 30 percent.

“We’re going to get a lot of benefit from this project from the income the town will receive,” Gottlieb said.

Mayor Bonnie Fischer has said the council may consider two of Jordan’s concerns. It can close a loophole in the code that doesn’t specify height limits of garages — an omission that contributed to confusion over the 3550 structure’s total elevation. And the council can tighten its building approval procedures.

“The 3550 is a great building,” Fischer said. “However, it would behoove the town to examine garage height and footprint with respect to future development.”

  The new condo building, developed by Manhattan-based DDG real estate investment group, is expected to open its doors sometime this summer.

In other business:

• Joseph Kusnir, the town’s consultant from StormwaterJ Engineering in West Palm Beach, told the council that work on the town’s sewer lines is likely to cost substantially less than expected. The council set aside $512,000 to repair and replace the aging pipes, but because a main line didn’t need work, Kusnir said the project, slated for completion this spring, “definitely will come in under budget.”

• Robert Kellogg, the newly hired and sworn-in interim town manager, said he expects to sign his formal contract by the Feb. 12 council meeting. In December, the council agreed to pay Kellogg a $95,000 annual salary. 

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach city commissioners want to live up to their Arbor Day Foundation designation as a Tree City.

At a Jan. 22 workshop, commissioners approved a tree canopy policy that will be included in its comprehensive plan update. The comp plan, called Always Delray, contains the city’s growth guidelines for the next 10 years. The commission will vote on the entire plan in the spring.

Delray Beach will finish its tree canopy assessment this month.

Twenty-tree percent of the city is covered in trees, said Tim Stillings, development services director. The percentage is higher than in Orlando and lower than Lake Worth, he said. But Gainesville has a higher percentage — above 50.

“You can’t just add more trees,” Stillings said. The city would need 105 acres, or 2,300 trees, to increase its tree canopy by 1 percentage point, he said. Delray Beach has 2,405 acres covered in trees.

The lowest canopy percentages are in the industrial area between Southwest 10th Street and Linton Boulevard and in the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods, Stillings said.

The city has about $138,365 in its tree trust fund, paid by developers who are charged a fee when they remove trees. The amount does not include the estimated $140,000 that will come from Midtown Delray on South Swinton Avenue and another sum from the redevelopment of the Office Depot site on South Congress Avenue.

At the workshop, Mayor Shelly Petrolia asked about the fate of the 20-foot-tall banyan tree on Northeast Seventh Avenue.

Bill Wilshire, the city’s senior landscape planner, said he has talked with the architect of the four townhomes that will be built at the southwest corner of Northeast Seventh Avenue and Northeast Second Street.

The plan is for the tree to be cut in pieces and moved to Mike Machek Boy Scout Park on Lake Ida Road, Wilshire said. “About half of the tree can’t be saved,” he said.

The banyan tree has 75 percent of its canopy on private property, and the rest spills over onto the sidewalk, Wilshire said.

Wilshire plans to approach the owner soon with that plan. The owner then would plant seven live oaks in its place along the perimeter of the property. 

By Dan Moffett

Ocean Ridge town commissioners have approved two pest control contracts that will give homeowners the option of buying services for their private property through the public plans.

Clarke Environmental Inc. of Wellington, the town’s contractor for the last decade, signed a three-year agreement to spray public areas for mosquitoes and no-see-ums. The town will pay Clarke $47,067 annually.

Homeowners can buy into the spraying service for their properties for roughly $465 a year, plus an administrative fee. Payments are to go directly to Clarke. The town won’t be involved in billing or spraying arrangements for the nonpublic service.

Beyond bugs, Ocean Ridge is taking on iguanas. The town will join a small group of Florida communities battling the ornery reptiles. Commissioners approved a one-year, $19,500 contract with Iguana Control of Coral Springs to trap and remove the animals from public areas.

Town Manager Jamie Titcomb says town officials will regularly assess the “brand new pilot program” and can cancel with 30 days’ notice.

Homeowners can hire the contractor for about $950 a year. As with Clarke, the town won’t handle billing or customer relations.

Tom Portuallo started Iguana Control in Broward County about 12 years ago and has seen his business grow exponentially with the rapidly expanding iguana population.

The company now has four offices that serve five counties. Portuallo counts as clients a half-dozen municipalities — including Marco Island, Key Biscayne, Golden Beach and Davie — and dozens of businesses and homeowners associations.

Besides 3-foot cage traps, Portuallo intends to use “more aggressive methods” such as noosing, netting and pellet guns to reduce the iguana numbers.

“If you rely solely on trapping,” he told commissioners during their meeting on Jan. 7, “you never get ahead of the curve.”

Portuallo said that, with his crews servicing a property several times a week, it’s possible to reduce a homeowner’s iguana population by about 90 percent. State law prohibits relocating the animals. They must be humanely killed.

In other business:

• Mayor Steve Coz won commissioners’ support for exploring the possibility of getting a separate ZIP code for Ocean Ridge, one that would distinguish it from Boynton Beach.

Coz said a unique number would help insulate the town from Airbnb internet searches and give it a separate identity.

“The negative is that it’s going to be a two-year journey,” he said. “It’s not going to be something that’s pushed through. It’s going to be a slow-moving process.”

The change likely will require help from the congressional delegation in Washington. Titcomb said staff would research the process and report back to commissioners.

• Three candidates will run for two open seats in the March 12 municipal election. Coz is seeking another three-year term, and political newcomers Susan Hurlburt and John Lipscomb also have qualified for the race. The top vote-getter will win a seat until 2022, and the second-highest will serve out the year left on the term of former Mayor James Bonfiglio, who resigned last year and unsuccessfully ran for the state legislature. 

Candidates forum

Commission candidates for the March 12 municipal election will square off in a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters at 6 p.m. Feb. 7 in Town Hall. The town has three candidates running for two open seats. Questions from the public are welcome at the forum.

Members of  Caring Stitches gather at Joy Banton’s home with the first batch of blankets and hats they will donate to children this year. BACK ROW (l-r): Annu Sharma, Doris Clark, Banton, Carla Linn, Dottie Costonis, Liz Geller, Susan Goldberg, Josette Ridosh. FRONT ROW (l-r): Gladys Schwadron, Tee Kerin,  Maria Inés Ground and Melissa Maynes. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Joyce Reingold

Each month, members of the Boca Raton Welcome Club and the New Club of Boca Raton come together as Caring Stitches, a steadfast group of women who crochet and knit blankets to swaddle the tiniest of hospital newborns and bring a touch of home to children in foster care.

As Caring Stitches launched its 11th year in January, members’ hands, knitting needles and crochet hooks were on their way to creating the first of approximately 50 blankets they will donate to children and teens this year. Twice annually, they deliver these soft goods to the South Florida chapter of Project Linus, a Missouri-based organization that distributes blankets to neonatal intensive care units, hospitals, social service agencies, schools and other settings. Since 1995, Project Linus has gifted more than 7 million blankets to children across the U.S.

“I am very grateful for their continued support,” Kathy Adams, coordinator of the South Florida chapter, said of Caring Stitches. “They never waver. We’re talking 40 to 50 blankets each year.”

Adams, a volunteer from Boca Raton, says 99 percent of the blankets made in a South Florida county remain there. Last year, the chapter distributed a record 3,300 blankets.

Joy Banton, the Welcome Club’s publicity chairwoman, hosted the early January gathering at her Delray Beach home, still festive in its Christmas trim. Though their names say Boca Raton, the Welcome Club and New Club draw members from a wide swath of Palm Beach and northern Broward counties. The clubs promote friendship through their own schedules of social events and, collectively, through Caring Stitches.

“Meetings are very warm and friendly; there’s no dissension. It’s nice. It’s like a home away from home,” said Melissa Maynes, a New Club member from Boca Raton who co-chairs Caring Stitches with Maria Inés Ground of the Welcome Club.

They call it a labor of love and it’s a welcome outlet for nimble fingers stilled for a time after children and grandchildren aged out of knitted and crocheted gifts or had just reached a saturation point.

Like most members, Doris Clark learned to knit and crochet as a child. By age 20, she’d become expert enough to crochet a dress and jacket. And then like many of her sisters in yarn, she packed the hobby away to make way for new adventures.

Now, she says it’s her favorite club activity. Clark, of Boca Raton, alternates between knitting and crocheting to keep from getting bored. But whether she’s using knitting needles or a crochet hook, there’s one constant: “The yarn has to be quite colorful,” she said.

Caring Stitches has an annual yarn budget of $400, which creates lively outings for the co-chairs. “Melissa and I go shopping to buy all the yarn for six months,” Ground said. “It’s such fun. Everyone looks at us because our carts are so full.”

Each member brings her own creativity to a project, selecting favorite stitches and creating custom patterns. And while the makers have much creative license, they adhere to all Project Linus specifications on sizes, materials and other matters.

When a blanket is completed, it’s laundered, folded and tied with a length of yarn. Its creator attaches a card marked with her first name and the blanket’s size. That’s all the recipient will know about his or her guardian angel. 

Adams says the blankets bring excitement and joy. “The nurses go crazy,” she said.  “They say, ‘Oh, this would be perfect for Joey,’ or ‘I have to have this for Sarah.’”

At the meeting, club members surveyed the finished blankets and tiny hats fashioned from yarn remnants ready for donation. They compared notes on materials and pattern choices and admired each other’s work.

“This one looks like a confetti cake,” a member said, pointing to a cheerful blanket dotted with pastel-colored flecks.

Everyone wanted to touch a fuzzy, textured blanket knitted with variegated yarn. “It’s chunky,” said Dottie Costonis, of Boca Raton, the blanket’s creator.  “I had to take it away from my husband. I may have to knit him one.”

“I like the soft baby yarn,” said Josette Ridosh, a Delray Beach woman who alternates between knitting and crocheting, switching when her hands tire. The key is busy hands. “It keeps me away from temptation.”

Knitting and crocheting also may reduce stress and improve mood, according to a 2014 Craft Yarn Council study. From what they say, Caring Stitches members validate those findings and would add a few more.

“It’s the companionship and camaraderie, talking about knitting, and the family,” Ridosh said. “We solve all the problems of the world.”  

For information about Caring Stitches, contact Maria Inés Ground at caj818386@gmail.com. To learn more about Project Linus, visit www.projectlinusfl.org or email Kathy Adams at worksforpeanuts@bellsouth.net.

By Mary Thurwachter

Almost four years ago, Henry Olmino, chef and owner of Mario’s Ocean Avenue restaurant, leased a parking lot from the town so the restaurant would meet Lantana’s parking requirements. His 2,500-square-foot restaurant needed 61 spaces and had only 42.

Olmino paid $12,000 to rent the Third Street parking lot, a short walk from the restaurant, but west of U.S. 1. The deal seemed a good idea for both parties, since the town had just repaved the parcel and was looking for a way to recoup some of the expense, and Mario’s needed more parking spaces.

But does Mario’s really need the 30-car lot?

“We’ve never used it,” Olmino said during the Jan. 14 Town Council meeting. “We just pay for it. We have never once parked a car in the lot.”

While the council ended up approving the lease for another year, some questioned how fair it was to make Olmino spend $12,000 annually for space he doesn’t use. Is it possible that parking on Ocean Avenue, Lantana’s downtown business district, really isn’t as much of a problem as many considered it?

Town officials are revisiting the parking code and will consider possible revisions to answer questions like that.

“The objective would be to bring [revisions] to you no later than the second meeting in March,” said Town Attorney Max Lohman. “Parking regulations were last reviewed in 2009-2010. It’s a very large, comprehensive section of our code, probably 15-20 pages, and we can’t do it piecemeal. We’re looking at working with the numbers and trying to figure out what makes sense.

“We recognize that there are issues with the parking and we’re trying to come up with some things that will be more realistic and make more sense. But we want this to be well-thought out and not half-baked.”

Chamber of Commerce President Dave Arm says it’s high time for parking revisions.

“Mario’s is a Lantana success story,” Arm said. “That place is packed summer and winter. Not too many restaurants around here have survived like that.”

He said he has never noticed a parking problem as a customer and never noticed anyone else having a parking problem at Mario’s, which provides valet parking.

“I’ve also noticed that now that we have Lyman Kayak Park around the corner, that lot is never full,” Arm said. “There is room to park in the town. Could parking be better downtown? We all know that. Could parking restrictions be a little easier? We all know that, too. I think requiring Mario’s to have this lease on this parking lot is the wrong way to go about things because he doesn’t need it.

“If you really want somebody to pay for that lot, look at some of the other restaurants also on Ocean Avenue. Maybe they should all get together and pay for that lot,” Arm suggested.

But the town’s development services director, Dave Thatcher, said Olimo had approached other restaurant owners on the street before leasing the lot and none of them was interested.

Council member Lynn Moorhouse agreed with Arm and Olmino.

“People walk down there all the time,” he said. “I do. There is not a lack of parking down there, in my opinion,” Moorhouse said.

But without the signed lease, Olmino would be in violation of the code.

To add to the restaurant’s problem, a miscommunication between Thatcher and Olmino in 2017 allowed the lease to lapse more than a year ago. That means Mario’s was in violation of code.

Thatcher said he thought the lease was no longer necessary, since the lot was not used, but later found out he was wrong. In an application, Olmino had said he would have employees park their cars in the Third Street lot. But that hasn’t been necessary.

Had the council not approved the lease in January, Olmino would have needed to go before the town’s special magistrate and faced fines.

By Mary Hladky

Suspended Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie likely will go to trial in October on seven public corruption charges.

At a brief Jan. 15 hearing, Circuit Court Judge Glenn Kelley agreed to an October trial and said an exact date could be set at the next hearing on her case, on April 15.

“We are progressing fairly well in the case,” Assistant State Attorney Brian Fernandes said.

Speaking after the hearing, Haynie’s criminal defense attorney, Bruce Zimet, said no plea deal is in the works. “We are going to trial,” he said, adding that Haynie is looking forward to being vindicated.

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 on public corruption charges, including 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.

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 had 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, which also investigated Haynie for voting on matters that financially benefited Batmasian, 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.

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 probable cause findings are not a determination that Haynie violated state laws, but are a conclusion that there is enough evidence of violations to allow the investigation to proceed.

Zimet has said Haynie will seek an evidentiary hearing before the state commission. Her ethics attorney, Mark Herron, has not commented.

The state commission has the power to seek her removal from office, but that rarely happens. More typically, a public official is fined up to a maximum of $10,000 per violation.

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

State commission advocate Elizabeth A. Miller, an assistant attorney general, issued a stinging report to the commission in which she recommended that it find probable cause.

Haynie “consistently voted on measures benefiting the Batmasians and/or their affiliates between 2012 and 2016 while surreptitiously reaping the financial rewards of their business association,” she wrote.

“When confronted with the possibility of impropriety, (Haynie) consistently denied any association, involvement or knowledge. The bank account records revealed her deception. These acts and omissions indicate corrupt intent.” 

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach could become the first Palm Beach County city to ban single-use plastic straws.

City commissioners unanimously approved a plastic straw ban at their mid-January meeting, effective Jan. 1, 2020. The second reading of the ordinance was set for Feb. 5, when it is likely to pass.

The ban will apply to plastic straws given to consumers at 190 restaurants and other businesses citywide. Exceptions will be given to hospitals, schools and nursing homes. Big-box and grocery stores that sell them for individual use are also exempt from the ban.

“Plastic never goes away. It just gets smaller and smaller,” Evan Orellana, education director at the Sandoway Discovery Center, said at the Jan. 15 commission meeting. “We will start with straws and go further.”

The center, on A1A in Delray Beach, focuses on marine ecosystems that include sharks and sea turtles.

The beachfront Caffe Luna Rosa last July began offering recyclable straws when customers requested straws. The restaurant purchased “corn-plastic” straws that are compostable and made by Eco-Products of Boulder, Colo., said restaurant founder Fran Marincola, who stopped issuing plastic straws except upon request at the start of 2018.

Until the ordinance takes effect, restaurants will be encouraged to provide straws only upon request. Code enforcement officers will visit restaurants and other businesses during the year to educate the businesses owners and their servers. Restaurants will be given “Skip the Straw Delray” decals for their windows.

After Jan. 1, staff suggested fines of $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense and $300 for the third within a 12-month period.

Major corporations, such as the Walt Disney Co., Starbucks and Royal Caribbean International, have joined the campaign against straws, said India Adams, assistant city manager. She made a presentation to the council in the absence of the city’s sustainability officer, Ana Puszkin-Chevlin.

Adams suggested that the city provide a written notice of the campaign when it sends out license renewals for businesses in the restaurant/bar category.

The plastic straw ban came out of the city’s Green Implementation Advancement Board. Members and the city staff held a skip-the-straw kickoff event last August at The OG, one of the newest bars in Delray Beach.

Delray Beach prides itself on being “green” and is the first Palm Beach County city to ban single-use plastic straws.

Five other South Florida cities already have bans in place or are in the process of passing them:  Hallandale Beach, Miami Beach, Fort Myers Beach and Marco Island. The ban in Deerfield Beach goes into effect in April, Adams said.

In other business, City Manager Mark Lauzier received a 4 percent raise on his base salary of $235,000 by a vote of 3-2. This brings his salary to about $244,400. The raise will be retroactive to Nov. 6, the anniversary of his hire.

“He’s done a great job and the raise percentage fits into the 3 to 5 percent raises that city employees received,” said Commissioner Ryan Boylston.

Mayor Shelly Petrolia voted against the raise because Lauzier is already paid “a good salary.” She wants to see him improve his budget presentations and to get in front of critical issues, such as the Swinton Avenue plan that would remove trees to add bike lanes.

Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson also voted no because she said her comments and suggestions to Lauzier “were not well received.”

Delray Beach has allowed at least 100 more chairs for rental use along the beach. Photo provided

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach will have at least 100 more chairs on the beach under a renewed contract with its beach equipment vendor, the City Commission unanimously decided in mid-January.

Oceanside Beach Service has supplied reclining rental chairs, umbrellas and cabanas to Delray Beach for the past 16 years. For the last year of its old contract, the North Palm Beach-based company was limited to 250 chairs.

During the off-season, defined as May through the first two weeks in December, Oceanside will set up 300 reclining chairs across from the oceanfront Marriott down to the end of the municipal beach, across from Casuarina Road. The vendor will set up an additional 50 chairs on the beach at Atlantic Dunes Park.

But from the last two weeks in December through April, during the peak season, Oceanside will set up more chairs, after conferring with an onsite Parks and Recreation Department employee assigned to monitor the contract. The deal did not mention a limit.

“Without this exception, the city of Delray Beach will be unable to serve the beach-going public to a standard that’s equal to its image and profile,” wrote Michael J. Novatka, Oceanside president, in his company’s bid.

While annual beach attendance has more than doubled in the past 16 years to more than 3 million people, Oceanside has been limited to 250 chairs in that time frame, according to Novatka’s bid.

Oceanside “wants to meet the demand,” said Suzanne Fisher, Parks and Recreation Department director. Its chairs, cabanas and umbrellas will not restrict city lifeguards’ views, Fisher said.

The extra chairs will be set up just north of Atlantic Avenue across from the Marriott, she said. “On the weekends, about 10 percent of the beach-goers are waiting for a chair,” Fisher said.

But the north end is also where Delray Beach residents go to enjoy a more peaceful beach experience, Mayor Shelly Petrolia said. 

Petrolia was willing to approve the contract because it now contains a penalty clause if Oceanside doesn’t meet its terms and residents complain about too many chairs or other issues.

One complaint about signage has already been fixed. Oceanside has posted signs “that clearly show the prices,” Fisher said. The company also now takes credit cards.

A single chair with cushion rents for $7 an hour or $20 a day, plus Florida sales tax.

The Parks and Recreation Department put its beach equipment rental concession out for bid in July. Two firms attended the pre-bid meeting in August, Fisher said. But only Oceanside submitted a bid, and the council considers it a responsive and responsible vendor.

Commissioner Bill Bathurst said his family has used Oceanside beach chairs in the past.

“We don’t have any hotels [directly] on the beach,” Bathurst said. “This contract provides chairs for our visitors.”

The $2.1 million, five-year contract runs until Oct. 31, 2023, with Oceanside paying $405,000 in its first two years and then increasing to $415,000 for its last three years.

Oceanside is paying 38 percent more to the city over its previous five-year contract valued at $1.5 million. 

BRINY BREEZES — Orville Lynn Deniston died Jan. 22, age 86, in the same way he lived his life — quietly and with dignity. Mr. Deniston loved life, especially his family, fishing, square dancing, teaching, traveling, and his adopted Florida home.

Lynn Deniston, as he was known, came from simple means. After the sudden death of his father when Mr. Deniston was 20 months old, he was raised by his mother, Lenore, and stepfather in between Wapakoneta and Uniopolis, Ohio.

A member of the Future Farmers of America, he went to Ohio State University on a scholarship where his aim was to learn how to be a better farmer. In addition to his studies Mr. Deniston worked at a gas station and was a member of the ROTC.

While in Columbus, he met and subsequently married Carol Pierce. Together they moved to Quantico, Va., for his training in the Marines. Later he was assigned to Oceanside, Calif., where Terry was born. In the next few years the couple welcomed their second daughter, Kathy.

Over time, Mr. Deniston’s work as a health inspector led him to pursue more education. He earned a master of public health at the University of California, Berkeley.

His work as a sanitation inspector led to interesting family vacations, visiting water treatment plants and attending the National Association of Sanitarians conferences.

The family moved to Ann Arbor, Mich., where Mr. Deniston worked as a research associate and eventually earned his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.

It was within the School of Public Health that Mr. Deniston found his career calling: teaching. In 1994, when he retired and was granted emeritus status, the University Record reported, “He was revered for an ‘open-door policy’ that found him eager to devote long hours to working with individual students.” 

Throughout his adult years, Mr. Deniston also taught anyone who was even slightly interested how to fish. He loved his fishing boat, Do It, and spent countless hours on Lake Michigan and later in the waters off Florida.

Mr. Deniston loved people, as evidenced by the large number he “adopted” and considered family over the years. After Carol Deniston lost her battle with cancer, he found Helen, who happily shared his life for 22 years.

Mr. Deniston’s Briny Breezes retirement “family” offered much to involve him, but especially square dancing. The couple also enjoyed travel to Alaska and other destinations, until Helen’s Alzheimer’s disease brought an end to their travels. Mr. Deniston cared for his wife through her decline and until her death.

Nevertheless, he was probably happiest in his home, with his garden, at Briny Breezes gatherings, or when “family” came visiting.

In the final weeks of Mr. Deniston’s life, hampered by Parkinson’s disease, he knew he “was ready to go.” This was especially fitting because of his evaluative work with quality of life measures.

Mr. Deniston is survived by his daughter Terry and her children, Kelsey and Max, along with her grandson, Ryker. Also, he leaves behind daughter, nurse and care-provider, Kathy, and her daughters, Sarah and Angie.

He is survived by Helen’s daughter, Kristin, and her husband, Craig, and their sons, Nick and Chris. Finally, he will be missed by countless adopted “children” whom he loved and who loved him right back. 

A celebration of his life will be 5-7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Briny Breezes clubhouse.

In the meantime, the family suggests drinking a can of cheap beer or enjoying a glass of wine from a box while remembering a favorite story about Lynn Deniston.

Donations in his memory can be made to a charity of your choice or to the Briny Breezes Memorial Fund to keep the chimes ringing.

—Obituary submitted by the family

Hayley Sheldon of Hypoluxo Island holds her 3-month-old daughter, Willa, and her papier-mâché dandelions. She crafted the flowers from dyed and painted paper on a papier-mâché base for the show ‘Flora’ last year at the Cornell Art Museum in Delray Beach. Sheldon also does seasonal displays for clients in her work as a prop stylist. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

To say that not a lot of people around the country do what Hayley Sheldon is doing is an understatement.

Sheldon, 34, a prop stylist whose work has been featured locally at both the Cornell Art  Museum in Delray Beach and the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, counts herself among a relative handful across the country in her line of work.

“I know a couple of people on the West Coast who do it, and a friend in North Carolina, but it’s not a lot,” said Sheldon, who lives with husband, Jeff, and their children, Violet, 4, and Willa, who was born Nov. 5, on Hypoluxo Island in Lantana. “We talk to each other about pricing and materials, because there aren’t many of us.”

After receiving her undergraduate degree in fine arts from the University of Central Florida, Sheldon headed to the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she landed a job at the women’s clothing store Anthropologie.

“The company is based in an old building, which intrigued me, because in Florida we don’t have buildings that are 200 years old,” she said. “There was an old art studio in the attic, and there was a whole visual team that would create displays throughout the year. I thought that was cool.”

She had done crafts when she was younger and thought she would like to do that instead of working in the fitting room.

“You have seasonal displays, and they take hours and hours, but you’re not doing personal work, you’re executing a display for someone else, helping create their vision,” she explained. “A lot of artists wouldn’t be OK with that — they prefer to do their own thing — but I really thought it was fun. I liked working with people. It’s such a weird little skill set.”

After nine years with Anthropologie and the birth of her first child, she decided to go out on her own. Her networking in the bustling Palm Beach County art community has kept her busy ever since.

“I really try to think outside the box,” she said. “One time I took thousands of zip ties and arranged them into bundles. And the thing that was cool about it was it was just zip ties. Or making something out of thousands of paper clips. So, there’s a certain ‘wow’ factor with your audience, that you’ve taken something mundane and made it into something more than itself.”

— Brian Biggane

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?

A: I grew up here and attended Lake Worth Christian School. I graduated from the University of Central Florida and then went on to study at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. I think growing up in Florida has influenced my artwork in terms of the colors that inspire me, being surrounded by such vivid colors in nature all year round. 

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

A: I’ve designed displays and art pieces for an array of places and spaces. From retail window displays to event and gala decor and installations in art museums. I also teach workshops on various art and craft techniques. I had an art installation that was selected to be shown over the course of two years in several art museums in Germany and Switzerland, and still think it’s so cool that so many people, so far away were able to view my work.  

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?

A: As a maker there are times you fall into a creative block and can feel stuck. It’s something I still deal with. The best way I know to get through it is just to keep making; even if your heart isn’t fully in it, use it as a time to experiment. Have fun trying a new method or material or create something that will be a gift for someone. I think it’s easier to find motivation when you’re working on something you know will be given to someone else. Think about how much they will appreciate it and let that spur you out of your rut. 

Q: How did you choose to live on Hypoluxo Island?

A: I grew up in this neighborhood, so when my husband and I returned to the area it seemed like a good, familiar fit. Especially now with children of our own, we love how quiet and friendly the neighborhood is. 

Q: What is your favorite part about living there?

A: I love that you can walk to the beach, or the Intracoastal, McKinley Park, the Lantana Nature Preserve, etc., all within a matter of minutes — especially in the winter on gorgeous days when you just can’t help but want to be outside all day. 

Q: What book are you reading now?

A: I’m listening to the audiobook version of A Breath of Snow and Ashes, from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I like to listen to books while I work, especially during more monotonous projects. It’s a great way to get in the zone and have time pass quickly. 

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?

A: For relaxing, standards from the 1940s. For inspiration, something more up-tempo and fun. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Sylvan Esso. 

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?

A: My parents did a great job of exposing me to the arts when I was younger. We attended plays, ballets, visited museums while traveling. I think being able to absorb that when I was younger gave me the interest and courage to choose a creative career path. 

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?

A: Maybe Zooey Deschanel. I admire her quirk and creativity.

Q: Do you have a favorite cause? Why is it important to you?

A: I wouldn’t say it’s a cause, per se, but just a general wanting to foster continued growth in the creative community. There’s so much good going on; I hope I can continue to be a part of it and create more opportunities for artists and art lovers to work and be inspired.

Crafting lesson

Hayley Sheldon will lead a workshop on floral bundle dyeing, 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 16, at Elizabeth Avenue Station in West Palm Beach.

Cost: $45

Info: hayleysheldon.com

By Dan Moffett

It could be weeks until Palm Beach County building officials determine the fate of the Gulf Stream Views project between Briny Breezes and the County Pocket.

In November, inspectors shut down work on developer NL Living’s plan to build 14 luxury townhouses after expressing concerns about stormwater runoff.

Briny Breezes Town Manager Dale Sugerman says now the county has taken the extraordinary step of ordering an independent engineering analysis — a “peer review” — to ensure the project won’t cause drainage problems for adjacent properties.

“County staff has no idea how long that will take to obtain a complete peer review report,” Sugerman told the Town Council at its Jan. 24 meeting.

The county is soliciting proposals from qualified engineering firms and is required to have three bidders before making a selection. As of Jan. 24, only two firms had applied, the manager said.

Contractors for the New Jersey-based developer have hauled in dozens of truckloads of fill dirt to level out the elevation on the 2-acre lot to about 7 feet. Neighboring residents worry that rainwater and storm surge will have nowhere to run but onto their yards. The lot has been vacant for decades and served as a drain field for runoff from Briny and the Pocket.

Sugerman said the results of the engineering review will “help the county determine whether the fill that’s on the site can stay.”

NL Living vice president Glenn La Mattina has said he hopes to have the project completed by the end of the year. But the delay has cast that target in doubt.

In other business:

• The council hopes to name a new mayor during its Feb. 28 meeting, filling the vacancy left by Roger Bennett’s death on Jan. 12.

Applicants should submit letters of interest and voter registration verification to the town clerk. The next mayor will serve the three weeks remaining on Bennett’s unexpired term and then a full one-year term.

“Roger was a Brinyite through and through,” said council President Sue Thaler. “He stopped in to Town Hall every day to ask what he could do to help. … We’re all going to miss him so much.”

The council has other positions to fill or reappoint at the February meeting: town clerk, town clerk pro tem, deputy bookkeeper and seven members of the Planning and Zoning Board.

• The council has scheduled a workshop on building permit issues for 2 p.m. Feb. 14 in Briny’s community center.

Representatives of C.A.P. Government Inc., the town’s inspection and plan review contractor, will be on hand to answer residents’ questions. 

By Mary Hladky

The Boca Raton and Boynton Beach chambers of commerce have merged, with Boca’s chamber taking over economic development efforts in Boynton.

The two chambers announced the merger on Jan. 24, and the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce has retained former Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jonathan Porges during an indefinite transition period.

“We are happy the Boynton chamber had confidence in us,” said Boca chamber President and CEO Troy McLellan. “We will take over the operations and bring our resources into that community and deliver them there.”

To avoid disruption, the Boynton chamber’s office will remain open at 1880 N. Congress Ave. until the end of the year, after which other options will be considered. Events scheduled by the Boynton chamber will be held as planned.

The Boynton chamber’s name also will be retained for the time being.

“The Boca chamber is renowned as a highly professional organization which provides immense value to its members,” Porges said in a release. “The Boynton chamber is proud to be joining forces with this respected institution to take our collective member services and business advocacy to the next level.”

Preliminary conversations about a possible merger started during the summer with both chambers conducting “a great deal of due diligence” before culminating a deal, McLellan said.

The merger is a continuation of a national and local trend toward consolidation of chambers of commerce, he said.

For example, Palm Beach North was founded in 2007 as the result of a merger between the Jupiter Tequesta Juno Beach Chamber of Commerce and the North Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce and now serves 10 cities.

Sales, marketing, accounting and other operations can be melded and streamlined, saving money and improving efficiency and effectiveness, McLellan said.

The Boca chamber has discussed a merger with Delray Beach’s chamber in the past, but not recently, he said.

“If we feel like there is a path to go forward, absolutely we will go forward,” he said.

Boynton chamber members will gain access to the Boca chamber’s services, including programming, free professional development seminars, networking and representation by a political action committee that lobbies for members’ business interests and supports pro-business political candidates.

“It is our desire to make Boynton a community where a business can continue to be successful,” McLellan said.

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said the merger is a positive for his city.

“It expands the ability for our businesses to reach a new market and for greater collaboration within the region centered on Boca,” he said.