By Steve Plunkett

Businessman and magazine publisher Richard Lucibella has lost his courtroom quest to be cleared of all charges resulting from a backyard dustup with police in 2016 when he was the town’s vice mayor.

The 4th District Court of Appeal affirmed without comment Lucibella’s February 2019 conviction of misdemeanor battery on Ocean Ridge police Officer Richard Ermeri.

The appellate judges delivered comparatively swift justice, issuing a “per curiam affirmed” on April 16, just seven weeks after oral arguments. The court’s website advises that a panel can take up to six months to reach a decision. Despite losing his appeal Lucibella, 66, hailed the overall case as a win. During his criminal trial he was found not guilty of two felonies: resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer.

“In the end, I’ll settle for 99% vindication, for now,” he said.

The charges stemmed from an Oct. 22, 2016, confrontation in Lucibella’s backyard as police investigated reports of gunfire phoned in to 911. During a face-off Lucibella poked Ermeri with his finger through the officer’s bulletproof vest, “a forceful poke,” Ermeri, who has since been promoted to sergeant, testified at the original trial.

Leonard Feuer, Lucibella’s appellate lawyer, told the judicial panel on Feb. 25 that Lucibella had a right to defend himself after Ermeri, Officer Nubia Plesnik and Sgt. William Hallahan showed up.

“I’m not seeing this show of force” by the police, Judge Alan Forst said. “Clearly they weren’t invited in, but they didn’t come in with guns blazing.”

Senior Assistant Attorney General Melynda Melear, representing the state, told the judges that Lucibella “walked into” Ermeri’s extended arms before he was arrested.

“It was the defendant who provoked the aggression in the first place,” she said.

Feuer filed a motion on April 27, a Monday, asking the court to rehear the case, issue a written opinion and certify it as “an issue of great public importance.” The judges denied the request the following Friday.

Lucibella criticized the decision.

“In order to issue an opinion, the 4th DCA needed to rule on the legality of these officers entering my property. They chose to kick that down the road by not issuing a written opinion,” Lucibella said.

“Regardless, the (Circuit Court) jury found the officers to be acting outside their authority — that’s why they ruled my actions as simple battery vs. the original charge of battery on a law enforcement officer.”

Lucibella, who is chief executive of an “accountable care organization” for doctors and publishes a magazine for gun aficionados, is still the target of a civil lawsuit by Plesnik that accuses him of battery and negligence. His lawyers in that case have scheduled a deposition of Ermeri in June.

While many of us could choose to live anywhere in the world, we chose to live in Ocean Ridge because it is a small, welcoming and tightknit community. We love the beach, we love interacting with our neighbors, we love our freedom and we love our police force and safety.

I ask that we embrace these strong core values as we continue to transition to our “new normal.”

We have pulled together as a community. We have made meals and regularly check on our housebound and elderly neighbors. The Ocean Ridge Garden Club sewed and distributed over 350 masks to the town staff and the community at large.

Town staff have been dedicated and worked countless hours of overtime. And we have done our best to keep everyone safe and informed with flyer distributions, signage throughout the town and over 25 update messages to residents in the area.

We are grateful that Ocean Ridge — and the surrounding barrier island communities — have remained relatively healthy. Our long term, solid relationships with our neighboring elected officials have proven to be an asset during these uncertain times.

We are cautiously optimistic as we reopen our tennis courts, golf courses, clubhouses and community pools on a limited basis. Our beaches are now open also. Forced isolation is waning.

Yet, the need for social distancing, wearing face coverings and being a good neighbor is as important as ever. I ask all residents to remain vigilant and patient.

Our goal is and always will be the safety of our residents and staff. Be safe and be well.

Kristine de Haseth
Mayor, Ocean Ridge

LETTERS: The Coastal Star welcomes letters to the editor about issues of interest in the community. These are subject to editing and must include your name, address and phone number. Preferred length is 200-500 words. Send email to editor@thecoastalstar.com.

Friday, May 1, was a beautiful morning. The ocean was radiantly supercharged from the rainstorm the preceding afternoon and crystal-clear smooth from a cool, offshore breeze. How well I know and love these weather metrics!

Under normal circumstances, I would have pursued my swimming regimen: 350 strokes freestyle out, float, pause, somersault in about 10 feet of water a half-dozen times, 350 strokes parallel to the shore and then back to sun dry on a beach towel. Then I return home from my secluded spot, 2-plus miles past the catamaran hangar site at the north end of Delray Beach.

And, yes, I go on foot, along the shoreline. I enjoy the solitude my regimen provides. I stand about as much chance of catching the novel coronavirus en route as a snowball has of being made in hell.

The Gulf Stream police know who I am: A worried member of a nearby roofing crew summoned them because he spotted me so far out to sea swimming with joyful abandon.

Hey, bungee boarders, surfers, sailboarders, kayakers, fellow distance swimmers, snorkelers, paddleboarders: We’re “together, forever, as one!” to quote Chris Cuomo.

It ought to be readily apparent to the police, lifeguards and all others in positions of authority that the folk engaging in these activities, while doing so, pose no threat to social distancing. These are not contact sports, people!

And since we arrive accessorized for our chosen activity, we are readily discernible from the throngs who want to sunbathe, wade, socialize and party hearty. (Mind you, I’m not condemning anyone for that, but now we are living the “new normal.”)

Undeniably, tri-county South Floridians must heed concessions to their lifestyles. However, I was aghast to see people paddleboard and kayak in the Intracoastal Waterway, with the beach being a prohibited access to the ocean. The Intracoastal is neither a healthy nor safe place for those activities. I recently spotted the “beach closed” sign at the intersection of A1A and Woolbright — how draconian! The virus doesn’t care … people need to use good judgment and common sense to avoid it.

And finally, there is the sargassum seaweed cycle, which will soon head toward our local beaches. It’s part of the natural world here and we have to allow for it, unpleasant though it may be. The ocean beckons and we must make smart choices with regard to the health benefits it offers us.

— James W. Stonehouse
Delray Beach

LETTERS: The Coastal Star welcomes letters to the editor about issues of interest in the community. These are subject to editing and must include your name, address and phone number. Preferred length is 200-500 words. Send email to editor@thecoastalstar.com.

By Jane Smith

When Neal de Jesus abruptly left the Delray Beach fire chief position earlier this year, he received $136,300.56. His contract called for 180 days’ pay, or $131,198.40. “The 180 was not severance,” City Attorney Lynn Gelin wrote in an April 15 email to the city manager. “Instead of keeping him on paid leave during the 180 (which would have included payment for his benefits, his housing allowance, his use of the city vehicle, and his phone allowance), this was how the matter was settled.”

If it had been severance, de Jesus would have received only 20 weeks of pay, or $72,888, the maximum allowed under state law. City staff, including Gelin, declined to discuss the de Jesus payout, saying they do not discuss personnel matters.

De Jesus, though, did not give 180 days’ notice. He resigned and left his city job on the same day, March 10. His annual salary was $189,508.80.

He left during an investigation of sexual harassment claims involving a woman employee. De Jesus had hired the woman while he was serving his second stint as interim city manager.

On Feb. 27, Gelin hired the labor law firm of Allen Norton & Blue to investigate the claim, based on allegations of suggestive texts that de Jesus had reportedly sent last fall. Suhaill Morales, of the firm’s Coral Gables office, issued a report on March 26 stating she had interviewed several female city workers, including department heads, along with the woman employee. She tried to interview de Jesus, but the ex-fire chief declined unless his lawyer was present.

Morales found “insufficient evidence to conclude that (the woman employee) was subjected to unlawful harassment.”

She recommended that all employees be issued copies of the city’s harassment and reporting policy and acknowledge receiving them with signed receipts. Also, Morales advised the city to provide its managers with training on its harassment and complaint procedures.

Gelin declined to say whether she followed the suggestions, again saying the city does not comment on personnel matters.

By Rich Pollack

In what might be shaping up as part of a continuing battle over beach-compatible sand offshore, Highland Beach is hoping to find ways to keep the valued but rapidly vanishing resource off its coast from going to neighboring cities.

It may be an uphill fight, however. The town has no legal claim to the sand used to replenish beaches, according to one attorney who specializes in coastal issues, and state regulators have already approved plans to dredge offshore for Boca Raton beach restoration projects for the next several years.

The question of whether Highland Beach has a way to stop another government from removing beach-compatible sand from a nearby “borrow area” surfaced after residents complained about offshore dredging done in March to restore Boca’s public beach.

That North Boca Raton Beach Nourishment Project is complete, but additional projects in Boca that may result in dredging off the Highland Beach coast could begin in 2026.

The issue of how to preserve offshore sand first surfaced in Highland Beach during a commission meeting in May after Commissioner Peggy Gossett-Seidman began looking into the residents’ complaints. She told fellow commissioners that a limited quantity of beach-compatible sand exists off Highland Beach — sand that is about the same size and color as that on the beach — and that much of it is likely to go to other communities for their restoration projects.

She also found that Boca has a permit good through 2028 from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to remove sand off the town’s coast for additional projects.

“We are aware the town of Highland Beach does not own the sand off our shores,” she said. “Our concern is that if a catastrophic hurricane such as Michael or Andrew strikes Highland Beach, wipes out our beaches and puts residents’ homes at risk, we could not rebuild our beach with our offshore beach-compatible sands because it would have already been removed.”

Sand for Boca Raton beach renourishments through 2028 will come from the shaded area, the same area used for a project finished in April. SOURCE: City of Boca Raton

What the town can do to prevent other communities from depleting sand off its shore, if anything, is still being explored. During their second May meeting, commissioners agreed to hear a presentation at their June 2 meeting from a coastal engineer and discussed possibly interviewing environmental attorneys should legal action be needed.

The commission is also considering asking for reports from the state Department of Environmental Protection to show that all permits are being complied with.

“The goal here has got to be to stop further removal of the sand,” Commissioner John Shoemaker said.

While the dredging has stirred up concerns among some vocal residents who want to act quickly and firmly, Mayor Doug Hillman favors a more methodical approach.

“We need to hear from people who know more about this than we do,” he said. “We haven’t heard from somebody who knows what damage has been done to Highland Beach other than taking sand we might need someday. We still have a lot to learn here.”

Engineers and scientists studying coastal areas say the concern about the limited quantity of beach-compatible sand is legitimate.

Dr. Stephen Leatherman, a professor and director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, says such sand is getting harder to find, especially off the South Florida coast.

And once the sand is taken from borrow areas, it is essentially gone.

“Borrow areas do not regain sand within the time span of hundreds of years except in rare situations,” he said.

As a result, sand has to be trucked in from other areas, including from mines southwest of Lake Okeechobee. Bringing sand in by truck could be costly.

“Cost is related to distance,” said Gordon Thomson, a South Florida-based coastal engineer with W.F. Baird Associates. “Therefore most municipalities will take it from as close as possible.”

In the case of the North Boca Raton project, which began on March 10 and ended on April 7, sand was taken from a spot about 1,600 feet offshore designated by the state as Boca Raton Borrow Area V.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project (Boca Raton was the non-federal sponsor) placed about 550,000 cubic yards of sand on Boca’s beach, according to a city spokeswoman.

Borrow Area V held 1.35 million cubic yards of sand before the project, according to the permit for the work issued in February. Two more areas off the coast of Highland Beach that are listed on the permit application as borrow sites hold about 5.65 million cubic yards.

Boca Raton estimates that two additional projects scheduled for 2026 would likely draw sand from the borrow areas and would result in about 1 million cubic yards being placed on its beaches.

An additional permit for the future projects would not be required unless the plans have significant changes, according to a spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

One issue that concerns Gossett-Seidman and some residents is what they consider a mislabeling of the location of the borrow areas in the permit application. Although a map in the application labels the area west of the borrow area as Boca Raton, the area is in fact Highland Beach.

That is not an issue, the state DEP spokesperson said, because the agency uses “reference monuments” or coastal survey markers to map project boundaries, not municipal boundaries.

Should the town challenge the existing permit for Boca, it would likely have a tough time.

“The town of Highland Beach has a lot of obstacles if it wants to challenge the permit now,” said Ken Oertel, a Tallahassee lawyer who specializes in environmental and land use law.

Oertel said that challenges to a permit are accepted during a 20- or 30-day review period prior to approvals. After that time, it is very rare for challenges to be considered.

“Once that door closes, you’re pretty much out of luck,” he said.

Gossett-Seidman and other commissioners said they hope the issue can be resolved amicably through conversations with neighboring towns.

“A long-term cooperative program is what I’m currently proposing,” she said.

By Mary Hladky

Michele Miuccio, who had served as Boca Raton’s interim police chief since Dec. 1, has been promoted to police chief.
She assumed her new role on April 27.

Miuccio has been with the department for more than 30 years, starting as an officer and rising through the ranks to deputy chief.

Miuccio replaced Dan Alexander, who retired as chief on Nov. 30 after he was hired by the Palm Beach County School District to fill the newly created position of director of school police, serving as second-in-command to school district Police Chief Frank Kitzerow. Alexander led the city police department for 13 years.

“While serving as the interim police chief for the past five months, Michele’s steadfast leadership has provided consistency in the department’s mission and service,” City Manager Leif Ahnell said in an announcement of her promotion. “I’m confident the police department will continue to thrive and grow under her direction as chief.”

“I’m humbled by the opportunity to serve in this position and work alongside the dedicated men and women who keep Boca Raton safe and protect our residents,” Miuccio said in the announcement. “Together, we can make one of the finest police agencies even better.”

The city’s police department has 216 officers and 107 civilian employees. Police officer starting salaries were increased to $70,198 last year.

By Jane Smith

Boynton Beach and Delray Beach have promoted their interim fire chiefs to chief in their respective cities.

In Boynton Beach, Matthew S. Petty, 39, was promoted to fire chief on March 9 by the Boynton Beach city manager.

In Delray Beach, Louis “Keith” Tomey III, who had served as interim fire chief three times, was named the chief on March 31.

Petty, previously deputy chief, took over as interim chief on Nov. 29, after Glenn Joseph resigned to contemplate a career move.

In 2008, Petty joined Boynton Beach as a firefighter. Over the years, he rose through the ranks at the department.

“I’m very excited to lead the organization and better serve the community,” Petty said.

His salary is $150,000. Boynton Beach has contracts with the barrier island towns of Briny Breezes and Ocean Ridge to provide fire-rescue services.

Tomey, 56, is making $165,239. He became the interim chief on March 10 after Neal de Jesus resigned while the city was investigating harassment claims against him.

Tomey has spent more than 33 years in the fire service.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be appointed to lead this great department,” Tomey said in a prepared statement. “Together, we have accomplished so much in the past few years. My goal is to keep moving forward and to keep improving.”

Tomey, whose father was also a fire chief, started his career in Miramar in 1986, when he was hired as a firefighter/paramedic. He rose through the ranks at Miramar Fire Rescue and eventually served as fire chief from January 2014 to December 2016. Then, he was hired at Delray Beach Fire Rescue as assistant fire chief.

Tomey promoted Battalion Chief Greg Giaccone to the rank of assistant chief in charge of operations.

Delray Beach provides fire-rescue services to the towns of Gulf Stream and Highland Beach on the barrier island.

Increase mainly due to thefts from unlocked cars

By Rich Pollack

South Palm Beach County’s small coastal communities saw crime increase in 2019, bucking both countywide and state trends, but their total number of crimes still remained low.

While Highland Beach, Gulf Stream, Ocean Ridge, Manalapan and South Palm Beach saw an uptick in major crimes, the area’s larger cities all experienced declines.

Numbers released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for 2019 show that South Palm Beach, Manalapan and Ocean Ridge each had small increases in reported crimes, while Gulf Stream and Highland Beach saw larger increases.

In all, the five small communities had 117 reported crimes, up from 78 in 2018.

Larcenies, which can be anything from missing items to thefts from unlocked cars, were up significantly in Gulf Stream and in Highland Beach.

Gulf Stream recorded 12 larcenies in 2019 compared to two the year before, while Highland Beach had 28 larcenies compared to 19 the prior year.

Seven of the dozen Gulf Stream larcenies were thefts from unlocked cars and one was theft from an unlocked landscape trailer. The town reported one auto theft, which was the result of keys being left in an unlocked car.

Thirteen of Highland Beach’s 28 larcenies were thefts from mostly unlocked vehicles, according to Police Chief Craig Hartmann.

“The simple message we’ve always had is lock your car doors,” Hartmann said.

That message has also been extended to lock all the doors in your home.

Highland Beach saw burglaries jump just from one in 2018 to six last year, with four of those occurring a few minutes apart. They were attributed to three females who entered the homes through unlocked back doors. The out-of-town suspects, two juveniles and an adult, were arrested and charged in connection with the break-ins.

Locking doors, Hartmann says, not only helps reduce the loss of valuables but can also serve as a deterrent for future crimes. If thieves find that residents are locking doors, they are less likely to return to that community, he said.

Crime in South County’s larger cities continued to fall for the second year in a row. Boca Raton recorded a 7.7% decline, Boynton Beach a 7.5% drop and Delray Beach a 6% reduction.

In Lantana reported crimes dropped 9% following a 6.2% increase the previous year.

Any crime in Briny Breezes prior to Oct. 1 was included in the Boynton Beach numbers while those after Oct. 1 were reported by Ocean Ridge.

Countywide, major crimes declined about 8% while crime statewide dropped 6.3%, according to the FDLE’s Uniform Crime Report.

By Dan Moffett

With rising personnel costs, multiple drainage issues and a massive septic-to-sewer conversion project looming, Ocean Ridge commissioners knew this would be a difficult budget cycle.

Then the new coronavirus struck, bringing with it potential revenue losses. Local gas and fuel tax, local sales tax, building permit proceeds, state revenue sharing, even earned interest from town savings — all figure to decline because of the impact of the virus. The impact on property values could also be a concern.

“This is going to be a very tight budget year,” said newly minted Mayor Kristine de Haseth, telling commissioners during a May 4 workshop to “challenge all department heads and staff members to find ways to reduce expenses and make do with current resources.”

Martin Wiescholek, who joined the commission in March, pointed to the largest number on the town’s budget as the place commissioners might want to start pruning dollars.

“The most intelligent way to look at budget cuts is by looking at the biggest expense in the budget, our Police Department,” Wiescholek said. “I would like to get clear information as to how and why we need to have 20-plus police officers on staff.”

About 52%, or $4.2 million, of Ocean Ridge’s total annual expenses go for police and fire-rescue services. A growing number of local municipalities that once ran their own police departments are turning to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services as a way to hold down rising costs.

Last year, South Palm Beach closed its department and signed a 10-year merger deal with the Sheriff’s Office. The town is hoping to realize about $1 million in savings over the first five years of the contract.

It didn’t take long for the merger prospect to come up at the Ocean Ridge workshop, but by consensus the commission decided not to explore it during this budget period.

Officer Jimmy Pilon, the Ocean Ridge union representative, told commissioners during the discussion period that nearly 100% of the town’s police force favors joining the sheriff.

“Pretty much, we’d rather merge than have layoffs,” Pilon said. “Our town is very small. We can’t compete with the county’s benefits package.”

Matt DeJoy, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, told commissioners that a merger would almost certainly cut the town’s expenses.

“The numbers almost always come out to be a cost savings,” DeJoy said.

Ocean Ridge took a serious look at a merger with the sheriff in 2012, but residents objected to losing their own department and the idea fizzled. This time it appears to be on hold.

Said Town Manager Tracey Stevens: “I don’t expect further discussion regarding the sheriff’s department taking over the town’s law enforcement duties.”

In other business:

• By a 3-2 margin, commissioners installed de Haseth as mayor during their meeting on April 6, with Wiescholek and Susan Hurlburt voting their support. Phil Besler and Steve Coz voted for Coz, who was installed as vice mayor after serving the last 18 months as mayor.

Wiescholek said he cast the deciding vote for de Haseth because he believes in a “rotating commission” and thinks that the town will need to work more with other communities and agencies going forward.

“Given the condition we are in and the situation we are in, Kristine would be the better choice simply because she has connections with the League of Cities and with her connections can bring more to the town over the next year,” he said.

• Building and public works official Wayne Cameron resigned in April to take a similar job with the town of North Palm Beach. Stevens said she is interviewing replacement candidates and hopes to have the job filled by June.

She said the town intends to hire someone only as a building official — not also a public works director — to reduce the position’s workload.

By Dan Moffett

Briny Breezes is hoping there’s strength in numbers of neighbors when it comes to slowing down boaters in the Intracoastal Waterway.

The Town Council voted unanimously on April 23 to adopt a resolution that calls on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to create an “idle speed, no-wake” zone adjacent to the Briny marina.

The resolution is modeled after one passed by Delray Beach in February. And council members are hoping to persuade Boynton Beach, Ocean Ridge and Gulf Stream to adopt similar measures.

Mayor Gene Adams said a low-speed zone has become increasingly necessary because of rising water levels, flooding and the damage inconsiderate boaters leave behind them.

“It really tears up our sea wall as well as our marina area,” Adams said. “So, otherwise Briny is going to have to spend more money to repair things than we would normally.”

The proposed zone would extend about a half-mile south from Woolbright Road, past the marina to Briny’s southern border.
Getting FWC officials to make the change won’t be easy, said Town Attorney Keith Davis, who drafted the resolution.

“It’s not going to be a walk in the park,” he said. “It’s a process. There’s always push-back from the recreational boating community.”

Davis said that years ago, he persuaded the FWC to create a low-speed zone for a municipality in northern Palm Beach County. It took about a year of persistence. Davis said it might be easier to get the FWC to approve a slow-speed zone, rather than a full no-wake zone. “That’s less of an ask,” he said.

But the strongest parts of Briny’s case to the state are the marina and the need to ensure safe operations for the boat traffic it draws.
“The one thing we have in our advantage is that we have adjacent marina facilities,” Davis said. “That may be a plus.”

Adams agreed: “The marina is our best bet as a leveraging tool.”

Several previous petition drives calling for a no-wake zone in Briny fizzled without gaining any real traction. State officials are generally reluctant to change the status quo without compelling evidence or significant public pressure.

The Delray Beach City Commission’s resolution asked the FWC to create a no-wake zone between Atlantic Avenue and George Bush Boulevard. The measure said Intracoastal property owners were suffering “degradation of their sea walls and landscaping” because of boaters’ excessive speed. State officials have not yet formally considered the city’s request.

Briny Breezes Council President Sue Thaler told Town Manager William Thrasher to reach out to neighboring communities and enlist their backing for the town’s resolution and lower speeds.

“The more support, the better,” Thaler said. “Hopefully, this will go somewhere.”

By Steve Plunkett

Sections of the town’s narrowest roads could be widened at least 2 feet to combat water ponding on the pavement and ruts from vehicles that go off the asphalt.

The widening project, estimated to cost $238,386, could be finished by next winter. The proposal is posted on the town’s website, www.gulf-stream.org, for townsfolk to review.

“I think it’s something that the core [area] residents should evaluate and consider,” Mayor Scott Morgan said. “It’s not terribly expensive; it addresses the issues that have been raised every single day as long as I’ve been in this town. And I don’t think it would set back the future road improvements.”

Consulting engineer Baxter & Woodman Inc. presented photos at the May 8 Town Commission meeting documenting what are routine sights in Gulf Stream’s core area: rainwater backing up and completely covering parts of roadways, water ponding several inches deep at dysfunctional drains and deep ruts created by multiple cars and trucks.

The engineering firm recommends adding 1 foot of pavement to both lanes of Polo Drive from south of Palm Way to Old School Road, on Old School Road from Polo to Wright Way, on Banyan Road from Polo to Gulfstream Road, and on Lakeview Drive east of Gulfstream. That would make Polo Drive’s lanes 10 feet wide and the lanes of other roads up to a minimum 9 feet wide.

The two blocks of Lakeview west of Gulfstream Road will get 2 additional feet of asphalt in each lane, while the east side of Gulfstream will become 3 feet wider from Lakeview to Golfview Drive.

The town is in the second year of its 10-year capital improvement plan to replace water mains and rebuild streets. Planning for the reconstruction of Polo, Gulfstream and other roads in the core area is scheduled for fiscal 2021, with the work coming in fiscal 2022.
This year’s capital improvement work focuses on the water main along the northern section of State Road A1A. Also in May, town commissioners awarded a $1.9 million contract to Wellington-based low bidder Foster Marine Contractors Inc. for that work.

In other business:

• Town Manager Greg Dunham told commissioners that AT&T has stopped putting its fiber optic underground and wants more than $1 million to finish the work. Its existing contract was for $420,000.
“This is coming at the very tail end [of the project] — almost a blackmail-like attempt,” Morgan said.
Dunham said he would meet with Danny Brannon, the town’s main consultant on the underground utilities project, and the lawyer in Tallahassee who negotiated the contract with AT&T in 2017, to determine whether the higher cost is justified. FPL and Comcast were able to adapt to unexpected changes in the project without adjusting their fees, Morgan said.

• The eyesore house at 2775 Avenue Au Soleil was sold after the town reduced its lien to $125,000 and lifted its demand that the existing building be razed. But buyer Chet Snavely, who is also president of the Place Au Soleil Homeowners Association, plans to demolish the home anyway and “leave it as a lot,” Commissioner Donna White said.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach Vice Mayor Ryan Boylston has agreed to pay $2,000 for violating state ethics laws over votes taken when he was a board member of a taxpayer-funded agency.

At the June 5 state Commission on Ethics meeting, commissioners plan to review a stipulation of facts concerning two ethics violations when Boylston was a board member of the city’s Downtown Development Authority. On April 10, he signed the stipulation, agreeing to the facts, to avoid a hearing.

Boylston was appointed in July 2011 to the DDA, which promotes downtown Delray Beach and taxes property owners in its 340-acre district.

The following year, 2012, he and others founded The Pineapple Newspaper, now known as the Delray Newspaper.

Boylston, whose DDA term ended in June 2017, insists he did not violate state ethics laws.

“I never voted to directly send advertising to my former newspaper,” Boylston said in mid-May. “It was up to the DDA staff to decide where to spend their advertising dollars.”

From 2014 through 2017, the DDA spent $22,710 on ads in Boylston’s newspaper.

When he announced he was running for city commissioner in October 2017, he stepped down as publisher of the Delray Newspaper. He sold his shares a few months later.

“I didn’t fight it,” he added. “The hearing was in Tallahassee and I would have had to hire an attorney to represent me. Then the COVID-19 lockdowns started and I was losing business.”

Boylston runs a marketing company, now called 2Ton, to help businesses with branding, advertising, web design and development, and photography and video production needs.

Martin Reeder, a media industry lawyer in West Palm Beach, had pointed out possible ethics violations by Boylston two years ago when he was running for a City Commission seat.

“We all want our public officials to abide by Florida ethics laws,” Reeder said recently.

Chris Davey, a residential real estate consultant, filed the complaint because “the citizens of Delray Beach deserve elected officials who act in their interests. … Ultimately, the $2,000 fines are a slap on the wrist, but the test will be next March when Boylston is up for re-election.”

Boylston became vice mayor at the commission’s March 31 reorganization meeting.

Davey said he knows the Florida ethics laws from his stint on the city’s Planning and Zoning Board and his current seat as chairman of the Board of Adjustments.

The state did not proceed on four other ethics complaints filed by Davey, who ran for a City Commission seat in March but lost.

The county Commission on Ethics said those alleged DDA violations occurred outside its time limit to investigate.

However, that agency issued a “letter of instruction” to Boylston on Feb. 6 over a vote last year for his client Azure Development. That complaint also was filed by Davey.

The letter agrees that Boylston relied on advice from the city attorney, “which ultimately was incorrect,” when the commissioner voted in May 2019 for an Azure project.

But the letter also told Boylston to take “reasonable precautions” on questions of voting conflicts in future situations.

They include asking the person “appearing before the City Commission if he or she has a financial interest in a project.”
Boylston sees the letter as basically “a suggestion on what to do in the future.”

Reeder, though, said, “It’s not a get-out-of-jail-free card. The next time, more of the burden will be on him.”

By Rich Pollack

Should a hurricane threaten this year, residents could have to choose between leaving their homes to avoid water and wind or remaining home to avoid contracting a deadly and highly contagious virus.

The decision, emergency managers say, is an easy one.

“Don’t not evacuate because of the coronavirus,” says Bill Johnson, director of Palm Beach County’s Emergency Management division.

Throughout Palm Beach County, emergency managers and law enforcement officials are brainstorming ideas on how to ensure residents stay safe should a hurricane threaten while the coronavirus remains a health concern.

The topic has been surfacing in daily meetings, where discussions include issues such as how to manage shelters during a pandemic as well as how to keep first responders safe.

“This hurricane season will be unique,” said Highland Beach Police Chief Craig Hartmann. “It’s not just the threat of a storm, it’s also the threat of a virus we can catch from one another.”

One topic of special concern to coastal residents is how to manage evacuations and how to ensure people fleeing a storm have safe places to go.

“Countywide, emergency management teams are working to assure we are capable of handling COVID-19 and evacuations at the same time,” said Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins.

However, the clear message is that the virus threat should not stand in the way of leaving home if you’re told to go.

“The risk to your safety is less if you evacuate than if you stay,” Hutchins said.

With hurricane season’s official beginning on June 1, Johnson and others say now is the time for people who live in evacuation zones to start making plans for where they will go should they be asked to leave their homes.

As always, the recommendation is to find shelter nearby rather than far away. At the same time, people should also search for ways to minimize the risk of contracting COVID-19.

“Is there a way you could shelter with family and friends and still maintain a safe distance?” says Chris Bell, Delray Beach’s new emergency manager.

Johnson says residents should have a Plan B in case the relatives or friends they expect to stay with start feeling ill.

Those who plan to evacuate to a hotel might also want to have a backup plan because hotel rooms could be harder to find — especially if they are used as shelters.

“Potentially there could be fewer hotel rooms available,” says Bell, who served as the director of preparedness for the state of Vermont. “If your plan was a hotel, think of a family you can go to as a backup.”

Statewide and locally, emergency managers are also exploring options to ensure that people who have no other place to go can shelter together safely.

In addition to possibly using hotel rooms, alternatives could include setting up special COVID-19 shelters or requiring those using community shelters to wear masks and stay a specified distance apart.

Hutchins said managers are also looking at ways to ensure that people with transportation needs are able to get to shelters if needed.
Johnson says that no matter where you go if you have to evacuate, the social distancing rules in place now would still apply.

Those same rules would apply to first responders who are often called upon to stay together at a central location during a storm.

Bell says a lot of the practices in place for emergency workers — temperature checks when they enter a building and the wearing of masks even inside — will be employed during a storm emergency.

While evacuations in coastal areas would be likely should a hurricane threaten, Johnson says those evacuations may not be as widespread as they have been in the past.

The county, he said, has been working with the National Hurricane Center on modeling of storm surge to determine degree of threat to certain coastal areas and to help further tailor evacuation zones. That could lead to ordering evacuations on a case-by-case basis.

Pedestrians in Highland Beach demonstrate good personal protection and social distancing. Although the man on the right can see oncoming traffic and gives the couple on the left plenty of room, police say it’s safer for walkers to stay off road shoulders or bike lanes. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Drive along State Road A1A in southern Palm Beach County and you’ll likely see quite a few more pedestrians than you normally might were it not for the coronavirus pandemic.

You likely also will see people practicing social distancing by walking along the shoulder of the road, between the white line and the swale.

That, say some in law enforcement, is a bad idea — and in some places it’s also against the law.

“Please don’t walk in the roadway because we don’t want you to get hit by a car,” said Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins. “If a sidewalk is provided, stay on the sidewalk.”

Hutchins said he and his officers saw a huge increase in the number of pedestrians on the sidewalk along A1A during the shutdown, in part because more people worked from home and because gyms, beaches and other exercise areas were closed.

That was also the case in most other coastal communities with walkways, including Highland Beach.

With so many people outside, it can be difficult to keep the recommended 6-foot separation.

But Hutchins says people can do it with common sense and common courtesy — and without having to step on the shoulder of the road.

He says people can step into a driveway or onto the grass if they see pedestrians approaching and want to keep 6 feet away.
“You should step aside if you have the ability to do so,” he said.

He also recommends wearing a mask if you’re walking along a heavily used path.

“We’re asking people to wear a face covering so they don’t have to walk in the roadway,” he said of Ocean Ridge.

In fact, he said, state law requires pedestrians to walk on a sidewalk if one is available.

While the goal is to ensure the safety of pedestrians, keeping walkers off the road also can help with the safety of bicyclists.

Bicyclist John Shoemaker, who is a Highland Beach town commissioner, said that when pedestrians walk on shoulders, which essentially serve as bike lanes, they pose a hazard for people on bikes.

“If pedestrians spill into the bike lane, then bicyclists have to go out into the roadway,” he said.

For his part, Hutchins believes people can be safer if they follow two simple instructions.

“Use common sense, and follow the state statutes,” he said.

By Charles Elmore

Even as Florida moves to reopen many businesses, COVID-19 deaths of residents at 18 long-term care facilities in or near Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton add to a mounting statewide toll that frustrates hopes to relax visitor restrictions at centers that care for older and medically vulnerable people.

By May 18, deaths among residents and staff at long-term care facilities around the state passed 900, state records show. That represented more than 40% of all virus-related fatalities Florida has identified. New cases of infection continue to emerge.
Stopping short of lifting a ban on most visitors, Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concerns that isolation from loved ones comes with its own psychological and emotional costs.

“We’ve now been two months where visitors have not been allowed at these facilities,” DeSantis said May 13. “My view has been that I want to get to ‘yes’ on that. I just want to be able to know that we have procedures in place that if someone goes to visit their mother, that two weeks later we are not going to have 50 infections roil a nursing home or a long-term care facility.”

State rules effective May 18 allowed gyms, museums, restaurants and retailers to reopen or expand capacity.

Officials have been grappling with what steps to take next with long-term care facilities.

Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, recommended to governors on a May 11 call that all residents and staff at long-term care facilities be tested as soon as possible. 

DeSantis said his office’s March 14 executive order banning visitors to the centers helped slow the rate of the virus’ spread compared to that in many other states. He noted that teams of Florida National Guard medics have tested 32,000 residents and staff of long-term care facilities.

Senior advocates said the testing has not gone far enough to protect residents facing the highest risks in the pandemic, in a state with nearly 200,000 beds in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

“While there are encouraging signs across the state that mitigation measures have slowed the growth of the virus, residents and staff of elder-care facilities remain at serious risk,” AARP State Director Jeff Johnson said in a statement.

He called it “clear that the virus is getting into these facilities through contractors and staff. Only widespread, repeated testing will work. By testing only a few locations on a few occasions, we’re leaving too much to chance.”

One industry executive urged people to contact Congress to advocate for federal funding to meet critical needs such as protective gear and testing. He called for thousands of letters.

“It is clear we have made significant investments to help protect the safety and well-being of our residents and team members,” Chris Winkle, CEO of Sunrise Senior Living, said in a May 12 letter posted on the website of Stratford Court in Boca Raton. “But when it comes to federal funding to support this critical work, unlike the airlines, hospitality and other industries, assisted living has been left out of the conversation. And, the incredible efforts of our heroes, the team members on the front line serving our seniors, are going unnoticed.”

Records posted by the Florida Department of Health show Stratford Court with seven deaths of residents as of May 15, one more than a week earlier.

Eight resident deaths were reported at Boulevard Rehabilitation Center in Boynton Beach as of May 15, compared to six a week earlier, records show. The center’s website says it serves residents in short-term as well as longer stays.

Boulevard is “doing everything possible to limit COVID-19’s impact at our center,” a spokeswoman said. “Our professional staff are doing heroic work through this crisis, and we are adhering to recommended protocols and guidelines from local, state and federal public health agencies and medical experts.”

Ten residents and 10 staff members tested positive for the virus at Avante at Boca Raton Inc., and four residents transferred, records posted May 15 show. That compares to two positive residents who transferred and three staff who were known to have the virus as of April 27. One resident died, according to state records.

Other facilities with virus-related deaths the state reported by May 15 included Regents Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Boca Raton (7 deaths), Hamlin Place of Boynton Beach (6), Manorcare Health Services in Boynton Beach (6), Heartland Health Care and Rehabilitation Center of Boca Raton (5), Sonata Boynton Beach (4), Lake View Care Center at Delray (3), and Willowbrooke Court at St. Andrews Estates in Boca (2).

State records showed one resident’s death each at Brighton Gardens of Boca Raton, Brookdale West Boynton Beach, Five Star Premier Residences of Boca Raton, Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach, Heartland Health Care Center in Boynton Beach, Parkside Inn in Boynton Beach, The Meridian at Boca Raton, and Ventura Health and Rehabilitation Center in Boynton Beach.

In all, Palm Beach County saw 96 deaths by May 18 among residents and staff at long-term care facilities, ranking third in the state behind Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to the Florida Department of Health. The state agency reported 901 deaths at such facilities statewide, accounting for about 45% of Florida’s overall COVID-19 death toll of 1,997.

Birthday celebrations, graduations, hair appointments ­— few things in everyday life look as they did before COVID-19 arrived

Thirteen-year-old Kenzi Mendel rides on the back of a golf cart with her mother, Amani. Kenzi celebrated her birthday by motoring around her neighborhood in Ocean Ridge and accepting gifts and posters from dozens of neighbors and friends, like Sharon DeCardenas (right). Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

A member of the National Guard instructs drivers on protocol at the COVID-19 testing site at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach on April 7. Testing is done only by appointment for residents over age 16 who show symptoms. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Linda Loch, owner of Briny Beauty Salon, puts curlers in the hair of a longtime client. Loch wears a mask to help protect her
customers. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Graduates from Saint John Paul II High School were honored by posters lined up in the front yard of the school in Boca Raton. Photo provided

People in the citizen-driven South Florida Tri-County Car Caravan traveled throughout the area to encourage local and state officials to lift restrictions that eventually stood in place for about six weeks before they began to be phased out. Here the caravan makes its way along Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach on April 19. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

The Town Council is moving closer to hiring a communications contractor to improve South Palm Beach’s internet connections and emergency messaging with residents.

During their May 12 meeting, council members approved drafting a contract with The Merchant Strategy Inc., a West Palm Beach public relations firm headed by former state legislator Sharon Merchant.

Another West Palm Beach firm, My PR Guru, also remains a candidate for the contract. The two companies scored highest in council members’ evaluations of services from several applicants.

“We have to decide what we need,” said Mayor Bonnie Fischer. “We’re not that close right now, and I think we’ll need a workshop to make the decision.”

Fischer said she wants the town’s website to do a better job reaching out to residents and enlisting their involvement in government and recreational activities. Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb believes a town Facebook page might be part of the solution.

“We’re a unique small town,” Fischer said. “We have to figure out how to reach people. A lot of our residents don’t even have cellphones.”

Improving communications took on a new urgency last Thanksgiving weekend when a water main broke outside the Mayfair condos, parts of the town lost service and utilities officials put out a boil-water advisory. Fischer said she had no way to quickly alert residents and had to post flyers in the lobbies of condo buildings.

The council is looking for a way to send out mass emails or text messages to as much of the town’s population as possible.

In other news:

• Town Manager Robert Kellogg and Fischer distributed several thousand surgical face masks throughout the town last month.
Council members endorsed buying the masks to promote public safety in dealing with the coronavirus.

“When no one else thought about getting masks for the citizens of South Palm Beach,” said resident Christine Mang, “Mayor Fischer was the one who stepped up.”

• As of mid-May, the town had one confirmed death from COVID-19. John Thomas “Tom” Craciun died April 1 in West Palm Beach, a couple of weeks after contracting the disease.

Mr. Craciun, who was 77, owned a home in The Tuscany for about 12 years and was a familiar presence around the condo swimming pool. Originally from Warren, Ohio, he was an all-state swimming champion in high school who competed at Ohio State and Youngstown State universities. He set a world record in the 40-yard freestyle just before that distance was discontinued.

Mr. Craciun worked 30 years as a supervisor in a General Motors plant before relocating to Florida. He loved buying and selling vintage high-performance cars. He is survived by his ex-wife, Nanci, longtime ex-girlfriend Wendy, son Jon Paul, grandsons Maxwell and Levi, daughter Nancy Jean and granddaughters Hunter and Addison. 

• Former South Palm Beach resident Lucille Flagello died on April 4, in Mahwah, N.J., after a short illness. She was 79.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Mrs. Flagello was active in South Palm community events and a frequent participant in council meetings. Her son Joseph Flagello Jr., a chiropractor, served as the town’s vice mayor until dying suddenly of heart failure at the age of 51 in 2017. Both were members of the Palmsea condo association.

“She was a wonderful person with a wonderful personality,” Fischer said. “Look at the son she produced.”

The council appointed Mrs. Flagello to serve out the remainder of her son’s term after his death.

Customers expecting to pay for meals at Cafe Frankie’s in Boynton Beach watch Dena Balka insist the food is free. She and other employees handed out dozens of meals for a few hours on May 6 after one of the regular patrons gifted them with enough money to ‘feed the needy.’Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jan Norris

For most restaurants, the start of the state’s reopening is at least some relief from what Luke Therien calls “the most difficult” time he’s faced as a restaurateur.

His family has owned Boynton Beach’s Banana Boat for 41 years, and Prime Catch for 16.

Hurricanes, construction and other setbacks don’t compare to the loss of business that COVID-19 and the state’s subsequent shutdown have caused the hospitality industry, he said.

“Nobody’s seen anything like it,” he said. “But we’ll get through it.”

Now they’re gradually coming back after the governor started lifting closures. With Phase 2 implemented after a week of Phase 1 soft openings, most restaurants are reopened, including favorites such as John G’s and Johnnie Brown’s.

Guidelines effective May 18 called for reducing capacity for indoor seating to 50%, and outdoors, table seating 6 feet apart. Bars remained closed.

Restaurateurs have different approaches to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sanitation rules and stipulations for occupancy. However, none can predict what the new business model will look like completely.

Most have reconfigured dining room seating, spacing out tables, and dedicating workers to clean and sanitize spaces in between guests’ arrivals. Todd Herbst of the Big Time Restaurant Group, owner of Elisabetta’s, Louie Bossi’s and Rocco’s Tacos in Delray Beach and Boca Raton, says through it all, they’ve taken it one day at a time. The restaurants moved out tables and roped some off. Bar areas are off limits to patrons except to walk up and order a drink to take to a seat elsewhere, or else servers can bring the drinks to diners. The social-distancing rule of 6 feet applies throughout.

“No one is allowed to stand or sit at the bar,” Herbst said.

The outdoor seating can make up for it: There is no limit to outdoor capacity as long as it’s spaced according to guidelines. “We’re lucky in some regards. Louie Bossi’s in Boca has a large exterior, and Lisabetta’s has two floors of outdoor space,” Herbst said. “Rocco’s downtown Delray has some. That’s still not a hell of a lot of seats.”

Vaughan Dugan, co-owner of Kapow! and The Dubliner in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park, is excited about reopening. “The City Council has been great working with us, and they voted to close the street. We’ve got a tent coming with tables so we can set them six feet apart.

“We had to think outside the box. I think the creativity we’re seeing as the restaurants face the challenge is exciting.”
Dugan points to Death or Glory in Delray Beach. It is using blow-up dolls as seat placeholders to maintain the 6-foot separation inside the restaurant.

He saw another restaurant that solved the bar situation by pushing high-top tables for two up against the bar. “Technically, they’re at the bar, but at a table.” The tables prevent patrons from gathering at the bar.

Loyal bar customers at Kapow! are confused, Dugan said. “They come in to drink and we have to tell them they have to take it to a table. They’re a little lost — they don’t know what to do.”

His first week open at Kapow! was down only slightly from business during season, he said. “But it’s too soon to comment. We did all right despite having only three tables in the restaurant. We’re small inside anyway.”

He’s partnering with other chefs and restaurants, helping them out. For a pop-up in The Dubliner, the staff is using Troy’s BBQ from Boynton Beach to put barbecue ribs on the menu.

As for safety compliance, staffers wear masks and sanitizing “holsters” that have spray and hand sanitizer; menus are disposable paper that are tossed after every use.

“We just had a staff meeting to teach them how we’ll be doing things: how to change gloves properly, sanitize tables and wash hands.

“But we explained why we’re doing it more than anything. It’s for the safety of our guests and our staff,” Dugan said.

Jason Sobel, operations manager for Casa D’Angelo in Boca Raton and Angelo Elia Pizza, Bar and Tapas in Delray Beach, said the company is going beyond guidelines, using new technology to keep diners safe.

The company purchased UV wands to sanitize tables, and installed hand-sanitizing stations through the restaurants and at doors. “There will be temperature checks of staff as well,” he said.

They seat at every other table rather than remove tables.

“The extra tables will act as barriers, and it’s nicer to have a lot of tables in the restaurant,” Sobel said.

For now the two restaurants set tables on demand, taking only customers with reservations. Diners will no longer see tableware such as salt and pepper and other dispensers that would be reused. “Everything is going to be brought out, and cleaned in between usage,” Sobel said.

Ren Kuikahi and Pam Edwards enjoy breakfast at Caffe Luna Rosa in Delray Beach on May 12. The restaurant employed social distancing with more space than usual between tables and most patrons sitting outdoors.

At Rose’s Daughter and Brulé in Delray Beach, owner Suzanne Perrotto has bought air-scrubbing machines.

“They are amazing. You can tell the difference in the air immediately,” she said. Several of her staffers have asthma and can’t wear masks, so she’s using the machines, sanitation stations and a revamped dish station that has sanitizer at every stop. Each restaurant also has plenty of outdoor seating.

She’s schooled her staffers in sanitation and told them that reopening is all about creating jobs, not making money. “We’re a business, of course, and we want to make money, but we want people to have jobs, too. To get back to work. That’s the most important thing right now.” Therien is watching it all unfold, too. He opened Banana Boat during Phase 1, but Prime Catch remains closed until the end of May. It has to do with parking lot construction and not the virus.

“There’s no place to park,” he said. “It’s literally impossible.”

Diners would have to park too far away and get through a construction zone to make it to the waterfront restaurant.

“If the parking lot had been done, we’d have opened. Over half of our seating there is outside.

“Our staff is ready, and anxious. Since we reopened Banana Boat, we haven’t lost any staff.”

Benny’s on the Beach management brought back its staff of 90 members. Benny’s partner Max Lipton said they could be needed soon, since the city of Lake Worth Beach has worked with Benny’s to reconfigure more seating space outdoors, both on the east and west ends. Benny’s sits on the entrance to Lake Worth Pier.

It turned the bar area into table seating since no bar patrons can congregate there.

Benny’s is open for breakfast and is one of the few around with outdoor seating waterfront.

“We are hoping and praying we’re one of the first beacons of hope for everybody,” Lipton said. “We’re anticipating we might get a pretty decent surge of business. We want everybody to be safe and comfortable but we want to do as much business as possible.”
Over at Driftwood in Boynton Beach, Jimmy Everett said reopening to diners coming in to eat was another adjustment after he did so much take-out.

“There were longer wait times than we wanted, trying to get the food out for take-out and to the tables,” he said. “But everyone was just so glad to be out, they were respectful and understanding.” Take-out will still be part of the new model, he said. Customers have come to expect it. “We make adjustments daily. We’re able to sustain this for the time being,” Everett said.

Now he’s seating guests in every other booth and has added outdoor tables.

“I’m not going to be putting in partitions between booths or anything like that,” he said.

“You can’t kick someone out of the restaurant if they cough. We definitely plan on having signs and letting people know if anything they do is making others uncomfortable, they’ll be asked to leave.

“But I’m nervous about that, too. It’s a concern. You don’t want to open your doors if we have to be kicking people out if they’re disrespectful.”

All in all, Everett said, beyond the guidelines set forth, it’s all new territory for restaurants. “There’s not a right or wrong way, we’re just adapting and doing the best we can based on new information.”

He says he’s somewhat worried it’s too soon to reopen, despite attempts to keep non-essential traffic out of the restaurant and sanitizing beyond specifications.

He thinks opening too soon, then facing another shutdown could be worse than the initial closures. “It’s very important that it is responsible to reopen, and this doesn’t happen again.”

Herbst is optimistic things will rebound in time. How much time, he doesn’t know.

“We know we will get through it. The country’s been through a lot — wars, depressions — the world has been through it all. It’s just a time frame. How long before we get to the other side, who knows? I like to quote Churchill: ‘When you’re going through hell, keep going.’

“The quicker, the better.”

These listings take into account the next edition of The Coastal Star, scheduled for delivery the weekend of July 4.

5/26 & 6/23 - Manalapan - Manalapan Town Hall, 600 S Ocean Blvd. 10 am. Agenda: manalapan.org

5/27, 6/9 & 23 - Boca Raton - Boca Raton City Hall, 201 W Palmetto Park Rd. 6 pm. Agenda: myboca.us

6/1 - Ocean Ridge - Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N Ocean Blvd. 6 pm. Agenda: oceanridgeflorida.com

6/2 & 16 - Boynton Beach - Boynton Beach City Hall, 100 E Boynton Beach Blvd. 5:30 pm. Agenda: boynton-beach.org

6/2 & 16 - Delray Beach - Delray Beach City Hall, 100 NW 1st Ave. 4 pm. Agenda: delraybeachfl.gov

6/2 & 16 - Highland Beach - Highland Beach Town Hall, 3614 S Ocean Blvd. 1:30 pm. Agenda: highlandbeach.us

6/8 & 22 - Lantana - Lantana Town Hall, 500 Greynolds Cir. 7 pm. Agenda: lantana.org

6/9 - South Palm Beach - South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: southpalmbeach.com

6/12 - Gulf Stream - Gulf Stream Town Hall, 100 Sea Rd. 9 am. Agenda: gulf-stream.org

6/25 - Briny Breezes - Briny Breezes Town Hall, 4802 N Ocean Blvd. 4 pm. Agenda: townofbrinybreezes-fl.com

NOTE: Many meetings are being held via teleconferencing. Please check websites for information on participation.

By Mary Thurwachter

Plans to make better use of space and add a meeting room and outdoor reading garden to the town library won the approval of the Lantana Town Council on May 11.

The proposal, promoted by the Library Foundation and its chairman, Robert Barfknecht, boasts ADA-compliant restrooms, a centralized circulation desk, special spaces for children and teens and a community center for adult activities.

The lead architect for the project, Sam Ferreri of PGAL of Boca Raton, said the 4,000-square-foot library is headquartered in a former bank building with bookshelves breaking up the space. The bank’s old covered drive-thru isn’t being used, he said, but is a perfect location for a meeting room addition and is in close proximity to restrooms. So the meeting room can be used even when the library isn’t open, it will have a separate entrance.

Four parking spaces will be added to the current 14 in the north parking lot, and 25 more spaces are available on the Third Street lot. A few on-street parking spaces are available on Third Street and Ocean Avenue. The library’s main entrance will be from the north parking lot.

“The challenge with libraries is to have flexible space,” said Ferreri, who has designed libraries both large and small. “You’re very lucky to have a building, the bank building, with good bones. It’s very open and very flexible. I think there’s a lot of opportunity here and I’m very excited to be part of this.”

Barfknecht said that among all the architects with whom the foundation worked, six plans were considered. “The one you’re seeing tonight is the one that’s got us all very excited,” he said. “It solves so many problems and it gives us an additional 33% more space for library users. It’s also very children-centric.”

Cost of the project is $748,636, but the town has already put aside $400,000 for the library from Palm Beach County’s 1-cent sales tax distribution. The Library Foundation paid for the design fees and studies and will donate $50,000 for an outdoor reading garden on the south side of the meeting room.

Council members agreed to take the balance needed to complete the project — about $300,000 — from undesignated reserves.
While the renovation plans were well-received and eventually approved, the council delayed a decision until it had a chance to hear from local developer Michael Mauro, who pitched some alternative plans for the library at the same May 11 meeting.

Mauro, who wants to build a 10- to 12-story hotel (the town’s height limit is five stories) on and around the former bowling alley property next to library, is interested in purchasing the current library or exchanging it for another parcel to construct a new building, or building a new library near Town Hall. He said appraisals for the current library ranged from $730,000 to $750,000.

Mayor Dave Stewart wondered if Mauro could totally finance the construction of a new library on Greynolds Circle, near Town Hall. Mauro said he would have to consult with his partners about that.

Vice Mayor Lynn Moorhouse said he favored the Library Foundation’s proposal. He said it could be complete in about a year, while building an entirely new library would take much longer.

The foundation’s plan also drew overwhelming support from residents, many of whom either spoke during the meeting or sent letters.

The library has been at 205 W. Ocean Ave. since the early 1990s after the Carteret Savings & Loan failed. Before that, the library, initially run by the Lantana Women’s Club, was housed in the former bridge-tender’s house on Ocean Avenue since 1947.

Next year Lantana will celebrate its 100th birthday and Barfknecht said it would be a perfect time to mark the occasion with a renovated modern library.

In other business during April and May, the town:
• Agreed to put on a Fourth of July fireworks show on the Intracoastal Waterway off the shores of Bicentennial Park. However, because of the pandemic, no events are planned in the park on that day.
• Set 5:30 p.m. June 8 as the date for the first budget workshop at Town Hall.
• Awarded a $114,762 contract to CH Global Construction to build new public restrooms at Bicentennial Park.
• Approved a $57,350 contract with Baxter Restoration of Boca Raton for the biomediation and rehabilitation of the marine safety building at the beach. Ú