By Dan Moffett

    SOUTH PALM BEACH — Vice Mayor Joseph “Joe” Flagello approached his role on the South Palm Beach Town Council with a bountiful supply of self-deprecating humor.
    He liked to joke about the council’s division of labor. Mayor Bonnie Fischer was in charge of the beautiful beaches, Councilman Robert Gottlieb socialized with the League of Cities, Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan pondered the budget numbers, and the vice mayor?
    “Me? I’m assigned to keep the sewers running smoothly,” Vice Mayor Flagello would say, flashing a wide smile.
    Residents ate up the humor, and appreciated the humility, but they also knew that he brought energy, intelligence and sound judgment to a small retirement community that greatly valued his enthusiastic leadership.
    A cloud of melancholy hangs over thoughts of Mr. Flagello’s trademark humor in South Palm Beach today. The vice mayor died March 24, days after suffering a massive heart attack. He was 51.
    “He had a huge personality,” Fischer said. “I’ll always remember him as having a kind heart and being such a fair person. Even if you disagreed with him, it never would affect your relationship.”
    Town Manager Bob Vitas said “it will take a lot of mending” for the town to get over this loss.
    “This is a tough one — a heartbreaker,” Vitas said. “He was a great leader and he would have been a great future leader. Joe was a rising star in the community, with an infectious personality. He loved the people around him.”
    A practicing chiropractor for close to 30 years, “Dr. Joe” was one of only a few elected officials in the town’s history to maintain a full-time career, and he was one of the youngest to serve. Dr. Flagello often joked that he knew he had to behave during public events “because my mom’s sitting in the front row.”
    Lucille Flagello shared a condo with her son, never missed a council meeting and frequently volunteered to lead civic outings.
    “Joe liked to touch people when he talked to them, maybe because he was a chiropractor,” Fischer said. “But along with touching them physically, he touched them emotionally.”
    Besides serving on the council for eight years, Vice Mayor Flagello was president of the PalmSea condo association. He was a vocal opponent against developers who wanted to change the town’s height limits and a strong advocate for the town’s Police Department.
    “Every Thursday he’d come over to the department to see us,” Police Chief Carl Webb said. “Every Thursday, and that was his day off, he’d make time to come and talk to us. Joe was not only a great leader, he was a personal friend.”
    Christine Mang, a town resident who worked with the vice mayor on preservation issues, says he worried about safeguarding the town’s character.
    “He was very protective and concerned regarding the future development and overbuilding of our town,” Mang said. “Joe has been respected and held in high esteem by his fellow council members, as well as the citizens who voted him in.”
    Vice Mayor Flagello was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Flagello Sr., who for years owned a pharmacy in Tuxedo, N.Y. He is survived by his mother, his son, Joseph Flagello III of Juno Beach; sister, Marissa Nono of Mahwah, N.J.; brother-in-law, Vincent Nono of Mahwah; nephew, James Nono of Rutherford, N.J.; niece, Alexandra Nono of Mahwah; and an uncle, Michael DeLuca.
    Dorsey-E. Earl Smith Funeral Home handled local arrangements. The family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association.
    “He brought a lot of life to the town,” Fischer said. “He was loved and respected by all. It will be very hard to ever replace him.”

    DELRAY BEACH — Marcus W. Smith, 82, of Delray Beach and Prouts Neck, Maine, died peacefully on Feb. 27. He is survived by his devoted wife of 31 years, Alexandra White Smith; his five children and their spouses: Marcus W. Smith Jr. of New Canaan, Conn., Christopher H. Smith of Denver, Mary Deborah Smith Janeck of St. Helena, Calif., Jeffrey C. Smith of Locust Valley, N.Y., and Peter S. Smith of New York City; nine grandchildren; three stepchildren: Alexandra S. Maurer of Freeport, Maine, Anita S. Pellet of Wilson, Wyo., and Robert E. Strawbridge IV of San Francisco, and six step-grandchildren. In addition, Mr. Smith is survived by his older sister, Mary Elizabeth Smith Brennan, and older brother Brewster Holmes Smith.
    Mr. Smith was born in Pontiac, Mich., on March 29, 1934. He graduated from Cranbrook School, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in 1952, and Dartmouth College in 1956. He was a member of the board of trustees at University Liggett School, Grosse Pointe, Mich., from 1976-1984. Mr. Smith was president of Smith-Morris Corp. from 1965-1985. He was the director of alumni (New York, New Jersey and New England) for Fairview Recovery Services.
    Mr. Smith was a trustee and vice president of the Prouts Neck Association, commissioner of roads and police, treasurer of the Charles E. Thomas Memorial Library, committee member of the St. James Episcopal Church, and chairman of the Post Office (Prouts Neck). He was on the board of the Crossroads Club and the C.R.C. Recovery Foundation, both in Delray Beach. Mr. Smith taught Haitian children at Paul’s Place in Delray Beach.
    Mr. Smith was a member of the Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club and the Little Club, both in Gulf Stream, the Prouts Neck Country Club in Maine, and the Yondotega Club in Detroit.
    Memorial services were held in Delray Beach at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on March 8 and will be held at St. James Episcopal Church, Prouts Neck, Maine, on July 8. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Crossroads Club, 1700 Lake Ida Road, Delray Beach, FL 33445.
— Obituary submitted by the family

    DELRAY BEACH — Virginia Artrip Snyder, a longtime private investigator renowned for her tireless efforts to help oppressed people and improve her community, died March 20 at her home in Delray Beach following a stroke. She was 96.
    Mrs. Snyder was born on a farm near Winchester, Va., on Nov. 27, 1920, the oldest of six children. She grew up during the Great Depression and was timid and awkward, but had a strong social conscience.
Her first husband was a cattleman and in her early career, she wrote a column for the American Hereford Journal and worked in a cattle-breeding laboratory.
    After graduating from Florida Atlantic University in 1965 with a bachelor’s degree in government and politics, Mrs. Snyder worked as an investigative journalist with the Fort Lauderdale News and later, the Boca Raton News, where she won seven national, state and local awards.
    In 1976, she became the first woman in Florida to own a private investigative agency, which was based in the historic Cathcart House, her home in Delray Beach. She gained prominence by investigating difficult and challenging cases, some involving people facing life in prison or the death penalty. As a result of her efforts, six men were freed from death row, and others who were sentenced to life in prison for crimes they did not commit were released.
    Mrs. Snyder didn’t hesitate to confront the likes of the Ku Klux Klan, powerful Colombian drug lords, and corrupt police departments. She often worked pro bono for indigent people.
    Seeking justice was a main motivating factor in her life, and she earned the respect of both friend and foe.
    In one of her best-known cases, Mrs. Snyder’s work was credited with helping to free Luis Diaz, a Cuban fry cook wrongly imprisoned for the Bird Road rapes in Miami. She never lost faith in Diaz’s innocence during the 25 years he was behind bars.
    Her sleuthing landed her on such television shows as 20/20, Inside Report, Late Night with David Letterman, Today and Unsolved Mysteries. She was also the inspiration for the TV series Murder, She Wrote.
    As a community activist and volunteer, Mrs. Snyder spearheaded such efforts as the founding of the South County Neighborhood Center at Boca Raton, the nonprofit agency that grew into the Florence Fuller Child Development Centers and the Volen Center for older adults. She was also instrumental in the reform of the Palm Beach County women’s prison system.
    After befriending George Morikami, a Japanese immigrant and farmer, she played a key role in securing land he owned for the site of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Delray Beach in 2007.
    Mrs. Snyder received many accolades. Gov. Reubin Askew named her one of 14 “Outstanding Women of Florida” in 1975, and Gov. Lawton Chiles included her as one of “Florida’s Finest” in 1996. More recently, she received the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.
    Her papers were donated to Florida Atlantic University in 2012. “It serves as a lasting reminder of the tremendous difference one person can make in the lives of others,” says Carol Hixson, dean of FAU’s University Libraries.
    Sally Snyder, Mrs. Snyder’s stepdaughter, said she had strong opinions and didn’t pull punches. She was also a giving person “who would give you her right hand, if she could. She was there when you needed her.”
    Mrs. Snyder had many interests. She was a published, award-winning poet and was passionate about history, archaeology and parapsychology. She was a past president of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton.
    Although she had no children of her own, Mrs. Snyder and her second husband, Ross Snyder, had an adopted son, Shoji Oue, who died in 1997.
    Ross Snyder, now deceased,  was central to her life.
    “She was a strong woman and such a force. She’d walk into a room and everyone gravitated toward her,” said Nicole Campbell, her grand-niece. “But he was her mainstay.”
    Apart from Nicole and Sally, Mrs. Snyder is survived by two brothers, Floyd “Mickey” Artrip and Cecil Artrip; stepdaughter Rheta Bernice “Bonnie” Culver; and numerous nieces, nephews and grand and great-grand-stepsons and daughters.
    Mrs. Snyder also cherished what she called her “soul family,” longtime friends who live in the U.S. and abroad.
    
    A celebration of her life was set for March 31 at the Old School Square Fieldhouse, Delray Beach. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Florida Atlantic University, the Morikami Museum, Florence Fuller Child Development Centers and the Volen Center.
— Obituary submitted by the family

    GULF STREAM — Sheila W. Scott, 87, of Gulf Stream died on March 9 surrounded by her family.
    Mrs. Scott was born in New York City and was raised in Greenwich, Conn., and Edgartown Mass. (Martha’s Vineyard). She attended Greenwich Academy and graduated from St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Burlington, N.J.  After her schooling years she studied music and voice, playing the piano and singing.
    Her sons Brad and Tim and daughter, Tracey, followed their mother’s love of music and are great talents.
    Mrs. Scott was very proud of her heritage, which dated back to the Mayflower. With the help of her father, Harvey Ladew Williams Jr., she was able to go back to Zoeth Howland (1636-76), who would have been her eighth-great-grandfather.
    Also of great interest was Grinnell Willis, with much family history in New Bedford, Mass., and Rhode Island.  She enjoyed stories of her cousin Harvey Ladew, his topiary gardens in Baltimore and his life in Delray Beach, and the wonderful tales of her Aunt Hannah Locke Carter skiing in the Olympics just before World War II.
    Sheila’s life took her to Pittsburgh, where she  married Joseph Hunt Bowman Jr., the father of her four children.
    Then she says she married the love of her life, R. Stewart Scott. They were married 38 years at his death in 2001.
    She became very interested in Pittsburgh and was involved in many charitable organizations, including the Woman’s Committee of the Shadyside Hospital, West Penn Hospital, Junior League, Kinder Garden Club, Children’s Adoption Home and Cub Scout Den Mother.
    Mrs. Scott enjoyed tennis, golf, fishing, skiing, sailing, working in the garden, plus time spent with her husband and family. She and her husband had many interesting trips in the USA, Great Britain and Europe. Often these trips included their children. She was a member of the Fox Chapel Golf Club (in Pittsburgh), The Little Club, The Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club and St. Andrews Club.
    Her later years were spent in Gulf Stream, where she and Stewart spent winters beginning back in 1976. They enjoyed those years making friends and playing sports, playing lots of bridge, always welcoming family and friends for visits.
    Mrs. Scott was a great supporter of people with cancer.  She had suffered with breast cancer in 1976 and lung cancer in 2001. “I want to stay above ground,” she would say.
    Mrs. Scott was a loyal, giving friend, and a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt to her family.
    She was preceded in death by her daughter, Tracey Bowman, and her beloved husband, R. Stewart Scott. She is survived by her three sons, J. Hunt Bowman III (and his wife, Judy), Timothy W. Bowman and Bradford L. Bowman; two grandsons, Stewart Hunt Bowman (and his wife, Melissa) and Trevor W. Bowman; great-grandson William Bowman and great- granddaughter Josie Bowman.
    Through her marriage to R. Stewart Scott, she is survived by four stepchildren: Lindsay Scott, Robert S. Scott Jr., Johnsie Irwin (and her husband, Larry) and with great affection, Gordon A. Scott; as well as granddaughter Joanie Scott Maxwell and her husband, Warren, and four adorable great-granddaughters.
    Sheila Scott is also survived by her brother, Harvey Ladew Williams III, and her devoted housekeeper Beverly.
    A reception to celebrate the life of Sheila W. Scott was held at the St. Andrews Club in Gulf Stream following a memorial service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, on March 16.
    A gathering of friends and family will be held for interment in Pittsburgh at a later date.
    Memorials can be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave, Delray Beach, FL 33444, or Hospice of Palm Beach County.

— Obituary submitted by the family

Bob Luptak and his Steinway gallery have been a fixture in North Boca Raton since 1999.

Photo provided

By Brian Biggane

    Bob Luptak heard from more than his share of skeptics back in 1999 when he decided on a North Federal Highway location in Boca Raton to open his Steinway Piano Gallery.
    “North of Yamato Road at that time was kind of an orphan territory,” he recalled. “The Caldwell Theatre was struggling; the whole area was underdeveloped. I took a chance and invested in a building and created a location that had some presence and identity, that people now refer to as the Steinway building.”
    Eighteen years later, Luptak, who came to South Florida after serving as Steinway’s sales and marketing director in New York City, figures his gamble on finding the right spot geographically has paid off.
    “Based upon the geography we are responsible for, if you started throwing darts at a map it would make sense for us both to be within reach of northern Palm Beach County and south Broward, and we have that. And we have a nice freestanding building where we could build our own identity. So the building has served me well.”
    If there was one aspect of Luptak’s business no one would question, it’s his affiliation with Steinway and Sons. Launched in 1836 by German cabinet and piano maker Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg, the company celebrated 164 years on building pianos in the U.S. on March 5.
    “Each one built requires one year and three months of handcrafting in Queens, N.Y.,” said Luptak, who was hired to his New York position by Henry Steinway, the founder’s great-grandson. “It represents the standard of how pianos are judged.
    “Not only is the business unique, but the products are unique.”
    Luptak concedes that changing times have brought challenges in the business of piano sales.
    “When Henry Steinway hired me I remember him saying that the piano business started contracting following the invention of the Victrola,” Luptak said. “Before, everybody had a piano, they would play a couple of songs, have a glass of wine, it was their entertainment. Afterward, all they had to do was put a needle on a record. It took a lot of motivation for people to want to learn.”
    Still, many young families retain a desire to have their children broaden their horizons through piano.
    In particular, Luptak said, families with European, Latin and Asian backgrounds  as part of their cultural background place a higher value on the process and discipline involved in learning piano.
    Luptak plays a role in that process by hosting both school recitals and professional performances in a 70-seat presentation and recital room on the premises.
    Upcoming shows include appearances by pianist Leslie Shapiro on April 8, Catherine Lan on piano and Meghan Brachle on flute on April 9, and pianist Jose Lopez on April 22. All performances are at 4 p.m. Go to www.steinwaybocaraton.com for more information.
    “We’re doing OK,” Luptak said. “We’re up to 18 years now in Boca and have a lot of beautiful pianos. We hope people will come and meet us.”

    The Steinway Piano Gallery, 7940 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, 982-8887, www.steinwaybocaraton.com.

Customers combined shopping and fun as they sipped champagne and tried on Stella & Dot jewelry

and Amanda Johnson one-of-kind dresses. Here, birthday girl Sophia Frances wears an Amanda Johnson crown.

Photo provided

Terra Holdings/Brown Harris Stevens has a rebranded office in Lake Worth’s arts district. ABOVE: (l-r) Jennifer Spitznagel,

David Burris, artist Maria Paz, Ava van de Water, Susan Burris, Nasrin Bakonyi and Lena Ingraham.

Photo provided

By Christine Davis

    Following last year’s acquisition of Manatee Cove Realty, Terra Holdings/Brown Harris Stevens celebrated the grand opening of its rebranded office at 619 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, in conjunction with an opening of artist Maria Paz’s work in February.
    “We are delighted to present the Brown Harris Stevens brand to the Lake Worth community with our new signage and custom window displays,” says Jennifer Spitznagel, senior broker associate and director of the Lake Worth office. “We’ve timed the grand opening so we can include our northern clients who are down for the winter months. We are also very excited that our office will continue to feature a rotation of work by local artists. We are proud to uphold the Lake Worth LULA theme of a town for and about art.”
    LULA is the arts district between Lucerne and Lake avenues.
                                
    Premier Estate Properties with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach was recognized with four Outstanding Performance Awards for 2016 during the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Performance Summit in March.  
    The Momentum Club honor signifies an improvement in the company’s focus on serving clients worldwide by making introductions to other Leading Real Estate Companies of the World members. The Pinnacle Award celebrates the firm’s achievement in successfully assisting more clients with their real estate needs, working in partnership with other member firms.
    Premier Estate Properties’ other awards were presented in recognition of its expertise in the high-end market for superior performance in overall agent productivity, as well as for its results in assisting clients with luxury real estate needs in far-reaching locations.
    The summit was at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach and was attended by 2,000 luxury real estate professionals.
                                
    The Boca Real Estate Investment Club presents Giselle Cheminand, president and CEO of GCI Worldwide Corp., at the club’s meeting at 7 p.m. April 13. Registration begins at 6:30. It will be held at the Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel, 2000 NW 19th St. The cost is $20. For information, call 391-7325 or visit www.bocarealestateclub.com.
                                
    An ocean-to-lake, 3-acre home at 1370 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan has sold for $40 million, according to public records. The seller was a Boca Raton-based limited liability company, EB ESM31 LLC, which is controlled by Edward M. Brown, president and CEO of The Patrón Spirits Co. and a former Seagram executive. The buyer is Borogoves Ltd. of Jersey. The home was rebuilt by the sellers. Previous owners of the 1972-era home included Lois Pope and Frank McKinney. Jack Elkins and Bunny Hiatt, of The Fite Group, represented the sellers. Farid R. Moussallem, of Compass Florida in Miami Beach, represented the buyers.
                                
    A 6,500-square-foot, six-bedroom Bermuda-style home at 1500 S. Ocean in Manalapan has come on the market for $34 million, offered for sale through Crista Ryan, an agent with Tina Fanjul Associates Real Estate. Built in 2008, it sits on 1.6 acres with 178 feet of ocean frontage and 139 feet on the lake, offering expansive views of the water from almost every room of the house. For information, call Ryan at 313-1327. The home was owned by Fred Marcon, who died in January.
                                
    Krishna and Nirmala Tripuraneni sold “Nirvana,” their Mediterranean-style, six-bedroom, 12,244-square-foot home at 840 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $20.23 million on Feb. 23, according to public records. Attorney Rani Newman Mathura was listed on the deed as trustee of the 840 South Ocean Blvd Florida Land Trust, the entity that bought the property.  Douglas Elliman agent Chad Carroll represented the sellers. Corcoran Group agent Jim McCann represented the buyer. Krishna Tripuraneni, a Wellington gastroenterologist convicted of tax fraud in 2015, is due to be released from prison in April, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
                                 
    Diamond Award winner Susan Saturday (left) and Pearl Award recipient Rebecca Zerbo (right) were honored  at the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s 11th annual DIAMOND Award Luncheon in February at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.
    Saturday is senior vice president and chief human resources officer at Bluegreen Vacations and BBX Capital Corp. She currently serves as vice chair on the Chamber’s board of directors and serves on the Golden Bell Education Foundation’s board of directors.
    The Pearl Award is given to a graduate of the Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy. This year’s winner, Zerbo, founded Positive Pocket, a nonprofit organization that offers educational programs for youth and adults who suffer from the negative effects of bullying.
                                
    On April 5 student entrepreneurs from the Boca Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy will present their business plans before a panel of local leaders of industry that include St. Andrew’s School, IBM, Comerica Bank, Bluegreen Vacations and TouchSuite.
    In addition to allocating money to the students’ businesses, the business leaders have selected a student business group that will advance to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Saunders Scholars National College Scholarship competition.
                                
    The Delray Beach Rotary Club honored Atlantic High School teacher Paul Musser and student Zhanelle Murph as distinguished teacher and student of the month in February. Atlantic High Principal Tara Dellegrotti was inducted into the club.
                                
    Professionals with more than four years of post-graduate work experience can now pursue an MBA with a specialization in marketing or entrepreneurial management in downtown Delray Beach. Lynn University collaborated with the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce to host the program in the Chamber’s office at 140 NE First St.
    Through online classes as well as classes during the evening, students can obtain their degrees while working. A  degree can be completed in 12 months for less than $30,000.
    The curriculum was designed by Lynn’s College of Business and Management. Chamber leaders will lend their network and expertise with guest speakers and executive mentorships to complement coursework. This partnership model is a pilot program for the university.
    Applications are due by June 30. The GRE or GMAT is not required for admission. For information, visit www.lynn.edu/DelrayMBA.
                                
    The most chatter at the March 27 Lantana Town Council meeting was generated by the news that the 73-acre Water Tower Commons project would include a 44,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market. The town had hoped for a store that catered to more of a niche market.
    Ken Tuma, representing the developer, Lantana Development, said the store wouldn’t be a superstore  — no TVs, luggage or tires in the inventory — but a considerably upgraded Walmart with lots of windows and attractive presentations of organic fruits and vegetables. It’s being designed to compete with Publix.
    More news on Water Tower Commons, being developed on land previously known as the A.G. Holley property, is expected April 24 when the town will look at plans for the residential phase of the development.
                                
    The retirement community Abbey Delray, at 2000 Lowson Blvd., Delray Beach, has announced plans for an expansion and redevelopment estimated to cost $31.5 million, with construction to start by the end of this year.
    Abbey Delray will have a new assisted living and memory care building, fitness center, spa, a new restaurant and redesigned exterior features.
     The community offers services to more than 400 residents in 350 homes and villas, as well as onsite assisted living and skilled nursing residences.
                                
    Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa and Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach were designated five-star hotels by the Forbes Travel Guide for 2017. Eau Spa and Palm Beach Spa at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach were designated five-star spas. Jove Kitchen & Bar at the Four Seasons was designated a four-star restaurant.
                                
    Crane’s Beach House Boutique Hotel & Luxury Villas in Delray Beach will offer discounts of up to 30 percent for stays between April 30 and Oct. 5 for guests who reserve before April 11. For information, visit www.cranesbeachhouse.com.
                                
     Easton Art Gallery and the Luxury Performance Automotive Group will co-host the Art for Autism Auction from 6 to 10 p.m. April 8.
    Artist David Banegas and Biana Pinchuk, a 14-year-old operatic singer and violinist, will provide entertainment. The art auction will benefit the Dan Marino Foundation and Surfers for Autism. It will be held at Luxury Performance Automotive Group, 1800 N. Federal Highway, Delray Beach. Admission is $25.

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

Mary Thurwachter contributed to this story.

By Emily J. Minor

    COUNTY POCKET — Sandra Strosky Gallagher, a beach lover who came to Florida on a spring break getaway right after college and never lived up north again, died March 2 after a brief illness. She was 53.
    Mrs. Gallagher lived in the so-called County Pocket and was well known for her animal rescue work, especially with cats. She was one of the originals from a cadre of ocean lovers who live in the small oceanfront section that is ruled by neither city nor village politics.
    “The ocean was basically her yard,” said her sister, Lynn Chrzan. “People knew her for keeping things pretty along the beach.”
    A New York native and one of five children, Mrs. Gallagher grew up in Lackawanna, N.Y. After high school, she attended Erie Community College, where she received a degree as a denture technician. Through the years, though, she also worked in several veterinary offices. She gave many hours and much support to Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.
    Chrzan said her “baby sister” went into the hospital with what they think was pneumonia and then developed a host of confusing symptoms that eventually claimed her life. “We’re not really sure what happened,” she said.
    Mrs. Gallagher had been married to her husband, Brad, since 1987. They have one son, Jacob.
    Although separated in age by nearly eight years, Chrzan said she and Mrs. Gallagher were always close. Their birthdays are just one week apart, and Chrzan said she remembers the day when the infant Mrs. Gallagher came home from the hospital. “My parents said, ‘Here’s your birthday present,’ and she was mine ever since,” Chrzan said.
    Chrzan said the family is considering a bench along the beach to commemorate Mrs. Gallagher’s love for the ocean and her neighborhood.
    A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. April 1 at Cason United Methodist Church, 342 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.
    Besides her husband, son, and sister, Mrs. Gallagher is survived by three brothers, Edward, Mike and John Strosky; mother-in-law, Elsie Gallagher; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mike and Florence Strosky, and her father-in-law, Bernard B. Gallagher Sr.
    The family asks that any memorial donations be sent to Peggy Adams, 3100 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL 33409.

Condo balconies are cantilevered.

Rendering by GS4 Studios

By Sallie James

    A proposed six-story, 70-unit condo complex slated for the southwest corner of South Ocean Boulevard and East Palmetto Park Road got a thumbs up from Boca Raton’s Planning and Zoning Board last month.
    Next, the Ocean Palm project will head to the City Council for review.
    Planning and Zoning Board members also unanimously voted to recommend amending the future land-use map and change zoning in the area to make way for the nearly 300,000-square-foot project, which will rise to 65 feet. They reviewed the project for consistency with the city’s comprehensive plan, compatibility with surrounding development and availability of public services.
    Traffic studies indicated the project would produce fewer trips per day than if the land were developed to its maximum allowed density.
    If approved, the project would add an estimated $127 million in taxable value to the city, up from the property’s current taxable value of $12 million, said attorney Bonnie Miskel, who represents the developer.
    The 3.52-acre property is across the street from an entrance to South Beach Park. It’s bordered on the north by East Palmetto Park Road, on the east by South Ocean Boulevard, as State Road A1A is called there, on the south by Palm Avenue and on the west by Southeast Wave Crest Way.
    If the City Council approves the contemporary-style condo, it would be flanked by 8-foot-wide sidewalks and include an underground parking garage with 150 spaces. A public linear park would also be constructed near the project, Miskel said.
    The property for the project consists of three parcels: one vacant, one with an unoccupied office building and parking garage and one with a 20-unit condo. The condo building and office building and garage would be torn down to make way for Ocean Palm, Miskel said.
    Jan Grenell, who lives in the 100 block of North Ocean Boulevard, warned that the area is already congested without adding more residences.
    “We have an issue with traffic right there,” Grenell said. “I have seen almost more tragic accidents in the past couple months than I have ever witnessed in my life. You have cars that are almost taking out those bikers. It is ridiculous. It needs to be addressed before you do anything else there.”
    Cynthia Wohl, who lives in the 200 block of Wave Crest Way, wondered if flooding would get worse with more development. “The flooding in the area is horrible,” she said. She worried more water would get pushed down her street, along with more traffic.

By Steve Plunkett

    The group that wants to invalidate an ordinance reserving city-owned land on the Intracoastal Waterway for public uses has withdrawn its lawsuit but has not dropped its complaint.
     ForBoca.org Inc., which is led by former Chamber of Commerce chief Mike Arts, will seek a decision from an administrative law judge, or hearing officer, instead of a circuit judge.
     “We definitely are pursuing the case, but we’re pursuing it administratively as opposed to through the court for technical reasons,” said Gerald Richman, the group’s West Palm Beach attorney.
     The ForBoca.org lawsuit Richman filed in January said Boca Raton’s new ordinance limits the use of city land on the Intracoastal — and the Wildflower property in particular — in a way that is “wholly and patently inconsistent” with the city’s comprehensive plan. The filing postponed a planned discussion by the City Council on how to implement the ordinance.
     Boca Raton filed a motion to dismiss the suit in February, arguing in part that a challenge to the ordinance’s validity should be heard by an administrative law judge rather than in circuit court.
     Richman said the administrative route was “clear.”
     “We feel good about our chances for success on that,” he said.
     Richman’s motion to withdraw the lawsuit was made March 21 “without prejudice,” which means ForBoca.org can refile its complaint in the future.
     Arts headed the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce for two decades and was on the City Council from 2006 to 2009. Tallahassee lawyer Mark Herron is also a ForBoca.org director.
     ForBoca.org’s third director, former City Council member Al Travasos, said in late March he resigned his position after seeing the lawsuit and was trying to get his name dissociated from the group.
     Boca Raton bought the 2.3-acre Wildflower parcel, at the northwest corner of the Palmetto Park Road bridge over the Intracoastal, for $7.5 million in 2009. It had been negotiating for several years with the Hillstone Restaurant Group to put a restaurant there along with a waterside walkway open to the public. Fences now enclose the property.
     A citizen-launched petition drive posed the ordinance as a referendum question on the November ballot. It won by a 2-1 margin.
The council in July changed the land-use designation and zoning of the northern part of the site to allow business. The southern portion was already zoned business.
     The former Wildflower nightclub got special permission to put a parking lot on the then-residential portion, which would not be allowed today.

By Steve Plunkett

    The city will have a “public outreach meeting” April 3 to discuss its waterfront parks and gather ideas from Boca Raton residents.
    The session, hosted by Fort Lauderdale-based consultant EDSA Inc., is designed to give the public a chance to “ask questions, express opinions and make suggestions and comments” on current and future uses of the city’s waterfront properties, which include Spanish River, Red Reef and South Beach parks and the vacant Wildflower parcel.
    Jennifer Bistyga, the city’s coastal program manager, has said EDSA is considering passive park ideas, launch facilities for kayaks and paddleboards and at Red Reef Park, perhaps adding some pavilions. The consultant will use the public input to develop conceptual plans.
    The city and the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District also want input on what to do with the district-owned Ocean Strand property, almost 15 undeveloped acres between Spanish River and Red Reef parks.
    Separately, city officials are pursuing plans to build two double boat ramps and refurbish a canoe trail and boardwalk at Rutherford and Lake Wyman parks.
    Beach & Park District officials rescheduled their regular monthly meeting from April 3 to April 4 to accommodate the outreach session.
    “We’re anxious to see what’s up,” said Arthur Koski, district executive director.
    The meeting will come after a series of inconclusive discussions over the past eight years on what features Boca Raton residents would most like added to their parks.
    City Council member Scott Singer held an unofficial gathering at the Downtown Library in September just to talk about what to do at the Wildflower parcel. It attracted about 130 people and generated a list of ideas ranging from a waterfront boardwalk to a giant checkerboard to a lush hanging garden.
    In June, the city told the Beach & Park District to hold off on developing a master plan for Red Reef Park after a district consultant spent two years preparing three alternatives for commissioners to consider. The city owns the park; the district pays all its operation and maintenance expenses and for capital improvements.
    In October 2011 residents trekked to the municipal complex on North Congress Avenue to hear presentations from restaurateurs, other business people and an architect on what to put at the Wildflower site. The Hillstone Restaurant Group was negotiating a lease with city officials when voters approved a citizen-initiated referendum in November reserving the spot and other city-owned land on the Intracoastal Waterway for public uses only.
    And the Beach & Park District abruptly stopped planning at Ocean Strand in February 2012 after a consultant spent a year studying the parcel and nearby city parks and concluded there was no public outcry to develop another park at the beach. The district has owned the pristine site since 1994.
    “You can plop a ball field almost any place you want to. We shouldn’t squander [Ocean Strand] on just whatever recreation need might pop into our heads,” Robert Langford, then the district’s executive director, said at the time.

If you go
What: Waterfront master plan input session
Where: Downtown Library, 400 NW Second Ave., Boca Raton
When: 6 to 8 p.m. April 3

By Steve Plunkett

    Just like last year, a mommy leatherback turtle has kicked off nesting season in Boca Raton.
    Gumbo Limbo Nature Center spotters found 2017’s first sea turtle nest March 25 in Spanish River Park. The location was well north of a city project placing sand on the beach south of the Boca Raton Inlet.
    Nesting season in South Florida is March 1 to Oct. 31. Boca Raton’s daily numbers are posted at www.gumbolimbo.org/nesting. Last year’s totals were 729 loggerhead nests, 38 green turtle nests and 18 leatherback nests.
    The Gumbo Limbo 10K, a 6.2-mile run along A1A and neighboring Intracoastal Waterway neighborhoods that benefits the nature center, will be at 7:15 a.m. April 9 at Spanish River Park. A 1-mile fun run will be at 7:20.
    Entry fees for the 10K are $30 through April 3 ($20 for students age 19 and younger) and $35 afterward. Finishers this year for the first time will receive a medal. The fun run is $15. Everyone who registers in advance gets a T-shirt.

New Commissioner Elyse Riesa takes her oath of office at Town Hall on March 23,

assisted by Deputy Town Clerk Lanelda Gaskins.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    When Highland Beach commissioners decided to break with years of tradition and move the polling place for municipal elections into the town’s public library, skeptics worried that a lack of parking, confusion and other issues would negatively impact voting.
    But commissioners, concerned about impartiality and thinking elections should be held on neutral public property rather than at nearby St. Lucy Catholic Church, decided to move forward anyway.
    The gamble paid off.
    “It was perfect,” said Vice Mayor Bill Weitz, who was one of the strongest supporters of moving the election site. “This town has shown that elections can be held at a municipal facility.”
    During a special commission meeting last month to swear in the winners of the March 14 election — Mayor Carl Feldman and commissioners Elyse Riesa and Rhoda Zelniker — Weitz took the opportunity to answer each question that had been raised.
    “Did a lot of people vote?” he asked. “Yes. Did people vote unimpeded? Yes. Did people have a problem getting to the voting site? No.
    “Did people have easy access getting to the voting site? Yes. Were there huge lines at the voting site? No. Did people have an opportunity to speak to candidates who were on the side in an appropriate free-speech area without being harassed or hassled? Yes. And most of all, was there a parking problem? Hell no.”
    By the time the polls closed at 7 p.m., 760 voters had cast ballots at the library, according to Town Manager Valerie Oakes. Another 372 voted via mail-in ballots, according to the county supervisor of elections. The total of 1,132 ballots were cast by almost 32 percent of the 3,558 registered voters in town.
    “Getting a turnout of more than 30 percent in a municipal election is incredible,” Weitz said.
    To ensure the safety and convenience of residents, the commission took the unusual step of closing all the town’s administrative offices and the town’s post office as well as the library, freeing up parking spaces that normally would be used by municipal employees and visitors.  
    “At no point was the parking lot ever full,” Oakes said. “There were no accidents or incidents.”
    To avoid confusion, the town sent postcards announcing the change to all registered voters and posted additional signs on Election Day announcing the polling location.
    In addition to welcoming newly elected members, commissioners recognized the accomplishments of outgoing Mayor Bernard Featherman, who had to give up his seat after six years because of term limits.
    “It’s been one of the great privileges of my life to be able to serve you, the people of Highland Beach,” Featherman said. “I have loved the job as your mayor, I have loved working with our wonderful staff, I have loved working with our outstanding commissioners, and I have loved this special slice of heaven and the people I have met here.”
    In the mayoral race, Feldman, who relinquished his post as commissioner, outpolled former Vice Mayor Ron Brown 612 to 502, or 55 to 45 percent.
    Incumbent Zelniker turned aside a challenge from architect Barry Donaldson to keep her commission seat, 601 votes to 511, or 54 to 46 percent.
    Newcomer Riesa gathered 527 votes (48 percent) to Melissa Ebbs’ 468 (43 percent) and Carl Gehman’s 102 (9 percent).

By Mary Hladky
    
    New downtown transportation alternatives are edging closer to reality — if the city can find business partners willing to help.
    City Council members, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency board, agreed at their Feb. 27 meeting to request proposals from private companies on how much they will charge the city to help it launch downtown transportation options.
    The goal is to decrease downtown traffic congestion by getting people out of their cars and onto shuttles or trolleys.
    The need for such service became more pressing when the Downtowner, which began operating in the city in 2015, left at the end of December after launching operations in Tampa in October.
    The Downtowner, which continues to operate in Delray Beach, provides free door-to-door service in electric carts that people can summon via a mobile app.
    Downtowner CEO Stephen Murray declined to comment on why he ended service in Boca Raton.
    “It is best for us to stay internal with our affairs,” he said.
    The Boca Raton City Council wants proposals for a similar service as well as a shuttle or trolley program that would use fixed routes in the downtown.
    Council members agreed they want to set up public-private partnerships that will limit how much the city pays for the transportation services.
    Important details, however, remain undecided. Council members did not say precisely where in the downtown the services would operate, or specify trolley routes. They also did not address operating hours.
    How to pay for the city’s share of the costs also has not been ironed out. But the Florida Department of Transportation has awarded the city a $1.5 million grant that could be used to purchase vehicles. That money won’t be available until 2020, but Mayor Susan Haynie said it may be possible to get that date moved up.
    Downtown Manager Ruby Childers estimated that a trolley system operating days, nights and weekends and picking up passengers every 10 minutes would cost $3.2 million for the trolleys, signage and trolley stops. Annual operations would cost $1.8 million.
    Tampa is spending $420,000 a year for the Downtowner service, plus $140,000 to buy vehicles, Childers said. The program is supposed to pay for itself in three years, and city subsidies will be eliminated.
    Council members indicated that is more than they are willing to pay.
    “The cost of what Tampa is doing seems incredibly rich to me,” said council member Scott Singer, who doubles as CRA chairman.
    Haynie spoke of a “limited city subsidy.”
    Council members left details undecided in part so companies interested in operating the services for the city would not be constrained in offering up ideas. Haynie said she is “confident” companies will be interested in getting involved.
    Council members also considered seeking proposals for a bicycle-sharing program that would allow people to pick up a bike from one location and return it there or at a different location. But they decided to take up that idea at a later date.
    The city’s efforts to relieve downtown traffic congestion include construction of a downtown parking garage. A consultant is working with the city to help decide the best location and size.
    A very preliminary cost estimate ranges from $28 million to $50 million for a multistory building, not including land acquisition. Land costs would be avoided if the city decides to build on land it owns around City Hall.
    The consultant’s recommendations are expected later this year.

By Sallie James

    When most city bars and restaurants are shutting down for the night, the after-hours crowd at Nippers and the Blue Martini is just starting to drift in.
    But the last call for alcohol may get moved up, and the owners of these bars say the change would put them out of business.
City Council members at their March 28 meeting introduced an ordinance prohibiting businesses from serving alcohol after 2 a.m. The change only affects bars in the once-unincorporated Town Center area that were previously allowed to stay open until 5 a.m. Nippers and the Blue Martini Lounge are in the crosshairs.
    “I will be shutting down. It will put me out of business,” said Nippers owner Carlos Ber, who owns the 30-year-old watering hole at 21069 Military Trail. “I serve food here until 4:30 a.m. This is where everybody comes to unwind.”
    Bruce Gregory, general manager of Blue Martini, echoed Ber’s concerns.
    “If we were to lose those three hours, it would be catastrophic to our business,” Gregory said. “If there is anything we can do to make the situation better . . . we are all supporting it.” Council members did not discuss the ordinance, which will be further reviewed at a later date.
    The city generally prohibits the sale of alcohol between 2 and 7 a.m. However, when the Town Center area was annexed in 2003, city officials agreed to grandfather in existing businesses that served alcohol under county rules until 5 a.m.
    Ber said Nippers gets 75 percent of its business from customers who arrive between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.
    Most of Ber’s clientele are bar and restaurant employees who frequent his business when they get off work.
    Nippers has a staff of about 17 and a maximum capacity of 175. Ber said occasional fights break out, but nothing serious.
    “I have called the police four times in the past few years. Nothing big,” Ber said.
    Mayor Susan Haynie proposed the ordinance.
    “Some of the residents, especially out in the Via Verde area, have been speaking with me with concerns regarding a couple of establishments that ... have alcohol sales well into the morning hours,” Haynie said at the council’s Feb. 27 workshop.
    The new ordinance, if approved, would give businesses 120 days to comply.

    Boca Raton hopes the Florida Inland Navigation District will help pay to revitalize canoe trails and boardwalks within Rutherford and Lake Wyman parks.
    City Council members March 28 agreed to apply for a cost-sharing FIND grant to cover approximately half the $320,000 cost of engineering, permitting and design of the project.
    The grant would come from the district’s 2017 Waterways Assistance Program, which has provided more than $205 million to local governments over the past 28 years.
    The grant would also help pay for the engineering, permitting and design costs of environmental enhancements in the two parks and the development of a coastal hammock along the FIND property in Lake Wyman.
— Sallie James

Jason Richter, Delray Beach Ocean Rescue, climbs a temporary lifeguard tower recently. The tower is a replacement

for N-1, the defunct tower pictured at rear. The city wants to replace all of the lifeguard towers,

ut the timing depends on the availability of money.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

    As the city begins its $3.1 million upgrade to the promenade along the beach, the sorry state of its eight lifeguard towers is even more noticeable. Especially to Delray Beach residents such as Chris Heffernan, who runs on the beach each day and has befriended the lifeguards.
    The investment adviser has become an advocate for new lifeguard towers. One tower, just north of Atlantic Avenue, has a shattered and partially boarded front window. It can’t be used. The city posted a large “No Trespassing” at the base of the stairs leading to the tower.  
    That forces lifeguards to sit in a portable fiberglass tower nearby. The lifeguards rotate tower positions so that no one is assigned permanently to one of the four portable towers. The fiberglass towers hold the heat and must be abandoned when a lightning storm approaches, according to the city’s Fire-Rescue Department. The lifeguards are part of the Fire-Rescue Department.
    On a chilly mid-March morning when the temperature dipped below 50 degrees, new lifeguard Jason Richter was happy to climb into the portable tower, wearing “city-issued pajama pants.” With only two months on the job, he has yet to spend time in the fiberglass tower during the summer.
    Heffernan began his lifeguard-tower quest in July when the city’s Environmental Services Department held an open house with its designer for the beach promenade work. At the time, Don Cooper was the city manager. Cooper said the plan was to replace one lifeguard tower a year, according to Heffernan.
    Capt. Kevin Saxton, the fire-rescue spokesman, said the eight towers have impact glass and “most of the windows can’t be locked due to corrosion.” The oldest tower is 13 years old and the newest one is 10 years old.
    Five of the eight towers have cracked front windows and seven are still in use, Saxton said. The cracks are the result of vandalism. The new towers will have lockable shutters.
    The towers will need permits from the state because of their location on the beach, said Vanessa Dornisch, environmental specialist with the state Department of Environmental Protection.  
    The current plan calls for two towers to be replaced annually starting in October, Saxton said. “Whether or not they stay in the budget is up to the city,” he said.
    “It’s hard to say we have a world-class beach without first-rate facilities,” said Mayor Cary Glickstein, who supports replacing all the towers at one time. “However, as mayor, I am just one of five members on the commission.”
    Last year, the fire chief recommended that all lifeguard towers be replaced during the current budget year until the need for new fire-fighting equipment became apparent because of the aging fleet, the mayor said.
    The lifeguard towers, estimated to cost $77,400 for two, will be discussed in May as part of the city’s capital improvement budget process, Glickstein said.
    Then, the commission will determine priorities and what can be done in the next budget year.
    Even so, the mayor — who is a surfer and lives on the barrier island — likely will support replacing all of the towers in next year’s budget.
    “Nearly 2 million people visit our beaches every year,” he said.
    “We have wisely invested in sidewalk, landscape and pavilion improvements, dune restoration and beach renourishment.
    “We will soon replace our rescue towers to ensure all beach visitors enjoy a great experience from their arrival to hitting the water.”

Brooke Thabit, who was born in Boca Raton, became an ambassador for Wings of Life

after a diving accident left her paralyzed. Thabit has regained some movement in her arms.

Photo provided

By Sallie James

    Brooke Thabit was a competitive surfer, with a job in a surf shop and big plans for her future, when a carefree dive off a dock left her paralyzed.
    On Labor Day 2012, when she was 17, Thabit fractured her neck when she launched into water that turned out to be waist-deep.
    Today Thabit, who was born and raised in Boca Raton but lived in Stuart when the accident happened, is an ambassador for the Wings for Life Run. The organization raises awareness and money for spinal cord injury research. Neither Thabit’s limited mobility nor her wheelchair defines her ability to contribute. She will participate in the May 7 run in Sunrise.
    “I’m still alive,” said Thabit, a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. “It was very hard and it still is hard, but I have gotten more used to it now. I am hoping with time and with a cure, things will happen.”
    The Wings for Life Run kicks off at 7 a.m. at BB&T Center in Sunrise and winds through the city, eventually making a northwest turn along U.S. 27. The event is a running and wheelchair event held across 34 countries. All participants are to begin at exactly the same time around the world.
    Participants set their own goals and they don’t head toward a distant finish line. Instead, the finish line catches up with them. A half-hour after the race starts, a moving finish line, the Catcher Car, follows participants along the course, gradually getting faster until each one is caught. The first people passed after a few kilometers are the first to celebrate their accomplishments, while the last man and woman to be caught are declared Global Champions. (The record is 88.44 kilometers.)
     The entry fee is $60, and proceeds go to spinal cord research, with administrative costs covered by the Red Bull Foundation.
Thabit has limited movement in her arms, thanks to a surgery called a tendon transfer in which her biceps muscle was moved to her triceps. She also underwent a nerve transfer that may eventually give her movement in her hand, said her mother, Alison Thabit.
     After she was injured, Brooke Thabit spent a month in intensive care, then was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where she underwent extensive rehabilitation for her spinal cord injuries.
     “We are so proud of her tenacity and her hard work,” said her mother, who moved the family back to Boca Raton after her daughter was injured. “She has never said, ‘Mom, why did this happen to me?’ ”
     Her goals and dreams are different from what they were when she was 17, but she’s determined to make a difference. She hopes to use her studies in interior design to make universal design/disabled accessible architecture look less sterile, and wants to study overseas.
     She recently began driving a modified Ford Explorer.
     “It was really hard in the beginning but I try not to dwell on it too much. Your perspective is everything. The people you surround yourself with are really what life is about,” Brooke Thabit said. “People who love you will do everything for you.”
     Alison Thabit said the family has received support from all sides. “I am so happy for her to be living. She was one of the most independent 17-year-olds.”
     To register or donate, go to  www.wingsforlifeworldrun.com/us/en/sunrise-fl/

Contractor Weeks Marine pumps sand from the shoal just outside the Boca Raton Inlet on March 28. The shoal sand was placed on beaches south of the inlet. Photo by Palm Beach County

By Steve Plunkett

    The city’s dredge contractor was asked to cut a 20-foot-deep channel through the ebb shoal just outside the Boca Raton Inlet that has been giving boaters fits since last summer.
    But Weeks Marine Inc. was not going to remove as much sand as the city originally planned because of uncertainty over a legal challenge lodged by Hillsboro Beach, said Jennifer Bistyga, Boca Raton’s coastal program manager.
    “Only a portion of the ebb shoal will be dredged,” she said. “I cannot stress enough that this is only in one small portion of the shoal.”
    The contractor finished the renourishment of the central beach area from the inlet north to Red Reef Park before tackling the shoal problem. It moved 530,000 cubic yards of sand from borrow areas offshore to make a 1.45-mile stretch of the beach 170 feet wider.
    The renourishment was interrupted in April 2016 by weather delays.
    The city announced that Weeks Marine had finished the central beach project and was moving to work at the inlet March 18, a day after the state Department of Environmental Protection dismissed Hillsboro Beach’s amended challenge. The town just south of Deerfield Beach had failed a second time to demonstrate “substantial environmental interests,” the DEP rul
    “The petition is devoid of any facts that exceed the general interests of the citizens of the town of Hillsboro [Beach], other than the economic interests that are not protected by this proceeding,” the department said.
    But Hillsboro Beach filed a notice March 20 that it would contest the dismissal in the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeal.
    A total of 80,000 cubic yards of sand from the shoal was to be placed on Boca Raton’s south beach, from the inlet south to the Deerfield Beach city limits. The DEP had given the city permission to move up to 100,000 cubic yards of sand south of the inlet and up to 80,000 cubic yards of sand north. Hillsboro Beach, which counts on the natural flow of sand south to help maintain its beaches, complained that no sand should go north.
    “Hillsboro Beach does not object to the dredging, only to the placement of the material north of the inlet,” said Kenneth Oertel, that town’s Tallahassee-based environmental-law attorney.
    Bistyga said the shoal sand would be moved by about April 1, weather permitting.
    Boaters took pictures last summer of one another standing waist-deep in the middle of the Boca inlet. Operators leaving the inlet had to make a sharp turn south to avoid bumping or worse on the shoal, then watch carefully for swimmers and snorkelers at South Inlet Park before heading east into the ocean.
    The Boca Raton City Council approved spending up to $2.4 million in February to move the shoal sand. That total will be prorated, Bistyga said.
    “The city will only pay the contractor for the sand that was placed on the beach and the other project-related components associated with south Boca,” she said.
    The central beach renourishment was estimated to cost $11.3 million with the state and county contributing about $4 million. The city and the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District split the bills 50-50 for beach renourishment and dredging.

By Steve Plunkett

    Andrea O’Rourke, who as president of the Golden Triangle Homeowners Association often criticized downtown development and traffic congestion as enemies to quality of life, plans to be “a voice of the residents” in her new seat on the City Council.
    “I’m super excited, very hopeful, [and] looking into the future,” said O’Rourke, who replaced Deputy Mayor Michael Mullaugh on the dais.
    O’Rourke outdueled Emily Gentile, secretary of the Beach Condominium Association, and Andy Thomson, a business litigation lawyer who grew up in the region and moved to Boca Raton in August. O’Rourke garnered 5,614 votes (48 percent) to Gentile’s 1,372 votes (12 percent) and Thomson’s 4,621 votes (40 percent) to win Seat B.
    City voters March 14 also re-elected Mayor Susan Haynie and council member Scott Singer.
    Haynie bested immigration lawyer and BocaWatch publisher Al Zucaro 6,452 votes to 5,311 votes (55-45 percent). Singer kept Seat A by collecting 8,095 votes to the 3,317 that went to Patty Dervishi of the Golden Triangle HOA (71-29 percent).
    Turnout in Boca Raton was 18.5 percent, with one-third of the ballots cast by mail.
    O’Rourke, 69, is the only council member who lives east of Dixie Highway. She resigned as editor of Zucaro’s BocaWatch website to run for office. Now she is studying the issues the city faces as she prepares for the council’s goal-setting sessions in May.
    “It’s really hearing from the residents, hearing what their priorities are,” she said. “During the campaign, there was no question. Unequivocally, people are concerned about the traffic, the overdevelopment and the quality of life.”
    O’Rourke, a graphic designer who moved to Boca Raton 37 years ago, said she is not coming in “to tear things up” and does not want residents speaking at the council podium after being surprised by development proposals.
    “I’m looking for collaboration and open dialogue,” she said. “I want the residents involved first, before these things get to City Hall.”
    Mullaugh, 76, was appointed to the council in December 2008 after Peter Baronoff resigned because of family health matters. A lawyer, Mullaugh managed a division of Mellon Bank’s trust department. After moving to the city in 1997, he was president of Ruth and Norman Rales Jewish Family Services in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
    Mullaugh was term-limited out of office after being elected without opposition in 2011 and defeating three challengers in 2014. He was chosen deputy mayor in March last year.