By Mary Thurwachter

    As developers prepare to build Water Tower Commons, a 72-acre retail and residential project on the site of the former A.G. Holley tuberculosis hospital east of Interstate 95 on Lantana Road, hundreds of trees need to be moved or replaced.
    “According to the tree survey performed by the applicant, the site has 451 total trees of various types,” said Dave Thatcher, Lantana’s development services director.  “Of those, 137, about 30 percent, are considered protected. The remaining 70 percent are not protected and can be removed.”
    Thatcher said property is being cleared and a fence will be placed around the perimeter.
    “The developer (Lantana Development LLC) will relocate 50 protected oaks from their original location to another spot on the property,” he said. The remaining 87 protected trees, with an average diameter of 15.7 inches, will be replaced with 512 new 4-inch-thick trees.
    Thatcher said there was a lot of misinformation floating around about what was going to happen to trees at the site. Even if the new trees aren’t as big as some taken down, there will be more trees in the end. And all the melaleucas, an invasive species, will be gone.
    Water Tower Commons is the biggest project ever in Lantana, Thatcher said. The site is about 4 percent of the town’s total land.
    The development is expected to create 700 permanent jobs and generate $13 million in new tax revenue for Lantana during the next 20 years, according to Ken Endelson, vice president of Lantana Development, a partnership between Southeast Legacy, headed by Kenco Communities’ Endelson, and Wexford Capital.
    Plans show more than 208,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store, pharmacy, restaurants, bank and fitness center. 
    Office space will be available, too, and plans call for more than 1,000 residential units on the north side of the property.

By Jane Smith

    Delray Beach might be the first city in Florida to have a sidewalk policy.
    The program, approved unanimously June 7 by the City Commission, went into effect on June 8. It promotes the health and safety of residents, ensures modes of transportation other than vehicles and creates a clear method for spending dollars collected in areas where sidewalks can’t be built.
    “Kudos to all,” said Jim Smith, chairman of the sidewalk and cyclist advocacy group called SAFE (Safety As Floridians Expect). “It will serve as a guide for the city as it establishes objectives, goals and priorities for the construction and maintenance of sidewalks.”
    Smith told commissioners that they would be the first in Florida to have set a city sidewalk policy. His group made suggestions, including sidewalks within 2 miles of all schools and along all public roads that lead to parks, greenways/trail systems and public facilities.
    The program’s goals included his group’s suggestions and added sidewalk requirements along public roads leading to transit system stops and in the central business district.
    The policy also provides a method for citywide spending of the fees collected in such areas as historic districts where sidewalks are not part of the character of the neighborhood.
    In addition, the sidewalks will be built wide enough to allow for wheelchair access and have curb ramps, cross slopes and other features to promote accessibility.
    All told, the policy took about 10 months to create, said Mark Stivers, principal planner, who drafted the policy and sought input from city departments and outside groups.
    Stivers started to work on a text amendment to the in-lieu sidewalk fee ordinance shortly after he joined the city in July 2015. From that amendment, the city attorney suggested an overall sidewalk policy, Stivers said.  
    His boss, Planning Director Tim Stillings, told commissioners it was an “aspirational policy.”
    Mayor Cary Glickstein added, “It also is tangible. Now we can use the in-lieu funds collected.”

By Jane Smith
    
    A former Delray Beach city employee has pleaded guilty for his role in using a company that charged the city for goods that were never delivered, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
    Orlando Serrano, 47, pleaded guilty on June 21 to grand theft of more than $20,000 and organized fraud of more than $20,000. He was sentenced to 12 months in the county jail and received one day credit for time served.
    Serrano also received five years of probation and was ordered to do 100 hours of community service at the rate of at least eight hours per month upon his release from jail. He must repay the city his share of more than $133,000.
    Serrano, who worked for the city for nearly 19 years, resigned his post as a traffic maintenance supervisor in March 2015.
    Co-defendant Cesar Irizarry, 51, was a treatment plant operator for about 25 years before he resigned in August. Irizarry’s case is set for an Aug. 8 jury trial.
    Another co-defendant, Harold Bellinger, died in early March.
    Prosecutors say the fraud occurred in this manner:
    American Traffic Products & Services Inc. provided street signs, street sign posts and diamond asphalt and concrete saw blades to Delray Beach. But the city didn’t know that the Serrano and Irizarry owned and operated the company, a violation of the city’s code of ethics.
    Bellinger’s role required him to approve invoices for the streets and traffic divisions.
    The city made 59 purchases from American Traffic Products for $230,540.59 since 2007, prosecutors found. But because of record retention limits, investigators could review only purchase orders going back to Oct. 1, 2009. The amount of purchases reviewed was for $158,139.21. Prosecutors found a total loss of $133,444.87 to Delray Beach.
    The company’s address was the same as Irizarry’s home address in suburban Boca Raton, state records show. According to records subpoenaed from JP Morgan Chase Bank related to American Traffic Products, Irizarry is the company’s director and Serrano is an authorized signer and the contact person on the account.
    Between Oct. 6, 2009, and Feb. 20, 2015, the city paid for $158,139.21 of sign equipment from American Traffic Products, but it received only $24,694.64. That resulted in a $108,152.07 loss for Delray Beach, prosecutors found.
    During that time period, Irizarry and Serrano withdrew a total of $112,920.39 from American Traffic Products’ bank account, with $51,480.39 withdrawn by Irizarry and $61,440 withdrawn by Serrano. Some of that money, $27,560, was deposited into Bellinger’s personal bank account, according to prosecutors.
    Bellinger separately ordered $7,582.80 from that company on Oct. 8, 2009, for striping materials and reflective glass beads. The city paid for the items, which it never received.
    Between Oct. 7, 2010, and Feb. 13, 2014, Bellinger ordered 200 gallons of liquid road tack from American Traffic Products. The city paid $9,520, but the product was not delivered. He also ordered diamond saw blades from American Traffic Products for $7,920 between Oct. 10, 2012, and March 21, 2014. The city paid the bill, but it never received the saw blades.

    Delray Beach has renewed its parking agreement with the First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach for 39 spaces on Gleason Street, near the beach. The parking spaces do not have meters, said John Morgan, environmental services director.
    Under the terms of the five-year lease, first formed in May 2001, the city agreed to pay the church $1,720.22 per month for the first year. The rental rate will increase by 3 percent on a compounded basis for each of the remaining years. The lease will expire May 31, 2021, unless terminated earlier.
    The other provisions of the lease remain. They include allowing the church exclusive use of the parking lot each Sunday, between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and from 6 a.m. to midnight on these religious holidays: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. One space is reserved for the church’s pastor.
— Jane  Smith

By Jane Smith
    
    The city’s policy of just one big event per month during high season will be retested July 5.
    That’s when Garlic Fest founder and organizer Nancy Stewart-Franczak will return to appeal the city’s denial of her holding the 18-year-old festival in February as usual because the Tennis Center has booked the Delray Beach Open for that month.
    On June 21, Stewart-Franczak packed the City Commission chambers with her supporters. Members of the Atlantic High School jazz dance team, wearing their Eaglette uniforms, asked commissioners to save Garlic Fest because it allowed them to earn money to be on the team. Other supporters included the school’s marching band and the local Boy Scout troop, as well as Dada restaurant owner Bruce Feingold.
    Rob Steele, new head of Old School Square, also asked that Garlic Fest be allowed. His budget needs the income. Garlic Fest paid $25,000 this year to Old School Square for use of its site, despite commissioners’ saying they no longer want events on that campus to stop it from becoming “the fairgrounds.”
    Over the years, Garlic Fest, run by the nonprofit Delray Beach Arts Inc., has donated about $600,000 to various groups whose members work at the three-day festival.
    The city is trying to recover costs and has estimated Garlic Fest should pay $61,000 for 2017, more than doubling the nearly $25,000 paid this year.
    Most promoters are seeing at least a doubling of fees because the city’s finance department has developed metrics that cover the entire cost for staff time, including hourly wages, vacation time and pensions. The metrics also consider the cost of staff “on the ground” at events, including maintenance and cleanup, plus administrative time associated with the event, stage rentals, trash boxes and liners, portable toilets, and so on.
    Stewart-Franczak has made changes to the Garlic Fest site plan by eliminating carnival rides and street closings. Delray Beach residents will be allowed in free during two hours on Sunday; all others have to pay.
    Only four commissioners sat on the dais during the June 21 meeting. The mayor was out of town.
    Commissioner Jordana Jarjura said the city provides services for the tennis tournament 10 days before that event starts, overlapping the Garlic Fest’s proposed dates of Feb. 10-12. The city is trying to reduce the stress on services when its public safety departments are dealing with 10-12 overdose calls daily, Jarjura said.
    The commission, chaired by Vice Mayor Al Jacquet, voted twice on the Garlic Fest appeal. The first motion to deny the appeal ended in a tied vote, with Commissioner Shelly Petrolia joining Jacquet to deny it. Commissioners Jarjura and Mitch Katz supported the appeal.
    Jarjura, who has spoken about not voting against policy, tried to put together a compromise vote allowing the Garlic Fest to continue for one year, but in following years not to allow a waiver.
    Stewart-Franczak looked perplexed, saying she didn’t know whether she could find a different site. An exasperated Jarjura said, “Count your votes.”
    The city attorney said the vote would not be binding on future commissions.
    Katz then offered Jarjura’s motion, which also ended in a tied vote. According to Petrolia’s reading of the city charter, that vote would have killed the appeal. But when they turned to City Attorney Noel Pfeffer for guidance, he told them to keep voting.
    Jarjura then offered a motion to table the appeal to the July 5 commission meeting, when the mayor would be present. That motion passed unanimously.

Fest focus now more local
    Delray Beach wants festivals that are town-serving, since it no longer needs to attract masses into downtown as it did 30 years ago.
    Each special event has to pay a nonrefundable $150 application fee, which offsets the event permit fee of $150 for a minor event, $300 for an intermediate and $500 for a major event. Promoters are asked to provide parking solutions during their events.
    “Special events had largely been a free-for-all,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the June 7 commission meeting, “with no coherent strategy or policy or understanding of what these events factually cost the city, or how they impact public safety. … Sixty events in a compressed area is just too much.”
    Before sober homes became an issue, the complaints were all about the festivals, Petrolia said. “We’ve made this decision four times since 2013,” she said. “Tweaking is not what we are looking for.”
    She talked about the festivals drawing more people from outside Delray Beach into downtown. “We have addressed whether we really want that kind of thing. The answer is no,” she said.
    The city commissioners listed five major events they want to host or see happen in the downtown: Veterans Day Parade in November, holiday parade and events in December, tennis tournament in February, St. Patrick’s Day Parade in March, Delray Affair in April. No other major events are allowed in those months in the downtown core. The city also hosts July Fourth events in the summer.
    The fifth annual Wine & Seafood Festival was nixed because the promoter sought a November weekend when the city has set aside that month for its Veterans Day Parade. Stewert-Franczak’s for-profit Festival Management Group runs that festival and the Delray Affair for the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce.
    The festival organizer is trying to reduce costs and allow the Wine & Seafood Festival to fall into the intermediate event category and be able to keep its November date, the city manager said in late June. The costs of city services would have to fall below $20,000 for an event to be characterized as intermediate.
    Chamber of Commerce President Karen Granger was disheartened. “The city is making it difficult for us to recoup the costs,” she said. Her organization had counted on income from the Wine & Seafood Festival to support its pro-business programming.
    “Events helped to create the vibe of the happiest seaside town in America,” she said.
    Bruce Gimmy, who owns the Trouser Shop on Atlantic Avenue, appreciates the more upscale events, such as the Howard Alan crafts and fine arts festivals, that draw clientele to his store. The events don’t have alcohol vendors, creating business for the city’s restaurants, are in the daytime and are free to attend.
    Both Alan festivals were approved on the condition that a parking program is worked out with the city.  The crafts festival, held Thanksgiving weekend, is considered an intermediate event with costs estimated to be $9,362.
    The fine arts festival in January is considered a major event. Costs are estimated at $14,700.
    “We do events all over the country,” Alan said, “and the best are in downtown Delray Beach.”

By Jane Smith

    Delray Beach Vice Mayor Al Jacquet will step down from his City Commission seat on Nov. 8.
    The resignation is non-revocable. He is one of four candidates who qualified to run for the open state House District 88 seat. Qualifying ended at noon June 24. The election will take place Aug. 30.
    Others who qualified are: Angeleta Gray, a former city commission colleague of Jacquet; Edwin Ferguson, a West Palm Beach lawyer; and Sebrina Gillion, of Delray Beach.
    Gray has said County Commissioner Priscilla Taylor encouraged her to get into the race and will do some campaign events together. Jacquet, a lawyer, was an aide to Taylor’s challenger Mack Bernard when he was in the state House.
    Gray, a Realtor, has raised $1,962.03, according to the latest campaign finance report for the period ended May 31. The amount includes a $1,000 personal loan.
    Ferguson raised $13,582.88 during the same time period.
    Jacquet, who opened his campaign account in early January, raised $47,300, as of May 31. His contributors include developers with projects before the city: Atlantic Crossing, iPic and Swinton Commons.
    Gillion, a write-in candidate, qualified on June 22.
    The next campaign finance reports are due on July 1.

By Jane Smith
    
    The stalled Atlantic Crossing project sold in mid-June to partner Edwards Cos., of Ohio, for $38.5 million.
    The nearly 9-acre property, which sits at the prominent corner of Federal Highway and Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach, was sold in two transactions by a partnership controlled by Carl DeSantis, a real estate investor.
    “We are making this additional investment because this is a unique site. Redeveloping two city blocks is a rare opportunity to create a distinctly Delray environment that will benefit the entire community,” said Edwards Cos. President Jeff Edwards. “We’re committed for the long term and are eager to get underway.”
    The eastern side, which houses the aging 78,768-square-foot Atlantic Plaza retail/office complex, sold for $22.7 million.
    Through a partnership, DeSantis, of Delray Beach, lent $16.5 million to Edwards that under the terms of the agreement can increase to $33 million. The four Edwards executives personally guaranteed the loan.
    The mostly vacant western side sold for $15.8 million. Edwards was able to secure a $16 million loan from First Financial Bank of Hamilton, Ohio.
    “As I grow older, I have realized that there is still much I want to accomplish, but only a finite amount of time in which to do so,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. “We have decided to sell Atlantic Crossing to the Edwards Cos., so that we can focus on these opportunities and new ones that we are vetting on a weekly basis.”
    The statement also said that although DeSantis is an active real estate investor, he is not a developer and “certainly not of large projects that take many years to complete. It’s simply not our forte.”
    The sale translates to more than $4 million per acre, which real estate consultant Jack McCabe said was the going rate for vacant land in downtown Delray Beach.
    “Delray’s won the All America City title twice — that’s very prestigious,” McCabe said. “Some of the old-timers are worried about the traffic, but the area is ripe for redevelopment.”
    The sale is subject to the outcome of a $25 million lawsuit, originally filed by the developers in Palm Beach County Circuit Court and now in federal court with an October jury trial date. The complaint has been amended four times.
    The developers sued the city in June 2015 claiming Delray Beach has not certified its site plan that was approved in November 2013 and affirmed by a previous City Commission in January 2014.
    The court recently granted the developers approval to depose 16 individuals, exceeding the limit by six. Mayor Cary Glickstein will be deposed, although Commissioners Shelly Petrolia and Mitch Katz will not.
    The city filed a counterclaim on June 24, requesting the release from escrow of two alleys and parts of Northeast Seventh Avenue.
    When finished, Atlantic Crossing will contain 343 luxury condos and apartments plus 39,394 square feet of restaurants, 37,642 square feet of shops and 83,462 square feet of office space.

By Dan Moffett
 
    Briny Breezes Town Council members gave preliminary approval to extending an agreement with the city of Boynton Beach for fire-rescue services at the town meeting on June 23.
    The town is in the final year of a fire-rescue contract with Boynton Beach that began in 2004, one of the longest-running arrangements of its kind in Palm Beach County.
    Alderman Bobby Jurovaty says the town has been pleased with the service it has received from Boynton Beach.
    “I think they’ve been doing a good job for us,” Jurovaty said. “I really haven’t heard any complaints. We’re happy.”
    Briny Breezes is a participant in a group of six coastal communities that is considering the possibility of forming a coastal fire district and providing its own fire-rescue services. A consultant study commissioned by the group found that Briny Breezes paid $329,813 to Boynton Beach for services in 2015 and is projected to pay roughly $343,000 this year.
    The study, by the Texas-based Matrix Consulting Group, found that Briny Breezes’ average cost per call was $3,300, the lowest among the six coastal communities. Boynton Beach also has turned in one of the best average response times in the group at 5 minutes, 41 seconds.
    In 2015, Boynton Beach responded to 107 calls from Briny Breezes — 26 for fire-related problems and 81 for emergency medical services.
    In other business, the Town Council voted 4-0 (with Alderman James McCormick absent with notice) to approve keeping the tax rate for the 2016-2017 fiscal year at $10 per $1,000 of taxable property value.
    Briny Breezes’ rate has held steady at the 10 mills since 2009, when the council decided to approve more than tripling the previous rate of $3 per $1,000 to deal with rising operating costs, shrinking reserves and the national economic downturn. The increase followed the failed sale of the mobile home park, which drained the town’s reserves. In 2008, the tax rate in Briny Breezes was $2.76.
    Taxable values for the town have edged higher in recent years, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. Briny Breezes’ assessed value for 2015 was $38.56 million and is projected to rise in line with the county’s average increase of roughly 7 percent to $41.38 million in 2016, a 7.3 percent gain.
    The $10 rate is the highest in the county and the highest allowed by state law. The Town Council has scheduled its final budget workshop for Aug. 15 at 10 a.m.

A suspicious fire June 28 consumed the pavilion at Atlantic Dunes Park located on A1A near Linton Boulevard.

Two other fires damaged a tiki hut and a gazebo at private homes in Delray Beach and Gulf Stream on the same night.

The cause of the fires was under investigation. ABOVE: Delray Beach Rescue Capts. Andy Close and Brian Pollack

hose down the remains of the park structure.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

    Boynton Beach will host another workshop on its Town Square project, but this time commissioners have agreed to save the historic high school as part of the 16.5-acre development.
    The Town Square discussion threatened to overwhelm the 2017 planning session held by Boynton Beach on June 25. So, commissioners agreed to host another workshop on Town Square “to get some teeth into the plan,” said Commissioner Joe Casello.
    The city commission will decide the workshop date at their July 5 meeting.
    The four-block Town Square, bounded by Boynton Beach Boulevard on the north and Seacrest Boulevard on the west, houses mainly municipal buildings: City Hall, library, old high school, police headquarters, fire station No. 1, Kids Kingdom Playground, Schoolhouse Children’s Museum, Civic Center, Arts Center and shuffleboard courts.
    City commissioners also want to discuss asking voters to approve a $25 million bond to move the police headquarters and fire station No. 1 out of Town Square onto land at the northeast intersection of North Seacrest Boulevard and Northeast Sixth Avenue. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency owns that parcel.
    The city would build a 25,000-square-foot, three-story headquarters for the Police Department and a firehouse could easily be added, said Colin Groff, new assistant city manager.
    “Putting the public safety complex there would work,” Casello said. “And it would help jump-start the Heart of Boynton area.”
    The date of that discussion also will be determined at the July 5 meeting. At the planning session, commissioners also decided to create a policy to cover special events and monthly happenings. “We want Boynton-centric events,” said new Commissioner Justin Katz. “We don’t want secondhand events rejected by Delray Beach.”
    Garlic Fest was mentioned by three Boynton Beach city commissioners who scoffed at the idea of accepting an event that may be rejected by Delray Beach. Delray’s City Commission will revisit Garlic Fest’s appeal on July 5.
    Boynton Beach commissioners want to expand Pirate Fest, held in October; possibly turn the biennial Kinetics Art Exhibit and Symposium into an annual event, and maybe add a Boynton Brews Fest. Ocean Avenue in the Town Square plan would be a festival street that can be closed to vehicle traffic.
    On the next level of priorities set at the planning session, new Commissioner Christina Romelus proposed a review of parking alternatives at the city’s Oceanfront Park. Currently parking revenue goes to Boynton Beach, but money from parking fines goes to Ocean Ridge. The relationship dates back to the 1930s, when Ocean Ridge was created from Boynton Beach, said Vice Mayor Mack McCray.

By Jane Smith
    
    Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency wants to consolidate plans in its six areas this summer with the goal of giving developers and residents predictability on what can be done at each location.
    “We don’t want to miss the market,” said Vivian Brooks, CRA executive director, to the more than 100 people gathered on a Saturday morning in June at the city library. She is working toward receiving final commission approval in September.
    The CRA held three public workshops with residents, allowing them to select or “vote” on what they liked in each plan for the land use and zoning.
    When Brooks gave the same presentation to a group of real estate professionals, her talk became a “stakeholders forum.”
    “We can’t make our city into a city without your help,” she said.
    Resident Susan Oyer said she agrees with most of the changes, “but my issue is height. We all want to see growth that is well-planned, but none of us want to become like West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale with their concrete canyons.”
    Plus, she said, the taller buildings block the flow of the ocean breezes.
    Some residents, including Barbara Ready, objected to the method the CRA used.
    “The changes should have been voted upon separately if the CRA really wanted some true input,” said Ready, who also chairs the city’s Historic Resources Preservation Board. “Instead, we were basically forced to approve the bad parts with all the rest.”
    She said the intersection of South Federal Highway and Woolbright Road was an example.
    The CRA staff wants to create a mixed-use node to allow up to 60 dwelling units to the acre and 10-story buildings. The northern corners have relatively recent developments, with Las Ventanas apartment complex on the northwest corner and a PNC Bank branch on the northeast.
    On the southwest corner, Sunshine Square did a makeover that allowed Publix to demolish its old store about five years ago and build a new one with 14,000 more square feet. None of the corners will likely be redeveloped in the next 20 years.
    The Riverwalk Plaza owner on the southeast corner wants to demolish the aging shopping center where a Winn-Dixie grocery story was the anchor tenant. In its place, Riverwalk owner Isram Realty wants to build a 10-story apartment project to take advantage of the waterfront views.
    Isram submitted basic plans in December to Boynton Beach. Recently Isram founder Shaul Rikman requested the city not review the project until the Aug. 23 Planning and Development Board meeting to allow him to focus on his family this summer following the death of his father.
    “The stars are aligning on the consolidated plans,” said Kristine de Haseth, executive director of the Florida Coalition for Preservation. “The commission will take up the plans on Aug. 16 that would allow Riverwalk to build 10 stories.”
    The nonprofit coalition is concerned about quality of life and environmental issues created by continued development of South Florida’s barrier islands and coastal communities.
    The property’s current zoning has a 75-foot or 7-story height limitation.
    Boynton Beach Mayor Steven Grant, who attended the public workshop, said he’s not for mixed-use zoning without an office component that could bring higher paying jobs for residents.
    He saw no problems with higher density at the Federal Highway intersections with Boynton Beach Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, which Brooks has said is a future site of a coastal Tri-Rail station on the FEC tracks.
    But Grant objects to increased density at the Woolbright and Federal intersection because it is already congested and three corners would not see redevelopment in the next 20 years.
    “I disagree with spot zoning, spot land use and spot regulations,” said Grant, who beat then-Mayor Jerry Taylor earlier this year in a runoff. Developers with projects in the city, including $2,000 from Isram, donated to help Taylor amass more than $40,000 in campaign contributions. Grant raised less than $3,000.
    Isram’s proposed apartment project would put 100 extra cars daily at the intersection during the morning rush hour, according to its own traffic study, Grant said.
    “I look at how many cars at rush hour,” Grant said. “The developer counts cars over the whole day.”
    During the stakeholders forum, developers objected to the CRA’s plans that call for retail on the ground floor.
    “Everyone wants to have an urban experience,” said Morris Kaplan, head of Kaplan Residential, which builds apartments. “The concept is great, but empty shop space is blight.”
    Rikman, of Isram, agreed the city has a lot to offer. He also said apartment developers are taking a big risk when nearby cities of Delray Beach and Boca Raton can command 20 percent higher rents, based on their better demographics.

The Little House restaurant will reopen as Fork Play with 30 additional seats and an enclosed porch.

Rendering provided

By Jane Smith

    The Little House will become Fork Play when the Boynton Beach eatery opens later this year.
    Its owners received commission approval to add an enclosed porch to increase the restaurant space by 525 square feet with 30 additional seats. The City Commission unanimously approved the request without discussion on June 21.
    The eatery already has 21 seats inside and plans to have 24 seats outside, which will need an outdoor café permit from the city.
    The restaurant will serve small plates called tapas and craft beers and wine.
    A company formed by Ocean Ridge Commissioner Richard Lucibella and his business partner Barbara Ceuleers, paid $335,000 for the 936-square-foot structure at 480 E. Ocean Ave. The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency had owned the building.
    Lucibella plans to lease the restaurant space to Lisa Mercado, who runs the Living Room restaurant on Congress Avenue. He left the naming to Mercado.
    She wants to rename the Little House as Fork Play. It was the original name for the Living Room, she said, because she wanted to serve tapas. She had to change the Living Room’s menu shortly after opening and Fork Play wouldn’t have described the restaurant’s offerings.
    “But now that people understand the concept, it will work out perfectly,” she said.
    Mercado asked Living Room customers about the name Fork Play and another she was considering. “Everyone said they loved Fork Play,” she said.
    In other action, the commission unanimously approved spending $28,100 to repair two picnic shelters at Oceanfront Park and make them wheelchair-accessible.

By Jane Smith

    With clear direction from the new City Commission to save the historic Boynton Beach High School, the Community Redevelopment Agency is seeking a $350,000 matching grant to remove mold, mildew and other environmental hazards inside the building.
    The CRA applied for the Environmental Protection Agency grant in late April through the county’s Economic Sustainability Department. CRA Executive Director Vivian Brooks found out about the matching grant while working with the county department on securing a similar grant for the AmeriGas property on North Federal Highway.
    “The new commission gave unequivocal direction to save the high school in April,” said the newly elected mayor, Steven Grant. He called the previous commission’s stance on saving the old high school “wishy washy.”
    Last fall, then-Mayor Jerry Taylor directed the CRA to add $200,000 to its budget for demolishing the nearly 90-year-old high school.
    Now, if the CRA receives the grant, it will use the demolition money toward its share of the matching grant, Brooks said. She said any extra money would go toward fixing the leaking roof.
    She expected to hear soon whether the CRA would receive the EPA grant. But the county department said the EPA does not have a deadline by which to alert grantees.
    Historic-minded residents are thrilled by the news.
    “It has good bones,” said Barbara Ready, who chairs the city’s Historic Resources Preservation Board. “This will help get it back on track.”
    Susan Oyer, a longtime resident who is a member of the board, said the grant was “a great idea. Anything that jump-starts the renovation is helpful.”
    In the likely event the high school has asbestos, a remediation plan would have to be approved by the Florida Department of Health, spokesman Tim O’Connor said.
    In April, the new commission tabled taking action on an unsolicited proposal from REG Architects and partners on how to repurpose the high school and surrounding land. The new date for reviewing that proposal is August.
    The city has a July 11 court date on its motion to dismiss the claim of an earlier architect who wanted to use the high school as an events center. The City Commission is concerned that using the $20,000 that REG and partners offered to review the soundness of their plan would compromise its position in the lawsuit.

By Dan Moffett

    After hearing complaints from council members about poor communication, South Palm Beach Town Attorney Brad Biggs is proposing a new arrangement that will change how he does his job.
    Biggs told the council to consider renewing his contract and paying him on a retainer basis, rather than with his current arrangement that is based on hourly rates. He said the change will enable him to spend more time at Town Hall and allow him more one-on-one meetings with council members.
    “With the retainer idea, you are kind of in-house but you’re not in-house,” Biggs said during the June 28 meeting. “I think it’s more predictable for the budget. A big benefit is better communication. I know there have been some issues.”
    Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan told Biggs that she wanted to be better informed about the issues he raises at meetings.
    “My concern about communication is that if you’re going to bring something up at a meeting, we need to know about it,” Jordan said. “You owe your allegiance to the town. You are our attorney.”
    Councilman Woody Gorbach criticized Biggs for not attending town events — such as the car show at Plaza del Mar in February and the Memorial Day ceremony at Town Hall.
    “You could have put yourself out to attend them,” Gorbach told Biggs, “but you didn’t come.”
    Vice Mayor Joseph Flagello said he’s never had a problem communicating with Biggs, saying the attorney always returned phone calls promptly.
    “You’re doing a great job for us,” Flagello told him.
    Under the retainer proposal, the town would pay Biggs $4,500 a month. He currently receives $170 per hour and $195 per hour for litigation.
    Town Manager Bob Vitas likes the idea. “Having an in-house attorney one day a week is advantageous,” he said. “The face time is important.”
    Mayor Bonnie Fischer said the council will consider Biggs’ contract during the upcoming budget workshops.
    The relationship between Biggs and several council members appeared to fray in recent months as the town bumped heads with developer Gary Cohen over his construction plans for the old Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn site.
    Cohen wants the town to hold a referendum during the November election that would allow changes to the building code that would enable him to build his condominiums 5 feet above the existing height limits.
    Council members Jordan and Gorbach complained that Biggs hadn’t given them enough information about the legal consequences of Cohen’s request. At the May town meeting, Jordan brought up the idea of putting out requests for proposals from legal firms to take over Biggs’ job with the town.
    Fischer was the deciding vote to turn down Jordan’s motion to advertise the position, but the mayor said she wanted to discuss the matter further at the June meeting.
    Gorbach said Biggs has been difficult for him to reach, and the councilman has suggested that the town might be better off hiring a larger legal firm that has lawyers with special areas of practice, rather than staying with Biggs, who is a single practitioner.
Flagello has been Biggs’ most outspoken ally on the counsel, saying he “unequivocally” supports him and opposing Jordan’s motion.
    “If you have a problem with someone,” Flagello said, “you sit down and talk with them before you start talking about taking their job away. I don’t have a problem with Brad.”
    Biggs has been practicing law in Florida since 1998 and has been South Palm Beach’s attorney for six years.
    He also is the lead legal counsel for Royal Palm Beach and the Village of Golf, has served as assistant counsel for six other municipalities and also has worked for the Palm Beach County League of Cities.
    Biggs worked as an associate attorney with Corbett, White and Davis for 15 years.
    In other business:
    The council set workshop meetings for July 14 and July 19, both beginning at 6 p.m., to discuss budget plans for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.
    Property values are up 7.9 percent in South Palm Beach, increasing tax revenues and giving the council more flexibility to consider capital projects for the town.

By Jane Smith

    All Aboard Florida is continuing to add double tracks and quiet zone devices to south county coastal cities for its Brightline high-speed rail that will link Miami to Orlando along the FEC railroad tracks.
    While the double tracks are installed, the following streets in Delray Beach will be closed: SE 4th Street, 7 a.m. July 5 to 6 p.m. July 8, and East Atlantic Avenue, 7 a.m. July 17 to 6 p.m. July 21.
    The closings for Boca Raton are: Hidden Valley, 7 a.m. July 8 to 6 p.m. July 11; NW 28th Street, 7 a.m. July 19 to 6 p.m. July 21, and NE 2nd Street, 7 a.m. July 24 to 6 p.m. July 28.
    In addition, Hypoluxo Road in Hypoluxo will be closed from 7 a.m. July 15 to 6 p.m. July 20, and Gator Culvert in Lantana will be closed from 7 a.m. July 28 to 6 p.m. Aug. 1.
    Between Miami and West Palm Beach, crossings will be improved for the high-speed rail service with new steel rail, concrete ties, signals and crossing gates. Through a partnership with the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, quiet zones will be paid for and installed at the same time that crossing upgrades are made.

By Jane Smith
    
    Delray Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency will have an additional $5.7 million to spend in the next budget year.
    The extra money comes from an estimated 14.6 percent increase in property tax income and $3.6 million from the long-delayed iPic land sale.
    As CRA board members discussed how to spend that money on June 22 and 23, the city of Delray Beach was there with its proverbial hat in hand. The board agreed to pay 8 percent more into the CRA’s Clean & Safe program, but the city’s request for a more than 260 percent increase for Tennis Center sponsorships was tabled to its July 14 meeting.
    “We do not see the CRA, if you will, as an endless bucket of resources for our operational needs,” City Manager Don Cooper told the board. “Our request for the Clean & Safe area is for use inside the CRA district.”
    The city is not broke, he said, but it has a lot of demands on its resources.
    On the Tennis Center sponsorships, Cooper said he was limited in what he could say because the city has sued the center’s operator, Match Point, to be released from a long-term, no-bid contract. “We appreciate any help you can give us,” he said.
    The 8 percent increase for Clean & Safe would pay for two additional police officers and allow the city to outsource its street-sweeping operation.
    The city has one street sweeper, which is a temperamental piece of equipment, said Michael Coleman, head of the Community Improvement Department. His department oversees Clean & Safe.
    “When the street sweeper breaks down, then it goes out for repair,” Coleman said. “But if we outsource that work, the company would have to provide the street sweeper.”
    City workers sweep the streets three times a week. Downtown is open nearly 24/7 and needs streets swept five days a week, he said. Doing so would cost the CRA $40,000 more.
    The cost of the two police officers for salaries and benefits is $188,625.
    The CRA already pays $2.3 million for the program. A manager oversees the schedule of police officers, code enforcement officers, sanitation and maintenance workers, electricians and the supplies needed to maintain the downtown and allow visitors to feel safe.
    “Feeling safe is a perception, it can’t be measured,” said Police Chief Jeff Goldman. “We can never have enough boots on the ground.”
    The extra officers would allow the program, now in its third year, to put another officer on day shift, Goldman said.
    Larcenies are on the rise in the Clean & Safe area, Goldman said. By May 31, the city recorded 223 thefts of bicycles, purses, cellphones and other items. For all of 2014, 315 larcenies were reported in the area.
    “A lot of our larcenies are due to the recovery industry when people relapse,” he said.
They steal merchandise that can be pawned to feed their drug habits.
    CRA board member Herman Stevens, a criminal lawyer, said he needed more crime data to justify the increase for what he called a “feel-good program.” Delray Beach’s overall crime rate dropped nearly 10 percent between 2015 and 2014.
    One board member asked when the program’s staffing goals would be reached. “The CRA can’t continue to pay for extra officers,” said Cathy Balestriere, CRA vice chairwoman.
    The Tennis Center sponsorships were deemed a city obligation that the CRA has been asked to cover.
    “I say we hold our nose and support our city,” said Bill Branning, on his last day on the CRA board.
    Others, though, want to see the Tennis Center’s financials and a list of the projects the CRA couldn’t do if it covered the sponsorships.
    “It’s pretty much a city function,” said CRA Chairman Reggie Cox. “Even if we agree to cover it, we’re still spending taxpayer dollars.”

Dick Schmidt drew heavily on his experiences in the Caribbean and as a sailor and pilot

when writing his book, The Boy and the Dolphin.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    Accountant. Developer. Pilot. Sailor. Philanthropist.
    Dick Schmidt of Boca Raton wears many hats as CEO of Schmidt Companies and president of the Schmidt Family Foundation. The energetic 72-year-old decided one more was in order — author — and added it to his haberdashery.
    May 10 saw the debut of his first novel, The Boy and the Dolphin, a heartwarming tale that takes place in the Bahamas during the mid-1950s. The book has earned endorsements from esteemed writer Doris Kearns Goodwin and ocean advocate Philippe Cousteau.
    The story follows the life of little Toby Matthias, who is living with his grandparents on an out island near Nassau; his mother and father were killed in a plane crash. One day, Toby encounters a mother dolphin entangled in a fishing net and rescues her. The dolphin’s nearby calf immediately bonds with the young hero, and the two become friends.
    “I drew heavily on my own life for the experiences in the book,” Schmidt said.
    Like Schmidt, Toby grew up sailing the Caribbean. He then attended a preparatory school in Palm Beach.
    The plot thickens when Toby joins the Navy and flies fighter jets during the Vietnam War. Schmidt served in the Army.
    “I couldn’t wait to sit down at my computer and start writing again because I didn’t know what was going to happen next,” Schmidt said. “Or if I knew what was going to happen next, I didn’t know how it was going to happen.”
    In the end, Toby returns to the Bahamas as an adult who hasn’t seen his finned friend in eight years.
    “And, of course, the denouement is, ‘Will he be reunited with this dolphin, and if so, what will be the result?” Schmidt said. “You have to read the book to find out.”
    Schmidt is married to Barbara, founder of the nonprofit organization Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life, for which their daughter, Michelle, works. Son David is a playwright.
— Amy Woods

    Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
    A. I attended grammar school in suburban Chicago, prep school in Palm Beach, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University. Varied school environments broadened my perspective on the world and gave me good background for the book.

    Q. In what professions have you worked, and which ones make you the proudest?
    A. I taught advanced accounting at Florida Atlantic, founded and managed the largest single-office accounting firm in South Florida, developed communities and real estate in Florida, owned and operated corporate-aviation facilities in South Florida and published a novel. I am proud of all of my ventures.
    Q. What advice do you have for young adults selecting a career today?
    A. Unless you envision a career in something requiring a specific education, such as medicine or law, don’t be in a hurry to pick one out. The probability that your life’s work will be doing something you choose for yourself today is remote. Broaden your education as much as possible so that you will be prepared for whatever comes along that turns out to be your true passion.

    Q. How did you choose to make your home in Boca Raton?
    A. I left Chicago with the intention of returning after getting a graduate degree. I chose Boca Raton because my parents lived here, and there was a university of higher education here. All I knew after graduating was that I didn’t want to go back to Chicago.

    Q. What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?
    A. My drive home each evening. I marvel at what an exceptional place this is and what an exciting time it is to live here.

    Q. What book are you reading now?
    A. Hidden Account of the Romanovs, by John Browne, a resident of Palm Beach County.

    Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration or want to relax?
    A. Some classical, some ’60s, ’70s pop. I like a wide variety of music.

    Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you?
    A. Everything in moderation, including moderation.

    Q. Have you had mentors in your life — individuals who have inspired your decisions?
    A. Many. Not by coincidence, one at each turning point in my life. I think most of us will recall an individual of influence in our lives when we needed one.

    Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
    A. Harrison Ford.

The Boy and the Dolphin ($26.95, Landslide Publishing) is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

By Dan Moffett

    MANALAPAN — Over the years, Manalapan’s Ronald Barsanti gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to help poor families, but he also helped them with his hammer and saw.
    “Ron was a skilled carpenter who knew a lot about woodworking,” said Bernard Godek, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Palm Beach County. “He liked to do a lot of the finish work and cabinetry.”
    When the house was built and the family took the keys, Mr. Barsanti was there to wish them well. Godek said those who knew Mr. Barsanti from his service on Habitat’s board of directors understood that the man with the native Chicago accent and sometimes crusty demeanor had a warm and compassionate nature within.
    “He couldn’t keep from tearing up when families got their new homes,” Godek said. “He had a rough exterior, but there was a big soft heart inside. What Ron loved even more than Habitat for Humanities was the families we served.”
    Ronald P. “Ronnie” Barsanti died on June 2 at Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach after a short hospital stay. He was 73.
    Mr. Barsanti moved to Manalapan 11 years ago and served several terms on the town’s architectural board. Two years ago, he was appointed to an open seat on the Town Commission, representing Point Manalapan residents.
    Mayor David Cheifetz describes his “good friend and colleague” as a man for all seasons.
    “Ron was a Renaissance man of sorts — a successful businessman, a professional grade woodworker and a lover of life in general,” Cheifetz said. “Ron gave freely and generously of his time not just to Manalapan but to Habitat for Humanity and the Food Bank as well. I will sorely miss Ron, his friendship, and his contribution to our town will be very difficult to replace.”
    As a commissioner, Mr. Barsanti was a believer in consistent enforcement of building codes and protecting Manalapan’s small-town atmosphere. He worried that plans to overhaul the Plaza del Mar shopping center might go too far and uproot small businesses. Barsanti supported the town’s use of security cameras, believing they are a useful tool for deterring crime.
    “He was a straight-shooter who always said what he believed, regardless of any political fallout,” said Vice Mayor Peter Isaac. “He devoted a lot of his time to helping with various charities. His no-nonsense approach on the dais will be sorely missed.”
    Mr. Barsanti grew up in Chicago and built a successful career as a mechanical engineer, working as a tool-and-die designer and then starting his own plastic injection molding company. Over three decades, he built the company into an enterprise that employed 650 people and supplied products to numerous Fortune 500 corporations.
    Mr. Barsanti is survived by his daughter, Aimee (Dave) Tanking, his grandchildren, Morgan and Mackenzie; his nieces, Christine Schmid and Kathy (Dennis) Spahr, and nephew John Schmid.
    “Ron Barsanti gave of himself — his time and his talent — to an organization he really loved,” said Habitat’s Godek. “He donated more than a half-million dollars to us but, gosh, he gave so much more.”
    The family requests memorial donations go to the Barsanti Family Foundation, 1295 Lands End Road, Manalapan, FL 33462.

    DELRAY BEACH — Maryruth Price Pfeiffer, our beautiful mother and the heart of our family, went to heaven on June 9. She was born on the Fourth of July, 1928, in Dearborn, Mich. Maryruth was the daughter of the late Eleanore and Martin Price.
    She grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and graduated from the Beaumont School. She attended Ursuline College and Case Western Reserve University. She was an honor student, respected by her fellow classmates, and was elected president of her class all through her school years.
    She was an English major who instilled a love of the written and spoken word in her children, grandchildren, and students in the Great Books courses she taught.
    Maryruth lived many years in the Shaker Heights, Ohio, Washington, D.C., New York, and Connecticut areas. After her marriage to Ralph A. Pfeiffer Jr. who predeceased her, she moved to Florida in 1976.
    “Mere,” as she was known to all, gave the gift of unconditional love to her 11 children and their loved ones: Mary Ellen Pfeiffer, Karen Pfeiffer (Harold A. Schaitberger), Christine Pfeiffer, Jo Pfeiffer (Ken Heffner), Ralph A. Pfeiffer III (Donna), Elizabeth Pfeiffer (Charles J. Santos-Buch), John Pfeiffer (Peggy), William Pfeiffer (Julie Andersen), Mary Pfeiffer (deceased),  Nancy Pfeiffer and Thomas Pfeiffer (Julie).  
    She is survived by her 11 grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, one step-grandson-in-law, three grandsons-in-law and five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her devoted sister, Nance Bernet, and her loving nieces and nephews.
    Mere brought joy and light into the hearts of all she met with her wit, style, grace and zest for life. She generously gave to many causes and charities and was most active in the advancement of research for a cure for diabetes. Maryruth was an accomplished piano player and poet who shared her passions for the fine arts, musical theater, film, comedy, New York Times crossword puzzles in ink, and mysteries with her loved ones.
    She was brilliant and hilarious.  She beat everyone in her favorite quiz show, Jeopardy. She was multi-talented and made everything look easy. Mere delighted in dancing to music and enjoyed walking the beach at sunset with her family. She loved anyone who was kind to her children and instantly they became part of the family.
    Mere’s generosity of spirit is exemplified by the phrase for which she will always be remembered: “I love you more.”  
    A memorial Mass will be at St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 4. Her interment will be at a later date.  
    In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions may be made “In Loving Memory of Maryruth Price Pfeiffer” to: Diabetes Research Institute Foundation, 200 S. Park Road, Suite 100, Hollywood, FL 33021. www.diabetesresearch.org/tribute-gift.

— Obituary submitted by the family

Hurricane Alley owner Kim Kelly is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her Boynton Beach raw bar and restaurant.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    Grab a seat toward the end of the bar at Boynton Beach’s landmark Hurricane Alley Raw Bar and Restaurant and you might discover a small plaque, often obscured by ketchup and mustard bottles, honoring the memory of Harvey Oyer, a longtime and well-known real estate man with pioneer roots. (His great-uncle, Charlie Pierce, was one of the legendary Barefoot Mailmen.)
    “He helped me get started and he didn’t give up on me,” says owner Kim Kelly, who first opened the doors to the place in 1996, with Oyer as her landlord. “He’s one of the reasons we’re successful.”
    In exchange for giving Kelly an occasional pass on the rent, Oyer would daily commandeer his reserved seat at the bar and after lunch be handed a bill for just $4, no matter what he ordered.
    While Oyer’s generosity is one of the reasons Hurricane Alley is still here after 20 years, another has to be Kelly herself, a self-described gale force of action behind the hurricane in the restaurant’s name.
    On July 30, Kelly and Hurricane Alley — now a destination restaurant near where Ocean Avenue meets U.S. 1 — will be honoring the restaurant’s 20th anniversary with its “Summer Sizzle” celebration.
    Set to take Boynton by storm, the party from 3 to 11 p.m. will feature three bands, lots of food and a variety of vendors.
“It’s been 20 years and I’ve survived,” Kelly says. “There’s nothing better than surviving a hurricane.”
    It’s not only Kelly and the restaurant that have survived, it’s also the historic 1919 building housing Hurricane Alley that has survived.
    Over the years the space has been everything from a pharmacy to a restaurant and soda shop.
    But it had been vacant for more than a decade when Kelly, a bartender with a business degree, decided to become her own boss.
With lots of drive but little money, Kelly approached Oyer and asked if she could rent the vacant restaurant space.
    “We gutted the place,” she said, adding that she was doing a lot of the work herself, learning to use circular saws and drills.
To make ends meet, Kelly tended bar in West Palm Beach until 4 a.m., then after just a couple of hours of sleep, she got ready to open what was then Café Barista.
    Following six months of hammering and sawing, Kelly’s dream came to life when the cafe opened— but it wasn’t smooth sailing.
    “There were a lot of tears on the back steps,” she says.
    Back then, Kelly did just about everything herself, including working a tiny kitchen — a challenge since she had no idea how to cook.
    “I once called my mom and asked her how to bake a potato,” she said.
    Following four years of struggling, Kelly and two friends — both surfers — sat out back beside the alley and came up with a new name and a new concept.   
    After coming close to closing the doors of what had evolved into a renamed raw bar and seafood restaurant, Kelly landed a loan to expand the kitchen.
    Over the years Hurricane Alley has expanded twice, and last year Kelly added a food truck that she takes on the road. The restaurant, which started with two employees, now has 43.
    She was also part of an important merger of sorts — marrying steady customer Burt Garnsey, whose family has operated the Sea Mist drift-fishing boat for four generations. Now Hurricane Alley offers a “You hook ’em, we cook ’em” deal to folks who bring in their catches from the Sea Mist.
    Kelly says one reason the restaurant has lasted so long is that she is never far away. She works seven days a week and is known to duck into the kitchen and start cooking if orders back up.
    “You can’t own it and walk away,” says Kelly, 53. “That’s how the vision gets lost.”
    Another way to preserve a vision is to make sure the people who supported it through thick and thin are not forgotten.
    So there, at the top of Hurricane Alley’s sandwich menu, you’ll find the Hurricane Harvey, a rare roast beef sandwich that Harvey Oyer would order from his seat by the end of the bar.
    And no, you won’t get it for just $4 (it’s now $9.95), no matter who you are.