By Emily J. Minor

    MANALAPAN — John J. Murphy, a proud Catholic Irishman whose young parents emigrated to America when they were still teenagers, died May 24 with his beloved wife, Pamela, at his side. He was 81.
    A self-made businessman, Mr. Murphy started a school bus company with just one vehicle in his native New Jersey in the late 1960s. He continued to grow the business into the largest private school bus operation in his home state, and the 20th largest in the country.
    It was at a school bus office that he met his wife, Pamela, who was then managing the company’s Ocean County operations. “It just went from there,” she said.
    Soon after they married, the couple began visiting Manalapan on holidays and weekends. They bought a condo, and loved it, but the family dog was big and needed more space. About 12 years ago, they bought a home in Manalapan and have lived there full-time for several years, she said.
    “We just kept staying more and more and we’re Florida residents now,” she said.
    Throughout his successful business career, Mr. Murphy never forgot his two biggest loves: Catholicism and student education. Through their years in Florida, the couple sponsored children they knew personally, privately sending them to private parochial schools, his wife said.   
    They were supporters of Ave Maria University, about 20 miles east of Naples on the edge of the Florida Everglades, and were favored donors at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Lake Worth. In New Jersey, the Murphys gave generously to programs like the Barn for the Poorest of the Poor in Middletown; Trinity Hall, an independent Catholic college prep school for women in Middletown; and the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, in Convent Station.
    Mr. Murphy also served on the Manalapan Town Commission for two years, working to keep the Police Department under the town’s domain and not run by the county sheriff’s office. “That was his baby,” his wife said.
    But he didn’t run for re-election after his term ended in 2014, mostly because of emerging problems with his health. He had stents in his heart, then congestive heart failure, diabetes and then a bout with cancer. When he beat the cancer, the couple went on a cruise to celebrate, his wife said.
    Upon their return, Mr. Murphy developed pneumonia, and really never recovered, she said. His death was peaceful, and she was at his side.
    Mr. Murphy was widely known for his love of life. He enjoyed a good poker game, happy hour — often at their house — and a rousing Kentucky Derby party. He also enjoyed traveling, especially to the island of St. Martin and his parents’ homeland of Ireland, where he had many relatives.
    In his memory, Mrs. Murphy asks that donations be made to Sacred Heart Catholic School, 410 N. M Street, Lake Worth, FL 33460.

The George Snow Scholarship Fund awarded $687,483 to 72 students headed for college. (L-R) Frank Feiler,

Helen Babione, Janice Williams, scholarship recipients Chrismine Louis, Erica Hennessy

and Lauren Smith, Ingrid Fulmer, Bonnie Halperin and Jon Kaye.

Fund President Tim Snow and Spirit of Service honoree Ron Wells.

Photos provided

By Christine Davis

    At the George Snow Scholarship Fund’s annual awards reception in June, the fund made financial commitments of $687,483 in scholarships and scholar-support services to 72 students headed for college.
     Along with financial assistance, each Snow scholar received a gift bag with items that included a coffee maker and blender donated by Jarden Consumer Solutions of Boca Raton, a Microsoft Office Professional productivity suite donated by Microsoft Inc., first-aid kit donated by Boca Raton Regional Hospital, reference charts by Bar Charts, and oral hygiene kits donated by Dr. Douglas A. Rolfe.
    Members of the organization met the recipients and thanked supporters for making the 2015-16 season a successful one. “This night shows us the fruits of our labor, and our donors get to meet the young people who will benefit from their efforts,” President Tim Snow said.
    Also at this reception, Boca Raton resident Ron Wells received the Robert S. Howell Spirit of Service Award, acknowledging his volunteerism, generosity, commitment and unselfishness.
                                
    Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine received initial accreditation from the national Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for residency programs in general surgery and emergency medicine.
    The college’s six-year general-surgery training program is based at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, in collaboration with Bethesda Hospital East, Tenet HealthCare System’s Delray Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center.
     Its three-year emergency-medicine training program is based at Bethesda Hospital East, with St. Mary’s Medical Center and Delray Medical Center.
                                
    In May, the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation for the Everglades forged an agreement with the Everglades Foundation to administer and continue two key programs in 2017: the summer intern program for undergraduate and post-graduate students and its Everglades Symposium.
                                
    Marco and Mara Pindo, owners of Ristorante Sapori, held a fundraising dinner and wine auction to raise awareness and funds to assist Cuban families in need. They served 40 guests, who each paid $100.
The Pindos have already sent helpful items to families in Cuba, but they also are forging ahead with their long-term goals: to open a restaurant in Havana and to teach Cubans how to grow the simple produce needed to sustain it, as well as to use to improve their own diets.
    Marco Pindo also plans to train young Cubans to cook, giving them a career option as tourism grows in Cuba. To donate, either bring items to Ristorante Sapori, 301 Via de Palmas, Boca Raton, or call 367-9779.
                                
    On June 1, marking Fleet Feet Sports’ one-year anniversary in Delray Beach, 55 area residents did a run along A1A in conjunction with Global Running Day. Afterward, participants attended a meet-and-greet with Olympic track and field trial qualifiers Lana Mims, Bryan Jasmin and Ron Similien, who live in South Florida. The Global Running Day celebration evolved from National Running Day in the United States, which was started in 2009 by running groups and race directors.

Aaron Hallyburton, new assistant manager at Caffe Luna Rosa, spent 13 years aboard U.S. Navy ships.

Photo provided

    Welcomed by his stepfather, Fran Marincola, Navy veteran Aaron Hallyburton has joined Caffe Luna Rosa as assistant manager. During Hallyburton’s two decades in the Navy, he spent 13 years at sea aboard three aircraft carriers and two amphibious assault ships, serving as machinist’s mate senior chief.
                                
    In June, the Palm Beach Area chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society named its south county man and woman of the year at the conclusion of the candidates’ 10-week fundraising campaigns: Morgan Tannenbaum, a veterinarian at Regency Veterinary Clinic in Boca Raton, raised $65,237, and Ariel Enisman, an attorney at the Presser Law Firm in Boca Raton, raised $11,862.

The Cool Cars for Nicholas Car Show raised $20,000 for Nicholas McClary, who has Ewing’s sarcoma.

(L-R) Claudia McClary, Ted Vernon, Nicholas McClary and Andrew McClary.

Photo provided

                                
    On May 28, Art of Speed Auto Events and the local car community presented the Cool Cars for Nicholas Car Show at Club 66 in Boynton Beach. The event raised $20,000 for Nicholas McClary, who was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma ­— a bone cancer that affects mainly children — in December. Nicholas is the son of Car Show TV co-founder Andrew McClary.
                                
    The Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce offers summer series Lunch & Learn, “Closing the Skills Gap,” given by CareerSource Palm Beach County, at noon July 21. The free event, open to the public, will be held at the chamber board room, 1880 N. Congress Ave., Suite 214. To reserve a space, call 732-9501.
                                
    Delray Medical Center has earned the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s “Get With the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.”
    To qualify, hospitals must meet measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with tPA, a drug to treat ischemic stroke. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA reduces the effects of stroke and lessens the chance of permanent disability. The medical center is at 5352 Linton Blvd., Delray Beach.

INSET BELOW: McLaughlin (left); Milton (right)
                                
    Samantha McLaughlin and Candace Milton have joined the Leighton Design Group, a residential and commercial interior design firm founded by Chris Leighton in 1989.
    New to the interior design world, Milton was a production assistant and stylist in the television and fashion industries.
McLaughlin has worked in hospitality design in New Jersey for hotel developers.
    The Leighton Design Group specializes in “organic-minimalism styling.” Its Florida studio is at 1020 S. Federal Highway, Suite 104, Delray Beach.
                                

    Boynton Beach resident Carmen C. Howe, vice president of design at Deco One Interiors Group, was named a new member of Executive Women of the Palm Beaches.
                                

    Jayme Renshaw, formerly sales manager for Tiffany & Co. in Boca Raton, is now the group sales manager for Eau Spa at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan.
                                

    The Buzz Agency, 104 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, has acquired Tradewinds Media Partners and hired Enid Atwater as its vice president of public relations. Atwater will manage the agency’s new Palm Beach office at 101 Bradley Place.
                                
     For its 33rd annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention event on Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Delray Beach Police Department will host a rally at the Delray Beach Tennis Center, 201 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, from 6 to 10 p.m.
    Lock your doors, turn on your outside lights to show support, and spend the evening outside with your neighbors and officials. The event will have free music, food, entertainment and activities for your children. It will also feature demonstrations from the Delray Beach Police’s SWAT, K-9 and motorcycle units and the Police Explorers.
                                
     BizBash, a resource for event organizers, released its South Florida Top 100 Events 2015. Among the events listed were the Delray Beach Garlic Fest, No. 2 in the best food-related events, and Delray Affair, No. 3 in best parades and festivals.

                                
     Try out Tryst’s new summer specials: fried chicken dinner with a glass of bubbly on Sundays; “Wine Not?” specials with charcuterie and cheese boards on Tuesdays; burgers and hot dogs on Wednesdays; live entertainment on Thursdays; and late dining Friday and Saturday nights (till 1:30 a.m.). Tryst is at 4 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach.


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

Jennifer Medici carries her son James, 5, during the Cason Color 5K Fun Run

in Delray Beach. Runners and walkers took part in the fundraising event on A1A.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

A 5.4-acre parcel at the south end of Highland Beach is the future site of the county’s Milani Park.

The land won’t be developed as a park for at least four years, but trespassers are holding

parties there, building bonfires and perhaps disturbing turtle nests.

Photo Courtesy Highland Beach

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach town leaders are hoping Palm Beach County will help them in their efforts to end trespassing and illegal activity on a stretch of beachfront property the county has wanted to turn into a park since it purchased the site almost 30 years ago.
    The 5.4-acre parcel at the south end of the town — known as the future site of Milani Park — has been at the center of a long-standing dispute between the county and Highland Beach and its residents, who are opposed to opening the property to the public.
    In 2010, both sides reached an agreement that would delay any development of the park until at least 2020 and possibly for 10 more years after that.   
    Now, however, it seems that trespassers are building bonfires and drinking on the beach, disturbing turtle nests and painting graffiti on a seawall.
    And Highland Beach wants to put a stop to it.
    “Someone is going to get hurt,” said Commissioner Carl Feldman. “I want people to know it is off limits.”
    Town Manager Beverly Brown said the town’s police officers are patrolling the area, but for safety reasons are not traversing a narrow path through the wooded area from State Road A1A to the beach.
    “We don’t allow police officers to go down there alone,” Brown said. “We don’t have the staffing to patrol it on a daily basis.”  
    Brown said trespassers have cut down trees in the wooded area for bonfires and that alcohol and drug use is prevalent. She said a volunteer who works with sea turtle protection stepped on a needle and that stakes marking turtle nests were pulled up and used as firewood.
    “The neighbors are afraid to walk on the beach,” she said.
    Brown, in a letter to the county late last month, asked to have a fence put up to block trespassers.
    Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Director Eric Call said his department is working with Highland Beach to resolve the issue.
    “‘No Trespassing’ signs were posted on the property and maintenance personnel and park rangers are working with town police to monitor access,” Call said.
    County maintenance crews are also visiting the property regularly, he said.
    “As an undeveloped parcel, it is not routinely maintained,” Call said. “However, rangers patrol it daily and maintenance personnel inspect it several times a week for any graffiti or unauthorized use.”
    Call said that the county also inspects the property once a year to determine if exotic plants need to be removed.
    Highland Beach police will continue to respond to calls to the area and work to remove trespassers, Brown said.
    In May, a sign that posted hours and indicated the county park was open appeared on the seawall on the property but it was removed two days later. Call said the sign was the result of an apparent miscommunication between the town and parks department staff and said that additional ‘No trespassing’ signs have been added.
    Late last month, county crews installed a fence blocking entrance to the property from A1A.
    Palm Beach County purchased the property from Cam D. Milani in 1987 for about $4 million, intending to use the site as a beachfront park with a boardwalk and small restaurant.
    Under terms of a 2010 agreement, the county will need to alert the town in 2019 if it plans to develop the property as a park or opt to defer development for another five years.
    Call said he is not aware of any discussion among county leaders regarding the parcel’s future.

By Steve Plunkett

    Along with choosing a new president of the United States, Boca Raton voters in November will be asked to decide the fate of the city-owned Wildflower property.
    The City Council decided to give voters the chance to choose “Yes” or “No” on Nov. 8 whether they agree with a statement: “City-owned land adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway shall only be used for public recreation, public boating access, public streets and city stormwater uses only.”
    A petition drive to possibly overrule the City Council’s intentions to lease the property to the Hillstone Restaurant Group gathered 2,068 signatures, double the 1,030 required. However, their submission came too late to get the question on the Aug. 30 primary election ballot, City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser said.
    The City Council was scheduled to vote July 26 on a land-use change, rezoning the parcel, a conditional use and a 20-year lease to the restaurant group. But after the petition drive’s success, Hillstone requested at the council’s June 14 meeting that consideration of the lease be postponed until Nov. 22 and the conditional use until Dec. 13.
    Mayor Susan Haynie, at her State of the City speech a week earlier, said “the people get to speak” on the future of Wildflower.
    “I certainly don’t support the City Council going around and trying to quickly approve this and get it underway when the people have stood up and want to speak,” Haynie said.
    Boca Raton bought the 2.3-acre parcel on the north side of Palmetto Park Road in 2009 for $7.5 million so residents could have access to the Intracoastal waterfront. It then decided to lease the land, the former site of the Wildflower nightclub, to a restaurateur.
    The proposed lease would have Hillstone pay the city $600,000 a year for five years, with the payments rising every five years to nearly $700,000 annually in years 16 through 20. The city would pay all property taxes and could get added rent if gross sales exceed targets.
    Progress on the restaurant plan did not stop entirely. The city’s Planning and Zoning Board approved the site plan for Hillstone on June 9. And the council introduced ordinances to change the site’s land-use classification and zoning at its June 14 meeting.
    Jack Fox, president of the Beach Condominium Association of Boca Raton and Highland Beach, which has 9,000 residents in the city, said the group’s officers met earlier that day to take a stance.
    “The Beach Condominium Association supports having a waterfront restaurant with dockage for transient boats on the Wildflower location,” Fox said. “The $7.5 million property has sat dormant for nearly a decade … it needs to give us a return on our investment. We shouldn’t allow this kind of thing to happen.”
    A restaurant would also convert an eyesore into a spot with eye appeal and provide boaters a nearby destination, Fox said.
    Jackie Reeves, who sits on the board of directors of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, also supported leasing the land to a restaurant.
    “As a resident and businesswoman, I am exasperated that it actually has not been turned into a revenue-producing property. It has been sidelined for so many years,” she said.
    Stephanie Dimartino, a graduate student, opposed the referendum.
    “I live at the Mark, and I want more walkable dining opportunities downtown,” she said. “This would be a gold mine for 120 new jobs, especially those at Lynn University and Florida Atlantic University majoring in hospitality and business.”
    But Andrea O’Rourke, president of the nearby Golden Triangle Homeowner Association, urged council members to consider the site as an opportunity for “place-making” rather than a site for a restaurant.
    “I have not been to any cities that have a downtown on the waterfront that isn’t utilized in some way as a place-making experience,” she said. “I don’t come back from Chicago or New York City with pictures of the restaurants that I’ve eaten at.”

By Sallie James
and Steve Plunkett

    It’s not over yet.
    Despite a court ruling that Boca Raton city officials erred in giving the Chabad of East Boca Raton permission to build a new synagogue and museum, Chabad officials aren’t giving up the fight.
    Spiritual leader Rabbi Ruvi New on June 27 said the synagogue will appeal.
    “We are going to appeal to the 4th District Court [of Appeal in West Palm Beach],” he said. “We have very strong grounds for an appeal and we are prayerfully optimistic for a positive outcome and for our appeal to be upheld and reverse the current ruling.”
    New acknowledged the setback, admitting that the route to building Chabad of East Boca Raton’s facility has been more challenging than expected.
    “It’s definitely … a more scenic route to our destination than we anticipated, but our resolve to build a center is as strong as ever,” New said. “We’re absolutely not discouraged as much as the opposition would like to delay and derail the project. That will not succeed.”
    He said the deadline to file an appeal is July 8, and he expected Chabad to file its appeal very soon.
    A three-judge panel of the county’s Circuit Court made the ruling on June 6 regarding the proposed building, set to be constructed on Palmetto Park Road east of the Intracoastal Waterway.
    City Council members should have disallowed the My Israel Center museum outright or followed a city code requirement for 239 parking spaces for the facility, the judges said.
    “The city may not pick and choose which sections of the City Code will apply to the ‘My Israel Center,’” they wrote.
    David Roberts, the owner/broker of Royal Palm Properties across the street from the proposed synagogue, at 770 E. Palmetto Park Road, asked the court in August to review the City Council’s approval of the site plan, saying its resolution “departed from the essential requirements of the law.”
    Roberts could not be reached for comment for his reaction to the ruling despite several phone calls.
    The council approved the Chabad’s plans in May 2015, despite the fact that zoning in the area does not permit a museum, Circuit Judges Meenu Sasser and Lisa Small and County Judge Ted Booras wrote in their opinion. Even granting the property owner’s contention that a museum in this case is a “place of public assembly,” they said, officials should have insisted that the .84-acre site have 239 parking spaces, not the 81 approved.
    New earlier had told neighbors that a Chabad providing 81 parking spaces would be “unprecedented” in coastal Florida. The downtown space his congregation leases at 120 NE First Ave. has just five parking spaces, he said. An 11,000-square-foot synagogue in Palm Beach has four and a 35,000-square-foot Chabad in Sunny Isles has 22.
    The Chabad has been trying to find a larger place to meet for years. This is the second time parking has tripped up its plans.
    In 2008 the congregation wanted to move into a 23,000-square-foot building near Mizner Park but was unable to meet parking requirements there.

By Dan Moffett

    Elected officials from six coastal communities will have some difficult decisions to make in evaluating the results of a study that examines the feasibility of creating a barrier island fire district.
    The revised 130-page report from Texas-based Matrix Consulting Group paints a complicated picture of how the six towns — Gulf Stream, Highland Beach, Briny Breezes, Ocean Ridge, Manalapan and South Palm Beach — might unite to provide their own fire-rescue services.
    Tradeoffs between cost and levels of protection permeate consultant Robert Finn’s analysis of what an independent district might look like and what is needed to create and run it.
    A key issue for officials is deciding how many stations are needed to effectively cover the proposed 20-mile district that runs along A1A.
    The plan envisions using existing stations in Manalapan and Highland Beach, with a new station to be built somewhere between Gulf Stream and Ocean Ridge.
    Some officials believe the district will need a fourth station, however, or at least the capability to deploy a fourth rescue unit — added expenses that could make the plan too costly.
    Gulf Stream Town Manager William Thrasher, who has led the exploratory group for the district proposal, says he expects the elected councils and commissions in the six towns to consider the findings this month and then decide whether to move forward.
    “For this to work, we need all six communities to stay involved,” Thrasher said. “That could be difficult considering some of the concerns about cost.”
    South Palm Beach Town Manager Bob Vitas has said his council is unlikely to approve any plan that raises costs.
    Highland Beach may be nearing an agreement for fire service with Delray Beach that could lead the town to pull out of the district group.
    Manalapan Town Manager Linda Stumpf says the town’s current long-term arrangement with Palm Beach County will be hard to beat. Manalapan has its own station and pays a relatively low rate for services that is linked to property values in neighboring South Palm Beach.
    “We have the Cadillac of all deals,” Stumpf said. “No one will ever see that deal again.”
    Still, Thrasher says he expects officials from all six towns to take a hard look at the study and formally support or reject the district plan.
    Among the study’s key findings:
    • The six towns currently pay a combined $6.93 million for their fire-rescue services. The estimated annual cost of operating an independent fire district with three rescue units is $6.15 million, suggesting a potential savings of about $781,000 per year. Adding a fourth rescue unit would cost about $800,000 more and amount to a $33,000 increase over current operating expenses.
    • It would take roughly $7.4 million in capital expenditures to get the district started. This includes about $3.6 million for trucks, vehicles and equipment, as well as another $3.8 million to renovate the Manalapan station and build a new station somewhere near the middle of the district.
    • Mutual aid agreements with mainland providers would be important to “ensure an effective response force can be assembled on structural fires.” Cooperation with mainland providers would help ensure coverage throughout the long, narrow district. The report says a close relationship between Delray Beach and Highland Beach would be necessary to cover the southern end.
    • The cost of buying services from the mainland continues to rise — up a combined 7 percent for the six towns over the past three years. Gulf Stream’s costs rose the most (10.25 percent) and Manalapan and South Palm Beach shared the lowest increase (5.15 percent).
    • Current response times vary significantly — from a high of nine minutes, 20 seconds in Gulf Stream to lows of roughly five minutes, 10 seconds in Manalapan and South Palm Beach.
    • The district would provide coverage to residents in the unincorporated county pocket and recover fees for service through an agreement with Palm Beach County.

By Steve Plunkett

    Boca Raton’s environmental advisory board supports moving quickly on getting money from the Florida Inland Navigation District and the county to restore Lake Wyman.
    Steve Alley, chairman of the panel, showed City Council members a map of the Intracoastal Waterway with the estuaries marked in red for areas lost to dredging of the ICW and to urbanization over the decades.
    Green marked the remaining estuaries; most of the map was red.
    “Right now we have an opportunity at Lake Wyman to put some green back on this map. This is really environmentally significant,” Alley said at the council’s June 13 workshop.
    The project, proposed in 2011, was derailed in 2012 by neighborhood concerns. The environmental advisory board said the concerns were largely answered before they were raised.
    The basic plan is to remove four spoil islands in Lake Wyman, clean out canoe trails in Rutherford and Lake Wyman parks, extend a boardwalk and add some amenities.
    Concern that the county’s Environmental Resources Management Department is not up to the task is unnecessary, Alley said. ERM has a long track record of turning spoil islands into seagrass and mangrove habitat, including projects at Fullerton Island in Jupiter and the Ocean Ridge Natural Area.
    “We’re not launching a space shuttle here. We just need to make a good habitat. That’s exactly what this is doing,” Alley said.
    The advisory panel also discounted worries that the end of the new boardwalk will be 1,700 feet from a restroom, noting that the fourth hole of the Red Reef Golf Course is 1,800 feet from the closest facility.
    Alley said the board supports having a launch area for nonmotorized boats but is against moving the proposed seagrass area north to create an upland hammock area.
    The council should embrace the Lake Wyman plan, Alley said, and not delay improvements by seeking more studies or making major changes to the proposal. Such tweaking would raise costs and allow the area’s mosquito and homeless populations to grow, he said.
    In 2011, the estimated cost of the restoration was just more than $3 million, with FIND contributing $2.1 million and the county and city $450,000 each. This time, a developer from Highland Beach has volunteered to pay for constructing of a mangrove ecosystem at the north end of the project as well as its continued maintenance. The developer needs mitigation credits for mangroves.
    To get the deal done, FIND would want all permits in hand by September 2017. Boca Raton needs to reapply for a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers, which will take a year if there are no big changes to the original plan, more time if new options are chosen.

By Steven J. Smith

    BOCA RATON — Jacqueline Becker led a remarkably active life, marked by a spirited determination to make a difference in the world, according to her grandson, Jon Becker.
    “She was a very driven person, independent and quite headstrong,” Becker said. “She was always in charge, trying to do the right thing and was very focused.”
    Mrs. Becker died on June 12 in hospice at the age of 90, but lived a life rich in accomplishments, he added.
    “Even in her later years in Boca, she sold real estate — but only the best properties between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway,” Becker said. “Work was her pastime and she was a very successful Realtor.”
    Born in New York City in 1926, Mrs. Becker attended prestigious Vassar College, where she majored in music and dramatic production. After graduation, she worked for Decca Records’ artist relations department, accompanying performers Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Ella Fitzgerald and Al Jolson on personal appearances around the U.S.
    “She acted as their liaison,” Becker said. “And during one of those trips, she met my grandfather, Herman, and married him in 1950.”
    The Beckers moved to her husband’s hometown of Terre Haute, Ind., where they raised their two children. It was there she developed a keen interest in community affairs.
    In 1960, however, her life changed at the behest of fellow Vassar alumna Jacqueline Kennedy, who solicited her aid for John F. Kennedy’s successful presidential bid.
    “That served as a springboard for her to found Housewives Effort for Local Progress,” Becker said. “That organization was formed in conjunction with the school system of Terre Haute and served as a predecessor of the PTA, raising money for important educational programs.”
    In 1972, the Beckers moved to Highland Beach and she got active in local government, serving as a member of the Community Appearance Board until they moved again in 1982, to Boca Raton.
    Tragedy struck in 1997, when Mrs. Becker’s son, Rick, died of a sudden heart attack at 44. That spurred the creation and funding of the Rick Becker Memorial CPR Award, which provides annual recognition to a local individual who promotes, saves a life with CPR or provides CPR education to the community.
    “Unfortunately, CPR would not have helped in Rick’s case, but they felt this was something they wanted to do in his memory,” Becker said. “She also funded the Jacqueline L. Becker Award in Political Science at FAU, which is given yearly to a deserving student there. She loved following politics and in her 80s she even helped President Obama’s campaigns, making cold calls to get the vote out for him.”
    In addition to her grandson, Jon Becker, Mrs. Becker is survived by her daughter, Susan M. Becker; a granddaughter, Traci Bartow; and a great-grandson, Max Becker.
    Instead of flowers, please send donations to the Rick Becker Memorial CPR Fund, c/o Boca Raton Firefighter and Paramedic Benevolent Fund, P.O. Box 565, Boca Raton, FL 33429 or the Jacqueline L. Becker Award in Political Science, FAU Foundation Inc., 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431.

By Steve Plunkett

    Two commissioners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District each drew two challengers for the Aug. 30 election.
    Incumbent Dennis Frisch, a podiatrist, will face one-time City Council candidate Craig Ehrnst and medical physicist Shayla Enright.
    Commissioner Earl Starkoff, an information technology services executive, will face John Costello, an accountant, and Erin Wright, who co-owns a home inspection service.
    Steve Engel, the commission’s vice chair, was re-elected to his second four-year term without opposition when no one filed to run against him by noon June 24.
    Ehrnst, 52, is corporate treasurer at NCCI in Boca Raton and has a master’s in business administration from the University of Michigan. He is on the board of directors for the Boca Raton YMCA and the Boca Raton Children’s Museum and spent three years on the city’s Financial Advisory Board. He lost his only run for a City Council seat in 2014.
    “Put residents first! Protect and cherish our most valuable assets,” Ehrnst said.
    Enright, 26, earned dual bachelor’s degrees in physics and chemistry at Florida Atlantic University in 2011, then received a Professional Science Master’s degree in medical physics at FAU in 2014 followed last year by a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Miami.
    This is Enright’s first run for office, but elections are nothing new to her family. Her mother, Jean, is running for her fourth term on the partisan Port of Palm Beach Commission.
    “Unfortunately, there is a discord between the beach and park district and the city of Boca Raton, which prevents things from getting done. I would work to make the communication between the district and city more fluid, and make sure the voices of the residents are heard,” Enright said.
    Frisch, 61, is a graduate of Boca Raton High School and the University of Florida. He earned his medical degree from the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in North Chicago. He has been a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board since 2007 and was first elected to the beach and park commission in 2008.
    “Any reported differences between the city and the district are really quite narrow in comparison to the achievements made together. We must seek continued opportunities to expand green space and facilities for our children and our grandchildren.” Frisch said.
    Costello, 47, who was born and raised in Boca Raton, has a degree from the University of Florida in forest resources and conservation. This is his first run for office.
    “I’d like to bring some fresh ideas and new blood to the commission,” Costello said.
    Starkoff, 67, has an MBA from the University of Miami and is finishing up his 12th year on the commission. He is also past president of the Soccer Association of Boca Raton.
    “I will continue to lead with sound, debt-free fiscal management as a grass-roots listener and voice to protect, preserve and provide all of our residents with the beautiful beaches, open green spaces and parks that define Boca Raton,” Starkoff said.
    Wright, 37, who moved to Boca Raton when she was 6, has a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion from FAU. She was an environmental health and safety specialist at the university before opening her home inspection service with her husband, a city firefighter. Wright was also a member of the city’s Green Living Task Force/Green Living Advisory Board for almost two years.
    “This commission needs a breath of fresh air … someone who is extremely familiar with the beaches and parks and the needs of the young families and citizens of Boca. I am ready to improve the lines of communication between the commission and the city, which I believe is vital to making our beaches and parks the best they can be,” Wright said.
    Beach and park commissioners are paid $80 for each meeting they attend and usually meet twice a month. They oversee a $46 million budget. The elected term begins Jan. 1.
    Aug. 1 is the last day to register to vote in the Aug. 30 contest.

Runners hit the pavement along A1A on June 25 for Cason United Methodist Church’s

Cason Color 5K Fun Run in Delray Beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

    Cason United Methodist Church held its first Cason Color 5K Fun Run, a fundraiser for the church and three other charities, on June 25 at Anchor Park, 340 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach.
    David Schmidt, the youth minister at Cason, spearheaded the planning of this event with the support of the 30 kids in his youth group.
    “We wanted to do something fun but a little bit athletic, but also spiritual,” Schmidt said.
    Schmidt got the idea from The Color Run organizations’ sanctioned events, which feature people throwing colored powder on the racers as they run by. In 2011, they held their first race. In 2015, The Color Run hosted more than 225 events in more than 35 countries. The original race was called “the Happiest 5K on the Planet,” because it “celebrates healthiness, happiness and individuality.”
    Schmidt combined the spirit of that race and a brainstorming session with the church’s congregation to come up with the Cason Color Fun Run.
    Runners and their families met at Anchor Park at 7 a.m. The children from Schmidt’s group ran the color stations. Some people, they found, didn’t want to get messy. Others couldn’t wait.
    But no one wanted to breathe (or have their little ones breathe) in the colored powder used at the official races, so organizers came up with a plan to have face painting and temporary hair dye or hair spray, and the older kids in the youth group manned super-soakers filled with washable paint. They were happy to take aim at any anyone who wanted to be colorful.
    The registration fee of $35 at this timed 5K event benefited Cason United Methodist Church and Habitat for Humanity, as well as two children’s service agencies, the Achievement Center and the Delray Beach Campaign for Grade Level Reading.
    For more information, call 276-5302 or visit www.casonumc.org.

Attendees at the Create a Jewish Legacy event May 23

included (l-r) Mark Schaum and Dale and Ed Filhaber.

Photo provided

Create a Jewish legacy
    $33 million. That’s the amount of money pledged by South Palm Beach County’s synagogues, Jewish agencies, schools and the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County in the first year of their “Create a Jewish Legacy” planned giving campaign.
    The $33.2 million in declarations of intent was the highest amount pledged of any of the 28 “Life & Legacy” participant communities around the country.
    Create a Jewish Legacy is a public awareness campaign designed to help individuals and families support Jewish causes and to build a strong, vibrant community with these future bequests for permanent endowments, according to the federation’s website.
    The 11 CJL organizations in South Palm Beach County secured 293 legacy commitments from 235 individuals.
    On May 23, representatives from the 11 CJL partner agencies celebrated the success of the program with a reception at Zinman Hall on the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County campus. The evening featured live music, gourmet bites and a photo booth.
    The 11 local Life & Legacy participants are the Adolph and Rose Levis JCC, B’nai Torah congregation, Boca Raton Synagogue, Congregation Shaarei Kodesh, Donna Klein Jewish Academy, Katz Hillel Day School of Boca Raton, Jewish Association for Residential Care, Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services, Temple Beth El of Boca Raton and Yeshiva High School.
    Four additional Create a Jewish Legacy partners assisted: Congregation B’nai Israel, Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach, Jewish Education Center of South Florida and Torah Academy of Boca Raton.
    For more information about CJL or the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, visit jewishboca.org.

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

Lori Mizell, executive director of the accreditation commission; Highland Beach Town Manager Beverly Brown,

Lt. Eric Lundberg and Police Chief Craig Hartmann; Eric Aronowitz, department accreditation

and training manager; and Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar, chair of the commission.

Photo provided

By Rich Pollack

    After months of carefully reviewing and realigning its practices and policies to ensure they are as effective as possible, the Highland Beach Police Department late in June received a prestigious certification from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation.
    The end result is that the department will be better at fighting crime, likely resulting in a safer community, said Chief Craig Hartmann.
    “The accreditation is a validation that your agency is being operated as a professional law enforcement agency that meets the same standards that the biggest and best departments in the state meet,” Hartmann said.
    Hartmann said that as a result of going through the arduous accreditation process, the department has developed a comprehensive collection of policies and procedures that will serve as a foundation for its operations, not just for now but for many years to come.
    “It’s a very involved and in-depth process but a very valuable one,” he said. “It creates uniformity and consistency and is a yardstick to measure the effectiveness of your agency.”  
    While earning the accreditation, the town’s Police Department examined a variety of procedures. They ranged from hiring and training, use of computers and day-to-day functions to make sure they met the criteria established by the commission as being the best law enforcement practices.
    “By becoming accredited you’re making sure your policies, protocols and practices all meet standards set by the industry,” Hartmann said.
    He added that because law enforcement is a high-liability, local-government function with unique challenges, many law enforcement agencies of varying sizes are choosing to go through the accreditation process.
    “It’s becoming more and more common for agencies of all sizes,” he said.
    According to the state commission responsible for the certification, the process not only benefits departments that have attained the high standard, it also benefits their communities and officers.
    On its website, the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation says that accreditation helps an agency in its “ability to prevent and control crime through more effective and efficient delivery of law enforcement services.”
    The website also states that accreditation can improve the morale of a department’s employees by increasing confidence in its effectiveness and efficiency.
    Hartmann said prior to the department’s receiving the accreditation, a three-member team of law enforcement professionals visited the department for three days, inspecting everything from the condition of the police vehicles to the way the department uses computers. Inspectors also accompanied officers on patrol.
    “Through the accreditation process, we’re creating the best and safest working environment for our officers and ensuring the best level of service to our residents,” he said.

The latest plan for Mizner 200 has buildings connected on only the first two floors.

Rendering provided

By Mary Hladky

    The developer of Mizner 200 has made substantial changes to its design since initially submitting plans, but the luxury condominium project continues to draw opposition.
    Investments Ltd., the largest owner of commercial properties in downtown Boca Raton, is siding with residents who complain the project is too massive and does not comply with a city ordinance governing downtown development.
    Investments Ltd., led by James Batmasian, is hardly a neutral observer. It is planning a complete makeover of its Royal Palm Place, a 14-acre shopping and dining destination that also includes luxury rentals and office space. Located between Federal Highway and Southeast Mizner Boulevard south of Palmetto Park Road, it sits just west of the proposed Mizner 200.
    The two developments are very different. Mizner 200 would be entirely residential, with between 340 and 384 units. The revamped Royal Palm Place would continue to be mixed use, but its residential component would compete with Mizner 200.
    Representatives of Mizner 200 developer Elad National Properties and architect Garcia Stromberg/GS4Studios have met with Royal Palm Place representatives, said Royal Palm Place architect Doug Mummaw.
    “We voiced our concerns at that meeting,” he said. “We talked about how to make good connectivity between the two properties. We had a good dialogue but … there is some work to be done.”
    Mummaw cited Mizner 200’s length of about 900 feet and contends it does not comply with design elements of the development ordinance. It also will block water views for neighboring property owners, including Royal Palm Place.
    “It is a very massive building,” he said.
    Investments Ltd. may be ready to submit plans to the city in August for two of the seven project phases it plans for Royal Palm Place, Mummaw said.
    Investments Ltd. submitted plans in 2014 but withdrew them in December. The revised proposal will be “really similar” to the earlier plan, with the project components, density and scale largely unchanged, he said.
    The seven buildings would vary in height from three to 14 stories, Mummaw said. The project would fall under the city’s interim design guidelines for that part of downtown, which allow buildings to rise to 140 feet, with an additional 20 feet for decorative features.
    Elad has radically changed its plans for Mizner 200 since it first proposed four towers that rose as high as 30 stories, greatly exceeding the 100-foot height limit at its location.
    Faced with an outcry from downtown residents, Elad reduced the project in January to nine stories — exactly what the city allows.
    Three months later, it cut square footage by 10 percent, decreased the average size of units to 2,000 square feet, increased setbacks and added more green space.
    It also divided the building, in effect, into three sections connected only on the first and second floors, which softens the building’s appearance and opens sight lines to the east.
    Many residents were pleasantly surprised by the redesign, but opposition has not melted. Downtown activists drafted a “white paper” faulting the building’s size and design.
    The strongest complaints are coming from residents of Townsend Place condos, including Boca Beautiful President John Gore, who object to the size of the project and say it will block their water views. Their condos are immediately to the south of Mizner 200.
    A number of critics attended a June 7 meeting of the city’s Community Appearance Board where architect Peter Stromberg presented the changed design. Because this was a preliminary presentation, board members took no action, but several offered suggestions to improve aesthetics, said Vice Chair Mark Jacobsen, a landscape architect.
    “Two or three architects on the board would like the façade to be stepped back from (Mizner Boulevard) a bit,” he said. “For the most part, I think it was relatively well received by the board.”
    While Elad has submitted its plans to the city, further changes apparently are still being made.
    “They said they were in the design process and continuing to refine things,” Jacobsen said.
    Elad did not answer questions from The Coastal Star about any more design changes, except to say, “We are working together with city staff in order to finalize our plans.”

By Steve Plunkett

    Relations between the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District and the city withered in June like an unwatered lawn in the hot Florida sun.
    • District Chairman Robert Rollins listed a year’s worth of failed efforts to get the city to agree to build four more sports fields at the Spanish River Athletic Facility, then urged commissioners to sideline that proposal and finance installing three artificial-turf fields at Patch Reef Park next spring.
    “I don’t believe that we’ll get our [Spanish River] project … underway this fiscal year,” Rollins said.
    • Boca Raton took over development of the master plan for oceanfront Red Reef Park. The district’s consultant, which started on the master plan in July 2014, had prepared three alternatives for commissioners to consider.
    “And as we discussed, it makes sense to hold off the master planning process until the completion of the comprehensive waterfront plan,” Assistant City Manager Mike Woika said in an email to the district.
    • Commissioner Earl Starkoff ended the district’s more than five years of silence on the city’s controversial Wildflower site, saying he thought the city-owned parcel on the Intracoastal Waterway should remain green space instead of housing a Hillstone restaurant.
    “I am pro-park; I am not anti-restaurant,” Starkoff said.
    Rollins updated commissioners June 6 on what he has done since the June 9, 2015, joint meeting between the district board and the City Council intended to speed up projects and improve communications.
    “You’ll have to indulge me because I have a prepared statement that I need to read so that I don’t miss the details,” he said.
    Right after the joint meeting, commissioners sent the council contracts for the fields at Spanish River and beach renourishment. The city said the contracts needed modifications and in November sent back a contract consolidating the Spanish River proposal with all the other agreements the two governments have. District commissioners did not like the city’s revisions and asked Rollins to go to a City Council meeting to explain.
    “The city manager’s office requested that I first meet with the mayor, so on Feb. 24 we met and I went over our request,” Rollins said. Mayor Susan Haynie agreed with the concept of having a separate agreement for Spanish River, he added, and told him to meet with the city manager, “which I did and the first available date was April 4.”
    But when he asked Woika and City Manager Leif Ahnell to support signing a separate agreement, “there was no response,” Rollins said.
    He then went to the May 9 council workshop but “was unable to obtain any positive feedback regarding the … project moving forward.” Instead, Haynie asked that the district submit changes to the proposed global contract.
    Rollins said he also met separately with four City Council members. Jeremy Rodgers was out of town when Rollins tried to reach him.
    “I wanted you to know the time and effort that’s gone into trying to sell this program to our partner. I’m disappointed that at this juncture I have to report to you that I’ve been unsuccessful in getting any commitments,” Rollins said.
    Moving money budgeted for the Spanish River fields to Patch Reef will enable the district to begin construction next spring, Rollins said. The district agreed at last year’s joint meeting to install artificial turf at Patch Reef in a compromise so it could build four grass fields at Spanish River.
    At Red Reef Park, Woika said, the district could finish the first phase of repairing the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s boardwalk but the city would oversee subsequent phases as well as the development of a park master plan and fixes to Gumbo Limbo’s sea tank pumping system.
    “For a number of reasons the city has decided to run all capital projects on city property,” Woika said in his June 12 email. “Therefore, we are looking for transitioning these capital projects to the city.”
    On the Wildflower property, Starkoff said he has refrained from commenting but that it was time to address the issue and asked that commissioners discuss it at their July 11 meeting.
    “The highest and best use of that property is as a public space,” Starkoff said at the June 20 meeting. “We need to define the context for any commercial component that exists within the space, rather than have a plan for a restaurant or any commercial space that leaves public space as a secondary consideration on public land.”
    Commissioners were not entirely sour on their relationship with the city. “I’ve had good conversation with several of the City Council members” Rollins said. “I’m hopeful that with this revised [global contract] we’ll have a favorable response to it.”
    Commissioners also decided to send the council two possible dates for a joint meeting. They had asked to meet together July 25, but the council said it has a full workshop agenda that day.

By Steve Plunkett

    The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District’s interim executive director will stay on the job an additional three months.
    Arthur Koski, who is also the district’s longtime attorney, said in May he would step aside as interim director on Oct. 1 and recommended that Briann Harms, his assistant executive director, take over the top spot.
    But at the June 6 meeting, Harms said the timing was not right.
    “In light of the upcoming elections, I think it would be more appropriate for us to address this at our management meeting in January when we elect officers,” she said after thanking Koski for his recommendation and the district’s commissioners for supporting it.
    Two commission seats are being contested in the Aug. 30 election. The five commissioners customarily pick their chair, vice chair and secretary-treasurer at the first meeting of the calendar year.
    “As long as Art’s good with continuing with the Sunday phone calls [from commissioners] coming in, I think we can wait until then,” Harms said.
    No commissioner has suggested looking for other job candidates.
    “Briann knows how we feel about her,” District Chairman Robert Rollins said. Boca Raton city officials have been pressuring the district to hire a full-time director for months. Officials in December included a clause in a proposed contract between the two governments requiring the district to have a full-time director. City Council member Robert Weinroth made a similar demand in a March email to the district.
    Koski became the district’s interim director after Robert Langford retired in 2012. Koski also has a private law practice downtown.

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach residents living on one of the town’s six publicly owned side streets off State Road A1A are welcome to attend a public information forum on the upcoming water main replacement project that will impact their neighborhoods.
    The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 13 at the town’s public library. Residents will have a chance to learn more about the $2.7 million construction project, which could begin as early as October.
    Hosted by the town and the consulting firm on the project, Mathews Consulting, the forum will provide residents with information about the project’s schedule and which streets might be affected when.
    “Our goal is make sure there are as few inconveniences for our residents as possible,” said Public Works Director Ed Soper.
Soper said no complete road closures are anticipated as crews dig up public rights of way to install new water mains.
    The project is estimated to take about seven months to complete, with crews working on one street at a time.
    The project, designed to improve water quality and volume, will include the replacement of water mains installed as long ago as the 1940s and which are nearing the end of their life expectancy.
    Voters approved funding for the project in March 2015.
    For more information, contact the town of Highland Beach at 278-4548.

INSET BELOW: Prokos and Ursini (left); Sember and Massimino (right)

By Sallie James

    When it comes to saving lives, some Boca Raton Fire Rescue members stand out.
    City Council members recently recognized four of the department’s finest, lauding them for heroism, fast action and dedication while off duty.
    Among the honorees: firefighter/paramedic Randy Prokos, firefighter/paramedic Paula Ursini and Lt. Mike Sember, whose quick thinking and skill all saved lives in critical situations.
    Lt. Mike Massimino was honored as the city’s Firefighter/Paramedic of the Year for 2015.
    Prokos provided emergency medical care to a woman who had collapsed from cardiac arrest inside Renegades Night Club in West Palm Beach. Prokos, who was there off duty, began cardiopulmonary resuscitation until West Palm Beach rescue workers arrived.
    West Palm Beach police said the woman would not have survived the July 18 incident without the CPR Prokos gave.
    Ursini was recognized for saving a woman who was trapped in a sinking car. Ursini was on her way to work when she saw a car veer off Florida’s Turnpike and into a canal. Ursini jumped in, swam out to the sinking car and freed the trapped driver, whose leg was caught under a seat.
    Even though she was in water over her head, Ursini was able to calm the frantic woman and swim her back to shore safely during the Dec. 1 incident.
    Sember, a recreational diver, helped save the life of a friend with whom he was diving July 29, when a problem occurred with the air system they were using. The main airline kinked, causing the duo’s masks to suck into their faces upon inhalation.
    Sember rescued his friend, who had blacked out, and was able to remain calm and get to the surface. Sember, relying on his training, helped rescue workers route his friend to the appropriate medical facility and pinpoint what was wrong.
    Massimino was recognized for his overall professionalism, numerous contributions to the emergency medical service, knowledge of specific medical protocols and overall dedication.
    Boca Raton Fire Rescue spokesman Bob Lemons said it’s all in a day’s work. “These are the kind of things we do all the time, obviously not only while we are on the trucks,” he said. “It’s really not a job you ever leave 100 percent. The skills we have are with us all the time.”

By Steve Plunkett

    Mayor Susan Haynie used her State of the City 2016 speech to cement her place as Boca Raton’s biggest booster.
    Gaining her highest marks are the thriving business community and the explosive growth of Florida Atlantic University and the Boca Raton Regional Hospital. She said the city now provides “destination health care.”
    “They used to say if you got ill you had to go to the airport to get on the plane to go to the Mayo Clinic or the MD Anderson [Center],” she said. “And for an aging population of baby boomers, I think that’s a really important community asset for us.”
    FAU has transformed from a single building to a campus accommodating 30,000.
    “This is what’s fueling the attraction of so many quality businesses here in town, because we have an educated workforce,” Haynie said at the June 7 meeting of the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowner Associations.
    The mayor had the statistics to back up her claims: Boca Raton has 30 of the 62 corporate headquarters in Palm Beach County.
    “So we’ve done a great job as far as attracting businesses here,” she said.
    The city also has 12 million square feet of office space, more than West Palm Beach — “That’s been our challenge, to fill vacancies up,” Haynie said — and has created and retained more than 8,400 jobs in the last six years.
    “That’s an amazing number for a city of this size — 8,400 jobs,” Haynie said. “And the wonderful thing is, these people come and they find homes and they shop in our stores and patronize our restaurants, send their children to our schools. It’s really making us a much younger and more vibrant community.”
    Haynie said the top concerns today are the same as those a local newspaper listed in 1966: traffic flow, speed limits, zoning, high-rise apartments, architectural review standards that relate to community appearance, disposal of city-owned land and parking problems in the downtown business area.
    In the ensuing 50 years the city’s population has swelled from 20,000 to about 93,000.
    “I don’t see us ever going much higher than that. … I never, ever see us exceeding 100,000,” Haynie said.
    That means not annexing the mostly gated communities between the western edges of the city and Florida’s Turnpike, which would dissolve the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District.
    State lawmakers set up the district to disband if the city annexed all the district land out to the turnpike.
    “I don’t ever see the city annexing the beach and park district out of existence,” Haynie said.
    The mayor said the City Council’s top priority this year is developing and evaluating a master plan for the City Hall campus. The first floor of City Hall is still off limits during repairs from the rainfall soaking it got in late March.
    And the Community Center, built in 1968, also is showing signs of age.
    “We love our Community Center, but when you travel to other cities in our county, this is a very sad building,” she said.
    Haynie said there are no plans to move the City Hall and Police Department elsewhere in the city and said an off-the-cuff comment at May’s strategic planning sessions sparked the rumor.
    “I have no intention of relocating City Hall from beyond the campus where we stand today.”
    She also said the council hopes to complete a comprehensive waterfront plan this year.
    In the meantime, she is eagerly waiting for the Hyatt Place hotel to open in a few months at Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road, giving downtown its first hotel in years. Haynie recalled when the only hotel downtown was the since-closed Howard Johnson’s.
    “It’ll be nice to have more of a business-type hotel in our downtown,” she said. “That is something we have wanted for a long time.”

By Sallie James

    It’s finally settled. Boca Raton voters will get the chance to decide two issues on the Aug. 30 primary election ballot: Whether unexpected City Council vacancies should be filled by special election and whether council members should get a raise.
    First, it took the pleas of nearly 20 residents to finally persuade the council to vote “Yes” on the council vacancy issue.
    Resident Geraldine Allerman told council members the charter change was essential.
    “I strongly support this ordinance and I would like to see it changed. We really need a more democratic process,” Allerman said at the June 14 City Council meeting.
    What city officials approved is a slightly revised version of an earlier proposal by council member Scott Singer that tanked in May amid a barrage of criticism. Singer remained adamant about the proposal, saying voters needed the ability to choose someone for an open council seat rather than watch an appointed member serve until the next regularly scheduled city election.
    He reintroduced the measure with revisions. The revised charter change would require council vacancies be filled by special election no later than 90 days after the vacancy occurred. The new version also includes language that outlines the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of holding special elections concurrently with previously scheduled elections.
    “I think the fact there were 17 speakers from the public all unanimously in favor of the change shows how the public feels about this role in government. I am pleased there was unanimous support for this good government provision,” Singer said after the vote. “I am pleased that the council supports the concept of letting the people always choose their elected leaders.”
    Singer first presented the proposal to the council in early May, but it failed after council members expressed concerns about unknown costs, among other things.
    The revised charter change provides that a special election for a council vacancy would take place the Tuesday following the 90th day after the vacancy occurs or as soon as practical. The amendment goes on to say if the vacancy occurs within 150 days of a previously scheduled federal, state, countywide or city election, the special election can be held concurrently.
    Cost has always been a concern. According to Boca Raton City Clerk Susan Saxton, a special election held in conjunction with a primary or general election could cost the city anywhere from $7,500 to $10,000. A stand-alone special election — which would include all actual costs incurred by the county supervisor of elections — would cost between $120,000 and $135,000.
    Mayor Susan Haynie said the revised charter change covered all the bases.
    “I think we have heard from the public. I think all the different combinations, scenarios have been addressed here,” Haynie said. “This isn’t something that happens on a frequent basis. This addresses the stand-alone elections and I intend to support it.”
    City activist Betty Grinnan called the charter change a “no brainer.”
    “It’s a vote for democracy,” Grinnan said.
    The council at the meeting also unanimously approved putting on the Aug. 30 ballot proposed salary increases for the mayor and City Council members, but they changed some of the original proposals made in late April.
    The revised ordinance removes proposed automatic salary increases tied to the County Commission and slightly reduces the previously proposed annual salaries.
    The earlier proposed salary of $38,550 for the mayor was reduced to $38,000 in the revised proposal, and the initial proposed salary of $28,766 for City Council members was reduced to $28,000 in the revision.
    Boca Raton’s mayor is now paid $9,000 a year, while council members are paid $7,200 a year.
    The April proposal from council member Robert Weinroth suggested elected officials get pay raises that more than quadruple their salaries, and stated that if Palm Beach County commissioners’ salaries are raised, Boca Raton council members’ salaries would be raised the same percentage.  
    Weinroth said he proposed the revisions because feedback from the community and the Chamber of Commerce showed support for the increase, but reservations about making them automatic.
    “In the time that has passed I have heard from voters who had misgivings that this salary could continue to rise without their input,” Weinroth said.
    If voters approve the measure, the pay hikes would become effective in October 2017. Previous attempts in 2004 and 2006 to increase the salaries both failed.
    City resident James Hendrey supports the salary increases and thinks they are necessary to attract quality City Council candidates.
    “We are only going to make that happen if people are compensated fairly for the effort you put forward,” Hendrey told council members. “It should not be a windfall, but recognition that you folks are giving to your community in a very great way. I am in favor of this and I think it’s really important.”

By Dan Moffett

    Recent advances in technology could enable Ocean Ridge to move forward with a plan to install license plate recognition cameras along State Road A1A without the blessing of the Florida Department of Transportation.
    Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins says newer versions of the LPR cameras are capable of scanning tags from greater distances, which means the town could install the devices on private property off the roadway and still get satisfactory results.
    In 2014, DOT officials prohibited putting the cameras on state rights of way. But the cameras are used on local roads in many communities across Florida. The state also has allowed communities that installed cameras before the ban — among them Manalapan and Palm Beach — to continue using them.
    Hutchins told town commissioners during their June 6 meeting that he has received assurances from camera vendors that the devices can operate with 92 percent accuracy from a distance of 130 feet, making installation on private property feasible.
    License plate recognition camera systems are not used for surveillance but work by scanning tags of passing cars and comparing that information with tag numbers in databases set up by law enforcement agencies.
    Hutchins said the town would need to place the cameras at the northern and southern boundaries on A1A and at the two bridge sites at East Ocean Avenue and Woolbright Road.
    He said installing the system would cost between $199,000 and $225,000, and annual operating expenses would run between $9,000 and $11,000.
    Putting camera poles on private property creates other complications and legal expenses, however. The town would have to get easements from property owners.