By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer says she met with county environmental officials in March and left convinced they are committed to going ahead with the town’s controversial beach stabilization project.
“The county is definitely moving forward,” Fischer said. “There’s been too much money spent by the county not to take it to fruition.”
Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management officials are working to secure the state permits necessary to begin construction of the project — a $5 million plan, 12 years in the making, to install a network of seven concrete groins along the beaches from the northern boundary of South Palm Beach to the southern edge of Lantana Municipal Beach.
The plan faces fierce opposition.
Manalapan and the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa have threatened legal action, claiming the groins would disrupt the natural flow of sand and hurt their beaches.
Opposition within South Palm Beach has been led by the Concordia East condominium group. The condo association has refused to grant the town and county an easement, and without it workers can’t access the beach for groin installation. Concordia homeowners worry about liability issues and potentially opening their beachfront to public access.
In February, Fischer and other Town Council members softened their support for the project, saying they would be open to other solutions — perhaps a more traditional beach renourishment plan. The mayor says she wants to discuss alternatives with the town’s neighbors.
“We’re trying desperately to get a meeting with Manalapan and Lantana to see their take and keep options open,” she said. “We also want to have a meeting with Concordia East about their easement.”
Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb believes negotiation is in the best interest of all parties.
“We need to work together, neighbor with neighbor, to solve our mutual problems — that includes Manalapan, Lantana, ourselves and Palm Beach,” Gottlieb said. “We need to get something that doesn’t hurt any community and helps all the folks involved, especially the public beach in Lantana.”
Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan thinks the county is doing the right thing by continuing to seek permits for the groins.
“Once we get the permits in place, then we can change what we want to do,” she said. “Then we’d have the options. It doesn’t mean that we have to go with the groins. We can go with restoration and other options.”
After years of watching their beach drift away, South Palm residents likely still have months of waiting ahead before they find out whether government can come up with something to slow the erosion.
“We just have to wait and see,” Fischer said.
In other business,
• Town Manager Mo Thornton says the town is switching to a different AT&T phone system to improve communications at Town Hall. She said the new phones cost “almost exactly the same” as those employees currently use and, frankly, hate.
“It’s almost impossible to carry out the town’s business on the telephone,” Thornton said, “because the service is so bad.”
• The council unanimously approved moving its meetings from the fourth Tuesday of each month to the second Tuesday. The change resolves a scheduling conflict for Town Attorney Glen Torcivia. The council’s new meeting schedule will begin at 7 p.m. May 8.

Winter storms in the Northeast that produced lots of snow and intense wind meant high surf for Palm Beach County in early March.
ABOVE: John Shipley of Delray Beach surfs down the line after being pulled into the wave by a jet ski at the Boynton Inlet. Photo provided by James Arena
BELOW LEFT: Surfers at the Boca Raton Inlet. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
BELOW RIGHT: Waves pound the sand-pumping station at the Boynton Inlet, sending spray more than 35 feet into the air. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

C. W. ‘Bill’ LeRoy, who moved to South Palm 2 ½ years ago, won election with the third-most votes. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb went into the March election with a simple message for South Palm Beach voters.
Gottlieb told them that, after 45 years of living in the town and more than a decade of service as an elected official, no one knows the community better than he does. And because of that long relationship, voters pretty much knew everything they needed to know about Robert Gottlieb.
“In this town, it’s all about the beaches,” he said. “That has to be our priority. People understand that. ”
Gottlieb’s message carried him to an easy victory on March 13 as he led the six-candidate Town Council field with 268 votes. The other incumbent in the race, Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan, finished a distant second with 190, and newcomer C.W. “Bill” LeRoy took the third open seat with 161.
“I’m honored, and I’m humbled and the only thing I care about is our town,” Gottlieb said.
Gottlieb and Jordan claim full two-year terms, and LeRoy takes over the one year remaining on the seat formerly occupied by Joe Flagello, who died suddenly after winning re-election in March 2017.
Jordan, an eight-year veteran on the council, said she will continue to press for tighter fiscal responsibility and transparency on spending. She said the council needs to take a hard look at its state pension obligations to employees and may have to consider other ways to provide benefit compensation.
“Controlling expenses is very difficult with the Florida retirement system,” Jordan said. “A 401(k) might be a way to create savings for the town and encourage employees to contribute their money.”
Gottlieb and Jordan agree that the town has to explore other options to restore its eroding beachfront because the long-awaited beach stabilization project with the county — a plan to install concrete groins to capture and hold sand — appears indefinitely stalled.
“It seems to be moot now,” Jordan said, because of problems obtaining the necessary easements and opposition from Manalapan officials. Jordan said the council has to turn more of its attention to renovating or reconstructing the aging Town Hall.
“A big priority is maintaining the town’s flavor and character,” she said.
LeRoy said he won his seat without putting forth an agenda. “I don’t really have any issues,” he said. “I just want to keep South Palm Beach the beautiful town it already is.”
A native of Peoria, Illinois, LeRoy moved to the town 2 ½ years ago. “I’m very grateful for the friends and neighbors who came out to support me in the election,” he said.
The other three candidates in the race were Raymond McMillan (110 votes), Mary Alessandra Hall (74) and Kevin Hall (68). In all, 349 residents cast ballots, 23.7 percent of the town’s 1,277 registered voters. Fifty-two of the votes were absentee ballots.
There were 175 under-votes, meaning dozens of voters either did not understand they could select three candidates for the three open seats, or consciously chose only one or two and ruled out the other entrants.

Candace Friis, at home in Gulf Stream, says her real estate career feeds her love of people and spaces. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

Degrees in sculpture and economics don’t typically point one to a career in real estate, but that’s where Candace Friis has found her niche for the past 25 years.
“It’s an interesting tale how I got to that,” said Friis, whose work for The Corcoran Group has earned a top Realtor ranking in beach waterfront property by sales volume from both The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends.
“After college, I went to Denmark and then met my husband, Nils, who’s Danish, back in West Virginia (where she grew up),” the Gulf Stream resident, who chose not to share her age, said. “He was very esoteric, with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.
“My plan was to go back and get a degree in architecture, but he said, ‘Don’t do that, go back and get something more solid,’ and he suggested economics. I wouldn’t have planned it, but as it turned out both disciplines worked out for me.”
Their travels ultimately brought them to South Florida, and having done some interior design work in New York City, Friis said she was “attracted to spaces” and decided real estate could “be a great avenue for me.”
“I loved working with people, and I loved the interior spaces, and ultimately I wound up going back to the architecture I never did pursue. I wouldn’t have planned it, but it worked out great.”

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you? 
A: I grew up near Charleston, West Virginia, where my parents owned an historic inn.
Growing up, I was constantly meeting new people and helping out where needed. This “pitch in and help get the job done” attitude was instilled in me as a child. After high school, I attended Goddard College in Vermont and graduated with a BFA in fine art specializing in sculpture. Then, after graduation, I traveled throughout Europe and studied sculpture in Sweden at the renowned Swedish glass factory Orrefors. I fell in love with everything Scandinavian and enrolled in school in Copenhagen, where I studied and became fluent in the Danish language. 
When I returned to the USA, I attended Lehigh University and earned a B.S. in economics. I am fortunate to have a background in both the arts and economics, because both have contributed greatly to the success in my real estate career as well as the other business that my family has developed, Essio Shower, a company which produces a shower device that allows one to take an aromatherapy shower with essential oils.
My background has definitely provided me with an ability to understand people’s needs and to relate to the use of space in our everyday lifestyles. My background in fine arts, specifically sculpture, has provided me with the ability to be instrumental in the design of our products at Essio and the marketing of the products.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? 
A: I have worked and specialized in luxury real estate for the past 25 years and am proud to have been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top 100 real estate professionals in the USA. Further, I consistently achieve the honor of being placed in my firm’s elite Presidents Council, which is comprised of the top 30 producers nationally. I am also on the board of directors for our shower company, Essio Shower.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today? 
A: Work from your passion. Without passion and a love for what you do, you will never have success. Be willing to work hard and never give up.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Gulf Stream? 
A: When we relocated from New York to Florida, we had three small children. The proximity to the Gulf Stream School was really important as it gave us more flexibility with work.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Gulf Stream? 
A: The sense of community and the sense of safety that a small town provides. I believe this feeling of community builds confidence in small children. The beach access and laid-back lifestyle are both awesome and a big wow for me.

Q: What book are you reading now? 
A: A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. It is a book about Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who was placed under house arrest in 1922 when the Bolsheviks spared him from death because of the 1913 revolutionary poem he wrote while he was still in university. 

Q: What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A: When I need inspiration, I like to listen to Adele. Her voice is full of soul, and the fact that she writes most of her own lyrics makes her music more inspirational to me. When I want to relax, I am fortunate enough to live near the ocean, and the sound of the ocean is the most soothing sound I know. It is great to hear it at night.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 
A: “Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.” — Maya Angelou

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: I am inspired by innovators and people who pursue ideas that go beyond existing constraints and create novel solutions born from their own sheer creativity. I am totally inspired by Elon Musk and his ability to view the world through an open lens. My father was definitely an inspiration. He was kind and smart and he let me know he believed a girl could do anything a boy could do and without a shadow of a doubt. He continually believed in me.

Q: If a movie were made of your life, whom would you like to play you?
A: Annette Bening, because she is charismatic, funny, intelligent and sensitive, making her very relatable. But she has a strong presence and is capable of carrying a leading role. She seems like a multifaceted and interesting individual, thus choosing the same in characters/roles.

Concrete power poles have been installed along Southeast Seventh Avenue in the Marina Historic District. Photo provided

By Jane Smith

Florida Power & Light will move four recently installed concrete power poles on Southeast Seventh Avenue in the Marina Historic District.
FPL obtained the proper permits from the Florida Department of Transportation to install 12 poles in the area, according to Lauren Hills, utility spokeswoman. Upgrading the power grid began in March to supply the Atlantic Crossing project and future development in the area, she said.
But the utility did not apply for city permits for the work, City Manager Mark Lauzier said.
As a result, Lauzier stopped the work March 27 until the proper permits were pulled. Four poles were found to be on private property, he said. These will be moved into the city’s right of way.
Lauzier told the City Commission on March 29 that he is starting a new city policy requiring FPL or its contractor to pull a permit if the utility is doing work in the city. He also directed staff to come up with a way to note offsite power supply requirements to major developments going through the city’s review process.
Builder and property owner Michael Marco was pleased with the swift action.
“Although this situation seemingly caught some city officials by surprise, the quick response by the city manager, attorney and engineer under the direction of the outgoing Mayor Cary Glickstein was truly commendable,” Marco said via email on March 29.
“Many Marina Historic District residents were resigned to being overwhelmed and outmaneuvered by FPL, but in this case the city government worked hard on behalf of the citizens.”
Marco’s company bought a Southeast Seventh property in 2015. It subdivided the land into two lots and spent about three years going through the city’s approval process to renovate a home at 55 SE Seventh Ave.
“I’m happy to pay the price to keep the historic character,” he said. “But overnight, FPL just came in and destroyed the character of the neighborhood” by placing a 55-foot-high concrete pole between the lots on private property.
He and four other district property owners appealed to the City Commission on March 20.
“If we had received notice of the power poles or the poles were brought to the attention of the city’s Historic Preservation Board, we would have lobbied against them,” said Dan Sloan, former president of the district homeowners association. “We would have requested they be buried or rerouted from our district.”
Sloan was involved in last year’s negotiated settlement with the proposed Atlantic Crossing project.
At the time of the meetings, Edwards Companies didn’t know how FPL would service the Atlantic Crossing site, said Andrea Knibbs, the project publicist.
“To this date, they still haven’t shared details regarding the design or schedule,” said Don DeVere, Edwards’ vice president.
On March 30, Lauzier met with two FPL representatives to let them know of the policy change and “to improve communications with the city.”
The utility was contrite. “We apologize for the miscommunications to the city and its residents,” Hills said April 2 via email.
After the city permits are obtained, FPL will notify the affected property owners, Hills said. She predicted work would finish at the end of April.

Beads, bands and beer
just part of the fabric
of annual event

More than 100,000 Floridians and snowbirds gathered March 17 along Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach to celebrate the city’s 50th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The current parade organizer has announced that he intends to retire from coordinating the event, but the city pledges to keep the event alive next year.

ABOVE: Over the past decade, the parade has focused on being a patriotic celebration of firefighters, including this group from West Palm Beach. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

LEFT: Joan Fisk of Deerfield Beach, who has attended numerous Delray parades, wears a vintage Power’s Lounge shirt in honor of the late Maury Power, the parade founder. RIGHT: Delray Beach friends Lisa Ophel and Ellie Beckworth are dressed for the occasion. 

ABOVE: David Russo, from West Palm Beach, was one of dozens of marchers from Bethesda Memorial Hospital who gave away beads.

By Jane Smith

The Riverwalk Plaza renovation continues to inch forward.
In late March, the Prime Catch restaurant owner traded a small mangrove strip along the Intracoastal Waterway for 50 guaranteed parking spaces for his patrons in the renovated Riverwalk Plaza.
“The deal is done,” said Luke Therien, whose family owns Prime Catch. “We were sure it would happen. It was just a question of when.”
As of April 3, the exchange was not recorded in the county property records.
Riverwalk Plaza sits at the southwestern base of the Woolbright Road Bridge in Boynton Beach.
After the Winn-Dixie grocery store left the plaza in January 2015, the owners sought land-use and zoning changes for a 10-story apartment complex.
The controversial building — with 326 units and 41,976 square feet of retail space — was approved in January 2017. Construction work for the renovated outparcel buildings is underway. The renovated space will house two restaurants currently in other locations within the plaza: Bond & Smolders and Sushi Simon.
Shaul Rikman, founder and CEO of Isram Realty, which owns Riverwalk Plaza, could not be reached for comment.
The owners of Josie’s Ristorante in Riverwalk questioned Prime Catch’s deal for parking spaces. The Setticasi family said their lease gives them first dibs on the parking in Riverwalk and does not allow for cross agreements.
Isram agreed in February that it could not pay to buy out the 10 years remaining on the restaurant’s lease, Stephanie Setticasi said.
The firm planned to build around the restaurant, Setticasi said.
As of April 2, no updated designs were submitted to the city’s Planning & Zoning Division.

By Emily J. Minor

BRINY BREEZES ­— Alma Coir, who began coming to Briny Breezes in the 1940s when the view out the car window was citrus and cattle, died March 10 after a brief illness. Many town residents grew to know her for her love of reading and, near the end, she spent many hours on the porch, a book in hand, a dog on her lap. Mrs. Coir was 93.
Born in Germany on Aug. 16, 1924, she was the daughter of Dorothea and Wilhelm Gnosa, who moved to the United States very soon after Mrs. Coir was born. The couple chose to settle in rural Michigan because Mrs. Coir’s mother had a brother there. A farm girl who wore homemade dresses, Mrs. Coir often told her children about the one-room school she had attended. 
“She’d often remember being in the third grade and hearing the 12th-grade students get their exercises,” said her son Mark Coir. 
When she got home from school, her parents made a point of sitting with her and her older sister as they learned English and other subjects from the day. 
Later, in middle school, the family moved to Detroit, where Mrs. Coir attended the now-defunct Thomas M. Cooley High School. When she graduated in 1942, she had already met her future husband, Donald Coir, a tool and die worker at Burroughs Corp. Later, Mr. Coir — who died in 2002 at the age of 84 — became an engineer at Burroughs, which manufactured adding machines, typewriters and eventually computers. 
It was Donald Coir who brought Alma Coir to Briny; his parents had discovered the simple beauty of this oceanside campground a few years before the couple’s marriage. After Mr. Coir’s parents died, Donald and Alma Coir bought into Briny Breezes in 1983.
Mark Coir’s father didn’t live long enough to know about the development offer that almost made many Briny Breezes residents millionaires. The 2007 deal never came through. But Mrs. Coir certainly remembered that, said her son, and it was just one of the many excitements she handled with care and deliberation, he said. 
“She was a very kind, compassionate and wise woman,” he said. “She knew how to serve counsel within the family and to keep confidences. That’s a very unusual thing.”
For the most part, the family spent its growing years in Novi, northwest of Detroit, but there were plenty of road trips to Florida when Mark Coir and his three siblings were kids. 
“It was a different Florida,” he said. “We would see those big houses along A1A and wonder about all that money.
“As we got older and more sophisticated and traveled the world, we became more wise and realized that Briny was very unique.”
After her husband died, Mrs. Coir told her kids she wasn’t going to Briny any more. But the very next year she “went a little early and stayed a little longer,” he said. Her last months were spent in the oceanside park she’d come to love, he said. 
In addition to Mark Coir and his partner Diane Schmale, who live near Jacksonville, Mrs. Coir is survived by daughter Kathlyn and her husband, Doug Weier, of Connecticut, who are well known in Briny Breezes; son Ronald and his wife, Sandie, of Michigan; and daughter Doris Hambacher of Chicago.
Seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren also survive her. 
Mrs. Coir was cremated, and services were held March 27 at the Briny Breezes clubhouse. The family asks that Mrs. Coir’s favorite charities be considered for memorials: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

By Jane Smith

Dogs won’t frolic at Oceanfront Park anytime soon.
That’s the recommendation the Boynton Beach Recreation & Parks Board made in late March.
Members voted 5-1 after reviewing a residents’ survey where nearly 70 percent were for allowing dogs on the beach during select days and hours. About 56 percent of the survey takers wanted the dogs to be leashed. Slightly more than 1,100 people responded to the unscientific survey posted on the city’s website.
“Our beach is not the right place to have it,” said Charles Kanter, a board member who made the motion despite the poll result. He said the short length of the beach at 960 feet does not provide enough space for a dog park.
Board member Christina Johnson was for allowing dogs at Oceanfront Park. “Not that many residents would buy the permits,” she said.
The City Commission will discuss the issue on April 20.
Commissioner Joe Casello raised the topic last August after taking his cairn terrier, Charlie, to the dog beach in Jupiter. “He really loves it,” Casello said.
At Jupiter’s Dog Beach, no permits are required for the 2.5-mile stretch of beach. Lately, the town’s vice mayor has talked about decreasing the beach portion where dogs are allowed.
In December, Boynton Beach Mayor Steven Grant asked the parks board to poll residents about allowing dogs on the beach at Oceanfront Park.
The park, while owned by Boynton Beach, sits within the town of Ocean Ridge. That arrangement led to an October meeting between Boynton Beach city staffers and their Ocean Ridge counterparts. The message from Ocean Ridge was clear: Its laws do not allow animals on the public beach. Private beach owners, though, could allow dogs.
Boynton Beach staff delivered that message in December. Even so, Casello wanted to proceed with creating a dog beach.
At the start of the parks board’s discussion, Recreation & Parks Director Wally Majors proposed allowing dogs at Oceanfront Park on three days, Fridays through Sundays, for a limited time each morning and evening.
The morning time would be 7 to 8:30, Majors said. In the evenings from November to March, the hours would be 4:30 to 6, and in the off-season from April to October, the hours could be 5 to 8, he said.
Two board members wanted to know what would happen to the owners who kept their dogs on the beach longer. Would they be fined? That’s to be decided, Majors said.
Monitoring the dog beach at Oceanfront Park would cost between $15,000 and $20,000. The amount would cover hiring a park ranger to enforce the boundaries and time limits and then for a maintenance crew to clean the beach, Majors said.
He didn’t think volunteers could be counted on to do the work, although volunteers run the dog beach in Jupiter.
Majors also wanted people to buy permits to ensure the dogs are up to date on shots.
Asked whether they would be willing to buy a permit, 430 survey takers, or slightly more than 66 percent, said yes and 225 said no.
But 475 people skipped the question. Their lack of response created uncertainty about how many people would buy the permit.

By Dan Moffett

When Briny Breezes Town Council members started considering the idea of creating a manager’s position two years ago, they thought that the right person for the job might be able to increase the amount of state and federal grant money the town receives.
Some council members even suggested that a savvy town manager might be able to generate enough in grants and savings from improved efficiency to offset the part-time job’s $40,000 allotted salary.
The position could actually come close to paying for itself, they reasoned.
Council President Sue Thaler says Briny Breezes is beginning to see those kinds of returns from Dale Sugerman, who became the town’s first manager in January.
Sugerman, with a career in municipal government that spans four decades, has been working to bring tens of thousands in Federal Emergency Management Agency grant money to the town — enough to purchase two or perhaps three trailer-mounted generators to keep Briny functioning during the next bad storm.
“It’s definitely some of what we were hoping for,” Thaler said. “He’s gone after that grant in a very knowledgeable way. He’s got 40 years’ experience and he knows the importance of tying all the knots in a FEMA application and creating the right documentation.”
Sugerman told the council on March 22 that FEMA has committed $15 million to mitigation projects in Palm Beach County, so “there’s a very good chance we will be funded” for the generators.
The manager also reported progress in negotiations with the state over Briny’s population. After the 2010 census, the town’s official population was set at 601, but three years later, the government recalculated it using different methods and lowered the official number to 420.
Population is important because it affects revenue sharing. More people means more state money coming to the town.
Sugerman said he contacted officials at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida, which calculates population estimates for the state, and persuaded them to use the counting methods that resulted in the higher number from 2010.
So, Briny’s population rose by 181 without gaining a resident.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach City Commissioners voted to install themselves as their Community Redevelopment Agency board members.
The members of the CRA board were replaced immediately with the vote.
Citing displeasure with the pace of West Atlantic redevelopment and the $19.5 million of taxpayer dollars at stake, the city commissioners voted 4-1 on April 3 for the takeover.
In May, it will be five years that the CRA has been trying to redevelop three blocks of West Atlantic Avenue. Residents of surrounding neighborhoods have been waiting 20 years for a full-service grocery store.
Meanwhile, the CRA has focused on the flashy, east side of Atlantic Avenue with new projects such as the iPic movie theater and the Atlantic Crossing mixed-use project.
“Thirty-two years ago promises were made that parts of the city would be rebuilt,” said Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson. “There’s been no demonstrable development on West Atlantic Avenue.”
She urged the other commissioners to act boldly and “vote to dissolve the CRA board.”
New commissioner Ryan Boylston said, “I won’t be voting to dissolve the CRA board tonight.”
He wanted to wait until the City Commission goal-setting workshop on April 20 and 21.
Seventeen people spoke about the CRA prior to the vote. Eleven wanted to keep the independent board.
“Why is this the first item of the new commission?” asked Reggie Cox, a CRA board member. “Some would say it’s deceitful, bamboozling.”
Ex-CRA board member Herman Stevens said to Johnson, “Don’t fear the heavy-handed Facebook attack about your decision . . . The CRA should be about community service, not self-service.”
The City Commission will discuss adding two independent members at its April 10 workshop.
Johnson asked at the end of the March 29 organizational meeting to have the takeover resolution discussed on April 3.
On March 7, at the end of a nearly nine-hour meeting, Johnson said she was wrong in voting to keep the CRA board last spring when she was first elected to the commission.
At that point she wanted to dissolve the CRA board because its members were going to reconsider in two days allowing a Publix grocery store to tie up potential development of the 600 block of West Atlantic Avenue for another five years. Because it was less than a week before Election Day — when four of the five commission seats could change — Johnson agreed with her commission colleagues that the optics of the takeover would look bad.
“It’s more dysfunctional than ever,” she said of the CRA board on March 7.
The City Commission had the opportunity last summer to make changes to the CRA board, but only two new members were appointed. Johnson wanted to see a clean sweep with new members in the four open seats. The CRA board has seven members who each serve four-year terms.
Johnson also said some of the CRA board members were disrespectful to CRA Chairwoman Annette Gray with their late arrivals and early departures from the meetings.
“And now, they want to change their bylaws to hold only one meeting a month,” Johnson said on March 7. The CRA board members, all volunteers, meet twice monthly and usually have a workshop session before the second monthly meeting.
At this point in time, the CRA board needs to take action at its meetings, Johnson said.
West Atlantic redevelopment was first talked about in the fall of 2012. Six months later, the CRA made its first request for development proposals for the key 600-800 blocks of West Atlantic Avenue.
The CRA board selected Equity Enterprises USA Inc. in October 2013 to redevelop 6 acres into a mixed-use project, called Uptown Atlantic. Equity agreed to pay the CRA $1 million for the land in May 2014.
The Delray Beach City Commission gave Uptown Atlantic approval in June 2015.
West Atlantic residents rallied behind the Equity project. The proposal involved hiring local contractors and subcontractors and including a grocery store in the project; something the community identified as a need years ago. It also promised to use local contractor Randolph & Dewdney.
Equity parted with Randolph’s company in the second half of 2016 when the contractor couldn’t get bonding for the multimillion-dollar project. When the developer asked for another 120-day extension in December 2016, the CRA board said no.
That move put the CRA board and staff back to square one with the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods, now rebranded as The Set.

By Dan Moffett

New Town Council members Bill Birch and Kathy Gross took the oath of office on March 20, completing a governmental overhaul in Briny Breezes that has been many months in the making.
Besides the addition of the two aldermen, Dale Sugerman, a veteran South Florida administrator, is starting his third month as the first town manager in Briny Breeze’s history.
Roger Bennett, who served as the town’s mayor from 2007 to 2013, returns for another term after defeating Mike Hill in a 3-2 council vote in November.
And Maya Coffield joins the administration as deputy clerk after accepting the job in February.
Birch and Gross were unopposed for their seats, after incumbents Bobby Jurovaty and Jim McCormick withdrew their applications for the March election when the challengers came forward.
McCormick said he wanted to save the town the cost of the election, about $8,000, and Jurovaty said he had grown frustrated by the continued bickering between the council and the corporate board. Both aldermen joined the council in April 2014.
Gross, 58, who has been a full-time resident of Briny for about four years, said she “felt the need to represent the people.” Birch, 64, became a full-time resident in the town a year and a half ago, leaving a career as an architect in New Jersey — experience that may prove useful to the council as it considers ways to enforce and improve the town’s building codes.
Jurovaty’s exit required the council to name a new town clerk pro tem, a statutory mandate that Coffield’s part-time position be backed by an elected official or volunteer resident. The council unanimously approved Alderwoman Christina Adams for the position.

Most shareholders of the Briny Breezes mobile home park are not interested in marketing their community for sale. At least that’s how they voted Feb. 28.
After a petition drive led by a resident — who is also a Realtor — to list Briny for $1 billion, the park’s corporate entity held a vote as part of its annual shareholders meeting to see if residents were interested in pursuing a sale.
More than 66 percent of the votes cast said no to listing Briny Breezes and its assets for sale.
— Staff report

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana will spruce up the town’s 17 bus passenger shelters and benches in April.
Each will be sandblasted, primed and get a fresh coat of regal blue paint.
The shelters are 17 years old and haven’t been repainted before, says Linda Brien, the town’s director of operations.
“We are projecting the work will take about two weeks,” Brien said. Albright Construction LLC will do the job, which will cost the town $7,650.
Brien said the town had received some comments about the condition of the bus stops.
In other news:
• Mayor David Stewart was sworn in for another three years. He had no opposition, so the town didn’t have an election in March.
• Council members chose Ed Shropshire as vice mayor and Malcolm Balfour as vice mayor pro tem.
• The council waived the rental fee for the Recreation Center to permit a tent to be installed for the annual Fishing Derby from April 19-May 9. The fee is normally $25 an hour on weekdays and $75 an hour on weekend days.
• The town hired Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing Co. to put on the fireworks show for the Fourth of July at a cost of $30,000. Ú

The revamped visitors center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It contains brochures about local merchants, a Delray Beach map and a historic-photo display. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

The Delray Beach Visitor Information Center, at 2 S. Ocean Blvd., re-opened with a new look and triple the space in March. It has new floors, ceilings, windows, doors, racks to hold brochures about local merchants, and a Delray Beach map and historic-photo display.
The center was a renovation project of the Downtown Development Authority’s partnership with the city of Delray Beach. Architect Roy Simon and interior designer Maura Taft donated their services.
“With this updated look and feel, we can really showcase all that our Village by the Sea has to offer,” said Laura Simon, the Downtown Development Authority’s executive director.
The center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day.

To be in the know about Delray Beach happenings, check out DelrayBeachCalendar.com, covering 10 categories. The calendar is open to all producers holding events in Delray Beach.
“This initiative was the brainchild of Old School Square’s Rob Steele, brought up at a Downtown Development Authority team meeting, with the city of Delray Beach paying for the website, the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce developing the site, and the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative administering, promoting and running it,” said Stephanie Immelman, executive director of the Marketing Cooperative.

Dorothy Ellington, president and CEO of the Delray Beach Housing Authority, recently addressed members of the Sunrise Kiwanis Club. She spoke about the challenges the Housing Authority faced in redeveloping the former Carver Estates Public Housing complex that was devastated by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The site is now home to 144 families with children and 84 households with members 55 and older. 

Royal Investment Group moved its headquarters from Orlando to Mizner Park in Boca Raton, signing a 10-year lease for 5,316 square feet of space in the office tower. Broker Kathleen Yonce, of Boca Raton-based Key Investment Advisors, represented the tenant in the deal. According to its website, Royal Investment Group is an independent broker dealer of real estate that does investment banking, brokerage and design-build services on behalf of major real estate investors.

Caspian Delray Beach, a mixed-use development at 190 S. Federal Highway with 146 apartments and 3,478 square feet of retail and office space, has four suites available for lease. The suites range in size from 795 to 930 square feet and are priced under $40 per square foot gross. For more information, call Nicole Fontaine, director of leasing and sales for Katz & Associates, at 869-4350, or Roxanne Register, vice president of leasing and sales at Katz & Associates, at 869-4346.

Menin Development Inc. received final site-plan approval from the city of Delray Beach on its hotel development, The Ray, to be located in the Pineapple Grove Arts District of downtown. Designed by Gonzalez Architects in Miami, The Ray is scheduled to be completed fall 2019. Features include 143 rooms and suites, three restaurants, an event space, rooftop pool and lounge area and fitness center.

Morse Operations Inc. received $114.3 million in financing last month for 10 automobile dealerships in Florida. Midvale, Utah-based Ally Bank is the lender, according to property records. It covers dealerships in Brandon, Tampa, Lakeland, Port Richey, Delray Beach, Riviera Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise and Lake Park. The company said it is planning to expand.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate hosted its annual awards celebration, the Ellies, on March 5, to honor its top performers at Etaru Restaurant in Hallandale Beach. Four of the top agents were (l-r) Steven Solomon, Ingrid Carlos, Sue Tauriello and Erik Ring. Photo provided

Hedge-fund manager and Miami Worldcenter co-developer William Powers sold his estate at 901 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, for $26.75 million. The sale was recorded on March 20. Powers paid $19 million for the property in 2015 about a year after it was built. Devin Kay of Douglas Elliman held the listing. Nicholas Malinosky of Douglas Elliman represented the buyer, QCRE VII, a Delaware limited liability company with a New York address. Affiniti Architects designed the five-bedroom house, which was built by Boca Raton developer Mark Timothy. Interiors were designed by Marc-Michaels Interior Design.

An ocean-to-Intracoastal estate at 1920 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan was recently listed by Premier Estate Properties’ broker associate Pascal Liguori for $16.9 million. Recording star Billy Joel paid just under $12 million for the home in 2014 and listed it for sale in 2015 for $19.5 million. This is one of three Manalapan properties owned by Joel.
Built in 2005 and renovated in 2015, it is sited on 1.88 acres. The furnished eight-bedroom house has 13,216 total square feet, and features marble floors, pecky-cypress ceilings and Chicago-brick accents.
It appears Joel and family are expanding their Wellington holdings. Wife Alexis Roderick is an accomplished equestrian, and, as of Jan. 25, they own a farm on Palm Beach Point Blvd., adjacent to a ranch they bought in 2016. For information on the Manalapan estate, call 866-502-5441.

In February, Premier Estate Properties’ D’Angelo/Liguori team listed 2020 Royal Palm Way in Boca Raton for $14.75 million. The home has 96 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway, 11,504 total square feet and five bedrooms. It was built by Bloomfield Construction.
Also, scheduled to be completed by year’s end, a Georgian-style home under construction at 4081 Ibis Point Circle in The Sanctuary was just listed by the D’Angelo/Liguori team for a preconstruction price of $8.95 million. With six bedrooms and 8,966 square feet of interior space, the home is being developed by Dan Swanson of Addison Development Group.
Another property recently listed by the D’Angelo/Liguori team is a new “Tropical Modern” home at 1141 Spanish River Road, Boca Raton. Priced at $10.495 million, it was constructed by JH Norman Construction and designed by Brenner Architecture Group. The five-bedroom, 12,533-square-foot home has water views from all major rooms. For information, call 866-281-2158.

Illustrated Properties, a member of The Keyes Family of Companies, has listed a brand-new mansion in Boca Raton for $11.5 million. Kathryn Gillespie is the listing agent for the 899 Enfield St. property. Developer Mary Widmer of JMW Florida Properties designed and developed the six-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot estate. The estate was built by Ed Clement of Sabre Custom Homes. 

Stephen and Marla Garchik purchased a 10,500-square-foot estate at 2474 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach, from Richard Chaifetz for $8.417 million, according to property records. Chaifetz bought the property in 2000 for $7 million. Chaifetz is the founder and CEO of ComPsych Corp. Stephen Garchik is president of SJM Partners, a company that specializes in developing and managing commercial and residential projects throughout the eastern U.S., according to its website.

A local group from the Realtors Political Action Committee met with Florida senators and representatives in Tallahassee to ask for support on real estate-related issues. They included reducing assignment of benefits abuse that drives up insurance premiums for property owners; reducing the business rent tax; enacting legislation concerning vacation rentals that treats homeowners equitably; and increasing funding for the housing trust funds.

Sales of single-family homes in Palm Beach County, priced at $300,000 and above, made double-digit jumps year-over-year in February, with the greatest jump, 33.8 percent, in homes ranging from $300,000 to $399,999, the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale reported. There was an 11.6 percent increase in the sale of homes $400,000 to $599,999; a 12.4 percent increase in homes $600,000 to $999,999, and a 17 percent increase in homes $1 million and up. 
Overall, there was a 4.8 percent year-over-year increase in closed sales, with a 2.9 percent decrease in cash transactions. The median sale price increased 9.5 percent to $345,000, and the median time to contract decreased 15.6 percent to 54 days.
In addition, inventory (active listings) decreased by 4 percent and the months’ supply of inventory decreased 3.7 percent to 5.2 months. 

Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa and Eau Spa received Forbes’ five-star award for the third year in a row as part of Forbes Travel Guide’s 2018 ratings. The Boca Beach Club received a four-star award; Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach received a five-star; Jove Kitchen & Bar, located within the Four Seasons, received a four-star; and Palm Beach Spa at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach received a five-star.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County won five American Advertising Awards from the American Advertising Federation of the Treasure Coast, in recognition of its work to promote Palm Beach County as a cultural tourism destination. 
The council received three Addys for its “Where Culture Always Shines” advertising campaign. Its online “Spring Training” campaign won a gold award, and the “About the Cultural Council” brochure took a silver award.

The Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce is growing, with 15 businesses added in January and February, making it well on its way to meeting its goal to add 70 members by the end of 2018.
“We are currently 40 percent ahead of projections,” said Michael Mohl, chairman of the chamber’s board. “With a very successful gala in January, we now turn our attention to our second annual Small Business Bow Tie 5K run, which will be held on April 14 at the Boynton Beach Mall.” The mall is at 801 Congress Ave. Registration will start at 6:30 a.m. and the run and walk will start at 7:30. The price to participate is $30, plus a $2.50 sign-up fee. The family-friendly 5K run is competitive and timed. For more information, call 927-7331 or email  chamber@boyntonbeach.org.

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host a Hot Topic Luncheon on the “New Role of State Colleges,” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18 at the Atlantis Country Club, 190 Atlantis Blvd., Lake Worth.
Special guest speaker will be Ava Parker, president of Palm Beach State College. Before joining the college in 2015, Parker was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Florida Polytechnic University. Tickets are $25 per person until April 11, and $35 after that date. RSVPs are requested at www.lwvpbc.org or by calling 968-4123.

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

By Steve Plunkett

If you thought construction crews would vanish from Interstate 95 as work on the Spanish River Boulevard interchange wound down, guess again.
In a combined open house/public meeting March 14, state transportation officials reviewed plans to convert high occupancy vehicle lanes from Deerfield Beach to Delray Beach into “express” toll lanes over the next eight years. The projects include redoing the I-95 interchanges at Glades Road and Linton Boulevard.
Work has already started on the $102 million first phase, adding two toll lanes in both directions from south of Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach to south of Glades Road. When finished in 2022, the interstate will be at least six lanes wide each way, two with tolls and four without.
Motorists on the express lanes in Miami-Dade County pay tolls of 50 cents to $10.50, depending on time of day and congestion. The goal is to keep traffic in the express lanes moving at an average speed of 45 to 50 mph, the Florida Department of Transportation says.
Also during the first phase, the bridge over the Hillsboro Canal will be replaced, and bridges over Camino Real and Palmetto Park Road will be widened.
The second phase, estimated to cost $130 million, will take the toll lanes from south of Glades to south of Linton and improve the exit and entrance ramps at both interchanges. Engineers will add traffic signals on entrance ramps to optimize the merging of traffic at both highways and at Spanish River, Yamato Road and Congress Avenue. Construction is planned to start in 2020 and end in 2024.
When it’s finished, “if you enter south of Congress, you can travel on the express lane system all the way to Miami,” state DOT project manager Vanita Saini said.
Bridges will also have to be widened in the second phase, notably the one over the C-15 canal separating Boca Raton and Delray Beach. The bridge on Clint Moore Road will be replaced.
FDOT spokeswoman Andi Pacini said 220 construction days, a little more than seven months’ time, was added to the Spanish River interchange project to widen the bridges in anticipation of the express lane work and “to avoid having major impacts to motorists.”
The Glades Road work will include adding triple-lane left- and right-turn lanes on both the southbound and northbound exit ramps, widening Glades Road and the bridges over I-95 and Military Trail to make room for auxiliary lanes and ramps, reconstructing both southbound entrance ramps, and building a bridge over Airport Road for westbound Glades traffic headed to I-95.
At Linton Boulevard, all the entrance and exit ramps will be reconstructed and Linton will be widened to add auxiliary lanes in both directions.

By Jane Smith

Hudson Holdings promoted its massive Midtown Delray project one last time prior to its City Commission review.
Before the March 6 Delray Beach meeting, two young women stood before the entrance of City Hall, holding baskets full of hand-held signs: APPROVE MIDTOWN YES!
More than six hours later, the 7-acre mixed-use project at the southwest corner of Swinton and Atlantic avenues received a conditional approval by a 4-1 vote.
“We’re obviously happy,” said Steven Michael, a principal in Hudson Holdings. “We are ready to move forward quickly with the design changes.”
He plans to submit design changes for the proposed building on Atlantic Avenue in the second week of April. Then, according to Tim Stillings, the city’s planning and zoning director, planning staff will take about four weeks to review the changes and get them onto a commission agenda.
“Practically speaking, the approvals they received are largely meaningless without approval of the main buildings,” then-Mayor Cary Glickstein said in an email. “I think it will be a great addition to the area, assuming it ever gets out of the ground.”
Midtown Delray was reviewed initially by the city’s Historic Preservation Board. The development houses some of the city’s oldest structures: Cathcart House and Sundy House, built in 1902, and the Rectory, built in 1912.
The board turned down the project twice last year. Members considered most of the new buildings too massive compared with the one- and two-story historic structures. The board also didn’t like that the historic homes would be moved closer to the street to allow the entire block to be stripped of its lush landscaping and a big hole dug for an underground parking garage.
The historic homes then would be moved a second time with better foundations and handicap access. They would sit on top of the garage in a faux park setting.
“This project is the antithesis of historic preservation,” said John Miller, historic board chairman, after the commission meeting. “There were many paths this project could have taken but the developer was out to maximize return from the beginning — which is their prerogative.
“But our boards and commission also have an obligation to protect our historic districts by allowing only appropriate infill which is sensitive and complementary to our historic districts … which in my opinion, they failed to do.”
Hudson Holdings agreed to 18 conditions, including paying $139,800 to the Delray Beach Tree Trust Fund to compensate for removing hundreds of trees; giving $100,000 grants to historic districts in Frog Alley and The Set, the new name for the northwest and southwest neighborhoods; creating a jobs program for residents of The Set; and putting up a $1 million bond that guarantees construction will start within two years.
For the project to work, the city will abandon an alley in the first block of Swinton. “How much is an alley worth?” asked JoAnn Peart, president of the Delray Beach Historic Preservation Trust, during public comment. “It’s got to be at least $1 million.”
Later, she said the city’s comprehensive plan specifically addresses not abandoning alleys in the historic district. Midtown Delray sits in the southern half of the Old School Square Historic District. The Midtown vote made an exception to the plan.
Peart was among 35 speakers who talked about the project.
Fifteen were for it, including Sophia Trionfo, who lives one block from Midtown Delray. She said it was a good project and asked commissioners to “throw us a bone” in the southwest neighborhoods.
“What about the remaining 60,000 residents who live in the city and the generations to come?” asked board chairman Miller, raising the question of whether the city was wiping out its history.
Then-Commissioner Shelly Petrolia cast the lone vote against the project.
“It flies in the face of what we should be protecting,” she said. “They would scrape the ground, move the homes, dig a big hole and then move them back and on top of concrete. They [the homes] wouldn’t be in a natural setting.”
Petrolia, who was elected mayor March 13, said she is not against development in that area or in The Set. She would like to see “South Swinton be redeveloped like North Swinton where historic homes are reused as offices and restaurants, surrounded by grass and trees.”
Midtown Delray is a joint venture between Hudson Holdings and its investor, Rick Marshall.
The development was scheduled to be reviewed by the commission in early February. But Hudson Holdings made last-minute changes the staff hadn’t seen. This included altering Building 9, on Southwest First Avenue, to be split into two buildings and Building 8, on Southwest First Street, to be broken into three buildings.
Even with those changes, the project’s main building, with four floors, on Atlantic Avenue was seen as massive by many in early March.
Then-Vice Mayor Jim Chard suggested removing the fourth floor so that the main building would be only three stories.
“I was all prepared to vote against it,” Chard said. “But then the developer discussed the change with his team and they agreed to make the change.”
Glickstein also wanted the back of the building redesigned to make it more aesthetically pleasing because it faced the historic structures. “Right now, it looks like a Motel 6 from behind,” Glickstein said.
Then-Commissioner Mitch Katz, who made the suggestion of requiring a $1 million bond, said, “If not this project, then what?”
Peart’s group issued this statement in late March: “We are encouraged by Mayor Glickstein’s insistence that they modify the façade of the building [facing Atlantic] that is so inconsistent with the historic district.”
After considering their options, the Historic Preservation Trust members decided not to sue the city to stop Midtown Delray.
“It’s so much better than in the beginning when the developer proposed moving the historic homes across Swinton to create a historic village,” Peart said after the meeting. “I have mixed emotions.”

ABOVE: When not competing, training or traveling, Kevin Anderson likes to relax in his Gulf Stream home with his guitar and new dog, Lady Kady. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

ABOVE: He spends hours stretching and practicing in an effort to remain competitive and prevent injuries. Anderson’s run of success includes reaching the quarterfinals at the Miami Open.

By Steve Pike
 
Trophies and traveling bags fill Kevin Anderson’s Gulf Stream home, but the world’s No. 8-ranked men’s tennis player seems oblivious to all of it except for the little dog at the feet of his 6-foot-8 frame.
“This is Lady Kady,’’ Anderson told a visitor in his South African accent. “My wife and I got her from Dezzy’s Second Chance Animal Rescue. She’s a ‘Chiweenie,’ part chihuahua and part dachshund. We saw her at the green market a year ago this past January. We always wanted a dog and went for her. She travels with us.’’
Lady Kady’s arrival as Kevin and Kelsey Anderson’s traveling mate has coincided with a run of success in Kevin’s career. He made his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open in September, losing to Rafael Nadal in three sets, and won the inaugural New York Open in February. It was the fourth ATP title of Anderson’s 11-year professional career and propelled him into the top 10 for the second time since 2015.
 Following a quarterfinal loss at the Indian Wells Masters last month, Anderson returned to Gulf Stream to prepare for the Miami Open, where he also reached the quarterfinals, dropping a tiebreaker in the decisive third set.
His swift start to the 2018 season is in contrast to his 2017 start, which was marked by several early-round exits, including a second-round loss in Miami, as he attempted to come back from an injury-plagued 2016.
“Last year was more about recovery,’’ said Anderson, who trains at the Delray Tennis Center, ProWorld Tennis in Delray Beach and Boca Grove Plantation in Boca Raton. “There are no more injuries.’’
Anderson’s return to the top 10 and his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open — he was the first South African to reach a Grand Slam final since Kevin Curren at the 1984 Australian Open — means he has a target on his back. But that’s much easier to handle than knee and shoulder injuries.
“My goals are set. I know what I want to achieve this year,’’ said Anderson, who has dual South African and U.S. citizenship and plays under the South African flag. “One was to get back into the top 10, which I’ve done. I want to finish the year in the top eight and qualify for the London Masters.
“Each match is its own challenge, regardless of what has happened in the past. I can draw from previous experience — maybe from a Grand Slam setting — but now that I’m back in the top 10, I know every opponent I’m playing is looking to beat a top 10 player. I know what that was like when I was playing a top 10 player. But I’ve worked hard to be where I’m at and have confidence in my game.’’
Anderson points to hard work — whether on the hard courts of the Delray Tennis Center, the clay courts at Boca Grove and even the grass courts in golf legend Jack Nicklaus’ North Palm Beach backyard — and improved health as making the difference in his game. In other words, no switch suddenly flipped to take his game to the next level.
“It’s a long journey, so many lessons along the way and so many hours behind the scenes,’’ said Anderson, who turns 32 in May. “It’s impossible to pick out one thing. You’re constantly building a game and so many different assets you put together from a mental standpoint, physical standpoint and tactical standpoint.
“You keep trying to add to your game. Last year I made some good strides from a mental standpoint. I’ve always been a strong mental player. I’ve tweaked a few things and continue to understand what works for me. I think I’ve done a better job of sticking to that more often.’’
Anderson’s mental toughness has been compared with that of American Jim Courier, a Hall of Famer who won four Grand Slam titles in the 1990s. It’s probably no coincidence that among Courier’s coaches was Brad Stine, who now coaches Anderson.
Anderson has shown more emotion on the courts the past year, something he has consciously worked on.
“Enjoy those moments, take confidence in those moments, sort of show it to the world and show it to yourself,’’ Anderson said. “It’s on the way to becoming more natural, but still requires me to extend myself. Every now and then I can feel myself going back into that mode where I’m looking to see, but those are becoming few and far between. It makes it more enjoyable out there, too.’’
It’s also enjoyable, Anderson said, for him and Kelsey and Lady Kady to live in the Gulf Stream/Delray Beach area, which they have for five years.
“We travel around so much, just coming back here we don’t face the hustle and bustle,’’ Anderson said. “We can relax. It takes me 10 minutes to get to practice. There is no traffic. Just things like that. We’ve been here for a while now, so we really feel like it’s home.’’

Paul Todd and Paul Todd Jr. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Paul Todd is a Christian artist, but his love of music and skill as a keyboard player has taken him on musical journeys outside the church. He incorporates classical, pop, Broadway, the Great American Songbook and more into his work. He plays as many as six keyboards simultaneously and is a singer, songwriter and composer. He’ll be joined in concert by his son Paul Todd Jr. on percussion and vocals April 6 at Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton.
This evening of music and fellowship begins with cheese and wine at 6:15 p.m. followed by the concert at 7 in the sanctuary at the church, 300 E. Yamato Road. Tickets are $20 and available at www.adventboca.org. For more information, contact the church office at 395-3632.

The Club Singers concert
The Deacons of First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach present the Club Singers in concert at 3 p.m. April 8 in the sanctuary at the church, 33 Gleason St., Delray Beach. The concert will benefit the Deacons’ Scholarship Fund and the Milagro Center music program.  A free-will offering will be collected. Call 276-6338.

Leadership expert to speak
Glenn Edwards, author of Coming Into Your Own: How to Develop the Morals and Mindset of a (Future) Business Leader, will speak and sign books at 6 p.m. April 12 at Chabad of East Boca Raton, 120 NE First Ave., Boca Raton.
Edwards says a business degree might get you an interview. It might even get you the job. But climbing the corporate ladder takes more than a good GPA. To succeed, you need “a positive mentality, a value system and a willingness to put in time and effort to achieve your goals.” But where are you going to find that? Edwards has answers and 30 five-star reviews on amazon.com.
Tickets are $18, and sponsorships are available. For more info, visit www.chabadbocabeaches.com or call 394-9770.

Friar’s Fare 2018
A catered dinner and a special performance by Saint Mark’s Festival Choir take place at 6 p.m. April 13 in the parish center at St. Mark Catholic Church, 643 St. Mark Place, Boynton Beach. The concert will feature a program of kids’ shows on Broadway, including favorite songs from The Sound of Music, Oliver, Annie, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Wizard of Oz.
Dinner is choice of roast beef or chicken marsala, potatoes, vegetable, salad and dessert catered by Ellie’s Diner. Purchase your tickets, $27, in advance at the parish office. Call 734-9330 for more information.

Yard sale to support trip
The youth group at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, 3300A S. Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach, will hold a yard sale from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 14 to raise money for its trip to the Kanuga retreat in North Carolina. Donations can be dropped off at the Youth House on Sunday and Wednesday. Email shannon@stjoesweb.org or call the church office at 732-3060.

The Amernet String Quartet (l-r): Michael Klotz, Misha Vitenson, Jason Calloway and Franz Felkl. Photo provided

Music at St. Paul’s
The Amernet String Quartet will perform at 3 p.m. April 15 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. It features Misha Vitenson, violin; Franz Felkl, violin, Michael Klotz, viola, and Jason Calloway, cello.
Tickets are $20. Admission is free for ages 18 and younger. For more information, call 278-6003 or visit www.music.stpaulsdelray.org.

Mission Outreach tour
First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach will host a Mission Outreach Agency Tour at 1:30 p.m. April 18. The tour will visit several of the agencies supported by the church’s mission outreach budget. If you want to know more about how that money is used and whom it benefits, this tour will have the answers. The trip will wrap up back at the church, 33 Gleason St., Delray Beach, at 4:30 p.m. It’s a free event, but reservations are needed for space reasons. Call 276-6338.

Young Singers concert
An intergenerational concert featuring the Club Singers and the Treble Choir, which are part of the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, will take place at 3 p.m. April 29 at the Unity of Delray Beach.
The Young Singers is an award-winning community-based children’s choir in Palm Beach County with more than 350 singers who attend weekly rehearsals. The group is divided into six choirs based on age and grade, plus two satellite choirs in Belle Glade. The Young Singers is open to all singers in grades 2-12.
The performance will take place in the sanctuary at the Unity of Delray Beach, 101 NW 22nd St. A love offering will be taken. For more information, call 276-5796 or visit www.unityofdelraybeach.org

Trip to Israel
Have you always dreamed of seeing the Holy Land?
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is organizing a trip, led by Father Paul Kane and his wife, Irene. This Oct. 13-22 pilgrimage includes round-trip air from Miami to Tel Aviv on El Al.
The cost is $3,125 per person sharing a double room. A waiting list is forming and people will be accommodated as additional seats are acquired. The tour director, Orlando Padron of Magno Tours, can be contacted directly at 786-474-0573 or by email at groups@magnotoursinc.com.

Beer, Conversation & God
Pub Theology meets at 7 p.m. April 19 (and the third Thursday of each month) at Barrel of Monks, 1141 S. Rogers Circle, No. 5, Boca Raton, for conversation, fellowship and open discussion of mostly theological topics. The group also meets at 7 p.m. May 1 (and the first Tuesday of each month) at the Biergarten, 309 Via De Palmas, No. 90, Boca Raton. For more information, contact Pastor Marcus Zillman of First United Methodist Church of Boca Raton at mzillman@fumcbocaraton.org or call 395-1244.

The Interfaith Café meets
Join the theological discussion from 7 to 9 p.m. April 19 at South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach. Light refreshments are served. The meeting is free, but donations are appreciated. The Interfaith Café meets the third Thursday of the month, and volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of duties to keep this program going. For information or to volunteer, email Jane@Aurorasvoice.org.

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

The St. Lucy Council of Catholic Women, Highland Beach, organized the March 9 show at the Polo Club in Boca Raton, which brought in 350 guests. The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum contributed decor with vintage movie costumes and sponsored centerpieces. Proceeds will be directed fully to Birthline/Lifeline, Boca Helping Hands, AVDA, the Women’s Circle, FOCUS and A Place For Hope. ABOVE: (l-r): Marilyn Fontenelli, Marilynn Wick, Jeanette Schmitz and Kimberly Wick. Photo provided