The conceptual plan features a five-story glass City Hall attached to the existing city library.

Part of the library would become a City Hall addition. Across Ocean Avenue

from the proposed City Hall is the historic high school. This view is

looking to the southeast. Seacrest Boulevard is in the foreground.

Rendering provided by E2L Real Estate Solutions LLC

By Jane Smith

    City residents should soon have a walkable downtown with open spaces and tree-shaded streets as well as their beloved, historic Boynton Beach High School restored to its 1920s glamour days and in use again.
    In mid-April, the Boynton Beach City Commission unanimously agreed to work with E2L Real Estate Solutions of Winter Park.
    That allows the city manager to craft a public-private partnership with E2L, outlining the first phase of the $250 million deal. It will include deadlines and financing methods to pay for the public and private portions.
    The E2L team wants to build apartments, assisted-living units, a hotel and three parking garages.
    The first phase also will include “a guaranteed maximum price of the buildings … and possibly start of the rehab work on the old high school,” Colin Groff, an assistant city manager, told commissioners April 17.
    Groff gave commissioners an ambitious schedule for the first phase, saying it could return to them for approval in June.
    “I like that they are keeping the historic buildings,” said Susan Oyer, a longtime resident who sits on the city’s Historic Resources Preservation Board. “They are keeping the trees, the playground — all of the things the residents care about.”
    If all goes according to the plan, residents will be able to attend charettes in the summer to have their say on the designs of the public buildings, the interior layout of the old high school, the open spaces, the amphitheater, the playgrounds, the landscaping and signs, Groff said.
    He advised residents and commissioners not to think that the public buildings would look like what E2L’s architect proposed: in particular, the glass building to be City Hall.
    “It looks hideous. It’s more appropriate for a newer city,” said Oyer, a fifth-generation Floridian who is a public school teacher. “Boynton needs a more appropriate look that would adapt pieces of the Addison Mizner plans.”

In the 1920s, architect Addison Mizner sketched out his idea for Boynton Beach City Hall.

Resident Susan Oyer prefers Mizner’s plan.

Photo courtesy of the Boynton Beach City Library

    In the 1920s, Mizner presented a rough sketch of what a two-story Boynton Beach City Hall would look like using his Mediterranean Revival style of architecture. But the city soon went bankrupt and had to sell off a piece of its oceanfront land to repay debts.
    The Mizner sketch lay unused for decades until 1987, when the leader of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency wanted to resurrect it as the plan for a new City Hall. That did not happen.
    Oyer will send commissioners and Groff the Mizner sketch with her ideas on how it could be turned into a three-story building.

Team named at meeting
    In late March, E2L introduced its team to the city selection committee.
    The master developer is Mark Hefferin of E2L Holdings in Winter Park. Information supplied to the city says that the company has more than $1 billion in construction experience.
    At the selection committee presentation, Hefferin mentioned the possibility of the hotel carrying the Guy Harvey brand. A Guy Harvey spokesman said it was too soon for the company to say yes or no to the project.
    Hefferin’s team includes developer John Markey, whose JKM Developers of Boca Raton built the Cortina residential project and nearby dog park in western Boynton Beach.
    “We are the hometown guys backed by the largest financial company internationally,” Markey told the selection committee. “We are the financial solution.”
    Markey proposes turning the 16 acres of Town Square into a community development district with the private buildings financed by BlackRock bonds sold to investors. That structure calls for the city to make an agreement with its CRA to have the increase in taxable values of the private buildings used to make the annual bond payments to investors.
    Markey said he became involved with BlackRock in 2010 when a BlackRock entity approached his firm to invest in distressed properties in Florida.
    For his part of Town Square, Markey wants to build independent-living townhomes for older residents and a multistory building that offers assisted care.
    The E2L team also includes architect Rick Gonzalez of West Palm Beach, who told the selection team: “I’ve been waiting 16 years to work on the high school.”
    His historic restoration projects include Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach estate that was turned into a private club. Gonzalez recently helped design a helipad on the historic estate that can withstand the weight of a Marine One helicopter, needed after Trump was elected president.
    “I’m glad Markey and Gonzalez are involved,” said Barbara Ready, chairwoman of the Historic Resources Preservation Board. “They like to listen to the people.”
    A possible kink in the high school plans comes from Juan Contin, who is appealing his state court loss. He has until May 15 to file paperwork that explains the legal reason why his case should be reconsidered. Contin, an architect, sued in 2013 after the city wouldn’t let him turn the high school into an events center.
    Local lawyer Michael Weiner will take the Town Square plans through the city’s development approval process as part of the E2L team.
    “We need to get the people here first,” Weiner told the selection committee. “Then the sky’s the limit of what can go in here — possibly even a grocery store.”
    The project’s boundaries roughly are Boynton Beach Boulevard on the north, Seacrest Boulevard on the west, Southeast Second Avenue on the south and Southeast First Street on the east.
    Hefferin’s team also has former state Rep. Sharon Merchant, who owns a marketing company. “We understand that the most important thing for you is that your constituents are knowledgeable,” she told the selection committee.
Her firm will do that by having webcams on the project, putting out social media posts, producing newsletters and hosting hotlines.
    Nancy Franczak-Stewart, promoter of GarlicFest, also is involved. She told the selection committee: “My events put Delray Beach on the map. I look forward to bringing that experience to you.”
E2L Solutions paid $100,000 when it was selected, to be used to evaluate its proposal. At the May 2 commission meeting, Stantec Consulting Services of Tampa was hired to help the city define the Town Square deal and provide financial analysis. The contract has a cap of $90,000.
    Mayor Steven Grant said he is eager for Town Square to start.
    “It’s an extremely exciting time in Boynton Beach,” he said. “The challenge will be to keep the momentum going.”

Blue glass beads could be used to create a wave pattern

along the sidewalks and intersections of Boynton Beach Boulevard.

Rendering provided by Kimley-Horn

By Jane Smith
    
    Boynton Beach Boulevard will be beautified to match the up-and-coming downtown the city’s redevelopment agency is trying to create.
    In mid-April, the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency selected one of three designs presented by Kimley-Horn’s West Palm Beach office. The boulevard will have a wave theme to create a cohesive look to the street. It will have wider sidewalks, narrower travel lanes, canopy trees, landscaped medians and dedicated bike lanes.
    The waves along the outer edges of the sidewalk can be made using concrete with blue glass beads added or pavers with blue glass beads embedded in the top layer, said Marwan Mufleh, senior vice president at Kimley-Horn.
    CRA board member Christina Romelus asked whether the special pavers would cost more. The consultants said yes, but they would present other options for the CRA board to select.
    At the Seacrest Boulevard and Boynton Beach Boulevard intersection, pavers can’t be used because a state road is involved, Mufleh said a few days after the CRA meeting. The state is worried that the pavers will crack when vehicles travel across them. The waves in the intersection can be made using a concrete treatment, he said.
    Mufleh told CRA board members that Kimley-Horn did pedestrian counts at two places near I-95 along Boynton Beach Boulevard, which is State Road 804. The intersection near Galaxy Elementary did not warrant a crosswalk.
    But farther east, the intersection with a Marathon gas station at Northwest/Southwest Second Street had a pedestrian count of 19 per hour, just one shy of the state standard for crosswalks.
    Mufleh said he would talk to state transportation officials about putting a crosswalk there.
    Kimley-Horn will be paid $557,000 for the design and survey work, which includes getting Florida Department of Transportation approval. It will receive another $3,000 for expenses.
    Kimley-Horn will work with Florida Power & Light to bury the power lines so that light poles along Boynton Beach Boulevard don’t have visible wires.
    Total cost of the Boynton Beach Boulevard beautification, from the interstate east to Federal Highway, was estimated at $12 million by Michael Simon, the CRA interim executive director.
    In three months, the firm will come back to the CRA to present 30 percent of the drawings.
“By this time next year, we’ll be finished,” Mufleh said.

A Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy examines a cooler that washed ashore after a boat

with three people aboard flipped just south of the Boynton Inlet. One of the boaters

was taken to a hospital and treated for a broken arm; the others were examined

at the scene and released. Rough waves, rip currents and strong winds were linked

to other rescues by lifeguards at the inlet during April.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

A rendering of part of the apartment complex. The developers have asked for a variance

to lower the parking allotment to two spaces per unit.

Rendering provided

By Mary Thurwachter

    Developers for Water Tower Commons gave the Lantana Town Council a first look at what the residential portion of the project would look like, but were unable to drive home a request to reduce the required number of parking spaces.
    Ken Tuma, representing Lantana Development — a partnership between Southeast Legacy and Wexford Capital — said the first phase of the luxury residential development would include a pool, dog-walking area and 360 apartments in nine multifamily buildings.
    “A high percentage (46 percent) of the units would be one-bedroom apartments,” he said at the April 24 council meeting. “The three-story buildings would have entrances with breezeways to make it look special and inviting.
    “Four-story buildings would have elevators. The clubhouse, the heart of the community, will be one story with two-story character and will have a game lounge and coffee bar with Wi-Fi.
    “We’re going after millennials and we’re asking for some relief with parking,” Tuma said.
    Town code requires 2½ parking spaces per unit, and developers asked to have a variance so that two spaces per apartment would be acceptable.
    Rents for the apartments would range from $1,200 to $2,000 per month.
    Tuma said the apartments would be owned, maintained and managed by the Richman Group, the country’s seventh-largest rental apartment owner.
    Landscaping plans call for a variety of trees, such as live oaks, gumbo limbo and royal palms.
    “We’re going to have 1.4 acres of green space,” Tuma said, that is, if the requested parking variance were to be accepted.
    “These people are experts,” he said of the Richman Group. “They have done their research and from their experience this is what is needed. They have to make sure this is right.”
    Representatives from the Richman Group said two spaces per apartment would be ample and that they would never skimp on parking.
    But Lantana council members are sticklers for parking space requirements, as they proved a year ago when Aura Seaside, a development of waterfront property previously owned by the Cenacle Sisters, sought and was denied a reduction in the town’s parking space requirement.
    “I like our code on parking spots,” said council member Phil Aridas. “I’m sticking with it.”
    Mayor Dave Stewart offered a compromise, 2.15 places per unit, which the council, including Aridas, did approve.
    Another motion — made and seconded after representatives from the Richman Group argued that the 2.15 proposal would throw off the entire formula, send designers back to the drawing board and likely mean a reduction in green space — made another plea for the two spaces per unit.
    That motion failed by a 3-2 vote and developers were given a recess to discuss the matter. When they returned, Tuma asked for, and was granted, a postponement on further action on the project until the council’s May 22 meeting.
    Water Tower Commons is a 72-acre retail and residential project being built on the site of the state-owned A.G. Holley tuberculosis hospital, east of Interstate 95 on Lantana Road. The development is expected to create 700 new, permanent jobs and generate $13 million in new tax revenue for Lantana during the next 20 years.
    A.G. Holley hospital was built in the early 1950s on state-owned land and sold in 2014 for $15.6 million to Lantana Development.
    The town previously approved the commercial portion of Water Tower Commons, including a grocery store, a fitness center, pharmacy, restaurants and more than 120,000 square feet of retail. Last month, the town learned that the first announced store in the development is a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.

By Dan Moffett

    South Palm Beach council members have approved paying another $15,000 to architects for a conceptual rendering of what a new Town Hall might look like and for estimates of how much it might cost.
    But they are a long way from signing off on a new building.
    “We’ll have something to look at,” Mayor Bonnie Fischer said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re going to do it.”
    Said Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb, “It may be that nothing happens at all.”
    Architect Steven Knight of Alexis Knight Architects in West Palm Beach completed a three-month study of the town’s only public building and told the council that the cost of constructing a new Town Hall is roughly the same as trying to repair and improve the current one. That conclusion led council members to give Knight the go-ahead to develop possible design options for a new structure — something that might serve the town’s needs for decades to come.
    “I see the new building as being vastly different than the one you have now,” Knight said during the April 26 town meeting.
    The new design could be a two-story building, with a community room on the second floor and parking underneath. Knight told the council the existing structure — which was built in 1976 and remodeled twice — has problems and limitations that would be difficult to correct. Among them:
    • Inadequate parking. Town Hall should have about 80 parking spaces but the parcel isn’t large enough to easily accommodate them.
    • Hurricane and disability code compliance. The roof, doors and windows won’t stand up to high storm winds, and the entrances and restrooms don’t pass federal access standards.
    • An overall lack of storage and workspace. Knight said the new building should be about 10,000 square feet larger.
    The council voted 3-1 to approve the design work, with Elvadianne Culbertson opposing. The town paid Knight about $34,000 for the study, so the additional $15,000 brings his total under the $50,000 the council set aside for the exploratory project.
    In other business:
    • Developers of the 3550 project on the former site of the old Hawaiian hotel delivered a check for about $250,000 to the town’s building department last month, roughly half the permit fees required.
    “This is huge news — great news for the town financially,” said Town Manager Bob Vitas. “This is big money.”
    The check means that developers Gary Cohen of Paragon Acquisition Group and Manhattan-based DDG are forging ahead with plans to build a 30-unit luxury condo building. Vitas said construction should begin in July and take about 18 months, at a cost of between $30 million and $35 million. Once completed, the building could increase the town’s tax revenues by 30 percent.
    “This is really going to go forward, and we’re thrilled,” Vitas said. “It’s been a long road with that property, getting something to happen.”
    • The council unanimously approved Gottlieb to take over as vice mayor for Joe Flagello, who died suddenly in March. “I would rather that Joe were still here,” Gottlieb said. “We miss him greatly.”
    The town is looking for a replacement for Cmdr. Robert Rizzotto, the second-ranking officer in the Police Department. Rizzotto is moving to North Carolina. “It’s another hard loss for this town,” Fischer said. “He’ll be hard to replace.”

By Dan Moffett
    
    There will be no beach stabilization in South Palm Beach or Lantana for at least another year, Palm Beach County environmental officials say.
    “It’s going to be a whole year late now,” said Bob Vitas, South Palm’s town manager.
    After months of trying, the project’s managers still don’t have all the easement agreements and government permits they need to begin work by the target start in November.
    Kimberly Miranda, the county’s project director, says the new target for beginning installation of concrete groins to capture sand and slow erosion is November 2018. There are still plenty of buts and acronyms standing in the way of progress, however.
     “A November 2018 start date is dependent upon several factors,” Miranda says, “including receipt of the record of decision (ROD) for the environmental impact statement (EIS), DEP [Department of Environmental Protection] and USACE [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers] permits and securing state funding.”
     You get the idea. Beyond this bureaucratic mishmash of letters and requirements, the county’s legal staff is still trying to persuade Concordia East condo owners in South Palm to sign an easement agreement that allows workers access to the building’s beachfront.
    Gayelord Palermo, the Concordia board president, says the 120 unit owners he represents aren’t satisfied with the liability protections the county is willing to give them. Until his lawyer and the county lawyers resolve their differences, Palermo says Concordia isn’t signing anything.
    “We’re not going to be guilted into this,” he said.
    South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer said she’s hopeful Concordia residents will join the 15 other beachfront property owners — condo groups and individuals — who have signed on.
    “At Concordia East, I believe they actually do want the project to move forward,” Fischer said. “But they want some of their issues resolved. Whether that will happen is up to the county and the Concordia people.”
    Miranda says the county is determined to get easements from every group on the beach: “The county intends to construct the project with full participation from all of the coastal properties located within the project area.”
    She said county commissioners are expected to approve the easements already signed in June.
    Because of turtle nesting season, the project managers have only a narrow four-month window each year, from Nov. 1 to March 1, for groin construction. And if that isn’t enough, before the groins can go in, the county still has to build the artificial reefs needed to protect the natural hard bottoms along the South Palm Beach shore.
    Fischer says she hopes that work will begin in June 2018.
    “There’s a lot that has to happen, but hopefully things will continue to move forward,” the mayor said.

Plans for the new seven-story building at 3550 South Ocean call for floor-to-ceiling windows

in every unit to take advantage of the views.

Rendering provided

By Dan Moffett
 
    Don’t ask Joseph A. McMillan Jr. how many units he’s sold at 3550 South Ocean.
    “We have not publicly released the number of signed contracts,” he says.
    What he will disclose is that the luxury condo project on the South Palm Beach oceanfront has attracted a parade of well-heeled potential buyers since sales began in January.
    “We’ve seen a very diverse and robust set of buyers,” McMillan says. “They seem to be a mix of some full-time residents in the area — some coming from Wellington that may have a large home or horse farm and want to move to a beach cottage — and buyers from the Northeast, some from Canada, Chicago and a smaller subset of international buyers.”
    McMillan, the chairman and CEO of the Manhattan-based DDG real estate investment group, intends to sell 30 units priced between $2.3 million and $6 million on the former site of the ramshackle Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, colloquially remembered as “The Hawaiian.”
    Surrounding the narrow 1-acre lot are hundreds of condos valued around 10 percent as much.
The new building could increase the town’s tax base by 30 percent.
    To say that South Palm Beach has never seen anything like the 3550 is a grand understatement that McMillan plans to exploit.
    “I think our units are priced well,’’ he says. “I think the main selling point of the building is the product itself. It is oceanfront, it has a very robust amenity package with private plunge pools on all the penthouses. Every unit has a view of the ocean with floor-to-ceiling windows, direct elevator access, fitness center, two private parking spaces, gated security and 24-hour concierge. The amenities of the building are really what is selling the building.”
    As part of the deal, buyers will be entitled to enjoy some of the amenities at Manalapan’s Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.
    The two- and three-bedroom units range from 2,500 to 3,400 square feet and are designed by architecture firms Kobi Karp of Miami and GarciaStromberg of West Palm Beach.
    McMillan believes a cyclical opportunity is working in his favor and justifies the 3550 pricing. Most of the construction along South Florida’s beaches is one or two generations old. Luxury buyers, he says, crave something new.
    “If you look at Palm Beach County and Palm Beach island in particular, there’s been very little new development of high-end luxury [condo] construction. There’s pent-up demand because there’s been a dearth of new construction on the ocean for a very long time, and we are the beneficiaries of that. We are the first new condo development on Palm Beach island in almost 12 years.”
    McMillan says he expects to begin construction of the seven-story building before the end of June, with a completion target sometime late in 2018.
    DDG came into the marketplace in May when the property’s owner, developer Gary Cohen of Paragon Acquisition Group in Delray Beach, partnered with McMillan’s firm to help with sales.
    McMillan, 45, founded DDG in 2009, and the company has developed dozens of residential and mixed-use projects in New York and San Francisco.
    An Army veteran, McMillan holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and finance from the University of Virginia. DDG has opened an office in Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar as part of its first venture into Florida.
    In reaching out to that diverse group of potential buyers, DDG is also benefiting from an unexpected political development — the election of President Donald Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago retreat is just 6 miles up the road.
    “I think that the fact that a sitting president chooses to call this place home is not lost on people, regardless of party affiliation, Republican or Democrat,” McMillan says. “I think there’s tremendous value in that.”

George and Mary Kientzy are ready for semi-retirement after decades in the jewelry business.

They plan to close the store at the end of June.

Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

    After 35 years, George and Mary Kientzy’s Kientzy & Co. Fine Jewelers is closing its doors. It’s time to semi-retire, says George Kientzy, 71. Before opening in Delray Beach, he had a shop in New London, Conn., and before that, George worked on Jewelers Row in Philadelphia. That all adds up to 50-plus years in the business.
    “We’ve just really enjoyed great years in Delray Beach,” he says. He’s been a member of the Rotary Club for several years, and he served on the Bethesda Hospital Foundation board. Mary worked as a music instructor, and their three children went to Trinity Lutheran School.
    “With all the twists and turns, it’s hard to give our history in a short interview,” George Kientzy says. After so many years in the community he appreciates the heartfelt connections he’s made with his customers, and he makes note of longtime employees: his brother, Joseph Kientzy, along with Ben Adams, Cliff Gross, Shannon Boyd and Eddie Rosenbaum.
    There have also been some difficult moments. “Mary and I had guns held to our heads in our Connecticut store,” George said. “We found out later that if the burglars hadn’t gotten away with jewelry, they would have kidnapped our son, who was just a baby then.”
    And during Hurricane Wilma, their Delray store was hit hard. “A tornado inside the hurricane blew out our back doors and wiped us out.”
    But while they rebuilt after that episode, their son, John Paul, who worked with them in their store, died two years ago, and George and his wife are mourning. Their son’s death is the biggest reason they are closing the store, says Kientzy, adding that the store has kept the couple busy and, as such, was a blessing.
“The community has come in to console us. There’s a relationship that exists beyond buying and selling, and that means a lot to my wife and me.”
    George and Mary will keep their store open until the end of June.
    “After doing something for all those years and knowing the business inside and out, it gets into your blood. We might have an online store,” he says.
    Their store, at 1053 E. Atlantic Ave., is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
                                
    The Fancy Flamingo boutique in Boynton Beach’s Ocean Plaza has closed. It was owned by a mother-daughter team. Sandy Hedges is retiring, while her daughter, Tammy Deery, has started her own clothing line, Beachgirl, which will be offered in stores and online at www.facebook.com/beachgirlus/.
                                
    Delray Beach was selected by the National Civic League as one of 27 finalists for the All-America City award for outstanding civic accomplishments. This year, the award’s focus is on communities that have helped low-income children on school readiness, school attendance, summer learning and grade-level reading. The 27 top community delegation contenders will make a presentation to a jury of national civic experts in June in Denver.
                                
    Discover the Palm Beaches, the official tourism marketing corporation for Palm Beach County, reported a year-over-year increase in visitor spending of almost 1 percent, to $4.6 billion for 2016, over $4.5 billion in 2015. Tourism numbers for the Palm Beaches were record-breaking again last year, reaching 7.35 million visitors.
    Visitors and residents are encouraged to share photos and videos of their favorite moments in the county through Discover the Palm Beaches’ new “Friends Trust Friends” social media campaign with the hashtag #ThePalmBeaches.
                                
    According to the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, the median sale price for single-family homes in the county increased 8.9 percent to $325,000 in March as inventory of active listings dropped 0.4 percent to 7,655 homes. Closed sales increased 10.3 percent to 1,676 transactions with a 12.4 percent year-over-year increase in cash sales at 651 transactions.
    In April, in recognition of Fair Housing Month, the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, with the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity and the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, announced the winners of their annual Fair Housing contest. The elementary school poster contest first-place winner of a $100 gift card was Mateo Eaton, a student of Imagine Schools at the Chancellor Campus, Boynton Beach.
                                
    Lang Realty raised $3,750 for the American Red Cross’ Home Fire Program through sales generated at the company’s Open House Extravaganza. Also, prizes were awarded through a random drawing of all who toured the homes.  Among the winners was Dr. Marc Rosenberg of Delray Beach, who won a $500 Visa gift card.
                                
    For the 2017 Delray Beach Home Tour in March, The Corcoran Group sponsored one of the homes, with its agents serving as volunteers to help raise funds and awareness for The Achievement Centers for Children & Families. Agents involved included Ann Bennett, Barbara Whittaker, Jennifer Kilpatrick, Laura Rodriguez, Wendy Overton, Tina Smith, Candace Friis, Michael and Holly Thom, Betsy Cooke, Betty Devitt and Gay Bridges.
                                
    The Metropolitan development in Delray Beach will feature interiors designed by tennis pro Venus Williams,  who operates V*Starr Interiors. Douglas Elliman’s director of luxury sales, Senada Adzem, and her team were selected to direct sales and marketing. Located at 33 SE Third Ave. in Delray Beach, the development is expected to be completed in late summer 2018. Its temporary sales office is at 55 SE Second Ave., Delray Beach. Call 917-657-2840.
                                
    More than 1,100 guests celebrated dinner together at a five-block-long, 1,320-foot table on East Atlantic Avenue for the ninth annual Savor the Avenue 2017 in March. This culinary tradition, a partnership with the Delray Beach magazine, Boca Raton magazine and the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, showcased 16 restaurants downtown.
    For the fifth year, participating restaurants competed in the “Best in Show” table-décor contest. The first-place winner was Salt 7; second place went to 50 Ocean; and the third-place winner was Max’s Harvest. The People’s Choice Award went to Salt 7.
    Participating restaurants were 32 East, 50 Ocean, Cabana El Rey, Caffé Luna Rosa, Che!, City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Cut 432, Lemongrass, Max’s Harvest, Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen, Rack’s Fish House & Oyster Bar, Rocco’s Tacos, ROK:BRGR, Salt 7, The Office, and Vic & Angelo’s.
                                
    Boynton Beach Food, Wine & Brew Festival will be 6 to 9 p.m. May 11 at Benvenuto Restaurant, 1730 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. This annual event features a sampling of cuisines from Boynton Beach restaurants and lounges, as well as wine and craft beer tastings. To make reservations, call 732-9501.

Delivery Dudes founder and CEO Jayson Koss cuts the ribbon at the company’s new headquarters,

located on Northeast First Avenue in Delray Beach.

Photo provided

                                
    Jayson Koss, 31, founder and CEO of Delivery Dudes, celebrated the grand opening March 30 of Delivery Dudes’ world headquarters in a restored 1905 historic home at 102 NE First Ave.
    Delivery Dudes began in Delray Beach in 2009 with Koss on his Moped delivering meals from area restaurants to locals. Today, Delivery Dudes is in 42 cities in four states.
    Here’s how Delivery Dudes works: To have food delivered from a restaurant, go to DeliveryDudes.com for a list of nearby restaurants. After you place an order, Delivery Dudes picks it up and delivers it for a $5 to $7 delivery charge. The average delivery time is 45 minutes.
    In Delray Beach, Delivery Dudes has more than 100 menus on its site. Delivery Dudes also services areas in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach.
                                
    Habit for Humanity of South Palm Beach County is having 100 female leaders join forces to raise $100,000 to build a safe and affordable home for a low-income family. The organization’s “Women Build” project invites teams of women to raise money and gives them the opportunity to help build a home alongside a resident family in the construction process from May 11 to 13.
Habitat for Humanity recognizes that women are uniquely positioned to nurture families and build communities, so it concludes the event on Mother’s Day.
To participate, each woman must commit to raising or giving $1,000 to the campaign by visiting www.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org and clicking on “Women Build” at the top of the home page. 
                                
    For Mother’s Day, the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority presents the Downtown Delray Orchid Giveaway, May 1-13. For every $200 spent in that period in a downtown store, buyers will receive one Phalaenopsis orchid plant. (Restaurant receipts not valid.)
    After presenting their receipts, buyers can pick up their orchid at one of two orchid stations, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 10-12 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 13. The stations will be in front of Hands Stationers, 325 E. Atlantic Ave., and Petite Connection, 1049 E. Atlantic Ave.
    Also, you can enter to win a Mother’s Day prize package online until May 17, at www.DelrayOrchidGiveaway.com. ; Valued at more than $500, the package includes downtown Delray Beach dining, spa, shopping and attraction certificates.
For Orchid Giveaway details, visit www.downtowndelraybeach.com and facebook.com/DelrayDDA, or call the DDA at 243-1077.
                                
    From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on May 17, Adopt-A-Family will partner with C.W.S. Bar + Kitchen, 522 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth, for the Great Give, which is part of the agency’s single-day fundraising event to help homeless and vulnerable families with children throughout the county. With a minimum $20 donation, each guest will receive a cocktail and bar bites. For information or to make your donation, visit www.adoptafamilypbc.org or call 253-1361.
                                
    The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County has appointed global finance expert Nathan Slack as chairman of its board of directors. Slack, of Delray Beach, began his career at J.P. Morgan almost 18 years ago and has since served in a variety of roles around the world, most recently as managing director and market manager at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Palm Beach. He also serves on the board of directors of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
                                
    Nicole Fontaine has joined the Katz & Associates team in Boca Raton.
                                
    Karen C. Erren has been named executive director of the Palm Beach County Food Bank. Most recently, she was the director of new business development for the marketing and comm-unications agency Russ Reid in Pasadena, Calif.
                                
    Boca Raton resident Maxine Adler, a recently retired public relations professional and agency owner, has written her memoir with Judy Goldstein, a member of the Adler Network team. Among her clients, Adler represented developers and designers who were involved in creating South Florida, and her new book, An Inside Seat, gives readers an inside look at that process.
    “We didn’t design the book to be a how-to, but we do present insight into the PR profession along with ideas and strategies that will inform and educate others,” Adler said.
    The print paperback and e-book version of An Inside Seat can be ordered through Amazon or from the CreateSpace Store. The Kindle e-book may also be ordered.

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

Paddling the habitats of Lake Worth Lagoon

Mangrove islands and breakwaters of the Snook Islands Natural Area —

islands built by Palm Beach County to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.

Lake Worth Municipal Golf Course is at left.

Photo by Palm Beach County

A kayaker paddles around the Snook Islands ­Natural Area.

Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

    Paddling a kayak quietly around Worth Lagoon between Palm Beach and Lake Worth offers paddlers a refreshing dose of nature, despite occasional distractions from the surrounding urban jungle.
    Mullet jump. Osprey peep-peep-peep overhead. American oystercatchers strut around sandy beaches on the restoration islands, created by Palm Beach County to improve water quality, promote seagrass growth and create habitat for fish and wildlife in the Lake Worth Lagoon.

    “You hear people say all the time that they had no idea this was out here,” said Bryce Billings, owner of Kayak Lake Worth, which offers guided paddling tours departing from The Beach Club restaurant at the Lake Worth golf course.

Bryce Billings of Kayak Lake Worth paddles over one of the sandy spits near the south end

of the Snook Islands Natural Area. Billings rents kayaks and offers guided tours of the area.

BELOW: Least terns started nesting on the Grassy Flats restoration islands when the islands

were completed in 2015, marking the first time the terns were found nesting on the ground in Palm Beach County.

Photos by Willie Howard and David Carson

    Billings says his paddling groups sometimes encounter manatees and cownose rays. Great blue herons, ospreys, oystercatchers, pelicans and least terns are common sights around the islands.

    Anglers fishing around the islands of the central lagoon can catch snook, mangrove snapper, barracuda, sheepshead and small bait fish along with the occasional redfish and spotted sea trout.
    Restoration islands near the Lake Avenue Bridge include the Snook Islands project, completed in 2005 (and later expanded); the two Grassy Flats islands on the east side of the lagoon near the Palm Beach Par 3 Golf Course; Bryant Park Wetlands islands south of the bridge near Lake Worth’s Bryant Park; and the Jewel Cove project southeast of the bridge across from Lake Worth Beach.
    To date, the county has overseen 49 environmental restoration projects in the Lake Worth Lagoon, the 20-mile-long estuary that stretches from Ocean Ridge to North Palm Beach.
    The goals: improve water quality, promote the growth of seagrass by filling mucky holes with sand so sunlight can reach a stable bottom, and create habitat for fish and wildlife by planting vegetation such as mangroves and Spartina grass.
    Creating a place for paddling, fishing and nature observation is a side benefit of the restoration work. The Snook Islands Natural Area features a boardwalk and gazebo overlooking the mangrove islands, educational kiosks, day-use boat docks, a fishing pier and a kayak launch on the northwest side of the Lake Avenue Bridge.
    During a paddling trip in March, Billings and I shoved off from the shoreline near The Beach Club restaurant at the Lake Worth golf course, then paddled south along the south end of Snook Islands Natural Area and under the bridge to the Bryant Park islands.
    American oystercatchers, beautiful with their black heads and long bright-orange bills, let us drift up close in our kayaks before they moved or flew away.
    Paddling east across the Intracoastal channel, we found a sheltered spot east of the Grassy Flats islands, which are just south of Palm Beach’s Ibis Isle community.
    For a moment, all we could hear were birds and breeze as we drifted by a sandy beach planted with Spartina grass, also known as cordgrass. Our quiet moment was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter overhead.
    Least terns nest on the Grassy Flats islands.
    That’s significant because least terns had never been found nesting on the ground in Palm Beach County until the Grassy Flats islands were completed in 2015. Previously, the threatened terns nested on the flat roofs of department stores and warehouses, where the nests were not likely to be disturbed.
    Ten pairs of least terns nested on the beach at Grassy Flats in 2015; another 31 pairs nested there last year. Because of bird nesting, paddlers and other boaters are not allowed to stop and walk around on the restoration islands.
    Paddling back toward the launch spot at the Lake Worth golf course, we paused around mature mangroves at Snook Islands.
A tiny common yellowthroat foraged around the arching prop roots of the red mangroves as the raspy call of a great blue heron came from the shoreline.

    For information on renting a kayak to paddle the restoration islands or taking a guided paddling tour, contact Kayak Lake Worth at 225-8250 or www.kayaklakeworth.com.

Lake Worth Lagoon Fishing Challenge
    The second annual Lake Worth Lagoon Fishing Challenge, a free fishing tournament that helps researchers gather information on estuarine fish and offers the chance to win prizes, begins May 26 and continues through July 9.
    Prizes include Engel coolers and Penn rod-and-reel combinations. An awards ceremony is planned following the tournament at the West Palm Beach Fishing Club.
    Participating anglers can sign up by downloading the iAnglerTournament app on their cellphones, registering for the challenge through the app and following guidelines.
    The challenge is open to anglers ages 5 and older. It’s free.
    Prizes will be awarded in several age categories. A separate sport fish prize category covers snook, redfish, sea trout, tarpon and bonefish.
    Fishing will be in the Lake Worth Lagoon, which stretches from Ocean Ridge to North Palm Beach.
    Fish can be photographed and released — or kept if they are of legal size and in season.
    Participating anglers must have valid Florida saltwater fishing licenses, unless exempt, and must submit information about the fish they catch through the tournament app, including the location of the catch, the length of the fish, the species and the date.
    For more details, go to www.lwli.org/fishingchallenge.

STAR tournament
    CCA/Florida’s STAR fishing tournament begins May 27 and continues through Sept. 4.
    More than $500,000 worth of prizes are being offered in several divisions in the statewide tournament for members of CCA/Florida who have registered for the 2017 event.
    Caught fish can be photographed against a 2017 tournament measuring device and released. Catch photos are submitted through the STAR smartphone app.
    Eligible fish include snook, sea trout, redfish, cobia, kingfish, mahi mahi, sheepshead and lionfish. Participants must be members of CCA/Florida. The adult entry fee is $35.
    For details, call 844-387-7827 or visit www.ccaflstar.com to register online.

Coming events
    May 6: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee is $35 for adults ($20 ages 12 to 19). Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or email fso-pe@cgauxboca.org.
    May 24: Capt. Don Dingman shares tips for catching large “smoker” kingfish, 7 p.m. at the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, 201 Fifth St., West Palm Beach. Free. Call 832-6780 or visit www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.
    May 27: Boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee is $20. For ages 14-18, $10. Family rate for three or more people: $50. Younger that 14 free with a paid adult. Register at the door. Call 704-7440.

Tip of the month
    If you’re doing your part to remove invasive lionfish from Florida waters and happen to be hit by one of the lionfish’s venomous spines, don’t panic — but do notify your dive partner immediately.
    Those two tips for treating lionfish stings are from the Divers Alert Network, best known as DAN.
    DAN suggests that divers stung by lionfish leave the water as soon as possible. Remove any obvious foreign material (such as spines) from the wound and rinse it with clean water.
    Then soak the wound for 30 minutes in hot, non-scalding water (about 110 degrees).
    Monitor the person who is stung and take him/her to the nearest emergency room if needed.
When in doubt, contact the DAN emergency hotline at 919- 684-9111.

Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

A VITAS patient enjoys an up close and personal visit from a Paw Pal dog.

Photo provided by VITAS Healthcare

By Arden Moore

    Some dogs are born agility stars blessed with athletic prowess to weave in and out among poles, dash up ramps and wiggle quickly through tunnels. Others earn respect for chasing down criminal suspects and detecting hidden caches of drugs as K-9 police officers. Some dogs live to shine in the spotlight at best of breed shows or dog obedience competitions.
    Then there are special dogs like Einstein and Dixie, a pair of basset hounds who waddle into a room and illuminate smiles and inner joy in people whose time left is counted in months, weeks or days.
    Einstein and Dixie are poster dogs for the Paw Pal program for VITAS Healthcare, a national hospice company that has a center in Boynton Beach. Their well-mannered temperaments and easygoing natures make them ideal to spend time with hospice patients and their families.
    And Palm Beach County needs more of such dogs.
    “A large population of elderly living here in assisted living or nursing facilities have had to give up their dogs prior to coming to these facilities, or have fond memories of their childhood dogs,” says Gayle Stevens, volunteer services manager of the VITAS volunteer program for Palm Beach County and a registered nurse. “Many of them or their families request for us to bring a dog to visit them. Our Paw Pal dogs often serve as a distraction from their illnesses and help people feel a little less lonely.”
    Interested? Does your dog possess the right qualities? The Paw Pal program seeks dogs who are healthy and current on vaccinations, well groomed, free of fleas and ticks, understand and obey basic obedience commands, and warm up easily and quickly to people of all ages in a variety of locations.  
    Dog owners must undergo background checks, agree to be fingerprinted and must be willing to volunteer with their dogs for a couple of hours a week. To learn more, visit www.vitas.com/hospice-care-services/paw-pals-pet-therapy or email Stevens at gayle.stevens@vitas.com.

Doggie duo brings joy
    Einstein and Dixie can be found most Tuesdays at assisted living facilities, hospitals and private homes sporting their official Paw Pal identification badges and eye-catching purple bandanas. They make their rounds with their owners, Nancy and Marty Cohen, a retired Lake Worth couple.
    For 25 years, Nancy Cohen saved lives as a paramedic and then a nurse. Now, joined by her husband, Einstein and Dixie, she is there for those nearing the end of their lives.
    “Einstein is definitely a clown who does his best to get people to engage with him,” Cohen says. “Dixie is calm and quiet. She has a way of getting people to pet her, and if they stop, she gently noses their hands to continue receiving pets.”
Cohen adopted the pair from a basset hound rescue group.
    During a recent home visit to see a man in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, Nancy entered the living room to see the man in a recliner with his eyes closed. Quietly, the man’s wife let Nancy know that her husband had not responded to anything recently.
    “I gently placed Einstein on a footstool next to the recliner and placed the man’s hand on Einstein’s head and ears. He started to smile and his wife told me she could not remember the last time he had smiled,” Cohen recalls.
    During another home visit — this time to see a retired teacher with Parkinson’s disease — Dixie confidently walked up to the teacher to be petted and then boldly walked into her kitchen to take in scents of food.
    “The teacher was clearly amused by Dixie and seemed to know that with basset hounds, the nose is everything,” Cohen says. “Dixie has very soulful eyes and she quickly endears herself to everyone she meets.”
Stevens also expressed her appreciation for dogs like Leahla, a 5-year-old Shih Tzu-poodle mix belonging to Bonnie McKay of West Palm Beach, and Sarah, a beagle belonging to William Merkle of Boynton Beach.
    “Bonnie brought Leahla to see a woman with multiple sclerosis. The disease had progressed to the point that she could not move anything but her hands,” Stevens says. “Bonnie placed Leahla on a blanket on the bed and helped the woman position her hand so it could move up and down Leahla. She made the woman smile.”
    She continues, “We got an urgent call from a social worker for a patient with end-stage lung disease who desperately wanted a dog to visit him. In walks William with Sarah, and the man proclaimed, ‘Oh my gosh! I had a dream about a beagle visiting me. This is wonderful.’”
    Most patients whom Einstein visits are unaware that glaucoma has robbed this 12-year-old of sight in his right eye and that he can see only shadows in his left. They just notice that Einstein hangs closely to the right side of Cohen.
    “Einstein regards me as his safety net when we enter a new place or room, but he still enjoys performing tricks for the clients and their families,” she says. “As he was going blind, we taught him the map of our house, how to move forward, back up, step up, step down and slow down. He is a very good learner and definitely lives up to his name.”
    It is clear that Einstein has the right qualities to be a perfect Paw Pal ambassador.
    
Arden Moore, founder of FourLeggedLife.com, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. She hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on www.PetLifeRadio.com. Learn more by visiting www.fourleggedlife.com.

Nathan and Fran Nachlas, of Boca Raton, with the SafeSun sunscreen dispenser they installed

at South Inlet Park. Nathan, a reconstructive surgeon who operates on people’s faces

after melanoma removal, and Fran, a nurse, founded SafeSun, a not-for-profit venture,

with their four children five years ago.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Lona O'Connor

    It’s one of those ideas so simple, so obvious, so vital, that it’s a wonder somebody didn’t think of it sooner: Put free sunscreen dispensers in local parks, making it easy for people to protect themselves from sun damage and skin cancers.
    The sunscreen dispensers are the result of a partnership among the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation in West Palm Beach and SafeSun, a nonprofit organization founded by a Boca Raton family.
    For all of them, it’s personal.
    “We would really like to get them in more parks, playgrounds and soccer fields,” said Fran Nachlas, a surgical nurse who founded SafeSun with her husband, Nathan, a reconstructive surgeon.  “There should be sunscreen for the kids. There’s no reason not to.”
    The couple’s four children all played at parks and sports fields.
    In their professional roles, Fran and Nathan Nachlas work to repair the effects of melanoma. The cancer has  touched their personal lives. Nathan lost an uncle, age 50, to melanoma. He has had skin cancers removed from his legs, a result of sun exposure in his teens.
    “We don’t want people to give money for staples and paper,” said Fran, who grew up in Delray Beach and attended Atlantic Community High School. The Nachlas family lives in Boca Raton and Nathan practices there. “We wanted to make an impact for local charities. It’s very personal.”
    Working through the Kann Melanoma Foundation, SafeSun sponsored the installation and maintenance of a sunscreen dispenser at South Inlet Park on the beach in Boca Raton.
    Fran and Nathan Nachlas founded SafeSun in 2012. Both are runners and triathletes, so since 2013 SafeSun has  sponsored Run From the Rays, a series of races in Boca Raton  that have raised $143,000. They also sponsor a local Martinis for Melanoma fundraiser.
    Their four children participate in activities to raise awareness of skin cancers, such as working with Students Against Melanoma and providing information about sun damage to after-school kids clubs.
    SafeSun also contributes to the dermatology clinic at Caridad Center, west of Boynton Beach, which treats a number of workers exposed daily to the sun. Fran and Nathan Nachlas contribute to the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and the Lynn Cancer Institute in Delray Beach.
    Four years ago, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation started a sun safety campaign with posters and information kiosks at pools, beaches and water parks, said Laurie Schobelock, aquatics director of the department.
    When she found out about the sunscreen dispensers, Schobelock worked to get the first one installed at Okeeheelee Golf Course. Now other dispensers are at Coconut Cove Waterpark in Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park, North County Aquatic Complex, Juno Beach Park Pier and Ocean Cay Park.
    Since there are more than 80 regional, district, community, beach and neighborhood parks in the Palm Beach County system, where children and adults play and picnic under the blistering Florida sun, the partners are hoping other groups and individuals will join them in sponsoring more dispensers, which cost about $500 each.
    The dispensers provide a thick, high-quality organic product that does not harm marine life, said Schobelock, who uses the product when she visits Juno Pier. Though she generally doesn’t make a big deal of it, Schobelock says she, too, is a melanoma survivor.
    “I was a person who grew up in and on the water — on the gulf coast of Alabama, Perdido Bay — and I’ve been in Florida 35 years. For me, it’s kayaking and paddleboarding.”
    When Schobelock was 28, “my mother noticed a mole on the back of my knee, about the size of the end of my pinky finger. She bugged me until I went to the dermatologist, because my father had had some squamous cells.”
    The back of a woman’s knee, a spot seldom looked at, is a common site for a cancerous spot to develop, Schobelock’s oncologist told her.
    Fran Nachlas constantly monitors how her family’s donations are being spent, and chose the Kann Foundation because she approves of the organization’s careful use of money.
    “I’m not just handing over money blindly,” she said. “I know where every penny goes.”
    Putting sunblock and preventive messages at beaches and parks locates these resources exactly where there are young people, those most vulnerable to skin cancers and most in need of skin cancer education, she said.
    “People get most of their sunburns before age 18,” said Fran Nachlas. “Skin cancer is preventable. It’s sad when it doesn’t really have to happen.”

    For more information about sun safety, visit www.pbcsplash.com. To sponsor a sunblock dispenser, or for information about melanoma, contact the Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation at 655-9655 or melanomafoundation.com.

Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.

By Christine Davis

    Delray Medical Center honored pharmacy buyer Lourdes Black by inducting her into the Tenet Heroes Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Dallas. Black led the development of a supply-chain strategy that saved Tenet’s Miami-Dade market $4 million in 2016. Her process is scheduled for companywide rollout soon.
    She also organizes departmental food and clothing drives to help less fortunate colleagues and community members. Black assisted a colleague by organizing, decorating and paying for her wedding, which would not have been possible without Black’s support.
    Tenet Heroes are nominated by their hospitals’ leadership teams and selected based on their dedication to patients, colleagues and communities.
                                
    Boca Raton Regional Hospital has formed a chapter of Mended Hearts, a national organization made up of the kind of people it serves — heart patients, their families and others affected by heart disease.
    Mended Hearts promotes a positive patient-care experience, offering services to heart patients through visiting programs, support group meetings and educational forums. At its support groups, members listen, share their experiences and learn from health care professionals. They also volunteer to talk to other heart patients about what they may face, including lifestyle changes, depression, recovery and treatment.
    Support group meetings will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Volunteer Board Room at Boca Raton Regional, 800 Meadows Road. Members should ask for directions to the room from the representative in the hospital’s main lobby rotunda.
     If you’re interested in joining the support group or helping others affected by heart disease, contact Miriam Caban, registered nurse, at mcaban@brrh.com. Mended Hearts of Boca Raton is supported by the charitable intentions of Dr. Allan and Eileen Kaplan.
                                
    Facial plastic surgeon Jacob D. Steiger was named a Castle Connolly 2017 Top Doctor. Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. publishes America’s Top Doctors, who are nominated by their peers through a survey process and then screened by the Castle Connolly physician-led research team.

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

The fishing team Seapremacy shows the 42-pound kingfish taken on a live bait near Jupiter

to win biggest fish in the April 15 tournament. Team members, from left, are captain Alex Burgess,

Benny Townend, James Wood, Michael Wood and Amber Wood

(holding her kingfish that won second place, lady angler).

Willie Howard/The Coastal Star

A struggling ficus hedge, overgrown with weeds and invasive exotic plants, was recently replaced

with a new hedge of more than 65 Clusia and more than 150 Pentas at the entranceway

of the Place Au Soleil neighborhood in Gulf Stream. Funding was provided by the Gulf Stream

and Place au Soleil civic associations. Cleanup and installation work was performed by Diamond Cut Lawnscapes.

Photo provided

A plaque honoring Judy Black was placed in The Nature Conservancy’s newly expanded native plants

and pollinator garden at Blowing Rocks Preserve.

Photo provided by Lucy Miller

    A gift from the Leon Black Foundation to The Nature Conservancy recently established the Judy Black and Richard Schlosberg Bird Fund.
    Judy Black, who died on Nov. 15, 2015, was passionate in promoting environmental conservation and committed to creating gardens. She was a former president of the Hypoluxo Island Property Owners Association and supervised the neighborhood association’s Tree Program to save the ecologically essential native tree canopy.
    Her husband, Richard Schlosberg, said his wife turned her own small front and mostly paved back yards into verdant habitat, protective of endangered and threatened migratory birds.
    The couple also helped save the native habitat that several years ago became the Lantana Scrub Nature Preserve.
With the Leon Black Foundation’s gift (Leon Black was Judy Black’s brother), Conservancy scientists will take steps to support rare migratory and resident bird populations.
    Earlier this year, a plaque honoring Judy Black was placed in The Nature Conservancy’s newly expanded native plants and pollinator garden at Blowing Rocks Preserve in Hobe Sound. The preserve has been expanded thanks to the new funding.
— Mary Thurwachter

The Grass River Garden Club awarded three grants in 2017: $7,500 to Sandoway Discovery Center to support Title I schools and after-care participation in Sandoway’s Junior Naturalist Program; $6,200 to Community Greening for the planting of trees, creation and maintenance of green spaces and education about environmental benefits of trees; and $700 to Delray Beach Children’s Garden to pay for a handicapped access path. ABOVE: (l-r) Karen Muse, Grass River Garden Club finance chair, with Delray Beach Children’s Garden co-founders Jeannie Fernsworth and Shelly Zacks.

Photo provided

Paul Cienniwa, who starts June 1 as St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s music ministry director,

says ‘music can touch people who aren’t religious. It’s a spiritual experience.’

Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

   Never underestimate the power of music. Paul Cienniwa’s skills as an organist brought him to the church: Playing organ paid his bills when he was a struggling student and, in fact, organ-playing paid a lot better than the minimum wage he made in a sheet music store.
    Music also brought Cienniwa to God. “The music converted me,” said the newly hired director of music ministry at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Delray Beach.
    But first, music brought Cienniwa east. Born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, Cienniwa earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University before moving to New Haven, Conn., to attend the Yale School of Music. He earned a master of music degree in 1997, master of musical arts in 1998 and, finally, a doctorate of musical arts from Yale in 2003.
    Now, after two decades in New England, Cienniwa is on the move again and he is thrilled. The position at St. Paul’s seems tailor-made for the gregarious Cienniwa, who starts work June 1.
    “It’s overwhelming and wonderful and I can’t wait,” he said by phone from Fall River, Mass.
    Cienniwa’s career in New England sometimes had him in the car for four hours a day, with his hand in pies in Boston, Providence and places in between.
    He had been serving as chorus master of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, directing the chorus at Framingham State University, lecturing at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and teaching piano at the Music School of the Rhode Island Philharmonic.
    He also played organ and harpsichord regularly with the Rhode Island Philharmonic and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. He performed on a weekly radio show at WERS 88.9 FM in Boston.
    Cienniwa and his wife, Jacqueline Maillet, a middle school music teacher, were ready for a change. But Cienniwa said potential employers were often intimidated by his full plate. Until he met the leadership at St. Paul’s. “They got it,” Cienniwa said.
    But there was one more hurdle. Cienniwa’s wife of just three years had three adult children and a grandchild living in New England, and he didn’t want to ask her to leave them. He didn’t have to. She told him, “Go for it. It’s perfect for you.”
    She will join him here.
    Taking on the position of music director at St. Paul’s is like taking on a mantle.
    Cienniwa is following a legacy left by Dr. Keith Paulson-Thorp, who served as the director of music ministry for more than 10 years and expanded the popular concert series originally founded by Stuart Gardner.
    Thorp introduced jazz concerts and klezmer, which brought more people to the church, and founded La Camerata del Re, a consortium of South Florida musicians who perform with instruments authentic to the time period of each piece.
    Now Cienniwa will add his flavor to the program.
    “I plan to move quite slowly,” he said. “Music is an outreach. It’s a gateway drug to bring people to church. Music can touch people who aren’t religious. It’s a spiritual experience.”
    One thing he does plan to do is start a children’s choir. “It’s the No. 1 thing I want to do,” he said. “I want to engage children in the religious experience. And if I can get kids and carry them through their teenage years, what a wonderful thing.”

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

Hear Cienniwa play at St. Paul’s Church
Paul Cienniwa will perform his first South Florida concert, French Sweets on harpsichord, at 3 p.m. June 11 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. The program will include suites by Francois Couperin, Johann Sebastian Bach and Jean- Philippe Rameau.
Cienniwa is looking forward to his first performance here. “My duty to the art is to be as good as I possibly can and leave the rest up to the audience,” he said.
Tickets are free.
Info: Call 278-6003 or visit www.stpaulsdelray.org.

Joewood is a slow-growing shrub with inedible green fruit.

BELOW: Jacquemontia is a native vine with stunning blue blooms.

Both plants are salt-tolerant, making them ideal for our neighborhoods.

Photos by Jerry Lower and Susan Lerner

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

    If you want to attract wildlife while doing less maintenance in your yard, perhaps it’s time to go native. Now is the perfect time to get started by attending the 12th annual Rare and Unique Native Plant Auction.
    The event, which includes both live and silent auctions, will be May 16 and hosted by the Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society at Mounts Botanical Garden.
    Last year the auction brought in $3,000 the group used to educate the public about the importance of using native plants in the landscape.
    “Planting natives is a big deal,” says chapter President Susan Lerner.
    The FNPS defines Florida native plants as those that would be found within the state before Europeans arrived. “They are the plants that were here before we raped and pillaged the land,” Lerner says.
    Today she and the about 200 members of the local FNPS urge residents to utilize the plants that filled the Florida peninsula before exotic or nonnative species arrived. For example, instead of planting bougainvillea that originated in Africa and South America, think about adding color to your yard with a native orange geiger.  
    Because native plants have developed over millennia, they are well-suited to the area. That means they thrive on the nutrients found naturally in the soil, they need only what rain falls and they shine in the tropical sun.
    And this means there’s little need for spraying, fertilizing or watering, which is good for the gardener and the garden.
    By doing this, you can help create habitats where native insects provide food for native birds, and native butterflies thrive on their requisite host and nectar plants.
    Whether you’re just starting to plant natives or looking for some plants to add to your collection, register to bid on the many lots of native plants that will be available in the live auction, called “Going Native — Harmonious Habitats.”
    This auction will be divided into six sections, including Piney Woods, Scrub-a-Dub and Hammock Time, with each based upon a specific Florida habitat (pineland, scrub and hammock).
    In the Going Coastal section, you can bid on native plants that do well along our beaches, including the joewood, a small tree or shrub the state has deemed “threatened.” It sports tiny white to yellow flowers that grow in small clusters and have an aroma similar to jasmine.
    The plants will be offered in 1-gallon to 15-gallon pots.  Small trees will be auctioned in single lots; smaller items may be grouped.  
    Rufino Osorio, the nationally acclaimed author of A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants, will describe each plant brought up for bid and its growing requirements. And members of the local FNPS chapter will be available to answer questions.
    Meanwhile, the silent auction is a little more “catch-as-catch-can,” Lerner says. “All kinds of interesting things show up, and we often don’t know what will be auctioned until it walks through the door.”
    Lerner urges folks to attend this event to learn more about natives, be introduced to some hard-to-find specimens and enjoy the evening. And no matter how many plants you already cultivate, you may find something you can’t resist.
    “There’s always room for one more in a garden,” she says.

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a certified master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

Auction tip
“Before you attend the auction, think about the place in your garden you’d like to fill and how you want to fill it. Do you want to add a little color? Attract butterflies?
“Then think about how much sun and water the area gets. Is it irrigated and damp all the time? Is it on the west side of the house where it gets afternoon sun or the east side where it gets morning sun? Then you’ll know what to look for when you bid on a plant.”  
 — Susan Lerner, president of the Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society

If You Go
The 12th annual Rare and Unique Native Plant Auction
When: 7-9:30 p.m. May 16; arrive when the doors open and you’ll have time to bid on the silent auction and view the lots for the live auction that begins at 7:30.
Where: The auditorium at Mounts Botanical Garden, 531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach
Admission: Free. Refreshments available. Only cash and checks will be accepted as payment for auction items.
For more information: 247-3677. Learn about the Palm Beach County chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society by visiting palmbeach.fnpschapters.org.

Campers enrolled in Ocean Adventure in Boca Raton, designed for children up to age 15,

have opportunities to sail, snorkel and surf.

Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

    Summer camp opportunities for children 12 and younger abound. But what about our teens? What are they going to do this summer? Here are a few options.

For water lovers
    Founded in 2009 by boat captain Maya Shoup, Under Blue Waters Ocean Adventure Camp is an intimate camp experience for kids who love the water. Kids master skills for snorkeling, boogie boarding, skim boarding, surfing, paddleboarding, fishing, sailing and scuba diving, and learn about marine and environmental conservation.
    All staff undergo level two background screening, are certified in CPR, AED and first aid, and are qualified and certified in their areas of expertise.
    Camp meets from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, with extended hours to 5 p.m. available, at Red Reef Park, 1400 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton, and is designed for children up to age 15. A four-day camp is $203 for Boca Raton residents, $288 for nonresidents. A five-day camp is $325 for Boca Raton residents, $406 for nonresidents.
    Through a special cooperative effort with the Wild Dolphin Project, Under Blue Waters will offer a one-of-a-kind Wild Dolphin Camp. Campers will focus on the marine research field through interactions with the WDP crew. They’ll learn about dolphin behavior, habitat, current research and conservation efforts as well as boater safety, snorkel and diving safety, paddleboarding, and the environmental conservation of local waterways. Kids complete skin diver and snorkeling courses that will come with an official PADI certification.
    Only 12 spaces are available for this camp, which meets at New Port Cove Marine Center under the Blue Heron Bridge, in Riviera Beach. Camps meet two weeks: June 26-30 and July 17-21. The fee is $450 per week, which includes a mask and snorkel and PADI certification.
    Call 715-0499 or visit underbluewaters.com

For techie teens
    If your house includes a rising freshman, IMACS can provide just the edge needed to excel in technology classes in high school and prepare for the high-tech world beyond.
    IMACS is an independent teaching and educational research institute focused on helping students reach their highest potential in math, computer science and logical reasoning, but the skills campers learn translate across the board no matter what they study.
    Coursework includes university-level logic for mathematics based on the Elements of Mathematics curriculum, and university-level computer science designed for talented secondary school students. They also learn the hands-on skills needed for the design and construction of electronics projects, using resistors, diodes, LEDs, capacitors and integrated circuits, and students get to keep what they build.
    Classes are two hours each, and students can register for up to three classes, which makes a full day of camp. They can even take an aptitude test to assess readiness.
    IMACS is at 23172 Sandalfoot Plaza Drive, Boca Raton. For more information, call 470-1178 or visit www.imacs.org.

For budding thespians
    The Rocky Mountain Conservatory Theatre hosts summer camps at Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton. These full-immersion camps are designed for ages 11 to 18 and are offered in two, three-week sessions from June 5 to 24 and June 26 to July 15.
    Campers will do everything it takes to put on a show. Teens are instructed in acting, music, voice, dance, art and rehearsal, and they break up the day with theater games and improv. Each student who enrolls is guaranteed a part in the summer production. Student auditions take place on June 5, which is the first day of camp.
    This year’s productions include The Addams Family for session one and Guys and Dolls Jr. for session two. Performance dates are June 22-24 and July 13-15. Camps meet from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with early drop-off at 8 a.m. and late pickup until 5:30 p.m.
    Tuition is $900 per session, or $1,775 for both sessions.
    For more information, call 962-1570 or visit RMCTonline.com.

For risk-taking entertainers
    Aspiring circus performers can get training in juggling, trapeze and tightrope walking at Lynn University in Boca Raton. And circus camp is just one of the opportunities offered at Pine Tree Camp.
    Circus day camps are designed for youths up to age 14 and include lessons in juggling devil sticks, riding a unicycle, performing tricks on a trampoline and the trapeze, tumbling, globe walking and walking the low wire. Students also perform on two tough-to-master props, the giant yo-yo and the rola bola.
    Because these are high-risk activities, Pine Tree Camp is focused on safety. Spotters will carefully supervise campers’ stunts and campers will be protected by mats and safety lines.
    Camps meet at Lynn University in three sessions: June 5-23, June 26-July 14 and July 17-Aug. 4. Tuition is $1,085 per session. An overnight camp is also offered for $2,275.
    When they’re not practicing circus stunts, campers stay active with traditional camp activities, from kickball to crafts. Children who want to learn to swim can take lessons. At the end of the three-week session, parents get a ringside seat at PTC’s Greatest Show on Earth. Or at least in Boca.
    For more information, call 237-7310 or visit www.pinetreecamp.com.

For crime-solving lovers
    FAU’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is offering a criminal justice summer camp on its Boca Raton campus, 777 Glades Road. Campers ages 15-17 (must be entering grades 10-12 in the fall) observe and participate in mock crime scenes and mock criminal trials; watch demonstrations by bomb squads, K-9 units and SWAT teams; and visit police marine units, 911 call centers and local FBI offices.
    The program is a partnership among FAU and the Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI’s Miami office.
    Camps meet June 11-15 and July 9-13. Tuition is $600. Call 297-3040 or visit www.fau.edu/sccj.
 
For kids on the spectrum
    FAU also offers S.O.A.R. — Summer Opportunity for Adult Readiness — for high school students and young adults with autism and similar learning disabilities. Campers live on campus in Boca Raton for one- or two-week sessions. A meal plan provides three meals a day, with vegan, gluten-free and other special dietary options available.
    Activities focus on teaching campers to be more independent. Teens learn social skills, employment readiness, scheduling and time management, and health and wellness, including fitness and nutrition content. They learn to handle stress using meditation, mindfulness and positive aspirations. Campers have access to all of FAU’s facilities, but they also go off-campus for movies and dinner, which build social skills and self-confidence.
    Camps for ages 16-17 meet in one-week sessions June 5-9, June 12-16, June 19-23 and June 26-30. Tuition is $1,400 plus a $75 nonrefundable application fee.
    Camps for ages 18-25 meet in two-week sessions from May 22-June 2, June 19-30 and July 10-21. Tuition is $2,400 plus a $100 nonrefundable application fee.
    For more information, call 213-5450 or visit fau.edu/pcpo/schedule.

For more ideas, visit our Summer Camp Guide at www.thecoastalstar.com

Tuana Yazici (right), a Saint Andrew’s Upper School student, made a presentation to more than 50 kindergartners at Saint Andrew’s. She spoke about protecting sea turtles from plastic waste and explained how sea turtles are at great risk of being harmed or even killed by ingesting marine debris. Following the presentation, Yazici led the students in an art project. Yazici, a native of Turkey, has organized several local beach cleanup efforts and raised money for the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

Photo provided