By Rich Pollack

    BOCA RATON — Irving Gutin was a generous philanthropist who took the task of giving to his community very seriously.
    Over the course of more than two decades, Mr. Gutin and his wife, Barbara, supported dozens of local organizations including Boca Raton Regional Hospital, where they gave more than $6 million to fund three da Vinci robotic surgery systems and to help start a comprehensive stroke center.  
    “Irving was a man who had risen to the highest echelons of corporate America yet he was one of most humble, soft-spoken people I ever met,” said Jerry Fedele, the hospital’s president and CEO.
    Mr. Gutin, a resident of Boca Raton and previously of North Hampton, N.H., died on Nov. 6. He was 84.
    He is remembered as a man with a passion for making a positive impact on people in the community, said Fedele, a close friend of Mr. Gutin’s who delivered the eulogy at his funeral.
    “Irving was very thoughtful about where he put his money,” Fedele said. “He was interested in tracking his contributions so they could have an impact.”
    In an interview with The Coastal Star last fall, Mr. Gutin spoke about the effort he put into his philanthropy.
    “Giving is a tough job,” he said. ‘It’s a very difficult task to understand where your funds are going and to make sure they’re having the impact that you were promised.”
    A native of New York City, Mr. Gutin was a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. In the early 1980s, Mr. Gutin became head of mergers and acquisitions for Tyco International and played a role in its growth from a company with $200 million in sales to a Fortune 100 company with sales of more than $40 billion.
    In the 2015 interview, Mr. Gutin said Barbara’s and his philosophy of philanthropy was developed while they were living in a small New Hampshire community, where charitable giving had a strong impact on the area.
    “We continue to follow that concept of giving today,” Irving Gutin said.  
    Mr. Gutin was an active member of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s board of trustees, where he also served as head of the finance committee and was on the board of the hospital’s foundation.
    “He was a man of few words,” Fedele said. “When he spoke, people listened, because of the genuine person he was.”
    Fedele said Mr. Gutin was very humble, as is his wife, and was more interested in helping others than in receiving recognition for himself.
    In addition to contributions to the hospital, the Gutins supported Family Promise of South Palm Beach County, where they served on the community advisory board. The couple also supported several other organizations both here and in New Hampshire.
    In addition to his wife, Mr. Gutin is survived by his daughters, Nina Gutin and Cheryl Elliott; his granddaughters, Brooke and Alana Elliott, and Jamie Gutin.
    “I will miss him as a board leader, a personal friend and a mentor,” Fedele said.

By Rich Pollack

    Crime remained low in south Palm Beach County’s small coastal communities during the first six months of this year, although a rash of thefts from unlocked cars led to a significant increase in reported crimes in one town.
    In all, there were about 75 crimes reported in the five communities, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with larcenies making up the majority of those crimes.  
    The number of reported crimes in Manalapan and South Palm Beach declined slightly from the same period last year, while Highland Beach saw no increase. In Gulf Stream, one additional crime was reported.
    Ocean Ridge, however, saw a big jump in the number of reported crimes, largely due to thefts from unlocked cars and the theft of some of those vehicles that had keys left in them.
    Of the 47 reported crimes in Ocean Ridge, 37 were larcenies and seven were motor vehicle thefts.
    Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins says that increased awareness among residents combined with increased efforts by his department have slowed the number of thefts from unlocked vehicles.
    “It appears as if the trend has slowed in Ocean Ridge, although it seems to be continuing elsewhere,” he said. “Our education efforts to encourage residents to lock their cars and remove valuables — and keys — appears to be working.”
    While the thefts from unlocked cars have slowed, Hutchins is still encouraging residents to take steps to secure their valuables, including calling police when they see something suspicious.
    “Residents should continue to be aware of what’s going on around them,” he said.
    While Ocean Ridge was hit by the thefts from cars, neighboring towns seem to avoid being targeted by criminals.  
In Manalapan, the number of crimes reported dropped almost 70 percent, from 19 to just six for the six-month period. The number of larcenies dropped from 13 to five.
    South Palm Beach reported the fewest number of crimes, just three larcenies, down from seven total crimes during the same period last year.
    In the larger south county communities, Lantana reported a 7 percent drop in overall crime, while Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach all saw increases. Boca Raton, which reported two homicides, had an increase of 13.2 percent, while reported crime in Delray Beach, with three homicides, increased by 12 percent. Boynton Beach, which had one homicide, had an increase of about 10 percent.  
    As they were in Ocean Ridge, reported larcenies were up significantly in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton.
    Overall, Palm Beach County had a 3.7 percent increase in the number of reported crimes.

By Christine Davis

    On Nov. 1, Douglas Elliman Florida acquired Tauriello & Co. Real Estate Inc., creating its 19th regional office, which will be led by managing broker Ingrid Carlos.
    Explaining why Douglas Elliman Florida opted for a Delray Beach office, Carlos pointed to a surge in building out west, as well as the growth of town homes and condos downtown and new developments on the beach.
    Delray Beach “is lucrative for consumers from all over the world who come to visit, work and live here. Buyers are coming from all over. People from South Florida keep moving north and Delray is in that path. We are also seeing more international buyers coming into Delray because of the lifestyle minus the congestion. Also, because it has a hometown downtown appeal that international buyers crave as it reminds them of their homes in Canada, Europe, England and South America.”
    Tauriello & Co. agents are staying on, as is Sue Tauriello, who said she will continue as a broker/associate in sales.
    “I am beyond pleased for myself and my company team to have been chosen by Douglas Elliman to become part of its expansion in the South Florida marketplace,” she said. “This is a company I have long admired and we are all very excited for our clientele to have access to Douglas Elliman’s marketing and branding.”
    Delray Beach has consistently shown rapid growth in luxury sales each quarter, said Jay Phillip Parker, CEO of Douglas Elliman’s Florida brokerage. “Sue Tauriello and her incredible firm have been instrumental in the development of the bustling community of Delray Beach. The acquisition of her powerful team, coupled with the expertise and national network of Douglas Elliman, results in a driving force second to none.”
    Douglas Elliman now has five county offices, and in Delray Beach, its office is at 900 E. Atlantic Ave.
                                
    The Fite Group, founded by David Fite in 2008, announced that it has reached $3 billion in sales. While the firm’s average sales price is $1.4 million, the Fite Group brokered two of the five top sales in Delray Beach in the past nine months: the home at 502 N. Ocean Blvd. for $26.4 million, and the home at 410 N. Ocean Blvd. for $9.15 million. The Fite Group has three offices and 120 agents. Its Delray Beach office is at 648 George Bush Blvd.
                                
    On Sept. 30, Randy Ely and Nicholas Malinosky, agents with the Corcoran Group, sold the home at 1046 Melaleuca Road, Delray Beach, for $4.25 million. The asking price was $4.35 million. The buyer was represented by Ashley Michelle Velez, an agent with P.U.R.E. Investments, Miami. The new contemporary-style, four-bedroom residence with 7,100 total square feet was developed by Marc Julien Homes, which received a certificate of title for the property from Florida Capital Bank in February 2014.
                                
    Jeffrey Ray, owner/broker of Jeffrey Ray & Associates, Manalapan, represented both the buyer and seller of the Point Manalapan home at 1545 Lands End Road, which closed on Nov. 4. It was a quick sale, Ray said. “The new owners viewed the house 10 days earlier.”
    The six-bedroom, 7½-bath home with 7,870 total square feet sold for $6.7 million. According to public records, the seller was 1545 Lands End LLC, with Boris Bonutti listed as title manager. The new owner is Hammon Avenue Trust, which is connected to Carolyn Rafaelian, founder of Alex and Ani.
    In October, Jeffrey Ray listed 1340 S. Ocean Blvd. for $43.9 million, “marketing it as a private resort,” he said. On a 2.5-plus-acre lot with 270 feet on the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, he sold the house to its current owners, David and Margaret Lumia, in 2008.
    “She was on a professional tennis tour at that time, and the first thing they did was put in a fabulous clay tennis court, then they built a 5,306-square-foot tennis house, then a grass court. Then, they took down the original house and put up a 24,000-plus-square-foot house on the ocean,” Ray said.

    The couple didn’t intend to build a new house, but David, a retired engineer, started getting involved, Ray said. “It took him five or six years, and when the house was completed, he thought about his sons who are in Idaho and New York, and told me, ‘What am I doing here? This house is too big for the two of us.’”

This unfinished ocean-to-lake custom estate built by Casto Homes at 1040 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan

sold for $29.45 million in November.

Photo provided

                               
    In November, an unfinished ocean-to-lake custom estate at 1040 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan changed hands for $29.45 million in an off-market transaction. According to the deed, the PNC Delaware Trust Co., acting as trustee for the Daniel Kloiber Dynasty Trust, sold the house to Whimsical Florida LLC, 2161 Lakeside Drive, Lexington, Ky.
    Built by Casto Homes, Juno Beach, the 23,795-square-foot house and guesthouse are on a 2.14-acre lot with 200 feet of beachfront as well as 200 feet fronting the Intracoastal Waterway. In 2008, the property was purchased for $9.23 million.
                                
    Christel Silver, broker and owner of Silver International Realty in Delray Beach, is one of 43 appointed by the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches to serve on the 2017 board of directors for Florida Realtors, which constitutes its governing body.
                                
    The Young Professionals Committee of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches raised nearly $14,000 at its fourth annual White Attire Fundraiser, which benefited its Pay It Forward Foundation as well as The Senator Philip D. Lewis Center, an organization that is part of The Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Palm Beach County.
    The event was held at The Senada Adzem Team’s listing, at 5678 Vintage Oaks Circle, Delray Beach. The home, owned by the Civog family, is listed for $5.49 million.
    Sponsors included All My Sons Moving & Storage, Off Lease Only West Palm Beach, Cornerstone Home Lending Inc., All About Closing Inc., Brightway Insurance Cole Family Agency, WIN Home Inspection Wellington, and Picture It Sold Photography. Also, Kendra Scott, a boutique in Mizner Park, Boca Raton, sold jewelry at the event and donated the proceeds.

Corcoran’s Susan Long (l-r), Ryan Cooper, Sarita Harty and Jennifer Kilpatrick

participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fundraising walk in Boca Raton.

Photo provided

                               
    The Corcoran Group sponsored this year’s American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Boca Raton on Oct. 22. The second-largest fundraising walk in South Florida, it had 23,000 walkers and reached its goal of raising $500,000 for research grants, programs, advocacy and resources.  
                                
    At the Boca Chamber’s 64th annual celebration in October at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, the chamber welcomed the new chair of its board of directors, Ethel Isaacs Williams, and honored outgoing chairman Jerry Fedele, president and CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Issacs Williams is director of corporate engagement, diversity and inclusion for NextEra Energy Inc.
    The Boca Chamber also introduced seven new board members: Michael Allison, Office Depot; Clara Bennett, Boca Raton Airport Authority; Andrew Duffell, Research Park at Florida Atlantic University; Ahnich Khalid, Maggiano’s Little Italy; Ken Lebersfeld, Capitol Lighting; Keith Sonderling, Gunster; and Bob Tucker, ADT.
    Alison Miuccio and Christie Workman have joined the Chamber team. Miuccio is sales and member relations manager; Workman leads the Golden Bell Education Foundation and Young Entrepreneurs Academy.
                                
    Toby Davis joined the Katz & Associates team at its new Boca Raton address, 1900 NW Corporate Blvd., East Tower, Suite 450.
                                
    Six Palm Beach arts organizations received $75,000 in 2016 from the PNC Foundation’s Arts Alive program, part of a three-year $185,000 commitment PNC announced in November. Recipients were Armory Art Center, Boca Ballet Theatre, Core Ensemble, Palm Beach DramaWorks Ethics Project, Palm Beach Symphony’s Children’s Concerts, and Delray Beach Chorale.
                                
    In October, the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden held its official groundbreaking for Windows on the Floating World: Tropical Wetland Garden, which is funded in part by Boynton Beach resident Margaret Blume as well as The Batchelor Foundation, the Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden and Palm Beach County. 
    Expected to open in spring 2017, Windows on the Floating World will feature transparent open-grid walkways over wetlands. Within the walks are four “windows” that will be planted with aquatics and changed out with rotating and seasonal exhibits growing from submerged containers.
    The display will include waterfalls, an area for wading birds, and a wall covered with bromeliads. Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County, at 531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach, is open Monday to through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
                                
    Crane’s Beach House Boutique Hotel & Luxury Villas hosted 200 guests in November at its fifth annual Best Bite restaurant competition. For the third year in a row, the winning eatery was Caffe Luna Rosa, which offered its Florida yellowtail snapper with a crab crust, topped with shrimp in a saffron cream sauce. Tim Finnegan’s Irish Pub was the runner-up with its chicken curry, and Pizza Rustica came in third with gourmet pizza bites.
    Other contenders were Che!!! with Spanish-style bean empanadas, Papa’s Tapas with traditional Spanish omelets, Patio Delray with garam masala-rubbed ahi tuna seared rare, and Streb’s with ahi tuna and asparagus sesame sake.
                                
    The Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative has prepared the city’s Christmas activities and New Year’s Eve celebration. The 100-foot Christmas tree will be at its usual spot at Old School Square on Atlantic Avenue through Jan. 1; Santa will be on hand through Dec. 23, with related activities held at Old School Square Park. The menorah lighting at Old School Square will be 6 p.m. Dec. 24.
    Other holiday happenings include a carousel ride, kiddie train, ice-skating and mini-golf, plus the Holiday Boat Parade and the Holiday Parade. The New Year’s Eve Celebration will be 5-9 p.m. at Old School Square Park.
    Delray Buick GMC is now the annual automotive sponsor of all major Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative events over the next year, including the lighting of the Christmas tree  and Delray Beach’s First Night on New Year’s Eve.
    For a complete schedule and list of events and activities, visit www. 100FtChristmasTree.com.

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

Picture-perfect greens will welcome members and hotel guests back to the course.

Repairs to the course substrate, improvements to the tee areas and installation of a turf grass

known as Celebration make the course more inviting.

The pond is cleaner and a heron sits where a splintered pedestrian bridge to the 18th green used to be.

Players now take carts around the pond.

New golf carts with onboard GPS displays are among the improvements.

New beds of tropical plants border many of the holes.

Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

    Fifteen months ago, the Resort Course at the Boca Raton Resort & Club had fallen into disrepair, with bald patches in fairways and yellowing greens.
    One sweeping renovation later, the same course opens this month with lush new Celebration grass on its fairways and TifEagle on lush sloping greens that have been restored to their original size and quality.
    “Everybody is excited,” head professional Jimmy Gascoigne said. “I’ve been getting calls from people every day looking to get back out. It’s something our members deserve, and they’re all looking forward to it.”
    The first renovation of the course since 1997 began when the club, typically open year-round, closed in April. Frank Kynkor and his company, Marquee Consulting, oversaw the process, which maintained the original routing but added a new practice green, expanded the tee boxes and redid each of the 18 greens.
    The use of Celebration grass on the fairways and TifEagle on the greens has been popular on top courses in South Florida for a few years.
    “They tend to be the trend down here for the right reasons,” Gascoigne said. “It’s a great mix, not only from a playability standpoint, but from a color and resiliency standpoint.”
    The changes resulted in the course playing at 6,262 yards from the tips, nine yards longer than in the past, down to 4,500 from the red ladies’ tees. That doesn’t include a big addition: Each hole features a marker in the fairway designating a so-called Family Tee, playing to about 3,700 yards.
    “We call it the barefoot golf experience,” Gascoigne said, “and it caters to a wide variety of people: The couple that just wants to go out and play a quick nine, a starting point for a junior golfer who’s gaining experience, or a person who’s taking up the game. It follows along the lines of the PGA of America’s Tee It Forward program. It’s an experience within the hotel.”
    Gascoigne, 34, a graduate of Penn State, said the Family Tees are a result of both feedback from club members, who account for about 60 percent of the rounds compared to 40 percent by hotel guests, as well as the changing nature of the game.
    “No longer do people have six hours to play a round of golf; some only want to take two,” Gascoigne said. “So it’s a quicker experience, and a more enjoyable one as well. The challenge is still there, but it’s a way to introduce golf to everyone.”
    Longtime members will notice no more than subtle changes in the layout, which has been around since 1927 and boasts Sam Snead and Tommy Armour on its roll of former club pros. Gascoigne said all of the bunkers have been reconstructed and “dozens” of trees — primarily oak, silver leaf palms and poincianas — have been added.
    As before, 15 of the 18 holes feature one or more water hazards.
    “It’s not a drastic change, but the way we phrase it is, if you played the golf course before you’ll recognize it, but you have to play it a little differently.”
    Also, a new fleet of golf carts has been brought in, each equipped with a GPS system.
    Gascoigne sounded confident that the renovation has brought the Resort Course back up to the high standards of the hotel, a Waldorf Astoria/Hilton Hotels property that has long been considered among the most prestigious in South Florida.
    “Coupled with the services standards of our hotel,” he said, “we can offer a world-class experience for everyone.”

Project faces further review from city

after OK catches some off-guard

By Steve Plunkett
    
    The state’s environmental agency has issued a “notice to proceed” on construction of a controversial beachside mega-mansion, but Boca Raton officials say the owner of the undersized lot has more hurdles to cross.
    “You are hereby granted final authorization to proceed with construction” of a four-story, single-family dwelling at 2500 N. Ocean Blvd., according to the notice issued Oct. 18 by the Department of Environmental Protection.
    The entire lot, located on the ocean between Spanish River Park and Ocean Strand, is east of the state’s Coastal Construction Control Line, which calls for stricter scrutiny of proposed projects.
    But the landowner, Natural Lands LLC, still must pass review by the city’s Environmental Advisory Board and obtain a Coastal Construction Control Line variance and a building permit from Boca Raton, Deputy City Manager George Brown told the City Council on Nov. 22.
    Brown said the city was surprised that the DEP issued the permit without receiving a letter directly from Boca Raton stating that the proposal does not conflict with city zoning codes. The DEP confirmed that “although it is not their usual practice, they accepted a copy of [a city resolution] for the lot width variance, instead of a letter,” Brown said in a memo.
    The state agency’s files show the resolution was sent to Natural Lands with a cover letter in June from city zoning officer John Harbilas, who called it his “response to a request for a zoning confirmation letter.”
    “The subject property satisfies the minimum requirements of the [multifamily zoning] district, including the minimum lot size requirements, and also the minimum setback requirements,” Harbilas wrote the landowner. Natural Lands forwarded the letter to the DEP.
    The City Council in December 2015 reversed a Zoning Board of Adjustment decision that prohibited construction of the 10,432-square-foot house. The zoning board had declined to approve variances for property width and front-yard setbacks.
    Furious residents complained that the structure would change the face of the beach, disorient nesting sea turtles and set a precedent for even more development.
    Council members defended their decision, claiming the city would likely face litigation because more than a dozen similar variances had been approved before. Natural Lands had dropped its request for a front-yard setback, moving the proposed home almost 15 feet closer to the ocean. Approved in a resolution was an 11.5-foot variance from the minimum lot width of 100 feet.
    At the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District’s Nov. 14 meeting, Al Zucaro, of citizen watchdog group Boca Watch, said residents were “misled” by the City Council, who told them the proposal “had many steps to go before any reality might be attached to it.”
    “All the other side had to do to get that permit was to demonstrate that the city of Boca Raton had granted the zoning approval. And the variance did that,” Zucaro said.
    Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Dee Ann Miller said the CCCL is “a line of regulation, not prohibition” and “should not be confused with setback lines or lines of prohibition which are established through comprehensive plans and local zoning laws.
    “That being said,” Miller continued, “as part of the permitting process an applicant is required to submit written evidence from the local government stating the proposed activity does not conflict with local setback requirements or zoning codes — which the applicant did.”
    The DEP permit, which is posted at the site, expires Oct. 7, 2019. Natural Lands contacted the city Nov. 4 to begin the Environmental Advisory Board review, Brown said. The item will be scheduled for an advisory board meeting once the landowner resolves questions from city staff, he said.

By Sallie James

    It’s over — at least for now.
    A proposed orthodox synagogue and museum that spawned three lawsuits and packed City Hall with angry residents will not be built.
    The 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach in November decided not to hear an appeal by Chabad of East Boca Raton to allow the proposed 18,000-square-foot project at 770 E. Palmetto Park Road. Chabad filed the appeal after a lower court in June ruled the city erred in allowing the project because zoning in the area did not permit a museum.
    The Chabad must submit a new site plan that doesn’t include a museum if it wants to proceed or find another location for the museum, according to City Council member Robert Weinroth.
    Rabbi Ruvi New, the congregation’s spiritual leader, said his congregation would seek another location for the My Israel museum and submit a new site plan for Palmetto Park Road without the museum.
    “It means we have to redo the site plan to comply with the court’s ruling. We have already begun,” New said. “[We’re] very disappointed, yes. But our attitude is really to not dwell on the disappointment but simply to look for the way forward and to continue the journey.”
    David Roberts, the owner/broker of Royal Palm Properties across the street, asked a lower court to review the City Council’s approval of the site plan, saying its resolution “departed from the essential requirements of the law.”
    The appeals court decision strikes a serious blow to the project’s viability, said John R. Eubanks Jr., attorney for Roberts.
    “Based on the fact that all five judges approved and there is no written opinion, it would be very hard to appeal to the Florida Supreme Court,” Eubanks said. “Instead, the Chabad will need to start all over again with a new application.”
    Weinroth stood by the decision to approve the site plan.
    “The council continues to believe the lower court erred in concluding that a museum could not be approved by the City Council within a zoning district that did not specifically list it as a permitted use,” Weinroth said. “This was notwithstanding the fact that museums have been permitted in other areas of the city where the zoning district made no specific mention of museums.”
    Weinroth also noted that height allowances in the area were revised since the Chabad’s original site plan was approved and the project’s extra 10 feet above the area’s 30-foot limit would be denied in a new plan.
    The council approved Chabad’s plans in May 2015, despite the zoning in the area not permitting a museum, Palm Beach County Circuit Judges Meenu Sasser and Lisa Small and County Judge Ted Booras wrote in an earlier opinion that disallowed the project.
    That decision resulted in the Chabad’s motion to the 4th District Court of Appeal.
    Even granting the property owner’s contention that a museum in this case is a “place of public assembly,” Sasser, Small and Booras said, officials should have insisted that the .84-acre site have 239 parking spots, not 81.
    It’s been a difficult month for the Chabad. Benefactor Irwin J. Litwak, who donated $2.7 million toward the proposed synagogue property in his parents’ honor, died Nov. 25 at age 80.
    As for finding another location for the museum, New said that “it’s a more scenic route to our destination than we would have liked. We will just keep moving forward.”
    Chabad has been trying to find a larger place to meet for years. This is the second time parking has tripped up its plans.
    In 2008, the congregation wanted to move into a 23,000-square-foot building near Mizner Park but was unable to meet parking requirements there.

By Mary Hladky

    A referendum preserving city-owned land along the Intracoastal Waterway for public use gained wide approval from residents in all parts of the city when they voted in the Nov. 8 election.
    A precinct-by-precinct breakdown of votes compiled by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections shows the referendum did not fail in any of the 37 precincts where ballots were cast. Voters approved the measure by more than 70 percent in 11 precincts. The lowest favorable vote was 58 percent, recorded in two precincts.
    Voters in the western edges of the city supported the referendum by margins generally equal to those who live near the Intracoastal.
    Overall, the initiative won a whopping 67 percent of the vote.
    It limits use of city-owned land on the waterway primarily to public recreation and boating access, effectively torpedoing City Council plans to lease 2.3 acres along the Intracoastal just north of the Palmetto Park Road bridge to the Hillstone Restaurant Group for a restaurant.
    City resident James Hendrey, who spearheaded the citizens’ initiative, said he was “delighted” with the result.
    Although optimistic the initiative would pass, Hendrey said he didn’t expect such a landslide vote because powerful and well-financed interests wanted the referendum to fail.
    “They confused the voting audience,” Hendrey said. “We feel if they had not spent the amount they did trying to cloud the issue, the number would have been significantly higher.
    “They don’t see that people are tired of development,” he added. “It is such an overwhelming win for the people.”
    With the vote results in, Hendrey threw down the gauntlet when he addressed the City Council at its Nov. 22 meeting.
    “All of you representing the development interests in this city, get on board” with the results, he said.
    Council member Robert Weinroth, who opposed the referendum, said it passed because it seemed intended to protect park space citywide from commercial development.
    “It is basically like apple pie. We want a park,” he said. “The way it was presented to voters made it appear there might be something afoot, that we were contemplating developing the areas that are recreation or park land, but that was not the case.”
    With the referendum’s approval, the city will not be able to lease the former Wildflower property to Hillstone, he said.
    “I have heard from the attorney representing Hillstone. They understand the passing of the referendum has essentially ended the possibility of us entering into a lease with them,” Weinroth said.
    Under the terms of the deal the city was hammering out with Hillstone, the city would have reaped as much as $33 million from a 45-year lease for the land, which has sat vacant for seven years.
    Now, the city could potentially face a lawsuit if Hillstone decides to pursue a claim for damages. An attorney for Hillstone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
    “I certainly accept the will of the voters,” Weinroth said. “Notwithstanding the fact I was against the referendum and thought the city was going in the right direction with a waterfront venue, with a 2-1 margin the voters have spoken and we will go accordingly.”
    Troy McLellan, president and CEO of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, which also opposed the referendum, agreed with Weinroth that voters read the referendum to mean, “let’s not develop on city-owned waterfront land. That sounds positive.”
    But the vote in favor could also affect what the city can do with the just over 200 acres of other waterfront land it owns.
    “That makes it very challenging for elected officials,” McLellan said.
    They can abide by the exact wording of the referendum, which would result in no commercial use of any of that land. Or, he said, council members could interpret the wording so that, for example, they might decide a hot dog stand or a Starbucks is an amenity that serves park patrons.
    Regardless of what decision they make, McLellan sees a “missed opportunity” to have a waterfront restaurant and for the city to receive a return on investment for the $7.5 million spent on the Wildflower property.
    “I think it is disappointing for this community not to have a waterfront restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway in a downtown that is thriving,” he said.

By Steve Plunkett

    The first big change at the city-owned Wildflower site after a decisive public rejection of a planned restaurant may be the installation of bleachers to watch the Dec. 17 boat parade.
    A citizen initiative to permit only public uses of city-owned property on the Intracoastal Waterway was the runaway winner on Boca Raton ballots Nov. 8, taking 67 percent of 43,862 votes cast.
    Resident Lenore Wachtel fired the first shot at the Nov. 21 City Council workshop, imploring council members to take down the fence and put in some grass so that people could use the 2.3 acres at the northwest base of the Palmetto Park Road bridge.
    “Why should it be vacant? I mean, we paid for it, we own it. It ought to be able to be used,” she said.
    City Council member Scott Singer said, “There’s a bunch of debris and some brushwork, a lot of foliage, vegetation that’s on the ground, but I think that could probably be cleared.”
    Singer said some temporary bleachers could be positioned at the site for the boat parade. Before the popular vote, the city had been negotiating for years to lease the site to the Hillstone Restaurant Group.
    “That’s one way to open it up, it’s just one evening, and then we’ll go from there,” Singer said.
    Red Reef Park has historically been the viewing point for the parade, Mayor Susan Haynie said. “To have additional bleachers here, we’re going to have to be very careful to preserve the boat ramp parking” at Silver Palm Park next door, she said.
    Council member Robert Weinroth said adoption of the citizen initiative carried “unintended consequences” for activities at parks along the Intracoastal that some people might not view as strictly public, such as the gift shop at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. He said the council should pass a grandfather ordinance protecting all current uses at the parks, “so we don’t run into a situation where we have to be the bad guys and start saying uses don’t comport with the ordinance.”
    But the rest of the council was content with the status quo and decided to take up the issue of what to do with the Wildflower parcel in January.
    “It’s up to us to interpret this ordinance,” council member Jeremy Rodgers said. “I don’t see someone suing us over Gumbo Limbo.”
    The city bought the parcel for $7.5 million in 2009. Nearby residents led by James and Nancy Hendrey successfully collected enough petition signatures this summer to put the question on the ballot.
    “I’m so glad that everybody stood up to that situation and said, ‘We want our parks to remain for recreation and for boating,’ ” James Hendrey said.
    The Wildflower site was one of three green spaces that council members discussed. The bulk of the meeting centered on 10 proposals by developers to acquire the municipal golf course, which is outside city limits, west of Florida’s Turnpike.
    Council members decided to discard seven. Still on the table are proposals from GL Homes, which would pay Boca Raton $73 million; from Lennar Corp., which would swap the Ocean Breeze golf course around the Boca Teeca condominiums in the north end of the city and also pay $41 million for the main course; and from Compson Boca Argent LLC, which would pay $73.18 million and donate 26.4 acres for a Torah Academy campus.
    “I see great value in maintaining Ocean Breeze as a golf course,” Haynie said.
    Lennar values the course at $10 million. The Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District told the council it could repay the city for the acquisition and pay to upgrade the course, which would be open to the public, and maintain it.
    “Not everyone in this community can afford to write big checks to belong to private clubs,” said Arthur Koski, the district’s executive director.
Koski said famed golfer Greg Norman is interested in putting an eponymous golf school on part of Ocean Breeze like the one he has in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
“I would have to say that Boca Teeca would be the ideal location for creating a similar world-class training center,” Norman wrote Koski.
    The council will consider the golf courses again in January.

Delray Beach Fire Rescue and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue

responded to a small fire Nov. 29 at 3201 Beach Walk East in Highland Beach.

The fire is under investigation, but officials suspected it started

from workers soldering wires earlier in the day, which resulted in a fire in one of the units.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Steve Plunkett

    The Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District’s longtime attorney has given up the third of three jobs there that paid him a total of $330,000 a year.
    Arthur Koski, who is also yielding his role as the district’s executive director, recommended Nov. 28 that beach and park commissioners hire Michael Fichera, Boca Raton’s recently retired chief building official, to do their contract administration work, a task Koski has handled since 2010.
    Koski said Fichera “probably is the most knowledgeable person in the city of Boca Raton relative to permitting and inspections and making sure work passes inspections.”
    Fichera “supervised all of the individuals at City Hall who are involved with issuing permits for any construction within the city … and had the direct supervisory responsibility of all of the individual inspectors who do the various inspections on all the construction,” Koski said.
    Commissioners approved his hiring unanimously.
    “This is a coup in my opinion,” Commissioner Earl Starkoff said.
    Fichera, who retired from his city position Nov. 1 after starting out as a construction inspector for the city in 1981, will get $6,000 a month as a consultant without benefits.
    Koski said the rebuilding of the district’s Sugar Sand Park playground, which is winding down, along with building a new community center at the Swim & Racquet Center and converting a grass field at Patch Reef Park to artificial turf will keep Fichera busy for two to three years. Also on the horizon may be construction of additional sports fields at DeHoernle Park.
    Koski will end his part-time job as the district’s executive director in January, a task that paid him $90,000 a year. He took the interim position in 2012 when Robert Langford retired. But his additional role drew complaints from city officials, culminating in March with City Council member Robert Weinroth’s demand that he be replaced with someone full-time.
    In May, Koski said he would step aside as director on Oct. 1, the start of the new budget year. But he was persuaded to stay until January, when commissioners will choose their chairman for the calendar year and commissioners-elect Craig Ehrnst and Erin Wright will take their seats.
    Koski started giving the Beach & Park District legal advice in 1978 and is paid $132,000 a year for it, more if the district is involved in litigation. Commissioners value his institutional knowledge.
    Koski, who has a bachelor’s degree in engineering, has said contract administration work is “something that I enjoy very much.”
His total district pay — $330,000 a year — dwarfed that of other public officials, though most government employees receive pension and other benefits that Koski does not. Koski, who pays office and staff expenses, also has a private law practice downtown.

By Rich Pollack

    After months of planning and preparation, Highland Beach’s $2.8 million water main replacement project is expected to begin this month.
    “The contractor is ready to go,” said Public Works Director Ed Soper.
    As part of the project, approved by voters in March 2015, the town will replace approximately 6,700 feet of water mains serving residents on six public side streets.
    The current pipes were installed in the 1940s or ’50s and are about at the end of their life expectancy, Soper said.
    While there have been no major water main breaks recently, Soper said, the goal is to avoid an emergency situation, where replacement and repairs could be costly and residents throughout all of Highland Beach, not just in the impacted neighborhoods, could be inconvenienced.
    “Water mains are like your heart arteries,” he said. “You have to take care of them before it’s too late.”
    During the project, crews will dig a small trench in the road or public right of way and install new pipes. The current mains will be left in place and sealed.  
    In addition, crews will be improving water flow to fire hydrants in the area and replacing all older hydrants on the side streets while adding some hydrants.
    Soper said contractors expect the project to take between seven and eight months and added residents on the affected streets can expect minimal interruption to normal activity.
    To better explain the process and to answer any questions residents may have, the town will host a resident-notification meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 8 at the Highland Beach Public Library.
    Soper and other town officials will attend the meeting, as will representatives from the engineering firm, Mathews Consulting, and the contractor, Mancon Inc.
    During the presentation, representatives will discuss the work schedule, explaining to residents when work will be done on the side streets and for how long they can expect disruption to their water service.
    Soper said the Town Commission will be asked to give final approval to the project at its Dec. 6 meeting with a notice-to-proceed for contractors to be issued Dec. 7.
    While crews are expected to start on the project before Christmas, Soper said any excavations will be restored before the holiday to minimize interruption.
    The public works director said he has heard concerns from residents worried about the impact the project will have on their property.
He said, however, that the town will work to keep that to a minimum.
    “We anticipate minimal damage to property. But if there is any, it will be restored to the same condition or better,” he said.
    During the project, crews likely will replace the current mains with more durable high-density polyethylene pipes.
    When the project is completed, residents living on the side streets can expect to have a more reliable system for potable water and fire suppression, Soper said.
    “This is a high priority for the town,” he said, adding that a similar project that affected residents along State Road A1A was completed in 2009.

As Delray Beach begins ordinance changes,

others stand pat

By Jane Smith

    The U.S. Cavalry arrived last month in the form of a 20-page federal joint statement on sober homes, delivered by U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel.
    She hoped beleaguered cities in her district and around the country would use the legal guidance to help protect their neighborhoods from over-saturation of the homes while safeguarding the rights of people in recovery.  
    So far, only Delray Beach among south county’s four large coastal municipalities will use the statement when revising its reasonable accommodation ordinance. The local statute covers group recovery homes.
    “The city will be able to say how many is too many in one neighborhood,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the Nov. 10 announcement. Previously, cities had to accept group recovery homes wherever they wanted to be.
    Now cities can consider two issues when deciding whether to grant a waiver and allow more than three unrelated people to live together. The municipalities can weigh the financial impact group homes have on single-family neighborhoods as well as the cost for city services, particularly 911 calls for relapsed addicts succumbing to overdoses.
    The revised joint statement, crafted by the departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development, now recognizes that zoning and land use are best determined locally, Glickstein and Frankel said.
    The revision was sparked in May when Frankel led a federal housing official and his staff on a tour of Delray Beach sober homes. The housing official was shocked by what he saw: suitcases, clothing and personal belongings strewn on lawns where patients had been evicted. He vowed to talk with Justice Department lawyers and craft a joint statement that also protects the rights of recovering addicts, who are protected under federal privacy and disability laws.
    Elected leaders and officials in three other coastal cities are less enthused.
    Boca Raton, battle-scarred from losing federal court lawsuits over sober home ordinances, is more cautious. It had to pay more than $2 million in attorneys’ fees in the cases.
    City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser recently gave a lukewarm assessment on the statement to the City Council.
    “I don’t think it is as much of a deviation from what the case law already does allow,” she told the council members on Nov. 22. Frieser said she liked the language that allows cities to deny the waivers under certain circumstances but proving the circumstances would “put an undue burden on a local government.”
    Boynton Beach Mayor Steven Grant and Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart don’t see enough of a change in the revised joint statement. They say if people are receiving treatment in the homes or selling drugs there, they have ordinances that make those activities illegal.
    “We are not going to do anything different at this point in time,” Stewart said.
    Grant said his city will keep using nuisance abatement and code enforcement to monitor the group homes.
    Delray Beach leaders know they have to walk a fine line when revising the ordinance.
    “It’s not a panacea,” City Attorney Max Lohman said. “But it can be used to draft a more even-handed ordinance that also protects the homes’ residents.”
    Police Chief Jeff Goldman called the statement a “game changer. … Over-saturation is a major issue as it pertains to the heroin epidemic in Delray Beach.” The city had less of a problem with heroin overdoses in 2015 compared with this year.
    The city is using outside counsel Terrill Pyburn to bring a revised ordinance to the Planning & Zoning Board’s Dec. 19 meeting and then to the City Commission in January, the mayor said.
    The city had a revised ordinance already on the board’s Nov. 21 agenda. The major changes required the group medical homes to apply annually for the waiver, said Tim Stillings, planning and zoning director.
    As of mid-November, Stillings said the majority of accommodations were for a waiver to the unrelated persons rule. Since 2012, the city has granted 82 waivers, he said.
    In addition, city code inspectors work with the police department to identify illegal practices, such as drug sales, occurring at sober homes, said Michael Coleman, director of community improvement. So far this year, 21 sober home operators were evicted after the property’s owners were alerted to illegal activity, Coleman said.

Arrests made, bills proposed
    Separately, the state attorney’s Sober Homes Task Force is recommending some changes to state laws to weed out rogue operators.
    Suggested revisions include: Increasing the penalties for patient brokering, creating an amendment that bans lying on websites designed to attract potential patients, changing voluntary certification of recovery residences to mandatory and providing more money to the state Department of Children & Families to better police the recovery industry.
    Rep. Bill Hager has agreed to sponsor the bills in the Florida House during the 2017 legislative session. “There is absolutely bipartisan and statewide support for this issue,” said Hager.
    The task force’s law enforcement arm arrested a Boynton Beach treatment center owner, James Kigar, and manager, Chris Hutson, in late October. It also seized the financial records of the Whole Life Recovery center.
    Since then, four Delray Beach sober home operators have been charged with violating the patient brokering law. In an effort to circumvent the law, authorities say, they allegedly accepted payments, called “case management fees,” for each insured patient directed to Whole Life for treatment.

A bungalow built in the ‘20s will become Luff’s Fish House Restaurant,

which is expected to open in about a year.

Rendering provided

By Sallie James

    A historic 1920s bungalow tucked in the heart of downtown Boca Raton will be transformed into a rustic fish restaurant under a plan approved by the Community Redevelopment Agency.
    Luff’s Fish House Restaurant, at 390 E. Palmetto Park Road, is expected to open in about a year, said architect Derek Vander Ploeg. The structure, which has a coral rock chimney, will need to be remodeled and updated to accommodate the eatery, he said.
    “In its day it was a very significant house, given it was built around 1927,” Vander Ploeg said. “In order to preserve the character, we will preserve the outside skin. It will get new windows and new doors. It needs some tender loving care.”
    The CRA unanimously voted to change the 2,717-square-foot structure’s designated use from retail to restaurant during its Oct. 24 meeting. Members said they weren’t concerned that the bungalow did not fully meet existing parking requirements, driveway design, and parking aisle width, saying it was more important to preserve the historic building.
     “I wasn’t concerned about any of the building’s shortcomings,” said CRA member Mike Mullaugh. “We could have fewer parking spaces here because of the unique circumstances of this restaurant.”
    Said Vander Ploeg: “The code really says you need to be able to prove you tried to conform as much as possible.”
    Boca Raton pioneers Theodore and Harriet Luff, who moved to the city in the 1920s from East Orange, N.J., built the house, said Mary Csar, executive director of the Boca Raton Historical Society.  
     In its day, the house was quite a standout, she noted. The bungalow style, with coral rock on the porches and chimney, was once very common, but no more. The house is considered an “exceedingly rare survivor” and is unique in Boca Raton, Csar told the CRA members.
    She called the restaurant use a “perfect adaptation” for a building that will be a “wonderful asset” for the downtown. “We believe having a restaurant in the Luff house is a wonderful use of this historic treasure — a truly unique setting on much-developed Palmetto Park Road,” Csar said. “It also is a great way to tell Boca Raton’s story to our new residents.”
    Over the years, the structure housed many retail businesses, and was the first office of the Historical Society, Csar noted.
    Investments Ltd. restaurateur Arturo Gismondi owns the property. He also is the owner of Trattoria Romana at 499 E. Palmetto Park Road and La Nouvelle Maison at 455 E. Palmetto Park Road. He entered into a long-term lease to operate Luff’s Fish House, Vander Ploeg said.

By Steve Plunkett
    
    The election over, commissioners of the Greater Boca Raton Beach & Park District began welcoming the two new commissioners-elect and saying farewell to the defeated incumbents.
    “I’m sorry to go. It was a great 12 years, but Erin, you just have to get your legs under you and I think everything will be fine,” Commissioner Earl Starkoff told Erin Wright, who outpolled him at the ballot box by a 52-48 percent margin, 23,423 votes to 21,846.
    “I’m just very excited for the opportunity I have ahead of me. I’m excited to get going,” Wright said at the commission’s Nov. 14 meeting.
    Commissioner-elect Craig Ehrnst was equally upbeat.
    “You’ve always had the vision of looking out for the residents, and I don’t think that’s going to change,” said Ehrnst, who beat eight-year incumbent Dennis Frisch by 56 to 44 percent, 25,608 votes to 19,938. “I think we’ve got some good challenges ahead of us, and hopefully we can accomplish a lot.”
    District Chairman Robert Rollins seemed pleased by the comments. “It’s evident that we have the same enthusiasm for having the best parks,” he said.
    Later in the meeting, Rollins solicited feedback from Ehrnst and Wright, who take office in January, on the district’s idea of offering to finance the city’s possible acquisition of the Ocean Breeze golf course at the north end of town.
    Wright called it “a fantastic opportunity.”
    “That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to be on the commission is to keep the green space in the city and try to find as much as possible,” Wright said. Ehrnst agreed, as did all the seated commissioners. “I think it’s a great thing, so yes, move forward,” Ehrnst said.
    Rollins turned bittersweet as the meeting drew to a close. “I must tell you, Dennis and Earl, I will miss their participation. And I’ll save my going-away remarks for the appropriate time. And welcome to the new commissioners,” Rollins said.

By Sallie James

    Florida voters last month legalized a constitutional amendment that made using marijuana legal for certain medical reasons, but Boca Raton residents who need marijuana for medical use won’t find any dispensaries here.
    In November, for the second time in two years, the City Council approved a yearlong moratorium on the operation of medical marijuana treatment centers and dispensing organizations. Council members unanimously agreed they needed time to address land development regulations that will address this issue.
    Boca Raton has historically prohibited marijuana’s cultivation and use.
    “We are not prohibiting the delivery of [medical] marijuana to residents of our city,” explained City Council member Robert Weinroth. “They could still have it dispensed from an outside dispensary and they would still have the use of medical marijuana if it was required.”
    A previous moratorium on operating medical marijuana treatment centers ended when the same measure was presented and failed on the 2014 ballot, but a city moratorium on dispensing and cultivation facilities remained in effect until Nov. 10. Weinroth said the city is simply buying time to address a possible land use it had never before considered and one that would have previously been considered illegal.
    No one from the public spoke for or against the issue.
    The moratorium gives Boca Raton time to address possible new land development regulations.  
    Amendment 2, which voters approved on Nov. 8, allows doctors to prescribe marijuana to anyone with cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Lou Gehrig’s disease, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, Crohn’s disease or other conditions for which they think the use of medical marijuana “would likely outweigh the potential health risks for the patient.”
    Since 2014, the Florida Legislature has revised the definition of “dispensing organization” to include the transportation of cannabis and to include the use of “medical cannabis” for eligible patients with terminal conditions.
    Deputy Mayor Mike Mullaugh wondered why the city’s Planning and Zoning Board had only approved the measure with a 4-1 vote instead of a unanimous vote.
    A city staff member told Mullaugh that Planning and Zoning Board member Arnold Seville voted against extending the moratorium because he wondered what staff had done since the last extension and also noted that the city did not try to regulate traditional pharmacies such as CVS, which sell potent drugs.

Stacy Beaulieu-Fawcett chose Delray Beach for her office because of its ‘small-town’ feel.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

    As a single mother of a young, autistic child, Stacy Beaulieu-Fawcett recalls having some sleepless nights when she launched what is now the Beaulieu-Fawcett Law Group in Delray Beach 10 years ago.
    “I’ve always been an adventurous person. But I do remember lying in bed many nights praying to get through that month,” she said. “Those first three months were very scary.
    “But it really was an adventure, and a lot of people have walked through it with me. And now we want to see the people who have been through this 10-year process with us and say thank you.”
    Honored as the 2014 Businesswoman of the Year in Delray Beach, Beaulieu-Fawcett and her 13-person staff have since grown into one of the leading family and Christian law firms in Palm Beach County, and celebrated their success with a 10th-anniversary open house Nov. 17 at their Pineapple Grove offices.
    A graduate of both the University of Miami and the UM Law School, Beaulieu-Fawcett clerked under Miami family law Judge Amy Karan before starting her own firm. She decided early on that family law was her calling.
    “I wanted to help families, so it was either family law or probate law, where I could help grieving families get through that process. But once I spent a little time in her courtroom, I knew that’s where I needed to be.”
    Her firm moved from near the courthouse to its current location in 2008, and with clients coming from Palm Beach and as far as north Palm Beach County, opened a Palm Beach Gardens office in 2011. Beaulieu-Fawcett anticipated closing on an office property off A1A in North Palm Beach by the end of November. That office is run by Celia E. Henry.
    “Family firms are usually a one- or two-man show, or a department in a bigger firm. But [the growth] shows we’re doing our job. Most of our business comes from word of mouth and past clients, so that we’ve been growing and are able to keep growing [means] we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing.”
    The firm is also doing an honorable job of giving back. After a staff vote, the decision was to also use the anniversary party to honor and contribute to 4 Kids of South Florida, a foster agency it has also helped in the past.
    “We try to be supportive of many agencies, but we narrowed it to teens in foster care, because no one is going to adopt them,” said Beaulieu-Fawcett, whose son, Daniel, is now 12. Guests to the party were each asked to bring a gift card for the organization.
    Beaulieu-Fawcett said she did some searching before settling on Delray Beach as the home for the firm back in 2006.
“It has that small-town community feel, and I wanted that,” she said. “I didn’t want the big city, downtown or up on a high floor. I considered Stuart for a time, again looking for that small-town feel, but eventually I decided on Delray. So I went to Delray and haven’t left.”

By Rich Pollack

    Highland Beach residents will have a chance to come together and enjoy the season during the annual Light Up the Holidays celebration set for Dec. 5.
    Held at 5 p.m. at Town Hall, 3612 S. Ocean Blvd., Light Up the Holidays will feature a performance by the award-winning Dimensional Harmony choir from Boynton Beach High School. Father Gerald Grace from St. Lucy Catholic Church will offer a Christmas message and resident Harry Adwar will say a Hanukkah blessing.
    Cookies and other sweets will be offered along with coffee, hot chocolate and water.
    “Light Up the Holidays is a wonderful time for us all to come together and embrace the spirit of the season,” said interim Town Manager Valerie Oakes.
    Parking is available at St. Lucy Catholic Church with golf cart transportation available to the free event.
    For more information, contact Highland Beach Town Hall at 278-4548.

By Janis Fontaine

    The students in Banyan Creek Elementary School’s chapter of the Samaritans365 club are proof that young people can take the initiative in helping others.
    More than three dozen fourth- and fifth-graders at the Delray Beach school participated in an educational fundraiser Oct. 20 to help homeless families.
    The students learned about family homelessness and how they can help homeless families with children. Each student created a House for Change, a house-shaped collection box to save spare change. The coins collected will be donated to the charity Family Promise to use to help homeless families become independent.
    The nonprofit Samaritans365 is a free after-school program. The program teaches children to be compassionate caretakers of the Earth and its people.
    The Houses for Change campaign was launched in 2010, and since then 50,000 kids nationwide have raised more than $500,000 for charities that help homeless people.
    Find out how you can start your own House for Change or Samaritans365 chapter at www.samaritans365.org.
    Call 715-3534 or email kgellen@comcast.net.

St. Paul’s Christmas music
    The December performance of Music at St. Paul’s features “Noel! Noel! A French Christmas.” The St. Paul’s choir and musicians will present the Lessons of the Seasons through carols and traditional French hymns, including the Christmas Oratorio of Camille Saint-Saens, at 3 p.m. Dec. 18. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is at 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. The concert is free. Call 278-6003 or visit www.music.stpaulsdelray.org.

Putting faith into practice
    “Walking Toward Eternity,” a two-day seminar with Jeff Cavins, will be hosted by St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church on Dec. 9 and 10. The seminar will help guests put their faith into practice, challenge them to make changes in their lives that will bring them closer to God and become the people they were meant to be. The seminar is designed for Catholics, but the message is universal.
    Cavins is an author, speaker, preacher, radio personality, theologian, evangelist and married father of girls.
He created his own Bible study guide, The Great Adventure Bible Study series, which has guided thousands of people though Bible studies around the world.
    Cavins’ seminar kicks off Dec. 9 with a book signing and reception from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
On Dec. 10, the work begins. The cost of the seminar is $38, which includes all seminar materials, continental breakfast, and lunch.
All events take place at St. Vincent Ferrer at 840 George Bush Blvd., Delray Beach. Call 276-6892 for more information or register at www.stvincentferrer.com/jeffcavins.

Share the Light Gala
    Chabad of East Boca Raton hosts “Share the Light, a Gala Reception and Concert,” at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 19, at Hyatt Place Hotel, 100 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. Lamplighter Awards will be given to three people who exemplify the prayer “A little light dispels much darkness.” Marc Goldman, Arlene Herson and Eric Reid will be recognized.
    An acoustic performance by Matisyahu will follow the awards. His music is a fusion of styles ranging from reggae to rock, with a deeply spiritual flavor. Tickets are $180. Sponsorships are still available. For more information, visit www.bocabeachchabad.org/sharethelight.

Prayer breakfast date set
    The annual Pray for Delray Prayer Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. Jan. 11 at Old School Square Fieldhouse, Delray Beach.
Proceeds will benefit City House Delray Beach, a not-for-profit organization whose vision is to provide two-year transitional living for single mothers and their children. (www.cityhousedelray.com)
    The keynote speaker is Capt. Kevin Saxton of Delray Beach Fire Rescue. Austin French, the worship pastor at the Avenue Church, will perform. French was the runner-up on the ABC series Rising Star in 2014.
    Tickets are $25 and are available at www.theacdelray.ccbchurch.com.

Jewish Film Festival
    The 27th annual Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will bring 30 movies by Jewish filmmakers to local stages in January and February. The PBJFF was founded in 1990 to bring the best films to more people, especially in America.
    Jewish art, culture and history, Jewish political challenges and social issues, Jewish achievements and acts of valor are all explored in the movies.
    The festival will open Jan. 19 at the Kravis Center with the film On the Map, the story of Israel’s 1977 basketball team, which was the first to bring the coveted European Cup to Israel. The film’s director, Dani Menkin, and basketball legend Tal Brody will attend the screening and a post-film discussion.
    Films will be screened from Jan. 19 to Feb. 12 at the Kravis Center; Jan. 21-27 at the Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton; Jan. 28-Feb. 4 at Cobb Theatres in Palm Beach Gardens; Feb. 5-11 at the Frank Theatres in Delray Beach; and closing Feb. 12 at Muvico at CityPlace in West Palm Beach. Visit www.pbjff.org; call 877- 318-0071.

Walk where Jesus walked
    First Presbyterian Church of Delray Beach is hosting a trip to Israel April 19-28, led by Doug and Grace Hood. Travelers will find a new dimension and a deeper understanding of Christian history. The cost is $3,998 per person, all-inclusive. Money is due Jan. 10. Register at www.friendshiptours.com or email Nancy Fine at nancyfine@FirstDelray.org.

Audio engineer needed
    Cason United Methodist Church in Delray Beach is looking for a weekend audio engineer who can provide audio reinforcement for Sunday morning services. The engineer must be dependable, a team player and organized. For details, visit www.casonumc.org/job-opportunities.
    
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

'Dr. R2' is the telemedicine device named after Rogers.

From left, Charles K. Cross Jr., chair of the Palm Beach State College Board of Trustees;

Jacqueline Rogers, Lake Worth campus dean of health sciences and public safety and founder

of the Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation; college President Ava L. Parker;

and Florida College System Chancellor Madeline Pumariega.

Photos provided

By Christine Davis

   In “Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation,” Delray Medical Center received recognition as one of America’s 100 best hospitals for stroke care.
    Healthgrades is an online resource that helps consumers make informed decisions about doctors, hospitals and care. It evaluated nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide for 34 of the most common inpatient procedures and conditions.
    Its new report shows how clinical performance differs among hospitals nationally, regionally and at the local level, and the impact that this variation may have on health outcomes. For example, from 2013 to 2015, if all hospitals as a group performed similarly to hospitals receiving five stars, on average 223,412 lives potentially could have been saved and 162,215 complications potentially could have been avoided.
    Healthgrades also recognized Delray Medical Center with Specialty Excellence in Cranial Neurosurgery, Critical Care and eight other five-star achievements. For its analysis, Healthgrades evaluated approximately 45 million Medicare inpatient records for nearly 4,500 short-term acute care hospitals nationwide, assessing hospital performance.
    The Healthgrades 2017 Report to the Nation can be found at www.healthgrades.com/quality. For information about stroke services at Delray Medical Center, visit www.delraymedicalctr.com/our-services/neurosciences/comprehensive-stroke-center.
                                
    In November, the Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation at Palm Beach State College received the Chancellor’s Best Practice Award by the Florida College System as a 2016 recipient. Jacqueline Rogers, Lake Worth campus dean of health sciences and public safety, founded the center in 2011. The center allows students to practice clinical skills using human patient simulators that can mimic medical conditions.
    At the college’s Lake Worth campus, the center is set up like a hospital. The patients are wireless computerized male and female mannequins in various stages of life. The students care for them while their instructor observes behind a one-way mirror. The simulation system operators, who are paramedics and nurses, work closely with the instructors, speak as the patients and instantly change vital signs depending on the patients’ conditions and the treatment given by the students.
    The Center of Excellence in Medical Simulation has provided more than 4,613 simulations to 8,561 students in 1,428 classes in the college’s health science and emergency medical services programs.
    Recently, the center added telemedicine training scenarios to simulate how a physician can interact in a health-care setting from a remote location. “Dr. R2” is a double robotics technology utilizing an iPad on a stick on wheels. Through wireless technology, Dr. R2 can be driven by the remote practitioner using a tablet or smartphone. The practitioner maneuvers the device and is able to see and speak to patients and medical staff in real time.
    “From the various levels of training in our health science and EMS career paths, students can not only envision their role, but understand the role of their colleagues caring for patients,” Rogers said. “Through reality-based scenarios, students apply learning concepts and develop critical thinking skills, all without jeopardizing patient safety. It is for this reason graduates from Palm Beach State College’s Health Science and EMS programs are sought after by employers.”
    To view a video of the center in action, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/MedicalSimulation.
                                
    Donna Clark is now Hanley Center Foundation’s director of finance and administration. She’ll oversee administrative operations as well as financial activities performed on behalf of the foundation. With more than 25 years of experience in finance and administration, she has served in government and nonprofit environments.
                                
    In September, Palm Beach Ocean Rescue was presented with a $4,400 scholarship check from the Palm Beach County Community Assistance and Benefit Corp. The money will help two of its lifeguards take an emergency medical technician course.
                                
    Michael Cortese was promoted to Bethesda Health’s director of outpatient rehabilitation services. He has worked at Bethesda for 25 years, previously serving as the outpatient rehabilitation supervisor. Cortese’s 30 years of experience in health care includes his work as a physical therapist for the Colorado Sports and Spine Center and as an athletic trainer at the Methodist Sports Medicine Clinic in Indiana.
    He earned his master’s degree in physical therapy from Krannert Graduate School of Physical Therapy at the University of Indianapolis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado College.
    He is a certified athletic trainer and serves an athletic trainer and physical therapist for the USA National Sled Hockey Team. In the past, he has served as an athletic trainer for the United States 2014 Paralympic team, United States Soccer Federation and the Ladies Professional Golf Association.
                                
    Mark Trepanier is Abbey Delray’s new executive director. He will oversee day-to-day operations of the senior living community, which has 352 residential living apartment homes and villas, and offers a variety of services to more than 450 residents. Trepanier previously was a regional executive director for ClubLink Corp., a golf and country club management company.

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

Liz Bernstein, a coach at the Power Stretch Studios’ Delray Beach location,

stretches Megan Bell Taylor, the studio owner. The studio opened in November.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Lona O'Connor

    Lee Taylor got his first power stretching session in New Jersey in May. He was running out of options for pain relief from spinal stenosis and he was willing to try anything that might ward off surgery.
    “I did it for an hour with one of the stretch coaches and absolutely loved it,” said Taylor, a commodities broker. “I signed up for a 10-pack of sessions. That was mid-May. By mid-June, I was talking to Kika about opening a studio in Florida.”
    Kika DuBose, an actor and dancer, had launched three Power Stretch studios in New York and New Jersey, where power stretching coaches use her “Kika method” of stretching tight muscles while clients relax.
    Taylor and DuBose worked out an agreement. Taylor and his wife, Megan Bell Taylor, scouted locations in Delray Beach, where they had visited friends.  
    In August, a few blocks north of Atlantic Avenue, they discovered a mint-green house with a separate small building in the back. They moved into the house and outfitted the studio with a big exercise mat and large exercise balls.
    “I’m so optimistic about power stretching that I made my agreement for the entire state of Florida,” Taylor said. “Meg saw the excitement in my eyes when I told her — she’s seen how much pain I’ve gone through — and she was ready.”
    “Usually, he starts something and then after a couple of weeks he doesn’t want to do it anymore,” said Megan, who runs the newly opened Power Stretch studio in downtown Delray Beach. “He really took to this 100 percent.”
    She  hired and trained four stretching coaches and opened the Power Stretch studio in November.
    The target demographic for power stretching is men, who tend to be tighter than women. Both sexes often relegate stretching to a few minutes before or after other forms of exercise, said Megan Bell Taylor.
    Power stretching makes mindful stretching a central activity that improves other forms of exercise and gives an immediate sensation of relaxation.
    Unlike conventional massage, power stretching does not occur on a table. The client sits on a spongy floor mat and the stretching coach measures how close the client can come to touching his toes while in a seated position. Then the coach places the client in a series of positions and helps him stretch neck, chest, hips and extremities. All the client has to do is breathe deeply in and out as instructed. Sessions are 45 or 60 minutes long.
    “It was like night and day,” said Lee Taylor, who first went to the doctor after losing some feeling in his feet three years ago. “I felt taller and more flexible. My joints weren’t cracking.”  Before he began stretching, his golf swing was getting shorter and he was often in too much low- and mid-back pain to walk for 18 holes. After power stretching twice a week with a coach, he recently golfed three times in three days.
    Chris Gallucci, 31, a personal trainer and body builder, became a coach for power stretching as a part-time job opportunity. He has three bulging vertebral disks and because of his age hopes to put off surgery as long as possible. He had been getting massaged once a week, but “the pain comes back right away,” said Gallucci, who lives in Lantana.
    After a few sessions of power stretching, he got relief from his back pain.
    “He looked completely different, his chest was open, he was much more relaxed,” recalled fellow coach Liz Bernstein. Gallucci and his girlfriend, also a personal trainer, now power stretch each other at home.
    When he started power stretching, Gallucci was less flexible than one of his clients, a 70-year-old. And now?
    “I’m walking taller, my posture is better. It helped my back and hamstrings, big time. And I can put my socks on. Before, I couldn’t even put my socks on.”
    Lee and Megan Taylor are considering opening as many as five future locations in Palm Beach and Broward counties, perhaps in Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach. They are also considering demonstration sessions at golf clubs, as DuBose has done in the New York-New Jersey area.
    “Delray is a fantastic place for us,” said Taylor. “You see a ton of people, older, younger, active, in great shape. We’ve made an investment in ourselves and in our future.”
    The Power Stretch studio is at 334 NE First Ave., Delray Beach. Phone 562-5321. An introductory 45-minute session is $45. Normally, sessions are $80 for 45 minutes or $90 for 60 minutes. Package rates are available, too. For more information, visitpowerstretchstudios.com/delray-beach-fl/

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