Paul Katcher and Tom Roma have a last breakfast at the Green Owl.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Related story: Granger’s looks to relocate; Doc’s parcel on the market

By Jane Smith

    Dave Gensman gave up his 33-year-old spot on Atlantic Avenue the same July weekend that Garrison Keillor retired from his 42-year radio career.
    Keillor relied on his Minnesota, no-emotion style when starring in the radio variety show A Prairie Home Companion.
    But in Delray Beach, Gensman said he felt nauseated all week just thinking about the last day of the Green Owl on Atlantic Avenue.
    “Thirty-three years,” Gensman said as he looked around the paneled restaurant, adorned with hundreds of owl images.

Various owl art decorates the Green Owl’s paneled walls.

    The Green Owl, which accepts cash only, was among the last places downtown where diners could be served by a waitress and spend less than $10 for breakfast or lunch.
    A firm affiliated with the Delray Beach-based Menin Co. bought two Atlantic Avenue buildings in April 2015 for $19 million. Menin wants to raise the rent for the Green Owl space, expand it and rent it to a Capital One Café. The Green Owl will reopen in the fall in a smaller spot on Southeast Fourth Avenue, also owned by Menin.
    The Green Owl is just one example of a small business finding it difficult to stay afloat amid escalating real estate prices in Delray Beach’s increasingly trendy downtown.

Comfort food,
comfortable folks
    At the Green Owl, Gensman created a comfortable spot where people could gather and catch up on the news.
    “We always sit at the counter,” said frequent Sunday diner Julie Greene. Originally from the Pittsburgh area, she feels at home amid Gensman’s Steelers memorabilia and has for more than 16 years. “It’s like a Friday night at the Cheers bar on Sunday mornings,” she said.
    Paul Katcher and Tom Roma of Boca Raton have eaten at the Green Owl for about 10 years. The boyfriend of Roma’s daughter discovered it. Katcher likes having a hamburger for breakfast, which the restaurant makes for him.
    They also have a favorite waitress, 11-year server Traci Padalino. She spells her last name, and then asks, “Why do you want to know?” That makes Katcher and Roma chuckle. They appreciate her snappy comebacks.
    Mike Luther, an eight-year customer from Delray Beach, picks up that line of humor. He responds, “It’s about time,” when asked how he feels about the Green Owl’s last day.
    Chris Cooper, who has eaten at the restaurant since the late ’80s, laments the lack of small-business owners on Atlantic Avenue. “It’s becoming just like South Beach,” he said.
    Cooper usually orders the Green Owl’s grilled cheese on rye. “It’s to die for,” he said. He enjoys the nostalgic, 1950s feel of the family restaurant.

David Gensman (left), owner of the Green Owl diner in Delray Beach, speaks with Julie and John Greene,

customers for some 16 years. The diner is leaving its location on Atlantic Avenue for a spot across the street

at 11 SE Fourth Ave. Gensman’s mother, Carol Savage, bought the restaurant in 1983. He expects to reopen in November.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Keeping the ‘family’ feel
    Throughout the Green Owl’s last morning on Atlantic Avenue, Gensman’s eyes would tear up from time to time.
    Breakfast was free that day. Customers were asked to make a donation to the breast cancer fund for the relative of a Green Owl waitress. “I want to give back to the community,” Gensman said.
    Later, he would open the restaurant for a last bash on Atlantic Avenue — for his regular customers.
    When asked which owl is his favorite, Gensman went into the kitchen, rooted around and returned with an owl head that once held plants. He beamed as he showed off the planter. He values the piece not for its looks but because of the person who gave it to him.
    The Green Owl’s new space will seat 65 diners, 20 fewer than on Atlantic Avenue. Menin is building out the space, and it should be ready by November. Gensman is in charge of the décor — paneling and most of the owls.
    Greene and her husband, John, say they relish the camaraderie of sitting at the counter. They’ve been invited to weddings and baby showers, held by people they’ve met at the Green Owl.
    Gensman will try to keep that family feeling and hopes to fit a counter in the new place.

    The Coastal Star has been honored by the Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with three awards for feature and editorial writing.
    The Coastal Star competed against daily newspapers.
    Executive Editor Mary Kate Leming won second place in editorial writing for her columns advocating open government and easier access to public records.
    Randy Schultz and Leming won a third-place award in feature writing for a look at the 1984 Delray Beach murder of a 14-year-old babysitter. Three decades later, her killer remains on Florida’s death row.
    Writer Ron Hayes received a second-place honor in profile reporting for introducing readers to karaoke entertainer Jacqie Jackson; veterinarian Harold “Doc” Burton, who ferried horses to Europe after World War II; and the late book collector and philanthropist Dr. Arthur Jaffe.
    The awards were presented July 9 at the chapter’s annual Sunshine State Awards.

    We are a local newspaper. Our focus is on a 20-mile stretch of coastal southern Palm Beach County. Our mission is local. We don’t write about presidential elections, state or county elections.
    Outside of the office you might hear us voice opinions on broader topics, but you won’t see us write about issues that don’t directly impact our geographic area.
    Plastics in the ocean may seem like a global issue, but if you walk the beach like I do, you have seen the local effect of a growing global problem.
    On a recent family trip to Bolivia and Peru, I was hit hard by the scope of this issue. I had visited these countries when I was teenager (long, long ago) and although many of the socioeconomic changes I observed this summer were positive, the plastic pollution had grown to an alarming level.
    It was heartbreaking to watch glossy ibis wade through plastic refuse in open sewers in the rapidly expanding suburbs of La Paz, Bolivia. Even the flamingos along the rail line in Peru were often seen feeding with plastic bottles floating nearby.
    If attention isn’t paid to this global environmental crisis, it will soon become a human health crisis.
    And yes, I know these are developing countries in the mountains of South America. What does trash in the mountains have to do with plastic in the ocean? Plenty. When plastic is left unmanaged, gravity ultimately sends all non-biodegradable waste into the world’s vast oceans.

    That’s why the efforts by the young men at Saltwater Brewery are so important.
    A biodegradable six-pack holder seems like such a simple idea it’s no wonder manufacturers all over the world are clamoring to incorporate it into their packaging.
    I wish these entrepreneurs all the luck in the world as they get this exciting new product through the patent process and into the global market. I believe they will succeed.
    It took sharp minds to be aware of the frightening amount of plastic in the oceans and to not simply turn away, but instead to stop and think, “What can I do about it?”
    Finding a way to reduce the amount of discarded plastics in our environment is an immense, global issue. But sometimes it just takes one small, local idea to make a difference.


— Mary Kate Leming,
Editor

Lantana’s public beach is a popular destination for families.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Cheryl Blackerby

    Lantana Municipal Beach came uncomfortably close to having a no-swimming advisory on July Fourth weekend.
    Bacteria levels were in the “poor” range June 28 in tests conducted by the Palm Beach County Health Department. The advisory was lifted June 30, the day before the holiday weekend, when bacteria counts dropped to the “good” range.
    Lantana Beach has had four no-swimming advisories because of high bacteria levels since the first of the year.
The beach is the worst offender of the 13 county beaches tested every two weeks by the health department.
    To make matters worse, the June 14 test showed alarmingly high bacterial levels — 1,900 enterococcus CFU (colony-forming units) per 100 milliliters. The “poor” range is 71 or greater enterococcus CFU. (The June 28 count was 260 colonies.)
    “We don’t ever see numbers that high,” said Tim O’Connor, county health department public information officer. Causes could be a leaking sewage pipe or a large ship dumping sewage.
    The health department was working with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to identify the cause, he said.
    “We usually test within 24 hours to see if Mother Nature will take care of it,” he said. “We can’t always find the source. The bottom line is we will continue to look at it.”
    Subsequent tests of Lantana Beach have been in the “good” range, but the beach is still on the health department’s radar. If bacteria counts rise to the June 14 level again the department will investigate.
    “We’re testing for sewage, so we would check lift stations for leaks, septic tanks, sewage pipes to see if any are broken, and make sure sewage facilities are working,” O’Connor said. “We would look at boats going by, and would check with the Coast Guard for boat schedules.”
    The only precautions beach-goers can take are immediately showering after swimming and staying out of the water when no-swimming advisories are posted.
    Enterococci are enteric bacteria that normally inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and animals.
    The presence of enteric bacteria can be an indication of fecal pollution, which may come from storm-water runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage.
    Some beaches are not flushed out by ocean tides as much as others.
    “At Gulf Stream beach, for example, water gets trapped there,” O’Connor said. Gulf Stream is not one of the 13 beaches routinely tested by the county.
    High levels of enterococci can cause gastrointestinal illness, as well as infections in open wounds, and ear and eye infections, said O’Connor.
    Meanwhile, South Palm Beach and other coastal towns are considering building    groins to help hold sand on beaches and guard against erosion, which may worsen the bacteria problem.
    “Groins interrupt the natural flow of sand and water and trap bacteria close to shore,” O’Connor said.
    Standards for bacteria testing were raised Jan. 1 this year. The new criteria for enterococci bacteria were recommended by the U.S.  Environmental Protection Agency after epidemiological studies showed disease risks from water with high bacteria levels are greater than previously thought.
    Swimmers can check beach water quality at palmbeach.floridahealth.gov and click on Beach Water Sampling.

Palm Beach County beaches tested by the health department:
• Lantana Municipal Beach
• Lake Worth Beach
• Boynton Beach
• Spanish River
• South Inlet Park
• Sandoway Park
• Carlin Park
• Dubois Park
• Jupiter Beach Park
• Ocean Inlet Park
• Palm Beach
• Phil Foster Park
• Riviera Municipal Beach

By Dan Moffett

    Ocean Ridge commissioners are exploring ways to use traffic calming devices to promote safety and help provide the town with its own identity.
    Newly elected Commissioner Steve Coz said he heard a lot from residents about the need for traffic calming while campaigning for his seat in March.
    “There were three issues that continually came up,” Coz said. “People were complaining about speeding. They were complaining that the town needed an identity — that the town be identified as a community separate from Boynton. And they were worried about safety.”
    During the July 11 Town Commission meeting, Coz showed commissioners some possibilities that he and town engineer Lisa Tropepe had developed. The idea is to use calming devices on Ocean Avenue, Midlane Road and Beachway Drive, not only to slow down motorists but to send them visceral signals that Ocean Ridge is its own place — with its own character and its own rules.
    “When you go into the town, Ocean Ridge is defined as a safe community, with low speeding,” Coz said of the proposal. “It makes a statement.”
    Tropepe suggested that commissioners consider installing raised speed tables at intersections on Ocean Avenue.
    Constructed of bricks or pavers, the devices would help slow traffic entering the crossroads from four directions and add an aesthetically pleasing detail to the neighborhood, she said. A center median device could help define the town’s Beachway entrance.
    Tropepe said costs for the devices range somewhere between $30,000 and $50,000 each, depending on size and design choices. Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella said he believes that those numbers are high and the town could get the work done for less.
    Coz cited Olive Avenue in downtown West Palm Beach as a good example of how the raised intersection devices might work.
    “Great ideas and very nice changes,” Mayor Geoff Pugh said, “but we haven’t paved the roads in Ocean Ridge in over three years.”
    Pugh said that if commissioners decide to go forward with traffic calming, they should “dovetail it with paving and repairs” throughout the town. He said the commission needs to look at traffic calming within the context of paying for the town’s overdue road work.
 
    In other business:
    • At a July 13 special meeting on the budget, commissioners unanimously approved a preliminary tax rate maximum of $5.35 per $1,000 of assessed property value — the same rate Ocean Ridge has had for the last two years.
    The town’s property values rose about 7.5 percent since 2015, from roughly $825 million to $887 million, in line with the increase throughout Palm Beach County. Ocean Ridge’s rollback rate — the rate at which tax revenue would remain the same as last year — is $4.99 per $1,000 of assessed value.
    Commissioners set a budget workshop meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 10 a.m. to work out the details for fiscal 2016-2017.
    Immediately preceding the workshop, beginning at 9 a.m., commissioners will meet to consider changes to health insurance plans for the town’s employees.
    Several employees have complained about coverage problems with the town’s current carrier.

    Manalapan issued a boil-water notice to customers along State Road A1A and the south end of Hypoluxo Island after a drop in water pressure in late July.
    Plant operator Valerie May said a pump malfunction on the morning of July 24 caused water pressure to drop, prompting the town to issue a boil-water notice to about 300 customers, including businesses in Plaza del Mar and the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa.
    The drop in pressure did not affect water users in the town of Hypoluxo who receive water from the Manalapan plant.
    The boil water notice was in effect from 6:30 a.m. July 24 until 1 p.m. July 26.

--Willie Howard

By Dan Moffett

    Concerns about cost have stopped six coastal communities from moving forward with a plan to create a barrier island fire district.
    Robert Finn of Texas-based Matrix Consulting Group, which completed a feasibility study on the idea last spring, said he has no meetings planned with representatives of Gulf Stream, Highland Beach, Briny Breezes, Manalapan, Ocean Ridge and South Palm Beach.
    Gulf Stream Town Manager William Thrasher, who organized the group, said the plan stalled over the higher costs the towns would have to pay to provide their own fire-rescue services. Several town managers who participated in the study initiative said they could not support anything with a higher price tag.
    “It seems like it’s dead to me,” Thrasher said. “Every formula that we came up with causes a situation where some would have to pay more money. That immediately eliminated the probability of this thing.”
    It came down to taxable values, several group members said. Towns with high valuations were capable of moving forward with the plan but those on the other end of the spectrum couldn’t afford it. Consider that Highland Beach’s tax base is roughly 50 times that of Briny Breezes and seven times that of South Palm Beach. Gulf Stream and Manalapan have valuations that are about three times that of South Palm and 25 times Briny’s.
    Thrasher said all six communities would have to participate for the plan to succeed. But the numbers wouldn’t allow it. South Palm Beach and Briny would be dealing with an “almost impossible rate increase,” he said, no matter what formula for participation was used.
    “I think the district is a great concept that serves a great purpose,” he said. “But it deals with entities that have different parities of taxable values. Your hands are tied as to what you can do when your revenues are so restricted.”
    Besides cost, there were worries from public safety officials about the difficulties of having first responders in position to efficiently cover a district that would be about 20 miles long.
    “There were a lot of things that are potential problems besides financial problems,” Thrasher said. “There are a lot of moving parts.”
    Finn said he expects the six town managers to discuss individually his 130-page report with elected officials. The study cost the group $39,000.

By Rich Pollack

    After months of back-and-forth — and sometimes contentious — discussions, Highland Beach and Delray Beach have finally reached agreement on a nearly $3.8 million annual contract that will allow the larger community to continue providing fire protection to its smaller neighboring town.
    “I think this agreement is definitely good for Highland Beach residents and it’s even better for Delray residents,” Highland Beach Commissioner Carl Feldman said.
    Under the 10-year agreement, Delray Beach Fire Rescue will continue to provide staffing for the town-owned fire station on State Road A1A.
    In addition, Delray Beach will buy a new ladder truck and a new rescue wagon to lease to Highland Beach as part of the contract. After 10 years, Highland Beach would purchase the two vehicles from Delray Beach for $1 each.  
    “We now have a very advantageous agreement while maintaining a healthy relationship with a neighboring community,” Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein said. “I am convinced categorically that this is a great opportunity.”
    The relationship between the two communities was strained earlier this year when Delray Beach city commissioners rejected a proposed contract, previously approved by Highland Beach, with some commissioners claiming Highland Beach was benefiting more from the agreement than Delray Beach.
    Delray Beach commissioners then sent a counterproposal that included a 20 percent administrative fee. Highland Beach responded by pointing out that a large percentage of the calls handled by the crew and apparatus for which Highland Beach was paying were actually in Delray Beach.
    During a City Commission meeting in early July, Delray Beach’s new fire chief, Neal de Jesus, said that without the Highland Beach station, the city would have to purchase additional land in Delray Beach — if it could find it — and build and staff a new station to adequately protect residents in the southeast section of the city.
    “This relationship makes sense,” he said.
    Glickstein, who supported the proposal, agrees.
    He pointed out that about 75 percent of the 911 rescue calls handled by the Highland Beach station are in Delray Beach.
    “Delray Beach taxpayers will save millions over the life of the contract while enjoying the same level of service they would have with a far more expensive stand-alone station in that part of the city, assuming we could even find another suitable location,” he said. “Highland Beach benefits by having the full complement of our entire fire-rescue personnel and apparatus resources available to their residents.”
    As part of the contract, Delray Beach will charge Highland Beach a 5 percent administrative fee. That may be offset in part, however, by an arrangement in which Highland Beach will receive all transport fee revenues for patients from Highland Beach who are taken to the hospital by the rescue unit stationed in Highland Beach.
    Under the current $3.3 million contract that would have expired in September 2017, Delray Beach receives payment from patients in Highland Beach or their insurance companies whenever patients are transported to the hospital by the rescue truck.
    Another key element of the agreement is a “true-up” clause that allows both Delray Beach and Highland Beach to examine the actual cost of services provided and then adjust them accordingly.
    “We make up the accounting differences at the end of the year,” said Highland Beach’s Feldman, whom the Town Commission appointed to be part of the negotiating team.
    Prior to reaching the agreement with Delray Beach, Highland Beach also met with fire-rescue representatives from Boynton Beach, Palm Beach County and proponents of a possible coastal fire district, but found all three alternatives too expensive, impractical or both.
    “Having this agreement benefits residents of both Highland Beach and Delray Beach,” Feldman said.

Peter Gary hopes that he and his dance partner, Pam Casanave, will be able to raise

more than $200,000 for the George Snow Scholarship Fund.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Amy Woods
    
    He served in the Marine Corps for eight years and has several belts in the martial arts — dual disciplines that have given him a proverbial leg up in this month’s feisty and fun charity dance-off, Boca’s Ballroom Battle.
    Peter Gary, a 52-year-old Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club resident, has a hankering to hoof.
    “I think Pam and I are going to rock it,” Gary said of dance partner Pam Casanave, owner of Fred Astaire studios in Boca Raton, which has sponsored the fundraiser for nine years.
    Proceeds from the event benefit the George Snow Scholarship Fund, an organization that helps students in financial need attend college.
    A total of eight dancers, backed by devoted donors, will break out their best moves in a quest for the coveted Mirror Ball trophy.
    “I think the fact that I was in the Marine Corps definitely helped with understanding the cadence — left, right, left, right — and what you’re doing with your feet,” Gary said. “If you’re off a quarter of a step, it throws off the rest of what’s going to happen.”
    He and the other community volunteers began training in April. The competition will take place Aug. 20.
    “It’s a huge time commitment, but Pam does such a great job that they’re fun,” Gary said of his dance lessons. “You get to learn new things as you progress through the choreographed routine.”
    Last year, $324,000 was raised for South Florida students wanting to further their educations.
    “I was touched by how many lives it actually impacts,” Gary said. “None of these kids have defeatist attitudes. They aren’t looking for a handout. They are looking for help.”
    Gary, the founder and CEO of Pinnacle Advertising and Marketing Group, was approached by 2015 contestant Donna Parlapiano for a donation. He made one and was so impressed with the Dancing with the Stars-style extravaganza that he asked to participate.
    “Here is a man without ego, from my perspective, who just puts himself out there,” said Debi Feiler, the fund’s vice president of program services. “He wants to raise money for our kids.”
    Gary’s goal is $200,000 — a lofty one. He will rock a pinstripe suit during the evening, whose musical theme is “Gals vs. Guys!”
    “Let’s not mince words: You could make a fool of yourself out there,” Feiler said. “We all think we know how to dance. But to have the nerve — my hat is off to him.”

If You Go
What: Boca’s Ballroom Battle
When: 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 20
Where: Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 E. Camino Real
Cost: $185 to $250
Information: Call 347-6799 or visit scholarship.org

Owners Timothy and Adriana McLarney (center) stand with their staff in front of Granger’s Grille

in Delray Beach. They hope to remain month-to-month after their lease ends Oct. 31.

 Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

    Granger’s Grille has been priced out of its 21-year spot on the corner of Northeast Second Street and Federal Highway in Delray Beach following a March sale.
    “We would not have considered relocating if our rent was not tripled,” said owner Timothy McLarney.
    McLarney has found a temporary place in Atlantic Plaza, whose owners are locked in a lawsuit with the city.
    “It’s a stopgap measure,” he said. His current lease ends Oct. 31, but he is trying to remain on a month-to-month basis until a new tenant is found. Then he will reopen in the former Free House American Eatery & Pub location in Atlantic Plaza.
    McLarney had tried to buy his present site. He had both the longtime restaurant and nearby single-family house appraised, with a value of $705,000. But the then-owner wanted $300,000 more and found a buyer willing to pay slightly more than $1 million.
    The new owner wants McLarney to pay $12,000 monthly to rent both buildings — $4,000 for the 1,500-square-foot single-family home and $8,000 for the 960-square-foot restaurant.
    Granger’s serves lunch and dinner daily and has nightly specials Tuesdays through Saturdays. The barbecue ribs often sell out, McLarney said.

    Granger’s has 38 seats. The most expensive item is $22 for fried lobster on Fridays.
    The grill serves food that diners can recognize and is comforting, said real estate broker Cecelia Boone.

    “Something that does not have a quail egg on it,” she said.
    McLarney started looking for a new space in May 2015. At one location, the restaurant owner was asking $600,000 plus extra for the liquor license. A place that once held a coffee shop on North Federal Highway didn’t have enough parking, and he would have needed to buy four in lieu spaces from the city, costing $100,000.
    McLarney finds the rents on Atlantic Avenue prohibitive. Parking also is a problem for Granger’s. The salon owner in an adjacent strip shopping center often posts a sign, “No Granger’s parking.”
    And yet another Delray Beach landmark, Doc’s All American at the corner of North Swinton and Atlantic Avenues, faces an uncertain future. The owner of Doc’s  and the neighboring Dunkin’ Donuts parcel has the 0.77-acre property back on the market. The listing on Loopnet, a real estate website, does not have an asking price. A recent multimillion- dollar deal fell through.
    Doc’s, which dates to 1951 when a Pennsylvania dentist opened the soft-serve ice cream spot, may be offered a smaller space in any new development that happens at that location, according to Boone, who has the listing. “It will be at least two years down the road,” she said.
    Generations of Delray Beach residents stopped for a cone after school or a root beer float after a day at the beach at the walk-up ice cream and burger place, which takes cash only.

Officer Gerry Ricco demonstrates

the body cameras that Delray Beach Police will be using.

Photo provided

By Rich Pollack

    When Capt. Tom Mitchell started in law enforcement close to three decades ago, the only cameras available to help police do their jobs were regular film cameras and Polaroids, which could instantly develop a crime scene photo or a suspect’s mug shot.
    Fast forward to today and you’ll find cameras have become an integral part of law enforcement’s effort to prevent crime and apprehend lawbreakers.
    “Look at what cameras have done in assisting in security,” says Mitchell, who is leading the Delray Beach Police Department’s efforts to use cameras to do everything from streaming live images from a crime scene to capturing license plate numbers. “Cameras hold people accountable. They’re making us more responsible for our actions, and they’re making citizens more responsible for their actions.”
    They’re also helping police better prove their cases in court.
    “Today, you’d better be able to show the picture, not just paint it,” Mitchell says.
    While other police departments in the area are using cameras, few can match the effort Delray Beach is putting into using the latest video technology.
    Last month the department became the most recent law enforcement agency in Palm Beach County to use body cameras. It assigned the cameras to 20 officers, mostly sergeants, lieutenants and canine officers. However, it could be outfitting all of its more than 150 officers with cameras within three to five years.
    In August, Mitchell and others are expected to go before the City Commission to request the go-ahead to install license plate recognition cameras in five locations, all east of the Intracoastal Waterway.
    Not long after that, Mitchell and others in the department hope to have its new video intelligence center up and running. The center will make it possible to monitor cameras on public buildings in real time. It will also enable the department to monitor cameras installed by private businesses that give the city permission. “We’re hoping to form partnerships to allow us to stream their video,” Mitchell says.
    To illustrate the value, he paints a hypothetical example in which a suspect, aware of cameras, wears dark glasses and a baseball cap to hide his face during a bank robbery.
    As the crook heads out the door, police are alerted and tap into live feeds from cameras monitoring a parking lot next door, after gaining permission from the business owner. There they can see the suspect get into a small blue car and head south. Information is immediately relayed to responding officers, who now have a better chance of intercepting the vehicle and making an arrest.
    At some point, Mitchell says, responding officers may even receive the streaming video on the computers in their vehicles.
    While cameras will focus on the suspect, they’ll also monitor the actions of the officers, leading to accountability for the steps they take.
    Body cameras also will be used for accountability, not just when it comes to the actions of the officers but when it comes to the actions of individuals.
    “This organization will always be accountable,” Chief Jeff Goldman said in unveiling the body cameras.
    He was quick to point out that the body cameras are not perfect because they offer only a limited view. Still he believes they can provide valuable information.
    Police are also being proactive when it comes to the use of cameras by businesses and residential communities.
    A department team works closely with the city’s planning and zoning department to recommend locations where businesses could benefit from having closed-circuit monitoring systems.
    “We’ve been recommending CCTV at strategic locations,” Mitchell said.
    While there may be privacy concerns, Mitchell says the evolution of technology has taken away the expectation of privacy on public streets, especially since anyone with a cellphone can instantly record anything he or she sees.
    In fact, Mitchell says, he will be putting up signs to ensure everyone knows video surveillance is in use.
    “We want people to know this isn’t Big Brother,” he said. “This is for people’s protection. Cameras are making residents and visitors safer, and that’s the ultimate goal.”

By Jane Smith

    Boynton Beach will dip into its reserves to bring Fire Station No. 1 up to staffing level standards set by South Florida fire-rescue agencies.
    For the past two years, Boynton Beach has had enough money to post only four workers at the station with a fire truck and a rescue vehicle. Standards call for six employees per shift. To meet the requirement of dispatching three-person teams on medical calls, the station has been deploying two, two-person teams to each call.
    Since 2012, Fire Station No. 1 — located on Boynton Beach Boulevard near City Hall — has responded to the lowest number of calls among the five stations in Boynton Beach, according to the city’s Fire Rescue 2015 report.
    Station No. 1 also serves the island communities of Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.
    City Manager Lori LaVerriere advised against dipping into the reserves to pay for operating expenses. “It’s not an unsafe situation,” she told city staff and elected officials on the second day of budget hearings in mid-July.
    City commissioners decided to keep the city’s $7.90 per $1,000 of assessed property value tax rate and its $100 fire assessment the same for the next budget year and dip into reserves to cover the estimated $420,000 needed to staff six workers at Fire Station No. 1, $300,000 to redo the greens at the city golf course and $425,000 needed to balance its budget.
    Ocean Ridge Town Manager Jamie Titcomb says his town has not noticed an increase in response times or logistical problems. Fire Station No. 4 on South Federal Highway, the city’s third busiest, also responds to calls on the barrier island. “They just deploy from other stations if the vehicles are all out,” he said. “We have no complaints.”
    His town will renew its fire-rescue contract, which expires at the end of September. Ocean Ridge police officers are certified first responders and carry portable defibrillators in their cruisers to assist those with heart problems until rescue personnel arrive. Two police officers also are certified emergency medical technicians, Titcomb said.
    Briny Breezes officials could not be reached for comment.
    Boynton Beach Commissioner Joe Casello, a retired firefighter from Massachusetts, brought up the staffing situation as inefficient use of city equipment by sending out two vehicles. “We are putting wear and tear on the apparatus,” he said.
    The city rescue personnel also have more exposure to accidents with the second vehicle on the road. “The Fire Department is understaffed,” he said. “We need to do what’s important for safety.”
    He suggested raising the fire assessment by $5 to pay for the extra staff need at Fire Station No. 1.
    That would be cheaper than paying $712,926 in overtime costs to staff the station fully, according to Fire Chief Glenn Joseph.
    Mayor Steven Grant suggested raising the tax rate slightly to 8.0, and then lowering it if warranted during the September budget hearings. The other commissioners wanted to keep the tax rate the same, although most property owners will pay more in taxes because of increased taxable property values. That motion passed 4-1, the mayor voting no.
    Commissioner Justin Katz, who also was against raising the fire assessment, said he wants residents to vote yes in November for the sales tax increase, which would give Boynton Beach enough money for the next 10 years to tackle some of its deferred maintenance. He also was concerned about the effect on the proposed Town Square, should the city seek voter approval in March for a bond referendum to build a police headquarters and new Fire Station No. 1.
    “We should tighten our belt now,” Katz said. “We’re in a good position to wait.” He suggested dipping into the reserves this year. Then if the sales tax doesn’t pass, raise tax rates for the next budget year.
    The city Fire Rescue Department’s budget runs about $22.5 million, or nearly 29 percent, ranking it second in the general fund. The Police Department, with a budget of $30 million, comes in first.

By Dan Moffett

    Briny Breezes moved closer in July to locking in long-term contracts for police and fire-rescue services.
    Briny and Boynton Beach have agreed to a 12-year fire-rescue pact that will cost the town $356,725 for the first year and includes an adjustment formula for annual cost increases of at least 4 percent.
    Boynton Beach city commissioners unanimously approved the terms in July after Briny Town Council members signed off in June.
    Ocean Ridge town commissioners also gave their blessing to a new deal with Briny — a three-year contract to provide police service that will cost $221,167 annually beginning in October. The contract includes a yearly 4 percent cost-of-living increase, a new provision in the long-standing agreement between the municipalities.
    “We had heard that Ocean Ridge was going to increase the cost,” said Briny Town Council President Sue Thaler, “so we were pleased to see that it was less than what it might have been.”
    Thaler said the agreement will go to the Town Council for final approval on Aug. 25. The Briny corporation typically pays about 40 percent of the cost of the police and fire contracts.
    Ocean Ridge Mayor Geoff Pugh said the working relationship between his town and Briny has been good for both communities.  “I appreciate the Town of Briny Breezes entrusting Ocean Ridge with this contract,” Pugh said. “Thanks for your business.”

By Mary Hladky

    The taxable values of Palm Beach County properties have jumped higher than Property Appraiser Gary Nikolits forecast in late May.
     Countywide, the amount grew by about 8.4 percent from 2015 to 2016, above the earlier estimate of 7.8 percent, according to the updated tax roll numbers Nikolits released in late June and sent to the state Department of Revenue.
     The county’s total taxable value is now $165.1 billion, very close to the record high of $169.5 billion set in 2007 before the real estate market collapse.
     In south county, Delray Beach outpaced other cities and towns, with taxable values increasing by about 10.4 percent.
Boynton Beach showed an 8.3 percent gain and Boca Raton was up about 7.5 percent.
     Taxable values increased by 8.1 percent in Briny Breezes, 5.9 percent in Gulf Stream, 6.7 percent in Highland Beach, 11.7 percent in Lantana, about 10.1 percent in Manalapan, 8.2 percent in Ocean Ridge, and 9.7 percent in South Palm Beach.
     All the South County cities and towns showed greater increases than had been estimated in May.
     Elsewhere in the county, Loxahatchee Groves posted the biggest increase — 16.8 percent. Tiny Cloud Lake showed the least improvement, with a gain of only 3.2 percent.
     Nikolits has predicted the county and its 38 cities and towns will wipe out the losses of the 2007-2009 recession within about two years.
     While taxable values continue to move up, the growth has slowed in recent years to what Nikolits considers a more normal market.
Local governments use his estimates to calculate how much property tax money they can expect and to set their annual budgets and 2016-2017 tax rates.
     An increase in taxable values means the county, cities and towns will collect more property taxes if they keep tax rates the same as last year.

    Officials are still hoping to confirm that the body of a man pulled from the ocean last month in Gulf Stream was one of several Cuban refugees.
    Two men were reported missing by a group of six Cuban refugees who were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard ship Gannett off Boca Raton. The two were last seen at sunset on July 19.  
    The Coast Guard began a search for the missing men using crews from stations in Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale but suspended the search the next day after scouring more than 1,500 square miles of ocean.
    The search resumed the following day, however, after a body believed to be that of one of the missing men washed ashore in Gulf Stream. The search has since been discontinued.
    The six surviving refugees were found in good condition, with some treated for signs of dehydration.
— Rich Pollack

Riverwalk developers say they need 10 stories for the project to “break even.”

Rendering provided

By Jane Smith

    Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency advisory board squeezed in an interim meeting in late July and reviewed two-thirds of the changes proposed by the city-CRA’s consolidated plans.
    The most controversial — the height change from 75 to 100 feet at Woolbright Road and South Federal Highway — was approved after passionate pleas by residents and community leaders against it. Advisory board members approved six changes, five unanimously. They will review the remaining three changes in August.

    The new consolidated plans cover the entire 1,650-acre CRA district and will determine the look of the city’s eastern half for the next 20 years. The plans feature complete streets with bike lanes, shade trees, enhanced lighting and widened sidewalks; clustering of taller buildings on Federal Highway; and would turn Ocean Avenue into a designated festival street.
    The CRA advisory board had met previously in early July and adjourned after 11 p.m. without reviewing the entire set of plans. The board then held an interim meeting on July 21 when members reviewed six of the nine proposed changes in the consolidated plans.
    Residents expressed concern about proposed planning nodes that allow extra height and density at key intersections along Federal Highway. The intersection of Woolbright and Federal was the first change discussed by the board.
    At the southeast corner of that intersection, the owner of Riverwalk Plaza wants to raze the shopping center and build a 10-story apartment project. The maximum height allowed there at present is 45 feet, although the current guidelines would allow for seven stories based on the height of surrounding properties. Developers need only to propose a project in that location to get the seven-story height limit. The new consolidated plan would allow up to 100 feet in height.
    CRA Executive Director Vivian Brooks referred to the plan’s height increase as a “little uptick to what was there.” The CRA wants the Woolbright and Federal Highway node to be considered a secondary development area, connecting to the downtown and with access to the interstate and the beach, she told the advisory board.
    Fifteen people spoke at the advisory board meeting on that item, 10 were against the change. Five, including four associated with Riverwalk’s owner Isram Realty, were for it.
    Isram attorney Michael Weiner read a section of state law governing CRAs, and repeated the word “redevelopment” in explaining the advisory board’s role.
    Steven Wherry, Isram’s land-use attorney, pointed out that the compact living arrangement in apartments reduces costs of city services. The plaza now contributes $330,000 in taxes and the new project will contribute $1.4 million, he said. He did not explain how he arrived at the value of the apartment project.
    Advisory board member Dr. James DeVoursney talked about the pairing of the district-wide plans and the Isram redevelopment project.

    “That’s unfortunate. Citizens would look at this as spot zoning,” he said. “For the sake of transparency,” he prefers the 75-foot height limit and allowing the Riverwalk project to continue with its review through the city approval process.
    He was the only advisory board member who felt that way. His six colleagues voted for the change in height.

Riverwalk owner insists
project cannot wait
    Earlier in July, at a CRA board meeting, the Riverwalk property owner insisted board members decide soon.
    “However, if this will be dragging on, I will withdraw my application. … We’ll keep it as a retail center,” said Shaul Rikman. His company owns the plaza where a Winn-Dixie grocery store left its space in January 2015. “We, I, will not wait any longer. You’re going to have to be big boys and make a decision.”
    Rikman explained to the CRA board members why his company needs the extra height. “Financially we can’t make it at seven stories, we need 10 stories to break even,” he said. “They (city and CRA staff) said, ‘You know what, we’re working on creating nodes and hold off on it until such thing passes or not.’ ”
    At that meeting, the city’s development director, Andrew Mack, said, “One of the reasons this is being expedited is because we are in a development cycle and there are projects before us. It’s not just for Riverwalk.”
    The CRA advisory board was scheduled to discuss the remaining three changes on Aug. 4, when board members were expected to make recommendations about the entire plan.
    The CRA board members will then meet Aug. 9 to review the advisory board recommendations and make their own to the City Commission, which meets Aug. 16. It’s an intertwined relationship with the CRA board members also sitting as city commissioners.
    Although Riverwalk appears headed for the Aug. 23 Planning and Development Board agenda, Boynton Beach spokeswoman Eleanor Krusell said  there is no timeline for city approval.  “It’s on hold,” she said.

By Jane Smith

    Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency picked the highest bidder, The Collage Cos. of Lake Mary, to do the third phase at the city marina.
    CRA Assistant Director Michael Simon explained that the three companies were ranked on their qualifications and responses to the request for proposals. “Rankings were based on the RFP,” he said. “It was not a low-bid situation.”
    The lowest bidder was Lunacon Construction Group of Miami, at $545,795. The second lowest bidder was West Construction Inc. of Lake Worth, at $650,991.80. Collage Cos. came in at $785,612.
    Collage also built the harbor master building and fuel docks at the marina, completed in February 2015 at a cost of $974,545.
    “A few years ago for the harbor master building, we were the low bidder. The same firm that’s ranked No. 1 now got the bid,” said Matthew West, vice president of West Construction. “For us, due to what appears to be something very clear going on, we are no longer going to participate in procurement opportunities for the Boynton Beach CRA — should the board decide to move forward with this and take staff’s recommendation.”
    CRA board member Mack McCray asked Simon whether there was anything going on.
Simon said, “No, nothing.”
    The project includes a new marina boardwalk entrance with a seat wall, lighting, landscaping, existing roadway realignment and improvement. The total project cost will be $943,704, which covers Collage’s bid of $785,612, $35,000 for new hardwood to match the wood used in the project’s finished phases and a 15 percent contingency fee.
    The CRA board, composed of five city commissioners, voted 3-2 in favor of the staff’s proposal.
    Board member Justin Katz voted no. “I’m not in favor of green space just for the sake of having green space,” he said. He wanted to see more active uses to draw people to the marina.
    “We need something more attention-grabbing to put the marina on the map, even more so than it is already,” he said.
    He admitted that he did not have a business idea in mind.
    Board member Joe Casello also voted no. He was against demolishing the old dive shop, which needed county approval. The county gave a $2 million grant in 2006 to preserve the marina and keep it open to the public.
    “We didn’t explore enough what could be done with that building,” Casello said. “I’m not in favor of a plain vanilla plan that doesn’t show any imagination.”

By Jane Smith

    The city will soon ask private firms to submit development plans for its four-block Town Square, the Boynton Beach City Commission decided in July.
     Commissioners want the proposals to include the 1927 historic high school, the library, the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum and the amphitheater. The proposals also should contain a new City Hall and green space with entrance features at Ocean Avenue. City Hall would be moved off Boynton Beach Boulevard, considered premium development space.
     The commission will entertain offers of moving the police headquarters and Fire Station No. 1 out of Town Square. Some possibilities discussed include: a combination building in the Heart of Boynton to help jump-start that area; a police headquarters built on city property on High Ridge Road adjacent to the Fire Rescue Emergency Operations Center; or a new Fire Station No. 1 built on AmeriGas property on Federal Highway, recently purchased by the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
     The most important thing, said Assistant City Manager Colin Groff, is for the commissioners to remain flexible in their request and “allow the market to drive the private uses.”
     That’s why he suggested an option for the high school that would allow development teams to keep the façade and footprint or re-create the historical portions of the school.
     That option did not sit well with the Save Boynton High group, which staged a rally last August when the then-mayor had called for the building’s demolition.
     Group member, Susan Oyer, said she wants to see the high school contain civic uses from three other nearby city buildings — Civic Center, Madsen Center and the Art Center — that will be demolished. She also wants to allow commercial space for restaurants, art galleries, gift shops and event space for weddings, reunions and other receptions to take place there.
     The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency recently received a $100,000 federal grant that it can use to help stabilize the high school. The grant has to be matched, which the CRA can do easily. Last fall then-Mayor Jerry Taylor directed the CRA to set aside $200,000 for demolishing the nearly 90-year-old building. He later changed his mind.
     A snag could come from the outcome of a lawsuit filed by architect Juan Contin. In 2013, he sued the city after his plan to turn the high school into an event center was approved by the City Commission then denied by a zoning vote.
     In arguing recently against the city’s motion to dismiss, his attorney David Sales called the Boynton Beach commission decision “goofy.” The case remains open in Circuit Court.
     The City Commission will review the Town Square proposal in September before it is sent out to the development community. Then the commission will wait about six months for the teams to send in their proposals. It will be at least a year until shovels go in the ground, said City Manager Lori LaVerriere.
     When the proposals return, then the city will know better what its costs will be for the new police headquarters and Fire Station No. 1, Groff said.
     A combined headquarters and fire station would cost an estimated $30 million, a separate police headquarters building on High Ridge Road would cost about $28 million and a new fire station would cost about $5 million, according to city documents.
     But costs could be lower depending on how the design teams propose developing Town Square, Groff said.
     The commission would then decide how to pay for the public safety buildings, possibly through a general obligation bond or a revenue bond.

By Dan Moffett

    Already lagging months behind schedule, Gulf Stream’s project to move its utilities underground faces a new obstacle in a lawsuit filed by the town’s litigious resident Chris O’Hare.
    In a complaint to Palm Beach County Circuit Court, O’Hare argues the town should not use money from its general fund to pay for the project because that unfairly burdens residents in the Place au Soleil subdivision, which is west of the Intracoastal Waterway and already has its utilities underground.
    O’Hare says the town was supposed to pay for the underground project through a special assessment on homeowners who would benefit from it. Place au Soleil residents were exempted from the assessment, O’Hare says, and their tax dollars in the general fund shouldn’t be used to pay for work in other neighborhoods.
    “When the cost of the project exceeded the revenue raised by the special assessments on the specifically benefited property in the limited portion of the town,” O’Hare says in the suit, “… the town ignored its earlier legislative findings and chose to use general funds to make up the deficit. This imposes an ad valorem tax burden on properties in the un-benefitted area.”
    In May, the Town Commission unanimously approved taking roughly $570,000 out of the general fund to cover the estimated cost overruns in the project’s second phase. Town Manager William Thrasher said the town had to use the general revenues because it stipulated six years ago when the project began that there would be no additional assessments.
    Thrasher told commissioners that Place au Soleil accounts for about 8.5 percent of the town’s total taxable value, so the subdivision would account for about $45,500 of the project’s additional cost.
    “We were moving ahead quite well on phase two,” said Mayor Scott Morgan. “I thought we had the wind behind the sails. However I was served with a lawsuit at my home by Mr. O’Hare seeking an injunction to stop the underground project with a declaration from the courts that it should be paid by the phase two residents, not out of the town’s general fund.
    “And of course with Mr. O’Hare, always a claim for monetary damages. I don’t know what effect this will have on the undergrounding that we have struggled to put in place and advance.”
    Morgan said the town intends to contest O’Hare’s suit and keep the project moving.
     In recent weeks, attorneys for the town have won decisions in other suits filed by O’Hare and Martin O’Boyle, who have dozens of cases pending against Gulf Stream:
     • A three-judge panel at the Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a 2-year-old lower court ruling that rejected O’Boyle’s claim that the town overcharged him for copying 4,573 pages of public records. “The Town was authorized to charge up to 15 cents for page,” the court said in ruling against O’Boyle. “It charged only 11 cents per page.”
     • Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Meenu Sasser dismissed with prejudice a  3-year-old suit O’Hare filed over the town’s rejection of permits for renovation of his home. Sasser said O’Hare had failed to “exhaust his administrative remedies” with the town before coming to court.
    • U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman issued a blistering rebuke of O’Boyle over a subpoena for a deposition in a federal case. In ruling against O’Boyle, Matthewman charged that he had “made false statements and wasted the time of this Court” and “blatantly failed to comply” with federal rules. The judge called O’Boyle’s claims “frivolous” and said his behavior constituted “misconduct.”
    In other business: Commissioners have approved a tax rate for the 2016-17 budget of 4.59, or $4.59 per $1,000 of assessed taxable value — 4.1 percent below the rollback rate of 4.79. Included in the new budget is $650,000 to cover legal expenses, down from $1 million last year. Property values in Gulf Stream have risen 5.5 percent to $1.02 billion over the last year.
    • On July 11, Vice Mayor Robert Ganger resigned the seat on the Town Commission he has held since 2012.
    “My physicians have advised me that I need to concentrate on recovery of mental processes that were lost when I had a stroke in April 2016,” Ganger wrote in a letter to Morgan. “I began a long therapy program today and am optimistic of that outcome.
    “Needless to say, my support of the town and its commission is enduring, and I hope to find ways to support your efforts as my recovery progresses.”

Delray Beach code enforcement officers Joe Lucarelli (left) and Robenson Dejardian (blue shirt in rear)

walk with beach visitors accompanied by their service dog. The visitors — who declined to be identified —

are permitted to bring their service dog to the beach. Lucarelli monitors the beach shortly after sunrise

several days a week as part of a stepped-up effort to reduce the number of animals on the city beach.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

    The honeymoon is over for people who violate Delray Beach’s ordinance prohibiting dogs or any other animals on the city’s public beach.
    Beginning this month, police and code enforcement officers will be writing citations to violators, with those citations carrying a $50 fine for uncontested citations or a $125 fine if the citation is disputed.
    As part of a stepped-up effort to reduce the number of animals on the beach — mainly dogs — code enforcement officers and police officers issued 11 written warnings to violators through the first 29 days of last month, according to city records.
    Several of those citations have been written by Joe Lucarelli, a Delray Beach code enforcement officer who is on the beach shortly after sunrise several days a week in an effort to ensure dogs don’t get to the public beach where kids could be playing or others could be sunbathing.
    “This phase is an educational phase,” Lucarelli said late last month.
    While there have been one or two dog owners who were unhappy with increased efforts to enforce the local ordinance, Lucarelli said the majority of violators have been cooperative.
    “Most of the people take the warning without attitude,” he said.
    Some beach visitors are accompanied by service dogs, which are permitted.
    During the current enforcement effort, Lucarelli has heard a variety of excuses, with some residents telling him they were unaware of the pet ban.
    To ensure awareness, the city has placed signs along State Road A1A at most of the walkways leading to the beach. Some residents, however, still say they didn’t know about the rules.
    One of those residents is Laura Santos, who brought her 7½-year-old miniature pinscher, Isabella, to the beach shortly after Lucarelli and another code enforcement officer, Robenson Dejardian, had left.
    Santos said she was aware of efforts to step up enforcement of the ban, but had been told by other residents that it was OK to bring her pet to the ocean. When she learned that the ordinance was indeed in effect and that citations will be issued, Santos decided to leave.
    “I want to be able to bring my dog to the beach but if I can’t, I won’t,” she said. “I’m not going to come here and get a ticket.”
    Santos said she can understand the concerns of residents worried about the possible health hazard that could result from dogs on the beach.
    While she is conscientious about picking up after Isabella, she said she has seen some dog owners who are not as responsible.
    Concerns about noncompliance with the city’s ordinance surfaced during a May City Commission workshop meeting in which a proposed pilot program for a designated dog beach was shot down.
    While there were many proponents of the pilot program, an equal number of residents told commissioners they worried that dogs on the beach posed a health and safety issue and complained that the city ordinance wasn’t being followed.
    Prior to the stepped-up enforcement that began in June with awareness and educational outreach campaigns, no citations for violations of the ordinance had been written by police officers this year, according to city records. Only nine citations had been written in 2015.
    Delray Beach police officers are part of the stepped up enforcement effort and have been issuing written warnings. The Police Department also enlisted volunteers and community service aides to increase awareness, but they are no longer active in the effort because they don’t have ticket-writing authority.