DELRAY BEACH — Mary Bush, a descendant of a Trail of Tears survivor, died Aug. 10 after six years with dementia. She was 77.
This tender and thoughtful woman with Irish, Welsh, and Cherokee roots spent her formative years in Chicago, where her husband-to-be’s family named her an honorary Hungarian.
She started her career as a nurse there and felt honored to run summer camps for children from the city’s housing projects.
Mrs. Bush found the most joy providing outreach and advocacy as an elementary school parent liaison/guidance counselor in Boynton Beach, where she taught parenting classes and ran emotional-support groups.
Her beloved “Glasses Club” inspired children to see the world in all its many layers. She also found comfort by helping migrant worker families and single mothers in the community.
A devotee of chocolate and angel pins, Mrs. Bush appreciated movies and concerts with her daughter Jennifer Bush, and often fell asleep with her glasses on and an open book over her heart.
In addition to her love for family, dear friends, and all Chicago teams, the guiding promise of nature provided a much-needed salve for this golden-hearted, Delray Beach resident. Throughout the years, she enjoyed floating over the waves and loved seeing turtle hatchling releases along beaches.
The cheerful, blue-eyed Mrs. Bush saved every card from family members, friends, colleagues, and students, and her own handwritten letters sounded more like free-verse poems, her words embracing recipients as warmly as her hugs.
She insisted people call her when they arrived home safely and specialized in mixing sports terminology and creating celebrity name hybrids — to the amusement of her family.
Mrs. Bush had a way of delivering comforting talks, chock- full of truisms. Her daughter Elizabeth Bush affectionately recalled a discussion they had about the boxes stacked in closets. As her daughter studied the teetering archives of sentimentality, Mrs. Bush assuaged her fears about the fate of these treasures.
“Most people don’t catalog their remembrances so extensively,” her mother said, “but you can’t borrow into the future and worry about what will happen to the photographs or letters, morphing into tissue-thin pieces of antiquity. People will either toss all the boxes one day or end up alone in a house full of sentiment. I’d like to think we’ll all be together eventually in the afterlife and it will not matter if anyone is here to preserve the memories. Those are coming with us and we’ll be with all the people we’re holding onto in this life again.”
The family feels immense gratitude for the loving companions who helped her daughters care for their mother at home, in addition to the exceptional memory care professionals who sang to her during the later stages of her life, as well as the warmth of the nurses and doctors during her final days.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Theodore Bush, and son, Teddy, and survived by her two daughters and granddaughter, Theodora.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Mary Thurwachter

With a deficit of $792,000 in the general fund and $5 million in the utility fund, Lantana will rely on a hefty assist from its reserves to balance its $27.9 million budget for the new fiscal year. However, the town will not raise its tax rate — $3.50 per $1,000 of taxable value.
A few residents expressed concerns about spending during the first public hearing on Sept. 13.
One of them, former Mayor Dave Stewart, said the budget was “not acceptable,” particularly after the past year with residents suffering financial losses due to the pandemic.
“This is a time when you have extra money coming in, you don’t have money going out for a debt payment. You have the sales tax money, you have the Biden money” — $6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act — “and this is the time to go to the rollback rate. ... You have a lot of people, because of COVID, that are in sad shape.”
Mayor Robert Hagerty, during the final public hearing on Sept. 23, said that over the past decade the council had raised taxes only once.
Finance Director Stephen Kaplan said that while it was true the tax rate was raised only once during that time, taxes were higher each year since the town did not choose to go to the rollback rate. For example, the $3.50 tax rate for 2021-22 represents an increase of 5.8% over the rollback rate of $3.30 per $1,000 of taxable value.
Hagerty said the town had not gone to the rollback rate for the past decade or so and “had the opportunity to do so.”
Council member Lynn Moorhouse said he wasn't proud of keeping taxes low the past 10-15 years “because the town went to hell.”
Anticipated property tax revenues for the next year are $4,419,048, an increase of $371,762 compared to 2021’s budget revenue of $4,047,286. Property taxes are projected to account for 33% of anticipated revenues next year, which was identical in 2021.
Moving $792,000 to the general fund will leave about $8 million in reserves, while the utility reserves will drop to about $7 million after the $5 million is transferred.
Why is this year’s deficit so much larger?
“The current draft consists of significant one-time capital improvement projects,” Kaplan said. “Within the utility fund, we have projects pertaining to drainage, water main replacements and water treatment plant improvements accounting for over $3.5 million.”
In the general fund, police communication center equipment upgrades are included at an estimated cost of more than $320,000.
Other expenses include library renovations and furniture, money to fix Sea Pines flooding issues and adding an officer and dispatcher to the Police Department.
The council had hoped to add an assistant town manager but scrapped the idea to save money. Also abandoned were plans to replace the tennis court fence and gate and repainting the veterans’ memorial at the Recreation Center.
Money the town receives from the penny sales tax surcharge, an estimated $1,041,700, is earmarked for projects such as an ADA ramp at the municipal beach, the second phase of the beach walkway railing and paving projects.
The town plans to spend $20,000 on beautification (benches and landscaping) and $90,000 for nets at the Sports Complex to stop errant baseballs from breaking windows at apartments in Water Tower Commons.
Lantana employees can expect 2.6% cost-of-living raises and possible merit raises up to 5% based on annual evaluations.
Pension costs are projected at 45.59% of wages for sworn police officers at a cost of $933,000. Pension costs for other employees are 7% of wages with a matching program of up to 2%. The total cost for this is $363,000. Health insurance rates for employees will go up 4%, but no increase is expected for dental insurance.
The budget calls for reclassifying and promoting several positions in the finance and development services departments.
Also on the expenditures list are increasing part-time staff hours at the library and spending $15,000 for books. The library is undergoing renovations and expansion, much of which was covered in the previous budget and from donations. The remaining costs will come from reserves.
As for how Lantana will spend its money from the federal pandemic stimulus plan, Kaplan said, “We’re still working through developing the details and are anticipating over $6 million,” not the $5 million the town first had heard.
“We currently have project approval for personal and public protective measures, loss of revenue during the pandemic and premium pay for essential workers.”

Children play in the Sea Turtle Garden. These life-size sculptures were created over several years by artist Colin Christian. The garden is dedicated to Gordon Gilbert, the nature center's founding director. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

After almost 17 months of coronavirus seclusion, Gumbo Limbo’s indoor nature center and gift shop, aquariums and sea turtle rehabilitation facility are open again to the public. Boca Raton officials closed the center in mid-March 2020 in response to the COVID threat. Workers continued to rehabilitate injured or sick sea turtles and maintain sea creatures in the aquariums, just without public participation. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and noon to 4 p.m. Monday. Nature trails are open every day from 7 a.m. to sunset, though restrooms are not available when the nature center is closed.

By Joe Capozzi 

Briny Breezes officials want to ask Boynton Beach about the possibility of renegotiating the town’s fire rescue contract with the city. 
The contract allows the city to charge Briny an annual fee based on the higher of two numbers — a 4% increase of the previous year’s fee or a fee based on the All Urban Consumer Price Index for May, Boynton Beach Finance Director Mara Frederiksen wrote in a letter to the town Sept. 1. 
Accordingly, Boynton Beach billed the town $438,153 for the year that started Oct. 1, based on the CPI total for May exceeding the 4% increase. It was the first time since the 2008-09 budget year that the CPI exceeded the 4% increase.
The bill came as a surprise to Briny Breezes Town Manager William Thrasher. He’d included only $434,142 for fire rescue services — a number representing the 4% increase — in the town’s budget for next year.
At Thrasher’s request, Boynton Beach agreed to adjust the fee and give the town a $4,011 discount. But Thrasher said he wants to meet with city officials to review the 12-year contract the town entered into with the city in 2016. 
“What I believe is a concern are the years going forward, particularly next year. If inflation continues to rise, we most likely will put our budget situation in jeopardy,’’ Thrasher told the Town Council on Sept. 23.
Thrasher said he might ask city officials to “perhaps renegotiate a contract that is both sustainable for Boynton Beach and sustainable for the town of Briny Breezes. If they go strictly by the contract as it is written presently, and we have a high increase in CPI, it’s just not going to be sustainable for Briny,’’ he said. 
The Town Council may discuss the issue again at its next meeting, Oct. 28.
In other business, the council approved a $1.3 million budget for the year that started Oct. 1, and a tax rate of $10 per $1,000 of assessed value. The budget includes $985,557 for the general fund and $320,300 for the enterprise fund. 
The council finalized the financing of the town’s $300,000 portion of the water main project. Of that total, $144,747 will come from the American Rescue Plan, $100,000 from the town’s share of county surtax money and the rest from the town’s water and sewer reserves.
• Because the council’s November meeting was scheduled to fall on Thanksgiving Day, the council decided to skip the November meeting and have a combined November-December meeting on Dec. 9 at 4 p.m.

The historic designation means Doc’s would not be demolished, but it is not clear when it would reopen. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

Doc’s, the beloved eatery that harkens back to the fast-food franchises that popped up across the nation after World War II, should be preserved for future generations, Delray Beach’s Historic Preservation Board decided on Sept. 1.
In a 5-1 vote, the board recommended that Doc’s All American be listed on the city’s Register of Historic Places.
If the City Commission agrees, Doc’s will be placed on the register and protected from demolition.
“We are excited that the board voted to designate Doc’s to the local register of historic places,” owner Steve Michael said. “We aim to celebrate Doc’s, its history and place in Delray Beach to bridge the western and eastern parts of the city as a place for everyone to meet and eat.”
Doc’s sits at the corner of Atlantic and Swinton avenues, in the heart of the National Register Old School Square Historic District.
Michael had threatened demolition of Doc’s if the city would not agree to rezone and reclassify two lots immediately to the west — a parking lot and a Dunkin Donuts shop — that he wants to redevelop.
Those zoning requests are pending, but then Michael changed course and filed an application with the city seeking historic designation.
Doc’s opened in 1951 as a Dairy Queen franchise and sold frosty cones, shakes and custards. A tall frosty cone cost 6 cents. Atlantic and Swinton were two-lane roads. It was owned by a retired dentist named Paul Krall and locals soon began calling it Doc’s. The name stuck and in 1963 Krall officially changed the name to Doc’s Soft Serve.
He sold it in 1980 and the new owners branched out to selling burgers, hot dogs, fries and chili in addition to frosty treats.
After the owner died, Doc’s closed in 1990. Development officials and residents clamored for it to reopen, which it did, under new ownership in 1993. The large neon sign revealed a new name: Doc’s All American. 
When Old School Square Historic District was resurveyed in 2005, property owners of buildings eligible for inclusion as contributing structures were allowed to opt out. Doc’s owner, and many others along Atlantic Avenue, did just that.
Little except the size and the colors of the awnings has changed over the years.
Doc’s is a classic example of midcentury roadside architecture and echoes shades of McDonald’s golden arches of the 1950s and ’60s.  
Sadly, Doc’s closed again early this year and it is uncertain when it will reopen, but when it does, it likely will be greeted with the same fanfare as when it reopened in 1993. But be warned. A tall frosty soft-serve costs about $4 today.

***

Each year, in honor of her husband, Glenn Thompson, who died at age 44 in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Lang Realty agent Kai Thompson Hernandez has sponsored a search-and-rescue dog through the National Search Dog Alliance.
“Knowing that we are doing  something positive and life-affirming together in Glenn’s honor on an otherwise dark and somber day brings me tremendous peace of mind,” said Hernandez.
This year, to support her cause and commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Lang Realty supported a second search-and-rescue dog sponsorship in Glenn’s name.
“I can’t thank the Lang family enough for supporting me to shine twice as much light in the darkness on this 20th anniversary of 9/11,” she said. “Our sponsorships will help others dedicated to helping others, as the human/canine teams that result from our support will help save lives and rescue people in danger.”
For more information or to donate, contact Hernandez at 631-276-6553.

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1351 South Federal (FL) Owner LLC, an entity tied to New York-based investment company Blackstone, bought the One Boynton apartment complex in Boynton Beach for $171 million. The sale was recorded on Sept. 2.
The buyer, which lists several Blackstone executives, purchased the 494-unit apartment complex at 1331 and 1351 S. Federal Highway from Ch Realty Vii Psreg Boynton Beach Las Ventanas LLC, an affiliate of Atlanta-based RangeWater Real Estate.
The One Boynton complex, built in 2009, includes a swimming pool, a garage and 43,236 square feet of retail on roughly 12.5 acres, property records show.
RangeWater Real Estate, led by president and CEO Steven Shores, bought the complex in 2016, when it was called Las Ventanas, for $109.35 million. Blackstone, led by chairman, CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman, invests on behalf of pension funds, large institutions and individuals, according to its website.

***

Developer U.S. Construction secured a $44.7 million construction loan from Madison Realty Capital on Aug. 3 for the Delray Beach oceanfront condo development 1625 Ocean, according to news releases from the borrower and lender. Jason Krane of Ackman-Ziff brokered the deal.
The three-story, boutique building at 1625 S. Ocean Blvd., designed by architect Randall Stofft, will have 14 units, including four penthouses. Forty percent of the project is presold. Delray South Shore Club, the development originally at this address, was demolished in August.

***

A trust managed by music instrument maker Hartley Peavey, and his wife, Mary, sold a 18,429-square-foot home at 1200 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, for $25.7 million. The sale was recorded on Aug. 6. The buyer in the off-market deal is 1200 South Ocean LLC, managed by Nobel and Ruchi Gulati.
The Peaveys bought the 1.5-acre lot in 1989 for $1.9 million and completed the two-story mansion in 1997. Hartley Peavey is the founder and CEO of Peavey Electronics, manufacturer of musical instruments and professional sound equipment.

***

Jason and Newsha McCarthy bought the five-bedroom, 11,753-square-foot house at 379 E. Alexander Palm Road in the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton from David and Holly Meehan for $19 million. The sale was recorded July 30. The buyers borrowed $10.8 million from JPMorgan Chase Bank. Jason McCarthy is a professional race car driver. David Meehan is executive vice president of partnership development for GEO Care, a division of the private prisons and mental health facilities investment company GEO Group, according to the company’s website.

***

Michael Westheimer was recently added to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum’s groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million- and multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements. Within the last year and a half, Westheimer, along with his co-counsel, has secured two verdicts of more than $1 million. His office, GED Lawyers, is at 7171 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton.

Delray Beach’s Art & Jazz on the Avenue, put on by the Downtown Development Authority board and the Downtown Merchant and Business Association, will relaunch from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27, featuring music, art, culture and promotions by retailers and merchants. This is the first of four events, with each offered during a different season at a different location, with the kickoff set on East Atlantic Avenue from Andrews to Venetian.
For more information, visit www.downtowndelraybeach.com/events/artandjazz; social media: @downtowndelray, @delraydda; or phone 561-243-1077.  

***

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will present free Zoom events this month. As part of its Conversations with the League program, “Cybercrimes: Prevention Strategies for Cyber Safety,” will be presented at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 by Kim Cascio-Palangio. She is program managing director of the Cybercrime Support Network. Her career includes 20 years of government service at the city, state, and federal levels. To register, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85845235206?pwd=VDhac2V3b0lETGVjVk5pdDhqZ3p0QT09
At noon Oct. 20, the League’s Hot Topic Discussion will host Joseph Abruzzo, the clerk of the Circuit Court and comptroller for Palm Beach County. To register for this Zoom discussion, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_AUBx-HYYRfCv4KUUuzddZw.

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

Philanthropist Edith Stein (right) hugs arts district President Andrea Virgin at a Founders’ Circle dinner when Stein’s $5 million pledge was announced. Photo provided

By Mary Hladky

As the city and the Boca Raton Arts District Exploratory Corp. work to finalize a deal that would allow a $130 million performing arts complex to be built in Mizner Park, philanthropists are stepping forward to fund the project.
The Edith & Martin Stein Family Foundation has pledged $5 million, and Elizabeth Dudley has pledged $1 million for capital gifts.
BRADEC announced the donations in August, three months after City Council members offered full-throated support for the Boca Raton Center for Arts & Innovation and directed city staff to continue negotiations to lease city-owned land to the organization.
BRADEC President Andrea Virgin has said repeatedly that strong city support for the state-of-the-art venue would persuade Boca Raton’s extensive philanthropic community to offer financial support. A final deal would create even more incentive to donate.
BRADEC has identified 147 “high potential” donors, including 19 who have the ability to contribute well in excess of $1 million and 17 who could contribute at least $1 million. Another 359 potential donors have a “philanthropic track record” in the city and the county.
BRADEC has promised to raise the entire amount and is not seeking funding from the city.
Edith and Martin Stein moved to Boca Raton in 1990 and helped create the Boca Raton Philharmonic Symphonia. They contributed to the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Ballet Theatre, the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation, the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and others.
The Steins were entranced by New York City’s cultural offerings, but felt some of that was missing in Boca Raton.
Martin Stein, who died in 2017, “was very passionate about the arts — music, jazz, paintings. Art was his thing. He always wanted everything under one roof. For this center to happen, it would be his dream come true,” Edith Stein said in a statement.
The center’s donors lounge will be named after Dudley and her late husband, Richard.
A longtime patron of the arts, Elizabeth Dudley held positions on the boards of Boca Ballet Theatre, Boca Pops and the National Society of Arts and Letters, among others. She is a current member of the BRADEC board.
She also is a member of the American Ballet Theatre’s Lucia Chase Society, the Dance Theatre of Harlem Legacy Society and Boca Ballet Theatre’s Pavlova Legacy Society.
“This project will be an incredible opportunity for our city to bring more cultural events to the community,” she said in a statement. “For so long, we have had to go where the arts are. Finally, there’ll be a home where the arts come to Boca Raton.”
Virgin lauded both women for kickstarting the capital campaign.
“In advance of a signed ground lease, these early capital gifts highlight the swelling momentum and support that continues to build daily for the center,” she said.
Virgin anticipates that the negotiations with the city will be completed by year’s end.

An artist’s rendering looking to the east shows the facade of the proposed seven-story structure. Renderings provided

By Mary Hladky

Five years after a luxury condominium was first proposed for prime property at 1 S. Ocean Blvd., its developer has returned to the city seeking approval to build the 70-unit project.
Miami real estate developer Ramon Llorens plans a seven-story building with two- to five- bedroom units ranging from 2,200 to 4,500 square feet.
The One South Ocean project would sit on 3.5 acres at the intersection of South Ocean Boulevard and Palmetto Park Road that has been occupied by an office building and 20-unit condo for years.
When architect Jorge Garcia of GarciaStromberg GS4 Studios in West Palm Beach presented his plans to the Community Appearance Board for a preliminary review on Sept. 7, he said the design is similar to the original one but has been enhanced with many water features, lush landscaping and large trees.
CAB members liked what they saw. “It will be the prettiest building on Boca Raton beach,” said Tiery Boykin.

Vehicle access to the building exists on South Ocean Boulevard and two other sides, but not from Palmetto Park Road.

Although it is actually one building, it appears to be divided by entryways on South Ocean Boulevard and Wavecrest Way that run through the project. An underground parking garage will provide 180 spaces.
One South Ocean has the support of the Riviera Civic Association. President Katie Barr MacDougall said 14 association members were in frequent communication with Garcia to discuss project plans and to negotiate small changes. Garcia was very willing to accommodate their requests, she said.
“We support them,” she said of the project. “We are looking forward to it.”
The condo is at the beginning of a long city approval process that includes further review by the CAB, Planning and Zoning Board and City Council.
Llorens, who could not be reached for comment on the project and anticipated unit prices, started that process in 2016 and received all necessary city approvals, Garcia said, but then halted the project to make changes that greatly enhanced it.

Related Stories: With condo owners on edge, insurers take a new look at risks, rates | Highland Beach tentatively approves ordinance for condo inspections

By Mary Hladky

Boca Raton is the first city in Palm Beach County to enact an ordinance requiring buildings to be inspected to determine if they are safe.
Moving rapidly after the horrific June 24 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside, City Council members unanimously approved the new law on Aug. 24 that took effect immediately.
“I think this is an important step to enhance safety and enhance confidence in Boca Raton,” said Mayor Scott Singer.
The ordinance establishes recertification standards like those that exist in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. But Boca Raton’s is more stringent, requiring inspections of buildings 30 years old rather than 40, with additional inspections taking place every 10 years thereafter.
The City Council action comes as other Palm Beach County cities, the County Commission and the Palm Beach County League of Cities also are working to establish rules.
Singer did not want to wait until a consensus was reached before acting, but is willing to revise Boca Raton’s ordinance in the future so that it does not conflict with what may be required elsewhere in the county or state.
Though the final ordinance largely mirrors a draft released in July, it provides more detailed requirements for building inspections and engineering reports and requires building owners to promptly tell city officials how they plan to make any needed repairs.
It also explicitly states that single-family homes and duplexes are exempt from recertification rules.
The ordinance applies to buildings that are taller than three stories, or 50 feet, or have an “assembly occupancy” that is more than 5,000 square feet and more than 500 people.
Development Services Director Brandon Schaad said that 242 buildings in the city meet these criteria, creating a recertification backlog that will take four years to work through.
The ordinance divides the city into four zones, with buildings on the barrier island receiving the highest priority for review. Next up for review will be buildings between the Intracoastal Waterway and Dixie Highway, followed by Dixie Highway to Interstate 95, and west of I-95.
Age of buildings, construction materials and other issues also will factor into the priorities.
Michael DiNorscio, the city’s chief building official, will send a “notice of required inspection” to the owners of buildings requiring recertification at least one year before the recertification deadline.
The mandatory inspections must be conducted by both structural and electrical engineers, who will identify any deficiencies.
If repairs are needed, the building owner must submit a repair plan to the city within 30 days. The plan will include when repairs will be completed, subject to approval by the city.
Building owners are responsible for hiring the engineers to inspect and prepare reports.
Owners will have three chances to satisfy city officials that they are taking appropriate action. If issues are unresolved, the matter will be referred to the Permitting and Construction Review Board, which can turn the matter over to a special magistrate to enforce the requirements.
The city is expected to hire an engineer, code enforcement officer and an administrative staffer to implement the ordinance at an annual cost of about $253,000.
The city also plans to create a database available to the public that will list every building 30 years old or older, when it is due for recertification, recertification status and whether it is in compliance, among other things.
Boca Raton attorney Steven Wallach urged the City Council to hold off on recertification until it is determined what caused the Surfside condo collapse. He noted media reports that found serious deficiencies in how that condo was built and said those problems could prove to be very rare.
He also urged the city to coordinate with other governments before acting.
But Boca Raton attorney Peter Sachs, whose law firm represents condo and homeowners associations as well as developers, disagreed.
“We support the ordinance,” he said. “It is overdue. There is no greater responsibility elected officials have than protecting the safety of the residents. This ordinance is a big step forward to doing that.”

Related Stories: With condo owners on edge, insurers take a new look at risks, rates | Boca Raton first in county to set standards for building safety reviews

By Rich Pollack

With the June collapse of Surfside’s 12-story Champlain Towers South condo still on their minds, Highland Beach town commissioners gave tentative approval in September to an ordinance requiring regularly scheduled structural and electrical inspections for most of the town’s more than 80 condos.
“For us, we have enough condos over 40 years old to warrant attention,” Commissioner John Shoemaker said. “It’s not a threat today, but it’s enough of a concern for us to implement a recertification process to ensure the safety of our people and property.”
Under the proposed ordinance, buildings in the town that are more than three stories or 50 feet in height will be required to have a recertification inspection when the building reaches 25 years old. For buildings under 40 years old those inspections will be required every 10 years. For the 45 buildings over 40 years old, inspections will be required every seven years.
The Highland Beach ordinance will require inspections to be performed by “a professional structural engineer … qualified by training and experience as a certified special inspector of threshold building certifying and attesting that each such building is structurally safe, or setting forth structural deficiencies identified and any repairs or alterations necessary to make the building structurally safe.”
The ordinance would also require that buildings be inspected by an electrical engineer who looks for any issues affecting the safety of residents.
During discussions following the Champlain Towers collapse, Highland Beach leaders made it clear that the town’s role will be limited mostly to administering the ordinance and ensuring that its provisions will be followed.
Highland Beach personnel will not conduct inspections, nor will they arrange for inspections of individual buildings. That responsibility will fall on the shoulders of each building’s leadership.
The town’s building department, however, will be responsible for reviewing all of the inspections and will be charged with making sure corrections to any deficiencies are made within a required amount of time.
Condo associations will have a year to fix any deficiencies, beginning at the time they are notified of need for an inspection, but will also be required to make any serious corrections under a time frame identified by an inspector.
One of the challenges Highland Beach faced is determining the extent of the town’s role in ensuring the structural integrity of buildings while not overstepping individual homeowner rights.
“The town has responsibility to ensure the collective safety and health of the community but doing so can’t strip everyone of private property rights and responsibilities,” Town Manager Marshall Labadie said.
While Highland Beach commissioners recognize that state restrictions could be coming down the road, they have said all along that the town needs its own ordinance, tailored to its geography.
“Especially on a barrier island, with our buildings taking punishment from the weather, we need this kind of oversight,” Shoemaker said.
During a September meeting, the Building Code Advisory Board of Palm Beach County agreed to send proposed building code amendments brought by the Palm Beach County League of Cities to the County Commission for consideration.
The amendment would require inspections for larger buildings east of Interstate 95 every 25 years and inspections of buildings west of the interstate every 35 years. The recommendation, however, includes flexibility for municipalities, which can incorporate the restrictions into their codes either fully or partially. While elected officials are working out details, some Highland Beach condo associations are moving forward in anticipation of regulations.
At Highlands Place, a 12-story, 45-unit condominium built in 1989, condo board President David Stern says he has already made contact with a structural engineer and asked to be placed on a list for inspection once local regulations are approved.
Stern, whose oceanfront building underwent a million-dollar-plus concrete restoration and painting project about three years ago, says he believes a town ordinance requiring inspections is beneficial.
“I feel very comfortable that we’re in very good shape,” he said. “We had engineers go through the whole building and we did exactly what they asked for.”
Still, he says, having an additional inspection isn’t a negative because it can identify small problems before they become big problems and it can help eliminate surprises.
Stern also believes that unit owners benefit by having inspections.
“It helps the property values, it helps everything, when you can say we’ve been inspected and confirmed we’re in good shape,” he said.
A short distance down the road, at the 51-year-old Penthouse Highlands condominium, association President P.T. Henry is also confident that an inspection won’t turn up any major issues. At the same time, he too is in favor of town-mandated recertification.
Henry said his association, like Stern’s, did a concrete restoration project just a few years ago and put a priority on maintaining the property.
“I don’t think we have a problem,” he said, “but it makes sense to assure ourselves that we don’t have issues. Why would we not want to bring experts in to confirm that?”

BELOW: The Pondhawk Natural Area’s StoryWalk path featured ‘Little Skink’s Tail,’ by Janet Halfmann, in late August. The library changes the book every two months. ABOVE: The Mayes family from Boca Raton follows the story and the trail next to the Spanish River Library. The walk combines a reading activity with exercise for young children and families. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

As they walked along a trail in Pondhawk Natural Area, Kyle Mayes and his four children declared themselves fans of the Boca Raton Public Library’s StoryWalk program.
“I like StoryWalk,” said one of his sons.
“It is out in nature,” said a daughter. “I recommend it for something more nature-y.”
The program places enlarged pages of children’s books in weatherproof enclosures mounted on posts along walking trails, allowing children and their parents to read the books as they walk by.
The Florida League of Cities recently awarded Boca Raton its top City Spirit municipal achievement award for the effort, launched last year as the coronavirus pandemic kept kids cooped up indoors. The program gave them a reading activity that could be done safely outside.
Ellen Randolph, manager of library services, said she and her staff decided in 2019 that they wanted to launch StoryWalk. But they soon accelerated their plans.
“The pandemic made it obvious we needed to get this done,” she said.
The public reaction has been very positive, Randolph said.
“Everyone who has seen it is blown away with how nice it is. It helps families get kids outside and walking around,” she said. “It’s really been a hit all the way around.”
Mayes agrees. “It is an amazing idea,” he said.
Pondhawk, a county nature area, was selected for the first StoryWalk because it is located next to the city’s Spanish River Library at 1501 Spanish River Blvd. and has walking paths. Books displayed there are aimed at children about 4 to 6 years old.
Library staff collaborated with the Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management, the city’s Department of Recreation Services and Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, which helped fund the initiative.
They later opened a StoryWalk at the city’s Serenoa Glade Preserve, a nature area at 1101 NW 15th St. in George Snow Park, next to a popular playground. It focuses on books for toddlers and children in strollers.
Librarians select the books. For older children, they pick those with a good story to hold interest, illustrated with bright colors and likely not already familiar. Books are changed every two months.
When the Mayes family visited in late August, the featured book was Little Skink’s Tail, by Janet Halfmann.
Little Skink, a small lizard with a bright blue tail, was happily eating a breakfast of ants when she was attacked by a crow. Fearing for her life, she snapped off her blue tail to distract the crow and hid under a log.
When the danger passed, she began looking at other animals’ tails, pondering if she would prefer one of them. But the rabbit’s tail was “too puffy-fluffy,” the squirrel’s “much too bushy,” and the skunk’s “stinky.”
All ends well when one day she sees that her tail, the best one for her, has regenerated.
Besides telling a story, the displays provided information on what skinks are, their habits and food preferences, which parents can share with their children who do not yet read.
They also suggested questions to keep children engaged as they walk to the next page, such as “what should Little Skink do now?” Parents also could share with their kids information on how some lizards can regrow their tails and why animals have tails.
For now, Randolph does not expect to add more StoryWalks, although she might offer pop-ups at city-sponsored events.
StoryWalk is not unique to Boca Raton. It was developed in 2007 by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
The idea really took off when the pandemic hit, as a way to help kids keep up their reading skills and engage in physical activity. StoryWalks exist now in 50 states and 13 countries.
The League of Cities loved the program and hopes other communities will adopt it.
“The city of Boca Raton’s nomination was excellent and your effort in engaging citizens was extraordinary,” Shwanda Barnette, the league’s membership relations ambassador, said in a July 26 award ceremony at a city meeting.
The league recognized that, though not unique, Boca’s was the right program at the right time and can be done at low cost, Randolph said.
“And it shows there can be a good outcome of seeing a need and reacting to it and being the right solution for the time.”

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer was elected president of the Florida League of Mayors on Aug. 12 and will serve a one-year term.
The nonpartisan league provides a forum for the mayors to speak on issues of interest to their city residents.
“The Florida League of Mayors is the finest organization for us to connect and share new ideas and best practices, and I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead us as we continue our great work,” Singer said.
Singer, an attorney and small business owner, was elected to the City Council in 2014 and has served as mayor since 2018.

— Mary Hladky

Highland Beach residents gather Sept. 9 at the Town Hall parking lot to enjoy free bites and hear about the ballot initiative to create a town-run fire department. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach leaders are asking voters for a green light to spend up to $10 million to start a town fire department. Although the leaders are optimistic voters will approve, they are also concerned many will stay home when the initiative is on the ballot Nov. 2.
“I don’t think there’s a big buzz because residents think we can do it,” said Mayor Doug Hillman. “They just have general confidence that we know what we’re doing and a fire department is something we can handle.”
That confidence, he believes, is rooted in the town’s success running what he calls a “first-rate police department, a functioning full-service library, a water-treatment plant and our own post office.”
Still, to encourage voter turnout, the town has teamed up with a local advertising and public relations firm and has launched an “educational campaign.” It includes everything from email blasts and direct mail pieces to videos and evenings with food trucks offering up free bites and beverages.
The town — which is ending its long-standing fire service contract with Delray Beach — has also come up with a slogan: Our Town, Our Station, Our Heroes.
“The challenge for us is to make sure people understand the benefits of having our own fire department,” Hillman said.
Resident John Ross, who authors a blog often critical of town leadership, says he believes the ballot initiative will pass resoundingly and says there is not a lot of talk about it because it isn’t a controversial subject.
“I’ve met just one person who is voting against it because they believe Delray is doing a good job.” Ross said. “That’s understandable but not at the current cost.”
For almost 30 years, Highland Beach has been receiving fire service from Delray Beach, which staffs the town’s fire station. In April, however, town leaders voted unanimously to end the contract agreement with Delray Beach and create a town-run fire department over a three-year period.
Hillman and other commissioners have repeatedly said they believe the town can provide better service to residents at a lower cost than what Delray Beach charges.
In its 2021-22 budget, Highland Beach expects to spend about $5 million on fire service from Delray Beach. That does not include the cost of adding three people to the current staffing to ensure three paramedics are on the rescue vehicle at all times.
While Highland Beach is refusing to pay the cost for the additional staffing, saying its contract calls for the town to pay for only 22.5 personnel, Delray Beach continues to say a clause in the agreement allows it to increase staffing and charge the town for enhancements.
Delray Beach Fire Chief Keith Tomey, through a spokesperson, said the department expects to have a third person on each rescue beginning this month.
As Highland Beach officials continue to meet with residents, they consistently point out that the new fire department will have two fire trucks and two rescue vehicles operating out of the station next to Town Hall — as opposed to the one fire truck and one rescue vehicle currently at the station and staffed by Delray.
Staffing, according to a proposed organization chart, would increase to about 25 people, including seven personnel on each shift and a chief, two administrative captains and an administrative assistant.
“The No. 1 objective for us is to have the best possible service for our community,” Hillman said. “It just happens we can do it for less money.”
Some residents have also expressed concern over a significant number of calls in southeastern Delray Beach being handled by crews staffing the station in Highland Beach.
“I see vehicles from here going out of town all the time,” said resident Arvid Johanson, a former Scarsdale, New York, firefighter. “Everyone feels our taxpayer money should stay in Highland Beach.”
While a lot of variables remain to be figured out, town leaders believe they can run the fire department at about $1.5 million to $2 million less than the $5 million annual cost from Delray Beach and can recover the costs of starting a town-operated fire department in about five years.
Should voters approve the plans, town leaders will need to decide where the needed funds will come from. Hillman and other commissioners have said they favor using some of the town’s $6 million in reserves and are in favor of either a bank loan or a bond issue, both at favorable rates.
A large chunk of the $10 million, about half, will go toward expanding the current fire station from about 5,100 square feet to about 12,000 square feet. The expansion will include two more bays and bunking facilities for additional personnel.

By Rich Pollack

Highland Beach property owners will see a slight reduction in the town’s overall tax rate when they receive tax bills this month, even as the community expects close to $450,000 in additional costs associated with the creation of a new fire department.
Thanks in part to a housekeeping move that shifted a portion of debt service that had been paid by tax revenue to a fund generated by water and sewer revenues, Highland Beach commissioners were able to reduce the overall tax rate for the 2021-22 budget year by about 4%.
As a result, the town’s overall tax rate dropped from $3.78 per $1,000 of taxable value to $3.62. The operating tax rate of $3.22 per $1,000 of taxable value remained unchanged while the debt service rate dropped from 55 cents to 39 cents per $1,000 of taxable value.
“I think it’s great that we don’t have to raise the tax rate,” Vice Mayor Natasha Moore said.
With the reduction in the overall tax rate, the owner of a home in Highland Beach with an assessed value of $750,000 will see a drop of about $124 a year, assuming no increase in assessed value. But home values on average rose 3.3% this year in Highland Beach, the property appraiser says.
The town’s general fund budget, which excludes revenues from water and sewer payments as well as money received from building permits and sales surtax revenue, increased by $741,500 or about 6% to a little more than $13 million.
As is usually the case, the bulk of the town’s revenues, 73% or about $9.5 million, will come from property taxes.
To help balance the budget, town commissioners pledged to take about $455,000 from the general fund’s unrestricted reserves. That still leaves about $6 million in reserves, an amount that percentage-wise is considered larger than those of comparable municipalities.
Moore pointed out that for several years the town has planned to use reserves but didn’t need to.
“By the end of the year, we’ve actually added to reserves,” she said.
Once again, the town’s largest expense is expected to be public safety with the cost of operating the police department to be about $2.86 million, up about 6% over the 2020-21 budget.
The cost of fire service for the town is budgeted to be about $5.5 million, with about $5 million going to Delray Beach as part of its contract to staff the town’s fire station.
An additional $15,000 is budgeted to provide improvements to the fire station and about $440,000 to cover the cost of consultants helping to create a new fire department and hire a fire chief, which the town hopes to do in the next fiscal year.
The town also expects to spend about $160,000 for administrative services that will be necessary with the expansion of the overall town staff once a town-run fire department is operational.
Helping to offset that expense are a reduction in the cost of insurance as a result of a change in companies and a reduced cost of health insurance for employees.
While the town recently increased its water and sewer rates, an unanticipated $980,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act received in September combined with a similar amount expected in 12 to 18 months could help to temper future water and sewer rate increases.
Those federal dollars, town officials say, will most likely be used to cover the cost of water and sewer capital improvements, including about $1 million in enhancing sewer lines.

By Mary Hladky

In maintaining the city’s long-standing emphasis on keeping taxes low, the City Council on Sept. 22 approved a tax rate of $3.68 per $1,000 of taxable property value that is unchanged from last year’s rate.
While the rate is staying the same, it amounts to a modest tax increase because the city’s property values rose 3.8% this year.
Council members also unanimously approved a $559.4 million operating budget, up from last year’s $503.2 million.
The increased amount is due in part to the cost of reopening city facilities temporarily closed because of the pandemic and restoring expenditures for items such as travel and equipment replacement that fell by the wayside as the city hunkered down.
Police department salaries and benefits increased by $1.8 million, fire department salaries and benefits by $2.2 million, and police and fire pension costs by $2.4 million. General and executive employees salaries and benefits increased by $3.5 million, but their pension costs decreased by $171,700.
City Manager Leif Ahnell alerted City Council members to the rising police and fire pension costs in April, saying the pension plan’s investment returns are underperforming the market considerably. The city does not control how the pension board invests its money.
The city is adding 23 new employees, including a second assistant city manager. The city now has two deputy city managers, but George Brown will retire at the end of next year.
Six of the new hires will help operate and maintain the Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club, a 167-acre country club donated to the city last year by The Boca Raton. Their salaries will total $369,500.
The club will replace the city’s municipal golf course, which will be sold by Nov. 1 to GL Homes. The $65 million the city will realize from that sale is included in the budget, with $7.8 million of it to be used for improvements and renovations at the country club.
The city is slated to receive $12.2 million from the massive $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, although officials say the revenues the city lost because of the pandemic totaled far more than that.
The city will put $7.2 million of its allocation in the general fund to replenish lost revenue, and $5 million in the capital improvements program.
The city will hire three employees at a cost of $253,000 to implement its new building recertification program, enacted after the Surfside condo collapse, that will require buildings taller than three stories to be inspected when they are 30 years old.
The City Council’s decision in 2019 to continue providing garbage collection and recycling services, rather than outsourcing them to a private company, continues to strain the budget as Boca Raton makes needed replacements of equipment and vehicles and adds employees.
The city is raising sanitation rates 71 cents to $24.29 per month for single-family homes and 43 cents to $14.70 per month for multi-family units. The sanitation rates also increased last year.
The annual residential fire assessment fee will remain at $145 this year.
One looming problem is that the revenue the city gets annually from the Community Redevelopment Agency is about to dry up and officials will have to decide soon how to plug that budget hole.
The city will get a $15 million CRA payment this fiscal year and a much smaller amount in the following year.
When that source of funds is gone, the city faces raising the tax rate, cutting expenses or drawing down on its reserve fund — a move Ahnell does not recommend.
Ahnell has warned City Council members about this for several years, and emphasized it again in a budget summary given to council members and made available to the public.
In bold typeface, Ahnell wrote that once the CRA money is gone, “the city will need to consider alternatives to replace this revenue source in order to balance the city’s budget.”

The Addison Mizner room at the History Museum honors the architect whose designs set the tone for early development in Boca Raton. It includes original furniture from the Boca Resort. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Mary Hladky

The newly renamed Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum will reopen to the public in Nov. 3 after a complete renovation of the nearly 100-year-old historic Town Hall building.
The $3.5 million project, initially paid for with reserve funds, donations and a $650,000 grant from the city, transforms the entire building and adds new interactive historical exhibits.
The renovation was bolstered in late September when longtime museum supporters Barbara and Dick Schmidt donated $1 million. Mary Csar, executive director of the Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum, described the donation as one of the largest in the museum’s history.
The building’s golden dome has been regilded and the exterior painted a creamy shade of white.
But the big changes are inside, where Csar gave a reporter and photographer a guided tour.
A timeline, dating from the pre-Columbian era to the 21st century, runs along the interior hallway.

With more than 8,000 local employees at its peak, IBM changed the world when it unveiled the personal computer in 1987 from its Boca campus.

Among the events highlighted are the first settlers, the Yamato Colony, famed architect Addison Mizner’s Cloister Inn, the massive World War II Boca Raton Army-Air Base, Florida Atlantic University’s groundbreaking, IBM’s production of the first personal computer, construction of the Town Center mall and the 2001 anthrax attack on the AMI building.
Visitors may well find that there’s city history they never knew or had forgotten.
Does Boca Raton really mean “mouth of the rat”? The answer is yes, but there’s more to know about how that name was affixed to the city.
Rooms off the hallway are devoted to specific subjects.
The Addison Mizner room includes original furniture from the resort that is now rebranded as The Boca Raton and a model of a castle Mizner intended to build on a now-gone island in Lake Boca but never did.
The IBM room underscores the company’s impact locally and across the world. Retired IBM employees donated original PCs to the museum. A recording of a former employee recounts the absolute secrecy under which the company operated.
The World War II room showcases a B-17 in a dogfight and includes the history of radar and U-boats.
The largest room is the former City Council chamber, which now will house changing exhibits and a lecture hall.
The Town Hall building at 71 N. Federal Highway doubles as the city’s visitor center and has a gift shop.
The building renovation became very complicated, delaying the completion many months. The coronavirus pandemic also created difficulties, making it hard to get enough workers and causing supply chain disruptions.
Plumbers found that the building’s cast iron pipes had disintegrated, causing leaks that probably had existed for years and undermined the foundation, which had to be shored up, said architect Derek Vander Ploeg, who volunteered his services to the project.
“We are lucky we caught it,” he said.
FPL discovered the building had an undersized transformer, which explained various electrical glitches plaguing the building. It was replaced.
All this increased the project’s cost, prompting Csar to ask the City Council on July 29 to make an additional $590,000 grant. The city is the Town Hall’s landlord.
Council members were enthusiastic about the building’s transformation.
“We are excited to see this open,” said Mayor Scott Singer.
“These exhibits are amazingly exciting,” said Deputy Mayor Andrea O’Rourke.
But they were noncommittal about providing additional funding. Singer could not recall a time when a nonprofit completed a huge project, paid all the costs and then came to the council for money.
Both Csar and Vander Ploeg said city staff was aware of what work was being done, and why, every step of the way. Both said the project contractor used a competitive bidding process.
The City Council resumed discussion on the request on Sept. 13.
The building’s problems were serious and “could not be ignored,” Csar said. “This was not done without anybody’s knowledge. And it had to be done fast.”
Deputy City Manager Mike Woika said some city staffers were aware of the problems, but no one advised historical society officials on what they should do or how to pay for it.
After briefly considering negotiating a compromise, council members agreed to provide the requested amount.
“We need to give them the money they spent on necessary repairs,” said council member Andy Thomson.

On display in October
What: The Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum’s traveling “HERstory” exhibit runs through Oct. 30.
Where: Boca Raton Community Center, 150 Crawford Boulevard.
Highlights: The exhibit features Boca Raton’s first female pioneers, who came to farm South Florida at the turn of the 20th century. Many were from northern middle-class families, accustomed to electricity, indoor plumbing, markets and department stores.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 to 4 Saturday.
Info: 561-395-6766 or www.BocaHistory.org.

By Steve Plunkett

Gone this budget season were irate taxpayers, angry City Council members and robocalls ginning up opposition to a double-digit tax increase.
Instead, the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District on Sept. 27 approved a 22% tax hike for fiscal 2022 with no one speaking against it. The increase means an extra $95 in property taxes on a $500,000 home.
“All righty, the final (Truth in Millage) compliance hearing is now adjourned,” District Chair Susan Vogelgesang said to end the 8½-minute session spent mostly reciting a budget summary and two resolutions.
The adopted rate of $1.05 per $1,000 of taxable value will fund a $53.3 million budget that includes $5 million for whatever commissioners decide to build at the old Boca Teeca/Ocean Breeze golf course, $445,000 to add ADA access and renovate restrooms at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and $300,000 to finish the first phase of Ocean Strand park.
The district will give the city $22 million to operate and maintain Red Reef Park, that park’s golf course, Mizner Bark dog park and DeHoernle Park as well as $5.7 million for other capital improvements. Money for maintenance facilities at city-owned DeHoernle and Spanish River Park was placed in reserves.
The city will also receive $1.6 million as this year’s repayment for the Ocean Breeze land purchase and $1.8 million for its Community Redevelopment Agency.
The lack of opposition was in marked contrast to the scenes two years ago when commissioners proposed a 19.4% tax increase. Opponents outspoke supporters 45-19 in 2019’s two budget hearings, the City Council passed a resolution condemning it, and then-Deputy Mayor Jeremy Rodgers spent $400 of his own money for robocalls urging taxpayers to fight the measure.
District commissioners ultimately adopted the same rate as the year before. Still stinging from the criticism, last year they adopted the rollback rate, keeping tax revenues level.

By Mary Hladky

Now that the City Council has given its long-awaited approval, construction of Brightline’s Boca Raton station is imminent. Council members unanimously authorized construction of the station and adjacent parking garage on Aug. 24.
“This has been the culmination of a lot of work,” Mayor Scott Singer said.
“It has been a very collaborative process to come to where we are today,” said Deputy City Manager George Brown.
At the time, Brightline officials anticipated that the work would begin in September, but had not set a date as of Sept. 21. They also expected the station would open in the second quarter of 2022.
The $46 million project will be located on city-owned land along the FEC railway tracks immediately east of the Downtown Library. In 2019, the city agreed to lease 1.8 acres of its land there to Brightline for 29 years, but with renewals could total 89 years.
Work has been completed on a surface parking lot near the station that will be available to library patrons while construction is underway.
Brightline agreed to spend up to $300,000 to move the Junior League of Boca Raton’s Community Garden, which has been displaced by the station. The new garden at Meadows Park will open on Oct. 16 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 1.4-acre garden will have about 100 lots available for lease. Ten percent of all fruits and vegetables harvested will be donated to Boca Helping Hands.
Brightline plans a 9,035-square-foot station and a 4.5-story garage with 455 parking spaces. Surface parking will provide another 109 spaces.
Library patrons will be able to use the surface parking and 64 reserved garage spaces. The remainder will be available to Brightline passengers and the public.
A $16.3 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant will help pay for the station and garage. Brightline will pay $20 million of the station cost and the city will spend $9.9 million on the garage.
Brightline halted rail service between Miami and West Palm Beach in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will resume service in early November.

The clubhouse at Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club will remain closed until renovations are completed. Photo provided

By Mary Hladky

The city planned to take over operation of the 167-acre Boca Raton Golf and Racquet Club as of Oct. 1, one year after The Boca Raton thrilled city leaders by donating the country club to the city.
The transition of the formerly named Boca Golf and Tennis Country Club to a public facility is a huge undertaking for the city, and officials are still working through many decisions.
The club, located outside city limits at 17751 Boca Club Blvd., will be closed for one month while the city completes an assessment of the facilities. The 18-hole championship golf course will reopen on Nov. 1, with rates of $75 for city residents and $105 for nonresidents. There will be no annual membership fee to use the clubhouse or other amenities.
The clubhouse will remain closed until renovations are completed.
Although the golf course, tennis courts, clubhouse, pool and other amenities landed in the city’s lap free of charge, that doesn’t mean the transaction has been cost-free.
The city has spent $1.3 million this year on equipment that it needs to operate the club and on renovations and improvements.
It has also budgeted $6.5 million for additional renovations and improvements in the new fiscal year that started on Oct. 1. Six employees will be added to the city’s payroll to manage and maintain the club, at an annual cost of $369,500.
The city will use proceeds from the $65 million sale of its municipal golf course to GL Homes, expected to be completed by Nov. 1, to pay for $7.8 million of these costs. The rest of the proceeds will go into a reserve fund.
Jason Hayes, who has managed public and private golf courses, was hired in June to be club manager.
Hayes and city officials outlined improvements that are underway in an Aug. 25 meeting with residents of the Boca Golf and Tennis Club, whose homes are adjacent to the golf course.
“Our goal is to have this be a first-class golf facility,” Hayes said. “It will take us a couple of years to get it to that level, but we are working hard as a team to make that happen.”
Workers are re-roofing maintenance buildings and the cart barn, eliminating weeds on the golf course, grooming the greens, renovating restrooms, installing impact windows on the clubhouse, replacing clubhouse awnings and painting the building.
The main entrance and clubhouse kitchen will be upgraded.
City officials don’t expect to reopen the fitness center. They are likely to close the pool because the $250,000 annual cost to operate it “is not financially feasible,” City Manager Leif Ahnell said at a Sept. 14 City Council meeting.
Changes also could be coming to the tennis center. A consultant will present options, which could include tennis courts only, switching to pickleball courts or a combination of the two.
The only apparent opposition to the city’s plans is coming from residents of the 960-home Boca Golf and Tennis Club who are still smarting because they say they were never told that the new owners of the former Boca Raton Resort and Club were going to offer the country club to the city.
They are concerned about increased traffic and the potential loss of privacy and safety.
Some of those speaking at the Aug. 25 meeting were very unhappy to learn that the pool could be closed and tennis courts eliminated. Residents who are premier members of The Boca Raton have been able to use both.
One woman said her decision to buy a home in the community was based on access to the pool and tennis courts.
Another said she will sell her home. “We have a lot of really upset people,” she said.
“We are trying to make decisions for a very large number of people, not just this community,” said Assistant City Manager Chrissy Gibson. “We hear your comments.”
In a statement to city officials, resident Marvin Weinstein said, “Residents are expressing shock at what they see as a betrayal not just of (premier) club members, but the hundreds of other households without memberships for whom the prospect of one day joining the club was always available.”
He also wants the city to commit to keeping the golf course and not selling the land to a developer.
When Weinstein voiced his concerns again at the Sept. 14 meeting, Ahnell said the city is committed to maintaining a golf course, but could not put that in writing until it takes over ownership.
MSD Partners, formed by billionaire Michael S. Dell’s private investment firm, and Northview Hotel Group, acquired the club as part of their purchase of The Boca Raton for $875 million in 2019. The resort is now in the midst of a $175 million renovation.
In announcing the donation, the owners said they wanted to concentrate on completing that project. They also said the club has been underutilized for more than a decade.

Members of Impact 100 (l-r, front): Rebecca Scott, Kathryn Gillespie, Allison Davis, Kathy Adkins, Holly Schuttler, Sue Diener, Kirstin Jovanovski, Kelly Fleming, (back) Renee Feder, Lisa Warren, JoAnne Greiser, Emily McMullin, Tandy Robinson, Hilary Sullivan, Cynthia Krebsbach, Carrie Rubin, Lisa Mulhall, Nicole Mugavero, Laura Bull, Marilyn Swillinger, Molly Reiss, Karen Sweetapple, Jeannine Morris and Helen Ballerano. Photo provided by Warner-Prokos Photography

By Amy Woods

Impact 100 Palm Beach County is asking local nonprofits to apply for this season’s share of $100,000 grants.
The submission forms are due Oct. 29.
“During the 2020-2021 grant cycle, 84 grant applications were received, meaning that more than $8.4 million in grant requests came through our doors,” President Holly Schuttler said. “This shows the huge need in our community.”
The organization issues the grants in five focus areas: arts, culture and historic preservation; education; environment and animal welfare; family; and health and wellness.
For more information and to access the forms, call 561-336-4623 or visit www.impact100pbc.org/for-nonprofits.

Boca Regional campaign exceeds $210 million
Boca Raton resident Jay Grunin has made a gift of $3 million toward the $250 million redevelopment project at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, the largest in the hospital’s history.
The new conference and education center will be named after Grunin and his wife, Azize.
“The Grunin Foundation is well-known for its generosity, and Jay Grunin is the ultimate philanthropist, one who gives with his heart,” campaign Co-Chairman Stan Barry said of the New Jersey-based nonprofit.
“The Grunins will be a wonderful asset to the Boca Raton area and to Boca Regional.”
Added Lincoln Mendez, the hospital’s CEO, “We welcome Jay and his wife, Azize, to Boca Raton and are delighted by the foundation’s generous commitment to this project, our vision and Boca Raton Regional Hospital.”
In addition, Ena Kane’s $1 million gift will result in the naming of the retail pharmacy on-site in her honor.
“Mrs. Kane is special to all of us here at the hospital,” Mendez said. “She is a longtime donor who understands the nature of our campus initiative and wants others to benefit from her giving.”
The campaign now has raised more than $210 million.
Its plans include the new Gloria Drummond Patient Tower, the new Louis B. and Anne W. Green Lobby and the comprehensive renovation of all existing patient units.
For more information, call 561-955-4142 or visit https://donate.brrh.com.

ACCF gets financial boost from Delray credit union
Commemorating its 70th anniversary, Delray Beach-based Power Financial Credit Union made a $50,000 donation that was split among seven South Florida charities.
Locally, Achievement Centers for Children & Families received a $7,070 grant. The nonprofit provides opportunities for children in need so they can reach their potential in a positive environment.
“It has been our unwavering commitment to our members and our community, through good times and bad, that has allowed us to thrive for the last 70 years,” said Allan Prindle, the credit union’s president and CEO. “We have been fortunate to earn the trust and support of our members and the entire South Florida community. We wanted to show our appreciation as we celebrate this significant milestone by donating to some very worthy charitable causes.”
For more information, call 561-266-0003 or visit achievementcentersfl.org.

Partnership benefits children’s education
Roots and Wings, a charity that works to improve the quality of education in South Florida, has been selected as a new supported partner of the Boca West Children’s Foundation.
The announcement came with a $10,000 check for the nonprofit’s Project UpLift program.
“We are honored to have been chosen as one of Boca West Children’s Foundation’s new supported partners,” Roots and Wings founder and CEO Ted Hoskinson said. “These funds go a long way in ensuring that we are able to add three new Project UpLift participating schools this fall. These kids may otherwise have fallen through the cracks.”
Project UpLift has launched at Rolling Green Elementary School in Boynton Beach, Village Academy Center in Delray Beach, and Coral Sunset Elementary School in Boca Raton, impacting 180 second- and third-graders.
For more information, call 561-404-0455 or visit https://rootsandwingsinc.org.

The Lord’s Place names COO and board members
A nonprofit that works to break the cycle of homelessness in Palm Beach County has appointed Kerry Rodriguez Diaz as chief operating officer.
Diaz joined The Lord’s Place this year as interim COO and since has accepted the permanent position.
“Her methodical, strategic and analytic approach to operations and strategy, coupled with compassion, make Kerry a perfect fit for our culture,” CEO Diana Stanley said, “She is a thought leader who fully embraces our mission.”
The West Palm Beach-based organization is in the midst of a construction project for new headquarters and housing facilities.
“I do not go a day without being in awe of the work that happens at the street level to nurture people in need and meet them where they are with kindness and compassion,” Diaz said. “I cry at least once a week — sometimes with sorrow at the difficult lives people live and sometimes with joy at the steps people make to become stably housed.”
In other news, three fresh faces have joined The Lord’s Place board — Wesley Lang, Bill Proctor and Mary Quick. Lang brings a wealth of financial-management and business-development experience to the board. Proctor received the Unsung Hero Award at the 2018 Ending Homelessness Breakfast.
“Everyone deserves a hand up, not to be confused with a handout,” said Quick, a lifelong philanthropist. “The Lord’s Place is doing just that every day.”
For more information, call 561-494-0125 or visit https://thelordsplace.org.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

The Witches of Delray have been riding since 2012 and raise money for the Achievement Centers for Children & Families while having a lot of fun along the way. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

Imagine a peloton of 300 riders making their way down Delray Beach’s main drag, cackling as they are pedaling because they are decked out as witches.
Hippie-chick witches. Lilly Pulitzer witches. Sea witches. Tiki witches. Witch doctors.
The wacky scene at first confuses onlookers and then leaves them wide-eyed in broomstick, errr bicycle, dust.
“They looked at me like I was a crazy lady,” said Andie DeVoe, who helped found The Witches of Delray in 2012 and was one of the Halloween-themed fundraiser’s 11 original riders. “They just stand and watch — they can’t help but watch — and then they cheer. It’s like a two-part reaction — surprise and joy.”
The event typically attracts 300 participants who put on curiously clever costumes, decorate their two-wheelers and join the festive parade of sorts on Atlantic Avenue.
“It’s so cool,” DeVoe said. “It’s so fun. It’s so creative. My favorite part of it is the day of the ride, when they’re showing up and looking at each other’s bikes.”
The 3-mile route continues on A1A south to Casuarina Road then north to Gleason Street. A pit stop takes place in the Sandoway Discovery Center parking lot. The ride ends at Old School Square, but the party does not. Awards are given for best costume, best decorated bike and best group theme.
Riders each pay a $30 entry fee, and more money is raised through donations and sponsorships. The proceeds benefit the Achievement Centers for Children & Families, which serves under-resourced people through early-learning, after-school and teen-mentoring programs.
“It’s a beautiful partnership,” DeVoe said. “I saw the money raised go directly back into the community.”
The ride is Oct. 30, but the fun begins Oct. 22 with the Witches Brew at Tim Finnegans Irish Pub. The happy-hour party features a silent auction, tarot-card readers and games.
“We pack that place,” DeVoe said, noting that attendees don their more-elegant witch attire for the evening affair. “We just love dressing up.”
She said the Witches of Delray anticipates topping the $16,000 grossed in 2019.
“It’s been amazing to watch it grow,” DeVoe said. “It’s been amazing to see how much it is loved by the community.”

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

If You Go
What: Witches Brew fund-raiser
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22
Where: Tim Finnegans Irish Pub, 2885 S. Federal Highway, Delray Beach

What: Charity bicycle ride
When: 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 30
Where: Ride starts at City Hall, 100 NW First Ave.
Information and registration: 561-266-0003; www.achievementcentersfl.org/witches-of-delray-2021