Mykal Banta, library assistant director, helps Audrey Vassallo at the monthly Wash & Read at the Laundry Stop. The library gives away cards for the machines and paperbacks. Photos by Bruce Bennett / The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

You’ve probably noticed that libraries aren’t what they used to be.
You might even wonder if they need a new name.
The word derives from the Latin librarius, meaning “of books.”
The Delray Beach Public Library still has plenty of books — 124,067 in print and another 8,574 available for download.
But you can also borrow DVDs, use the free computers, attend a virtual yoga class, or find help preparing a résumé.
You can request a series of “memory kits” with DVDs, flash cards and booklets to help people struggling with memory loss.
And then there’s “Wash & Read,” a library laundry service for homeless people. On the third Wednesday of every month, Mykal Banta, the library’s assistant director, arrives at the Laundry Stop on George Bush Boulevard bearing backpacks and satchels, blankets, laundry detergent, laundromat debit cards and, of course, books.
“We began in November 2019, and we haven’t missed a Wednesday,” he says. “We talked about stopping the program for COVID, but I didn’t want to do that. There’s nothing like putting on clean clothes, especially when you’re homeless and don’t have the opportunity very often.”
On an average Wash & Read Wednesday, five or six men and women arrive. Once or twice a dozen have shown, sometimes only two.
“I’ve never had nobody come,” Banta says.
On this third Wednesday in July three men and a woman appear, carrying their dirty clothes in backpacks or travel bags.

•

Jonathan Neves says the program shows that ‘the library really cares about us.’

Jonathan Neves, 26, grew up in Coral Springs.
“I’m sleeping out,” he says. “I have a tent hidden away in a little forested area. For some it’s tough, but I have a tent and a mat, so it’s not too bad. I wouldn’t say I’m lucky, but it’s peaceful.”
Neves has been living like this, off and on, for four years.
“I struggle with some mental issues,” he says. “I’m bipolar with some social psychosis, animosities. Sometimes I completely freak out.”
Has he no family to help him out?
“Blood family? Not so much. They’re very judgmental and unaccepting. I do have someone who cares for me, but she’s in Costa Rica. We talk on the internet.”
Along with the laundry soap and debit cards, Banta fulfills his librarian job by offering each customer a brand-new paperback novel. The authors are familiar names. Agatha Christie. Lee Child. James Lee Burke. Neves accepts a backpack and satchel, but won’t take a free book.
“I read,” he explains, “but strictly only the Bible. I wouldn’t touch a book except the Bible.”

•

Wash & Read began as a suggestion from Isabella Rowan, the library’s director of programming and volunteers. The idea was to engage a different area laundromat each month, but they couldn’t reach the owners. And then they called Stacey Runfola, who had bought the Laundry Stop at 718 George Bush Blvd. in January 2019.
“Of course,” Runfola said, “I’d be happy to host it every month.”
And she offered to match the library’s contributions.
“Most people who are homeless are not there by choice, but by circumstance,” she says, “whether it’s mental illness or a million other circumstances, so this was an ideal opportunity to help.”
Now the program is funded by a $12,000 grant from the Virginia & Harvey Kimmel Family Foundation. It’s money the library also uses to support the Caring Kitchen food truck in the library parking lot every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and the funds support the shower truck that visits St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on Wednesdays and Fridays. The shower truck is operated by the Interfaith Committee of Social Services, where Banta serves on the board.

•

Audrey Vassallo, 64, is from Bergen County, New Jersey. Most of the people who have come to the Wash & Read this week are friendly, polite and happy to talk. Vassallo can’t seem to stop talking. She chatters on and on, her brain leaping from one passing thought to the next in an almost acrobatic display of free association.
“I just found out about this. Nutrition is my hobby. I’ve been in Delray two months and three weeks. I sleep anywhere. On the beach. I’m signing up for rental assistance. I was on the rental assistance on the Jersey Shore. I had a lot of falls and injuries when I was 16 and my mother smoked a pack a day and had a slight drinking problem. She’d hit and slap and all that.”
And on and on.
Mykal Banta has been a librarian for 27 years, all of them in Delray Beach. His mother was a librarian before him. Librarians are legendary for shushing those who talk too loudly in the library, but Banta indulges Vassallo’s monologue with admirable patience.
“It’s in a librarian’s nature to help,” he says. “Librarians want to make lives better, to help people enjoy their full potential, and the greater the need, the greater is our need to help.”

•

John Koenig, 40, grew up in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He has been in Delray Beach 10 years and homeless for three because his great need is heroin.
“I’m a heroin addict,” he says. “I’ve been shooting up for 22 years. That’s why I’m homeless. I’ve been in rehab numerous times, inpatient and outpatient, AA, the whole nine yards. And I failed.”
This is his first visit to Wash & Read, which he heard about at the Caring Kitchen’s library visit this morning.

An Agatha Christie novel was among the offerings in July.

“I used to come here and pay and it cost about $10,” he says, waiting to move two loads from the washers across to the dryers.
“I’ve had hep-C and I still drink a half gallon a day of the cheapest, crappiest vodka I can buy.”
Koenig’s eyes are clear and his speech is alert and notably articulate. It’s easy to believe he was in his junior year at Rutgers University when he got arrested for a crime he doesn’t want published and started downhill to homelessness.
“I pretty much sleep wherever I can,” he says. “Anywhere the cops won’t hassle you.”
Sometimes his family in New Jersey sends money.
“And I can make $100 a day on the Atlantic Avenue on-ramp,” he says.
He has been arrested 20 or 25 times — for panhandling, open container violations, narcotics.
“I’ve been married twice,” he says. “I’ve had plenty of good jobs. Houses.”
This week he chooses a free blanket and The Guardian, a John Grisham legal thriller.
“Maybe one day I’ll get it together,” he says.”Who knows?”

•

Brian Williams, 52, is a former roofer who has been living in South County for 36 years and homeless for six.
“I’m an alcoholic, and that keeps me from finding regular employment,” he says. “I’ve had a broken hip and lung cancer. And I’m still smoking cigarettes. It’s a hard addiction to quit.”
Williams has been doing his laundry at Wash & Read since the library started the service.
“I love the library,” he says. “I go there every day to use the computer system to look for work, and I borrow books all the time.”
This week he accepts a free copy of Immortal Angel, by Lynsay Sands.
“I’m a sci-fi geek,” he explains.
Unlike Koenig, Williams insists that he does not panhandle, ever. But he does have a clever technique to help him get money.
“Panhandling is illegal, so I don’t do it,” he begins. “Have you ever heard of The Mandalorian? It’s a Star Wars show, and Baby Yoda is the main character.”
Six months ago, Williams explains, he bought a stuffed little Baby Yoda at Walmart.
“He rides in my backpack.”
Williams parks himself on a bench by the beach with Baby Yoda peeking adorably out of the pocket on his backpack, and when diners leaving Boston’s or Caffe Luna Rosa pass, he humbly asks, “Are you going to eat those leftovers?”
“I don’t ask for any money, but sometimes when they see Yoda they’ll give me a couple bucks,” he says. “Everybody loves Baby Yoda.”
At the moment, Baby Yoda is in the dryer.

•

On the very first Wash & Read in 2019, Stacey Runfola remembers, a homeless man was pulling his clothes out of a dryer when she heard him murmur, “That smells like self-respect.”
No, that simple word “library” doesn’t begin to describe what the Delray Beach Public Library is doing.
Maybe it needs a new name. But what?
“You can tell the library really cares about us by the way they carry themselves,” Jonathan Neves says as he pulls his own clean clothes from the dryer, heading back to his tent in the woods. “The library is a cornerstone of the community.”
The Delray Beach Public Cornerstone?
That would work.

DELRAY BEACH — Judy Craig, mother of two, reader and traveler, died June 4. She was 78.
Born Dec. 8, 1942, Ms. Craig grew up in rural Wayne County, North Carolina. She relocated to Delray Beach in 1986 and became an exceptional real estate agent for over 30 years.
Ms. Craig had a passion for reading and travel. Her library was extensive, with books on subjects from medicine to religion and movie stars to the classics. Her passports show 40 years of adventures around the world.
Ms. Craig was known for her quick wit, her infectious smile and her kind and compassionate spirit.
She is survived by her daughter, Victoria Mitchell, her son, Michael, her sister, Joyce Brock Smith, first cousin, Betty Lee Gray, and her grandson Jason Mitchell and his wife, Heather. She has many second, third and fourth cousins from her hometown.
Ms. Craig is also survived by her longtime friend Lowry Watkins Jr.
Memorial services were held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Delray Beach. In lieu of flowers, donate in her name to a favorite charity or to the American Cancer Society.

— Obituary submitted by family

GULF STREAM — Lynda Scheerer Stokes of Gulf Stream and East Hampton, New York, died June 21. She was 95.
The eldest of Paul and Gladys Scheerer’s three children, Lynda was born on Nov. 13, 1925, and raised in Llewellyn Park, New Jersey. She graduated from the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, later becoming a fixture on the Bromley ski slopes in Vermont and joining the ski patrol.
She married John William Tiernan in 1949 and moved with him to Delray Beach in 1954 to raise their family. When her husband died in 1973, she became CEO and chairwoman of the board at Mark, Fore & Strike, the resort wear chain that was a family business. Under her leadership, the company doubled its revenues and launched a direct-to-consumer catalog that would sustain it for years to come.
In 1974 she married Alexander Coxe Stokes of Philadelphia and lived with him there and in Gulf Stream until his death in 1997. Notably, both her husbands were recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross for their service in World War II.
Mrs. Stokes was an avid golfer and won multiple club championships spanning five decades at clubs in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Florida. She had the distinction of shooting her age well into her 80s, and of having beaten both her mother and her daughter in a club final.
Additionally, Mrs. Stokes — who also went by Stumpy, Auntie Car and Gaga — was a highly competitive tennis player, an outstanding bridge player and an absolute shark at backgammon. She was very passionate about family values, love for her country and the dignity of work. She adored her friends, her family and an occasional drink called the “hummer.”
Mrs. Stokes was predeceased by her two husbands, her sister Mary Babcock and her son William Scott Tiernan. She is survived by her brother Paul R. Scheerer Jr., her son Michael Tiernan, her two daughters, Ann Purcell (Kim) Tiernan and Martha Tiernan Ely, her stepdaughter, Sandra Stokes, 10 grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren.
In her last days she was surrounded by her family, loving caregivers, and a motley crew of beloved characters only she could assemble. She was spirited and resilient until the end.
In lieu of flowers contributions would be appreciated to the CRC Recovery Foundation in honor of her late son, Scott. (CRC Recovery Foundation Inc., 309 NE First St., Delray Beach, FL 33483, Attn: Scott Tiernan Fund.)

- Obituary submitted by family

BRINY BREEZES — Patricia “Pat” Albers Esterman died May 10. She was 89.
Born July 7, 1931, in Cincinnati to Frank and Blanche Albers, and married for 65 years to Harry Esterman, Mrs. Esterman was a devoted mother and homemaker with a professional career.
Before marrying, she was a hairstylist. While raising their five children, she returned to the University of Cincinnati, where she received a bachelor’s and a master’s in nutrition and dietetics. Licensed as a professional dietitian, she worked as an extension agent for Purdue University and for the Women, Infants and Children program. She developed innovative programs and consulted with individuals on nutrition issues. 
Mrs. Esterman was an avid reader. She shared her love of reading with children, volunteering at schools and libraries. While quiet and modest about her many volunteer activities, she took pride in founding a United Way chapter in Franklin County, Indiana, where she resided at the time.
In 1977, the Estermans had surprised their children by moving to an 80-acre farm in Milan, Indiana. Their dream was to be able to live off their farm, its harvests and resources. Besides having a bountiful farm yielding fruits and vegetables, they raised cows and pigs.  
The couple also loved to travel, starting their life together with a honeymoon to Fort Lauderdale. In the 1960s they were founding members of the Travel-A-Go-Go Club in Cincinnati. They flew on numerous trips with their club friends. They invested in a 1970s movie about Coco Chanel and had the chance to meet the actors and tour France.
They had a lifelong love of Florida, returning for many family vacations to Pensacola, the Keys, the West Coast, Orlando, and culminating in their retirement to The Villages and Briny Breezes.  
As a second-generation Brinyite, Mrs. Esterman served on the Town’s Planning and Zoning Board and was a devoted town library volunteer. She treasured the camaraderie and close friendships at Briny Breezes. She and Harry were active in bridge, square dancing, shuffleboard, history club and travel club.
Harry Esterman died in 2016. They are survived by children Sue (Mike) Thaler, Sally (Paul) Lukez, Joyce (Wes) Culbertson, Bob Esterman, and Greg (Michelle) Esterman, as well as six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Indiana Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at https://medicine.iu.edu/research-centers/alzheimers/giving or Briny Breezes Library, 5000 N. Ocean Blvd., Briny Breezes, FL 33435.

— Obituary submitted by family

By Sallie James

ATLANTIS — He was a devoted father, a savvy businessman and dedicated public servant, but those who best knew former Manalapan Commissioner Thomas Joseph Thornton Jr. say it was his zest for life that made him so unforgettable.
An avid storyteller with a quick wit, Mr. Thornton died June 20 at home in Atlantis from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 75.
“He was kind of the life of the party,” said his wife, Mary Ellen, whom he married in 1972 after they met in Manhasset, New York. “He was an extrovert with a good sense of humor.”
The disease progressed over about six years, slowing him greatly, but he never complained, she said.
Mr. Thornton served as a town commissioner from 2004-2010, and again from 2013-2015 before resigning to move to Atlantis. He was mayor pro-tem his last two years on the commission.
“He was wonderful. We just thought the world of Tom,” said Manalapan Town Clerk Lisa Petersen. “So kind, so gentle, very soft-spoken. Just a gentleman.”
Former Manalapan Mayor Kelly Gottlieb remembered Mr. Thornton as a dedicated public servant who loved what he did.
“He did a fabulous job. He was one of the ones who read his booklet every meeting. Very well respected and professional,” Gottlieb said. “He was soft-spoken, but he would always get what he wanted.”
Mr. Thornton was born on March 31, 1946, in Brooklyn, New York, to Catherine and Thomas Thornton. He attended St. Mary’s High School, followed by the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and was a die-hard Notre Dame fan for life.
He received his MBA at Long Island University in New York.
Mr. Thornton began his business career at W.R. Grace & Co., a large chemical company in Manhasset, where he worked as assistant to the company president, Peter Grace. He advanced to acquisitions and mergers, then became CEO of Orchard Supply Hardware in California.
He later served as CEO of Mr. Goodbuys, and of the gourmet food pioneer Dean and Deluca in New York City. He also did consulting for Campbell’s Soup, Fauchon, Lindt Chocolate, Junior’s Cheesecake and Kluge Winery.
He completed his career as CEO of Carmine’s in Palm Beach Gardens.
He had keen interest in gadgetry and gourmet foods, bringing home oddities like basil pesto in the early 1990s before anyone had ever heard of it, according to his son TJ Thornton.
“I had never tasted anything like it,” said TJ Thornton.
His two sons say their father’s love of storytelling is among their fondest memories.
“His was a life with a lot of accomplishments and one filled with pride. He had all sorts of stories,” said TJ. “Stories from a life well-lived. Some stories my mom wished that Ryan and I had never heard. 
“But these stories weren’t just for entertainment. The stories heard and the time spent with Dad demonstrated to all of us his resilience, his humility, his intelligence, his amazingly broad interests and knowledge.”
Ryan Thornton remembered a devoted father who did everything he could so his kids could embrace their passions. In Ryan’s case, that was hockey.
“Hockey practice was early, the weather was cold, the rink was outdoors, they were on Saturday and Sunday mornings,” Ryan Thornton recalled. “But he still got me there on time, every time, and he was not only there, but he was present — that’s a big difference. Making new friends in the stands or cheering me along, most certainly embarrassing me with compliments the whole ride home.
“Dad shared his life with us, he was our entertainment, he loved to make us laugh, he loved a good spotlight,” Ryan Thornton added.
Thomas Thornton is survived by his wife; his two sons; and his grandchildren, Alice Marie and Sam Thomas Thornton. Services were held July 16 at St. Edward Catholic Church in Palm Beach.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation of Florida, 200 SE First St., Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131.

Florida Atlantic University will hold its long-awaited celebration of life for legendary football coach Howard Schnellenberger on Sept. 10 at the FAU Stadium in Boca Raton.
Mr. Schnellenberger, whose accomplishments included coaching the University of Miami to its first national championship in 1983 and founding the FAU football program in 1998, died after a lengthy illness on March 27 at age 87.
Mr. Schnellenberger was an All-America tight end under Bear Bryant at Alabama, played briefly in the Canadian Football League and then started his coaching career at Kentucky. Among his other stops in six decades of coaching was under Don Shula with the Miami Dolphins, where the two played integral roles in the 1972 Dolphins’ becoming the only team in NFL history to go undefeated.
Mr. Schnellenberger built the FAU program from scratch and served as head coach from 2001-11.
Along the way he recruited Joe Namath to play at Alabama and coached dozens of other notable players, including Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar and Vinny Testaverde at Miami.
A number of former players and coaches are expected, but a full list won’t be available until later in August.  
The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. and is free to the public.

— Brian Biggane

GULF STREAM — Eileen Simons Giacalone, a longtime resident of Philadelphia, Miami and Boca Raton, died July 26. She was 84.
The beloved wife, mother and grandmother enjoyed putting a smile on everyone else’s face and was always upbeat. She was not shy to tell anyone how much she loved her family.
A former model and business owner (The Second Chance), she enjoyed a second career as an aesthetician and was the owner of many fashionable hats.
Mrs. Giacalone was a great host for parties and was always happy to volunteer when needed. Another great joy for her were her grandchildren, who will always remember her fondly.
She is survived by her husband, Frank Giacalone Jr., and son, Barry L. Simons (Amy, grandchildren Chloe and Dani); daughter, Susan E. Wisely (Scott); brother-in-law Charles Simons (Beth, nephews Michael and David); and brother-in-law Arthur Simons (Jessie and niece Jennifer). She was predeceased by her husband, Alan Simons, parents, Frank and Edith Summers, and brother, Frank Summers.
Friends may make memorial contributions in Mrs. Giacalone’s name to a charity of their choice. 

— Obituary submitted by family

DELRAY BEACH — William Davis Hood, a 48 year resident of Delray Beach, died July 15 from complications of Lewy body dementia, surrounded by family. He was 82.
Mr. Hood is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and six children: Jennifer Zimmerman and husband, John; William D. Hood II and wife, Kirsten, of Boca Raton; Kimberly Trevino and husband, John, of Boynton Beach; Christian Hood and wife, Danielle, of Delray Beach; Ashley Sims and husband, Rob, of Auburndale; and Alexander Hood of Boynton Beach, as well as 11 grandchildren.
He graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, in 1961. In 1975, Mr. Hood started the first discount securities brokerage house in Boca Raton. Then in 1991, he started his own auction house, Bill Hood and Sons Art and Antique Auction, in Delray Beach. He had a passion for playing tennis and coaching. His ultimate joy in life came from his faith, family and friends.
A celebration of life was held at Boca Raton Community Church in the chapel.

— Obituary submitted by family

By Joe Capozzi

South Palm Beach Town Council members are poised to take another look at a project they’ve debated for more than five years — what to do with their aging Town Hall. 
Four firms are interested in doing a feasibility study on whether to renovate the existing 45-year-old building or construct a new facility. 
At the council’s next meeting on Aug. 17, Town Manager Robert Kellogg will make a recommendation on which firms to interview. 
The firms that responded to a July 29 deadline for a Request For Qualifications are: CPZ Architects in Jensen Beach, Synalovski Romanik Saye Architects in Fort Lauderdale, Alexis Knight Architects in Boynton Beach, and Song + Associates in West Palm Beach.  
If and when the council votes to hire a firm, it will mark the fourth time in six years, and the first time since March 2020 that the town will debate the future of Town Hall. 
“The can has been kicked down the road for several years and I am hoping with the proposals we get and evaluate, we can make a recommendation to council and move this thing forward once and for all,’’ Kellogg said. 
The existing Town Hall was constructed in 1976 as a public safety building and has evolved with additions built in 1993 and 1996.
The council’s first attempt at dealing with the building’s problems came in 2016 with the hiring of Alexis Knight Architects. The firm spent months studying the building, and interviewing administrative staff and residents, leaving the town with a bill for about $50,000.
The architects’ report filed the next year uncovered numerous deficiencies and code violations, and concluded with a proposal that the town replace the hall with a five-story, $6 million multiuse building.
The council quickly and unanimously shot down the idea as far too extravagant.
A second report, filed in 2018 by North Palm Beach architect John Bellamy for $5,000, recommended “adaptive reuse” of the building. Bellamy cited many of the problems uncovered by Alexis Knight, but concluded that the structure could be upgraded and repaired.
In March 2020, the council agreed to focus on the Bellamy report before the pandemic lockdown scuttled that plan. A year later, as the town started phasing out of the lockdown, officials decided “maybe we ought to take a fresh look at having someone else come in,’’ Kellogg said.
The overriding decision awaiting the council is whether to try to improve the building or tear it down and build a structure from the ground up.
If a new firm is hired, one of its duties will be to reach out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach County Fire Rescue about participating in, and contributing construction money for, the project. 
Seven deputies are stationed at South Palm Beach Town Hall. 
The town gets fire rescue service from county crews stationed at Manalapan Town Hall. An option would be to move them to a new South Palm Beach Town Hall, unless that cost turns out to be prohibitive. 
Fire rescue officials recently told the town the department has no money in its five-year budget for capital improvements. 
Since 2016, the town has spent about $55,000 on studying the idea. But Kellogg said he is confident some form of the project will proceed this time.  
“I think the realization has come that we need to do something with Town Hall,’’ he said. “I know all these council members are very fiscally responsible.’’  
In other business, the council in July set a tentative tax rate of $3.54 per $1,000 of taxable value, the same as the current year’s rate. A budget workshop will be held at 2 p.m. on Aug. 31 and the first public hearing is set at 5:01 p.m. on Sept. 7.

The area is home to the Hurricane Alley eatery and Oyer, Macoviak and Associates insurance agency. Coastal Star photo

By Larry Barszewski

The Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency plans to purchase the Hurricane Alley site and two buildings west of it for $3.6 million, to be part of a larger downtown redevelopment project.
The Ocean Avenue properties, owned by the Oyer family, would be added to adjacent land already owned by the CRA at 115 N. Federal Highway. It would be used in a project that would extend from Ocean Avenue to Boynton Beach Boulevard between Northeast Fourth Street and Federal Highway.
City commissioners, serving as the CRA’s governing board, agreed to the purchase price at the CRA’s July 13 meeting, with a sale likely before the end of the year.
The Oyer buildings at 511, 515 and 529 E. Ocean Ave. don’t have any historical designation, though they are some of the oldest remaining in the city. Harvey Oyer said his grandfather purchased the buildings some 90 years ago and they have since been passed down through the family.
The family has resisted past offers by the CRA to purchase the properties.
“It’s a tough decision for us. There’s a lot of family history there,” Harvey Oyer said. “Emotionally it may be hard to part with, but looking at where the city is today, our vision and our father’s vision was always for the city to be successful.”
Commissioners see the potential projects in the Federal Highway blocks immediately north of Ocean Avenue as critical to downtown’s success.
“This is the Ocean Avenue frontage that is kind of our signature street in Boynton Beach,” Mayor Steven Grant said. “The project that we have moving forward with 115, this would only enhance it such a great deal because of the value Ocean Avenue has on the property as a whole.”
The Oyer properties were appraised at $3.4 million in October. Commissioners are willing to go to the $3.6 million asking price to secure them, saying their value has likely increased anyway over the past nine months.
One concern for commissioners is making sure Hurricane Alley Restaurant and Raw Bar has a downtown home once redevelopment of the block begins. They’d like to see Hurricane Alley included in the larger redevelopment and are hopeful it can be relocated temporarily during construction.
Commissioners also decided they want to entertain as many offers as possible for the development of the CRA property on the block. The CRA is issuing a request for proposals, known as an RFP, to see what developers are interested in building on the site.
Commissioners turned down an alternative offer from Hyperion Development Group, supported by Davis Camalier, for the CRA to skip the RFP process and work directly with Hyperion to develop properties on both sides of Federal Highway north of Ocean Avenue as one project.
Camalier owns the property in the block on the east side of Federal Highway and is in the process of selling it to Hyperion. He received site plan approval from the city in 2017 for a multiuse project there called Ocean One, but nothing was ever built.
Camalier and Hyperion also have leverage because they control a key parcel that the CRA has yet to acquire on the west side, the property that is home to Boardwalk Italian Ice & Creamery, a parcel Hyperion is also buying.
Bonnie Miskel, an attorney who represents Camalier, said combining the properties on both sides of Federal Highway would make for a true gateway project that commissioners have said they want. It would also be paid for almost exclusively by Hyperion, she said.
“The project is a $350 million project,” Miskel said. “In all of the years that I’ve been doing this, I can’t even think of another CRA project where the private developer spent 90% of the money to get the buildings out of the ground.”
Camalier said commissioners should not discount the ability of Hyperion to do a great project.
“They are capable of raising huge amounts of capital,” Camalier said. “This could be our Rockefeller Center in Boynton Beach.”
Commissioners said Hyperion could submit a proposal just like any other interested group — and it might have an advantage because of the property it already plans to buy. They were reluctant to short-circuit the proposal process given the high level of interest from developers. Last year, six separate development groups submitted letters of interest for developing the CRA property on the west side of Federal Highway.
“People are interested in this property. There is a fight to be had for a champion to rise,” Commissioner Justin Katz said. “If everyone believes that competition is good, if everyone believes that a fight is good and will produce the champion, the best person or outfit to do this, the RFP is the only process.”
Only Grant and Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay favored accepting Hyperion’s letter of interest.
“I feel we are missing out on an opportunity here,” Hay said. “I’ve seen RFPs where the best did not rise to the top. We ended up going into litigation as we’re currently doing with Town Square,” a public-private partnership that’s in a dispute over two planned parking garages that have yet to be constructed.
Grant said the ability to have a combined project on both sides of Federal Highway would allow for uses that may not be included if they are done separately. He fears the new proposals will all include large apartment complexes.
“I would want to see office space. I would want to see condos. I would want to see a hotel. I do not want more residential,” Grant said. “We are missing the boat on Class A office space that is needed. It is the combined aspect of the hotel, the residential, the retail and the commercial. I don’t believe anyone else can offer that.”
Hyperion CEO Rob Vecsler said his company may move forward with plans for just the east side “because maybe we believe that waiting on the RFP adds too much uncertainty in timing. We feel the time to strike is now. The iron is hot now.”
The main portion of the CRA property is 1.58 acres it purchased for $3 million in 2018, which is now being used as surface-level parking while awaiting development. In April, the CRA approved the purchase later this year of an adjacent 0.29-acre property at 508 E. Boynton Beach Blvd. — west of Ace Hardware — for $915,000. The purchase of the three Oyer properties, with their 0.41 acres, will bring the CRA-owned portions of the block to 2.29 acres at a cost of $7.5 million.
Commissioners hope to have the RFP proposals in and reviewed, with a winner selected and negotiations completed so that a final contract can be approved at the CRA’s February 2022 meeting. The mayor and two of the four other commissioners are term-limited, so they would like to see their efforts finished before a new board is seated following the March elections.
The CRA’s purchases may not be ended. Besides the Boardwalk Italian Ice site, other privately owned properties in the eastern block include a convenience store on Ocean Avenue at Federal, a gas station at Boynton Beach Boulevard and Federal, and Ace Hardware on Boynton Beach Boulevard.
“We need to keep going and accept that the adjacent property, particularly the convenience store, likely needs to be acquired now,” Katz said. “The acquisition of the Oyer property necessitates the acquisition of the corner parcel now, because then we have the entire Ocean (Avenue) frontage.”

By Jane Smith

As Boynton Beach’s dispute with the Town Square private developer went into its second mediation session in early August, frustration over the terms of the contract and missed deadlines showed in the comments of the city’s commissioners.
Although a majority of the commissioners have shared their frustrations, Mayor Steven Grant continues to support the developer, John Markey, and his firm, JKM, despite the drama caused by the firm’s failure to meet deadlines on the promised construction of two parking garages.
Grant, who has a friendly relationship with Markey, has tried to calm the differences. The mayor and Markey are golfing buddies who played together for years, Grant told The Coastal Star on July 21. Markey also watched Grant’s dog while his daughter was being born in late March 2020.
Although all the public buildings in the nearly 16-acre site opened last year, the project still lacks the private pieces of the $250 million Town Square.
Missing are a hotel, new apartments, shops, restaurants, offices and garages to provide parking for city staff, library workers and patrons, and visitors to the renovated historic high school and Schoolhouse Children’s Museum.
In July 2020, on the same day Boynton Beach leaders and elected officials celebrated the city’s centennial with the opening of the new city hall/library building, the commission found out that JKM would not be able to deliver the garages on time, as it had promised.
JKM has since allowed Boynton Beach to park cars on the Town Square land the firm owns, according to a deal worked out by an ex-assistant city manager.
At the July 21, 2020, commission meeting, Commissioner Justin Katz questioned if shoveling more money into the project from the city solidifies the deal or converts it into a city project. “We should be in the position to take the reins back if we are doing everything other than building it,” he said.
The city sued JKM in November 2020, asking a judge to decide whether it had met all terms of the deal. By affirming the city has met its obligations, the suit claims JKM has not upheld its part of the contract and the relationship can be severed. Even if the city wins, JKM will still own the land. The city gave three parcels of Town Square land to JKM. The firm also received nearly $2 million in cash “for considerations,” according to the original March 2018 agreement. The city had an options clause in the agreement that allowed it to buy back the land for $100 a parcel. The options clause was removed in December 2018 after JKM received city approval for its site plans.
At a June 15 commission meeting held one week before the first scheduled mediation session, Katz expressed his frustration again over the contract terms when he called Markey a “property hostage taker.”
Grant disagreed.
“I have a different perception,” he said. “If we can get a better project that we could not have received three years ago, that is something the commission should look for.”
Commissioner Ty Penserga has asked for an investigation of how the deal was created, and Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay requested a workshop to explain how the deal came together. Neither one was on the commission in 2018 when the Town Square pact was made. Each suggestion failed for a lack of support at the June 15 commission meeting.
“Maybe I am taking it a little bit personally,” City Manager Lori LaVerriere told commissioners at that meeting. “There was no action taken on this project in terms of agreements or modifications to any documents without the commission being fully aware of it, voting on it and being informed. I just want to make that clear for the public. Nothing happened in the back room.”
The first mediation session was held June 23 at Boynton Beach City Hall. Markey proposed a revised agreement then, and each city commissioner received a copy of it from the city attorney, Grant said. Commissioners then were supposed to tell the city attorney whether the deal was acceptable.
A second mediation session was Aug. 2 at the law offices of Tripp Scott in Fort Lauderdale. The law firm’s president, Ed Pozzuoli, is the mediator. He also is a former chairman of the Broward County Republican Party and a Fox News analyst, according to his profile on the Twitter social media platform.
The second mediation produced a workable agreement that the City Commission will discuss behind closed doors in mid-August, Grant told The Coastal Star. If a majority of the commissioners support the deal at that session, then the commission would discuss the settlement publicly in September.

Karen Stowe (right), who co-owned the health food store at 1815 S. Federal with her husband, Mark, speaks with longtime customers Nazra Sansur and Dorina Scalia during one of the business’s final days. The store served the community since 1975. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Anthony Barber envisions the 1919 Oscar Magnuson house as only the indoor seating part of his proposed restaurant. He could buy the property, lease it, or the city could consider other ideas for the vacant building. Coastal Star photo

By Larry Barszewski

The only shipping containers ever seen on Ocean Avenue are usually being transported on freight trains rumbling down the railroad tracks that cross the downtown Boynton Beach street.
But if Anthony Barber has his wish, he’ll use up to a half-dozen shipping containers to turn a languishing historic home on the avenue into a restaurant success.
Boynton Beach city commissioners may let Barber take a stab at trying to make something out of the 1919 Oscar Magnuson house at 211 E. Ocean Ave., just east of the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum and Learning Center.
The historic property sits unused and in disrepair in the heart of the city’s redevelopment area, largely because developers have found converting the century-old house to a commercial use to be cost prohibitive.
Barber would have shipping containers as the restaurant’s kitchen and bathroom spaces, reducing renovation costs, while using the historic house and constructing a new outdoor patio for seating dinner guests. The containers are typically corrugated steel, 8-by-8.5 feet and 20 or 40 feet long.
Barber, who previously served on the CRA’s advisory board, would place the shipping containers to the rear of the house and dress them up to blend in with the overall look of the property.
Commissioners, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency’s governing board, agreed to accept a letter of interest from Barber for developing the CRA-owned property at the CRA’s July 13 meeting. That acceptance allows anyone else interested in using the property to submit proposals by the time of the board’s September meeting.
Commissioners will then decide whether to let Barber’s plan move forward, select a different proposal, or decide to reject all proposals and leave the property alone for now.
Barber currently owns Troy’s Barbeque on South Federal Highway in the city. His stepfather, Troy Davis, initially began the business 25 years ago from a roadside stand. Barber is getting set to open a second restaurant on Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach after a failed 2019 venture in Boca Raton, where Barber said his restaurant at Glades Road and Dixie Highway just wasn’t in a good location to generate business.
Boynton Mayor Steven Grant said he would rather see a mixed-use development — which would bring in more tax revenue to the city — and not shipping containers on the avenue. A mixed-use project would also involve combining several adjacent properties and would be more in character with other planned redevelopment downtown, he said.
“We’re talking about all of these other high-end developments that are coming. I don’t think that the shipping containers on Ocean Avenue is necessarily the best fit,” Grant said. But Commissioner Justin Katz said nothing else has worked so far to get the property redeveloped.
The CRA purchased the Magnuson house in 2007 for $850,000, initially expecting to turn the building into the CRA’s offices. The CRA moved to a different location on Federal Highway instead and has since been unable to get the Ocean Avenue property developed.
The CRA sold the property for $255,000 in 2016 to a restaurant developer, but took back the property two years later after the restaurant project fell through.
“I’m open to exploring this idea, if only because previous attempts to consolidate those lots didn’t bear any fruit,” Katz said. “We’ve had this property forever. It has been worthless.”
Although Barber is interested in buying the property, CRA Executive Director Michael Simon said the site could be leased to Barber with the idea of working his restaurant into any future redevelopment project. Simon is leaving the CRA, having submitted his letter of resignation in June. He plans to leave Aug. 12 following the CRA’s August meeting.
Commissioner Christina Romelus would like to see Barber’s restaurant, which he said would not be a barbecue establishment, be a permanent fixture downtown.
“You have been a local success story that I think is exemplary of what a Boynton Beach business has the capability of doing,” Romelus said. “I want something funky and unique and different, because that’s what Ocean Avenue has to be in order for it to become the vibrant downtown we want it to be. We can’t just create a lot of mixed-use properties all up and down Ocean Avenue and think that’s what’s going to make us viable.”
An adjacent property owner who would like to do his own redevelopment of the property spoke against Barber’s plan.
Brian Fitzpatrick said he has been trying for 35 years to put a development together that would include the property — only to have the Magnuson house be a sticking point for any prospective developer. He said the house should be moved.
“You are not going to find a more willing, flexible individual to do business with. I envision a public-private partnership where the city retains equity,” Fitzpatrick told commissioners. “What I’m offering you is the possibility of creating something great.”
Grant told Fitzpatrick he could submit his own offer if he desired, but he’d probably have to come up with something more substantial if he wants to convince commissioners.
“We’re not going to be sold on possibilities. We want to be sold on realities,” the mayor said.
“We need to have the reality if you want to get a mixed-use project.”

By Joe Capozzi

As Briny Breezes continues looking for the big dollars needed to repair or replace its seawall along the Intracoastal Waterway, the town may soon take a preliminary step to move the project along.  
At a workshop July 22, the Town Council directed the town manager to include some money in the 2021-22 budget for a survey of underground utilities — a move that not only would provide a useful tool for general needs, but also could help streamline efforts to fix the seawalls. 
“I think it’s time to start moving forward on the seawall,’’ Manager William Thrasher told the council. “If we believe in the seawall project, we’re going to have to start doing our limited amount of work towards that end and it should probably start sooner than later.’’ 
Incorporated east of Boynton Beach in 1963, Briny Breezes is a co-op consisting of 488 mobile homes on 43 acres between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean.   
It is extremely vulnerable to hurricanes, storms and king tides. The western part of the town, where many seawalls are low, already sees frequent tidal flooding. 
Town officials are working with state Rep. Mike Caruso and state Sen. Lori Berman on securing state money and grants for the project, which will cost millions. 
Completing a survey of underground utilities, which could cost up to $85,000, “is one of the next-step requirements for any, in my opinion, grant applications,’’ Thrasher told the council.
“It’s basic information for our town. It would be useful whether or not the seawall project proceeds, because it would allow us to look at a stormwater master plan,’’ which could cost $60,000, he said. 
One option Briny will consider is the Resilient Florida program, which provides grants created from new legislation aimed at helping Florida communities prepare for the potential impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, intensified storms and flooding. The deadline for grant applications is Sept. 1. 
But the seawall isn’t the only important piece of Briny Breezes infrastructure in need of repair. 
“The big project we are working on right now is relocating our water mains because they are right next to the seawall and before we can do work on the seawalls we’ve got to move those water mains away,’’ council President Sue Thaler said after the July 22 meeting. 
Thrasher said he would massage his proposed $887,857 budget to free up money for the utilities survey. 
Briny will again be capped at the statutory tax maximum of $10 per $1,000 of homeowners’ property value next year, as the tax rate has been since 2009.
Public hearings on the rate will be Sept. 7 and Sept. 23 at 5:01 p.m. 
Despite its infrastructure issues, Briny Breezes saw a 10.4% jump in taxable valuation, one of the largest increases among Palm Beach County municipalities.   
In other business, the council approved a $500 fee to American Legal Publishing to add the town’s code of ordinances online. It would be accessible at the company’s website.  
“It’s not much money to bring us into the 21st century,’’ said Alderwoman Kathy Gross. “It would be more
professional.’’

The Delray Ace will close Aug. 24 after nearly 50 years with a new owner taking the property.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

Pam Schafer, 65, and her son Glennon, 26, have sold Delray Ace, at 50 SE Sixth Ave., meaning the hardware store will close after nearly 50 years.
The business was started by Pam’s father-in-law and Glennon’s grandfather, Frank Shafer, in 1972 and taken over by Pam’s husband and Glennon’s father, Bud, in 1989.
The store is scheduled to close Aug. 24 and is running a 40%-off sale until then. The Schafers had hoped that someone would keep the store running, but the new owner bought the property, not the business, they explained.
“It’s bittersweet,” Glennon says. “But with e-commerce and COVID, it’s been tough. The demographics have changed. People are not doing things around the house so much anymore.”
Pam Schafer — who has other longtime work at St. Joseph’s Episcopal School in Boynton Beach, first as a teacher’s aide and now as an administrative coordinator — has been overseeing the store and spends about 30 hours a week there, she says.
“After my husband bought the store from his father, he ran it until he passed away in 2005. I had to quit the school when Bud got sick to take care of him and started working part time at the hardware store.
“I ran it with my manager, Dale Hussey, all those years, but then he got sick and Glennon came in.”
“It was my turn to step up to the plate,” Glennon said. “I didn’t have much of a choice. I was going to college and teaching tennis at the time.
“I’ve been in charge of IT, behind-the-scenes stuff.”
Now, though, Pam has decided to focus on her work at St. Joseph’s, and Glennon, with an MBA from Florida Atlantic University, has realized that retail is not his thing.
However, the highlight of the business for both has been the service it provided to the community.
“l love Delray Beach and all our very nice customers who came in here all the time,” Pam said. “They are a good group of people, and trying to accommodate everyone’s needs, I really enjoyed that aspect of the store, but Glennon and I are ready for different chapters.”
They say they will look at other ways to further their family’s legacy.
“We’d like to continue from where my grandfather and father left off, something that will serve the community in some realm,” Glennon said.

*

In July, the Boca Raton Resort & Club unveiled its new name, The Boca Raton, referencing “a new golden era,” beginning with a $175 million Phase One transformation set to be fully complete by winter 2021/2022. 
The resort’s owners, MSD Partners, L.P. and Northview Hotel Group, are stewarding the property into its new era with the architecture and design firm Rockwell Group, landscape architecture firm EDSA, branding and marketing agency King & Partners, and GarciaStromberg, a firm of architects, designers and artists.

*

Skye at Boynton Beach LLC, tied to LeCesse Development Corp., sold 500 Ocean Apartments, 101 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach, for $105 million to four Delaware entities, with three tied to Avanti Residential in Denver, the property management arm of Capital Real Estate. The fourth entity, 101 S. Federal Highway Ground Owner LLC, is tied to Safehold, a New York-based real estate investment trust. The sale was recorded on June 25.
The Avanti entities financed the purchase with a $42 million loan from Berkeley Point Capital. Records show LeCesse paid $4.7 million for the 4.5-acre property in 2015, and built the complex in 2018. 500 Ocean Apartments consists of one- to three-bedroom units that range from 744 square feet to 1,306 square feet, according to its website. Amenities include a bowling alley, an infinity pool, a parking garage and a theater room and game room in the clubhouse. The property includes office and retail space.

*

Real estate investor and motivational speaker Grant Cardone of Cardone Capital LLC announced on May 28 the acquisition of Camino Real Apartments, a 235-unit apartment midrise at 33 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton. According to The Real Deal, it was purchased for $69 million from Morgan Properties in an off-market deal. Morgan Properties purchased the complex in February for $46.8 million. Cardone plans to make $10 million in capital improvements to the apartments and common areas.

*

John Krediet’s ocean-to-lake estate on 1.9 acres at 1780 S. Ocean, Manalapan, sold for $29,144,675 to 1780 SOB, LLC, according to public records dated July 8. Krediet, founding partner of C.F. Capital Management, bought the property for a recorded $4 million in 2010. The buying entity took out a $20 million loan from First Republic Bank, according to records, with James D. Robinson IV signing as the borrower.
Douglas Elliman agents Nicholas Malinosky and Randy Ely co-listed the property at $35 million. Agent Suzanne Frisbie of the Corcoran Group represented the buyer.
Built by Mark Timothy Inc., designed by Affiniti Architects and furnished by Marc-Michaels Inte-rior Design, the custom estate has 160 feet of waterfront on the ocean and Intracoastal Wa-terway, a tunnel under A1A, full-floor master wing, custom wine cellar, heated saltwater infin-ity-edge pool, and expansive grounds.

*

Michael Cantor’s 1160 Manalapan LLC sold the 20,075-square-foot estate at 1160 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, to a land trust managed by City National Bank of Florida for $28 million, according to property records dated June 1. The trust financed the purchase with a $20.3 million loan from HSBC Bank.
The recently renovated seven-bedroom estate sits on a 1.7-acre lot with a tennis court and 160 feet of waterfront on the Intracoastal and ocean.
Holly Meyer Lucas of Compass and Sara Eavenson and Missy McCloskey of Douglas Elliman represented the seller. Casey Flannery of Equestrian Sotheby’s International Realty brought the buyer. Michael Cantor is the CEO of Cantor Enterprises. Michael Cantor’s father, Edward Cantor, paid just over $1 million for the property in 1987.

*

Randal Perkins, through 1111 South Ocean LLC, bought the oceanfront mansion at 1111 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, from Thomas and Michell Marra for $21.1 million in May. Perkins, the founder of AshBritt Environmental, a national disaster response and environmental services contractor, then sold the house on July 9 for $21,910,500. The new owner is 1111 Ocean Land Trust, with Boca Raton attorney Stuart R. Morris. It was purchased with a $14.2 million loan from Bank of America.
The 21,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom mansion, situated on an acre with 120 feet of oceanfront, includes a theater, gym, game room, an eight-bay garage, and a four-hole putting green. The house was designed by Randall Stofft and built by Cudmore Builders, according to the listing, which was held by Douglas Elliman’s Nick Malinosky and Randy Ely. They represented the buyer and seller in the earlier transaction but said they could not comment on the second sale.

*

The late shoe mogul Bobby Campbell’s waterfront estate at 819 Orchid Drive in Boca Raton sold for $17.9 million in June.
The buyer was Florida-based 819 Orchid Drive LLC, with Eric Glazer as the LLC’s registered manager and agent. Oren Alexander of Douglas Elliman represented the buyer and seller.
The deal marks a record for single-family home sales in Boca, according to the brokerage, topping the $17.375 million sale in 2017 of 201 New Castle St.
Campbell, who died last year at age 82, was chairman and CEO of BBC International, a footwear property whose brands include Cole Haan, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Nine West.
Campbell paid $3.8 million for the property in 2000 and built a new house in 2019.
The 12,673-square-foot mansion, with nine bedrooms, four infinity pools, a dock, and atrium-like interiors, sits on a 0.59-acre corner lot with 343 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway.

*

Joseph A. and Melissa L. Walsh bought the estate at 1315 N. Ocean Blvd. in Gulf Stream for $12.6 million from the Sharon Ann Millar Revocable Trust Agreement, with Sharon Ann Millar and Lawrence A. Sala acting as trustees. The sale was recorded July 7.
Joseph Walsh is CEO and president of the Dallas-based software support company Thryv. Melissa Walsh is a founder of Capital Blackbook, an event design and management firm near Washington, D.C., according to her LinkedIn page.
Sharon “Sherry” Millar is the widow of James F. Millar, who died in 2020. According to his obituary, he was president and CEO of Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health. He also served on the board of Wendy’s International, First Industrial Realty and Columbus Industries.

*

Miami-based Sabal Development’s founder, Pascal Nicolai, paid $9.85 million in June for an oceanfront, 55,000-square-foot lot at 3050 S. Ocean Boulevard, Manalapan. He plans to build a 12,000-square-foot, six-bedroom home with a movie theater, gym,  lounge, elevator, and a beach house with a dock. Architecture and interior finishes will be designed by TOGU Design of Miami. 
The sellers, Kenneth Brodlieb, chairman of New York-based car dealership East Hills Auto Group, with his wife, Andrea, paid $7.9 million for the lot in October 2020. The lot was listed in March for $12 million, then cut by $1 million in April, according to Realtor.com. Christopher Leavitt with Douglas Elliman represented the sellers, and Gilles Dalco of Bonaparte Real Estate represented the buyer, according to Zillow.com.

*

Joshua D. and Victoria Frank purchased the waterfront home at 429 E. Alexander Palm Road, Boca Raton, from Cindy Barad Elias, a trustee of the Alexander Palm Revocable Trust. The 8,082-square-foot, six-bedroom home, with 88 feet of waterfront, sold for $9.6 million, with the sale recorded June 2.
The estate was built in 2012 by SRD Building Corp., with amenities include a club room with a bar, custom wine room, gym and infinity pool. Elias bought the property in 2013 for $6.456 million.
Bambi Ross of One Sotheby’s International Realty represented the seller, while Devin Kay of Douglas Elliman represented the buyer. Joshua Frank is a partner and the co-head of research at Trian Partners, an investment management firm with offices in New York and Palm Beach, according to its website.

*

David Gibbs and his wife, Sharon, paid $8.465 million in May for an Intracoastal home at 550 Middle Road, Gulf Stream.
Gibbs is CEO of Yum Brands, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
The seller is listed as a trust in Patricia Moran’s name. Moran is the former chair and CEO of JM Family Enterprises, a Deerfield Beach-based auto company that was founded by her father, Jim Moran.
She purchased the 6,401-square-foot home in 2016 for $6.7 million. The estate was built in 2001 on a 9,001-square-foot lot with 330 feet of waterfront.

*

The Boca Raton Arts District Exploratory Corp. has appointed Matthew Cimaglia, the CEO and co-founder of Third Summit, to its board of directors.
BRADEC is seeking a deal with Boca Raton to build a $130 million performing arts center in Mizner Park. The project would be funded by donations from cultural arts supporters and corporations.
“It is critical to our mission to have an experienced professional of his caliber on our team in order to support the center’s focus on technology and innovation,” BRADEC President Andrea Virgin said in announcing Cimaglia’s appointment in June.
Third Summit is a network of digital media and financial companies, whose flagship platform is Alteon, a cloud-based, artificial intelligence-driven ecosystem for digital content creators.
Cimaglia, who grew up in Boca Raton, also has worked with Fortune 100 and 500 companies.

*

In a 4-0 vote of the City Commission, FAU Tech Runway was approved on July 20 to lease the 1,850-square-foot, ground-floor office space at City Hall at Boynton Beach Town Square, 100 E. Ocean Ave.
Boynton Beach’s Department of Economic Development and Strategy is providing a one-time $50,000 grant for programming within the space.
Tech Runway, which received a five-year lease, is a startup incubator that connects entrepreneurs with educational resources, mentors and funding opportunities.

*

The Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Foundation has named its new board for the 2021-22 year, with Amy Brand, CEO of Philanthropy Tank, to serve as president.
The selection came June 23 at the organization’s annual meeting at the Beach Club in Lake Worth Beach.
Brand will be joined by Cecilia Hudnet, director of sales with the Chesterfield Palm Beach, as vice president of resource development/membership; Kae Jonsons, director of development with the Delray Beach Public Library, as vice president of resource development/fundraising; Kathy McGuire as vice president of programs and education; Angie Francalancia of The Connection Public Relations as secretary, and Trudy Crowetz as treasurer and immediate past president.
Cindy Pollack, a vice president at Edward Jones, is treasurer-elect, and Nellie King is legal counsel.
Board members include Jessica Clasby, Sailynn Doyle, Lisa Huertas, Barbara Scarlata, Lena D’Amico, Jackie Halderman, Marlene Ryan, Marcella Scherer and Trixy Walker.
During the meeting, Jonsons was named 2021 member of the year, and Jo-Ann Clynch was named new member of the year. 

*

Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of Discover The Palm Beaches, received the Presidents Award during the Gold Coast PR Council Bernays Award presentations announced July 20 via Zoom.
Pesquera was honored for aggressively promoting and protecting South Florida’s vital tourism and hospitality industry during the pandemic.
Lisa De La Rionda, director of Palm Beach County’s Public Affairs Department, was named PR Star for how she communicated the county’s response to the pandemic to the public and the media.
The Founders’ Award went to the Gold Coast PR Council’s treasurer, Michael Turnbell, for keeping the organization solvent and viable during the difficult economic environment.
Other award recipients included: Palm Tran, in the nonprofit project or campaign, small category; T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society, in the nonprofit project or campaign, large category; and Loggerhead Marine Life Center, in the social media campaign, nonprofit category.
The Crisis Communications award went to Food For The Poor. Labor Finders received the award for marketing materials, print, internal and external category. Multi-Media Works, Inc. was the winner in marketing materials, digital/video, internal and external category.
Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County won in the special event, live or virtual category.  Boardroom PR won the award for social media campaign, for profit category.
Kaye Communications Inc. won for PR campaign by a small company or firm, and Lynn University for PR campaign by a large company or firm.
The awards were hosted by Rich Pollack of Pollack Communications, Anne Dichele from the Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization, and David DiPino from Tenet Florida Physician Services.
The annual awards recognize excellence in public relations campaigns, marketing programs, and media coverage.

*

Robert Carlo is now Florida Peninsula Insurance’s director of litigation. Carlo began his claims career at Progressive Insurance and continued with roles at GMAC Insurance, American International Group, Acceptance Insurance, Direct General Insurance, Windhaven Insurance Co., National General Insurance, and Fed Nat Insurance. 
Carlo is a native Floridian who completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida and earned his MBA at the Keller Graduate School of Management. Carlo will work out of the company’s Boca Raton office.

*

New degree and certificate programs in construction and the health sciences are slated to begin this fall term at Palm Beach State College, aiming to meet industry demands. Fall term classes begin Aug. 23.
The building construction management associate degree and building construction specialist college credit certificate focus on managing the construction process and high-demand knowledge and skills. For more information, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/career-pathways/pathway-industry. 
The health services management associate degree will prepare students to work on the business and financial sides of health care delivery. The surgical services associate degree will prepare surgical technologists. For more information, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/career-pathways/pathway-health. 

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

Diana Bush, owner of the retail boutique Salutations of Delray, accepts the second-place prize of $10,000 in the Batmasian Family Grant small business award competition. Also at the presentation are (l-r) attorney Ken Ronan, Troy McLellan of the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, and Lauren Ricks of Into The Blue Agency, which promoted the grant competition. Photo provided

More than 150 Broward and Palm Beach County businesses applied to be considered for the Batmasian Family Grant for small business.
In June, 15 grants were awarded. Founders of Investments Limited, Propel, and Changing Lives, Jim and Marta Batmasian support both small businesses and nonprofit organizations with a goal to make a difference in the community.
The first-place winner, Invictus Barber Shop, was awarded $20,000. The second-place winner, Salutations of Delray, received $10,000. The third-place winner, K&E Travel Agency, was awarded $10,000.  
The remaining top finalists each received $5,000. They were: Doria Media, Swim Boca, Wine House Social, Urban Youth Impact, Six Tables, Music For Young Voices, Toby Center, The Loft At Congress, Everyday Learning, ScentsAbility, Project Speech and Atlantic Allcare.
The judging panel was made up of business leaders, with the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce reviewing all applications. Winners also received three months of one-on-one consultation sessions with the Batmasians and the judging panel. 

— Christine Davis

Coastal Star photos by Dave Meeks, Tim Stepien and Jerry LowerContestants await results of Lantana’s ‘Most Patriotic Baby’ competition. One of the three winners was Lantana resident Logan Castillo, 10 months, pictured top right with his father, Danny Castillo.

Lantana Mayor Robert Hagerty recognizes the Kresak family visiting from North Carolina. The family is descended from Lantana pioneer M.B. Lyman and his father, M.K. Lyman. Mark and Brenda Jamison Kresak have seven sons (l-r): Ian, Landan, Brendan, Ethan, Ryan, Aidan and Nolan. The boys are seventh-generation Lyman descendants. Brenda is Cindy Lyman Jamison’s daughter. Cindy’s father was Capt. Kenny Lyman. Kenny’s father was Walter ‘Pop’ Lyman. Pop Lyman was Morris Benson Lyman’ s son. Morris Kennedy Lyman and Morris Benson Lyman came to the region in 1884.

Zach Gorman of Boynton Beach was one of six co-winners in the watermelon- eating contest that was part of the festivities at Bicentennial Park.

Michelle Jackson, a traveling nurse from Tennessee who spent the previous three months working at JFK Medical Center, was one of the winners in the hula hoop contest. She and two children outlasted a field of more than 20 participants.

The fireworks lasted for a half hour, and many in the crowd commented on how exciting they were. The town didn't have fireworks last year because of the pandemic, so it spent twice as much, $60,000, this year.

Jamie Sauer, president of the Junior League of Boca Raton (from left), Lynne Moyer, Sosy Faradyan, Mado Faradyan, Fabiola Padernacht, Irina Oyfe and Jocelyn Mijares box food at Boca Helping Hands. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Boca’s Junior League celebrates long tradition of helping, from providing diapers, meals for children to keeping community garden

By Ron Hayes

You’ll find them right around 6 p.m. any Thursday, eight or 10 women lining both sides of a worktable on the second floor of a warehouse on Northwest First Court in Boca Raton.
For the next hour or two, they will pick up individual servings of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, Pop Tarts, Pringles or mixed fruit cups and place one of each in cardboard boxes.
Fruit cup after fruit cup, Pop Tart after Pop Tart, this would be awfully boring work if they were just packing boxes. But these women are at Boca Helping Hands to make sure about 700 South County elementary school students don’t go hungry every weekend.
They are the Junior League of Boca Raton, and on Sept. 23 many of their 600-plus members will gather at The Addison to celebrate 50 years of service to their community.
“We find a need, and we work to fill it,” says Jamie Sauer, the league’s president. “In the past 50 years, we’ve volunteered more than a million hours.”

Members of the Junior League of Boca Raton gather at an event in the 1980s. This chapter of the league began in 1971. Photo provided by the Junior League of Boca Raton

That’s a million hours of volunteerism since 1971, when 26 young women declared themselves the Junior Service League of Boca Raton and set about to gather 100 members under 35 so they could be recognized by the national organization.
Mary Lavalle joined in 1973. She’ll turn 78 in December and is still active with the league.
“It was a way of making new friends,” she recalls. “I had children, they had children. When I joined there were not so many women working outside the home. I’m a volunteer. I like to do things, and the league has taught me how to be a productive volunteer.”
By 1984, the Junior Service League had found its 100 members, been recognized by the national body, and dropped the word “Service” from its name.
They’ve never dropped the commitment to service.
In the earliest days, that meant puppet shows and consignment shops, or supporting the Morikami Museum, Planned Parenthood and Children’s Home Society.
Then they helped found the Boca Raton Historical Society and the Children’s Museum.

Members of the Junior League of Boca Raton entertain underserved children at an event. Some of the league’s members say they are motivated to help children after raising kids of their own. Photo provided by the Junior League of Boca Raton

In 2010, the league was entrusted with launching the Boca Raton Community Garden on 1½ acres by the railroad tracks on Northwest Fourth Street, land donated by the city.
Ground was broken on Earth Day 2010, with residents who leased the 100 plots agreeing to donate 10% of their fruits and vegetables to Boca Helping Hands.
A decade later, on May 10, 2021, ground was broken on a new community garden at Meadows Park on Northwest Eighth Street to accommodate the Brightline station to be built near the Downtown Library. Brightline underwrote the new garden’s construction and the city donated the land and water, but it will continue to be managed by the league.
“We’ve had a volunteer shift working together with Brightline, Kaufman Lynn Construction and the city to build the 100 garden boxes,” Sauer reports. “We’re very excited to get started in August.”
When league members learned that food stamps and the federal Women, Infants & Children program don't cover disposable diapers, they marked their 40th anniversary in 2011 by setting up the Junior League Diaper Bank.
A decade later, they’ve given away more than 5 million diapers and are currently serving about 3,000 children through 23 local nonprofits.
“On average, we distribute between 100,000 and 200,000 diapers every other month,” Sauer reports. “We’ve helped over 15,000 families in the past 10 years.”
Next year, the Diaper Bank will become an independent nonprofit. “But the Junior League will continue to be supportive, with members on the board, volunteer shifts and more,” Sauer emphasizes. “We’re eager to see what we started 10 years ago grow even more as a new nonprofit.”
And then there’s the Done-In-A-Day project, in which members volunteer to spend two to four hours at area nonprofits, such as Twin Palms Center for the Disabled, CROS Ministries, or parks and beach cleanups.
On July 23 and 24, volunteers filled backpacks with school supplies in support of the Spirit of Giving Network’s Back to School Bash.
“I was a homeroom mom,” says Jocelyn Mijares, who chairs the Done-In-A-Day committee. “Now my kids are older, so I volunteer a lot.
“My whole thought is, there but for the grace of God go I,” she says, placing another fruit cup in a box at Boca Helping Hands. “One different decision and I could be on the receiving end of these boxes.”

Junior League of Boca Raton members attend a 1986 fundraiser. By then, the group had more than 100 members. Photo provided by the Junior League of Boca Raton

No more white gloves and pearls

And still there are some who think “Junior League” means pampered women in white gloves and pearls who lunch on lobster and make chitchat. But the cliché didn’t come out of nowhere.
The national Junior League was already 70 years old when those 26 women in Boca Raton formed their chapter.
Originally called the Junior League for the Promotion of the Settlement Movements, it was founded in 1901 by Mary Harriman Rumsey, a student at Barnard College and the sister of W. Averell Harriman, a future governor of New York, and the daughter of Edward H. Harriman, a railroad executive. She was 19.
Perhaps she wore white gloves and pearls at times — along with Eleanor Roosevelt, 19 when she joined, too — but they worked to aid poor families who had arrived in the country during the influx of European immigrants in the late 19th century.
Today, the Junior League of Boca Raton is one of 295 chapters with 125,000 members in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom, and women can now join at 21.
The helping hands at Boca Helping Hands are not wearing white gloves, and they are not lazy. When the women left on June 24, they had packed 185 boxes of food.
“The Junior League has been volunteering here since 2009,” says Bill Harper, Helping Hands’ director of food and warehouse operations. “They generally pack about 200 boxes a week.”
Each box contains six small meals of macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and beef, and three snacks that provide 2,400 calories to feed poor children every weekend.
Before the pandemic, the meals went in backpacks. Now, they’re delivered in the cardboard boxes rather than repacking backpacks that, going from their homes to the schools to the Helping Hands warehouse, could carry the virus.

Jamie Sauer, president of the Junior League of Boca Raton, and Mary Lavalle, a president in the early 1980s, united at Boca Helping Hands with several other volunteers to pack meals for distribution to children in need. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

“During the school year, we feed about 700 students in six South County elementary schools,” Harper explains. “That’s 700 boxes a week in a full 38-week school year. Now we’re distributing at summer camps and Boys & Girls Clubs.”
Of the 185 boxes the women of the Junior League packed on June 24, 117 alone were scheduled to go to feed students from Boca Raton Elementary School.
For Lynne Moyer, a member of the league’s public affairs committee, this was her first stint packing food at Boca Helping Hands.
“I joined three years ago after retiring,” she said. “I was a Latin teacher. Now I play tournament croquet, but I need to do something for people in need.”
And so she found the women of the Junior League, who have done just that for 50 years.

50th anniversary celebration
The Junior League of Boca Raton will celebrate its 50 years of service to the community with a dinner, an open bar, entertainment and a silent auction.
Where: The Addison of Boca Raton, 2 E. Camino Real
When: 7 p.m. Sept. 23
Tickets: Cost is $171 per person, available at www.jlbr.org.
For more information: Call 561-620-2553 or email 50anniversary@jlbr.org.

An ACCF student practices a coding workshop before meeting Coco Gauff via a Zoom call. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

As a professional tennis player and full-time remote student, Coco Gauff sees firsthand the ways technology benefits education.
While completing classes despite maintaining a rigorous training and tournament schedule, the local celebrity was inspired to provide some of the same tools to Delray Beach students.
“This community has given me a lot, so it’s definitely important to give back,” the 17-year-old Gauff said of her hometown.
Teaming up with Microsoft, she helped refresh the main computer lab and build two additional labs for the Achievement Centers for Children and Families with the donation of new devices.
“We are extremely thankful to have been chosen as the recipients for this collaboration,” said Stephanie Seibel, the nonprofit’s CEO. “We want to extend an enormous thank you to Coco and Microsoft for this generous contribution.”
For more information, call 561-276-0520 or visit https://achievementcentersfl.org.

Quantum awards $1.5 million to nonprofits

Through its Quantum in the Community initiative, the Quantum Foundation allocated nearly $1.5 million in grants for the first and second quarters of 2021, the largest of which went to FoundCare, one of the government’s federally qualified health centers.
FoundCare will apply the $250,000 toward construction of a new in-house pharmacy at its West Palm Beach location.
“We are deeply grateful for the generous support we have received from our friends at Quantum Foundation,” CEO Yolette Bonnet said.
The other grant recipients include The Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative; Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County; Children’s Bereavement Center; Helping Our Wounded Foundation of South Florida; Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County; Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches; TeleHealth Access for Seniors; Education Foundation of Palm Beach County; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County; Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach County; Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Palm Beach County Health Department; Promise Fund of Florida; T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society, and Northend RISE.
For more information, call 561-832-7497 or visit https://quantumfnd.org.

Roots and Wings keeps soaring during summer

This year’s Honda Classic golf tournament donated $5,000 to Roots and Wings, a charity that works to improve the quality of education in South Florida, and its Project UpLift program.
A check presentation took place in June featuring executives from the tournament, board members from Roots and Wings and Plumosa School of the Arts Principal Cathy Reynolds.
Project UpLift helps second- and third-graders who have been identified by their teachers as needing extra help in reading.
Roots and Wings’ education celebration also took place in June, recognizing recipients of the Above and Beyond Award.
More than 100 winners and their guests joined Janet Meeks, the city of Delray Beach’s education coordinator, at the Arts Warehouse for the affair, which included a buffet, a raffle and plaques to the Above and Beyond champions.
For more information, call 561-404-0455 or visit https://rootsandwingsinc.org.

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

By Amy Woods

The George Snow Scholarship Fund’s Ballroom Battle returns for its 14th year and its second as a televised event to raise money for aspiring college students.
The Dancing with the Stars-themed competition is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 14 and will air on WPTV-TV from the station’s studios as well as online. It features eight dancers, each paired with a professional, strutting their stuff during choreographed routines.
“Over the last 13 years, our event has become the do-not-miss event of the season as eight of our community’s most recognizable personalities take to the dance floor for a good cause,” said Tim Snow, the organization’s president. “Not to mention that coveted fundraising Mirror Ball trophy.”
Among those vying for the trophy awarded to the top fundraisers is Dr. Jeffrey Stein, 63, a Boca Raton internist.
“Am I going to be the best dancer?” Stein mused. “I don’t know. But I do know I am going to have the most fun.”
He plans to channel his inner John Travolta in a rhinestone-studded disco outfit.
“There’s a lot of people who do this, and they get out of their comfort zone,” Stein said. “This was a fundraiser that was so easy for me to do. I’m enjoying learning certain dances. At the same time, I’m hopefully going to put some kids through college.”
Dancing always has been part of his life, especially while he attended medical school at the American University of the Caribbean in Montserrat.
“It was my release,” Stein said. “I just used to put on a cassette and listen to ’70s music and dance in my dorm room to take the pressure off an exam or to distract me. It was my way to decompress.”
The other dancers are Elmar Benavente, Kelly Fleming, Dre Garcia, Dr. Melyssa Hancock, Ryan Reiter, Mindy Shikiar and Robert Snyder. Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Boca Raton is giving all of them a series of lessons to perfect their moves.
“Whether I win or not is immaterial because the only people who are winning are the kids who are going to get a scholarship,” Stein said. “My life is not going to change with what happens, but if I can change kids’ lives, that’s what matters.”

If You Go
What: Ballroom Battle for George Snow Scholarship Fund
When: 7 p.m. Aug. 14
Where: On air at WPTV-TV, online at www.wptv.com and https://scholarship.org/ballroom-battle
Information: 561-347-6799 or www.ballroombattle.com