Mary Kate Leming's Blog – September 2015 Archive (39)

By Rich Pollack

Drive along State Road A1A and you’ll see the subtle signs of a steadily recovering economy.

In Manalapan, several older homes have been bulldozed to make way for new and larger luxury homes that are rising out of the ground. 

A short distance away crews are remodeling an aging condo for new owners who want a place with a more contemporary appearance.  Not far down the road in Highland Beach, a multimillion-dollar luxury condominium…

On Nov. 6, 2009, 48-year-old Bill Dunn choked to death in the county pocket. It took Palm Beach County Fire Rescue nearly 13 minutes to respond to the 911 call. 

It’s unknown if a faster response might have provided a different outcome in Dunn’s case, but everyone on the barrier island agrees that the medical response time that evening was much too long. Since then, a mutual aid agreement between Boynton Beach and Palm Beach County fire-rescue agencies has been firmed up to provide…

Gulf Stream resident Kirsten Stanley is happy to serve as the president of the Junior League. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

Kirsten Stanley doesn’t shy away from challenges. 

At 39, she is executive vice president of Delray Beach-based Meisner Electric, making…

By Jane Smith

The man’s voice on the robocall sounded as if something dangerous were happening. 

In mid-September, he warned of Delray Beach elected officials’ transferring fire-rescue services to the county. The county will get the equipment, buildings and staff, and you will get nothing but a separate tax for county fire-rescue services.

Some Highland Beach residents also were called, but none in Gulf Stream, according to the town…

 By Dan Moffett

Saying they want to hold down expenses, Gulf Stream commissioners are changing their lineup of lawyers as the town appeals its federal racketeering case against Martin O’Boyle and Chris O’Hare.

Mayor Scott Morgan says Joanne O’Connor of the West Palm Beach firm of Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs will be taking over most of the work in the RICO case, replacing Gerald Richman of Richman Greer.

Town Attorney John Randolph is a…

By Dan Moffett

Ocean Ridge appears to have found its next town manager in Jamie Titcomb, the former Palm Beach County League of Cities executive director.

Jamie Titcomb has been offered the town manager position in Ocean Ridge.…

By Rich Pollack

Ocean Ridge police say they have every intention of patrolling county parks within the town limits, but they’re hoping the county will lend a hand to help those parks — as well as an adjacent one in a county pocket — be safer during holidays and special events.

Ocean Ridge Police Chief Hal Hutchins met recently with Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Director Eric Call to discuss the possibility of the county’s providing additional…

By Dan Moffett

Mayor Geoff Pugh has a plan to create a waterfront promenade and change the traffic flow in Ocean Ridge. And town commissioners say they like what they’ve heard so far.

Pugh’s idea is to make Old Ocean Boulevard a one-way street running south from Corrine Street to Tropical Drive. He proposes making Thompson Street, Adams Road and Beachway Drive dead-ends at Old Ocean.

The mayor sees at least two benefits from the plan: It is likely to…

Wider sidewalks, more benches and open ocean vistas are among the proposed changes for the public beach in Delray Beach. Renderings by Currie Sowards and Aguila Architects 

By Jane Smith

After waiting nearly seven years, the Beach Property…

By Dan Moffett

In a measured and strategic attack against the enemies of peace and quiet, Manalapan town commissioners are putting new restrictions on noisy residents.

The commission has given preliminary approval to an ordinance that sets a 65-decibel limit on noise between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and a 55-decibel limit at all other times. The decibel readings would apply from a distance of 50 feet, and violators could face…

By Jane Smith

The Atlantic Crossing developers now say the delays caused by Delray Beach have cost them more than $25 million in rising construction costs, according to the amended lawsuit filed on Sept. 25.

The developers, Ohio-based Edwards CDS and local partner CDS Delray Redevelopment, first filed a lawsuit in Palm Beach County Circuit Court in June, alleging the city wrongly delayed it from moving forward with its $200 million, mixed-use project on 9.2…

 By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach has narrowed its list of town manager candidates to six and hopes to interview them all on Oct. 8 at Town Hall.

“You did very well. These are very high-quality candidates,” said Kurt Bressner, the former Boynton Beach city manager who has assisted the town with recruiting. “My job is to make your choice tough, and I think it’s going to be.”

Mayor Bonnie Fischer said the town wants to have a new manager hired before the…

A South Palm Beach police officer faces battery, dating violence and false imprisonment charges stemming from allegations his girlfriend made against him last month.

Mark McKirchy, a senior patrol officer and 22-year veteran of the town’s department, was arrested by Boynton Beach police on Sept. 24. South Palm Beach Police Chief Carl Webb said McKirchy, 56, has been put indefinitely on administrative leave without pay.

“This is something you just can’t tolerate,” Webb said.…

Plein air artist Ralph Papa sets up his easel to continue working on a painting on a recent Friday in Delray Beach. Plein Air Palm Beach is partnering with the Delray Beach Historical Society to capture the city’s notable homes and buildings, with an exhibition of the works planned for November. Photos by Madeline Gray/The Coastal…

By Jane Smith

The Downtown Development Authority has a new executive director. 

At its September board meeting, Associate Director Laura Simon was promoted unanimously to the position vacated by Marjorie Ferrer. 

Simon started Oct. 1. She has a 12-month contract, with details to be voted on at the Delray Beach board’s Oct. 12…

Ocean Ridge’s  Timothy Annis collects bottle caps instead of shells on the beach. He stores them in onion bags and  recycles them to raise money to buy wheelchairs for veterans and others who need them.

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Most people don’t think twice when…

By Amy Woods

The 2015-16 philanthropy season has arrived. In honor of the time of year that brings balls and bashes, dinner dances and luncheons, and parties of all themes to South County, I’ve highlighted one must-do charity event for each month from October through March.

October: Milagro Center, a children’s nonprofit whose mission is to enrich young lives through cultural-arts programming, will get its spook on at Halloween Hollywood Horror…

Howard Falcon, who grew up in what now is known as Delray Beach’s Historic Falcon House, returned for a reunion with longtime friends. Joining Falcon, his son Howard III and his grandson Howard IV at the 1925 home — now SoHo/Max’s Social House — were Ernie Simon, Zicky Simon, Betty Diggans and Bruce Wenzel.  Also joining them at the reunion,…