city commission - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T09:46:36Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/city+commissionElection results: Delray Beach City Commissionhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/election-results-delray-beach-city-commission2023-03-15T01:08:16.000Z2023-03-15T01:08:16.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10997683077,RESIZE_1200x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10997683077,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10997683077?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a>SOURCE: Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (<em>unofficial results</em>)</p></div>Delray Beach: Appeals court upholds 3-story height for downtown East Atlantic Avenuehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-appeals-court-upholds-3-story-height-for-downtown-ea2022-03-02T15:50:33.000Z2022-03-02T15:50:33.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Delray Beach won in appellate court the ability to keep its downtown height cap at three stories.<br /> “It’s a big win for the city,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said Feb. 16, the same day the ruling was announced. The appeals court ruled that the city could limit its height to three stories in part of its downtown. <br /> Property owner Billy Himmelrich and his business partner had sued the city in May 2018, claiming they were not informed in writing about the zoning change, as the Bert Harris Act requires. The Harris Act protects individual property rights. <br /> In February 2015, following 18 months of meetings, the City Commission placed a three-story height limit in its downtown. <br />Residents wanted to preserve the small-town look of East Atlantic Avenue, between Swinton Avenue and the Intracoastal Waterway. <br /> Himmelrich, though, did speak at the zoning hearings before the cap was placed in early 2015.<br /> He could not be reached for comment following the court ruling.<br /> He and his partner own two parking lots and two buildings, just east of the Old School Square grounds. <br />They sought $6.9 million in damages. <br /> They wanted to build a four-story hotel, but they did not submit formal plans.<br /> They lost at the circuit court level because their plans were not formalized and then appealed that loss to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in May 2019.</p></div>Delray Beach: Boca art museum in talks to take over Cornell Museumhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-boca-art-museum-in-talks-to-take-over-cornell-musuem2022-03-02T15:30:17.000Z2022-03-02T15:30:17.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-cra-demands-financial-records-from-departed-old-scho?edited=1"><strong>CRA demands financial records from departed Old School Square management</strong></a></p>
<p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>The Boca Raton Museum of Art is in talks to take over the operations of the Cornell Art Museum on the Delray Beach Old School Square campus.<br /> City Manager Terrence Moore told commissioners March 1 that he is talking with the Boca museum about running the Cornell Art Museum for 18 months. The costs will be determined during the negotiations.<br /> “I’ve had a challenging time containing my excitement and enthusiasm for this relationship,” Moore told the commission before introducing Irvin Lippman, executive director of the Boca Raton museum. <br /> Lippman said he and his museum’s board were concerned that the Cornell Museum had been closed to the public. <br /> “We decided to offer our assistance,” Lippman told the commission. “It will be a full partnership, not an annex of the Boca Raton museum.”<br /> Lippman talked about the benefits of a partnership with a nationally accredited museum that must adhere to the highest budgeting and accounting standards, establishing a Delray Beach advisory board, and the possibility of creating an artist-in-residence program in Delray that could have a regional reach.<br /> “It sounds very exciting,” said Mayor Shelly Petrolia. “We’re very pleased to have you here today.” On Feb. 24, Moore went to the Delray Beach Preservation Trust meeting, as part of his visits to all nonprofits in Delray Beach. He talked about the relationship between the Boca Raton museum and the Cornell. <br /> “I have been to the Boca Raton museum for the past number of years,” said Sandy Zeller, a Preservation Trust executive board member who also sits on the city’s Planning & Zoning Board. <br /> “I like how they expanded and was impressed with their Machu Picchu exhibit,” he said on Feb. 25. “It is of international quality, not just local artists showing their stuff.”<br /> That exhibit features 192 artifacts from the royal tombs of the ancient Incan retreat of Machu Picchu in Peru. It also has a virtual reality upgrade that transports visitors to the site and its iconic facets, such as the Temple of the Sun.<br /> The exhibit was featured in <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>Wall Street Journal</em> and <em>Miami Herald</em> newspapers. It has helped the Boca Raton Museum of Art triple its membership, Lippman said Feb. 27.<br /> The Boca Raton museum board waited until the city’s lease ended with the old operators of OSS before contacting Moore. It did not want to get involved in the dispute between the city and the former operators.<br /> “We met with him on Feb. 14 about running the Cornell,” Lippman said. <br /> The Boca museum’s executive committee then met on Feb. 17 and approved “moving ahead with discussions to manage the Cornell Museum,” according to a Feb. 18 email from Lippman to Moore. <br /> “We will come as an established institution with strong curatorial and marketing departments,” Lippman said.<br /> The first thing the Boca museum would do is hire a full-time curator and set up an advisory committee, Lippman said. It would not take over the creative arts classes that are held in the Crest Theatre building. Renovations stopped there last summer amid a dispute between city officials and the former operators of OSS.<br /> Lippman pointed out that the Boca Raton Museum of Art already has relationships with two Delray Beach nonprofit institutions, the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum and the Milagro Center. <br /> Three of its board members either live or have businesses in Delray Beach, he said. About half of the Boca Raton museum members live in Delray Beach or Boynton Beach. <br /> “It will never have Boca Raton in its name,” Lippman said of the Cornell. “It will have its own identity.”</p></div>Delray Beach: Bar planned for Atlantic Crossing postpones request for 2 a.m. closinghttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-bar-planned-for-atlantic-crossing-postpones-request-2022-02-02T17:50:26.000Z2022-02-02T17:50:26.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related story: </strong><a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-taking-shape-atlantic-crossing-gets-ready-for-its-fi">Delray Beach: Taking shape — Atlantic Crossing gets ready for its first openings</a></p>
<p><strong>By Larry Barszewski</strong></p>
<p>A battle over late-night downtown activity was put on hold when representatives of the Bounce Sporting Club planned for the $300 million Atlantic Crossing development temporarily withdrew their request to have a 2 a.m. closing time.<br /> Downtown Delray Beach residents living near the Intracoastal Waterway have objected to the proposal, which had already won the 4-3 approval of the city’s Planning & Zoning Board in December.<br /> The issue was supposed to come to a head at the City Commission’s Feb. 1 meeting, but that changed a day earlier when Neil Schiller, an attorney for the high-end sports bar and restaurant, requested a delay.<br /> “Based on the outpouring of community feedback related to our application, my client would like to withdraw this application from consideration from tomorrow’s noticed City Commission meeting to be heard at a properly noticed meeting in the future,” Schiller wrote to the city.<br /> Many people living near the development currently under construction have complained they can already hear the noise from late-night establishments along Atlantic Avenue west of Federal Highway in the heart of downtown. They don’t want a new after-midnight establishment closer to their homes east of Federal and outside of the officially designated entertainment district, which is west of Federal.<br /> Bounce representatives say they’ve been misunderstood, that they’re not seeking to be a nightclub pounding out live music in the early morning hours. They say what they’re trying to ensure is that their patrons can watch — uninterrupted — West Coast games, pay-per-view events and other televised sports that might go past midnight.<br /> Jack Indekeu, president of the Palm Trail Homeowners Association, told his neighbors that Bounce’s decision to withdraw its proposal is only a partial victory against the restaurant that anticipates opening this summer.<br /> “Given Bounce’s prior aggressive tactics and propaganda, it’s very likely that they will continue their lawyering and lobbying and re-apply for conditional use at a later date — regretfully, they may try to bounce back,” Indekeu said in an email blast to neighbors.<br /> Residents have said they do not want the city to set precedent by allowing a 2 a.m. closing at Atlantic Crossing. But two bars on the south side of the street across from Atlantic Crossing already have those extended hours — the Hurricane Bar & Lounge and the Blue Anchor restaurant and pub. Those establishments were grandfathered-in when the city set earlier closing times in the area.<br /> Prior to withdrawing its request, Bounce had agreed to close its outdoor dining area, all its doors and windows — and not have any live music — after 11 p.m. It also said it would have at least six security personnel on duty between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.<br /> While commissioners did not get a chance to vote on Bounce’s extended hours request, they did not stop a separate item that will allow Bounce to change its entrance. The alteration will turn what would have been an enclosed area of Bounce restaurant space at the corner of Atlantic and Southeast Seventh avenues into an open-air lobby where lines can form to get inside. Some opponents have complained the change could create a rowdy, noisy atmosphere as people queue up.<br /> Arlen Dominek, who lives at the Barr Terrace condos across the Intracoastal Waterway from Atlantic Crossing, told commissioners that the change was not acceptable.<br /> “I want it to be the kind of place that appeals to many different people,” he said.<br /> Atlantic Crossing expects to finish construction of part of its first phase in the first quarter of 2022. That includes the buildings that will house Bounce, three other restaurants and Chico’s women’s clothing store.</p></div>Delray Beach: City scrambles to find new management team for Old School Squarehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-scrambles-to-find-new-management-team-for-old-s2021-12-29T17:49:44.000Z2021-12-29T17:49:44.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>With a lawsuit looming and no suitors to manage Delray Beach’s historic arts and culture center, the city is trying to cobble together a team to manage the Old School Square campus once the lease — canceled last year by the city — expires Feb. 9.<br /> No company responded last month to the city’s “invitation to negotiate,” a process that allows the city to enter discussions with interested firms. <br /> “With a pending lawsuit against the city, it’s not surprising,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said last month. “We continue to keep the campus active with events organized through our Parks and Recreation Department. <br /> “Once we get on the other side of the lawsuit, we will see some interest,” Petrolia said.<br /> In the interim, the city will use its parks department, which has managed several weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events during the past several months, and back it up with the Downtown Development Authority and Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, City Manager Terrence Moore wrote in a Dec. 17 weekly roundup.<br /> Moore added that he would update the City Commission on Jan. 4.<br /> OSS managers sued the city Nov. 5 and claimed the City Commission’s Aug. 10 vote to terminate the lease was improper and did not allow the OSS managers to remove their equipment, paintings, furniture and accessories acquired by the nonprofit organization over the past three decades. <br /> It further alleges the city stopped a $1.2 million renovation of the Crest Theatre and failed to allow them “to quietly hold, occupy and enjoy the premises.”<br /> The city countered on Dec. 9 that the suit should be dismissed “with prejudice” because it was little more than a “shotgun pleading,” throwing more than 200 allegations against the wall and hoping something would stick.<br />The response notes the suit is “comprised of 206 factual allegations, with each of the fifteen Counts incorporating and re-alleging all of the Complaint’s 206 factual allegations, leaving the defendants to speculate as to which allegations relate to which Count,” the response notes.<br /> Petrolia and commissioners Shirley Johnson and Juli Casale voted to terminate the contract because OSS managers had repeatedly failed to provide accounting of how they had spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars given to OSS over the years.<br /> The city contends Petrolia and Johnson were entitled to immunity for decisions made in their official roles.<br /> Casale hired her own attorney “that is personally known to me,” who contends in court filings that she, too, is entitled to immunity.<br /> OSS supporters claim the vote was taken without public notice. The city contends the commissioners followed the terms of the lease.<br /> The vote, and the resulting public outcry orchestrated in no small part by OSS directors and supporters, prompted eight former mayors to write a letter that the OSS publicist sent on Dec. 8 to media outlets. <br /> “While the Old School Square termination is what’s on everyone’s mind, we see a similar pattern in the general culture of division and polarization in our city politics that has led to costly turnover and litigation,” the former mayors wrote. “It’s not the ‘Delray Way.’”<br />They suggested holding “a charrette to gain public input on the future of Old School Square.”<br /> Petrolia declined to comment on the letter because of the pending suit.<br /> Joy Howell, a former OSS board chair, also was named in the suit. Her attorney contracted COVID-19 and received an extension to file a response, as did Shannon Eadon, a former OSS executive director. Neither response was available at press time.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Hearing set</span><br /> A Jan. 18 hearing is scheduled before Circuit Court Judge John Kastrenakes to decide whether OSS managers can receive expedited mediation in the case.<br /> Delray Beach taxpayers own the nearly 4-acre OSS campus. It is deed restricted and must remain an arts, cultural and educational center. If it does not, the property reverts to the Palm Beach County School District. <br /> The campus has five entertainment venues: the Field House, the Crest Theatre, the Creative Arts School, the Cornell Art Museum and the Pavilion.<br /> Sam Metott, the city’s parks and recreation director, wrote in a Dec. 16 email that his department can oversee the Field House events. <br /> “We may require some assistance with the Cornell Art Museum as that involves a more distinct set of capabilities for curation and the daily functions,” Metott wrote. “Lastly, outdoor events” — such as concerts on the Pavilion stage — “involves additional planning, scheduling, and on-site logistics. Any support in that area would be beneficial.”<br /> Toward that end, the DDA is expected to host its annual Fashion Week in February on the OSS campus instead of the Colony Hotel, Petrolia said.<br /> “We are looking forward to helping guide and bring more community events to our downtown and city,” Laura Simon, DDA executive director, wrote via a Dec. 21 text message in response to a <em>Coastal Star</em> question about the DDA’s role.<br /> Meanwhile, even though its lease expires in less than six weeks, the OSS board sent out a pre-Christmas email seeking contributions, noting that “with your help we will rise stronger than ever to bring generations of friends and patrons all the joy Old School Square has to offer.” </p></div>Delray Beach: Under public pressure, city to keep two community members on CRA boardhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-under-public-pressure-city-to-keep-two-community-mem2021-06-02T17:51:59.000Z2021-06-02T17:51:59.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Delray Beach city commissioners voted unanimously June 1 to keep the same structure of the city Community Redevelopment Agency board. <br />That means the commissioners will continue to sit on the CRA board and the two independent community members will remain.<br />The commission chambers were packed for discussion of that issue, which was moved from the last agenda item to the first to accommodate the crowd.<br />“I pulled my support for this item,” said Commissioner Ryan Boylston, who wanted to remove the independent members two weeks earlier. <br />He also attacked CRA board member Angie Gray from the dais about her personal Facebook posting, which talked about removing her and Kelcey Brooks, another Black voice, from the board. <br />Boylston said the statement wasn’t fair. Gray, though, could not respond to him at that time because of commission rules. <br />Nine of the 10 people who talked during public comment spoke about the CRA board structure.<br />Yvonne Odom was the lone supporter of removing the two independent members.<br />“This is not racism. It’s political patronage,” said Odom, a retired teacher who also runs youth athletic teams in the Black community. <br />Three pastors and a mother, an elderly woman who belongs to a church, spoke at the meeting. Their message: “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”<br />One pastor, the Rev. Howard B. Barr Jr. of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, thanked the CRA board for making “West Atlantic neighborhoods part of the progress of Delray Beach.” <br />Gray and Brooks live in the West Atlantic neighborhoods. Pam Brinson, former CRA board member, said, “It’s not about race but about doing what’s right and wrong” when she spoke in support of the current composition of the CRA board.<br />During Gray’s remarks at the public comment section June 1, she said, “For 41 years, we made the promise to the Northwest and Southwest and Osceola neighborhoods, your time is coming. And now we are adding sidewalks, alleys and streetlights. There’s more to do.”<br />Mayor Shelly Petrolia thanked the public for the positive messages. “It’s not about racism but where the money goes.”<br />For the previous two weeks, the CRA board makeup was a hot topic on Facebook.<br /> “It is all about the money,” Gray, a former city commissioner, wrote on her personal Facebook page on May 24. <br />“We have moved 80% of the CRA dollars back to where it is supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to be doing. … And now they want to stop that by removing the two Blacks, Angie Gray and Kelcey Brooks, from the CRA board that have been getting things done,” the post read.<br /> The CRA has more than $26 million in tax dollars to spend on eliminating blight this financial year in an area that includes Atlantic Avenue east of the interstate. About 20% of the city lies within the CRA district. When budget carryovers are included, the agency has about $45.7 million available.<br /> Boylston, re-elected in March, had campaigned on making the CRA board totally independent again. He asked the city attorney to investigate the issue. <br /> That is not possible legally, City Attorney Lynn Gelin said at the May 18 commission meeting. Of the 222 CRA districts in Florida, 153, nearly 70%, are run by city commissions only.<br /> One of the assistant city attorneys found a Florida Attorney General 2019 opinion that said the City Commission cannot transfer its authority to an independent board after it has designated itself as the CRA.<br /> After learning of the legal constraints, Boylston had a change of heart and the consensus was 3-2 at the May 18 meeting to bring up the CRA board composition for a vote, with Juli Casale and Petrolia against moving forward. <br /> “There would be considerable repercussions for all of us if we remove the two independent board members,” Casale said May 18. “We need input from residents who live there.”<br /> Petrolia said most of the things the CRA does benefit the community. “I like the fact that two community members are on the board. That gives us a true connection with them on the board,” she said May 18. “We will lose that.” <br />The City Commission installed itself as the CRA board in April 2018. Two months later two community members were added to the board.<br /> At the time, Commissioner Shirley Johnson was frustrated at the slow pace of development in the West Atlantic neighborhoods, while properties east of Swinton Avenue were thriving. <br /> Johnson then nominated her campaign consultant and former commissioner, Gray, for a four-year term on the CRA board. Gray also had served on the CRA board before her election as a city commissioner.<br /> Commissioner Boylston was the lone no vote against her appointment in 2018.<br /> Commissioner Adam Frankel then offered Brinson to serve a two-year term. Brinson had run against Gray in 2014 when she lost her re-election bid to Jordana Jarjura. <br /> Brinson was appointed by a 3-2 vote with former Commissioner Bill Bathurst and Boylston voting no.<br /> Last year, the commission gave Seat 1, Frankel’s spot, the option to fill a CRA board member seat. Frankel picked Brooks to serve a two-year term. <br /> This year, Gray backed Petrolia in her re-election to the mayor’s seat.</p></div>Delray Beach: Amber lights chosen for turtle-safe beach areahttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-amber-lights-chosen-for-turtle-safe-beach-area2021-06-02T17:44:08.000Z2021-06-02T17:44:08.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br />Before the next sea turtle nesting season, the busy beachside intersection of State Road A1A and Atlantic Avenue will be lit with amber LED lights that can stay on throughout the year, even during the turtles’ eight-month nesting season.<br /> The rest of Delray Beach will switch to white LED lights as a sustainability measure — the equivalent of taking 172 cars off the road — Missie Barletto, Public Works director, said at the May 18 Delray Beach City Commission meeting. The lights will be brighter than those on Christmas trees and likely will improve public safety, she said. <br /> The five commissioners gave their consensus to proceed. <br /> The A1A change has been about three years in the making. <br /> The city had its amber lights on Florida Power & Light poles for years. But the utility decided in 2018 that it would no longer allow customer-owned fixtures on its poles between George Bush Boulevard and Casuarina Road. <br /> That’s when the city scrambled between the safety of nesting sea turtles balanced against the concerns of residents and visitors near the bustling intersection. <br /> The Beach Property Owners Association had asked FPL to work with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve amber LED lights to quell concerns about darkness on the 1.1-mile municipal beach. In addition to meeting the FWC standards to protect nesting sea turtles March 1 through Oct. 31, FPL has its own technical and reliability standards.<br /> Instead of choosing red LED lights that could stay on during the turtle-nesting season, the city opted for white LED lights that would go dark for eight months. It will take another five months until the amber LED lights are installed.<br /> “Thank you to the city, FPL and FWC for making our streets more safe for residents and traffic,” said Bob Victorin, BPOA president, “while preserving the safety of nesting sea turtles.”<br /> The city will pay about $7,300 to switch out the lights on 34 poles along A1A. <br /> For the rest of the city, FPL will change the 3,800 sodium halogen lights to white LED lights at no cost to the city. <br /> “Some streetlights are not working in the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods,” said Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson, “so it will be bright” after the white LED lights are installed.</p></div>Delray Beach: Two incumbents, five challengers vie for two seatshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-two-incumbents-five-challengers-vie-for-two-seats2020-03-04T16:39:31.000Z2020-03-04T16:39:31.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;">Each City Commission term is three years and commissioners may retain their seats for no longer than two full consecutive terms. Additionally, voters will be asked whether to eliminate a six-month waiting period before any ordinance proposing salary increases for the mayor and commissioners could be adopted. If the measure passes, increases would become effective “at the next organizational meeting held on or after the last Thursday in March.” <em>— Steven J. Smith</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Seat 2</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938281,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938281,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960938281?profile=original" /></a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938293,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938293,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960938293?profile=original" /></a></p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938476,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938476,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960938476?profile=original" /></a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938485,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938485,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960938485?profile=original" /></a></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Seat 4</strong></span></p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938866,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960938866,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960938866?profile=original" /></a><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960939052,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960939052,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960939052?profile=original" /></a></p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960939277,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960939277,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960939277?profile=original" /></a></p></div>Delray Beach: Developers’ donations favor incumbents in electionhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-developers-donations-favor-incumbents-in-election2020-03-04T16:30:00.000Z2020-03-04T16:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Developers continue to dominate Delray Beach election coffers with contributions to sitting city commissioners. <br /> Voters will decide March 17 who sits in two City Commission seats. Two incumbents, running for re-election, have raised the most contributions for their respective seats. <br /> Seat 2 incumbent Bill Bathurst raised $77,040 as of Feb. 14, the latest reporting date before press time. That amount is about 73% higher than the combined total of $44,464 raised by his three challengers. <br /> Bathurst’s campaign contributions show 44 $1,000 donations. About two-thirds — 28 of the donors — have development business in Delray. <br /> Nine of the 28 are from restaurant owners who donated $1,000 each in late October. The money was recorded after Bathurst voted with most of the other commissioners to move the valet decision to March. <br /> The city’s public safety staffs had suggested moving the valet operations off Atlantic Avenue. The four-block stretch has just two lanes and is often clogged on weekend nights. <br /> On March 3, the commission postponed the decision again until Oct. 1. City staffers are working with a consultant to create a downtown parking program that includes valets.<br /> Bathurst has three challengers: Juli Casale, Jennifer Jones and Debra Tendrich.<br /> Casale has raised $27,637, the highest amount among the Bathurst challengers. A neighborhood activist, Casale has received four $1,000 donations to date, with one donor having ties to real estate. <br /> She is running a grass-roots campaign with contributions from fellow Historic Preservation Trust members and neighbors.<br /> At the candidate debates and in her emails, she refers to Bathurst as “Dollar Bill” for his votes for more development and against the neighborhood feel of the city. <br /> Jones, who is self-employed, raised a total of $4,180. One of her donors, a tax preparer, contributed $1,000. <br /> At the Beach Property Owners Association forum on Feb. 19, Jones said, “There needs to be a change on the City Commission … to make our environment better and safer.”<br /> Tendrich operates a nonprofit. She has raised $12,647 and has not collected any $1,000 donations. At the BPOA forum, after complaints were made that the sea grapes at the beach have not been trimmed in three years, she said, “I will go out and trim them myself.”<br /> Speaking at the forum, Bathurst touted his family history, saying he wants to “retain and grow as much of the Village by the Sea as possible.”<br /> For Seat 4, incumbent Shirley Johnson raised $53,234 as of Feb. 14. As with Bathurst, Johnson’s campaign coffers show she is closely aligned with developers and restaurant owners. <br /> In early October, Johnson voted to extend the valet operations on Atlantic for six months. Later that month, she received eight $1,000 donations from restaurant owners. <br /> She did not vote to review a city board decision that allowed the Delray Place developer to create a cut-through into Delray Place South. The cut-through is expected to create more traffic on the entrance road to the Intracoastal community of Tropic Isle.<br /> Two months later, Joe Carosella — who owns the plazas requesting the cut-through — donated $2,000 from two different entities. His land use attorney, Bonnie Miskel, also donated $1,000 to Johnson’s campaign. <br /> Two years ago, Johnson proposed the City Commission take over the Community Redevelopment Agency board. City commissioners now sit as the CRA board along with two residents, from the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods. <br /> “I saw the dysfunction of the CRA board,” she told attendees at the BPOA forum on Feb. 19. “Since taking it over in 2018, more of the funds are going to cure slum and blight.”<br /> Challenger Chris Davey, a residential real estate consultant, agrees with that decision. <br /> “Handling that amount of money” estimated to be $24 million for the current budget year, “an independent board would be a disservice to the taxpayer,” he said at the forum.<br /> But former CRA board members, including ex-chairman Reggie Cox and community organizer Charles Ridley, who heads the West Atlantic Redevelopment Coalition, disagree. <br /> They are supporting two challengers: Angela Burns, a schoolteacher who is vying to oust Johnson, and Jones, who is running for Bathurst’s seat. Burns and Jones said they want to have an independent CRA when asked at the BPOA forum. <br /> Jones has received $250 from Cox. She also has received $100 from Kristyn Cox, a former CRA employee. <br /> Of a total $7,363 in donations, Burns has received two donations from Reggie Cox totaling $750, and $250 from Ridley. In addition, her CRA-connected donors include $100 from Morris Carstarphen, an ex-CRA board member, and $100 from Kristyn Cox.<br /> Davey also told the forum that the City Commission needs to protect its main asset — the beach. The city needs to stay on top of federal programs for beach renourishment. <br /> Delray Beach has an estimated 3 million annual visitors to its municipal beach, which Davey said works out to be slightly more than 8,000 tourists daily. <br /> “Our greatest attraction is a natural one,” he said.<br /> Davey is mostly self-financing his campaign. He had loaned himself $20,000 of a total $26,000 collected through Feb. 14.</p></div>Delray Beach: Grant fuels talk of limits in CRA programhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-grant-fuels-talk-of-limits-in-cra-program2018-08-01T15:15:26.000Z2018-08-01T15:15:26.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Illustrated Properties recently received a $37,122 grant from the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency to help build out its office space at 700 E. Atlantic Ave.<br /> The money — payable after the work is done — represents 40 percent of the allowable costs because of the office’s location, said Elizabeth Burrows, CRA economic development manager.<br /> “The real estate office sits across from the now underway Atlantic Crossing project,” she said at the July 12 CRA meeting. <br /> Illustrated Properties merged with the Keyes Co. real estate brokers in 2016. They want to combine their Delray Beach staffs at one location and triple the number of agents to 90 people who will work out of the 1,600-square-foot office, Burrows said. <br /> The office sits on the ground floor of a building currently owned by a company headed by Lucille Handelsman, the ex-wife of real estate mogul Burt Handelsman, and their adult children.<br /> The Handelsmans were married for more than 67 years when Lucille, known as Lovey, filed for divorce in March 2016. The corporate ownership record for 700 E. Atlantic was changed a few months after the divorce filing.<br /> A judge granted their divorce earlier this year. Now, the two — Burt, 90, and Lucille, 89 — must finish dividing their multimillion-dollar commercial real estate holdings.<br /> The CRA board passed the grant unanimously. Shelly Petrolia, who is both Delray Beach mayor and CRA chairwoman, said at the CRA meeting that she would like to reconsider whether the agency will pay to build out interiors.<br /> “I thought we only paid for exterior improvements,” Petrolia said. <br /> Burrows said CRA board members would be able to comment on any grant changes they would like to see at an upcoming workshop meeting. <br /> At that July 16 workshop, Petrolia said she wants to move away from remodeling spaces of wealthy businesses and “spend the CRA tax dollars to improve streets, connect sidewalks and cure blight.”<br /> Board member Ryan Boylston agreed. <br /> He said when he first started Woo Creative, now known as 2TON Creative, he was interested in a CRA buildout grant for the second-floor office at 135 E. Atlantic Ave. in another Handelsman building. But he was told nothing was available.<br /> Four years later — starting in April 2016 — the CRA began offering interior grants, Burrows said. The grants cover flooring, walls, doors, electrical and plumbing for offices and art galleries, she said. The CRA does not award grants to restaurants and retailers, she said. <br /> If the interior improvement program is scaled back to cover only electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning systems, Illustrated Properties would be eligible for a total CRA reimbursement of $16,016.80. That amount is less than half of what the real estate company was awarded.<br /> Burrows said the staff would take feedback from the workshop, revise the interior buildout grant program, then bring it back to the CRA board for approval at a future date.</p></div>Delray Beach: City adds two from public to CRA board after outcry over commission’s takeoverhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-adds-two-from-public-to-cra-board-after-outcry-2018-07-04T14:36:45.000Z2018-07-04T14:36:45.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br />Unfair. Disrespectful. Insulting. Deceptive. Racial undertones.<br /> Several black community members have spoken those words at Delray Beach City Commission meetings since the beginning of April when commissioners voted to take over the city’s redevelopment board.<br /> A few hours before the June 5 meeting, where Community Redevelopment Agency board expansion was on the commission agenda, the politics ramped up a notch. <br /> Reggie Cox, a former agency board member, called Mayor Shelly Petrolia “the most divisive mayor in the last 30 years” on his Facebook page. He also shared his post to the Concerned Delray Citizens group page on Facebook, a social media platform.<br /> In addition, he wrote, “The Mayor destroyed a black board.” The old CRA board had four black and three white members.<br /> But it was Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson, the commission’s only black member, who called for the takeover. The four other commission members are white.<br /> The City Commission approved expanding the agency board by a 3-2 vote on June 5. It then voted to add former Commissioner Angie Gray and Pamela Brinson, both black women, giving the CRA board three black members and four white.<br /> Bill Bathurst and Ryan Boylston, both elected to the commission in March, voted against the expansion because they wanted to discuss what their roles would be on the agency board. “We are just getting our feet wet,” Bathurst said.<br /> Boylston agreed and said he wanted to have a workshop first to discuss the commission’s vision for the agency. He also wanted to have a few more agency meetings before deciding whether to expand the board. <br /> “We haven’t put it out to the public,” Boylston said. He wanted to wait a week to give the public an opportunity to apply to be board members.<br /> But the city clerk has been taking applications since late March, a few weeks after Johnson had said she was interested in a takeover vote. The commission voted to take over the CRA board on April 3, the first commission meeting since the election, but left open the possibility of adding members of the public. <br /> By June 5, 30 people had applied to become board members. Nineteen either live in the agency district or have businesses there. <br /> The pool of applicants from the Northwest/Southwest neighborhood, where the commission wants to focus redevelopment, was smaller.<br /> Boylston nominated Connor Lynch, whose dad was mayor. The son has an insurance company on North Federal Highway, which is in the district. Only Bathurst supported the appointment, so it failed.<br /> Johnson then nominated Gray, her campaign consultant, for a four-year term on the board. Gray also had served on the CRA board before her election as a city commissioner. Boylston was the lone no vote.<br /> Vice Mayor Adam Frankel then offered Brinson to serve a two-year term. Brinson had run against Gray in 2014 when Gray lost her re-election bid to Jordana Jarjura. <br /> Brinson was appointed by a 3-2 vote with Bathurst and Boylston voting no.<br /> “It sounds like this discussion has already been had,” Boylston said.<br /> The mayor said, “No, sir. There has been no discussion.”<br /> Boylston then said, “I just hope Delray Beach is paying attention.”</p></div>Delray Beach: Commission formalizes takeover of CRAhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-commission-formalizes-takeover-of-cra2018-05-02T16:02:14.000Z2018-05-02T16:02:14.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>City commissioners unanimously agreed to install themselves as their Community Redevelopment Agency board members. <br />The May 1 vote was a formality. The real work will begin May 7 when the commission meets as the CRA board. That’s when they will vote on the CRA agenda that includes a proposal by Redevelopment Management Associates. <br />The Pompano Beach-based firm is the CRA’s development consultant for three West Atlantic Avenue blocks. RMA was started by Chris Brown, the first executive director of the Delray Beach CRA. Its employees include Diane Colonna, the CRA’s second executive director. <br />On May 1, five Delray Beach residents, including two former CRA board members, spoke on the topic with two for and two against the takeover.<br />Alice Finst asked, “How will it fit together if the commission is the same as the CRA board?” <br />Former CRA Chairwoman Annette Gray, who is for an independent CRA board, said, “As an individual who chose to volunteer, I didn’t do it for the accolades, but my reputation was tarnished” when the board was dissolved over claims of irresponsible spending.<br />“As a commission, you set the budget and then told the CRA how it should be spent,” Gray said. “We were required to pay for the nonprofits and give $2.5 million to Old School Square.” <br />In late April, Mayor Shelly Petrolia sent a letter to Gray thanking her for the CRA service.<br />Alan Schlossberg praised the commission. <br />“You really are responsible for the money,” he said.<br />The CRA has $19.5 million in tax dollars to spend on eliminating slum and blight this financial year in an area that includes Atlantic Avenue, east of Interstate 95. When budget carryovers are included, the CRA has about $28 million.<br />The City Commissioners were expected to take up the CRA issue at their goal-setting workshop in late April. Because they would not have taken a second vote by the time of that workshop, the city attorney advised that they could talk only about their aspirations of how the CRA should function.<br />“We ran out of time,” Petrolia said. “We decided it was better to discuss the CRA functions at a commission workshop on May 8.” The discussion then could include whether to expand the CRA board with two citizen members.<br />At the end of the goal-setting session, the CRA’s first May meeting date was changed from May 10 to May 7 to accommodate Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson. She will be out of town on May 10 and wanted to participate in the first CRA meeting with the commissioners as board members. The takeover was her idea.<br />Johnson is frustrated at the slow pace of development in The Set, formerly the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods, while properties east of Swinton Avenue are thriving.<br />“Thirty-two years ago promises were made that parts of the city would be rebuilt,” Johnson said April 3. “There’s been no demonstrable development on West Atlantic.” <br />At the April 17 commission meeting when the first vote on the CRA takeover took place, two women residents spoke against it.<br />Ernestine Halliday, who lives in The Set, said, “I feel that disposing of the CRA board was a disadvantage to our community.”<br />Yvonne Odom, a retired educator who lives west of the interstate and runs various youth sports programs for kids living in The Set, asked the commission to reconsider its vote.<br />“That’s an award-winning CRA. They did everything they were supposed to because they have a lot of money,” she said. <br />On May 1, ex-CRA board member Daniel Rose said he agreed with the takeover.<br />He asked the commissioners to wait until the status of the three West Atlantic blocks was decided before deciding to add two citizen board members.<br />On May 7, Equity Delray will make another pitch for developing the three blocks.</p></div>Delray Beach: New City Commission votes to take over CRAhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-new-city-commission-votes-to-take-over-cra2018-04-04T17:30:00.000Z2018-04-04T17:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Delray Beach City Commissioners voted to install themselves as their Community Redevelopment Agency board members. <br /> The members of the CRA board were replaced immediately with the vote.<br /> Citing displeasure with the pace of West Atlantic redevelopment and the $19.5 million of taxpayer dollars at stake, the city commissioners voted 4-1 on April 3 for the takeover.<br /> In May, it will be five years that the CRA has been trying to redevelop three blocks of West Atlantic Avenue. Residents of surrounding neighborhoods have been waiting 20 years for a full-service grocery store. <br /> Meanwhile, the CRA has focused on the flashy, east side of Atlantic Avenue with new projects such as the iPic movie theater and the Atlantic Crossing mixed-use project.<br /> “Thirty-two years ago promises were made that parts of the city would be rebuilt,” said Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson. “There’s been no demonstrable development on West Atlantic Avenue.”<br /> She urged the other commissioners to act boldly and “vote to dissolve the CRA board.”<br /> New commissioner Ryan Boylston said, “I won’t be voting to dissolve the CRA board tonight.” <br /> He wanted to wait until the City Commission goal-setting workshop on April 20 and 21.<br /> Seventeen people spoke about the CRA prior to the vote. Eleven wanted to keep the independent board.<br /> “Why is this the first item of the new commission?” asked Reggie Cox, a CRA board member. “Some would say it’s deceitful, bamboozling.”<br /> Ex-CRA board member Herman Stevens said to Johnson, “Don’t fear the heavy-handed Facebook attack about your decision . . . The CRA should be about community service, not self-service.”<br /> The City Commission will discuss adding two independent members at its April 10 workshop.<br /> Johnson asked at the end of the March 29 organizational meeting to have the takeover resolution discussed on April 3. <br /> On March 7, at the end of a nearly nine-hour meeting, Johnson said she was wrong in voting to keep the CRA board last spring when she was first elected to the commission. <br /> At that point she wanted to dissolve the CRA board because its members were going to reconsider in two days allowing a Publix grocery store to tie up potential development of the 600 block of West Atlantic Avenue for another five years. Because it was less than a week before Election Day — when four of the five commission seats could change — Johnson agreed with her commission colleagues that the optics of the takeover would look bad.<br /> “It’s more dysfunctional than ever,” she said of the CRA board on March 7. <br /> The City Commission had the opportunity last summer to make changes to the CRA board, but only two new members were appointed. Johnson wanted to see a clean sweep with new members in the four open seats. The CRA board has seven members who each serve four-year terms.<br /> Johnson also said some of the CRA board members were disrespectful to CRA Chairwoman Annette Gray with their late arrivals and early departures from the meetings.<br /> “And now, they want to change their bylaws to hold only one meeting a month,” Johnson said on March 7. The CRA board members, all volunteers, meet twice monthly and usually have a workshop session before the second monthly meeting.<br /> At this point in time, the CRA board needs to take action at its meetings, Johnson said. <br /> West Atlantic redevelopment was first talked about in the fall of 2012. Six months later, the CRA made its first request for development proposals for the key 600-800 blocks of West Atlantic Avenue.<br /> The CRA board selected Equity Enterprises USA Inc. in October 2013 to redevelop 6 acres into a mixed-use project, called Uptown Atlantic. Equity agreed to pay the CRA $1 million for the land in May 2014. <br /> The Delray Beach City Commission gave Uptown Atlantic approval in June 2015.<br /> West Atlantic residents rallied behind the Equity project. The proposal involved hiring local contractors and subcontractors and including a grocery store in the project; something the community identified as a need years ago. It also promised to use local contractor Randolph & Dewdney.<br /> Equity parted with Randolph’s company in the second half of 2016 when the contractor couldn’t get bonding for the multimillion-dollar project. When the developer asked for another 120-day extension in December 2016, the CRA board said no. <br /> That move put the CRA board and staff back to square one with the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods, now rebranded as The Set.</p></div>Delray Beach: Closed-door meeting will address Atlantic Crossing settlementhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-closed-door-meeting-will-address-atlantic-crossing-s2017-03-29T19:38:49.000Z2017-03-29T19:38:49.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> The city and the Atlantic Crossing developer have spent the past month trading settlement offers. Before the April 4 Delray Beach City Commission meeting, commissioners will meet in a closed-door session with their attorneys and administrators to discuss the latest offer from the Ohio-based Edwards Cos. <br /> In June 2015, Edwards and its partner sued the city, charging it stalled the 9.2-acre, mixed-use project in downtown Delray Beach. The developer sought millions in damages. <br /> Edwards agrees to the city’s latest offer overall, but it wants to fine-tune the details, Dean Kissos, chief operating officer, said in mid-March. The details include who is responsible for paying for traffic calming efforts in the Marina Historic District. <br /> “It’s important to specify how each party will satisfy its obligations when it comes to executing the project’s conditions of approval,” Kissos wrote in an email, provided by the project’s publicist.<br /> “We’re ready to move forward once the city signs the addendum. With the final agreement in place, we can end the still-pending lawsuit, provided there is no third-party legal challenge, which would void the settlement.” <br /> On March 1, the Delray Beach City Commission, which at the time had four commissioners, unanimously agreed to counter the developer’s settlement offer with its own set of conditions. The Atlantic Crossing developer would: <br /> • Create a two-way road into the project from Federal Highway. <br /> • Move the underground garage entrance into the project’s interior. <br /> • Contribute $175,000 to a shuttle bus prior to the issuing of a certificate of occupancy for the first vertical, above-ground building. <br /> • Pay for the design, permit and construction costs of a mast arm traffic signal at the intersection of Northeast First Street and northbound Federal Highway before receiving the first site development permit. <br /> • Temporarily close Northeast Seventh Avenue during construction. One year after the last building is finished, the city will evaluate traffic in the area and decide whether to keep the entrance closed permanently, partially closed or left open with traffic calming devices paid for by the developer.<br /> • Pay for traffic calming in the Marina Historic District, according to city standards and before receiving a certificate of occupancy for any vertical, above-ground building.<br /> • Agree to keep construction traffic and parking out of the Marina Historic District. <br />At one time, a contribution of at least $500,000 to renovate Veterans Park was included in the settlement discussions. The park sits between the project and the Intracoastal Waterway. <br />But the contribution disappeared about the same time the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency switched zones for its economic stimulus grant. <br /> Edwards had applied in August 2014 for a $2.1 million grant when the CRA had a different executive director. The stimulus program ended in September 2015, followed by a January 2016 vote by the CRA board members to provide subsidies only to projects west of Swinton Avenue. Atlantic Crossing sits east of Swinton in the central business district. <br /> The current CRA executive director wrote to Edwards in February 2016 to let it know about the changes.<br /> Despite that vote, the iPic theater complex, part of the central business district, recently received a $400,000 CRA subsidy, payable over 10 years. <br /> If commissioners approve the revised settlement in the closed-door session, they still will have to accept the terms at a public meeting.<br /> Then, Edwards would take its revised site plan through two city boards — Site Plan Review and Appearance and the Planning and Zoning — before returning to the City Commission.<br /> When complete, Atlantic Crossing will have 82 luxury condos, 261 apartments, 83,462 square feet of office space, 39,394 square feet of restaurants and 37,642 square feet of shops at the northeast corner of Federal Highway and Atlantic Avenue.</p></div>Delray Beach: PAC money and community support drive Delray electionhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-pac-money-and-community-support-drive-delray-electio2017-03-29T19:00:00.000Z2017-03-29T19:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> A political newcomer and a seasoned public servant will join the Delray Beach City Commission after they were handily elected March 14.<br /> The most contentious race was between retiree Jim Chard and his main contender, political novice Kelly Barrette, for Seat 2. Two others — police officer Richard Alteus and social worker Anneze Barthelemy — also ran for that seat, but garnered less than 10 percent of the vote each. <br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960719658,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960719658,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="98" alt="7960719658?profile=original" /></a>Chard took 56 percent of the vote and Barrette was a distant second with 28 percent. “I am interpreting the results as a mandate to get things done,” Chard said.<br /> Chard says he will work to implement his plan to rid the city of rogue sober home operators and wants to create a list of all capital improvements needed and find a way to pay for them, even if it means issuing a bond. <br /> He also thinks Delray Beach needs more upscale office space so that it no longer loses premier businesses to Boca Raton.<br /> Said Barrette: “I’m proud of the campaign that I ran, which was almost entirely supported by citizens. I haven’t decided how I will stay involved in Delray politics or if I will run for a commission seat again.”<br /> The Chard-Barrette contest quickly turned into a battle between development and establishment interests and Barrette’s grass-roots, controlled-growth supporters.<br /> Chard raised just under $70,000. His major contributors include a variety of development interests — iPic theater, Swinton Commons mixed-use project, Delray Place retail center and hoteliers — as well as a co-founder of an upscale sober home facility; three former mayors; two former city commissioners; three board members of the Beach Property Owners Association; and the chairman of the Community Redevelopment Agency.<br /> He used nearly half of that money to pay his campaign consultant, Cornerstone Solutions, $32,955.98. Most of it went to direct mail, email and telephone campaigns, according to Chard’s campaign finance reports.<br /> Rick Asnani, a co-founder of Cornerstone, also runs political action committees and electioneering communications organizations, such as Keeping Citizens First Inc. The organization sent out at least two mailers in support of Chard, did a telephone poll of residents regarding the iPic project and made automated phone calls backing Chard.<br /> As of Feb. 28, the organization raised $50,000, all of it coming from two other PACs. The PACs have no contribution limits, nor do they have to report how much they spend on any one candidate. The money the PACs raised was given to Cornerstone Solutions or Keeping Citizens First. (State law limits contributions to individual candidates to $1,000 per contributor.)</p>
<p> Records show that one of the PACs giving to Asnani’s organization received $5,000 from investor Carl DeSantis, one of the early principals of the Atlantic Crossing project; $2,500 from Isram Realty Holdings, which owns the Delray Square retail center, and $1,000 from the Dunay, Miskel and Backman law firm that represents iPic and Swinton Commons.</p>
<p> The money fueled an anti-Barrette campaign of mailers and automated calls that dismissed her as a part-time resident who fights issues on social media, such as Facebook.</p>
<p> Chard said he has no control over what the PACs do. He said Asnani’s team showed him polling results on residents’ opinions on the iPic complex. Chard said he approved the message of the automated calls made by Keeping Citizens First. <br /> “I sent out my own mailers,” he said. “I didn’t see the version the PAC sent out, but I gave input into what was covered.”<br /> He said he will not be swayed by his contributors. “I have been saying no to developers on the city’s SPRAB [Site Plan Review and Appearance Board, where he served as vice-chair], I have a five-year track record of saying no to developers,” Chard said.<br /> Barrette, who started the Take Back Delray Facebook page, took no money from developers. She raised just under $30,000 from like-minded residents, colleagues and two current city commissioners. Donors included longtime resident Peter Humanik, frequent commission critic and CPA Ken MacNamee, Urban Greenway critic John Cartier and landlord Benita Goldstein. <br /> Barrette spent $14,659.06 on mailings. Her postcards were typical political ones that compared her political stance to Chard’s, she said.<br /> In the Seat 4 race, Shirley Johnson raised $30,000 and garnered nearly 64 percent of the vote. She doesn’t have political <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960719266,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960719266,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="98" alt="7960719266?profile=original" /></a>experience, but she has the support of community leaders in the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods. A retiree from IBM, she says her top three priorities on the dais will be safe neighborhoods, youth activities and sustainable growth.<br /> She did send some mailers that compared herself with opponent Josh Smith, but she did not do automated phone calls.<br /> Her contributions came from development interests with projects proposed in the city — including iPic, Swinton Commons and Delray Place South. They also came from lawyers, including former Commissioner Jordana Jarjura, political action committees for firefighters and Realtors, two board members of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, and two former mayors. <br /> Angie Gray, a former city commissioner who held Seat 4, was her campaign consultant and received $5,000 for that work. Gray also donated to Johnson’s campaign, as did community activist and retired educator Yvonne Odom.<br /> “I told developers and others at the first forum, they are going to be misled if they thought contributing to my campaign buys approval,” Johnson said. “I will judge everything on whether it is good for Delray.”<br /> Her opponent, Josh Smith, a retired educator, could not be reached for comment. <br /> He raised nearly $18,000. His major donors included $1,000 from Rosebud Capital Investment partnership (a major Atlantic Avenue property owner), $1,000 from restaurant owner and city Parking Board member Fran Marincola, $1,000 from Seaside Builders, $1,000 from commission critic MacNamee and his wife, $500 from Commissioner Shelly Petrolia’s husband, Anthony, and $500 from the land-use law firm Greenspoon Marder.</p></div>Delray Beach: Interim city manager’s pay now matches predecessor’shttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-interim-city-manager-s-pay-now-matches-predecessor-s2017-03-29T18:36:26.000Z2017-03-29T18:36:26.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> City commissioners are so thrilled with the performance of their interim city manager, they decided to raise his salary equal to the one paid to the city manager who resigned at the end of December.<br /> Vice Mayor Jordana Jarjura, who did not seek re-election, suggested at the March 1 commission meeting to raise the salary of Neal de Jesus to be equal to Don Cooper’s pay as city manager.<br /> At their March 16 meeting, three Delray Beach commissioners agreed to pay de Jesus $187,012.80 annually while he is the interim city manager. He had been making $159,000. <br /> “A resounding yes,” said Commissioner Mitch Katz, who had the idea last year to ask de Jesus to fill in while the commission searched for a city manager. Commissioner Shelly Petrolia did not attend the six-minute meeting. <br /> Now that the new commissioners are on board, de Jesus will prepare a list of search firm names.<br /> In addition, de Jesus can return to his position as fire chief for the city. If it is his decision, he must give the city 30 days’ notice. The revised agreement also points out that de Jesus knows he can’t serve in both positions at the same time. <br /> While acting as interim city manager, de Jesus will receive a $2,000 monthly housing allowance.<br /> The city will pay any security deposits and/or prepaid rents that are required.</p></div>Boynton Beach: City acts to limit its cemetery to residentshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-city-acts-to-limit-its-cemetery-to-residents2017-03-01T17:40:24.000Z2017-03-01T17:40:24.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> Boynton Beach wants to stop out-of-towners from being buried at its city cemetery because it is running out of space.<br /> In early February, the City Commission approved new rules that would allow only full-time residents, their immediate families and direct descendants to purchase grave sites at Boynton Beach Memorial Park. <br /> Former commissioners and mayors also were given burial-access rights, along with military veterans. <br />In addition, exceptions were made for former residents who moved away after living in Boynton Beach for at least 10 years.<br /> Vice Mayor Mack McCray brought up the issue in December when he heard about a nonresident using a Boynton Beach church address to be able to save money at a city cemetery.<br /> Previously, the city charged residents $525 and nonresidents $1,125 to be buried at Memorial Park. Following the February change, the city will collect only the resident fee.<br /> “Ours is more economical than Broward County and if we don’t do something they’ll be coming from Broward to be buried in our cemetery and we just can’t do it,” McCray said.<br /> The cemetery sits on 12.3 acres at the southwest corner of Seacrest Boulevard and Woolbright Road.<br /> The land remained in private hands until the 1950s, when the city acquired the cemetery from the developer of High Point. The cemetery first ran out of space in 2004, but it was replatted three times since then.<br /> More than a year ago, the City Commission directed staff to replat the cemetery by eliminating internal roads and buildings. That created 410 plots for a total of 820 gravesites.<br /> Other nearby cities, including Delray Beach and Boca Raton, restrict burial in their cemeteries to residents.<br /><br /></p></div>Delray Beach: Commission postpones vote on Atlantic Crossing settlementhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-commission-postpones-vote-on-atlantic-crossing-settl2017-02-01T18:21:40.000Z2017-02-01T18:21:40.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960700283,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960700283,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960700283?profile=original" /></a><em>The view of the proposed Atlantic Crossing looking southeast from the corner</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>of Northeast First Street and Northeast Sixth Avenue shows residential and related amenities.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Rendering provided</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Jane Smith<br /></strong> <br /> The long-delayed Atlantic Crossing development will remain in limbo for another few weeks while Delray Beach city commissioners get more details on the settlement offered by the project’s developer.<br /> At the Jan. 24 City Commission meeting, elected officials and homeowner association representatives were hopeful that a mediated settlement would be approved. <br /> The deal would end nearly two years of costly litigation that started in state court in June 2015, when the development team sued the city for not approving its amended site plan. The lawsuit was transferred to federal court, where the $25 million-plus damage claims were denied in July, and then the case returned to state court last fall. <br /> Commissioners postponed voting on the settlement until they know more about the 2013 site plan and 2011 developer’s agreement that provide the basis for the deal.<br /> “Shame on me for not knowing the details that go back to 2011,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the meeting. <br /> As of Dec. 12, the city had paid nearly $374,000 for legal services with the Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman firm of Fort Lauderdale. The firm represents the city in the lawsuit filed by the developer.<br /> Jamie Cole, a named partner in the law firm, said the settlement included the addition of a two-way road that connects northbound Federal Highway with Northeast Seventh Avenue. <br /> “All of the conditions from the 2013 site plan are included, but none from the 2014 amended developers’ agreement because that was not approved,” Cole said. <br /> The next day, Glickstein wrote in an email, “While the proposed settlement would have ended the litigation, it left wholly unaddressed a myriad of public and commission concerns regarding significant on-site operational issues.” Parking and traffic issues would need to be considered during construction and as a completed project, he wrote.<br /> Those details are usually included in a developer’s agreement to provide clarity for the developer, city staff and public, the mayor wrote. He wants to see that type of agreement attached to the settlement.<br /> “What was submitted for our consideration was a proposed settlement agreement ambiguously tied to a 2011 developer’s agreement that relates to a different site plan,” the mayor wrote. <br /> At the commission meeting, Glickstein directed City Attorney Max Lohman to meet with planning staff and create a timeline of what was agreed to and when, then hold a closed meeting where commissioners can discuss the settlement with Cole and his colleagues.<br /> Lohman did not know whether all that could be done in time for the next commission meeting on Feb. 7. As of press time, the closed meeting had not been scheduled.<br /> Even so, Glickstein wrote, “I think it was helpful for the developer to hear that the proposed settlement is, in principle, acceptable provided it is linked to a developer’s agreement.” Linking the agreement to the settlement would reflect the most recent site plan changes and many of the additions from the 2014 draft agreement, he wrote. <br /> The changes would include at least a $500,000 contribution to improve Veterans Park and provide traffic calming for the Palm Trail neighborhood, just north of Atlantic Crossing. Traffic calming for the Marina Historic District on the south side of Atlantic is included in the 2013 site plan.<br /> At the meeting, Commissioner Mitch Katz pointed out that the site plan shown depicted Veterans Park with improvements.<br /> Dean Kissos, chief operating officer of Atlantic Crossing developer Edwards Cos., said in an email: “It is disappointing to have yet another delay after working in good faith, devoting substantial time and money, to reach a proposed settlement by again providing the city what it requested.<br /> “While we were hopeful to reach an amicable resolution, we will continue to pursue our rights in court to obtain the final approvals we previously earned and to make Atlantic Crossing a reality.”<br /> The 9.2-acre mixed-use project is planned at the northeast corner of Federal Highway and Atlantic Avenue.<br /> When finished, Atlantic Crossing will contain 343 luxury condos and apartments plus 39,394 square feet of restaurants, 37,642 square feet of shops and 83,462 square feet of office space.<br /> The $200 million project was proposed by a partnership between Ohio-based Edwards Cos. and local resident Carl DeSantis. Edwards bought DeSantis’ share in June for $38.5 million.<br /> Atlantic Crossing began in 2008 as Atlantic Plaza II before the recession. Fast-forward five years and Edwards was brought into the project, which was renamed Atlantic Crossing.<br /> Meanwhile, the state court lawsuit continues. <br /> A hearing was scheduled Feb. 2 on the city’s motion to dismiss two of the developer’s damage claims that the city says are identical to the ones denied last July by a federal judge. The next day the judge was to hold a status hearing on the city’s motion to dismiss most of the remaining counts. A trial on those issues is set for the period of Feb. 13 through April 7. <br /> In addition, the developer’s attorneys continue to subpoena residents who objected to the project and joined a civic group to work for what they considered responsible development.<br /> At the Jan. 24 commission meeting, resident Kelly Barrette said she was asked to produce records, including private emails, which mentioned Atlantic Plaza, Atlantic Plaza II and Atlantic Crossing. The attorneys are seeking items back to 2008. “That’s legal intimidation against private citizens for getting involved in a civic group,” said Barrette, who has announced she is running for a seat on the City Commission in March. <br /><br />Delray Place South<br />drops appeal<br /> Lohman said the Delray Place South developers withdrew their appeal of a denial by a city board. <br /> In late October, the city’s Site Plan Review and Appearance board had denied the project’s site plan. The 30-year-old center sits on the east side of Federal Highway just south of Linton Boulevard, between Eve Street and Tropic Boulevard.<br /> Its site plan featured a cross-cut connection from Delray Place, home to Trader Joe’s, across Eve Street, into the 22,089-square-foot Delray Place South. <br /> The plan also called for a five-lane gateway on Tropic Boulevard. It would be achieved by reducing the 20-foot median to 14 feet and creating three exit lanes going west onto Federal. <br /> In late December, the developer’s attorney had requested another delay until the April 4 City Commission meeting. But the commissioners had already agreed to a two-week delay and denied that later date.</p></div>Delray Beach: Commission vacancy continues to spark frictionhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-commission-vacancy-continues-to-spark-friction2017-02-01T18:15:02.000Z2017-02-01T18:15:02.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The Delray Beach City Commission did not violate its charter by declining to hold a special election to fill a vacant commission seat, a circuit judge ruled from the bench in January.<br /> At the hearing, City Attorney Max Lohman argued that 60 days had not passed since the last failed vote to fill the commission seat. Vice Mayor Al Jacquet resigned from the commission on Nov. 8 after his election to the state House. <br /> The city had two regular commission meetings to try to fill that seat temporarily until the March 14 election, Lohman said. The clock started ticking on Dec. 7, giving the city a Feb. 4 deadline. The lawsuit was filed too soon, the city attorney argued. The judge agreed.<br /> After the hearing, J. Reeve Bright said he might refile his lawsuit on Feb. 5. Two weeks later, Bright said he would not do so. He said he didn’t think the special election could be held, giving the 30 days’ notice required by the city charter. <br /> “It’s discouraging,” said Bright, who lives on the barrier island.<br /> First, he had to prove that he has “standing” to bring the lawsuit against the city and its commissioners. He showed a copy of his voter’s registration card to prove he was entitled to relief. The judge agreed.<br /> The commission already had lost the respect of some residents when it failed to fill the seat temporarily. <br /> “Nobody was picked, not that I wasn’t picked,” Yvonne Odom said at the Jan. 10 commission meeting. She was the choice of Mayor Cary Glickstein and Vice Mayor Jordana Jarjura. “But 2-2 is not good for anybody. [The tie] means no.”<br /> Ten people applied to fill the seat vacated by Jacquet, a Haitian-American. Two minority candidates were selected in mid-November.<br /> “For the optics on the board, we need a minority,” Glickstein said in November when explaining why he voted for Odom. A longtime resident and retired educator, she is still involved with youth sports teams. He said she was “dedicated to this town.”<br /> The other minority candidate, Josh Smith, was supported by Commissioner Mitch Katz. Also a longtime resident, Smith is a retired teacher, administrator and coach. He ran unsuccessfully for office in 2015, when his signs and the mayor’s dominated the landscape. “He knows this community like the back of his hand,” said Katz, who won that seat.<br /> Odom had the backing of the Northwest/Southwest residents, who wore yellow apparel, her favorite color, to commission meetings to show their support. <br /> Smith never spoke publicly at the commission meetings. He did file for the seat now held by Vice Mayor Jarjura. <br /> At the Jan. 10 commission meeting, Odom said: “I’d like to thank those who spoke on my behalf in being appointed to that seat. Of course, I was very disappointed.<br /> “I’m in mourning,” she said. “We need to put a black sheet, towel or something on that seat until it’s filled.” <br /> At the end of January, she still was not happy.<br /> “The commission did not follow the will of the people and the city charter,” she said.<br /> She said one good result came out of the commission’s inability to agree: “It united the community to get more involved in the local races.”</p></div>Boynton Beach: 10-story Riverwalk project approved despite neighbors’ complaintshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-10-story-riverwalk-project-approved-despite-neighbo2017-02-01T18:01:17.000Z2017-02-01T18:01:17.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> Some wore white T-shirts with “WHO’S LISTENING?” written in black across the top. Others wore white tops, each with a black crêpe-paper ribbon tied around the upper arm. <br /> Dozens of residents protested outside Boynton Beach’s City Hall before the Jan. 17 commission meeting. They were accusing elected officials of ignoring their complaints and concerns about the increased height and traffic problems the proposed Riverwalk project would create. <br /> For more than two years, waterway residents have said they don’t want to live in a concrete canyon. Yet, new plans were adopted recently to allow large-scale development in the city’s eastern half. <br /> Commissioners approved the proposed 10-story Riverwalk project by a 3-2 vote in mid-January. Its owners want to build an apartment complex at the southwest corner of the Woolbright Road bridge at the Intracoastal Waterway. <br /> Mayor Steven Grant and Commissioner Christina Romelus, both new to the commission, sided with the residents. <br /> “We’re fighting for our way of life because you guys are trying to take it away from us,” said Harry Woodworth, former head of the Inlet Communities Association, which represents 10 waterfront communities in the city. “We came here for a small-town environment … not to be like every town from here to Miami.”<br /> Mary Nagle, acting president of the Boynton Intracoastal Group, handed out the white T-shirts at the protest. Her group represents six communities with 2,500 residents. <br /> “We didn’t feel like we were being heard,” Nagle said. <br /> Resident Ed Tedtman suggested Vice Mayor Mack McCray should not vote on the project because he received $3,000 in campaign contributions from Riverwalk’s owners. Shaul Rikman, Riverwalk chairman; his wife, Jean, a residential real estate broker; and son, Mati, Riverwalk CEO, each donated $1,000 to McCray’s March re-election campaign.<br /> “It’s a way to hide a bribe,” Tedtman said. <br /> While the developers’ campaign donations may appear improper to some, they are permitted on all levels of government. <br /> McCray defended himself, saying he is not being bought. He said he would vote for the Riverwalk project because the developer promised to hire workers without college educations from his district. However, the commitment was not written into the developer agreement. <br /> Commissioner Joe Casello said the project had been vetted for the past two years. <br /> “Through this whole debate, we have voted for [higher density in the CRA district],” he said.<br /> Isram Realty, the company owned by the Rikmans, is “not a flipper of properties. [Rikman] is community-oriented and will be an asset to Boynton Beach,” Casello said. <br /> Boynton Beach lost its innocence in the late 1960s, he said. “Boynton Beach is not going to be a quaint fishing village,” Casello said. “We are growing, people.”<br /> Commissioner Justin Katz explained that he was voting for the Riverwalk proposal because he wanted to generate money to save the old high school in the Town Square project. It’s always about money that helps the town, he said.<br /> He said the abandoned Winn-Dixie grocery store on the Intracoastal Waterway was an eyesore and blight on the community with homeless people living there. <br /> “It’s a desolate, dangerous area,” he said. “Nobody gets everything they want.” <br /> The 10-story, U-shaped apartment complex will replace the Winn-Dixie. <br /> Residents on its upper floors will have views of the Atlantic Ocean along with the adjacent Intracoastal. That will allow the project to charge as much as $2,200 in monthly rent for some of its 326 units.<br /> The developer received approval for an additional 5 feet above the 10 stories for parapets and other architectural embellishments to help hide pipes and air-conditioning units. <br /> Construction will be done in phases, with the apartment complex starting by the end of the year. <br /> A 4,666-square-foot building will be constructed along Federal Highway in the second phase. The Walgreen’s drug store/Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts building, also along Federal, will be renovated in the third phase.</p></div>Delray Beach: City boosts pay range in search for managerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-boosts-pay-range-in-search-for-manager2017-02-01T17:32:58.000Z2017-02-01T17:32:58.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> A corporate executive search firm will be used to recruit Delray Beach’s next city manager.<br /> “I’m not looking for someone on the learning curve or on their last stop,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said. “But someone with demonstrated measurable outcome where they were and who still has a lot of gas left.”<br /> City commissioners unanimously agreed in mid-January when they gave interim City Manager Neal de Jesus the authority to advertise for a recruiting firm and bring the selections back to the commission in early March. Then after the election, with the full commission of five members, the search process would begin, de Jesus said on Jan. 17.<br /> The commissioners also agreed to increase the salary range for the city manager by about $75,000. The current range is $127,000 to $203,000. The new range will be $200,000 to $275,000.<br /> “You get what you pay for,” Glickstein said. “The citizens of this town have paid dearly for having ineffective management for years.”<br /> He said the previous city manager, Don Cooper, was effective in doing triage, which the city needed. But he was not the change agent the city now needs, Glickstein said, adding “I hate having this conversation in public.”<br /> Other commissioners said they wanted the new city manager to be a leader. <br /> “The city needs a leader who can enhance the team of leaders we have,” Commissioner Mitch Katz said. “We need someone to hold them accountable and bring everyone up with them.”<br /> Vice Mayor Jordana Jarjura agreed. “I want someone who knows how to find the right people, put together a succession plan and rebuild a city that has had some changes and growing pains,” she said. <br /> “If the person has additional expertise in the finance world or the grant world or ran a capital improvements program, that’s all gravy to me.” <br /> Commissioner Shelly Petrolia pointed out that providing stability is a crucial attribute.<br /> “We were basically going around in circles, like a ship without a rudder,” she said. “Cooper righted the ship and set us in the right direction.”<br /> While interim city manager, de Jesus receives an annual salary of $159,000 with a $2,000 monthly housing allowance.<br /> In other city news, the Delray Beach Visitor Information Center, managed by the Downtown Development Authority and sitting at the corner of A1A and East Atlantic Avenue, will be closed until late March for renovations. During construction, a temporary center will be open at the Sandoway Discovery Center, 142 S. Ocean Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. <br /> When the center reopens, it will be tripled in size. Wi-Fi will be available for visitors to learn about shops, attractions, dining, entertainment and hotels. In addition, the renovated center will become Visit Florida’s Official South Palm Beach County Visitor Center.</p></div>Delray Beach: City OKs building pedestrian barrier along FEC tracks downtownhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-oks-building-pedestrian-barrier-along-fec-track2017-02-01T17:13:15.000Z2017-02-01T17:13:15.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> The days are numbered for people taking shortcuts across the FEC train tracks in downtown Delray Beach. The city plans to install pedestrian barriers by the end of the summer.<br /> In mid-January, the City Commission approved a pedestrian barrier of aluminum rail fencing with occasional landscaping along both sides of the track for one block — from Atlantic Avenue north to Northeast First Street. <br /> The trespassing problem became a focus last August when a Boca Raton woman was killed by a passing freight train. She was taking a well-used shortcut across the tracks after leaving Johnny Brown’s on Atlantic Avenue when she was struck by a southbound freight train.<br /> “I think someone else is going to get killed. We have to do something,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said at the workshop. <br /> Citing mature bougainvillea as a good deterrent along the Florida East Coast tracks in West Palm Beach, Glickstein said later, “it is both colorful and thrives in harsh conditions and has an added feature of thorns, which in this context is useful to keep people from jumping over the fence.” <br /> Later this year, Brightline passenger rail service will start on the FEC tracks, offering express travel between Miami and West Palm Beach. The estimated 32 daily trains will have only one stop per county — Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. By 2019, plans call for extending the service to Orlando.<br /> That’s why John Morgan, who runs the city’s Environmental Services Department, is rushing to bring better cost estimates back to the commission. He presented four options in mid-January. Commissioners combined parts of two into one — aluminum fence with intermittent landscaping. <br /> After better costs are determined, he then will meet with FEC Railway staff to get approval to construct the barriers. Some part, if not all, of the barriers will sit on FEC-owned land.<br /> Morgan then will ask railway officials to help cover the costs of the barriers. <br /> “FEC is responsible to make it safe, but not pretty,” Glickstein said. The city will look for help with the remaining cost from the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.<br /> The city also is losing 15 parking spaces in the block just north of Atlantic after the second set of railroad tracks was installed last year, Morgan said. He will use that as an opportunity to reconfigure parking in the lot behind Johnny Brown’s.<br /> At a Community Redevelopment Agency board meeting earlier in January, police Sgt. Darrell Hunter told the board about a parking problem that occurred along the railroad tracks. <br /> In November, when FEC subcontractors were installing the second set of tracks, they removed the “No Parking” signs just north of Atlantic Avenue. People were parking their cars close to the tracks, which prompted the freight trains to slow down and some even stopped, Hunter said. Trains extend at least three feet beyond the tracks on both sides. <br /> Vehicles were ticketed, but the number couldn’t be determined, according to a police spokeswoman. The Police Department uses paper parking tickets that are not tracked. <br /> For the next step in the barrier process, Morgan would take the plan to the Downtown Development Authority, which serves merchants and restaurants along Atlantic Avenue. His goal is to have commission approval by early June and the barriers in place before Brightline trains begin zipping through downtown. <br /> For a finishing touch, Morgan wants to install a pedestrian promenade on each side of the tracks along the barriers. He will seek financial help from the city’s CRA to build promenades between Atlantic and Northeast First.<br /> All this barrier talk pleases Delray Beach safety advocate Patrick Halliday, vice chairman of Human Powered Delray. He pressed for the barriers at the first City Commission meeting after the August tragedy. <br /> “It’s a message to people who don’t want to get involved that change can occur if you speak up,” he said.</p></div>Delray Beach: Commission vacancy sparks divisive actions, contentious meetingshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-commission2017-01-04T18:00:00.000Z2017-01-04T18:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960696054,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960696054,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960696054?profile=original" /></a><em>Dozens of residents wore yellow in support of Yvonne Odom’s selection for interim commissioner</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>at the contentious Dec. 13 Delray Beach commission meeting.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Jane Smith<br /> <br /></strong> The Delray Beach City Commission remains deadlocked over filling a seat left vacant when Vice Mayor Al Jacquet resigned Nov. 8 to take a state House seat won in the November election. It’s a temporary vacancy, however, because that commission seat will be up for grabs on the March 14 ballot.<br /> The commission’s disagreement has created a rift in Delray Beach. It’s led to emotionally charged City Commission meetings, a nasty mailer that criticized the mayor, an automated phone call that rebuked two city commissioners, and two court papers filed to force the city to follow its charter and hold a special election within 60 days. <br /> The first legal action, filed Dec. 7 by resident Kenneth MacNamee, who applied to fill Jacquet’s seat, was set aside after resident J. Reeve Bright filed a similar action on Dec. 15. <br /> Bright had secured a hearing on Dec. 30. The former lawyer personally served legal documents to the city manager and city commissioners. But because of this, the judge ruled that the action could not be heard Dec. 30, saying that Bright must use a process server to hand out legal documents. <br /> After the documents are properly served, a new hearing will be scheduled within two days. As of press time, the hearing date hadn’t been set. <br /> Meanwhile, the deadlock is building walls in Delray Beach.<br /> “I used to think all of the negativity was just on Facebook,” resident and business owner Ryan Boylston said at the Dec. 13 commission meeting. “But in the last week, I’ve seen a mailer, I’ve heard about a robo call and I’ve seen people wearing T-shirts on a Delray Beach float (in the holiday parade) that I didn’t think were prideful of our city.” <br /> The people on the Garlic Fest float included former Mayor Jeff Perlman. He wrote a blog post about the Dec. 10 parade, saying he wore the T-shirt with its “Lake Worth Making Delray Nervous” wording in jest. <br /> “If a Garlic Fest float can anger you, I suppose you are blessed,” he wrote on the YourDelrayBoca.com website under a blog post called Teachable Moments. <br /> Twice the Delray Beach commissioners have voted on filling the vacant seat. They agreed the commission needed a minority representative to replace Jacquet, who is Haitian-American, but they were split on whether Josh Smith or Yvonne Odom, both African-Americans, should fill the seat temporarily.<br /> Odom is a retired educator. She remains active in the city’s youth athletic leagues and promised not to run in March.<br /> “We, the citizens of Delray, have always been able to talk it out,” she said at the Dec. 13 commission meeting. <br /> Most of the speakers on Dec. 6 and 13 supported her.<br /> Smith also attended the meetings, but he did not speak publicly. A retired school administrator, he ran unsuccessfully for the commission seat now held by Mitch Katz. He also served on the city’s code enforcement board and has filed paperwork to run for Vice Mayor Jordana Jarjura’s seat in March.<br /> Jarjura and Mayor Cary Glickstein supported Odom, while Commissioners Katz and Shelly Petrolia backed Smith. <br /> The nasty mailer was sent in early December to a select group of city voters, usually directed to the man of the house. The anonymous mailer blamed the mayor for all of the city’s problems.<br /> But Boylston, who is also chairman of the taxpayer-supported Downtown Development Authority, told the commissioners they all shared the blame. “The mailer had facts on it,” he said Dec. 13. “It’s all of your fault.”<br /> The day before that meeting, an automated call was made to some residents. The caller said she was Melanie with an important Delray Beach update. She went on to chide Katz and Petrolia “for putting politics ahead of what’s best for our community.” <br /> At the Dec. 13 meeting, resident Nancy MacManus said the call offended her because she believes all commissioners are working hard. <br /> That meeting imploded when Glickstein criticized Katz and Petrolia for not allowing another vote that would select their top three choices, suggested by Jarjura as a way to find commonality among them. <br /> But the extra vote could be in violation of the city’s charter, which was why Petrolia said she did not want to do it.<br /> “I’m ashamed to sit up here with the two of you with this community sitting out there,” Glickstein said Dec. 13, referring to black residents. <br /> Petrolia countered, “Likewise, mayor.”<br /> But Glickstein was not finished. “To Ryan Boylston, who said it’s our fault, you’re right,” the mayor said. “I own the piece that I haven’t been able to create a collegiate atmosphere this town deserves.<br /> “I’m trying to get you to see how people who have been stepped on for years and all they want is to have someone sit up here for three months, even if nothing happens.”<br /> Katz took offense to what he called “a lecture,” saying he didn’t need another dad.<br /> Glickstein and City Attorney Max Lohman said the county supervisor of elections was not able to hold an election within 60 days. The supervisor offered to host one in February at the same time as elections in Palm Beach and Hypoluxo, which would be a few days beyond the 60-day limit outlined in Delray’s charter. <br /> They also pointed out that a special election would cost the city at least $75,000 and the election could be confusing to city voters when there is a municipal election in March.<br /> But Bright and MacNamee disagreed.<br /> “We have a charter that runs our city; it’s not up to the mayor, and he needs to understand that,” Bright said Dec. 30.</p></div>Delray Beach: After debate, city OKs plan to trim sea grapeshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-after-debate-city-oks-plan-to-trim-sea-grapes2017-01-04T18:00:00.000Z2017-01-04T18:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960694482,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960694482,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960694482?profile=original" /></a><em>Delray Beach plans to trim its sea grape trees down to 2 feet and then maintain them at 4 feet high,</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>except for three canopies within a 1,385-foot stretch of public beach.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Jane Smith<br /> <br /></strong> The topic of sea grape trimming turned into a debate of aesthetics vs. science at two City Commission meetings in December. <br /> “I worry about what we are doing to our sea grapes and canopies,” Commissioner Shelly Petrolia said at the first meeting. <br /> Commissioner Mitch Katz, who was not a member of the commission when the sea grape trimming first came up a few years ago, asked to see the year-old permits on Dec. 6. He also wanted to have the science explained about why sea grape trimming is beneficial to the Delray Beach dune system. Some Delray Beach residents like the canopies created by the sea grapes that lead to the municipal beach. <br /> At each meeting, the tree-trimming contract was on the consent agenda. Petrolia pulled it off for discussion at the first December meeting; the city manager pulled it off at the Dec. 13 meeting.<br /> At the Dec. 6 meeting, Donald Robinson, Manor House Condo Association president, spoke in support of trimming the sea grapes. The condo building sits on western side of A1A, opposite of where the sea grapes would be trimmed. <br /> “In the past six months, people are sleeping in there on mattresses,” he said. He also talked about finding condoms and stolen chairs from the beach concession inside the sea grapes. <br /> “The sea grapes are so thick and tall, that if a big storm came through, they could blow across the street and damage the Manor House,” he said. If that happens, the condo association would sue the city because it had been warned, Robinson said.<br /> Dune consultant Rob Barron, hired by Delray Beach to manage its coastal system, agreed. The former Delray Beach chief lifeguard said sea grapes are worse than Australian pines during a storm. Sea grapes are fast-growing and have brittle wood and shallow roots.<br /> The city planted 50 yards of sea grapes in the 1980s and they have expanded 330 percent, Barron said. <br /> “Nothing grows under them,” he said. <br /> The sea grapes don’t hold the sand, said Environmental Services Director John Morgan. “We need to bring in low-growing plants to keep the dune healthy.” <br /> In other areas of the city’s coastline where the sea grapes were trimmed, the dune plants have thrived, making Delray Beach a model of coastal management and biodiversity.<br /> At the Dec. 13 commission meeting, Morgan presented a compromise. Most of the sea grapes would be trimmed to 2 feet and maintained at 4 feet, except for three canopies along a 1,385-foot stretch of the public beach. Two would be at the opposite ends and one would be in the middle near the Atlantic Avenue pavilion. <br /> The citywide contract with Zimmerman Tree Services costs a total of $75,000, about $35,000 of which would be for sea grape trimming, Morgan said. <br /> The compromise secured votes by Commissioners Petrolia and Katz. <br /> But Mayor Cary Glickstein worried that they were voting for how the sea grapes look and not the science behind why they should be trimmed.<br /> “The commission hired this expert, paid him for his opinion. … He has implemented the plan approved,” Glickstein said. <br /> “Then people in the community are saying this is not what we like. If we wanted that kind of opinion, we should have done a survey.”<br /> He didn’t like the compromise, which he called a “complete cop-out” to the science. But he voted to approve the contract to ensure the sea grape trimming would occur.<br /> <strong>In other business</strong> at the December meetings, the commission unanimously:<br /> • Agreed to pay up to $200,000 to design and rebuild the Atlantic Dunes Park pavilion that was destroyed in a suspicious fire in June.<br /> • Agreed to five-year deals with its service providers, formerly called nonprofits, to give them taxpayer dollars in exchange for reporting requirements of annual budgets, business plans, audits, outreach and diversity plans and the number of people served or participated in the activities. The service providers are: Delray Beach Historical Society, Sandoway Discovery Center, the Spady Museum, Achievement Centers for Children and Families, and the Boys & Girls Club of Palm Beach County. <br /> • Agreed to a 10-year lease with the Old School Square board at a nominal rent of $1 annually for the Cornell Museum, the Crest Theatre, the Field House, the pavilion and grounds. The lease requires the following reports: annual budget, annual audits, number of adults and children served in the programs, a three-year strategic plan, efforts and results of increasing diversity on its board and cooperative program efforts with other city arts organizations. <br /> The lease details the type of activities the city would like to see on the grounds and in the buildings. In addition, it lists who is responsible for damages. The lease can be renewed twice for 10 years each time.</p></div>Delray Beach: Proposed tree ordinance puts incentive into maintaining canopyhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-proposed-tree-ordinance-puts-incentive-into-maintain2017-01-04T17:31:35.000Z2017-01-04T17:31:35.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960695879,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960695879,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960695879?profile=original" /></a><em>Mature canopy trees, like these live oaks at the Delray Beach Historical Society complex,</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>are being targeted for preservation with the legacy tree program.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Rich Pollack<br /><br /></strong> They are trees that catch your eye. <br /> They are towering oaks, royal poincianas or banyans with large canopies that have provided shade and aesthetic beauty for decades. <br /> Yet as South Florida continues to grow and become more urbanized, these “legacy” or “specimen” trees that have been standing for decades are more likely to be in the path of development.<br /> Now Delray Beach is taking steps to help ensure those trees, as well as smaller ones in good condition, are preserved whenever possible.<br /> A draft of a proposed tougher tree ordinance, with more teeth and significantly heftier fees than the current ordinance for destruction of trees, was recently presented to the city’s Planning and Zoning board for review. If approved by the board it could be winding its way to the City Commission within a few months. <br /> “Our goal is to keep as much tree canopy around as possible,” says Bill Wilsher, the city’s senior landscape planner. “We want to preserve what we have and enhance it.” <br /> In addition to providing improved aesthetics throughout the city, Wilsher said the larger trees and their canopy provide much needed shade and can enhance the city’s sustainability by cooling the air, filtering pollutants, reducing storm water runoff and cutting back carbon emissions. <br /> “We’re trying to create an improved environment, and certainly trees play a factor in keeping down the heat,” he said, adding that trees can have a positive impact on property values.<br /> Wilsher said the new ordinance is designed to encourage developers and owners of multiuse or commercial property to keep the trees they have, move viable trees to other locations within the same property, or move those trees off-site to a location agreed upon by the city. <br /> City planners are hoping to encourage developers and property owners to work around existing viable trees when designing new projects.<br /> “To the fullest extent possible, trees are to be preserved on-site and be protected from damage during the construction process,” according to the proposed ordinance. <br /> If the trees cannot be moved, property owners will be charged an “in lieu of” fee — based on the size of the tree — which is placed in the city’s tree trust fund and used for the purchase and planting of trees elsewhere in the city.<br /> Under the proposed ordinance, which is a comprehensive revamping of the existing one, the in-lieu fee for removing a tree — other than a palm tree — that is between 4 and 8 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) would increase from $350 per diameter inch to $450 per inch. <br /> While the current ordinance calls for an in-lieu fee of $450 per inch for any tree over 8 inches in diameter, the proposed ordinance has a graduated scale based on tree size, with higher fees for larger trees. Under the proposal, the in-lieu fee for trees 8 to 12 inches in diameter would be $650 per inch, $850 per inch for trees between 12 and 18 inches in diameter and $1,000 per inch for trees 18 inches in diameter or larger. <br /> Because the fees are calculated on an escalating scale, the in-lieu fee for a tree with a 21-inch diameter, for example, could reach close to $13,000. That’s because, according to the proposed ordinance, there would be a charge of $450 an inch for the 5 inches of diameter above the first 3 inches, plus $650 an inch for the next 4 inches, plus $850 an inch for the next 6 inches, plus $1,000 an inch for the last 3 inches. <br /> “One of our goals is to keep bigger trees,” Wilsher said. <br /> The in-lieu fee for a palm tree is $500. All trees that are considered to be in poor condition are exempt from the fee but must be replaced on a tree-for-tree basis. <br /> The proposed ordinance is expected to be back before the Planning and Zoning board next month, with the city staff returning with further explanation and justification for the increased fees.</p></div>Delray Beach: City to update parking system to smart meters in some areashttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-to-update-parking-system-to-smart-meters-in-som2017-01-04T17:30:00.000Z2017-01-04T17:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Related Story: New <a href="http://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-new-parking-chief-says-technology-will-lead-to-impro">parking chief</a> says technology will lead to improvements</strong></p>
<p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> Smart parking meters that accept various forms of payment are coming to the barrier island and two city garages in the spring.<br /> The Delray Beach City Commission unanimously approved the purchase of 58 multispace meter kiosks that will cost the city $600,000 for two years, with communication fees included. <br /> “It’s the best value for the city,” Theresa Webb, the city’s procurement manager, said when presenting the T2 Systems contract on Dec. 6. The current meters also were made by T2, based in Canada with U.S. offices in Indiana.<br /> Jorge Alarcon, the city’s new parking facilities manager, told the commission the smart meters are exactly what the city needs to make it easy for residents and visitors to pay for parking.<br /> The city has about 1,250 paid parking spaces that translate into annual revenue of approximately $1.8 million, Alarcon said. “Industry standards predict an increase of revenue between 12 and 15 percent,” he said.<br /> To help pay for the meters, the city is considering dipping into its in-lieu parking fee accounts, which hold approximately $1.7 million. The city created the accounts decades ago for restaurant owners who wanted to open in the downtown but didn’t have enough parking for their diners. The restaurateurs could pay into the account instead of providing parking. <br /> Commissioner Shelly Petrolia questioned the cost of the new metering system and why the old meters were no longer usable. <br /> The existing meters are corroded by years of sitting near the ocean and parts are no longer available for them, according to John Morgan, environmental services director. The meters take quarters only. <br /> The smart meters will be installed on East Atlantic Avenue, on A1A and in the parking lots on the barrier island. They also will go into the two city-owned garages west of the Intracoastal Waterway to eliminate the need for humans selling tickets on evenings and weekends and during special events, Morgan told commissioners. <br /> “The beauty of the meters is they allow us to collect data,” he said. That information includes parking space turnover and locations and hours of high demand. <br /> The city will save money because it now hires Ameristar Parking Solutions to staff the garages, which take only cash. The city pays about $240,000 a year for this service, according to a recent contract extension that runs to the end of February.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-3">Downtown meters</span><br /> <span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-3">on agenda for spring</span><br /> In late spring, the commission will decide the controversial issue of downtown parking meters west of the waterway. Mayor Cary Glickstein called that parking meter income “low-hanging fruit” during last year’s city budget discussions.<br /> “There is a lot of opposition to paid parking. But when people see how the parking demand can be adjusted, they will be for it,” Vice Mayor Jordana Jarjura said at the Dec. 6 meeting. <br /> At that meeting, Lanier Parking Solutions of Atlanta was selected as the vendor to oversee the entire parking system in the city. Webb and others are negotiating with Lanier to get the best price for the city. <br /> Parking meter enforcement will be done by Lanier’s so-called ambassadors, instead of the volunteers who do it currently. The ambassadors will assist drivers in finding suitable parking spaces, and the company will be in charge of the garages.<br /> Petrolia wants to see a cost breakdown of the new meters and software, along with the parking management contract. She wants to see the amounts compared with “how things are today when the city has volunteers who enforce the meters and keep all the money and fines.”<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-3">Employee parking</span><br /> <span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-3">slow to catch on</span><br /> The city’s Downtown Development Authority is working closely with city staff and its business partners to come up with an employee parking program that works for all. The first version was set up in the County Courthouse garage in the fall. <br /> The program relied on restaurant owners paying a monthly fee of $20 per employee. The restaurant operators have been hesitant to sign up because of the monthly cost, according to DDA Executive Director Laura Simon. <br /> When the iPic owners finally begin construction in the downtown for the luxury movie theater, the city will lose about 90 free parking spaces. The DDA is working with the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency staff to find suitable nearby parking for downtown customers and employees.</p></div>Paws Up for Pets: Boynton’s therapy dogs help people cope with stress, fear, traumahttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/paws-up-for-pets-boynton-s-therapy-dogs-help-people-cope-with-str2016-11-30T14:19:58.000Z2016-11-30T14:19:58.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960682062,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960682062,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960682062?profile=original" /></a><em>Harriette Margolin, a patient at Bethesda Hospital, enjoys a visit from therapy dog Harley and Boynton Beach Detective Astrel Labbe, who investigates crimes against children and older adults.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960681870,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960681870,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960681870?profile=original" /></a></em><em>Boone, Boynton Beach’s other therapy dog, led Harley on a tour of the hospital.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Arden Moore</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> The city of Boynton Beach is doubly blessed with canine charm and compassion. And they answer to the names of Harley and Boone.<br /> Boone, a 4-year-old labradoodle, has been on the job since 2013 and mingles with city employees, occasionally attends City Commission meetings and spends a lot of time lifting spirits of children battling illnesses at local hospitals. <br /> Harley, a 5-year-old beagle mix, came on board in September. She reports to the Police Department’s Special Victims Unit and her task is to help children who are victims of abuse or neglect to feel safe and secure when being interviewed about criminal cases by detectives and attorneys.<br /> Harley represents a new breed of therapy dogs starting to be specially trained all over the country to help law enforcement, legal and health officials reach out to help people of all ages cope with stress, fear and traumatic experiences. <br /> Only two months into her role, it appears that Harley is perfect for this mission. <br /> She received training at the Paws & Stripes College at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. Just before graduating, she was paired with Boynton Beach Detective Astrel Labbe, who traveled up to Brevard County to undergo training with this former shelter rescue. <br /> Labbe has been with the Boynton Beach Police Department for 15 years, spending the past decade in the Special Victims Unit, where he handles child neglect and abuse cases as well as sexual battery cases involving children and adults.<br /> “Harley is very perceptive, very quiet and very helpful toward children who are stressed by these circumstances,” says Labbe, a former social worker. “Some of our cases involving children can be very challenging and it can be very difficult for some of them to open up and talk. But the kids love and trust Harley. She welcomes their hugs.”<br /> Harley’s quiet, even-keeled nature is an asset to kids in need. Children are in a living room-like space where they are interviewed by police, forensic specialists and other officials. When Labbe enters the room, he quickly introduces Harley to the child. <br /> He gives each child the option of having Harley with them during the interviews and when necessary, during medical examinations. <br /> “A lot of the kids pick the option of having Harley with them,” he says. “In one of our first cases with Harley, a 5-year-old girl who was an alleged victim of child abuse was being very quiet. I then introduced her to Harley. She started petting Harley and then started to answer my questions.<br /> “Harley is an extra special tool we can use during our investigations. She is a great dog.”<br /> He spends 24/7 with Harley. At home, Harley hangs out with Labbe’s personal dog, Leah, a 6-year-old boisterous miniature pinscher. <br /> “Leah likes to yap, especially on walks, and the two get along pretty well,” notes Labbe. “Once I remove Harley’s vest at home, she knows she is off duty and is more playful than when at work.”<br /> Boone, on the other hand, shines as the city’s canine goodwill ambassador. He was undergoing extensive training to be a service dog by the Dogs for the Disabled organization in Martin County when he injured his anterior cruciate ligament in a rear leg. He was released from the program and then adopted by city employees Wally and Debbie Majors. <br /> Wally Majors is the director of recreation and parks administration while his wife serves as the city’s grant and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. <br /> “Boone comes with me every day to work and on weekends, Debbie and I take him to Bethesda Hospital where he meets with patients,” says Majors, now in his 31st year with the city. “Boone has proven to be too much of a gift to just be a pet. Before he was released, he had learned more than 80 skills, including turning on lights and putting socks in a laundry basket.”<br /> On occasion, Boone and Harley get to combine their canine talents in public appearances. The goal is for Boone to show Harley “the ropes” in putting her therapeutic talents to use at hospitals and schools, says Wally Majors.<br /> “Harley is definitely more quiet and reserved — perfect for her mission to work with children involved in something traumatic to help them feel more comfortable in communicating with police officers,” says Majors. “Boone is very energetic, playful and loves to chase a ball. When he visits kids in hospitals, he brings smiles to their faces when he performs a bow, waves or does some other trick.”<br /> Boone’s good nature also seems to be embraced by family members visiting terminally ill patients as well as hospital nurses.<br /> “One-third of Boone’s friends are nurses and yes, he has his own Facebook page,” said Majors, ushering me to view it (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/BooneMajors">www.facebook.com/BooneMajors</a>). “More and more people are recognizing the incredible impact therapy dogs like Boone and Harley have on people and how they help them deal with stress in a more manageable way. The city of Boynton Beach is very lucky to have these two dogs.”<br /> Paws down, I heartily agree. <strong><br /><br /></strong><em>Arden Moore, founder of <a href="http://www.FourLeggedLife.com">www.FourLeggedLife.com</a>, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Each week, she hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on <a href="http://www.PetLifeRadio.com">www.PetLifeRadio.com</a>. Learn more by visiting <a href="http://www.fourleggedlife.com">www.fourleggedlife.com</a>.</em></p></div>Delray Beach: Cost, hours of First Night celebration scaled backhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-cost-hours-of-first-night-celebration-scaled-back2016-11-02T17:16:33.000Z2016-11-02T17:16:33.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /><br /> In what was described as a “transition year” for special events, Delray Beach commissioners approved a small-scale New Year’s Eve gathering hosted by the city.<br /> The New Year’s Eve First Night event won’t be advertised or promoted outside the city and it will be free for families, said Stephanie Immelman, who heads the city’s Marketing Cooperative. After a special events committee rejected the First Night event proposal because of its unspecified high public safety costs, she appealed to the commission in early October.<br /> “We can’t go from a hundred miles per hour to zero,” said Mayor Cary Glickstein. Had the commission known about the $35,000 expense, it could have been a line item in the budget, he said. The commission approved taking the money from the city manager’s discretionary fund to pay for this year’s family-friendly First Night.<br /> Commissioner Jordana Jarjura was the lone dissenter. “There’s a plethora of events in December,” she said. “It’s an improper use of the city manager’s discretionary account. … We have to hold ourselves to the same standards as the private sector.”<br /> Her colleagues, though, feared that killing the nearly 20-year-old public event would have them perceived as Scrooges. The commissioners were happy, however, “to buy down the impact of the event.”<br /> In previous years, buttons and wristbands were sold to allow patrons to participate in activities from 5 p.m. to midnight, with two fireworks displays. Last year, about 30,000 people attended First Night festivities.<br /> For this New Year’s Eve, First Night will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. No buttons or wristbands will be sold. The event will feature free activities for families and have the carousel, ice skating rink, miniature golf and kids train ride at their usual ticket prices. <br /> Immelman wanted to bring in food trucks and a DJ, but the mayor said he would not support having any vehicles on the Old School Square grounds. Commissioner Shelly Petrolia pointed out that the circular driveway in front of the Crest Theatre is paved and could possibly be used as a location for food trucks.<br /> Last year, the event grew out of control. With crowds clogging Atlantic Avenue the police had to close the street to vehicle traffic. This year, the avenue between Swinton Avenue and southbound Federal Highway will be closed starting at 4 p.m. and reopen early on New Year’s Day.</p>
<p> In other business, the commission approved splitting its police and firefighter pension board into two boards after hearing that the state had approved the split. On the new boards, the City Commission will appoint two members, the police and firefighters union will appoint two members to the respective board and the fifth member will be picked by all four.<br /> Petrolia voted against the split because the state’s opinion was not in writing. Even so, she selected her picks for both boards. Vice Mayor Al Jacquet selected his picks at two October commission meetings.<br /> Glickstein said it was “a big accomplishment for the city” to gain control over its public safety pension funds by negotiating with the unions for three years. It also means the city will collect $1.3 million to pay down the unfunded pension liabilities and another $504,000 in discretionary money.</p></div>Delray Beach: City manager stepping down after two yearshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-manager-stepping-down-after-two-years2016-11-02T17:00:00.000Z2016-11-02T17:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> After a two-year stint leading Delray Beach, City Manager Don Cooper turned in his resignation, effective Dec. 30.<br /> “It is with regret that I must submit my resignation,” Cooper said in his Oct. 31 memo to the City Commission, mayor and senior staff. He cited family medical problems that “will interfere with the proper performance of my duties.” His wife apparently is the one who is ill.<br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960689255,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960689255,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="99" alt="7960689255?profile=original" /></a> Cooper, a longtime Port St. Lucie city manager, took the reins of Delray Beach in January 2015 when the city was suffering from instability and low morale. <br /> “He helped stabilize the city during the initial culture shock period of ‘we are no longer doing things because that’s the way we always did them,’ ” Mayor Cary Glickstein said. “He helped staff understand that working smarter improves their quality of life on the job.”<br /> Glickstein also said Cooper played a role in the great shape of the city’s public safety departments and creating “a bona fide 21st century information technology department and plan, and well-functioning purchasing, finance and treasury departments.” <br /> Cooper listed his highlights as: focusing the staff on the commission’s goals and objectives, creating the special events policy in line with commission direction, improving the Fire Department, doing repair and maintenance to city facilities such as Old School Square, and starting on the beach master plan. <br /> Under Cooper’s leadership, “we have, for the first time in decades, a real capital improvement plan driven by the city,” the mayor said. “He helped realign the city’s relationship with the [Community Redevelopment Agency], which was years overdue.” <br /> The city has more work to do, both leaders agree. <br /> “The city is in good shape and while his successor will have challenges, much of the heavy lifting is behind us,” Glickstein said. Cooper credits the staff with doing the work.<br /> When asked what he will miss most about Delray Beach, he said, “The staff who really cares about the community.”</p></div>Delray Beach: City resolves to support tighter controls on painkillershttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-city-resolves-to-support-tighter-controls-on-painkil2016-11-02T16:56:31.000Z2016-11-02T16:56:31.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> The City Commission passed a resolution Nov. 1 supporting federal agencies to put tighter controls on prescription painkillers. <br /> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Justice are asking the states to do more monitoring of the prescribing of narcotics such as oxycodone, which often lead to heroin addiction. <br /> Delray Beach has seen nearly triple the number of overdoses this year as of Oct. 31, compared with all of 2015. In October, Delray Beach police responded to 99 heroin overdoses, resulting in 11 deaths. Both are all-time records for the city.<br /> The city also played a leading role in recent arrests in a patient-brokering case. Detective Nicole Lucas is the city’s representative on the law enforcement subgroup of the State Attorney’s Sober Homes Task Force, started in July.<br /> One of Lucas’ sources told her about a Boynton Beach treatment center. The Whole Life Recovery center’s owner, James Kigar, and manager, Christopher Hutson, are accused of illegally paying sober home operators “case management fees” weekly for every insurable patient brought to them without the patient’s visiting the center. <br /> Kigar and Hutson were arrested Oct. 25. They were released the next morning after posting a $3,000 bond each and have a trial date of April 28. <br /> The state attorney said the investigation is ongoing.</p></div>