delay - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T00:36:42Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/delayBoca Raton: New date is this spring for El Rio bridgehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-new-date-is-this-spring-for-el-rio-bridge2024-01-03T15:52:45.000Z2024-01-03T15:52:45.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p style="text-align:left;">The completion date to replace the El Rio Canal bridge on West Palmetto Park Road has been pushed back once again.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">The project, which started in 2021 and was to be completed in the fall of 2022, is now expected to be finished sometime in the spring, according to the county’s Engineering and Public Works Department.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">That’s later than the expected completion date of January announced about a month ago, which replaced an expected completion in December.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">The most recent reason for the delay is the installation of piles on the west end of the canal, “where unexpected underground debris prompted the use of additional equipment and extended the process beyond the initial estimate. Despite the setback, all piles were eventually installed,” the county said.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Upcoming work includes concrete placement for pile caps and continued pile driving.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Since the project has been underway, drivers have experienced lane closures and detours affecting both eastbound and westbound traffic.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Palmetto Park Road is a county road, so this is a county project.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">When the project was announced, it was expected to cost $4.3 million, funded by gas taxes and impact fees.</p>
<p style="text-align:right;"><br /> <em>— Mary Hladky</em></p></div>Boca Raton: Mandarin Oriental’s slow progress is grist for rumors, doubtshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-mandarin-oriental-s-slow-progress-is-grist-for-rumors-2023-08-02T17:15:12.000Z2023-08-02T17:15:12.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12175767692,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12175767692,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="12175767692?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a>Cranes sat idle with few workers on site in July at the Mandarin Oriental, but in the city’s overall view, ‘they are actively doing work’ on the project. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Company, developer say they remain committed to project</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>It’s all the buzz in Boca: What’s going on with the Mandarin Oriental?</p>
<p>Speculation and rumors abound. Chief among them are that Mandarin Oriental has pulled out of the luxury hotel and condo project and that developer Penn-Florida Cos. is having trouble refinancing.</p>
<p>But Mandarin Oriental officials say the company remains onboard. “We have had some delays, but the project is still moving forward,” Chris Orlikowski, director of global communications, said in an email.</p>
<p>And Penn-Florida denies money problems. “Financing is not an issue for this project,” Elizabeth Cross, vice president of marketing, said in a written response to questions.</p>
<p>Yet construction has been exceptionally slow. When Penn-Florida announced the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and branded residences in 2015, officials said the project would be completed in 2017. That date was pushed back three times.</p>
<p>In late March, Penn-Florida Chief Operating Officer David Warne told The Coastal Star and other media outlets that the hotel and condo buildings would be completed by the end of this year. </p>
<p>“There is no chance” of that, said a developer who, like many others contacted by this newspaper, did not want to be quoted by name.</p>
<p>“It is impossible,” said an architect.</p>
<p>The completion date since has been moved to an unspecified time in 2024.</p>
<p>Construction has been on again, off again. Work slowed to all but a halt this spring. When The Coastal Star visited the construction site along Federal Highway just north of Camino Real three times in July, only a few workers were on site. Cranes sat idle. </p>
<p>The only visible progress during the month was the installation of more windows and the delivery of additional windows that were stacked on the ground floor, along with some newly arrived building supplies.</p>
<p>“People know there is something wrong,” said another developer.</p>
<p><strong>Prestigious addition to city</strong><br />This has triggered outsize concern because Mandarin Oriental isn’t just another hotel. Its reputation rests on luxury, elegance and sophistication.</p>
<p>Rarity adds to the allure. Mandarin Oriental has only 36 hotels worldwide. Nine branded residences are in operation, with more in development.</p>
<p>That a mid-size city like Boca Raton could snare one thrilled officials and residents. It would elevate the city to the ranks of those such as Paris, London, Geneva and Hong Kong that have Mandarin Oriental hotels.</p>
<p>“When open, this magnificent five-star luxury urban destination will transform Boca Raton’s place on the world’s stage,” Cross wrote. “It will inject its economy with vibrant new jobs and higher levels of sophistication, and welcome some of the most prestigious guests/residents from around the globe.”</p>
<p>She acknowledged one construction delay, prompted by a redesign of the rooftop pool and amenity decks on both buildings. “The redesign warranted structural modifications which are just now being completed,” she wrote. While that was taking place, “construction efforts were redirected towards progress on the project’s interior work.”</p>
<p>Hotel pools manufactured in stainless steel by Myrtha Pools are on their way now from Italy and the condo pool will come soon after, she said.</p>
<p><strong>Typical job listings absent</strong> <br />Peter Ricci, director of Florida Atlantic University’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program, has long been puzzled by the project’s slow progress. When a hotel in the area is about to start operation, company officials post job openings with FAU about six months in advance. </p>
<p>Mandarin Oriental has not done so, he said.</p>
<p>Warne said in March that a general manager, director of food and beverage and director of finance had been hired, but Ricci said the general manager has left and is now at another Mandarin Oriental property.</p>
<p>Cross confirmed that the general manager had departed “for personal reasons,” but said he no longer works for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The other executives remain in place, she wrote.</p>
<p>From the city’s perspective, the project is moving forward. “They are actively doing work,” said city spokeswoman Anne Marie Connolly.</p>
<p>Those involved in the project meet semi-regularly with city staff, she said, and building permit records show that inspectors are visiting the site to make sure the work has been done correctly.</p>
<p>But those records also show that the project is a long way from being completed. Only one portion of it is 100% finished.</p>
<p><strong>Lawsuit dragged into 2023</strong> <br />The project has been beset by difficulties for years, according to a 2018 lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court by Pirunico Trustees against companies connected to Penn-Florida President and CEO Mark Gensheimer.</p>
<p>A counterclaim by those companies against Pirunico states that European real estate investor Cyril Dennis, now deceased, wanted to develop what is now the Mandarin Oriental project, which also includes the completed 101 Via Mizner luxury apartment building immediately south of the hotel site.</p>
<p>In 2006, he persuaded Gensheimer to invest in the project and complete it. But a management dispute arose, resulting in the litigation. </p>
<p>The recession of 2008 delayed construction and made it difficult to keep the project afloat. Disputes among the parties to the project made it harder to obtain financing, but in 2012, Gensheimer was able to obtain refinancing that avoided “catastrophe,” according to the counterclaim.</p>
<p>The parties settled the case last September and asked the judge to stay it until “transactions” that are part of the settlement agreement were completed in June. The case would then be dismissed. The court record does not yet show if that happened.</p>
<p>While the litigation would seem to have no bearing on the project’s current construction schedule, some of those who spoke with The Coastal Star think its existence makes it more difficult to get financing or refinancing.</p>
<p>Cross denied that. “It does not/has not had any impact on the operations, construction or the completion of the project,” she wrote.</p>
<p>The first phase of the project, 101 Via Mizner with 366 units, was completed in 2016. </p>
<p>The 164-room hotel will include a luxury spa and private Via Mizner City Club. Members will have access to the hotel’s rooftop pools, spa, restaurants and bars.</p>
<p>The 85 residences will range in size up to more than 10,000 square feet and feature private elevators, terraces, outdoor kitchens and a skybridge which connects the residences to the hotel. Almost all are sold, Warne has said.</p>
<p>About 65,000 square feet of retail will be part of the project.</p>
<p>The Golf Club, with an 18-hole course redesigned by Jack Nicklaus at 6200 Del Mar Drive, is already open. </p></div>Boca Raton: End date for I-95’s new interchange delayed for a weekhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-end-date-for-i-95-s-new-interchange-delayed-for-a-week2023-03-29T14:14:28.000Z2023-03-29T14:14:28.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Completion of major work on the Diverging Diamond Interchange at Glades Road and Interstate 95 was briefly delayed but expected to be finished on April 3.<br />The Florida Department of Transportation had intended to close the interchange — including traffic on Glades Road at I-95 — March 24 through March 27 to complete its configuration. Instead, the closures were pushed back to March 31 to April 3, which is after The Coastal Star’s deadline for this edition. The bulk of the project was forecast to be completed the morning of April 3.<br />“The unforeseen delay is due to an issue with material procurement necessary to complete the weekend operation,” said project spokesperson Andrea Pacini Baynham.<br />The final work involved the completion of a fourth lane in each direction to allow traffic to move more quickly on Glades Road through the interchange and improve safety, officials said.<br />The project won’t be completely finished until May 1, though. Still to be done are the removal of old ramps and creation of drainage ponds, which will be graded and sodded.<br />The FDOT and Boca Raton have worked together to synchronize the interchange’s traffic signals to further alleviate delays and congestion.<br />The state and the city have five cameras on the project, which allows them to make tweaks as they go. Aurelio Matos, the FDOT senior project engineer for the interchange, said there have been no issues with people driving in the wrong direction.<br />The project was launched in March 2021. The new interchange opened in “temporary condition” on Jan. 30. But without all the planned lanes open, and with light synchronization issues still being ironed out, drivers on Glades Road faced sporadic backups over the past two months. </p></div>Boca Raton: Ocean Strand opening delayed until Februaryhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-ocean-strand-opening-delayed-until-february2023-01-04T15:34:58.000Z2023-01-04T15:34:58.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong></p>
<p>The new Ocean Strand Park, scheduled for most of 2022 to open by the end of December, will open no sooner than next month.<br />“We are only waiting on some of the benches, fencing and signage to be delivered and installed,” said Briann Harms, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, anticipating arrival of the items in mid-January.<br />Work to lay an asphalt walking path from State Road A1A almost to the Intracoastal Waterway began in November.<br />The central strip of the parcel, at 2300 N. Ocean Blvd. between Spanish River and Red Reef parks, was cleared of exotic vegetation in September. Workers clipped non-native plant life just above ground level rather than pull it out from the roots to avoid disturbing what remains of a prehistoric trash heap left by indigenous natives circa A.D. 600 to 1400.<br />Gabriel Banfi, who lives in Boca Towers just south of the park, noted at the Dec. 19 district commission meeting that the south side of the 14.6-acre park is still choked with underbrush.<br />“We are putting together a maintenance plan to keep all that overgrowth from happening and keep all the beautiful stuff showing,” Harms assured him. “We’ll definitely add that section to make sure that they review it.”<br />The district bought the property, which includes 1.6 acres on the beach east of State Road A1A, and two additional parcels for $13.1 million starting in 1994. It banked the land without creating plans to develop it until Commissioner Erin Wright began a push almost three years ago to open it to the public.<br />The district will schedule a ribbon-cutting once construction is done. </p></div>Boca Raton: Vote on performing arts center delayed until Sept. 28https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-vote-on-performing-arts-center-delayed-until-sept-282022-08-31T15:03:39.000Z2022-08-31T15:03:39.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10800159088,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10800159088,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="585" alt="10800159088?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a>Questions about rising construction costs and the city’s potential liability prompted the CRA to delay a vote on a contract for the proposed center at Mizner Park. <strong>Rendering provided</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong></p>
<p>Lawyers for Boca Raton and the cultural arts consortium that wants to build a performing arts center in Mizner Park are spending this month trying to resolve two sticking points in the way of a 94-year lease of city property.<br /> The proposed lease was up for approval at a special meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency on Aug. 22, but City Council members and city staff balked at using old estimates of the construction cost that did not reflect recent inflation and a demand by the arts supporters that the city be liable for actual damages if it or the CRA were found to be in default.<br /> Instead of voting on the proposal, council members sitting as the CRA decided to table the matter until Sept. 28.<br /> “I really want this to be successful, so that’s why I think this additional 37 days is important to get this right. We need to get this right for both of us,” said council member Monica Mayotte, who chairs the CRA.<br /> As presented, the proposed lease still had a minimum benchmark of $75 million for the performing arts center, despite the fact that construction costs have risen an estimated 30% in the past year.<br /> Andrea Virgin, president of the board of the former Boca Raton Arts District Exploratory Corp., now renamed The Center for Arts and Innovation Inc., tried to reassure council members that the group would hit specified percentages of the construction money throughout the fundraising process regardless of the final dollar amount.<br /> “Whether it’s $75 million or $150 million to build the minimum, that is what we are obligated to do,” said Ele Zachariades, one of the group’s lawyers. “Again, it’s a moving target.”<br /> In the end, Virgin’s group said it would do what it could to produce updated figures.<br /> The debate over whether the city should be liable for actual damages seemed to be at an impasse until the third hour of the meeting when City Attorney Diana Grub Frieser suggested a compromise that the arts group initially rejected.<br /> “We floated the idea of a cap. That was not our first suggestion, but that’s the only place I can see any room,” Frieser said.<br /> Virgin’s group then offered to cap any claim for actual damages to 25% of the value of the arts complex, but council members wanted city staff to vet the implications.<br /> Lawyers on both sides had trouble describing what a possible breach of the contract by the CRA or the city might entail, but Frieser said the city’s “unlimited” exposure would be troublesome.<br /> “Many things will happen in five years, in 20 years, in 80 years that nobody in this room can anticipate. No matter how well-written the contract is, there is no contract that, over that length of time, will not raise issues of uncertainty,” Frieser said.<br /> The $130 million complex to be built on city-owned land on the north end of Mizner Park will include a performing arts center whose venues can accommodate 6,000 people, completely renovated amphitheater, jewel box theater, rooftop terrace and outdoor performing arts spaces.<br /> Virgin said her group already has raised $13 million and has pledges of $25 million to come after the city approves the plan. But she worried about holding those donors to their word if negotiations continue. <br /> “The longer we take to have this vote, the longer I have to keep my donors warm. The job is hard enough. I don’t need indecisiveness, delay to make that harder,” she said.<br /> In other business, City Council members on Aug. 23 repealed the ordinance banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors. They approved a temporary repeal on Aug. 5 after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the ordinance was unconstitutional.<br /> Council members also approved on second reading an ordinance banning smoking on public lands on the beach and in parks.</p>
<p><br /> — <em>Mary Hladky contributed to this story.</em></p></div>Boca Raton: It’s too soon to rebid Gumbo Limbo tower project, city sayshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-it-s-too-soon-to-rebid-gumbo-limbo-tower-project-city-2022-05-04T15:00:23.000Z2022-05-04T15:00:23.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong></p>
<p>Gumbo Limbo Nature Center’s parking lot will soon get two parking spaces, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and an ADA-compliant ramp from the parking lot to the boardwalk.<br />But rebuilding the center’s observation tower, a project that originally included creating the handicapped parking spots, will likely not happen this year.<br />Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District commissioners approved spending $81,612 for the parking spaces on May 2 after being told that it is too soon to rebid the tower.<br />“City staff will continue (to) monitor the market conditions. The next 6 months do not look favorable,” Michael Kalvort, the city’s recreation services director, said in an April email to the district.<br />“It looks like the tower’s being postponed indefinitely,” Commissioner Steve Engel said.<br />But district officials will meet with their city colleagues to see why other tower designs were not considered and to look for quicker alternatives.<br />District and city officials were shocked in February when they received only one bid of $2.6 million for the work — $1.2 million more than the pre-bid estimate.<br />The bid was rejected and officials planned to wait for prices to come down before rebidding the work. Spring was the initial date set for re-evaluating the market.<br />District commissioners worried in April that paying for the parking now might delay rebidding the observation tower.<br />“If we take this out, it sounds like we’re suggesting that they just go get this piece and that would be it,” Commissioner Craig Ehrnst said at the district’s April 4 meeting.<br />Boca Raton owns and staffs Gumbo Limbo, which is part of Red Reef Park; the Beach and Park District pays for all its operations and maintenance as well as all capital improvements.<br />The parking lot project will add two 12-foot-wide spaces separated by a 6-foot-wide space at the southeast corner of the nature center. A 13-foot-long inclined ramp matching the boardwalk will offer access to it.<br />A $345,000 Gumbo Limbo Master Plan to begin later will add an ADA-compliant entrance to the nature center, a third ADA-compliant parking space and new ADA-compliant doors to the facility and the boardwalk. The plan also includes ADA-compliant upgrades to the restrooms.<br />Boca Raton demolished Gumbo Limbo’s popular 40-foot-tall tower after engineers in early 2015 declared it and the adjoining boardwalk to be unsafe. The boardwalk was rebuilt in phases and fully reopened in July 2019. <br /><strong>In other action</strong>, Beach and Park District commissioners gave Briann Harms, their executive director, a pay raise to $135,000 a year, up from $111,000, after a survey of comparable positions showed salaries ranging from $149,000 to $179,000</p></div>Boca Raton: Boaters’ options dwindle with park delayhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-boaters-options-dwindle-with-park-delay2022-03-30T15:14:52.000Z2022-03-30T15:14:52.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10249056678,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10249056678,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10249056678?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></strong><em>Construction at Silver Palm Park means boat ramps remain unavailable until sometime this summer. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong></p>
<p>Silver Palm Park’s boat ramps, which closed in September and were supposed to reopen in March, will stay off-limits to boaters until sometime this summer.<br /> City spokeswoman Ileana Olmsted said Boca Raton has “no specific month” in mind for the reopening at this time.<br /> Bill Trinka, a retired city firefighter and frequent user of Silver Palm’s ramps before they closed, called the delay “ridiculous.”<br /> “Right now, Deerfield is closed, too. They’re renovating their ramps,” he said.<br /> Public ramps in Deerfield Beach and Boynton Beach are two options that Boca Raton suggested boaters use while Silver Palm’s are under construction as part of a project that includes the nearby Wildflower site. Boynton Beach’s ramps are tentatively set to close for renovations in April and May. Still available are two launch sites in Delray Beach: Knowles Park, 1001 S. Federal Highway, and Mangrove Park, 1211 S. Federal Highway. <br /> “We’ve been out of business for six months on this already. They need to get the ramps going,” Trinka said.<br /> Olmsted said two factors led to the delay. First, she said, there were supply chain issues with the park’s floating dock. And second, the north sea wall of the boat dock unexpectedly had to be replaced.<br /> “It was not in the original plan, but after removal of decking it was found to be in need of repair,” Olmsted said.<br /> Trinka did not accept the explanation. “It doesn’t take weeks and months to put in a sea wall,” he said.<br /> Along with work on the boat ramps, crews at Silver Palm this month are building the foundation of a shade structure, installing pavers and landscaping, and constructing new restrooms.<br /> On the Wildflower side of the park, workers were building a fountain, grading the site, relocating trees, roughing-in the irrigation, and pouring curbs in the parking lot. They also poured the slab for the park’s pavilion with restrooms and built the concrete block walls.<br /> The construction is part of a multimillion-dollar project to enhance the Wildflower/Silver Palm Park with new pedestrian restrooms, walkways, green spaces, pavilion, promenade, additional parking, a third boat ramp and a much-anticipated connection between both parks.<br /> The parks are on either side of Palmetto Park Road on the west bank of the Intracoastal Waterway. </p></div>Boca Raton: Prehistoric remnants complicate plans for Ocean Strandhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-prehistoric-remnants-complicate-plans-for-ocean-strand2021-06-02T19:13:11.000Z2021-06-02T19:13:11.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9026449090,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9026449090,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="9026449090?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a> </strong><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong></p>
<p>An indigenous tribe that populated what is now Ocean Strand is casting a centuries-old shadow over plans to quickly turn the land into a minimal park.<br /> An archaeology team’s discovery of an ax-like adze, fashioned from a whelk shell, and eight potsherds, or pieces of prehistoric pottery, makes the parcel eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. As a result, removal of the invasive Brazilian pepper trees overtaking the property will be more tedious — and more costly.<br /> “All tree removal must now be done by hand and under the supervision of a representative from the archaeological group who provided the assessment,” Briann Harms, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, told district commissioners at their May 17 meeting.<br /> Additionally, the team recommended that vegetation “should not be pulled from the ground, but should be cut above the ground surface.”<br /> Before Harms can price what the changes will cost, she said, she will submit a revised plan to the city, then recalculate square footages for asphalt and mulch path installation, and estimate the number of days needed for archaeological supervision.<br /> “The revised plan allows for the cleanup of the central hammock by hand with archaeological oversight and provides for an ADA-accessible path into the park and to a picnic table near the current asphalt path. Mulch trails will be utilized in other areas of the park,” she said.<br /> Harms also said the district should forgo removing Brazilian pepper on the north and south sides of Ocean Strand and concentrate on the center area where the path will be.<br /> “For a pedestrian park it doesn’t seem the best use of taxpayer dollars,” she said.<br /> Commissioners approved trimming the park’s $600,000 construction budget by almost $279,000 meant to cover machine-clearing of the exotic growth. They originally budgeted $75,000 in March 2020 for the whole project with hopes of opening the park by last September. Decisions to make Ocean Strand, located north of the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, accessible to people with disabilities and to pay for the city-required archaeology report added to the price.<br /> Robert Carr, executive director of the not-for-profit Archaeological and Historical Conservancy, which conducted the $4,800 study, said Ocean Strand is “likely to provide valuable information about the prehistory of the area.”<br /> “The discovery of the site does not preclude park improvements; however, the improvements should avoid direct impacts to the principal site area,” his group reported.<br /> The principal site is roughly the western half of the parkland west of State Road A1A. Carr’s team did not study the beachfront portion east of the highway. The midden, or waste heap, is “dense with oyster shell, with some faunal bone and ceramics,” the archaeologists said. The sherds date the site to A.D. 600 to 1400.<br /> Commissioner Craig Ehrnst asked whether the district could enlist volunteers to clear exotic vegetation and keep costs down.<br /> “The midden thing looks like an obstacle, but I guess I look at it more as an opportunity,” he said. “It creates another special component of the whole park that will preserve it.”<br /> Further development of the park will require up to $1 million for more archaeological studies and three to five years to complete, Harms said.<br /> In the meantime, she said, a family that did not want to be identified yet wants to make a “significant” donation to the park in exchange for placement of a couple of benches and a plaque to remember a son’s untimely death. <br /> She will ask the commission to approve a document detailing the contribution at a future meeting.</p></div>Boca Raton: Still no trial date set for Hayniehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-still-no-trial-date-set-for-haynie2021-02-03T15:05:07.000Z2021-02-03T15:05:07.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Nearly three years after her arrest on public corruption charges, former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie still does not have a trial date.<br />Both the prosecution and defense agreed last month to delay a hearing on the status of her case from Jan. 11 until April 16. Both cited disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.<br />While Palm Beach County jury trials have resumed, only a limited number are being held.<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8510965267,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8510965267,RESIZE_180x180{{/staticFileLink}}" width="95" alt="8510965267?profile=RESIZE_180x180" /></a>Haynie, 66, was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted. Haynie has pleaded not guilty to the charges.<br />Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.<br />In the waning days of his presidency, Donald Trump issued a full pardon to Batmasian. The Republican donor served eight months in prison in 2008 for failing to pay the IRS $253,513 in payroll taxes for employees of his real estate company, Investments Limited. He reimbursed the government the full amount owed. Ú</p></div>Boca Raton: Haynie’s trial pushed back until Januaryhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-haynie-s-trial-pushed-back-until-january2020-10-28T14:43:36.000Z2020-10-28T14:43:36.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie’s trial on public corruption charges has been postponed for the fourth time, and is now set to begin on Jan. 11, 2021.<br />Prosecutors and Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s criminal defense lawyer, agreed to move back the trial date from Oct. 26, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, additional time needed to complete pretrial discovery and the possibility that not enough potential jurors would be available.<br />Palm Beach County Chief Judge Krista Marx suspended all jury trials in April because of the coronavirus pandemic but issued an administrative order on Sept. 9 allowing a limited number of trials to begin after Oct. 9.<br />Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen ordered the new trial date on Sept. 11.<br />Haynie, 65, was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted.<br />Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.<br />Haynie has pleaded not guilty. Zimet has repeatedly said she will not accept a plea deal.<br />Then-Gov. Rick Scott suspended Haynie from office, but she never resigned. Scott Singer won a special election to claim the position in 2018 and was re-elected in March.</p></div>Delray Beach: Termination hearing for suspended city manager delayedhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-termination-hearing-for-suspended-city-manager-delay2020-10-21T22:04:44.000Z2020-10-21T22:04:44.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>The long-awaited public hearing for suspended City Manager George Gretsas was delayed for another month, the Delray Beach City Commission voted unanimously at a 2:30 p.m. special hearing Oct. 21.</p>
<p>Gretsas has hired new attorneys to represent him at his termination hearing, now set for 10 a.m. Nov. 20.</p>
<p>The attorneys — hired on Oct. 20 — are Thomas Ali and Stuart N. Kaplan of the Stuart N. Kaplan law firm in Palm Beach Gardens.</p>
<p>Ali called and sent an email to Lynn Gelin, city attorney, on the morning of Oct. 21. Gretsas’ lawyers requested a two- or three-week postponement to prepare for the hearing.</p>
<p>But the earliest time the city’s outside labor counsel, Bob Norton, had available was Nov. 20.</p>
<p>The attorneys representing Gretsas agreed that his city manager salary of $265,000 and benefits package worth more than $50,000 will end on Oct. 23. Gretsas was receiving that compensation since he was formally suspended June 24.</p>
<p>Commissioners wanted to stop paying Gretsas while also paying an interim city manager to run Delray Beach. Jennifer Alvarez, purchasing director, was elevated to the interim city manager position on June 24. During her tenure, she will make $189,500 and have a $500 monthly car allowance and $100 cellphone allowance.</p>
<p>If the commissioners had not granted the delay, Gretsas’ attorneys would have sought a court injunction to postpone the hearing, Mayor Shelly Petrolia said.</p>
<p>City commissioners will act as the judge and jury at the Nov. 20 hearing in commission chambers.</p>
<p>The basis for the hearing will be a 38-page report compiled by Julia Davidyan, internal auditor. She interviewed 31 current and former city employees.</p>
<p>In the investigation given to the commissioners on Oct. 9, Davidyan found Gretsas had “disregarded the city’s interests and policies in the areas of personnel, purchasing and information technology.”</p>
<p>In 2019, she also investigated Mark Lauzier, Gretsas' predecessor, who was fired on March 1, 2019, after a similar hearing. Lauzier later sued the city on two counts. The first was dismissed and lost on appeal in February to the 4th District Court of Appeal. The second count — for wrongful termination — is headed for a jury trial expected to start in February, Gelin told commissioners on Oct. 20.</p></div>Boca Raton: Haynie’s trial pushed off until Januaryhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-haynie-s-trial-pushed-off-until-january2020-09-11T21:30:00.000Z2020-09-11T21:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p class="Body"><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p class="Body">Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie’s trial on public corruption charges has been postponed for the fourth time, and is now set to begin on Jan. 11, 2021.</p>
<p class="Body"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960836274,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960836274,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960836274?profile=original" /></a>Prosecutors and Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s criminal defense lawyer, agreed to move back the trial date from Oct. 26, citing disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, additional time needed to complete pre-trial discovery and the possibility that not enough potential jurors would be available.</p>
<p class="Body">Palm Beach County Chief Judge Krista Marx suspended all jury trials in April because of the coronavirus pandemic but issued an administrative order on Sept. 9 allowing a limited number of trials to begin after Oct. 9.</p>
<p class="Body">Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen ordered the new trial date on Sept. 11.</p>
<p class="Body">Haynie, 64, was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted.</p>
<p class="Body">Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.</p>
<p class="Body">Haynie has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Zimet has repeatedly said she will not accept a plea deal.</p>
<p class="Body">Then-Gov. Rick Scott suspended Haynie from office, but she never resigned. Scott Singer won a special election to claim the position in 2018 and was re-elected in March.</p></div>Boca Raton: Haynie trial to start no sooner than late Octoberhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-haynie-trial-to-start-no-sooner-than-late-october-12020-09-02T13:08:51.000Z2020-09-02T13:08:51.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie’s trial on public corruption charges has been pushed back for the third time.<br />The new trial start date is Oct. 26, but there is no certainty it will begin then.<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960936286,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960936286,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" alt="7960936286?profile=original" /></a>Palm Beach County Chief Circuit Court Judge Krista Marx in early July extended her suspension of all trials until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic.<br />Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen set the new date on July 10 after both the prosecutor and Haynie’s criminal defense attorney agreed on the change. They also agreed on the previous Sept. 21 trial date.<br />In both instances, they said the pandemic has made it difficult to complete pre-trial discovery and expressed concern that not enough potential jurors would be available.<br />The original date for Haynie’s trial was March 23.<br />Haynie, 64, was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if she’s convicted.<br />Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.<br />She has pleaded not guilty. Her attorney, Bruce Zimet, has repeatedly said she will not accept a plea deal. Ú</p></div>Boca Raton: Haynie trial to start no sooner than late Octoberhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-haynie-trial-to-start-no-sooner-than-late-october2020-07-23T01:16:46.000Z2020-07-23T01:16:46.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p class="Body"><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p class="Body">Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie’s trial on public corruption charges has been pushed back for the third time.</p>
<p class="Body">The new trial start date is Oct. 26, but there is no certainty it will begin then.</p>
<p class="Body">Palm Beach County Chief Judge Krista Marx in early July extended her suspension of all trials until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic.</p>
<p class="Body">Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen set the new date on July 10 after both the prosecutor and Haynie’s criminal defense attorney agreed on the change. They also agreed on the previous Sept. 21 trial date.</p>
<p class="Body">In both instances, they said the pandemic has made it difficult to complete pre-trial discovery and expressed concern that not enough potential jurors would be available.</p>
<p class="Body">The original date for Haynie’s trial was March 23.</p>
<p class="Body">Haynie, 64, was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison if she’s convicted.</p>
<p class="Body">Prosecutors contend that Haynie used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she received from him.</p>
<p class="Body">She has pleaded not guilty. Her attorney, Bruce Zimet, has repeatedly said she will not accept a plea deal.</p></div>Boca Raton: Virus and grant application slowing down Virgin Trains stationhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-virus-and-grant-application-slowing-down-virgin-trains2020-07-01T16:36:24.000Z2020-07-01T16:36:24.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Virgin Trains USA has pushed out the expected completion of its Boca Raton station to early 2022, about a year later than company officials anticipated when the City Council approved a station construction deal in December.<br />Among the reasons for the delay are the impact of COVID-19 and Virgin Trains’ request that the city file an application for a federal grant to offset some of the costs of building the station and a parking garage, Virgin Trains Chief of Staff Ali Soule said in an email.<br />Virgin Trains suspended its South Florida passenger service due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 25. The company has not set a reopening date but released a statement in May that said it did not anticipate resuming operations in the coming months.<br />Ridership plummeted as Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order except for essential activities and people began working from home or hunkering down there.<br />The for-profit company said in the statement that it remained focused on building new stations in Boca Raton, Aventura and PortMiami, as well as building new tracks for service from West Palm Beach to Orlando.<br />While city officials have directed much of their effort over the past four months to the closing and gradual reopening of city facilities and services in response to the pandemic, they have moved ahead on the station and parking garage plans for city-owned land east of the Downtown Library.<br />City staff has completed several reviews of the station and garage site plan submitted by Virgin Trains, and the city’s Community Appearance Board conducted a preliminary review of the station and garage design on June 16, focusing only on building aesthetics.<br />“We believe we will be prepared to break ground at the beginning of next year,” Eric Claussen, Virgin Trains senior vice president for design and development, told the CAB.<br />Of those CAB members who commented, John Kronawitter and Krsto Stamatovski liked the project design, but Tiery Boykin said it was “not as exciting as I thought it would be.”<br />The project could be considered by the Planning and Zoning Board in August or September.<br />On June 9, the City Council approved without comment two Virgin Trains requests.<br />The company asked the city to apply for a $20 million grant from a U.S. Department of Transportation rail program that would help fund the Boca Raton station and garage.<br />If the grant is awarded, city officials and Virgin Trains said it would reduce the amount the city would spend to build the 455-space garage from $11.4 million to $9.9 million. Virgin Trains, which is paying for the station, had previously pegged the station cost at $25 million.<br />Virgin Trains was awarded a $2.3 million grant in 2018 for rail crossing safety improvements along its South Florida rail corridor. The grant requires 20% matching funds from cities along the corridor that are getting safety improvements.<br />Since then, the cost of the improvements has increased. The Boca Raton City Council agreed to increase its matching amount from $76,288 to $153,298.<br />In another Virgin Trains development, the company has floated the idea of building five train stations between Miami and Aventura for a commuter rail system.<br />If Miami-Dade County commissioners agree, Tri-Rail’s long-standing goal of building a Coastal Link commuter system on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks likely would be doomed.<br />Tri-Rail Executive Director Steven Abrams sent commissioners a letter blasting the idea. Tri-Rail, he said, could launch the commuter line at a much lower cost while also offering ticket prices far below those charged by Virgin Trains.<br />On June 2, the Miami-Dade County Commission tossed out a memorandum of understanding proposed by Virgin Trains after complaining about how much the rail company wanted to charge the county. But the commission agreed to give County Mayor Carlos Giménez 90 days to negotiate a better deal.<br />The proposal marks yet another change of direction for Virgin Trains, formerly known as Brightline. The company had long insisted that it would build only three South Florida stations, in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, before deciding it wanted more stations, in Aventura, PortMiami and Boca Raton.<br />Company officials also repeatedly said that they did not want to operate a commuter rail line until they made the overture to the Miami-Dade commission.<br />In its latest financial disclosure dated May 31, Virgin Trains said it does not expect the coronavirus will have an adverse financial impact on the company.<br />“The suspension of service is not expected to have a material net financial impact on our business and we have access to ample operating liquidity to withstand a protracted slowdown in the travel market,” the report said</p></div>Boca Raton: Coronavirus forces another delay for Haynie's trialhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-coronavirus-forces-another-delay-for-haynie-s-trial2020-06-03T21:34:22.000Z2020-06-03T21:34:22.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Former Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie’s trial on public corruption charges has been postponed until Sept. 21 due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.</p>
<p>Prosecutor Brian Fernandes and Bruce Zimet, Haynie’s criminal defense lawyer, agreed to cancel a scheduled July 20 trial and to set the new trial date because the pandemic has made it difficult to complete pretrial discovery. They also were concerned that not enough potential jurors would be available in July. Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Gillen agreed to the new trial date on May 28.</p>
<p>A March trial date also was postponed.</p>
<p>Haynie was arrested on April 24, 2018, on charges of official misconduct, perjury, misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. She faces more than 20 years in prison.</p>
<p>Prosecutors contend that Haynie, 64, used her position on the City Council to vote on six matters that financially benefited James Batmasian, the city’s largest downtown commercial landowner, and failed to disclose income she had received from him.</p>
<p>Haynie has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Zimet has repeatedly said she will not accept a plea deal.</p>
<p>Then-Gov. Rick Scott suspended Haynie from office, but she never resigned. Her option to reclaim the mayor's post ended March 31 after Boca Raton voters elected Scott Singer, who was elevated from deputy mayor to replace Haynie during her suspension, to a full term as mayor succeeding her.</p></div>Notice to our readershttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/notice-to-our-readers2020-04-30T13:33:23.000Z2020-04-30T13:33:23.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><table style="border-collapse:collapse;" width="100%" cellspacing="0" border="0">
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</table></div>Delray Beach: Restoration of reclaimed water service pushed back to end of monthhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-restoration-of-reclaimed-water-service-pushed-back-t2020-04-01T17:31:05.000Z2020-04-01T17:31:05.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="p1" style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960951455,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960951455,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960951455?profile=original" /></a><em>In an effort to help Delray Beach residents who have been without reclaimed water for weeks, employees like Curtis Duscan (center) and city contractors Clay Carroll (left) and Anthony Coates have started watering lawns on the barrier island. <b>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</b></em></p>
<p class="p1" style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p class="p1" style="text-align:center;"><span class="s1"><b>Related: </b></span><strong>Standard <a href="https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-standard-safeguards-usually-stop-mix-of-drinking-rec" target="_blank">safeguards</a> usually stop mix of drinking, recycled water</strong></p>
<p class="p1"></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>By Jane Smith</b></span></p>
<p class="p2">As the lawns of coastal residents continued to parch, Delray Beach pushed the timeline for restoration of reclaimed water service from early March to the end of April, according to city plans.</p>
<p class="p3">The reclaimed water lines provide partly treated wastewater meant solely for lawn watering. The lines were installed as part of a settlement that Delray Beach reached with state and federal regulators to stop sending raw sewage into the ocean.</p>
<p class="p3">But due to causes the city continues to investigate, the partly treated sewage water cross-contaminated regular drinking water in a small number of houses, which sickened some residents and left a foul smell emanating from some kitchen faucets.</p>
<p class="p3">Delray Beach, focused on efforts to contain the coronavirus, now plans to restore the reclaimed water service citywide in phases, with the two public and two private golf courses returning to service first. The courses are west of the interstate. Then, the city would restore the barrier island service in six phases, reversing the order of how the lines were installed.</p>
<p class="p3">On March 25, Delray Beach employees distributed door hangers to scores of reclaimed water customers.</p>
<p class="p3">It noted that “the majority of potable meters at locations serviced by reclaimed water had the appropriate backflow protection. However, some metered connections had inadequate backflow protection or were not accessible for inspection.”</p>
<p class="p3">In those instances, the reclaimed water was locked out of the property.</p>
<p class="p3">“There’s some cause for optimism,” said Ned Wehler, a barrier island resident who hand-watered his plants throughout the hot and dry March. He noted this line in the city notice: “Please be advised that it may take up to four weeks for your property to be tested.”</p>
<p class="p3">The last time the city watering service stopped by his house was March 7.</p>
<p class="p3">But barrier island resident Bill Petry was puzzled by the notice.</p>
<p class="p3">In the second paragraph, it said, “The City will perform on-site cross-connection testing of individual properties.” Petry thought the cross-connection inspections were done. Cross-connections can create a health problem because they can possibly allow reclaimed water to mix with drinking water.</p>
<p class="p3">“What does it mean? It was not comforting at all,” said Petry, who serves on the board of the Beach Property Owners Association. He and his wife are seasonal residents who planned to return April 1 to New England.</p>
<p class="p3">Delray Beach turned off its reclaimed water system on Feb. 4 to avoid a citywide boil- water order that the Florida Department of Health wanted. As of March 31, the reclaimed water lines were not working to the barrier island. </p>
<p class="p3">The last part of the barrier island system began operating in October 2018, but was flawed from the program’s start in 2005, according to notes from Christine Ferrigan, an industrial pretreatment inspector in the city Utilities Department. </p>
<p class="p3">Ferrigan found the reclaimed water system was not installed or monitored properly by outside contractors, according to her notes released by the state Health Department under Florida’s open records law. </p>
<p class="p3">Doing so cross-contaminated an unknown number of drinking water lines between October and December 2018 and potentially exposed residents to hepatitis A, Giardia, fecal coliform and other contaminants, according to Ferrigan’s notes.</p>
<p class="p3">The Health Department does not have a standard it uses when people claim to be sickened by poor water quality, according to Alexander Shaw, its spokesman. The department relies on the individual health providers to make that determination.</p>
<p class="p3">The Health Department was alerted to the Delray Beach situation on Jan. 2 by a concerned resident.</p>
<p class="p3">Neither Ferrigan nor Marjorie Craig, who was the utilities director in 2018, could be reached for comment.</p>
<p class="p3">As a result of the resident’s complaint — backed up with Ferrigan’s notes — the Health Department asked Delray Beach to issue a citywide boil water order.</p>
<p class="p2"></p>
<p class="p4"><span class="s2"><b>Citywide action averted</b></span></p>
<p class="p3">City Manager George Gretsas, though, was able to persuade the department not to take such drastic action by ordering the reclaimed water system shut down and having all 1,326 reclaimed water connections inspected.</p>
<p class="p3">Although no cross-connections were found, city staff discovered that 237 reclaimed water customers citywide did not have backflow preventers, Gretsas said on March 2.</p>
<p class="p3">The devices prevent the reclaimed irrigation water from mixing with the drinking water supply, important because the city drinking water is supplied at a lower pressure. Water quality experts, though, say drinking reclaimed water — while not recommended — will not sicken a healthy person.</p>
<p class="p3">Delray Beach still has 13 barrier island locations to examine to see whether the drinking water meters have backflow devices, according to Gretsas’ March 16 letter to the Health Department.</p>
<p class="p3">He admitted that the city does not have dates that each property was connected to the reclaimed water system. “All available information was collected,” Gretsas wrote on March 16.</p>
<p class="p3">“If the city of Delray Beach is found to have failed to notify the DOH as required [of the possibility that residents became sick from drinking poor quality water], then that would be a violation,” wrote Shaw, the county Health Department spokesman. Because of the variables involved, Shaw could not say what the penalty might be.</p>
<p class="p3">When it’s finished complying with the Health Department, Delray Beach will hire a forensics firm to review the entire reclaimed water program, according to Gretsas.</p>
<p class="p3">“We spent a lot of the taxpayers’ money on city staff time and hiring contractors,” Gretsas said in February. “We want to find the cause before we point fingers.” </p></div>Boynton Beach: Elevator delivery delay a downer for Town Square fire stationhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boynton-beach-elevator-delivery-delay-a-downer-for-town-square-fi2020-01-29T16:58:13.000Z2020-01-29T16:58:13.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br />Boynton Beach Fire Station 1 won’t be finished until March 31, city commissioners heard at their Jan. 21 meeting. <br /> The reason for the setback of about five weeks is delayed delivery of an elevator and impact windows. <br /> Only three companies nationally build elevators, said Colin Groff, assistant city manager in charge of Town Square. Every project that is more than one story needs an elevator, and with the national building boom there is a shortage, he said.<br /> The fire station sits on Northeast First Street and will serve northeastern Boynton Beach and the barrier island towns of Ocean Ridge and Briny Breezes.<br /> City commissioners and other officials are eager to see Town Square finished. <br /> They are hoping the $250 million project creates a downtown — with a mix of municipal buildings, a cultural center with a banquet hall, a museum, apartment buildings, a hotel and parks. The city’s estimated share is $118 million. <br /> The roughly 16-acre site is bounded by Boynton Beach Boulevard on the north, Northeast First Street on the east, Southeast Second Avenue on the south and Seacrest Boulevard on the west.<br /> The combination city hall and library building is scheduled for completion June 22, Mark Hefferin said at the commission meeting. Hefferin runs E2L Real Estate Solutions, the development company that oversees construction of the civic buildings. <br /> “We are racing to have the city ready for the centennial celebrations on July 4,” Hefferin said. Boynton Beach plans to celebrate 100 years on Independence Day.<br /> The renovation of the cultural center in the historic high school also is delayed because of the elevator delivery problem, Groff said. It won’t be finished until late March.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Garages also delayed</strong></span><br /> Commissioners also received an update from the private developer that is building parking garages on the south and north sides to serve city workers, city hall patrons and visitors. <br /> The south garage won’t be ready until November, said John Markey, head of JKM Developers of Boca Raton.<br /> “The buck stops with me,” he said. He explained that his company had difficulty getting construction costs from contractors last year. “Without that set of numbers, no lender was willing to close on the loan,” Markey said.<br /> The garage construction won’t start until early March, he said. The delay means two buildings — the cultural center and combination city hall and library — will open without adequate parking. <br /> Markey plans to offer temporary parking in the lot just east of the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum. His firm bought the lot from the city to build apartments on it. <br /> Some commissioners thanked Markey for his candor. But they seemed resigned to the delays and complications.<br /> Groff said delays are bound to occur with a big project. Most were built into the schedule, he said. <br /> Markey’s firm will have to provide temporary parking, according to its contract with the city, Groff said.</p></div>Boca Raton: County fines Camino Real contractorhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-county-fines-camino-real-contractor2019-07-31T14:28:11.000Z2019-07-31T14:28:11.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>By Steve Plunkett</b></span></p>
<p class="p3">After missing a June 20 target for reopening the Camino Real bridge and then a less definite goal “towards the end of July,” Palm Beach County officials on July 30 had not committed to a new opening date.</p>
<p class="p3">Deputy County Engineer Tanya McConnell said contractor Kiewit Construction had two milestones to meet as part of its $8.9 million contract, one for the opening of the bridge and the other for completion of the project.</p>
<p class="p3">“The contractor has been put on notice that they are currently incurring $10,000 per day for the opening and about $3,000 per day for the overall contract,” McConnell said in an email to County Commissioner Robert Weinroth.</p>
<p class="p3">The work is still being inspected, McConnell said.</p>
<p class="p3">“We have a separate company doing the inspections called AE Engineering. We also have our county inspection staff in an oversight role,” she said.</p>
<p class="p3">The bridge closed to land traffic on April 12, 2018. Crews started working nights in mid-May to meet the anticipated June 20 reopening. </p></div>Boca Raton: Camino Real bridge closed most of Julyhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-camino-real-bridge-closed-most-of-july2019-07-03T14:13:09.000Z2019-07-03T14:13:09.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="p1">The Camino Real bridge, scheduled most recently to reopen June 20, is still closed to vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians while construction teams finish a functional inspection of the $8.9 million project.</p>
<p class="p1">Sandra Ospina, the project engineer for Palm Beach County, said on July 1 that no date was scheduled yet for when work would end.</p>
<p class="p1">“We do not have a definitive date as of today,” Ospina said. “We are hopeful that the opening will happen towards the end of July.”</p>
<p class="p1">The bridge closed to land traffic on April 12, 2018. Crews started working nights in mid-May to meet the anticipated June 20 reopening. </p>
<p class="p3"><i>— Steve Plunkett</i></p></div>Boca Raton: Reopening of Camino Real bridge delayedhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-reopening-of-camino-real-bridge-delayed2019-06-20T12:30:00.000Z2019-06-20T12:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><div>The Camino Real bridge, scheduled as recently as May 22 to reopen June 20, will stay closed to vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians while construction teams conduct a functional inspection.</div>
<div>The reopening has not been scheduled yet.</div>
<div>"At this time we cannot confirm a bridge opening date," said Kristine Frazell-Smith, who manages Palm Beach County's local roads section, which is in charge of the $8.9 million project.</div>
<div>Lucia Bonavita, senior aide to County Commissioner Robert Weinroth, said she was told the bridge will not open until sometime in July. Weinroth's staff was planning a ceremony to mark the reopening.</div>
<div>The bridge closed to land traffic on April 12, 2018. Crews started working nights in mid-May to meet the anticipated June 20 reopening.</div>
<div><em>— Steve Plunkett</em></div></div>Boca Raton: More rotted wood delays completion of Gumbo Limbo boardwalkhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-more-rotted-wood-delays-completion-of-gumbo-limbo-boar2019-01-30T13:51:24.000Z2019-01-30T13:51:24.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>By Steve Plunkett</b></span></p>
<p class="p3">The discovery of rotten wood supports for the boardwalk at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center will add 46 days to the work schedule.</p>
<p class="p3">The boardwalk and the center’s rebuilt observation tower are now expected to be finished June 2 instead of April 17. Removing and replacing 400 feet of deteriorated stringers and installing stainless steel mounting hardware will add $8,400 to the $1.1 million project.</p>
<p class="p3">The bulk of the additional construction time comes from the days in between when the wood rot was discovered, in mid-December, and when the architect could revise the plans and price out the repair.</p>
<p class="p3">“The reason they could not go forward with that was because this is the base of the boardwalk,” Melissa Dawson, facilities manager for the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, told district commissioners Jan. 22.</p>
<p class="p3">That same day, the nature center announced that most of the boardwalk is closed “until further notice.”</p>
<p class="p3">“Users will not be able to walk from the Nature Center to Red Reef West; please use the sidewalk along A1A,” the announcement said. Updates when available will be posted at gumbolimbo.org.</p>
<p class="p3">February marks the fourth anniversary of the closure of the popular observation tower and boardwalk. Engineers in 2015 warned that the structures were near collapse and they were immediately put off-limits.</p>
<p class="p3">The first phase of the boardwalk was finished in December 2016 and cost roughly $631,000. Work to rebuild the 40-foot tower and the south loop of the boardwalk began in September. Fort Pierce-based Custom Marine Construction Inc. has the $1.1 million contract.</p>
<p class="p3">Boca Raton owns Red Reef Park, which includes the nature center; the Beach and Park District reimbursed the city for the price of the land and pays for all operations and capital improvements there.</p>
<p class="p4"><b>In other business:</b></p>
<p class="p3">• District commissioners decided to pay former Assistant Director Briann Harms $105,000 a year to serve as interim full-time executive director while they hunt for a permanent hire.</p>
<p class="p3">• Susan Vogelgesang was chosen to chair the commission in 2019, replacing Robert Rollins. Erin Wright became vice chairman; Craig Ehrnst kept his title as secretary-treasurer. </p></div>Delray Beach: Drainage work pushes water project against mid-month deadlinehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-drainage-work-pushes-water-project-against-mid-month2019-01-02T17:29:27.000Z2019-01-02T17:29:27.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>By Jane Smith</b></span></p>
<p class="p3">Delray Beach residents who live in the southern section of the barrier island will have to wait until at least mid-January for an extensive water project to be finished.</p>
<p class="p3">“The water mains are installed and reclaimed water lines are finishing up,” the Public Works staff responded via email through Jeff Goldman, acting assistant city manager. “Road work is well in progress.”</p>
<p class="p3">The $4 million-plus construction work began in January 2018 on five streets, from Lewis Cove south to Del Haven Drive. Water and sewer lines were replaced, stormwater drainage was improved, lines were added for irrigation with reclaimed water and new fire hydrants were installed. To do that work, the streets had to be dug up and replaced.</p>
<p class="p3">The work was supposed to be “substantially completed” by early October, with final completion by Dec. 6.</p>
<p class="p3">But the city’s contractor, Lanzo Construction, fell behind for a variety of reasons, including the discovery of a cracked pipe, the need to move water meters and the need to install a valve to bypass an existing water main. The water main’s location was different from the one shown in the preliminary engineering drawings, the Public Works staff explained. </p>
<p class="p3">The contractor also might not be able to make the revised mid-January deadline.</p>
<p class="p3">“The issue is primarily focused on drainage improvements involving obtaining and installing a check valve, as well as lining a drainage pipe,” the Public Works email said.</p>
<p class="p3">Realtor Iris Cohen said that Rhodes Villa Avenue is in “100 percent better condition than in the summer.”</p>
<p class="p3">That’s when she traversed Rhodes Villa twice daily to feed her ex-husband’s Maine coon cats. It should have been an easy drive from Lang Realty’s East Atlantic Avenue offices, but it wasn’t.</p>
<p class="p3">On Rhodes Villa, she had to dodge ruts, water-filled trenches and heavy equipment. The main road, A1A between Casuarina Road to Del Haven, was often down to one lane to install reclaimed-water lines west of the sidewalks along A1A.</p>
<p class="p3">Now, Cohen said, the contractor appears to be making things right. “They had to replace sod and mailboxes. When they replaced the sod, then they came back to water it and make sure it’s growing,” she said. “They are trying.”</p>
<p class="p3">City staffers are reminding the contractor of the contract’s liquidated damages clause when negotiating completion benchmarks.</p>
<p class="p3">They will consult with the city attorney when the project is complete to determine whether any damages should be assessed, the email said.</p>
<p class="p4"></p>
<p class="p5"><span class="s2"><b>Confusion in December boil water episode</b></span></p>
<p class="p3">Separately, a boil water order in early December created confusion for residents about whether they were in the area affected.</p>
<p class="p3">The notice was so poorly worded that some residents living north of Atlantic Avenue called or sent emails about it, Mayor Shelly Petrolia said at the Dec. 11 City Commission meeting.</p>
<p class="p3">City Manager Mark Lauzier agreed the notice may have caused confusion and said future notices would more accurately describe the locations affected.</p>
<p class="p3">On Dec. 6, Delray Beach issued a boil water notice for businesses and residents east of the Intracoastal Waterway, south of Atlantic Avenue to the city’s southern border with Highland Beach.</p>
<p class="p3">According to Goldman, a resident tied a potable irrigation meter with a regular potable water meter for the house. A private contractor had installed a reclaimed irrigation meter to the irrigation piping.</p>
<p class="p3">“Once discovered, city staff worked with the Florida Department of Health to implement precautionary actions to protect public health and safety. As part of that, the (affected) home was disinfected, flushed and tested, and a precautionary boil water notice was issued for the extended surrounding area,” he said in an email.</p>
<p class="p3">The boil water order was lifted on Dec. 8, 48 hours later.</p>
<p class="p3">Because the contractor was hired privately and working on private property, the city will not be able to assess a fine, according to the email.</p>
<p class="p3">In late December, the Utilities Department was calculating the cleanup costs for the cross connection.</p>
<p class="p3">The city notified residents and businesses in the affected area through its Code Red smartphone app, which sent an automated phone call and text message to those who had signed up for the alert.</p>
<p class="p3">City staffers also went door to door to hang a boil water notice that showed a map of the affected area.</p>
<p class="p3">“It was only for a few days,” said Kathy Baffer, former Seagate Neighborhood Association president. “We stopped drinking the water as soon as we heard.” </p></div>Along the Coast: Work on Woolbright at I-95 will continue into new yearhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-work-on-woolbright-at-i-95-will-continue-into-new2018-11-28T17:48:40.000Z2018-11-28T17:48:40.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br />Construction work at the Woolbright Road interchange in Boynton Beach has yet another completion date.<br /> The contractor is now saying end of December for most of the work to be finished, said Andi Pacini, Corradino Group community outreach spokeswoman for Interstate 95 projects. “Punch list items will most likely push final acceptance into 2019,” she said. <br />Corradino Group contracts with the Florida Department of Transportation.<br /> The substantial work remaining includes finishing the widening of the I-95 northbound entrance ramp, finishing the widening of the southbound exit ramp to provide free flow of right-turn traffic onto westbound Woolbright Road, building sidewalks and adding lighting and traffic signals. <br /> “Crews have been on site working on these activities,” Pacini said.<br /> Woolbright and Hypoluxo Road interchanges are part of a $32.5 million, five-interchange bid in Broward and Palm Beach counties. <br /> Construction work on the Hypoluxo Road interchange started in June 2015, and work on the Woolbright Road interchange began in January 2016, Pacini said. The other three projects are in Palm Beach Gardens, Lake Worth and Deerfield Beach.<br /> The contract end date for all five projects was Nov. 3, 2017. As a result, FDOT has been fining the contractor $8,491.01 per day for all five since Nov. 4, 2017, Pacini said. <br /> At Hypoluxo Road, the contractor needs to finish striping, complete the pedestrian signal wiring at the I-95 southbound entrance ramp and complete punch list activities. FDOT is anticipating an end of December completion for the five projects, Pacini said.<br /> Work at the five locations is taking place mostly overnight to ease the impact on traffic.</p></div>Lantana: Water work dragging on Hypoluxo Islandhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-water-work-dragging-on-hypoluxo-island2018-08-01T16:00:00.000Z2018-08-01T16:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:18pt;"><strong>Slow progress on main angers residents</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960805255,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="600" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960805255,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960805255?profile=original" /></a>Work on South Atlantic Drive on Hypoluxo Island continued on July 24, past the Lantana Town Council’s July 23 deadline for the project’s completion. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p><strong>By Mary Thurwachter</strong></p>
<p>Lantana officials have put the squeeze on Intercounty Engineering Inc., the firm hired to install water main pipes on South Atlantic Drive on Hypoluxo Island. The contractor, they say, has fallen behind schedule and isn’t doing a satisfactory job of cleanup after work each day.<br /> Payments to the contractor are being withheld by Lantana’s engineering company, Mathews Consulting Inc. The contract is worth a little more than $1 million, and $671,000 is left to be paid, according to Rebecca Travis of Mathews Consulting.<br /> In December, the town hired Intercounty Engineering, the lowest of three bidders, to install new 6- and 8-inch water mains along South Atlantic Drive and Southeast Atlantic Drive for additional fire protection, according to Linda Brien, Lantana’s director of operations. The project, along the island’s main street, begins at East Ocean Boulevard and South Atlantic Drive heading south to Lands End Road, where it turns east to the end of Southeast Atlantic Drive.<br /> The original final completion date was July 3. However, “due to rain and unforeseen conditions, the town extended the completion date to July 23,” Brien said. That goal hasn’t been met and those who live in the area aren’t happy about it — or about the quality of work.<br /> The work continued into August. The Coastal Star reached out to Maurice Hynes, president of Intercounty Engineering, for comment, but he did not reply.<br /> Dan Hiatt, who lives on the island and has 40 years’ experience in construction, appeared at the July 9 Town Council meeting. He said that when the workers were cutting a trench, they threw dirt all over the road and did not clean it up, as the contract required.<br /> Hiatt said the work had created a giant mess that is a safety issue. <br /> “We’ve got a coalition of people that see me every day when I walk my dog that have been consistently calling and complaining about this,” said Hiatt. “We just want to figure out a remedy to this situation. How can we force his [the contractor’s] hand? What can we do to make this guy comply with the contract?”<br /> Another resident, Erica Wald, complained about flagmen who “are always eating something or looking at their phone” when she tried to drive through the construction site. The mess left by workers has resulted in three flat tires for her car, she said.<br /> Manalapan commissioners who live on Point Manalapan and gain access to their community by driving past the construction site, also expressed concerns at last month’s meeting of their Town Council.<br /> Lantana Town Manager Deborah Manzo said the town is keeping close tabs on the work and that either someone from Mathews Consulting or someone from the town is on site every day.<br /> “We feel the contractor is lacking in his attention to the project, his cleanup of the project, and his provision of asphalt patching on the trench every night that he’s required to do,” Mathews engineering consultant Travis told the Lantana council on July 9.<br /> She said that the engineering firm was holding a monthly meeting with the contractor to bring these issues to light and that the town has had additional meetings with the contractor, or his project manager.<br /> “When he [contractor] was not responding in the manner he should have, we issued a notice of noncompliance letter on June 28 to rectify the situation, and this was specific to the asphalt patching at the end of every single day,” Travis said. “He says he’ll do better. He has done slightly better, still not to our standards.”<br /> In order for the contractor to finish the water main work sometime this month, he needs to have a second crew, Travis said. “Because the contractor is not meeting his contract completion times, the town can charge him $500 a day for each day he is late.” Those fines are piling up.<br /> Hiatt wanted to know why the town didn’t red tag the contractor and shut him down. <br /> Town Attorney Max Lohman said to do that would be “asinine in the extreme.”<br /> “Then you’re going to have months more of what you don’t like now, because then we have to go through a process,” Lohman said. “Not to mention that we can’t collect liquidated damages on a project that we red tag and prevent him from doing construction.”<br /> Lohman said the town was pursuing its remedies under the contract as it is required to do.<br /> “We’ve provided written notice of his breach of contract for his failures to meet the terms of his contract and we’re taking all the necessary legal steps to move forward,” Lohman said.<br /> Hiatt said one resident was threatening a lawsuit. But Lohman said that wasn’t a good idea.<br /> “If a man feels so inclined to bring a lawsuit, he can go waste his money and do that because there are no third-party beneficiaries to this contract,” Lohman said. Not “he, nor you, nor anybody else in this town has the ability to sue this contractor for breach of contract. Only the Town Council does.”<br /> Hiatt questioned how sincerely the town was taking his concerns.<br /> “We are taking it seriously, and just so you know, we’re trying to make sure we jump though all the legal hoops, which sometimes are slower and more laborious then we’d like them to be,” Lohman said. “Because the only thing worse than this project not getting completed in a timely fashion is to waste money not getting it done and have to spend more money.” <br /> The town could go after the contractor’s bond.<br /> “If he does not cure his breach then we can put a claim on his surety bond, which will hurt him more than a lawsuit because once a contractor gets a claim on their bond it becomes nearly impossible to get another one,” Lohman said. <br /> “We do realize that it’s a problem for people who live there, and the town is not insensitive to it,” Lohman said. “But we have to follow the proper legal steps to solve the problem for you.”<br /> When Hiatt persisted to question the town’s willingness to act, Lohman bristled.<br /> “No one here is blowing you off,” Lohman said. “We’re addressing your concerns. You’re not satisfied with the answer and I understand that. But I take issue with the fact that you’re going to stand here and ridicule this council and lecture us as if we don’t have backbone or don’t have the ability to enforce our contractual obligations on our contractor.”<br /> After the July 9 council meeting, Mathews Consulting sent a second notice of noncompliance for the asphalt trench repair. Recommendations included constructing an asphalt cap over the trench and cleaning the road at the end of each workday. <br /> Brien said the contractor responded that “they are taking steps to follow the contract patching requirements.”<br /> <strong>In other news</strong>, the council:<br /> • Set the first budget hearing for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the council chambers. The proposed tax rate is $3.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value, the same as last year.<br /> • Recognized Officer Mathew Parks as the Police Department’s Officer of the 2nd Quarter for his investigation into a large-scale car theft operation in the county.</p></div>Along the Coast: Three more months of I-95 work remain at Woolbright Roadhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-three-more-months-of-i-95-work-remain-at-woolbrig2018-08-01T14:55:33.000Z2018-08-01T14:55:33.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Commuters will have to endure at least another three months of construction at the Woolbright Road/Interstate 95 interchange and another month at the Hypoluxo Road interchange.<br /> The Woolbright interchange needs more work and is expected to be finished by the end of October, said Andrea Pacini, Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman. Construction started there in January 2016.<br /> The Hypoluxo/I-95 interchange should be finished by the end of August, Pacini said. Work started there in June 2015.<br /> The two projects are part of a $32.5 million, five-interchange contract that also covers Donald Ross Road in Jupiter, 10th Avenue North in Lake Worth, and Hillsboro Boulevard to Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach.<br /> Community Asphalt Corp., a division of OHL North America, was supposed to finish construction in November. That means FDOT will fine the contractor $8,401 per day since Nov. 4, Pacini said. <br /> “When a contractor has exceeded contract time, they are not eligible to receive weather days or holidays,” she said. <br />“The contractor’s past performance rating is also being penalized, which can affect their ability to bid and win future FDOT work.”<br />The contractor has been working through challenging, unforeseen conditions and design issues on this project, said Fallon McLoughlin, OHL North America spokesman. “We are confident that these issues have been resolved and we plan to have construction completed by early fall.”<br /> At the Woolbright interchange, the contractor has “substantial work outstanding. The contractor needs to complete the widening of the I-95 northbound off-ramp, finish the south-side widening, construct the sidewalk, install drainage and add lights and traffic signals,” she said.<br /> That’s why the FDOT contract administrator is estimating an end of October completion date. The Hypoluxo Road interchange is nearly done, Pacini said.<br /> “The contractor needs to finish grading, sodding and striping there,” she said.</p></div>Manalapan: Wet weather pushes back Publix grand openinghttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/manalapan-wet-weather-pushes-back-publix-grand-opening2018-05-30T18:08:56.000Z2018-05-30T18:08:56.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>Weeks of lingering rain in May have delayed construction and pushed back the opening of the new Publix store at Manalapan’s Plaza del Mar from early June to late July.<br /> But the good news is all that rain will help a revised landscaping plan to take root and grow dozens more palm trees and even beds of graceful, flowing breeze grass and some lovely potted Crinum lilies.<br /> The influx of areca palms behind the stores — 77 of them from Pahokee — comes in response to residents’ complaints about the 20-foot water tank workers installed on the plaza’s south side to raise water pressure enough to satisfy fire code requirements. <br /> The plaza’s developer and landlord, Crossman & Co. and Kitson & Partners, believe the long row of 20- to 25-foot palms will go a long way toward concealing the tank from next-door neighbors at La Coquille Villas. <br /> Mayor Keith Waters agrees. “I think it’s going to very adequately deal with this problem,” Waters said during the Town Commission meeting May 22.<br /> The substitution of the Crinum lilies for pygmy date palms in the front planters and the addition of beds of breeze grass are aesthetic changes to the plan.<br /> Last year, Kitson talked about a June 8 target date for the Publix grand opening. Vice Mayor Peter Isaac says the word from the landlord now is that the target opening is July 28, but that could easily slip into August should tropical rains continue.<br />In other business, after a spate of car thefts, commissioners in January unanimously approved a plan to expand the Police Department’s number of full-time sworn officers to 12. The expansion is proving more difficult than expected.<br /> Chief Carmen Mattox said the town has “had two setbacks to obtaining full staffing.” One veteran officer has resigned, and Mattox said another was let go after he “failed to perform at an acceptable level” during the department’s field training program. <br /> He said the town has nine full-time officers and three open full-time positions. Despite the staff shortage, Mattox says he is still able to keep three vehicles on patrol during night shifts.<br /> Last year, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office donated a used 21-foot flat boat to Manalapan police for patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway, particularly the area around Bird Island at the Boynton Inlet. Waters said the boat patrols have drawn praise from residents.<br /> “I’ve had a lot of good comments,” the mayor said. “People are glad to see that Manalapan is in the water.”</p></div>Ocean Ridge: Lucibella trial delayed, againhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/ocean-ridge-lucibella-trial-delayed-again2018-04-25T14:00:00.000Z2018-04-25T14:00:00.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><div><strong><font face="Helvetica Neue">By Emily J. Minor</font></strong></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378231"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378230"><font id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378229" face="Helvetica Neue"> The trial of former Ocean Ridge Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella has been delayed, again, because Lucibella’s attorney, Marc Shiner, has a torn calf muscle, attorney Heidi Perlet told a judge Wednesday morning. </font></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378234"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378233"> Lucibella, who appeared in court Wednesday but stayed seated and silent during the brief hearing before Circuit Judge Meenu T. Sasser, will come back May 24 to see if a new trial date can be set. It depends, Perlet said, on Shiner’s recovery.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378237"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378236"> The jury trial, most recently set to start Monday, April 30, stems from charges filed after police came to Lucibella’s Ocean Ridge home around 9:30 p.m. Oct. 22, 2016, to investigate the sound of gunfire. Three police officers found the vice mayor, who has since resigned, and former Ocean Ridge police Lt. Steven Wohlfiel — who was later fired — sitting outside on Lucibella’s back patio. Officers later said the two men were drinking and that, when they first approached, they saw one of the men with a .40-caliber Glock pistol. Neither man has admitted to firing a gun that night.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378244"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378243"> The police visit quickly escalated into a contentious confrontation that resulted with Lucibella on the ground in handcuffs. That scuffle, claims Lucibella’s legal team, left the former Ocean Ridge official with broken ribs and an injured eye. But one of the responding officers claims she was the one injured, and she’s suing Lucibella.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378247"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1524434855618_378246"> Refusing any plea deal from the State Attorney’s Office, Lucibella is going to trial on felony charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer with violence. He also faces one misdemeanor count of using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.</span></div>
<p></p></div>Gulf Stream: Town’s underground project back on track after Irma hiatushttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/gulf-stream-town-s-underground-project-back-on-track-after-irma-h2017-11-01T19:29:50.000Z2017-11-01T19:29:50.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong><br /><br /> Gulf Stream is holding weekly meetings with Florida Power & Light and the phone and cable companies to regain momentum on its project to bury the utility lines.<br /> Contractor Wilco Electric, which has been placing conduit underground for the utilities in phase 2 of the project, was pulled off the job after Hurricane Irma struck to help FPL restore power across the state.<br /> All of the underground conduit is now in place, and Town Manager Greg Dunham said Wilco is “on the verge” of finishing the electrical portion of the project.<br /> “It’s going to take a couple of months,” he said. “But you’ll still have AT&T and Comcast overhead.”<br /> Phase 2, which extends from Golfview Drive north, has approximately 200 customers subdivided into seven electrical “loops,” Dunham said. He expected FPL to issue “switching orders” allowing Wilco to switch customers from overhead to underground for at least two and possibly four loops by the end of October.<br /> Each residence takes two to four hours to convert.<br /> During Irma, the entire town lost power because of problems with substations or feeder lines outside of Gulf Stream, Dunham said. The storm blew a couple of power poles over on Polo Drive, where residents were the last to regain electricity almost a week later.<br /> In the not-too-distant future, “that kind of incident won’t be happening,” he said.<br /> After the electrical connections are made, Comcast or AT&T will transfer its overhead lines underground. Usually, one utility waits for the other to finish its segment, but Dunham was hopeful they would work simultaneously in different sections of phase 2. Then FPL will return.<br /> “That’s when all the old infrastructure — the wires and poles — will come down,” Dunham said. <br /> Town residents approved the plan to bury utility lines in 2011 and agreed to bear the $5.5 million cost through special assessments. Gulf Stream officials approved spending an additional $510,000 from the general budget last year.</p></div>