hurricane irma - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T15:02:36Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/hurricane+irmaAlong the Coast: Three beach renourishment projects gear up before turtle season’s peakhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-three-beach-renourishment-projects-gear-up-before2020-01-29T17:30:00.000Z2020-01-29T17:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> Sand lost to 2017’s Hurricane Irma on the beaches of Ocean Ridge/Boynton Beach, south Delray Beach and north Boca Raton will be restored starting about Feb. 5.<br /> The projects will be paid for using federal tax dollars authorized by Congress in June under the Flood Control and Coastal Emergencies Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will oversee the work. <br /> The approximate cost for restoring the Ocean Ridge/Boynton Beach and Delray Beach sand is $13.7 million, according to the Army Corps. Those three beaches will receive nearly 800,000 cubic yards of sand, equal to the amount needed to fill about 250 Olympic-size swimming pools. <br /> The work will be divided into two parts: Delray Beach and then Ocean Ridge/Boynton Beach. Each will take about 30 days to finish, working around the clock.<br /> “Ocean Ridge will follow Delray. It should get going the first week of March and again wrap up in roughly 30 days or four weeks,” David Ruderman, Army Corps spokesman in the Jacksonville office, wrote in a Jan. 10 email to The Coastal Star. “These dates and timelines may slip forward or backward depending on the weather and mechanical/technical issues, but that is the plan.”<br /> Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Illinois, will dredge the sand offshore and then coat the southern coast of Delray Beach, from Casuarina Road to the city line with Highland Beach. <br /> In Boynton Beach, heavy equipment will be stationed at Oceanfront Park. That beach, about 1,000 feet long, will receive extra sand.<br /> The contractor also will restore about 3,000 feet north of Oceanfront Park and about 2,000 feet south of it. Both parcels belong to Ocean Ridge.<br /> A second contractor, Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, Louisiana, won the $12.8 million contract for the Boca Raton work. Staging will begin in mid-February with the project to be complete no later than April 30, Ruderman said. <br /> The same Great Lakes dredge hired to restore sand in Jupiter will float down the coast to restore the Delray and Boynton/Ocean Ridge beaches. It can’t move in rough seas, said Tracy Logue, coastal geologist with the Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management department.<br /> Once sea turtle nesting season begins March 1, extra steps are required, Logue said. These include hourly nesting surveys, relocation of or the creation of safe zones for nests affected by construction, and limited lighting at night.<br /> The last step is intended to avoid excessive illumination of the water’s surface while meeting federal standards for construction lighting at night.<br /> “Weather and sea conditions have a lot to do with how fast the work can be done,” said Christine Perretta, whose D.B. Ecological Services monitors sea turtle nests in that Boynton Beach/Ocean Ridge area.<br /> She expects to be called to a pre-construction meeting in mid-February to review the plan for dealing with sea turtle nests. <br /> Leatherback turtles can nest in months outside the traditional nesting season of March 1 to Oct. 31, she said. <br /> “They usually allow work on the beach in the early part of the nesting season. The peak begins May 15, then all work on the beach must cease,” Perretta said. <br /> The monitoring will occur at night if there’s nesting activity, Perretta said. “Monitors will be allowed to move the eggs out of the construction area or create a safe area around the nest that the construction equipment won’t disturb.”</p></div>Along the Coast: Beach sand to get refreshed during seasonhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-beach-sand-to-get-refreshed-during-season2019-10-30T17:44:24.000Z2019-10-30T17:44:24.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith and Dan Moffett</strong></p>
<p>Three South County beaches will be restored this season with nearly 800,000 cubic yards of sand, costing $13.66 million.<br /> Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. of Oak Brook, Illinois, will dredge the sand offshore and then coat the southern coast of Delray Beach, from Casuarina Road to the city line with Highland Beach.<br /> Boynton Beach’s Oceanfront Park beach, about 1,000 feet long, will receive extra sand.<br /> The contractor also will restore about 3,000 feet north of Oceanfront Park and about 2,000 feet south of it. Both parcels sit in Ocean Ridge.<br /> Heavy equipment will be stationed at Oceanfront Park, said Michael Stahl, deputy director of the county’s Department of Environmental Resources Management. <br /> “The projects will restore sand lost during Hurricane Irma,” he said. <br /> Initial assessments didn’t reveal that much sand was lost during the 2017 storm.<br /> “It wasn’t until we did the studies that showed the substantial sand loss below the waterline,” Stahl explained. <br /> The projects will be paid for with federal tax dollars, authorized by Congress in June under the Flood Control and Coastal Emergency Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will oversee the work. <br /> The Delray Beach work is estimated to start in December and the Boynton Beach/Ocean Ridge project in February, according to David Ruderman, Army Corps spokesman. <br /> In addition, Ruderman said the Army Corps office in Jacksonville awarded a separate $8.39 million contract to Great Lakes to restore the Jupiter area beaches in northern county. That work is scheduled to start by the end of 2019 and add 517,000 cubic yards of sand.<br /> In South Palm Beach, the Town Council is hoping to partner with neighboring Palm Beach for a beach renourishment project early next year, paid for with federal tax dollars.<br />South Palm would purchase about $700,000 worth of sand from Palm Beach so the project can be extended five-eighths of a mile south. The town already has the money set aside.<br /> But both municipalities are having the same problem getting the joint venture started: easements. Palm Beach needs 51 easements from property owners to reconstruct 2.8 miles of its beaches. As of October, only about 40 have agreed to grant access. The others are balking, saying they’re reluctant to open their private waterfront to public use.<br /> South Palm Beach needs 16 easements and has 15 in hand, according to Mayor Bonnie Fischer. The holdout is one of the town’s few single-family homeowners.<br /> Fischer said she remains optimistic that agreements can be reached with that homeowner and with those in Palm Beach.</p></div>Lantana: Council considering options for Nature Preserve trailhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-council-considering-options-for-nature-preserve-trail2018-10-31T17:37:32.000Z2018-10-31T17:37:32.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Thurwachter</strong></p>
<p>A year after Hurricane Irma left the trail at the Nature Preserve in shambles, the Lantana Town Council is still grappling with the best way to restore it. Only the front portion of the path is accessible.<br /> In May, the council talked about constructing a concrete path, a $66,000 project that would be built over two years. But council members said they weren’t thrilled with the idea of a concrete walkway in a nature preserve, and some thought the cost was too high. They asked Town Manger Deborah Manzo to look into other options, including one with composite wood and hand railings.<br /> On Oct. 8, Manzo presented an estimate of $709,470 from Marlin Marine Construction for a composite wood path with handrails and pilings. Council members said that project was out of its price range.<br /> Manzo said another option for the 6½-acre preserve at 440 E. Ocean Ave. would be to use treated wood, where the planks for the same square footage as the composite trail would be $8,279 (installation costs were not available). Council member Phil Aridas said he thought a pressure-treated wood boardwalk was the way to go, but others had different ideas.<br /> Vice Mayor Ed Shropshire suggested pavers and said Water Tower Commons was going to have them. <br /> Council member Malcolm Balfour said a macadam path like those at many golf courses would be far less expensive. <br /> “Concrete, which I’m not crazy about, is far better than pavers and certainly better than $709,470,” said council member Lynn Moorhouse. “Pavers move.”<br /> To cover all bases, Manzo was directed to get estimates on a path made of pressure treated wood, from pavers and on macadam.<br /> Mayor Dave Stewart said the town, because of an agreement made when the Nature Preserve was built in the late 1990s, cannot spend any more on the property than the $50,000 annual payment it receives from the Carlisle senior living facility next door. The town’s annual cost to maintain the park is about $20,000, leaving $30,000 to spend each year on needed improvements.<br /> Manzo said some funds for the project could be carried over from this year “because we had planned on doing the smaller portion of the path in fiscal year 2018 and since we have not, we will carry those funds over and use the other funds for fiscal year 2019.” <br /> The smaller loop of the trail would be tackled the first year and the larger loop the following year, Manzo said.<br /> Between $1,000 and $2,000 for the pathway project would come from FEMA, which supports repairs such as this as an improvement or mitigation project.</p></div>Along the Coast: Irma: What we learnedhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-irma-what-we-learned2018-07-04T13:30:00.000Z2018-07-04T13:30:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960800098,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960800098,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960800098?profile=original" /></a><em>Debris removal was a huge headache along the coast. <strong>2017 Coastal Star file photo</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong></p>
<p>Nearly a year after Hurricane Irma, South County coastal cities are honing lessons into actions to prepare their residents, businesses and workers for the next big storm.<br /> Each of the 10 coastal cities and towns received the same list of questions from The Coastal Star, divided into five main categories: communications, curfews, power, shelters and debris removal. <br /> Here are the highlights of their responses:<br /> <strong>For communications</strong>, how did your city/town inform residents of the approaching storm and areas to be evacuated? The three big cities used their websites and social media to alert residents. Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach also have AM radio stations to use.<br /> Smaller locales don’t use social media. In Gulf Stream, its officers alerted residents by going door-to-door, said Town Manager Greg Dunham. Manalapan sent emails about the approaching storm to its residents, said Linda Stumpf, town manager.<br /> Lantana also used a PA system and personal contacts to alert its barrier island residents about evacuating, said Robert Hagerty, Lantana police commander. <br /> Highland Beach found its CodeRED emergency platform most effective in alerting residents about Irma, said Police Chief Craig Hartmann. “For this hurricane season, we will be activating CodeRED notifications sooner and more frequently,” he said. <br /> South Palm Beach, which is primarily condo buildings, sent faxes and emails to condo managers about the mandatory evacuation, said Mo Thornton, town manager. “Patrol officers drove throughout town with lights activated, encouraging residents to evacuate,” she said.<br /> Ocean Ridge used its Twitter and NextDoor accounts, among other methods, to alert residents about the mandatory evacuation, Town Manager Jamie Titcomb said.<br /> Briny Breezes Council President Sue Thaler said the town’s main goal after Irma wasn’t changing procedures but trying to improve communication with the corporation. The idea is to precisely define the roles of the government and corporation in dealing with storms.<br /> How were post-storm communications handled? Most municipal representatives said this issue needs work. <br /> Along with Highland Beach, Delray Beach is pushing residents to sign up for CodeRED now so the city has a way to communicate with its residents post-storm. <br /> South Palm Beach will use Blackboard Connection, similar to CodeRED, to communicate with residents this year, Thornton said. <br /> Out-of-state residents will be issued ID cards that can be used to enter the town at the checkpoints post-storm, Thornton said. As part-time residents, their government-issued IDs don’t have South Palm Beach addresses.<br /> Most municipalities followed the countywide curfew that went into effect at 3 p.m. Sept. 9. Based on advice from its Police Department, Delray Beach asked residents to clear the streets even earlier that day — by 2 a.m. Boca Raton delayed its curfew by one day.<br /> In Boca Raton, “curfews are a challenge to coordinate for us because we’re on the border of Broward County and have many residents that live in one county and work in another or vice versa,” Gibson said. “There needs to be better coordination on curfews.”<br /> <strong>Florida Power & Light</strong>, the main electricity provider, said 95 percent of its customers had power restored within seven days following Irma, compared with 15 days after Hurricane Wilma in 2005.<br /> Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach were able to open their libraries just after the storm to give their powerless residents a place to charge their electronics. <br /> <strong>Shelters</strong> in the public schools were adequate; residents have to bring their own food and bedding. New for 2018, the county will hire two mental health counselors per shelter to help with anxiety issues. <br /> The county has a special needs and pet shelters, which require advance registration.<br /> <strong>Debris removal</strong> proved to be the bane for most municipalities.<br /> Even though the cities and towns had contracts with debris haulers, it became a free-for-all with most of Florida’s 67 counties impacted by Irma. <br /> Gov. Rick Scott allowed the Florida Department of Transportation to hire haulers without going through a bidding process, Neal de Jesus, interim city manager during Irma, told Delray Beach city commissioners in September. Scott wanted to quicken the pace of cleanup in the Keys and Miami-Dade County, which were hardest hit.<br /> As a result, contractors left Palm Beach County cities where they were making $7 per cubic yard to earn as much as $18 per cubic yard hauling debris farther south. <br /> Delray Beach commissioners and Boca Raton council members agreed to pay AshBritt haulers more per cubic yard, until Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi started to investigate AshBritt and other haulers for price gouging. AshBritt no longer sought the price increases.<br /> Then, the problem became not enough truck drivers.<br /> Boca Raton purchased a few more trucks this year to help with post-storm cleanup, Gibson said. <br /> Many municipal representatives think the governor needs to set a pre-storm, standard rate for debris removal.</p></div>Lantana: Two federal grants help town prepare buildings for hurricaneshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-two-federal-grants-help-town-prepare-buildings-for-hurric2018-07-04T13:09:17.000Z2018-07-04T13:09:17.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Thurwachter</strong></p>
<p>It’ll be a year in September since Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in Lantana and so many other communities. <br />But this year, with the hurricane season already underway, the town is fortifying two of its buildings with the help of FEMA grants. <br /> News of one of the FEMA grant approvals came late in June. The money is for the police station at 901 N. Eighth St., which functions as the town’s emergency operations center during a hurricane.<br /> The $1.5 million project will consist of installing a new code-compliant roof and installing hurricane barriers on all openings such as windows, doors, skylights, vents, louvers and exhaust fans. The project includes a backup generator. <br />The federal government will cover 75 percent of the cost, with the town paying the remainder.<br /> “Once the town receives an approved agreement from the state (which owns the building, part of the A.G. Holley property), the town will begin the design and bid documents needed to move forward with this project,” said Town Manager Deborah Manzo.<br />The first of the two grants, approved earlier this year, will add accordion shutters to the town library, a $70,000 project of which FEMA will cover 75 percent.<br /> The project has already begun. Shutters will cover the 20-foot, floor-to-ceiling windows surrounding the building at 205 W. Ocean Ave.<br /> “Last year it took town staff 80 [worker] hours to put up hurricane panels on the windows,” said Manzo. <br />“The accordion shutters will allow town staff to spend their time on other pre- and post-disaster efforts.”</p>
<p><strong>In other action,</strong> the Town Council: <br /> • Set its second budget workshop for 5:30 p.m. July 9. During the first workshop June 11, the council learned that the estimated taxable value has risen about 8 percent to $1 billion. A proposed tax rate will be chosen in July.<br /> • Turned down a proposal from P3 Global Management to permit a bike-sharing program in Lantana like the one in West Palm Beach.</p></div>Lantana: Concrete trail considered for preservehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-concrete-trail-considered-for-preserve2018-05-30T17:02:43.000Z2018-05-30T17:02:43.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Thurwachter</strong></p>
<p>A proposal to construct a concrete trail at the Lantana Nature Preserve got mixed reviews from the Town Council on May 14. The discussion prompted the town to look at other ways to rebuild the pathway, including a boardwalk.<br /> Last year’s Hurricane Irma left the preserve and the trail in shambles. Only the front portion is currently accessible.<br /> Town Manager Deborah Manzo proposed a 5-foot-wide concrete trail at a cost of $33,000 for the first phase. The project would be spread over two years, so another $33,000 would be spent next year for a total project cost of $66,000. Most of the money would come from the Carlisle Palm Beach, just east of the 6½-acre preserve at 440 E. Ocean Ave. <br /> As a result of a deal struck when the Carlisle senior living facility was built on land the town owned at the time, the Carlisle pays Lantana $50,000 a year for preserve expenses. <br /> Between $1,000 and $2,000 for the pathway project would come from FEMA, which supports repairs such as this as an improvement or mitigation project. The town’s annual cost to maintain the park is $20,000.<br /> “That [$66,000] seems like rather a lot of money for a path,” said council member Malcolm Balfour, who lives near the preserve. “But something needs to be done. There are so many rocks there. It’s almost impossible to walk through.”<br />Some council members didn’t like the idea of concrete being used.<br /> “It’s a nature preserve,” council member Lynn Moorhouse stressed. “I have reservations.”<br /> Mayor Dave Stewart asked for other options. “It’s not intended to be manicured like a country club,” he said.<br /> “The shell rock wasn’t working,” Manzo said. “Granite sand was tried and washed away.” Mulch also washes away.<br /> Council member Phil Aridas suggested a boardwalk. <br /> “If it’s boardwalk, it would be recycled lumber, which is very expensive,” Manzo said. Recycled lumber is being used at the beach and holds up better, she said.<br /> Balfour said the town needs to consider where most of the money for Nature Preserve improvements and maintenance come from. “We have to remember that the place is mostly funded by the old-age home and we need to make it comfortable for them,” he said. Since the hurricane, Carlisle residents haven’t been able to get in to enjoy the butterfly garden or other parts of the preserve. <br /> Manzo will bring back all options and prices at a future meeting.<br /> In other news, the council approved spending $51,965 to install new hurricane shutters on the town library. Most of the money will come from a federal grant. The town’s contribution would be $17,321.</p></div>Along the Coast: Golf courses ready for the season after cleanup from Irmahttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-golf-courses-ready-for-the-season-after-cleanup-f2017-11-01T16:29:39.000Z2017-11-01T16:29:39.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960761879,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960761879,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960761879?profile=original" /></a><em>Patrick Gramm of Gulf Stream tees off on the ninth hole of The Little Club on Oct. 20. A few trees like the one in the foreground did not survive Irma’s winds, but the rest of the course looked to be in prime playing condition. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Brian Biggane</strong><br /><br /> Officials cited toppled trees and mangled vegetation as the main obstacles they needed to overcome in getting Palm Beach County golf courses back up and running in the wake of Hurricane Irma.<br /> But while all of the dozen or so courses surveyed reported extensive damage, hardworking maintenance crews had most of them open within a week of the storm’s passing.<br /> Sam Metott, who oversaw the cleanup at the Delray Beach Golf Club as assistant parks and recreation director for the city, said there was even a silver lining in the destruction.<br /> “The greens and fairways on our course and most courses were largely untouched, so the fact they were closed for that time reduced the foot traffic to zero,” Metott said. “They were provided a little rest and we were able to hit them with pesticides and fertilizer, and our members are telling us they’re in great shape.”<br /> A closer look at how some of the local courses fared:<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">The Little Club</span><br /> Superintendent George Ralish estimated the private course lost “probably about 30 or 40” trees, mostly green buttonwoods, the majority of which were away from the prime playing areas. The club was closed for two days before the storm and six days after.<br /> “We didn’t have power for eight days after the storm, and we’ve only had eight people doing the cleanup, so we’ve still got some stumps and trees with broken limbs,” Ralish said. “Some of our sump pumps went down as well, so we had four holes where we had standing water for several days.”<br /> A tree company had been contracted to assist with the cleanup, and The Little Club is another that typically doesn’t get a lot of play until sometime in November.<br /> “The course looks really good now — better than ever,” head pro Wanda Krolikowski said. “Sometimes the land just needs a good combing, but you can’t tell people that.”<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">Gulf Stream Golf Club</span><br /> Manager Kevin Bauer estimated the sprawling private beachside property lost “roughly between 80 and 100 trees” but added that a lot of what was lost would not be noticeable when the course opened on schedule for the season on Oct. 20.<br /> “We really had no structural damage to the [clubhouse],” Bauer said. “It was all about the trees and debris and flooding, and we’re almost 100 percent recovered from that.”<br /> The most noticeable change after the storm was the disappearance of 10 towering palms that lined A1A in front of the clubhouse and were shredded by Irma’s winds. They have been replaced by six smaller Sylvester palms.<br /> “They were probably the most prominent trees we lost,” Bauer said. “A lot of [the trees] we lost were in areas that are not prominent.”<br /> Bauer credited superintendent Ryan Swilley and his crew for their cleanup efforts after he estimated the course lost about four weeks of normal maintenance to the storm.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">Seagate Country Club</span><br /> Chairman Anthony Wilson said his course lost 24 trees and was closed for a week after the storm passed.<br /> “The bigger problem is it keeps raining,” he said. “The course drains well and comes back quickly, but all the rain has been hard to overcome.”<br /> Wilson noted that his golf course crew also maintains the community around the course, requiring him to hire outside contractors to assist with the cleanup.<br /> “It was a big job; guys were working from sunup to sundown,” he said. “We had a lot of sand on the cart paths — typical stuff that washes out and gets beat up.” He said the fact the club has so-called billy bunkers, which are designed to minimize sand erosion from heavy storms, was a big plus.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">Red Reef Par-3</span><br /> Greg Jerolaman, manager for the city of Boca Raton’s three courses, said 10 trees were lost and another 11 had major limb damage at Red Reef, but the vegetation between the beach and the holes east of A1A prevented sand from being a major problem.<br /> “We had two banyan trees and a huge sea grape that were basically sheared in half,” Jerolaman said. “We spent nine days chain-sawing and cleaning up debris to get the course playable.”<br /> The course was closed 12 days, beginning when the city declared a storm emergency on Sept. 8. It reopened Sept. 20.<br /> Jerolaman said only two city employees are assigned full time to Red Reef, so the assistance supplied by a Parks Division crew for several days “really enabled us to reopen when we did. Our part-time staff were terrific, too. They weren’t required to assist but showed up in the searing heat and assisted with the cleanup as well. Quite heroic of them — as they are not spring chickens!”<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">Delray Beach Golf Club</span><br /> Metott, who also oversaw the cleanup at the par-3 Lakeview course as well as Southwinds in west Delray Beach, reopened the front nine at the city course, just west of Interstate 95 on Atlantic Avenue, on Sept. 29 and the back nine a week later.<br /> “We lost hundreds of trees, but the biggest issue was large broken limbs hanging down,” he said. “It was more a safety issue. A downed tree won’t hurt anybody, but those significant size limbs that could fall and injure people, we had to have contractors cut them down.”<br /> The club became a staging area as a generator was brought in right after the storm passed so all three meals could be prepared for city workers.<br /> Metott said golfers who got impatient at the pace of cleanup didn’t understand the dynamics at work.<br /> “The management companies hired by the city and FEMA to do cleanup of the golf courses are the same ones that have been clearing the streets and picking up debris, so they have priorities,” he said.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3"> St. Andrews</span><br /> General manager Robert Grassi suspects a tornado touched down near the clubhouse where three trees were lost and a water fountain was pulled out of the ground. Beyond that, the most significant damage was to a handful of banyan trees on the property.<br /> “We still have two that need to come down because they took a lot of stress,” he said.<br /> Grassi brought in an arborist who advised the club to replant younger trees that will have to grow their own root systems. But with planting season over, that will have to wait until spring. The private course is reopened but won’t get much play until most members return for the season.<br /> “We lost a lot of trees,” Grassi said. “It looks kind of barren out there.”<br /> Options include planting cabbage and eureka palms for protection and installing paspalum grass around the two lakes on the course.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">Palm Beach Par-3</span><br /> Head pro Tony Chateauvert reported that the paspalum grass on his course was a key to its reopening Sept. 17, a week after the storm passed.<br /> “We had sand everywhere — the clubhouse was covered in it and it was a half-inch deep on the holes on the ocean,” Chateauvert said. “We spent two days power washing everything and the paspalum came back quickly.”<br /> The closing of State Road A1A north and south of the South Palm Beach facility made reaching the club impossible for a time, and business was slow through the first week but has picked up since.<br /> “We lost a couple trees but a lot of courses further west got impacted [more] than we did,” Chateauvert said.</p></div>Paws Up for Pets: Staff shows preparation, devotion as Irma damages Boca shelterhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/paws-up-for-pets-staff-shows-preparation-devotion-as-irma-damages2017-11-01T16:00:00.000Z2017-11-01T16:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960750069,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960750069,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960750069?profile=original" /></a><em>Manalapan resident Suzi Goldsmith, executive director of Tri-County Animal Rescue, holds Peter, a 3-month-old Great Pyrenees that the shelter took in following the death of his owner, a Great Pyrenees breeder. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Arden Moore</strong></p>
<p> Living in South Florida comes with lots of perks (sandy beaches, awesome sunrises and no icy sidewalks) as well as perils — with hurricanes topping that list. Think of the time and energy you invested to try to fortify your home from Hurricane Irma’s relentless winds and rains. Now multiply that by, say, 40 times or more.<br /> And think of keeping a cool head all the while and putting the needs of other people and animals in front of your own as the hurricane zeros in on you and what you cherish the most.<br /> That’s exactly what Suzi Goldsmith, co-founder and executive director of the Tri-County Animal Rescue in west Boca Raton, did before, during and now after Irma teamed up with a tornado to pay this nonprofit complex a rude visit.<br /> “We are grateful that no employee or animal was harmed during the storm,” she says. “We were hit hard and lost power for a week, but we are still here and we will continue to be here for the animals.”<br /> About seven staffers volunteered to work 24/7 shifts during the storm to protect the 200-plus cats, dogs and other animals on this 12-acre property. The shifts began on Sept. 9 and ended on Sept. 12. <br /> Around 3 p.m. Sept. 10, the storm struck Tri-County Animal Rescue, with the biggest hit delivered when a century-old maple tree landed and crushed the large isolation building. At the time, two employees and about 40 cats and dogs with contagious diseases like ringworm were inside. All escaped injury.<br /> The staffers braved the high winds and pelting rain to relocate these frightened animals into the main building as power flickered on and off and a backup generator ran until it emptied its diesel supply.<br /> “Our 2,400-square-foot isolation building is gone,” says Goldsmith. “We are just waiting for the permits to demolish the building.”<br /> What about insurance to cover the building? <br /> “We have liability insurance, but we can’t afford insurance to cover loss due to a hurricane,” she says. “We’re a nonprofit and that kind of insurance costs a lot of money that we do not have.”<br /> Just before Irma’s arrival, people from this rescue shelter made two trips to Houston in trucks loaded with bedding, food, medicine and other items for animals displaced during Hurricane Harvey.<br /> And after Hurricane Maria, Goldsmith reached out to pilots of small aircrafts to bring in 20 to 30 dogs from Puerto Rico to her rescue compound so the shelter staff could try to get them adopted into homes in South Florida.<br /> “What happened to Puerto Rico is so mind-blowing and sad,” says Goldsmith. “They got hit worse than we did.” <br /> Mother Nature is indiscriminate when she unleashes storms, earthquakes and wildfires. Goldsmith offers these tips to other animal shelter groups to help them prepare for the worst and to protect animals under their care:<br /> • Maintain a large supply of bottled water to give to staffers and animals during storms.<br /> • Make sure you have a generator for backup power as well as electric drills and saws.<br /> • Invest in special battery-operated radios that provide up-to-date weather information.<br /> • Ensure you have enough food stored for the animals.<br /> • Begin boarding up windows and tying down furniture as soon as you learn that a storm may be heading your way. Goldsmith started this a week before Irma hit.<br /> • Usher mobile vans and other vehicles into secured parking places so they are not out and exposed to the storm.<br /> • Bring in air mattresses and plenty of food (sandwiches, potato chips, sodas) for staffers who may not be able to leave the shelter due to the storm conditions.<br /> • Do your best to keep animals calm and stick to routines as much as possible, including twice-a-day feedings. Goldsmith fitted some storm-fearing dogs with anti-anxiety jackets known as Thundershirts. <br /> “My advice is to prepare in advance and don’t wait until the last minute,” she says. “I began stockpiling food and water in June.”<br /> Goldsmith has weathered other hurricanes during her 21 years at Tri-County Animal Rescue and suspects she will weather more. <br /> “I have such a passion for saving animals’ lives,” she says without hesitation. “It keeps me and my employees going. We are here for the animals. Always have been and always will be.”<br /> To learn how you can help Tri-County Rescue recover from the storm, visit <a href="http://www.tricountyanimalrescue.com">www.tricountyanimalrescue.com</a> or call 482-8110. <br /> <br /> <em> Arden Moore, a pet health and safety coach, is also an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. She hosts the Oh Behave! show on <a href="http://www.PetLifeRadio.com">www.PetLifeRadio.com</a>. Learn more by visiting <a href="http://www.ardenmoore.com">www.ardenmoore.com</a>.</em></p></div>Editor's Note: Irma, lawsuit affirm we’ll fight to keep publishinghttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/editor-s-note-irma-lawsuit-affirm-we-ll-fight-to-keep-publishing2017-10-04T19:25:00.000Z2017-10-04T19:25:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p> In between the National Hurricane Center’s every-three-hour updates, I grew anxious thinking what it would mean for our area to have the eye wall of a Category 4 or 5 Hurricane Irma blow directly up the I-95 corridor. <br /> “If the eye passes east of the lake, we leave. If it goes west, we stay.”<br /> That was the thin piece of logic I held to as we rushed through storm preparations. My husband was determined to stay regardless of the path. He’d laid the groundwork for survival — over the years we’ve hardened our 1950s-era house with a new roof, impact glass and accordion shutters. As a career photojournalist, he’d seen the aftermath of tornadoes and hurricanes, and he refused to get stuck in evacuation traffic jams. Plus, he had a generator and a chainsaw. He didn’t plan to bolt. <br /> I was the worrier. I had visions of our life forever altered by the storm. <br /> When you own a business and a Category 5 hurricane is heading in your direction, you tend to pace the floors and think through myriad scenarios of what could force you to wrap up loose ends, lock the doors and move on. Sadly, for many small-business owners across Texas, Florida and the Caribbean those nightmare scenarios are happening now. We are grateful to have avoided the life-changing situations so many others are now facing.<br /> We were lucky. Once our staff regained power and internet access, we were able to get back to business. Thankfully, so were our partners — our advertisers. We are grateful the residents and businesses in our slice of paradise survived with little more than power loss and tree damage.<br /> Will I stay on the island the next time a hurricane heads our way? I can’t say for sure, but I learned it will take a lot more than Irma to keep us from publishing a newspaper. <br /> And it will take more than a frivolous lawsuit from a prominent developer to keep us from reporting on stories in our community. A week prior to Irma’s arrival we received notice that Hudson Holdings LLC and Steven Michael had filed a $60 million libel suit against our publication. <br /> We were stunned. After the storm passed, our attorney talked with their attorney and we then had a reporter contact this same attorney for comment.<br /> The following week the case was dismissed without explanation. <br /> This was unexpected, but not a surprise. We stand by our reporting and believe the suit was nothing more than an attempt to intimidate and harass our publication. </p>
<p> In today’s world, litigation has become a standard tool of intimidation, and a yoke of so-called “fake news’’ has been placed around the necks of all news organizations no matter how small. This increases our commitment to getting the facts right and maintaining the trust of our community. <br /> As professional journalists we work hard to lay the groundwork for survival each and every time we go to press. That’s our responsibility. We don’t plan to bolt.</p>
<p><em>— Mary Kate Leming, Editor</em></p></div>Along the Coast: Majority of turtle nests had hatched before Hurricane Irma arrivedhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-majority-of-turtle-nests-had-hatched-before-hurr2017-10-04T19:02:05.000Z2017-10-04T19:02:05.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Ron Hayes</strong><br /><br /> Hurricane Irma spared Palm Beach County the worst it could do, and the county’s sea turtle nests seem to have been spared its worst as well.<br /> “In general, the beach was in better shape than we expected,” said Kirt Rusenko, the marine conservationist at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center who monitors nesting turtles along Boca Raton’s coast.<br /> “We lost about 80 nests and 96 nests survived the storm and are still on the beach,” he said. “Pretty decent, considering past storms. Right now we’re monitoring the remaining nests, which so far are hatching out right on schedule.”<br /> As of the week after the storm, Rusenko had counted 1,071 nests on Boca beaches — 767 loggerhead nests, 299 green turtle nests and five leatherback nests. <br /> “There was about 2 feet of sand blown into the dunes, which helps the dunes a lot. Not a whole lot of erosion.” Rusenko said.<br /> In the full 2016 season, from March 1 to Oct. 31, a total of 767 nests was counted in the same 5-mile stretch, from Highland Beach south to the Broward County line. <br /> In Ocean Ridge, the county’s Environmental Resources Management department tallied 582 as of late September — 492 loggerheads, 88 greens and two leatherbacks. The total count last year was 637, according to Kelly Martin, the department’s environmental analyst. <br /> Jackie Kingston, who holds a permit to monitor nesting on the 3-mile stretch from Pelican Lane in Delray Beach to Adams Road in Ocean Ridge, estimated that her team of volunteers has counted more than 700 loggerhead nests this season, more than 500 green turtle nests and five leatherback nests. If that number holds, Kingston said, it would mark a 10-year high. When Irma arrived, about 300 nests were on her stretch of beach, Kingston said, but though the storm destroyed about 100 of those nests, the rest were still healthy.<br /> The total number of turtle nests in the county won’t be released by the state Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission until early November. During the 2016 season, 35,851 nests were tallied along the county’s coast — 33,892 loggerhead nests, 1,582 greens and 377 leatherback, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report.</p></div>Hurricane Irma: Delray ponders changes after residents don’t get message to save waterhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/hurricane-irma-delray-ponders-changes-after-residents-don-t-get-m2017-10-04T19:00:00.000Z2017-10-04T19:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> If you aren’t drinking the water, don’t use it.<br /> Delray Beach utilities officials sent that command via email, social media and its CodeRed app about 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 10. Banned uses included bathing, toilet flushing and dish washing.<br /> Hurricane Irma’s winds were still lashing Delray Beach, toppling trees that brought down 140 power lines. The city lost power at 70 percent of its 129 sewage pumping stations. It had portable generators for only 30 stations. <br /> Most of Delray’s water customers also lost power. Less than half of its residents had signed on for alerts from CodeRed, an emergency application that works on smartphones.<br /> As a result, the sewage flows remained the same, said Neal deJesus, interim city manager. He spoke at a special City Commission meeting Sept. 13 to update commissioners on Irma’s damage.<br /> He called the lift station problem “the Achilles’ heel” of the storm. <br /> “Staff did an incredible job moving the generators from station to station,” deJesus said. “Even though the public was asked to please conserve, that didn’t work. Each pump station is at near normal use for this time of year.”<br /> He approved an emergency purchase of 20 generators for $2.2 million. “When the power comes up, no one wants to give up their generators,” deJesus said.<br /> Commissioners said the city needs a better way of communicating with its residents and business owners during emergency situations. They’ll devote part of the regularly scheduled Oct. 10 workshop to that discussion.<br /> That might be a notice in water bills asking customers to sign up for CodeRed alerts, Commissioner Shelly Petrolia said at the Sept. 13 meeting. She and fellow commissioners thanked the staff for working so hard to avoid a public health emergency.<br /> At the meeting, Petrolia asked why the problem had not happened in the past.<br /> “We had major power outages with this storm,” deJesus said. “The downed power lines were not just between the poles, but between the transformers.”<br /> By the special meeting on the Wednesday of the week after Irma, city officials had changed their message from a command to a request for water conservation.<br /> Although notifying water customers was not required, it was called “prudent to alert water users of a potential problem,” said Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County.<br /> <br /> <span class="font-size-4"><strong>In Boca and Boynton</strong></span><br /> The cities of Boynton Beach and Boca Raton also lost power at their sewage pumping stations, a typical situation during tropical storms and hurricanes. <br /> “Prior to the storm we asked residents to conserve water by limiting use and flushing and to turn off irrigation systems,” said Chrissy Gibson, Boca Raton spokeswoman. <br /> The city has approximately 300 lift stations and lost power to 80 percent of them during the storm, Gibson said.<br /> Boca Raton staff worked around the clock to move the various generators and rotate them, she said. “We had enough to keep the system running, even with 80 percent out of power,” she said.<br /> In Boynton Beach, the city lost power to about 70 percent of its sewage pumping stations, said Colin Groff, assistant city manager and former utilities director. <br /> But unlike Delray Beach, Boynton Beach didn’t ask its water customers to restrict water consumption. The city uses a combination of fixed, portable and diesel generators as backup power, Groff said. <br /> During Irma, the city had two or three spills of between 10 to 15 gallons of sewage each, Groff said, when Irma’s winds were high and it was not safe for workers to be outside. The city reported them to the state Department of Environmental Protection, but they did not appear in the database. “It might not have met their threshold,” he said.<br /> Under rules that went into effect in July, utility operators are required to report sewage spills less than 1,000 gallons to the DEP or health department within 24 hours, according to Jill Margolius, local DEP spokeswoman. <br /> Spills over 1,000 gallons, which may threaten the environment or public health, must be reported immediately to a 24-hour hotline.<br /> As of Sept. 14, 22 of Florida’s 67 counties reported sewage spills, a combined total of 28 million gallons of treated and raw sewage, according to the DEP database. The amount is likely higher because some reports did not contain amounts.<br /> The same day, Delray Beach reported less than 1,000 gallons of sewage had bubbled up from a storm drain in the Rainberry Bay community near Congress Avenue and Lake Ida Road, according to the DEP database. <br /> All Delray Beach water users were supposed to follow the restrictions, deJesus said.<br /> <br /> <span class="font-size-4"><strong>Restaurants opened</strong></span><br /> Caffe Luna Rosa reopened its oceanside restaurant Sept. 11, the same day Irma winds diminished in Delray Beach. <br /> For the next three days, the eatery served a limited menu, used generators to power the coolers, didn’t serve water, cooked on a gas stove and used disposable plates and cups, said Fran Marincola, co-owner of the restaurant.<br /> Mixed drinks do not need water, he said.<br /> The following day, Sept. 12, more restaurants opened in Delray Beach, including Subculture Coffee Roasters.<br /> “We didn’t know about the water use restrictions,” said Jenniffer Woo, food manager. “We were never contacted.”<br /> “We are all about conserving water so we would have been happy to comply,” she said.</p></div>Delray Beach: Irma blows beach project off projected timelinehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-irma-blows-beach-project-off-projected-timeline2017-10-04T18:58:32.000Z2017-10-04T18:58:32.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Jane Smith</strong><br /> <br /> Hurricane Irma’s winds delayed the beach promenade construction in Delray Beach by at least two weeks, according to the project manager. The new expected completion is by Thanksgiving.<br /> The contractor removed construction equipment from the promenade just after Labor Day to prepare for Irma. Work resumed Sept. 18, said Missie Barletto, project manager. <br /> About half of the newly planted shade trees and coconut palms toppled, she said. Many were replanted; others that couldn’t be saved will be replaced. <br />Delray’s beach promenade work is now concentrating on the north end, Barletto said. <br /> For safety reasons, the city asks residents and visitors to enter the beach at the designated entrances: across from the Sandoway parking lot on the south end, at the main pavilion at Atlantic Avenue and at the Thomas Street entrance on the north end. <br />The $3.1 million project includes solar-powered smart meters, a tricolored sidewalk, new benches, showers, water fountains, bike and surfboard racks, and trash containers.<br /> In addition, the city’s parks department purchased mobility mats that sit atop the sand to help wheelchair users access the beach, Barletto said. One set will be placed near the main pavilion at Atlantic Avenue. The mats roll down to the water line, allowing wheelchair users to enjoy the beach. Boca Raton purchased the mobility mats in 2015 for two of its city beaches. <br /> The city has added a third Downtown Trolley route for those choosing to park in the city garages. For questions about parking during the construction, call Jorge Alarcon at 243-7000, Ext. 4112.</p></div>Along the Coast: Libraries provide refuge after stormhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-libraries-provide-refuge-after-storm2017-10-04T18:50:36.000Z2017-10-04T18:50:36.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960742866,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960742866,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960742866?profile=original" /></a><em>Eugene and Maureen Garrett found refuge and a card game at the Highland Beach Library. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Ron Hayes</strong><br /><br /> In the days after Hurricane Irma left air conditioners silent, reading lamps dark and cellphones feeble, refugees from sweltering homes found comfort in secular sanctuaries some had never visited before.<br /> Our public libraries.<br /> They came for books to pass the time, and a light to read them by. They came for the gloriously cooled air, electrical outlets to fortify their phones, Wi-Fi to touch the outside world. And they came for more unusual reasons, too.<br /> “We had one lady come in this morning to blow-dry her hair in the restroom,” Lois Albertson, director of the Highland Beach Public Library, said on the Thursday after the storm.<br /> Not far away, Eugene and Maureen Garrett sat in the sunny reading area, but they were not reading. They were playing yet another round of 500 Rummy.<br /> “My husband’s winning because I’m so tired I’m making mistakes,” Maureen Garrett said, and then she smiled. “But it’s cool here. It’s great.”<br /> The power died in the Garretts’ Bel Lido Isle home about 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10. Now it’s 3 p.m. Thursday. With the storm approaching the previous Friday night, the couple had abandoned Highland Beach for a Hilton Garden Inn on Congress Avenue and stayed until Sunday, when the power died there, too. <br /> “So we came home,” Mrs. Garrett said. “No sense paying for a hotel room when they don’t have power, either. Now we just ride around all day and stop at restaurants.”<br /> Wednesday they drove down to Coral Springs in search of another hotel with power, but couldn’t find one. Thursday morning they charged their phone at Another Broken Egg Cafe over breakfast, drove around some more, and then had lunch at Renzo’s Cafe in Boca Raton. Now they’ve been playing 500 Rummy — for the past two hours.<br /> “We also brought Scrabble and snacks,” she added, “nuts and raisins. But I’m just exhausted.”<br /> Across from the checkout desk, a large cooler of Nestle’s bottled water waited, courtesy of the Police Department and free for the taking.<br /> Free water was a big attraction at the Boynton Beach City Library, too.<br /> “When we opened on Tuesday, it was like a mad rush to get in and fill up water bottles at our fountain,” said Karen Abramson, the library’s administrative assistant. “Little empty plastic bottles and jugs and a line at the fountain between the men’s and ladies’ rooms. We opened at 9 a.m., and they were waiting outside the door.”<br /> All week long, all the teen and children’s computers were taken, Abramson said, and so were all the charging stations.<br /> “And you should see our DVD collection,” she added. “It’s almost gone. People borrowed everything before the storm.”<br /> Librarians printed out coloring pages, brought out toys for the children and games for the teens, and that morning all the chairs were filled.<br /> “A supervisor from another library came by and used our facilities,” Abramson confided proudly, but wouldn’t name names.<br /> A week after the hurricane, the parking lot of the Delray Beach Public Library became a makeshift dining room as community organizations served hot meals and water to hundreds still recovering from the storm. The event was the culmination of a week in which librarians saw many unfamiliar faces.<br /> “We’ve had people here this week who’ve never been in the library before,” Director Karen Ronald reported. “Some hadn’t spoken to family since the storm. Hopefully they’ll become regular users.”<br /> Upstairs, the library’s 40 computers were almost always in use, said reference librarian Alyson Walzer, usually with people trying to connect with family. And downstairs the circulation desk was bathed in gratitude.<br /> “I’ve had about 50 people thanking us for being open,” said library assistant Jane Weiss. “That makes us feel good, because we’re hot and tired, too.”<br /> Flipping through magazines were Lisha Sutton and her grandmother Mattie Brown, a lifelong resident who was 10 when the infamous 1928 hurricane struck Belle Glade.<br /> “I love it here!” Brown gushed. “I love it! I love it! It’s nice and cool in here. My home is like a heater.”<br /> Not far away, Christina Wood worked on her laptop. A freelance writer and editor, she had brought her work to the library for the past two days.<br /> “I’m working,” she said. “I downloaded about 500 emails today. Most of it’s spam, but still. I’m in and out of here regularly, and I’ll be here every day until my power comes back.”<br /> She shrugged. “Where else am I going to go?”</p></div>Secret Garden: Lantana Nature Preserve will be a showcase in native plant recoveryhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/secret-garden-lantana-nature-preserve-will-be-a-showcase-in-nativ2017-10-04T15:10:45.000Z2017-10-04T15:10:45.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960754060,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960754060,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960754060?profile=original" /></a><em>Although the parking lot and paths of the Lantana Nature Preserve are covered in palm fronds and leaf litter, the trees and shrubs appear to have taken Hurricane Irma’s abuse in stride. <strong>Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> Soon after Hurricane Irma left us, I visited the Lantana Nature Preserve to see how it weathered the storm. I remembered how inviting it was last spring when I had visited this natural area with horticulturist Gene Joyner.<br /> But today I found the gates chained shut. <br /> Peeking through the wire fence, I could see that the wooden pavilion looked unharmed. However, a sea grape tree was down and there were plenty of brown leaves covering the paths.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960754465,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960754465,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960754465?profile=original" /></a><em>Sea grape trees usually lose most of their large leaves after a storm.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> I remembered sitting under that pavilion with about 20 other people on a Saturday morning in April for Joyner’s annual preserve tour, which he’s offered for the past 15 years. <br /> It was then that he described this place as “a little hidden oasis.” But today with the paths hidden under brown debris, it’s hardly a safe and verdant haven. <br /> In fact, Lantana Operations Director Linda Brien recently toured the damage and said, “You can hardly see the paths, there are so many leaves and fronds and things scattered across them. The dense vegetation definitely got pruned and thinned by the winds.”<br /> Too bad Mother Nature left her pruning refuse for someone else to pick up. <br /> But seeing this bit of land covered with debris is nothing new for Joyner, 70. He was just a kid fishing nearby when this 6½-acre piece was a town dump filled with rusting refrigerators, stoves and even abandoned cars. <br /> By the late 1990s, the town of Lantana decided to reclaim the land by clearing the debris and grading the terrain to mimic a coastal dune. Nonnative plants were removed and replaced with mangrove seedlings and coastal grasses. By 2002, 3,000 cubic yards of fill, 500 trees and 10,000 shrubs and groundcovers had been added. The preserve now resembled a coastal hammock that looked much like what you would have seen if you were among the original pioneers arriving in 1865.<br /> You would have seen that a little over 1,800 feet of walking trails traverse the native vegetation and wildlife. As you followed the coquina-stone paths, you’d have seen sabal palmettos or cabbage palms, Florida’s state tree. <br /> You’d also have seen gumbo limbo trees with their peeling rust-colored bark. They are commonly known as “tourist trees” because they are always red and peeling, said Joyner, who retired in 2007 after 35 years with Palm Beach County UF/IFAS Extension service.<br /> A thick canopy of sea grapes covered the land, and it’s their large saucer-sized leaves that now cover the paths post-Irma.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960754666,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960754666,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="600" alt="7960754666?profile=original" /></a><em>Jamaican Caper is a native plant with small leaves that keep their color and shape even after exposure to hurricane-force winds.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> As the preserve is brought back to its earlier condition, its butterfly garden will once again help swallowtails thrive. And the firebushes — a must for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds — will be showing off their orange-red flowers that bloom year-round. <br /> A small path branching off the main trail leads to the highest point in the preserve, which proves to be only a few feet above sea level. As nature heals itself after this major storm, the towering banyan tree at the top will once again offer shade and a place for visitors to enjoy the gentle side of nature. <br /> “Eventually we will reopen the preserve. I just can’t put a timetable on it right now,” Brien said. However, Town Manager Deborah Manzo said the property will be ready for the town’s annual Haunted Preserve celebration on Oct. 20.<br /><br /><span class="font-size-3">Post-hurricane tips</span><br /> Find out the steps you need to take now to ensure the trees left after Hurricane Irma flourish in the days and years to come:<br />Assessing Damage and Restoring Trees After a Hurricane: monroe.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/Hort/Assessing_Trees_After_Hurricane.pdf<br />Restoring Trees After a Hurricane: indian.ifas.ufl.edu/Emergency-Disasters/Restoring_Trees_ENH1054.pdf<br /><br /><em> Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley can be reached at debhartz@att.net.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-3">If You Go</span><br /> The Lantana Nature Preserve, 440 E. Ocean Ave., Lantana (between The Carlisle senior living facility on East Ocean Avenue and the Intracoastal Waterway), is closed until further notice. Get updates and information by calling customer service at 540-5000. <br /> Horticulturist Gene Joyner’s annual tour is usually held in April. He also hosts tours of his Unbelievable Acres Botanic Gardens (unbelievableacresbotanicgardens.org) in an unincorporated area west of West Palm Beach. But now he could use volunteers for storm cleanup. For more information about the tour and volunteering at his Unbelievable Acres, reach him at 242-1686.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"></p></div>Hurricane Irma: Curfewhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/hurricane-irma-curfew2017-09-09T19:00:00.000Z2017-09-09T19:00:00.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960735874,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960735874,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960735874?profile=original" /></a><em>Ocean Ridge police officers block traffic into town at the Ocean Ave. Bridge on Sept. 9 in response to a county-wide curfew implemented in advance of Hurricane Irma. Delray Beach and South Palm Beach have implemented similar roadblocks. All municipalities along the barrier island in Palm Beach County are in a mandatory evacuation zone. <strong>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p></div>