reopening - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T15:42:39Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/reopeningAlong the Coast: Beaches to reopen with no residency restrictionshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-beaches-to-reopen-with-no-residency-restrictions2020-05-15T18:00:00.000Z2020-05-15T18:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Palm Beach County commissioners voted 5-2 on May 15 to reopen county beaches on Monday, May 18.</p>
<p>But in a significant change from a May 8 preliminary commission decision, beach use will not be restricted to county residents.</p>
<p>The county can legally prevent residents of other counties from using its beaches, County Attorney Denise Nieman said. But she recommended against doing so because many of the county’s beaches have received grants for beach restoration and other improvements. The grant agreements include clauses that prohibit restrictions on who can use the beaches, she said.</p>
<p>Martin County was able to restrict access to its beaches based on residency after receiving permission to waive provisions of the grant agreements. But Palm Beach County has many more grant agreements than does Martin County and is not able to get provision waivers for all of them, Nieman said.</p>
<p>Concessions will be open at the beaches, another reversal from the commission’s May 8 decision.</p>
<p>Commissioners heard comments from about 25 residents before their vote, virtually all strongly in favor of beach reopening.</p>
<p>But Palm Beach County is acting ahead of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, which have not set a date yet for reopening their beaches. Broward County Mayor Dale V.C. Holness has said that beaches will remain closed until at least May 26.</p>
<p>That raises the risk that Palm Beach County beaches will be overwhelmed if Broward and Miami-Dade residents rush north to get on a beach, especially over Memorial Day weekend.</p>
<p>County Administrator Verdenia Baker said the county's southern cities had urged that Palm Beach County reopen beaches at the same time as Miami-Dade and Broward to avoid this problem.</p>
<p>The county's northern cities supported the May 18 opening.</p>
<p>Lifeguards also wanted Palm Beach County to act in concert with its southern neighbors. Lifeguards and other county employees will be tasked with making sure that social distancing rules are enforced on the beach. They also must prevent gatherings on the beach of more than 10 people.</p>
<p>Lifeguards have objected to becoming rule enforcers, saying their job is to conduct beach rescues and provide medical attention. They made their position known to a county reopening task force.</p>
<p>All public and private beaches will be open from sunrise to sunset. An exception was made for the county's South Inlet Park in Boca Raton because it is close to the county line.</p>
<p>Commissioners Gregg Weiss and Mack Bernard voted against the opening.</p>
<p>Weiss said he recently visited a beach in Jupiter and saw that many people were not practicing social distancing.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, we have a portion of our population who wants to put everyone at risk,” he said.</p>
<p>Commissioner Robert Weinroth, who represents southeastern Palm Beach County, strongly supported reopening and said residents should be trusted to do the right thing.</p>
<p>“We need to set policy that is for the greater good and not worry about outliers,” he said.</p>
<p>Shortly after county commissioners voted, Boca Raton announced that its beaches would be open to the public from sunrise to sunset on May 18. However, lifeguards will not be on duty, so beach-goers will swim at their own risk.</p>
<p>While the public can use the beach, beach parks will be closed. That includes parking, restrooms, playgrounds and picnic pavilions.</p>
<p>City Council members had agreed in advance of the County Commission decision that beach parks would remain closed as a way of preventing people from crowding onto the beaches, which they feared would happen if Palm Beach County opened beaches while Broward's remained closed.</p>
<p>Parking is prohibited along State Road A1A in Boca Raton.</p>
<p></p></div>Along the Coast: County takes a step to reopen beaches; restaurant rules are easedhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/along-the-coast-county-takes-a-step-to-reopen-beaches-on-may-182020-05-08T18:00:00.000Z2020-05-08T18:00:00.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960944466,original{{/staticFileLink}}" target="_blank"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960944466,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960944466?profile=original" /></a></strong><em>A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy tells beach-goers in South Palm Beach of restricted beach access on March 21. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></em></p>
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<p><strong>By Mary Hladky</strong></p>
<p>Palm Beach County commissioners, by a 4-3 margin, voted to reopen the county's beaches to county residents on May 18.</p>
<p>The May 8 decision is preliminary, with the commission agreeing to meet again on May 15 to finalize the plan for beach openings.</p>
<p>While it is possible commissioners could change their minds, that seemed unlikely after they negotiated among themselves to craft an order that a majority could accept.</p>
<p>Both public and private beaches would be allowed to reopen from sunrise to sunset. Beach-goers will have to abide by social distancing guidelines and gatherings would be limited to 10 people. Concession facilities will not be open.</p>
<p>But only Palm Beach County residents will be able to use them, as commissioners attempted to ward off an influx of beach-goers from Broward and Miami-Dade counties where beaches remain closed.</p>
<p>County and municipal law enforcement officers will enforce the order. Cities and towns, however, have the authority to decide they do not want to reopen.</p>
<p>The action marks the second step to ease the lockdown that has kept county residents largely confined to their homes because of COVID-19. The county reopened parks, golf courses and marinas on April 30.</p>
<p>Separately, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in West Palm Beach that restaurants and some nonessential retail businesses can reopen May 11 with those in Broward and Miami-Dade counties to follow on May 18. Restaurants can offer outdoor seating with 6 feet of social distancing and indoor seating at 25% capacity.</p>
<p>Palm Beach County had asked DeSantis to lift the restrictions as he already had for 64 of Florida's 67 counties. But the governor placed greater restrictions on Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties because the three have more than half of the state's coronavirus cases.</p>
<p>County commissioners took the action on reopening beaches even though health director Dr. Alina Alonso had recommended against it. She warned earlier this week that reopening too soon risks a resurgence of the disease.</p>
<p>“Our own health department is telling us not to do it,” said Commissioner Gregg Weiss, who along with Mack Bernard and Mary Lou Berger voted against the reopening.</p>
<p>County Mayor Dave Kerner cast the deciding vote. “My intent is I want people to go to the beach,” he said.</p>
<p>Commissioner Robert Weinroth, who represents the coastal South County, was the strongest proponent of beach reopening.</p>
<p>“It is the right time,” he said. “There is no reason our residents can’t act responsibly.”</p>
<p></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: Wood rot at playground stalls reopeninghttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/boca-raton-wood-rot-at-playground-stalls-reopening2017-01-04T15:38:42.000Z2017-01-04T15:38:42.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p><strong>By Steve Plunkett</strong><br /><br /> Renovation of the science playground at Sugar Sand Park hit a last-minute delay in December when workers found three multilevel wood posts showing signs of rot below the surface.<br /> “Unfortunately that is going to add another time frame to completion of the project,” Arthur Koski, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, announced at the board’s Dec. 19 meeting.<br /> The district, which operates the facility, closed the playground in June 2015 for safety reasons and had hoped to reopen it in late December or early January. The new opening date is late January.<br /> The playground offers a hands-on experience with interactive components that demonstrate a number of scientific principles. It was originally built by community volunteers more than 20 years ago.<br /> The refurbished facility will be “all-inclusive” and open to children, parents and grandparents of all abilities. <br /> District Commissioner-elect Craig Ehrnst, who will take his seat this month, personalized the delay during his campaign by noting that his 9-year-old son was being deprived of an irreplaceable experience. He repeated that theme at the meeting. <br /> “From a kid’s standpoint or anyone else’s standpoint, it’s very hard to justify it being closed for such a long time or understanding the delays,” Ehrnst said.</p></div>Lantana: New bridge opens in festive, small-town stylehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lantana-new-bridge-opens-in-festive-small-town-style2013-12-04T20:30:00.000Z2013-12-04T20:30:00.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><em><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481493,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481493,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="360" alt="7960481493?profile=original" /></a></b></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Roland Wood carries on a tradition he started in 1950 as a 13-year-old Boy Scout, when he was the first person over the then-new bridge at its dedication ceremony. Wood also was the last person over that same bridge when it closed in March 2012. Carrying the flag with him is Ramon Torres, 7, of Lantana, a Scout in Troop 241.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481665,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481665,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960481665?profile=original" /></a></b><em>Revelers gathered along the new Lantana Bridge to celebrate its Nov. 16 opening. The event included a</em> <br /><em>‘First ______ Over the Bridge’ parade, followed by a party in Bicentennial Park and capped off with fireworks.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481290,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481290,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960481290?profile=original" /></a>The owners of the Dune Deck Cafe march across the Lantana Bridge during its official opening Nov. 16. They were among the roughly 1,000 people who joined the walk. <strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481884,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960481884,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="360" alt="7960481884?profile=original" /></a></b></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Workers Noel Billaro and Ruben Guebara install bolts as spectators gather to cross the bridge. </em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span><b>Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star</b></span></p>
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<p><span><b>By Jane Smith</b></span></p>
<p> When Lantana hosted a bridge reopening bash, the town did it in fishing-village style. The celebration started with a parade over the Ocean Avenue bridge and ended with a flourish of fireworks that left spectators exclaiming, “Best finale ever!”</p>
<p> The Nov. 16 parade’s theme of “The First ____ Over the Bridge” drew a steady stream of marchers holding signs saying, First Princess, First Home Brewer, First Hula Hooper, First Skunk, First Surfing Piñata and many other firsts.</p>
<p> “Lantana is charming,” said Greg Rice, parade emcee who called out the firsts. “It’s like watching a Norman Rockwell painting come alive.” </p>
<p> About 1,000 people and their pets marched across the bridge, while another 1,500 or so watched during the celebration.</p>
<p> Lantana Mayor Dave Stewart boasted that the bridge was finished four months early and cost about $32 million. “We saved the county taxpayers $18 million by not building a temporary bridge and about three years (of aggravation).”</p>
<p> The new Ocean Avenue Bridge allows easy access to the surrounding communities. The Lake Worth Bridge to the north or Ocean Avenue bridge in Boynton Beach to the south were common detour routes. </p>
<p> The bridge tender’s tower sports a dolphin as a weather vane, another salute to the town’s roots.</p>
<p> “We wanted this bridge to be more of fishing village (style) than the Disney style of the Boynton Ocean Avenue bridge,” said Mike Bornstein, then-Lantana town manager and now Lake Worth city manager. </p>
<p> It’s a great addition to the community because it is pedestrian and cyclist friendly, Stewart said. At 21 feet taller than the old bridge, it will have 40 percent fewer openings, making the bridge motorist friendly, too. </p>
<p> Since it opened, the bridge had to close overnight for two nights for painting, according to Lantana Town Manager Deborah Manzo.</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960482053,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960482053,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="360" alt="7960482053?profile=original" /></a></p></div>