Royal Palms are known for their massive trunks and large fronds. Photo by Jerry Lower
By Steve Plunkett
Except for the occasional lawnmower, work at the county’s future Cam D. Milani Park has ended until 2020.
“I’m not passing out a whole lot of checks, so mum’s the word,’’ County Commissioner Steven Abrams said as he gave the town an oversized check for $5,000 in early July to help pay for 10 royal palms in front of the vacant grassy parcel.
“It makes a big difference. Milani Park looks beautiful now,” said Deanna Kelvin, who with her husband, George, accepted the check on behalf of town residents and gave Abrams a book, The History of Highland Beach, as a thank-you.
The trees cost $1,000 apiece, Town Manager Kathleen Weiser said. Permits ran the total to $15,000.
East of A1A the park site features a coastal rock outcropping where Japanese pineapple farmers fished a century ago.
Early this year, the county installed a 6-foot concrete buffer on the south and west sides of the park’s west portion, restored wetlands, and put in sod and a split-rail fence. That work cost $157,669.
The county and Highland Beach agreed last year that the park would not be built beyond this first phase for at least 10 years.
Helped by a $184,000 state grant, the town began planting royal palms along A1A in 2007, but skipped the disputed Milani site.
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