Tall privacy wall earns support on Hypoluxo Island — The Lantana Planning Commission recommended approval of an application to build an 11-foot wall on a nearly $8 million property near the Ocean Avenue bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway.
Ana Davie, owner of the property at 101 N. Atlantic Drive, explained to the commission on Oct. 22 that she and her husband want to build the wall for privacy and safety reasons. She recalled instances of fishers and unwanted visitors trespassing on their yard.
“It’s really for the safety,” Davie said. “We’ve had stuff stolen off the dock. I have videos, and I’ve filed multiple police reports.”
Town ordinances allow walls with a maximum height of 6 feet. However, the owners asked for an exception to this to prevent people from getting on their property by going under or through the side of the bridge.
Commission Chairman Edward Shropshire said he doesn’t think the wall is needed, and it wouldn’t give the owners complete privacy.
“I saw very little evidence of any kind of trespassing or anything down there — to me, this seems excessive,” Shropshire said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for this place; I think it’s too high. I don’t think it’s necessary.”
The commission passed a motion recommending approval of the variance request 4-1. The wall will start at 11 feet at the bridge side of the property and become 9 feet as the ground rises to the east.
Police body cameras translate, too — Lantana police officers will be using new body cameras and tasers with improved technology to help them on the streets.
The new cameras will be able to translate conversations. They will activate if officers draw their sidearms, tasers, or turn on their blue lights.
The Town Council on Oct. 27 authorized the purchase of the cameras and tasers from Axon Enterprise, Inc. for $760,000 with a five-year contract. Officers’ current equipment will be out of warranty and obsolete in December. This gives them a new opportunity to use more advanced equipment.
The body cameras will be able to translate in multiple languages for people and officers out loud. Axon is also working to implement capabilities for translating Haitian Creole because of the large Haitian population in South Florida.
“They are very gung-ho about getting us on the street,” Police Chief Sean Scheller said. “My office right now is full of boxes of tasers and body-worn equipment that they’ve already sent that [we are] just waiting to get trained on and implement.”
Dune restoration near beach — Officials from the town of Palm Beach reassured Lantana residents that Palm Beach’s dune restoration project would try to limit the impact on Lantana’s shoreline.
Patricia Strayer, engineer for Palm Beach, presented her town’s plan at the Oct. 27 Lantana Town Council meeting. The plan includes dump trucks delivering sand near Lantana in South Palm Beach. There, sand will be placed for shoreline protection.
Strayer said problems finding an optimal route and the turtle-nesting season prevented Palm Beach from completing the project earlier, but officials want to finish it quickly.
“We think it’ll be done in probably four weeks, but we’re guaranteeing that it’ll be done before Christmas,” Strayer said.
The dune restoration is expected to start at the beginning of November. Access to beaches will still be allowed, but some areas will be restricted due to construction.
Organizations give to community groups — The Kiwanis Club of Hypoluxo-Lantana Sunrise and the Greater Lantana Chamber of Commerce made awards at the Lantana Town Council’s Oct. 13 meeting to the Lantana Police Explorers to support its efforts to help people in need. The Kiwanis Club gave $2,000 — plus $1,000 in grocery store gift cards — and the chamber $589 to the explorers.
The money for the donations was raised through the Kiwanis Club’s food trailer and the Chamber of Commerce’s Shred Event proceeds.
A separate $1,500 award from the Kiwanis Club was given to the Friends of Foster Children organization.
More art to come — The Lantana Town Council is interested in starting an Art in Public Places program.
Council members discussed a program at their Oct. 10 workshop that would pay artists to produce murals and utility box wrappings.
The goal would be to create a unique community identity that celebrates notable aspects of the town.
“This is part of our brand … it’s part of who we are and it’s given us an identity,” Mayor Karen Lythgoe said.
Specifics on designs would be decided in future meetings, as well as potential costs. The program could include commissioning artists to design large-scale pieces throughout the town, officials said.
Underperforming schools — Palm Beach County School Board member Edwin Ferguson, presenting the Lantana Town Council with an annual report on Lantana public schools at its Oct. 13 meeting, said students in town were underperforming in areas such as English, language arts and mathematics compared to the district average.
Ferguson emphasized the need for an increased focus on improving early education because it helps with future academic performance. He encouraged community involvement and for parents to join programs — such as the community networking Bridges program run by the Children’s Services Council — to help them take an active role in their children’s education and to help them succeed academically.
“We should take ownership of these schools; they’re our schools,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson’s goal for the next school year is to expand career and technical education courses, expand exceptional student education centers to support students with different learning needs, and increase native language support for the diverse community.
— Patrick Sherry
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