News

By Dan Moffett

    The arrival of sunny spring beach days means there’s trouble brewin’ at the Beachway Drive crossover in Ocean Ridge.
    The town’s public access walkway over the dune to the beach draws tourists, snowbirds, mainland visitors and residents to a tight intersection where vehicles and pedestrians often compete for the same slice of precious real estate.
    For the last four years, Ocean Ridge has grappled with ideas to deal with the growing number of visitors coming across the bridge from new developments, particularly those in Boynton Beach. Beachway Drive has become a flashpoint for problems.
    Police Chief Hal Hutchins said he received numerous complaints in March about beachgoers “loading and unloading to the point that the entire intersection was blocked.” One motorist parked his car in a clearly marked pedestrian area.
    “I mean, the car was almost on the beach, for cryin’ out loud,” said Mayor Geoff Pugh."
    Frustrated residents in the neighborhood took matters into their own hands and hired an off-duty town police officer the weekend of March 4 to monitor the crossover and keep traffic moving.
    This created another set of problems for some other residents — among them former Commissioner Terry Brown, who complained during the March 6 town meeting that stationing a police officer at the crossway has an “intimidating effect” that suggests the public access isn’t really public.
    “There is no intent on our part to usurp the public’s right to use the crosswalk,” Hutchins told Brown.
    The chief says his officers patrol the Beachway-Old Ocean Boulevard intersection regularly and are poised to respond quickly to residents’ complaints. “If you see any violations, please call us and we’ll respond immediately,” he said.
    Definitions — what distinguishes reasonable loading or unloading from unreasonable idling or parking — continue to complicate matters. Hutchins said his officers are instructed to evaluate incidents at the intersection on a common- sense, case-by-case basis.
    “The officer is trying to look at every situation individually,” he said.
    If a motorist stays behind the wheel while stopping briefly to drop off passengers, no problem, the chief says. If a motorist leaves the vehicle unattended or if traffic backs up because of a prolonged stop, that could warrant a ticket.
    “This is more of an education campaign on our part than anything,” Hutchins said.

Election results
    Political newcomer Don MaGruder coasted to victory in the March 14 municipal election and Vice Mayor James Bonfiglio comfortably won a second three-year term to fill two open seats on the Town Commission.
    MaGruder, a veteran member of the board of adjustments, led all vote-getters with 319, roughly 35 percent of the ballots cast, and Bonfiglio claimed the second seat with 249, about 28 percent.
    Nan Yablong had 168 votes and Richard Bajakian 164.
    Ocean Ridge had one of the highest turnouts in Palm Beach County, with roughly 31 percent of eligible voters participating.