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Palms West Monthly • December 2020 • Page 1
Happy Holidays!
Palms West
Monthly
WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • WEST PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE GROVES • THE ACREAGE Volume 10, Number 11
PalmsWestMonthly.com
Royal Palm hosts Movie Night Don’t miss ‘Abominable’ under the stars Friday, Dec. 11. PAGE 4
FREE • December 2020
Kiwanis Club aids families affected by Covid-19
Twenty-three families in Riviera Beach are breathing a little easier thanks to a $30,500 donation to Community Partners of South Florida from the Kiwanis Club of Riviera Beach.
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The artificial reef sculpture created by Palm Beach State College’s Reef Hope Project is about to be lowered into the water Monday, Nov. 16, about a mile southeast of the
Photo courtesy of Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management
Lake Worth Inlet. The 10-ton sculpture was created over a three-year period with the aid of more than 60 students and five faculty members from the college.
PBSC students’ artificial reef sculpture to aid marine life off Lake Worth Guess who’s coming to South Florida? Check out our listing of upcoming theatre and concert events taking place in our area, including green markets, museums and more!
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Alpert JFS names new director of marketing Ferd & Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service has named Danielle Lustman director of marketing and communications.
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The giant 10-ton sculpture that took three years to complete was sunk about a mile southeast of the Lake Worth Inlet on Nov. 16. By ROBERT HARRIS Palms West Monthly
Over the past three years, more than 60 students at Palm Beach State College collaborated on creating a unique sculpture weighing a whopping 10 tons and standing 11 feet tall. The undertaking, overseen by five PBSC faculty members, was so intricate it involved the help of the school’s Environmental Science department, as well as the Welding Technology, Art and Engineering Technology departments. And after finally going on display in late 2019 at PBSC’s Palm Beach Gardens campus, it now has been tossed in the sea. Well, not exactly tossed. Its new underwater home sits about 40 feet deep and about a mile southeast of the Lake Worth Inlet, having been lowered from a barge on Nov. 16 with assistance from Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management. And Jessica Miles, Ph.D., couldn’t be happier. After all, this was her intention all along. Three years ago, Miles, professor and chair of PBSC’s Environmental Science Technology Department, decided to dedicate her one-semester sabbatical to help save dying coral reefs – an international problem that hasn’t spared
South Florida. That’s when Miles discovered that underwater sculptures were benefiting marine environments around the world. “I saw how beautiful the sculptures were as they transformed over time to be encrusted with living organisms,” says Miles. “And I thought what an amazing contribution to the environment and to the local community if we could participate in something like this.” So she created the Reef Hope Project, which has produced curriculum, technical skills trainings and field research studies in artificial reef structures and marine life. The sinking of this
sculpture – now an artificial reef – in mid-November is the result of that project. The sculpture is made from stainless steel, fabricated by welding students in the form of a DNA helix that resembles the shape of the infinity symbol. Small, colorful ceramic sculptures of coral-like forms were created by art students to adorn the base. Environmental science students researched materials and tested for durability and marine life safety. They will also participate in ongoing studies to determine which species make their home in the artificial reef. Even engineering students
Photo courtesy of Palm Beach State College
Colorful ceramic sculptures of coral-like forms were created by Palm Beach State College art students to adorn the base of the artificial reef.
got involved, producing CAD drawings to help determine the size and weight of the sculpture and account for wave action, so that even a hurricane wouldn’t make the sculpture topple over. Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management covered the cost of transporting the sculpture to its final resting place. “This is the first sculpture project Palm Beach County Environmental Resources Management has done with a Florida college,” says Jena McNeal, the department’s senior environmental analyst and artificial reef coordinator. “We are happy to be included in this collaborative project and to learn that so many students played a part in the sculpture’s journey to completion.” Reefs provide billions of dollars in coastal protection by breaking up the wave action from storms, which reduces inland flooding and saves money otherwise spent on beach renourishment. Healthy reefs also help protect the economy, especially the tourism and fishing industries, both so important to Florida. “Taking the DNA helix and turning it into an infinity symbol conveys the message that we hope to be a part of sustaining life for many generations to come,” says Miles. “Artificial reefs attract coral, but also ARTIFICIAL REEF / PAGE 7