Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
June/July 2021
Volume 14 Issue 6
Boca Raton
Along the Coast
Prehistoric remnants complicate plans for Ocean Strand By Steve Plunkett
State Road A1A at Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach often is jammed with vehicles, and the county Transportation Planning Agency labels it a ‘high-crash corridor’ for bicyclists even though it has bike lanes. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
DANGER OF PEDAL VS. METAL As A1A crash victims recall trauma, new law aims to protect cyclists By Joe Capozzi
The Jeep SUV struck Jerry Mandello first. Its side mirror sheared off a piece of his left ear and launched Mandello and his bicycle into the hedges outside an estate along State Road A1A in Manalapan. Steve Barry, pedaling south in front of Mandello, was hit next. The SUV smashed into the rear wheel of his black S-Works bicycle, split the bike in two and dragged Barry several yards along the pavement as two other cyclists in their group of four watched in horror.
Mandello, before fetching the severed chunk of his ear from the side of the road (doctors would sew it back on), ran to his friend. “His bike was a pretzel and his legs were shredded,’’ he recalled. “I’m shaking him. He’s not moving for a while. I thought he was gone.’’ But Barry, a former Navy officer who did reconnaissance river patrols in the jungles of Vietnam before becoming a successful West Palm Beach accountant, might be the epitome of resiliency. A devoted cyclist, he also climbs ice walls in Montana and snowboards from helicopters on unbroken British Columbia powder. “One tough dude,’’ said Mandello, who See BICYCLES on page 6
Steve Barry needed extensive rehab after a crash in Manalapan. Photo provided
An indigenous tribe that populated what is now Ocean Strand is casting a centuries-old shadow over plans to quickly turn the land into a minimal park. An archaeology team’s discovery of an ax-like adze, fashioned from a whelk shell, and eight potsherds, or pieces of prehistoric pottery, makes the parcel eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. As a result, removal of the invasive Brazilian pepper trees overtaking the property will be more tedious — and more costly. “All tree removal must now be done by hand and under the supervision of a representative from the archaeological group who provided the assessment,” Briann Harms, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, told district commissioners at their May 17 meeting. Additionally, the team recommended that vegetation “should not be pulled from the ground, but should be cut above the ground surface.” Before Harms can price what the changes will cost, she said, she will submit a revised plan to the city, then recalculate square footages for asphalt and mulch See OCEAN STRAND on page 14
100 years of Lantana, 150 years of stories By Ron Hayes On July 20, 1921, the town of Lantana was officially born. The community covered 1 square mile at the time and was home to 100 residents, 22 of whom voted to incorporate. Today, the town has burgeoned to 2 square miles, and this Fourth of July, many of its 11,695 residents will gather in Bicentennial Park to celebrate the first 100 years. Allegiance to the flag will be
Towns turn 90
Manalapan, Ocean Ridge mark milestones.
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pledged, the national anthem sung. There will be stilt walkers and fishing lessons, a professional band and a patriotic baby contest, ending with the longest, loudest, brightest fireworks display the town has ever seen. Happy 100th birthday, Lantana. PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID WEST PALM BCH FL PERMIT NO 4595
That’s the official history, anyway. But as with so many official histories, the truth is an older, murkier, even better story. “We had a good 50 years prior to 1921 in which pioneers worked to build it,” Michelle Donahue says of the town. Donahue is a passionate apostle for the history of Hypoluxo Island, the eastern portion of Lantana. She and her husband, Sean, live in Casa See LANTANA on page 16
Anglers at the Keese boathouse, in Lantana’s south cove, display sharks they caught around 1940. Photo provided by Local History Archives
Highland Beach tradition threatened Outside group wants Nativity, menorah off government property.
Delivery of this month’s edition is sponsored by our friends at
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Museum to host Peruvian treasure Page AT7
Vaccine rates rise Governments, businesses ease protocols. Page AT12
