Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
May 2014
Boca Raton
A flight plan for the future Boca Raton Airport looks to continue path to growth By Rich Pollack It is an oasis on more than 212 acres of prime real estate in the heart of Boca Raton. It is an economic-development magnet, helping to attract businesses and business owners who choose to make Boca Raton their home. And it is a beehive of activity, where if you wait long enough you’re likely to see celebrities, high-powered CEOs and sports stars.
Yet the Boca Raton Airport remains somewhat of a mystery to many in the area who drive by it every day on Interstate 95 but know little about its day-to-day operations and its impact on the community. “We are a major amenity for people who want to come into the area in a convenient, safe and secure manner,” says Clara Bennett, the Boca Raton Airport Authority’s new executive director. Bennett came aboard early See AIRPORT on page 16
ABOVE: The view of Boca Raton Airport from Glades Road and Interstate 95. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
Volume 7 Issue 5
Downtown parking about to get tougher
By Steve Plunkett Pay attention to the sign when you pull into a free on-street parking space in downtown Boca Raton. The city is enforcing the mostly two-hour time limits for the first time in at least three years. City staff also are putting up new parking signs where there are none and will report back in June on what else should be done. “We all know there’s a lot more downtown activity. There’s a lot of development going on in the downtown — construction, other things — and that is causing on-street parking to be at a premium. And the phone calls are coming in,” city Municipal Services Director Dan Grippo said at the April 7 meeting of the Community Redevelopment Agency. Deputy Mayor Constance Scott said even more construction workers will flood downtown as building exteriors are completed and interior work begins. “That problem is only going to get worse,” Scott said. In 2011 the CRA suspended enforcement of timed on-street parking while metered parking was expanded downtown. Boca Raton currently has 242 timed parking spaces on downtown streets and 299 nolimit spaces, Grippo said. That’s not enough for everyone. Gerry Whidden, owner of Natures Symphony, an aromatherapy shop, said her See PARKING on page 5
Along the Coast
Teen makes pelican rescues her own mission
By Cheryl Blackerby
An osprey with a fish in its beak flew overhead, a blue heron perched at the end of a pier and submerged manatees blew bubbles next to Anastasia Neff’s kayak. It was an idyllic scene in Lake
Inside Around Town
Ownership of the Seaside Deli passes from one family to another — and, yes, Richie will continue making sandwiches. Page AT1
Worth Lagoon that made the horrors of Pelican Island even more appalling. Dead pelicans hung high in the island’s mangrove branches, monofilament fishing line wrapped around wings and feet. Fishing line with a sinker weight trailed from one bird’s gaping bill, a treble hook
embedded in its throat. Three birds had silver metal bands, tagged by biologists, on their dangling legs. Fifteen-year-old Neff counted eight dead pelicans in the trees, and one in the shallow water that covered the See PELICAN on page 12
Just say, ‘Spa!’
Treat Mom to a day of pampering at one of the area’s luxury spas for Mother’s Day. Page H1
Anastasia Neff, with an injured pelican she managed to save, makes it her goal to rescue and document pelicans. Photo provided
Summer Arts
See Seraphic Fire now. They will not return to Palm Beach County next season. Page AT6 PLUS: Children’s Museum faces financial crisis. Page 21