Serving Highland Beach and Coastal Boca Raton
September 2015
Volume 8 Issue 9
Boca Raton
Golfers walk away from resort course, lamenting condition By Tao Woolfe
A massive kapok tree dominates the walking path behind the Boca Raton Resort and Club. Its raised gray roots, covered with thorns, stretch toward the walkway like a dragon in the sun. Longtime golfers and members of the club say the golf course and the tree have much in common — they are beautiful and old, but if you look closely, you won’t want to play on them. The tree’s spikes are a natural defense mechanism, but the run-down state of the club’s fairways and greens is simply a case of neglect, golfers say. Many of the club members have quit and others are hanging on, hoping new owners
will buy the seaside resort and restore the golf course to championship status. The resort, a historic landmark built by Addison Mizner in 1926, has been for sale for more than two years. Rumors swirled this summer about an imminent sale, but current owner Blackstone Group and administrator Hilton Worldwide will not comment on the sale. Meanwhile, the 18-hole course has deteriorated. The greens, which were smooth, flat and fast, have not been maintained, the players say. The greens’ grass is as tall as shag carpet, making play sluggish. The ponds and waterways sometimes smell like rotting See GOLF on page 10
Dying grass and tall grass make the greens hard to play. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
Boca Raton
Along the Coast
Heroin use on the rise
Chabad members ready to move in
Delray steps up push for solutions
By Margie Plunkett David and Amara Kaiyalethe are building a home in the Boca Villas neighborhood, attracted by the developing city and increasing opportunities to walk places downtown. One destination of prime interest: the Chabad of East Boca Raton, which recently won approval for a new synagogue and Israel museum at 770 E. Palmetto Park Road. “We wanted to live somewhere within walking distance to the new synagogue,” said David Kaiyalethe, whose home will be about threequarters of a mile from the Chabad. “On the major holidays we try to keep the traditions. It’s very important on those holidays for us to be able to walk.” The family is one of many that Rabbi Ruvi New expects will locate here now that the Chabad’s permanent home has been determined. “I already know people who have put down payments on [planned] condos. “We’re hopeful and optimistic,” he said. “When See CHABAD on page 17
By Thomas R. Collins The heroin addict is unconscious, teetering between life and death. A paramedic swoops in and gives a shot of medication that — almost literally — brings the person back from the dead. The reaction from the user? Not amazement, not gratitude. And definitely not relief. Instead, there’s anger and contempt. What a powerful high he had going — the addict often says, according to Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Chief Danielle Connor — but the paramedic stole it from him. Such is the twisted world of a heroin addict — an increasingly common figure in the landscape of drug use in the Delray Beach and southern Palm Beach County area. In an uptick over a 24-hour period on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29, there were three overdose deaths in Delray Beach that police believe were due to heroin. The rise in heroin use has
Erika fizzles ABOVE: Surfers prepare to take on the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika along the beach at Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton. Strong winds and choppy surf attracted surfers and onlookers to the beaches. RIGHT: There was little sand left for beach walkers in front of the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa on Aug. 31. Photos by Tim Stepien and Willie Howard/ The Coastal Star
See HEROIN on page 9
Inside
Images of Briny
Delray approves iPic
Theater will open at former library site. Page 25
Local athletes make marks
Swimmer and gymnast shine in Junior Olympics. Page 22
Blues and more
Music lovers rejoice at the reopening of Lake Worth’s Bamboo Room. Page AT7
Volunteers put faded photos into focus. Page 18