Boynton Forum

Art-Sea Living has been in business six years and just moved three months ago from Ocean Plaza to Riverwalk Plaza at 1628 S. Federal Highway.

Owner Barbara Lentz said the move was spawned by the fact that the old complex was starting to fail and she wanted to be near Jo-Ann Fabrics.

“The kinds of people that shop there are the people that come into my shop,” she said.

Art-Sea Living is an art gallery, boutique and studio. It represents Florida artists and the store also has art classes for serious artists and children.

Lentz said one of the most popular classes is fused-glass jewelry but that the store is also packed for the children’s camps that run every season.

Lentz said the idea to open an art store and studio came from her desire, even at a young age, to be an entrepreneur.

“At 13, my father wanted to sell a car and I got $200 more for it than him,” she said. “I also used to sell homemade art to stores.”

Art-Sea Living also just started arts and crafts trunk shows. The shows will be the second weekend of each month from December through May. There will be more than 10 vendors signed up for each show.

Artist Vera Rekstad, of Boynton Beach, teaches the fused-glass and mosaic classes. She has been teaching at Art-Sea Living for four years.

“It is just a very relaxed and friendly environment,” Rekstad said. “Everyone there just knows how to have a good time.”

She said without any prior art training, customers could leave with a piece of art they have created themselves.

“They learn how to cut glass and how to work with colors,” she said. “They leave with a beautiful piece.”

For those that just want to work with the usually paints, Ralph Papa teaches multiple classes at Art-Sea Living.

“It is the basic drawing and painting that we do as a class or individually,” he said.

Art-Sea Living is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call 561-737-2600 or visit www.art-sealiving.com.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

Phyllis Dinerman just wrote her second book, "Murder Is Only Skin Deep."
She is a retired resident of Boynton Beach.
She is also a guest columnist for the North Shore Jewish Journal of Salem, Mass.
Her new book was selected as one of those to be presented in the 21st Author's Showcase at the Delray Library in January.
In the book, the heroine, a mother and grandmother from New England, materializes into a modern-day Sherlock Holmes and her husband, the town pathologist, becomes her Mr. Watson.
Age – 67
Activities – Tennis, digital photography
Heroes – Mother, Eva and father, Abraham
Retired from – Speech Therapy
Name of first book – The Boca Yente’s Slice of Life
Husband –Gerald

Talk about Murder is Only Skin Deep.

“It’s a whodoneit, peppered with lots of humor and suspense. A New England mother and grandmother has her friend murdered and that’s how she gets involved.”

How and why did you start writing books?

“I have a lot of stories I want to tell. I like to make people laugh and I always say what if?”

How did you get into speech therapy before all this?

“My mother always wanted me to teach but I didn’t want to. So, I worked with speech and hearing. I always wanted to work with the deaf.”

Why mystery writing?

“My first book, I used reference material. The second came from my imagination. Plus, I love to read mystery books.”

What is the future of your writing entail?

“I could write a million books. If this book goes off, maybe I can have a future with this main character.”

Any other characters?

“I have a story to tell with an adopted child who gets a call in their 20s. The social worker asks the person if they want to be found. The answer to that question is where the story begins. I’m a sensitive person.”

For information about Murder is Only Skin Deep, go to www.phyllisdinerman.com.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

A former Weight Watchers franchisee recently spent $300,000 to invest in the production of a local film.

Lantana’s Marcie Gorman is executive producer and co-director of "The Incubus," a dark romance about the undead.

It is the story of a small college town hit by an unexplained illness and the arrival of a mysterious new student.

Gorman said the production started out as a $10,000 small film but soon became larger than she could have ever imagined.

“It is a learning curve,” she said. “The $10,000 went and then there was $3,000 a weekend for equipment and the hiring and firing of cinematographers.”

Shayne Leighton of Boynton Beach, a recent Dreyfoos School of the Arts grad, stars in, wrote and co-directed the film.

“The film took seven months to make,” she said. “Marcie was everything to me. She became my confidant.”

Leighton said the idea for the film came from her friend Frantisek Mac, who is from another country and expresses emotions differently than her.

“He’s very robotic,” she said. “So, the film is about these spirits that are dead but can’t feel emotion. They have to feed off the emotion of the living.”

A special screening of The Incubus will take place 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE Sixth St., in Fort Lauderdale.

In addition to Leighton, who has been a performer since the age of 5 and has appeared in more than a dozen TV commercials, the film co-stars include Melvin Lima, a Miami native who has appeared in the short film "Inventing Kin" and in several TV commercials.

Alexandra Santanna, an 18-year-old singer and actress who stars as the lead villainess of the Incubus clan. She is also a recent graduate from Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

Gorman said the next step after the screening is looking for distribution. She works at the Kravis Center in West Palm and is talking to people, including film festivals about getting exposure.

Leighton said she thinks the SyFy Channel might be the right avenue if the movie is pitched as a pilot.

“I have always had a passion for theater,” Gorman said. “I like working with and mentoring young people. It’s what I do.”

To request tickets to the screening, people should email Marcie@marciegorman.com.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

After almost two years of planning, the transformation of the Boynton Harbor Marina from a fishing and boating facility to a downtown destination like Delray Beach’s Atlantic Avenue has begun.

At the Boynton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency’s Sept. 8 meeting, a unanimous vote was placed to award the marina slip reconstruction portion of the project to Shoreline Foundation, Inc of Pembroke Pines. The reconstruction is underway.

“It is phase 1 of the total plan,” said Lisa Bright, CRA executive director. “The slips were pretty damaged from past hurricanes and needed to be redone.”

Selection of the Shoreline Foundation was based on the group’s extensive expertise in creating marine and port facilities throughout Florida.

The $700,000 fee will include updated electrical, exterior lighting, utility pads, two new fish cleaning stations with 19 newly fitted, uniform sized slips and gangways.

The next phases in the total plan include a new bathroom facility and redoing the entranceway into the marina, Bright said.

Margee Walsh, CRA marketing director, said the entire plan, with four phases, was designed by MSCW, Inc., an Orlando-based design and community-planning firm.

Jon Klion, Shoreline’s Senior Project Manager, said his team created a timetable that would not displace boaters at the Boynton Harbor Marina during the construction process. The current slip renters will remain in operation during construction.

The CRA purchased the marina in March 2006 to preserve public access to the waterfront. To support restoration efforts, the CRA also applied for and received $2 million from a Palm Beach County $50 million Waterway Bond Grant.

“Delray Beach has Atlantic Avenue and I want Boynton Beach to have its waterway, Bright said. “We have never had a central location here.”

Mike Simon, the CRA’s Development Director, is working with Shoreline on the marina renovation and said when the dredge portion of the marina slip is finished, actual dock installation is scheduled to begin Jan. 4.

Simon said the experience with Shoreline from the interview process to date has been professional and impressive. He said their project supervisor, Matthew Sturm, has shown leadership skills and has been very responsive to issues relating to the tenants, material development and project scheduling.

The marina renovation project is on a list for the Palm Beach County’s Overall Economic Development Program as one of four “Marina Villages.” The Boynton Harbor Marina will be the first of the proposed villages to be developed and will set the precedent for design, materials, structures and accessibility standards for future projects.

For more information on the CRA, call 561-737-3256 or visit www.boyntonbeachcra.com.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

A group of local high school students are trying to make a difference in the community by beautifying homes of the less fortunate.

Last month, the International Club of Boynton Beach Community High School, 4975 Park Ridge Blvd., commenced its first community service project by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach in the “A Brush of Kindness”
 project.

The group plans to vote on future dates and continue the program with more homes in the area.


Yvette McLean-Pillner, a teacher at Boynton High and the club’s advisor, said from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 21, students arrived at a family’s home where the father had just lost his job. She said the home was run down and needed a paint job, with some small yard work.

“At a club meeting, we decided that we really needed to get involved with the community and help out,” she said. “That’s what we do.”

McLean-Pillner said the goal of “A Brush of Kindness” is to help neighbors impacted by age, disability, family circumstances and financial hardships that are struggling to maintain the interiors of their homes. In the first case, the current job market was the reason for the help.

She said by having the students help the struggling families, it would build a sense of community.

Senior Arold Ariste said he was more than glad to help those who needed it.

“We are the collective and if we come together, we can make an impact,” he said. “We painted the house and also collected garbage off the yard.”

The students worked on all areas of the project in preparation of their community service project, which included phone calls, letters, and budget planning to make this a reality.

Stephanie St. Fort, also a senior, joined the International Club to help people and was happy to do just that with the “A Brush of Kindness” program.

“I enjoy helping and reaching out to people,” St. Fort said. “It is really important to do that in this economy.”

Rose Demezier, Pharah Pierrilus, Rose Dorna Joseph, Rolande Pierre, Roodley Duperval and Marjorie Clerveau were other members of the club that are participating in the program.

McLean-Pillner said in addition to continuing the beautification project, the club would also volunteer at a local soup kitchen in the near future.

“We have to vote on dates and then we will do it,” she said.

For information, call Pam Whigham at 561-752-1526.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

Profile - Carmen Faya-Gomila, an artist from Boynton Beach
Faya-Gomila’s piece "Awakening," a 55-by- 82-inch acrylic on canvas, is on display at the Palm Beach International Airport
The exhibit is of photography, painting and mixed media titled "Solar Abstractions."
Twenty-one Palm Beach County artists were selected by the county's Public Art Committee based on their artistic merit to participate.
Selected works are exhibited for four months, with changing cultural and travel themes for every exhibition.
Age – 41
Activities – Reading, travel
Heroes – Monet
She has been painting for one year.
She is married to Raul Gomila.
She was diagnosed with lupus seven years ago.
To purchase art displayed in this exhibition, contact Palm Beach County’s Art in Public Places at 561-233-0235

How did you get into art?

“It was because I got sick. I was diagnosed with lupus seven years ago. I promised that if I got better, I would paint. It is easy for me to create.”

How did you hear about and get into the airport exhibit?

“I am a part of the Artists of Palm Beach County. They told me about the contest. I have also been on display in Pembroke Pines and the Boca Raton Museum.”

What is the future of your art?

“I have no plans. I would like to use my artwork to help people like the Lupus Foundation. I would like a percentage of my sales to go to them.”

Where do you get the inspiration for your art?

“I get ideas from nature, life and love. That’s it.”

What did you do before art became a passion?

“In my country of Dominican Republic, I went to school for business administration. I was also a make up artist before. That is why I like to paint with color and create beauty.”

A natural wildlife refuge in Boynton Beach is getting an energy-efficient makeover.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a contract of $34,267 to Valor Construction Management of Pahokee, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to make energy-efficiency and safety improvements at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, 10216 Lee Road.

Phil Kloer, Fish and Wildlife spokesman, said it is one of 180 stimulus projects going on in the Southeast, consisting of 10 states.

“Fish and Wildlife came up with a list of projects that needed to be done and then prioritized them,” he said. “That is how these places were awarded.”

Kloer said the Department of Interior allotted $280 million in stimulus funding to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and $56.6 million of that was allotted to the Southeast Region.

“We reviewed many projects that included construction, deferred maintenance, roads and trails, habitat restorations and partnerships with state and private groups,” he said. “Projects were selected based on the greatest demonstration of need in the region, those that would meet the requirements of the Recovery Act, and those that fit into the categories where funding was received."

The first project will be the installation of a remote cutoff switch at the refuge’s fuel depot. The cutoff switch now is on the fuel pump itself, which in a fire is difficult to use. The new switch will be easier and safer.

The second improvement is an upgrade to the energy efficiency of the refuge’s maintenance shop. New lighting fixtures will be installed that will save money on the refuge’s utility bill.

Finally, 22 windows will be replaced with more energy-efficient windows in a residence that houses refuge personnel.

“All the lighting will be energy saving and so will the windows we install,” said Dave Behringer, senior project manager for Valor.

Behringer also said the installments are scheduled to begin in January.

Serena Rinker, spokeswoman at the refuge, said with new exhibits that just opened in October, the refuge is a place for residents and visitors to come explore.

“We are an ecosystem that many people might not know about,” she said. “Most people know about the Everglades but don’t know what it means to them unless they come and visit.”

Rinker said the refuge has more than 221 square miles of Everglades habitat and is home to the American alligator.

Also, as many as 257 species of birds may use the refuge's diverse wetland habitats.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

It is not Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” but The Education Network recently won an Emmy for its “Anywhere/Anytime” science videos.

The Suncoast Chapter of The National Academy of Arts and Sciences honored the network in Boynton Beach with a 2009 Emmy award at the chapter’s annual presentation in Orlando on Dec. 5.

Education Network manager Judith Garcia said the award was given for “Informational/Instructional Program, excellence in presentation of stories whose prime purpose is to be instructional, and to teach formally or informally about a subject or subjects.”
 


The videos were produced in conjunction with the South Florida Science Museum, who donated $98,000 for funding, and the Palm Beach County School District’s Curriculum Department.

The four, 15-minute videos were aimed at topics that fifth-graders had difficulty grasping in traditional formats. Garcia said the videos were finished at the end of 2008 based on the topics that fifth-graders struggled the most with on the FCAT exam.

“We focused on what the students did most poorly on,” she said. “Topics like rotation of the planets, chemistry and how the moon travels around the Earth.”

The topics included: “Rotation and Revolution” of Earth, which featured former Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell; “Earth and Moon, Partners in Space,” which featured a music video highlighting the phases of the moon; and “The Science of Fizz,” which focused on James Priestly, the man who invented carbonated water in 1872. 


Garcia said she was especially proud of the independent assessment of the videos’ impact, which showed a 60 percent improvement in student comprehension at every school that utilized them. 


“We had NASA give us real images, which helped the students to learn visually,” Garcia said. 


Garcia said the network would continue to distribute the videos as long as there were no lessons changed by scientific discovery.

Alan Gerstel, the video's producer, said with videos and animation, the students were able to learn better than just out of a textbook.

“For someone who has been out of fifth grade for quite some time, I don’t remember learning these things,” he said. “The process of making a documentary is a wonder, one of discovery and education.”

The Education Network is the television production service for the School District of Palm Beach County. The network consists of an open cable channel on Comcast Ch. 97, which reaches 465,000 subscribers throughout Palm Beach County.

For information, contact Judith Garcia at 561-738-2702.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

A program is in place to help seniors cut bills, while keeping their home cooler in the unrelenting South Florida heat.

Federal stimulus money will make it possible for Boynton Beach residents age 62 and older to cut energy bills through a program that will replace and install their central air-conditioning units with newer, more energy-efficient models.

City spokesman Wayne Segal said the idea behind stimulus money is to create and sustain jobs in the current economy.

“This will hopefully create jobs for air-conditioning technicians that would otherwise be let go during the slow season,” he said.

Segal said to be eligible, residents must be owners of single-family detached houses located from Interstate 95 east to Federal Highway and Woolbright Road, north to Mentone Road. There are also certain income limits and funds are available on a first- come, first-served basis.

Segal said for a one-person home, the income limit is $42,240, and for a two-person home, it is $48,240. He also said the limits go as high as $79,600 for an eight-person domicile.

“Other benefits of the program are going to be the reducing of the carbon footprint from Boynton on the environment with less power used to run the new units,” Segal said.

Other housing weatherization may include weather stripping and insulation, energy- efficient doors, windows and electrical upgrades.

Segal said the program could save seniors upward of $5,000 to $7,000, depending on home size, that it would cost for a new unit.

Terry Yeager, a BuildSmart Channel manager for Florida Power & Light, said programs like the one for seniors in Boynton Beach help to reach the group’s main goal of becoming more efficient for the environment’s sake.

“In a round about way, it is also helping to keep those technicians working too,” he said. “The BuildSmart program is helping to get people to make their homes more energy efficient than just what’s up to code. This is a big step.”

Then there are those residents who simply cannot afford to buy a new unit that is more efficient.

Helen Haynes, 67, lives in the area covered by the program and has wanted to replace her unit for months.

“It is an old house and the air keeps breaking,” she said. “I just heard about this but will absolutely sign up.”

For information, call the City of Boynton Beach Community Improvement Division at 561-742-6066.

This program is funded as a part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

The Boynton Beach Police Department is not out to curb or put a halt to holiday fun but it is looking to keep residents responsible on nights like New Year’s Eve.

Since Thanksgiving, the department has been educating residents about a new program “The Ultimate Ladies Night,” where the campaign tells residents that they do not want to meet the ladies of the police department who are looking to arrest drunk drivers during the holiday season.

DUI Officer Patrick Monteith said the first DUI saturation took place Dec. 23, where as many as eight officers were looking for DUI drivers.

He said a saturation is different from a DUI checkpoint in that a whole area is canvassed, not just one intersection.

“After analyzing the results, we hope to make the saturation a regular thing,” he said. “Up till this point it has been mostly about the education. The point we are trying to get across is that you don’t want to meet our ladies cause it won’t be good for you.”

With the education that has taken place all month, Monteith said of the five fatal crashes in Boynton during December, none were DUI related.

“That speaks volumes for me about the program,” he said.

Stephanie Slater, police department spokeswoman, said 10,000 glossy postcards about the campaign were distributed to bars and restaurants throughout the city to spread the word.

She also said that Mothers Against Drunk Driving helped to produce the informative postcards and help sponsor the program.

Monteith said that it is just a fact that drunk driving goes up during the holiday season and the department’s goal is to save lives and curtail the frivolous act of driving impaired.

In America, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes on average, and each day, almost 700 more are injured in vehicle crashes that involve a drunk driver. These statistics jump during the holiday season. More than 11,000 people died in DUI related crashes in 2008.

In 2005, Barbara Kirkpatrick lost her 19-year-old daughter Jessica to a drunk driving accident. Now with MADD, she hopes that the program will bring awareness to the consequences of drinking and driving.

The Jessica Johnson Kirkpatrick Memorial is helping to sponsor the DUI saturations and the program with the Boynton Police.

“A lot of people are alone and upset during the holidays, and drink more because of this,” she said. “Also, people just want to have a few drinks with their friends, which is fine but needs to be done responsibly.”

For information about the campaign, call Officer Patrick Monteith at 561-742-6827.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

The Boynton Beach City Library, 208 S. Seacrest Blvd., will be able to preserve its local history collection with the added help of a national grant.

The library found out last week that the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded it a $6,000 grant to purchase archival supplies to house the library’s collection on display, said Karen Abramson, library spokeswoman.

Abramson also said the Florida history collection at the library is on display in a controlled environment and is looking for more ways people can safely view the items in the 63,000-square-foot facility.

Janet DeVries, the director of the grant project, said she and others had to compile a five-page application to get the grant.

“We also plan to have a consultant come in around March to look at our collection,” she said.

She said after the professional consultants provides a report, they will make attempts to re-house the items in a safer way that will have residents coming back to see the collection for years to come.

“For the application, we had to provide a general outline of our goals and what we would do with the grant,” DeVries said. “We finished the proposal in May 2009.”

DeVries added that the Boynton Library is one of seven institutions to get a grant from NEH and that the group gave out more than $495,000.

“We were the only public library to get a grant and I think that makes it just that much more special,” she said.

Wally Guya, a Delray Beach resident, said he takes his children to all the local events in Boynton Beach.

“Delray is nice for night life and culture but Boynton really adds a sense of history that my children need to know,” he said. “I love coming to the library and the Schoolhouse Museum so they can learn more about Palm Beach.”

Guya said a grant of $6,000, though small to some, would be worth a whole lot more with the education it will help provide residents who live close by.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

Artcetera, Inc. of Boynton Beach is looking for artists and extra entertainment for its “BIG Gala Weekend,” from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 at Canyon Town Center.

Gloria Waldman, the organizer of the event, said her company Artcetera has been in Palm Beach County for 26 years promoting local artists as an art agent.

Waldman said the February event is the fifth art show Artcetera has done in Boynton Beach but the first outdoors with entertainment in a place like Canyon Town Center, located off Boynton Beach Boulevard and Lyons Road.

“Right now, we are just trying to inform residents of the event and get more artists to display their work at the show,” Waldman said. “We are also looking for entertainment and working on getting the Park Vista Chorus to come down and perform. We are trying to make this great.”

Waldman compared the Canyon Town Center with an amphitheater built by GL Homes to that of Mizner Park in Boca Raton.

Local painter Phyllis Fliss has been selling art in Palm Beach for 12 years. She has experience with Artcetera events.

“I’ve done two shows with her and exposure-wise, it definitely doesn’t hurt,” she said. “You’ll see quite a bit of high-end jewelry and art at her shows.”

Fliss said the move to a place like Canyon was needed with past events at Westchester Country Club filling up within hours.

“We just couldn’t accommodate all the people that wanted to come,” she said.

Paula Fox, a Boynton Beach resident and Gainesville native, said it is Waldman’s experience that attracted her to her events.

“She is just a dynamo of a lady,” she said. “She has been this for years and with little publicity draws hundreds of people to her events.”

Fox has been creating art ever since she was a child and sells hand-crafted jewelry and men’s ties turned into women’s accessories.

“I even have men buy them who want to wear them for New Year’s and events like that,” she said.

The event is free to the public and for information, call 561-732-6216 or e-mail glohar1@msn.com.

Mike Rothman can be reached at mkrothman@tribune.com.

Arnie Rich from Park Vista High School is the Senior Volunteer of the Year for 2009-10 in Palm Beach County.
Rich is a volunteer and school volunteer coordinator at Park Vista Community High School. Since the opening of the school in 2004, Rich has recruited more than 500 volunteers, half of which are seniors from the surrounding communities.
Rich has personally contributed in excess of 5,400 hours volunteering at the school since 2004.
Rich is a retired businessman
He worked for Delta Airlines for 40 years
He also volunteers for Hospice of Palm Beach County.
He also serves as an assistant coach with the school’s golf team. 


Age 73
His heroes are his mother, Esther, and father, Nathan.
He likes to golf, fish and loves to cook.
He lives in Boynton Beach.

How did it feel when you were notified that you were senior volunteer of the year?

“I cried when I read the article the school put in for me when they needed to submit their nomination. I was shocked.”

How did you get into volunteering at Park Vista?

“We live in Aberdeen here and are on the executive board there. COBWRA told us that they wanted a liasion between our community and the new school being built. I have been here ever since.”

What is your favorite aspect of what you do?

“The interaction between the faculty and the students. I feel warm when I come into the school everyday.”

What did you do before you retired?

“I spent 40 years working for Delta Airlines. I retired as a supervisor of the aircraft maintenance line.”

What is in your future?

“I want another 50 years if I can get that. No, as long as they will have me here, I want to stick around.”

Why is volunteering so important to the foundation of the school?

“It is extremely important. I have five or six people that come in here every week to tutor math, which helps the FCAT scores. All these scores count.”