Martin County Currents December 2013 Vol. 3. Issue #7

Volume 3 Issue 7 • December 2013

FREE

An undercurrent of mistrust dampens return of NACs Pg 12

Gifts galore at Port Salerno'sFish House Art Gallery Pg 26

Santas come in all sizes!

Find out what’s happening this

holiday season!

pg 16-18

Hurchalla-Fielding email: Is it skulduggery? Pg 8

An ecological treasure awaitsdiscovery in Indiantown Pg 19

Sarah Heard Maggy Hurchalla

Ed Fielding

The great-granddaughter of Hobe Sound's

Mrs. Claus

Martin County CurrentsDecember 20132

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The 2014 electionseason is officiallyupon us. The firstcandidates have

filed with the MartinCounty Elections Of-fice for the 2014 elec-tion. Republican JohnShierbaum of Ster-ling Circle in Stuartwill seek the District2 County Commis-sion seat now held byEd Fielding, and TinaMaria McSoley of

Gregor Way in Stuart will seek the District4 School Board seat currently held byMaura Barry-Sorenson.

Schierbaum may be a familiar face tosome who watch the Board of CountyCommissioners meetings on MCTV. Hehas been a frequent public speaker dur-ing those meetings to protest the county'sinvolvement with the 7/50 planningprocess for a number of weeks.

“I made the decision to run for officebecause I don't like the direction some ofour county commissioners want to takeMartin County,” he said in an email,“specifically by participating in Seven50.I want to keep Martin County, MartinCounty. I am strongly against unelectedregional bureaucrats telling us in MartinCounty how to live our lives.”

He and his wife, Penelope, movedfrom New Jersey to Martin County fiveyears, and is an nuisance alligator trapperlicensed by the Florida Fish and WildlifeCommission and a volunteer tour guidefor the Florida Oceanographic Society forthe past four years. ■

Two counties already have with-drawn from the 50-year regionalplan for seven south Florida counties,known as the Seven50 Plan, and it lookslike Martin County will follow IndianRiver and St. Lucie counties soon as citi-zen protests continue to intensify at everycounty commission meeting.

The stated objective of the plan, a jointproject of the South Florida and TreasureCoast regional planning councils, is toprovide a “blueprint” for the future of theregion that balances economic, environ-mental and social demands by indentify-ing industries and issues that will need tobe addressed over the next 50 years.

Areas include the environment, agri-culture, education, economic growth, de-velopment, community assets andclimate change, but what has alarmedmany residents are the plans for “socialengineering” to bring greater equality in

3

continued on page 4

John Schierbaum

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 News Stream

16Christmas lights,

Santa suits, and lightedMenorrahs transform

Martin County this month into an exciting,

expectant mix of holiday events and

religious celebrations that can make your

head spin with choices.Find out what's going

on and where.

26Any time of the year, the Fish

House Art Center in Port Salerno offers unique gifts, especially

during December.

Features

All the articles and opinion pieces are authored and/or edited by Publisher Barbara Clowdus, exceptas otherwise noted. All the typos, mistakes, grammatical errors, omissions, and misspelled wordsare hers alone, too. The good photos are taken by someone else. All contents are copyrighted 2013Martin County Currents.

EDITOR BARBARA CLOWDUS772.245.6564 [email protected]@MartinCountyCurrents.com

ANNOUNCEMENTScalendar@MartinCountyCurrents.comSUBSCRIPTIONSwww.MartinCountyCurrents.com click on SUBSCRIBE

21Private attorneys have now been engaged by all parties regarding the modular home erected in a

Hobe Sound neighborhood. The battle begins.

19J&R Outfitters in Indiantown

is an often-overlooked treasure in western Martin County.

ColumnistsMaya EllensonArt Kaleidoscope....26

Suzanne BrileyHopscotch … 27

Rich VidulichPompano Reporter … 30

Gordon BarlowOutside, Looking In... 12

George KleinePots, Pans, Puddin’s and Pies …. 29

Having trouble finding a copy? Get a FREE electronic subscription to Martin County Currents. Go to www.MartinCountyCurrents.com and click on SUBSCRIBE.That’s all there is to it! You will begin receiving your copy each monthsent directly to your email inbox, along with periodic opinion pieces.

cuRRentsMartin County

housing at the apparent loss of individualproperty rights, as well as the spectre ofzoning and quality-of-life decisions beingmade by government bureaucrats ratherthan elected officials.

The $4.25 million cost of the Seven50Plan is being paid by the U.S. Departmentof Housing & Urban Development’s Sus-tainable Communities Initiative, and overthe past two years, the Southeast FloridaRegional Partnership has collected inputand data from public summits, workshops,online outreach and various studies.

Marcela Cambler-Cotsaimanis, direc-tor of the Seven50 plan, appeared beforethe Martin County commission in Octo-ber with the first draft of the plan for re-view, explaining that the county has theoption “to pick and choose” whatever itwishes to incorporate in the county'sComp Plan, and discard the rest.

The most committed supporters of theSeven50 plan among the commissionersare Ed Fielding and Doug Smith, bothsaying that the plan is voluntary, notmandatory, but most important, it pro-vides an opportunity for Martin Countyto have a say in how the region will de-velop, ordinarily difficult for a county assmall as Martin.

“There are going to be changes in thefuture,” Commissioner Fielding said.“We want to participate in the decision-making process so we'll have some say inwhat happens and so we'll be able to takeadvantage of opportunities, like extend-

ing fiber-optic cable throughout the re-gion....that's vital.”

The commissioners agreed to hear bothsides of the issue, at Commissioner AnneScott's urging, to put Seven50 on theagenda, preferably in December, givingeach side 20 minutes to make a presenta-tion, after which the commissioners willvote either to withdraw completely, or tocontinue to participate in the long-rangeplanning process. ■

Attorney Robert Raynes Jr., representing Midbrook 1st RealtyMidbrook 1st Realty, owners of the 2,800-acre Hobe Grove planned community inwestern Martin County, urged the countyto delay the public hearing on the 2nd setof Comprehensive Plan Amendmentsuntil after the challenges to the first set ofrewrites are heard, since many of the sec-ond set of rewrites simply bring otherchapters of the Martin County Compre-hensive Plan into compliance with thenew changes.

“We ask that you not adopt the NewAmendments and, instead, pause, re-flect on the implications and considerthe detrimental impacts on MartinCounty and its citizens as a whole,” hesaid, in his letter. “It would be beneficial

to wait until the present challenges areresolved, instead of attempting to adopt,separate from those challenges, the NewAmendments that would create morelitigation, more cost, and be detrimentalto anyone involved.”

The county disagreed, and a pubichearing to adopt the 2nd Set Comprehen-sive Plan Amendments has been set for 9a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Changes will bemade to Chapters 14, 8, 9, and 15 and willinclude modifications to shoreline protec-tion zones, wetlands definitions, a dia-gram as part of the Airport Master Plan,to eliminate references to the BusinessDevelopment Board and Convention andVisitors Bureau from the comprehensiveplan, and to outline new policies regard-ing economic and tourist development.

The Growth Management Departmentstaff reports for the plan amendments canbe downloaded from www.martin.fl.us/portal/page?_pageid=355,4439276&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL. Public com-ment, email or US mail, should be ad-dressed to Nicki van Vonno, AICP, GrowthManagement Department Director, [email protected].

No date has been set as yet to hear thefour legal challenges to the first set ofComp Plan amendments by landownersthat include farmers and ranchers, as wellas the Hobe Grove development, al-though the cases, which have been com-bined, are expected to be heard in earlyspring, according to Raynes. ■

The South FloridaWater ManagementDistrict’s new executive director,Blake Guillory, notified the MartinCounty Growth Management Depart-ment in November that it was “satisfied”with the county's rewording of parts ofthe 1st set of Comprehensive PlanAmendments in Chapters, 1, 2 and 4 re-garding water resources management.

The South Florida Water ManagementDistrict, one of the state reviewing agen-cies, had written a strong letter of objec-tion to the Comp Plan rewrites on Sept.18 to the state Department of EconomicOpportunity, urging the department takeaction against the county for overstep-ping its authority to manage the district'swater resources.

In response, the county Growth Man-agement department director Nicki vanVonno notified the SFWMD that it was notMartin County's intention “to transgress”the District’s authority to regulate con-sumptive water use permitting, thus rewrit-ing the text of the amendments, which willbe presented to the commission on Dec. 10,along with the 2nd set of Comp Planamendments, for commission approval.

The revised Comp Plan amendmenttext now reads: “Seasonal water tablesshall be preserved, protected, and/or en-hanced. The County shall use its land useauthority under FS 163 to ensure thatland use decisions shall not result in the

reduction of the normal seasonal wetlandwater levels. Implementation of this pol-icy shall include the CGMP (Comprehen-sive Growth Management Plan) and theLand Development Regulations and shallnot transgress the SFWMD’s authorityunder state law to regulate consumptiveuse permitting.” ■

Reacting to the County Commission'srecent decision

to dissolve the Con-vention and VisitorsBureau and handover those responsi-bilities to the county'sParks and RecreationDepartment, themembers of the Mar-tin County HotelMotel Association de-cided at its Nov. 11meeting to extend aninvitation to other“tourist partners” tojoin their association.

“We are at a critical juncture,” saidJacqueline Lewis, president of the HotelMotel Association and general managerof the Courtyard Marriott in Stuart.

“None of us can simply just waitaround and see what happens as thecounty takes over the promotion oftourism,” she said. “We need to reach outto restaurants and attractions and to allthose places that depend on tourism, sowe can work together to make the mostof our marketing efforts.”

Lewis, who has been general managersince the Marriott opened in 2009, has re-ceived some of the highest of the chain'sawards, including general manager of theyear. Her hotel maintenance team rankedfourth out of 821 properties in 2011, andshe also earned one of only three “Dia-mond General Manager of the Year”awards out of 915 Courtyard by Marriotthotels in the Americas in 2012.

Lewis invited Brandy Hastings, man-ager of marketing and sales for Visit-Florida.com, to attend, bringing membersup-to-date on statewide tourism initiatives.She provided current marketing materials,and urged all hotels, motels, restaurants,and attractions to sign up for a free websitelisting on VisitFlorida.com, developed forvisitors to plan their Florida vacations.

The listing includes the business name,contact information, an interactive Googlemap, a hyperlink to the business's websiteand one photo to display on the profilepage. For more information, Hastings canbe reached via email at [email protected], or sign up for the tourism blogat SunshineMatters.org.

She encouraged members also to con-tact her with ideas for places and events,such as the Christmas boat parades, thatcurrently are not being marketed out ofstate so they may be included in the stateVisit Florida marketing plan. ■


Jacqueline Lewis,President Martin CountyHotel Motel Association

continued from PAGE 3

T H E B E S T I N C O M M U N I T Y T H E A T R E

2013-2014 SEASON

MAR. 7-23

Curtains Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

MAY 30 -JUNE 15

Deathtrap

APR. 18 - MAY 4

Abe Dreyfus is a cantankerous senior who lives with hisson and daughter-in-law. Mildred Sloan is an equally irascible lady who is forced to move in with her daughterand son-in-law when her house burns down. Ironically,this puts Abe and Mildred under the same roof. Abe andMildred embark on a mission to drive each other from thehouse, but their children are the only ones thinking ofleaving. Squabbles is Maud versus Archie Bunker. LikeArchie Bunker, Abe is often politically incorrect, but hisbattles with Mildred provoke nonstop laughter.

TICKETS ON SALE NOWSquabbles • Jan. 24 - Feb. 9

Tickets are $20 EXCEPT for Curtains at $25.Times are 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Tickets can be purchased at www.barn-theatre.com or 772-287-4884 or at the box office at2400 East Ocean Blvd. in Stuart Monday-Friday 12-4pm or one hour prior to shows.

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 News Stream 5

Increasing thecounty's sales taxwas put back onthe agenda for discussion during the Dec. 3 CountyCommission meeting, but no decisionwas made as to how much or how longthe sales tax should be levied. One pointwas clear, however: a sales tax referen-dum of some kind will be on the ballot forNovember's general election.

It also seemed to be clear that what-ever is decided by the commissioners willnot be unanimous, other than the salestax revenues should be used only forroads and bridge maintenance and repair,estimated now by the county engineeringdepartment as requiring $250 million toretire its maintenance backlog.

“And we know this amount is goingto go up,” said Commissioner John Had-dox, “probably by the day....”

Commissioner Ed Fielding also calledfor an additional rewrite of the Compre-hensive Growth Management Plan thatwould “spell out” what would be accept-able projects for funding by the countycommission, not just from sales tax rev-enues, but for all future revenues cominginto county coffers, which would elimi-nate discretionary decisions by this andfuture commissions.

Any deviation from whatever projectswould be deemed appropriate by the cur-rent board to be included in the CompPlan, Fielding proposed, would require asuper-majority vote of at least four of thefive county commissioners.

Both Commissioners John Haddoxand Anne Scott also wanted an in-depthreview of the county's current Capital Im-provement Expenditures budget and theCapital Expenditures Plan that were pre-viously approved in order to determinewhat could be cut, if anything, before de-ciding the amount of sales tax and forwhat term is required to meet thecounty's needs.

County staff were directed to analyzethe particular projects that could be com-pleted with a half cent sales tax for threeyears, as well as a half cent tax for fiveyears. They also were directed to preparethe language for the ordinance that will beplaced on the November ballot, althoughwithout specific amounts as yet, and alsoto investigate what language could be in-corporated into the Comp Plan to limitspending on specific projects. ■

Martin County Commissioners metin an “executivesession” with their attorney, Michael Durham, and adminis-trator Taryn Kryzda to further discusswhether or not to forfeit pending pay-ments to the county of court-orderedsanctions and attorney fees by the MartinCounty Conservation Alliance and 1,000Friends of Florida, as well as by environ-mental attorney Richard Grosso, who

represented the two organizations in afailed lawsuit against the county.

Commissioner Doug Smith declinedto meet in the closed-door session for thesecond time, telling the board he was“concerned” about violating the orders is-sued by the administrative law judge. Healso did not participate in the first closed-door session in September.

The case against Martin County wasoriginally filed in 2009 by Grosso, not onlyagainst Martin County, but also the state'sformer development review agency, theFlorida Department of Community Af-fairs, and two private companies. Theylost the case, then appealed the decision,although they had been advised by theadministrative law judge not to do so.

The 1st District Court of Appeals re-fused to hear the case, writing that theplaintiffs “did not have standing,” thus is-suing the sanctions based on what the courtsaid were “meritless appellate arguments.”

No decision was announced after theclosed-door session ended regardingwhether or not the commissioners haddecided to collect their court-orderedfees. The Sunshine State News online news-paper reported immediately after themeeting concluded that CommissionerDoug Smith said he expected the issue tobe on the agenda for the next commissionmeeting, which is Dec. 10. ■

The Business DevelopmentBoard of MartinCounty entered into a new, revised contract with thecounty Dec. 3...kind of...with some looseends still to be tied. The County Com-mission agreed to the length of the con-tract, which was shortened from 10 yearsto three years, the annual payments tosupport its operation, which come fromlicense fees paid by businesses in MartinCounty, have been reduced from$645,000 annually to $430,000 the firstyear, $350,000 the second year and$260,000 in the third year; the number ofboard members has been reduced from28 members to 15 with only one memberrepresenting the Economic Council, aprivate business development group;and with changes to the board structurethat will now include each member ofthe county commission, either servingon the board, or appointing a MartinCounty resident to serve in their stead.

The commission will continue to ap-point its own representative from theBoard of County Commissioners, aswell, which will continue to be Commis-sioner John Haddox. Commissioner EdFielding also appointed himself to serveon the BDB.

The organization, which no longer willbe included in the Comprehensive GrowthManagement Plan, also may not carryover funds from one year to the next, andthe Clerk of the Courts will provide over-sight of its budget expenditures, accordingto Jeff Sabin, current BDB president.

Commissioner Anne Scott had sug-gested in November that the countyshould match up to $100,000 of private

funds, which was approved by the com-mission; however, guidelines are still tobe set as to what revenues would qualifyfor a county match.

The qualifications for those matchingfunds will be developed by County Attor-ney Michael Durham and presented to thecommission for approval at a later date.

More than an hour was spent at Tues-day's county commission meeting onminutiae, such as whether the moneywould be paid monthly or quarterly, deter-mining the caps on how much money can

be moved from one line item to another,and the limit on line item discrepancies.

Commissioner Scott told the commis-sioners that no contract can be made im-pervious to manipulation, if that was theintent, but she felt enough oversight andreporting had been built into the pro-posed BDB contract that “we don't haveto torture ourselves like this.”

The commission approved the newcontract as had been presented bySabin, with only Commissioner Hearddissenting. ■

Grant Country Club breakfast meeting.“It's a meeting I make sure I nevermiss,” says former Rotary PresidentTony Sementelli. “We have some greatteachers, and it's important that we letthem know we appreciate the work theydo for our children.”

Teacher of the Year Stephanie Devoe,who serves on multiple school improve-ment teams, was selected for the Rotaryrecognition by Hobe Sound ElementarySchool Principal Joan Gibbons.

Devoe grew up in Martin County, at-tended local schools and recently com-pleted her master's degree ineducational leadership. She and her hus-band have two sons who attend HobeSound Elementary.

From Pinewood Elementary School,third-grade teacher Dayna Carroll was se-lected by Principal Larry Green for theRotary honor. She, too, is Teacher of theYear, and has been teaching for 13 years,seven of which have been at Pinewood.

Rachel Long, a Port Salerno Elemen-tary Kindergarten team leader and men-tor to three new kindergarten teachers,

leads the screening process for incomingkindergarten students and organizes thekindergarten open house.

“She is deeply knowledgeable aboutearly childhood education,” said PatriciaHarvey, the new principal at Port SalernoElementary, “and her classroom serves asa lab classroom for others to visit. Re-cently, school board member MarshaPowers observed the Reader’s Workshopin Miss Long’s classroom.”

The SeaWind Elementary School's2014 Teacher of the Year, Susan Rao, wasselected by school principal Birgit Agerfor the Rotary recognition. “Mrs. Rao isvery excited about teaching a combina-tion second/third grade class this year,”said Ager. “She is a teacher leader at ourschool who graciously provides technol-ogy training for our teachers, and forteachers in neighboring schools.”

The Rotary Club's teacher-recognitionprogram was initiated when the club wasfounded in 1999.

“This is such an uplifting experiencefor us,” Ager said. “I always look forwardto coming here.” ■

Each quarter, the Hobe Sound/Port Salerno Rotary recognizes outstanding teachers at its Miles

Pinewood Elementary School teacher DaynaCarroll and Principal Larry Green

SeaWind Elementary School teacher SusanRao and Principal Birgit Ager

Principal Patricia Harvey and Port Salerno Elementary School teacher Rachel Long

Principal Joan Gibbons, left, Hobe Sound Elementary teacher Stephanie Devoe


Two new initiativesof the CommunityDevelopment Department, a community based code and entrepre-neurial support for start-up businesses,were proposed to six of the seven Com-munity Redevelopment Areas at theirNeighborhood Advisory Committeemeetings in November by Kev Freeman,Community Development director.

The only one of the seven historicneighborhoods who did not hear aboutboth initiatives was Hobe Sound, yet itwas the controversy there over a modularhome that prompted a renewed emphasison developing a community-based code,according to Freeman.

“We actually started working on thismore than two years ago,” Freeman toldthe Indiantown NAC, “but the situationin Hobe Sound has made it a priority, be-cause residents really did not know whatcould be built next to them. We have hadissues in several NACs because peoplehad no way of telling in advance what abuilding was going to look like until afterit was built, and often times, it was notwhat was expected and not what waswanted by the community.”

The reason, Freeman explained, is be-cause the current code, which must be incompliance with the Land DevelopmentRegulations, is long, complicated, andprimarily just a text format. He envisionssorting through the three, four-inch-thickcode books—a task he's assigned to plan-ner Nakeishea Smith in his office—to pullout what is common code among allseven Community RedevelopmentAreas—Hobe Sound, Indiantown, PortSalerno, Rio, Old Palm City, Golden Gateand Jensen Beach—then to determine theelements that make each community dis-tinctive in a separate book.

“We're not talking about rewritingthe whole code,” he said. “We're talkingabout making it simpler to understand,so that you don't need an attorney to in-terpret it, and to have graphical repre-sentations so you can actually see whatis intended.”

He also envisions using Google Earthto create 3-D representations of the code,and many of the buildings of the CRAsalready have been imaged in 3-D.

“We plan to present the idea to thecounty commission probably in January,”he said, “because I want to have their ap-proval before we proceed too much far-ther along.”

The other project is to form a partner-ship with Indian River State College to as-sist people who have small businesses,generally fewer than five people, or per-haps someone who wants to start a busi-ness but does not know what's requiredor how to begin.

A 12-week training program is beingdeveloped by IRSC now, which will betailored for start-up or micro-businesses,according to Freeman. Tuition would bepaid from CRA funds, and followingcompletion of the program, the new busi-ness owner may qualify for use of anIRSC incubator at the Chastise campus,still to be developed. They also will re-ceive ongoing mentoring.

“We determined that there was a gapbetween what the Business DevelopmentBoard is set up to do, which is generallybusinesses with 20 or more employees,and these very small businesses,” Free-man added. “People have been callingour department for help, for direction,and we really couldn't help them, yet weknow creating new businesses is impor-tant to our CRAs. We hope with imple-mentation of this training program, wecan change that.”

When Freeman first presented theidea to the County Commission at a No-vember commission meeting, the com-missioners were receptive, however,Commissioner John Haddox also recog-nized that spending CRA funds is lim-ited. By law, they can be spent onlywithin the CRAs.

“This sounds like a good program, agood idea for growing our business sec-tor internally,” Haddox said. “That's whatwe need; that's what we want, and maybethere's some way we can extend (the en-trepreneurial program) to the entirecounty, to all residents, not just the onesin the CRAs.” ■

A momentary look of surpriseflashed acrossCommissioner EdFielding's face at a November CountyCommission meeting when fellow com-missioners Sarah Heard and Anne Scottdid not support Fielding's recent initia-tive, the Indian River Lagoon Collabo-rative, comprising the six counties alongthe east coast adjacent to the lagoon.Fielding launched the lagoon restora-tion initiative immediately after SenatorJoe Negron hosted a 8-hour seminar onthe Indian River Lagoon and LakeOkeechobee Basin in Martin Countyduring August.

“Why would you NOT support this,”asked Commissioner Doug Smith ofHeard. “These are the counties most di-rectly affected...” The advantages of shar-ing ideas and having greater influence asa larger group on legislators and policymakers should outweigh any of Heard'sconcerns, Smith added.

“I just think we have enough river or-ganizations,” Heard responded, addingthat she was concerned about “fractur-ing” the message, and that it was neces-sary to keep focus exclusively on theapproved Everglades projects.

Fielding continued to push for “stand-ing” for the collaborative by the county inorder that he could use county staff, in-cluding the county attorney, for their pur-poses and be reimbursed for expenses.Haddox and Smith joined Fielding's vote,overriding the two dissenting votes byHeard and Scott.

The Collaborative has been meetingmonthly since August with the hope,Fielding said “of creating a unified effortto achieve meaningful, curative regionalaction for the Indian River Lagoon.”

He has attracted some well-known en-vironmental groups to the effort, includ-ing the Indian River Lagoon NationalEstuary Program for recording the meet-

ings and preparing minutes, as well asHarbor Branch scientists and others.

“I am hopeful the group will becomethe genesis of regional cooperation in ad-dressing issues harming the Lagoon,”Fielding said in an email to Durham, “inadopting solutions for improvement, inseeking State and Federal funding to as-sist in implementation of solutions, andrequesting supportive legislation to rein-force the unified actions the memberCounties have chosen to take. We cannotbe passive if we hope to address the direimmediacy of the water quality issues ofthe Lagoon.”

The other counties of the collaborativeinclude Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St.Lucie and Palm Beach. ■

A communityforum, hosted bythe Martin CountyLibrary System, to discuss the Indian River Lagoon willbe at 6 pm on Monday, Dec. 9, in the JohnF. Armstrong Wing of the Blake Library,2351 SE Monterey Road in Stuart. It isopen to the public and there is no charge.

In a roundtable format, NoreenFisher, a member of the Library Founda-tion of Martin County's Board of Direc-tors and president of the League ofWomen Voters, will moderate “a civilconversation with community membersfocused on the Indian River Lagoon. Allpoints of view are welcome, but please

note that this is neither a debate nor arally, and that no distribution of litera-ture from any group is permitted.”

The forum's purpose is to facilitatecivil conversation in a neutral environ-ment, a respectful discussion amongmembers of the community. Tickets forthe free event are required, and will beavailable to the first 30 people in line. Formore information: 772-221-1403. ■

If residents missedthe first two transitworkshops by theMartin Metropolitan Planning Organization the first week ofDecember to update the Transit Develop-ment Plan for Martin County, they stillhave an opportunity to give their inputfor improving the county's transit system.

A meeting is planned in Indiantown atthe Elisabeth Lahti Library from 5:30-7:30p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, or they mayfill out a survey online at: www.martin-mpo.com/transit/.

County planners are seeking publicinput in order to determine transit needs,define alternative courses of action, anddevelop a blueprint for the transit systemfor the next 10 years.

The Transit Development Plan alsowill identify short- and mid-term publictransit needs, as well. For more informa-tion go to HYPERLINK "http://www.martin.fl.us/hottopics"www.martin.fl.us/hottopics. ■

which will contribute to the “Save the In-dian River Lagoon” campaign. The Ma-rine Resources Council, a charitablenonprofit organization that utilizes sci-ence-based advocacy, education, andcommunity engagement to address la-goon issues, will enhance fish and birdhabitat in 2014 by planting more than5,000 mangroves, raise awareness andknowledge by conducting 50 workshopsfor citizens and community leaders, in-cluding the Lagoon Action Assembly inMay 2014, and engaging 200 new volun-

teers in lagoon-lifesaving activities. The organization relies completely on

community donations and matchinggrants, and 90% of contributions go di-rectly to programs and projects that sup-port its mission. Organizers suggest thata unique and meaningful gift for the hol-idays would be to register a friend orfamily member to be a member of MRC.“Give a gift that keeps on giving back,”said Dr. Leesa Souto, executive director ofthe Marine Resources Council. For moreinfo, go to [email protected]. ■

The Marine Resources Council is seeking new members during its winter membership drive,

Water-quality monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon by a Marine Resources Council volunteer.


Two new initiativesof the CommunityDevelopment Department, a community based code and entrepre-neurial support for start-up businesses,were proposed to six of the seven Com-munity Redevelopment Areas at theirNeighborhood Advisory Committeemeetings in November by Kev Freeman,Community Development director.

The only one of the seven historicneighborhoods who did not hear aboutboth initiatives was Hobe Sound, yet itwas the controversy there over a modularhome that prompted a renewed emphasison developing a community-based code,according to Freeman.

“We actually started working on thismore than two years ago,” Freeman toldthe Indiantown NAC, “but the situationin Hobe Sound has made it a priority, be-cause residents really did not know whatcould be built next to them. We have hadissues in several NACs because peoplehad no way of telling in advance what abuilding was going to look like until afterit was built, and often times, it was notwhat was expected and not what waswanted by the community.”

The reason, Freeman explained, is be-cause the current code, which must be incompliance with the Land DevelopmentRegulations, is long, complicated, andprimarily just a text format. He envisionssorting through the three, four-inch-thickcode books—a task he's assigned to plan-ner Nakeishea Smith in his office—to pullout what is common code among allseven Community RedevelopmentAreas—Hobe Sound, Indiantown, PortSalerno, Rio, Old Palm City, Golden Gateand Jensen Beach—then to determine theelements that make each community dis-tinctive in a separate book.

“We're not talking about rewritingthe whole code,” he said. “We're talkingabout making it simpler to understand,so that you don't need an attorney to in-terpret it, and to have graphical repre-sentations so you can actually see whatis intended.”

He also envisions using Google Earthto create 3-D representations of the code,and many of the buildings of the CRAsalready have been imaged in 3-D.

“We plan to present the idea to thecounty commission probably in January,”he said, “because I want to have their ap-proval before we proceed too much far-ther along.”

The other project is to form a partner-ship with Indian River State College to as-sist people who have small businesses,generally fewer than five people, or per-haps someone who wants to start a busi-ness but does not know what's requiredor how to begin.

A 12-week training program is beingdeveloped by IRSC now, which will betailored for start-up or micro-businesses,according to Freeman. Tuition would bepaid from CRA funds, and followingcompletion of the program, the new busi-ness owner may qualify for use of anIRSC incubator at the Chastise campus,still to be developed. They also will re-ceive ongoing mentoring.

“We determined that there was a gapbetween what the Business DevelopmentBoard is set up to do, which is generallybusinesses with 20 or more employees,and these very small businesses,” Free-man added. “People have been callingour department for help, for direction,and we really couldn't help them, yet weknow creating new businesses is impor-tant to our CRAs. We hope with imple-mentation of this training program, wecan change that.”

When Freeman first presented theidea to the County Commission at a No-vember commission meeting, the com-missioners were receptive, however,Commissioner John Haddox also recog-nized that spending CRA funds is lim-ited. By law, they can be spent onlywithin the CRAs.

“This sounds like a good program, agood idea for growing our business sec-tor internally,” Haddox said. “That's whatwe need; that's what we want, and maybethere's some way we can extend (the en-trepreneurial program) to the entirecounty, to all residents, not just the onesin the CRAs.” ■

A momentary look of surpriseflashed acrossCommissioner EdFielding's face at a November CountyCommission meeting when fellow com-missioners Sarah Heard and Anne Scottdid not support Fielding's recent initia-tive, the Indian River Lagoon Collabo-rative, comprising the six counties alongthe east coast adjacent to the lagoon.Fielding launched the lagoon restora-tion initiative immediately after SenatorJoe Negron hosted a 8-hour seminar onthe Indian River Lagoon and LakeOkeechobee Basin in Martin Countyduring August.

“Why would you NOT support this,”asked Commissioner Doug Smith ofHeard. “These are the counties most di-rectly affected...” The advantages of shar-ing ideas and having greater influence asa larger group on legislators and policymakers should outweigh any of Heard'sconcerns, Smith added.

“I just think we have enough river or-ganizations,” Heard responded, addingthat she was concerned about “fractur-ing” the message, and that it was neces-sary to keep focus exclusively on theapproved Everglades projects.

Fielding continued to push for “stand-ing” for the collaborative by the county inorder that he could use county staff, in-cluding the county attorney, for their pur-poses and be reimbursed for expenses.Haddox and Smith joined Fielding's vote,overriding the two dissenting votes byHeard and Scott.

The Collaborative has been meetingmonthly since August with the hope,Fielding said “of creating a unified effortto achieve meaningful, curative regionalaction for the Indian River Lagoon.”

He has attracted some well-known en-vironmental groups to the effort, includ-ing the Indian River Lagoon NationalEstuary Program for recording the meet-

ings and preparing minutes, as well asHarbor Branch scientists and others.

“I am hopeful the group will becomethe genesis of regional cooperation in ad-dressing issues harming the Lagoon,”Fielding said in an email to Durham, “inadopting solutions for improvement, inseeking State and Federal funding to as-sist in implementation of solutions, andrequesting supportive legislation to rein-force the unified actions the memberCounties have chosen to take. We cannotbe passive if we hope to address the direimmediacy of the water quality issues ofthe Lagoon.”

The other counties of the collaborativeinclude Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St.Lucie and Palm Beach. ■

A communityforum, hosted bythe Martin CountyLibrary System, to discuss the Indian River Lagoon willbe at 6 pm on Monday, Dec. 9, in the JohnF. Armstrong Wing of the Blake Library,2351 SE Monterey Road in Stuart. It isopen to the public and there is no charge.

In a roundtable format, NoreenFisher, a member of the Library Founda-tion of Martin County's Board of Direc-tors and president of the League ofWomen Voters, will moderate “a civilconversation with community membersfocused on the Indian River Lagoon. Allpoints of view are welcome, but please

note that this is neither a debate nor arally, and that no distribution of litera-ture from any group is permitted.”

The forum's purpose is to facilitatecivil conversation in a neutral environ-ment, a respectful discussion amongmembers of the community. Tickets forthe free event are required, and will beavailable to the first 30 people in line. Formore information: 772-221-1403. ■

If residents missedthe first two transitworkshops by theMartin Metropolitan Planning Organization the first week ofDecember to update the Transit Develop-ment Plan for Martin County, they stillhave an opportunity to give their inputfor improving the county's transit system.

A meeting is planned in Indiantown atthe Elisabeth Lahti Library from 5:30-7:30p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, or they mayfill out a survey online at: www.martin-mpo.com/transit/.

County planners are seeking publicinput in order to determine transit needs,define alternative courses of action, anddevelop a blueprint for the transit systemfor the next 10 years.

The Transit Development Plan alsowill identify short- and mid-term publictransit needs, as well. For more informa-tion go to HYPERLINK "http://www.martin.fl.us/hottopics"www.martin.fl.us/hottopics. ■

which will contribute to the “Save the In-dian River Lagoon” campaign. The Ma-rine Resources Council, a charitablenonprofit organization that utilizes sci-ence-based advocacy, education, andcommunity engagement to address la-goon issues, will enhance fish and birdhabitat in 2014 by planting more than5,000 mangroves, raise awareness andknowledge by conducting 50 workshopsfor citizens and community leaders, in-cluding the Lagoon Action Assembly inMay 2014, and engaging 200 new volun-

teers in lagoon-lifesaving activities. The organization relies completely on

community donations and matchinggrants, and 90% of contributions go di-rectly to programs and projects that sup-port its mission. Organizers suggest thata unique and meaningful gift for the hol-idays would be to register a friend orfamily member to be a member of MRC.“Give a gift that keeps on giving back,”said Dr. Leesa Souto, executive director ofthe Marine Resources Council. For moreinfo, go to [email protected]. ■

The Marine Resources Council is seeking new members during its winter membership drive,

Water-quality monitoring in the Indian River Lagoon by a Marine Resources Council volunteer.

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 News Feature 7

Nearly 2,000 residents, govern-ment officials and dignitariesgathered at the new Veterans

Memorial Bridge on Nov. 16 in PalmCity not just to dedicate it to all mili-tary veterans, but to celebrate itscompletion after a 25-year wait.

Former County CommissionChair Ed Ciampi, who had volun-teered with the Honor Flights forWWII veterans, supported the re-naming of a Palm City park inhonor of Lance Cpl. Justin Wilson,and was one of many who had lob-bied for bridge funding, greetedresidents like a proud papa anhour prior to the ceremony.

A Palm City businessman,Ciampi had suggested that the

county commission name thebridge in honor of militaryveterans, changing the name

from Indian Street Bridge tothe Veterans Memorial Bridge.

“It was an obvious choice,” hesaid, “it's also obvious that people re-ally wanted this bridge built...It's justa shame they had to wait so long for itto happen.”

The bridge was built against allodds, according to James Wolfe, of theFlorida Department of Transportation,who addressed the crowd.

“Constructing bridges like this re-quires state funding,” Wolfe said, “butthere is no way this bridge qualified.”

It was a county bridge, not located

on a emergency evacuation route or ona major artery, none of the usual quali-fiers. “This is a county road, a countybridge and a county vision,” Wolfeadded, attributing its success to theresidents of Martin County and to theunrelenting work of then-Florida Sen-ate President Ken Pruitt, who wonfunding for its engineering—puttingthe bridge in the position of being“shovel ready” when federal funds be-came available.

“The federal government wantedonly shovel-ready projects,” he added,“and so this bridge got the funding ithad been lacking.” A near-miracle.

At the mention of Ken Pruitt'sname, the crowd erupted in cheers andapplause, which continued after hetook the lecturn.

Pruitt, in turn, gave credit to PalmCity residents who “never let up” theircampaign to construct the bridge, in-cluding current Chamber of Com-merce President Mike DeTerlizzi and“mother of the bridge” Carolyn Davi,executive director of the Palm CityChamber, who said the bridge hadbeen “critically needed” by Palm Citybusinesses and residents for decades.

What no one mentioned directlywere the cost of several legal battlesthat delayed its construction forabout three years, as well asabout a decade that a no-growthcommission failed to push thebridge's progress.

“If it had been built then, before therecession hit and while the county wasswimming in impact fees,” said one res-ident, “it would not have cost as much,and the county would have had noissue with paying off the bond debt.”

Since the county's revenue fromimpact fees fell to less than a third ofwhat it had been collecting prior to the2008 recession, and gas tax revenueshave sharply declined due to betterfuel efficiency, critics are quick toblame the bridge's construction forfunneling funds away from much-needed maintenance of county roads.The county contributed nearly $30 mil-lion of the total $165 million construc-tion cost of the bridge.

Commission Chair Sarah Heard, aconsistent critic of the bridge, was theonly commissioner who was not onstage for the ceremony, which was con-ducted by Commissioner John Haddoxrepresenting the Palm City district.She did, however, participate in thebridge ribbon-cutting.

Not quite finished, the bridge—which connects CR 714 in Palm City toIndian Street in Stuart—will be opento traffic by Christmas eve, saidGeorge Denti, Cardno's project admin-istrator: “And that's a promise.”

Veterans Memorial Bridge: a lifeline to Palm City

Ken Pruitt, formerstate senate president creditedwith makingbridge a reality.

County Commissioner John Haddox invited former Florida Senate President Ken Pruitt and state Rep. Gayle Harrell to share a spot on the scissors, as they cut the ribbon held by, from left, Rep. MaryLynnMagar, Stuart Vice Mayor Troy McDonald, Commissioner Doug Smith,Harrell, Haddox, Pruit, Commissioner Ed Fielding, and DOT engineerJames Wolfe. Photo : Courtesy Martin County.

"Mother of the Bridge" Carolyn Davi, executive

director of the Palm City Chamber

County Commissioner John Haddox, left, who conducted the ceremony, US Congressman Patrick Murphy addresses the crowd, followed by Rep. GayleHarrell, who talked about the necessity of the bridge torelieve congestion on the Palm City Bridge and its rolein spurring economic growth and development.

Former County CommissionChair Ed Ciampi, who suggested the bridge's name,Veterans Memorial Bridge

Former CommissionerElmira Gainey

Stuart Mayor Eula Clarke

scenes” to convincethe county commis-sioners and theSouth Florida Man-agement District al-legedly to breachtheir contracts withLake Point, a rockmining operation insouthwestern Mar-tin County nearLake Okeechobee.

(Hurchalla had made several publiccomments that Lake Point had destroyed60 acres of wetlands, although MartinCounty Management Director Nicki vanVonno reported to the commission thatno wetlands had been destroyed. Hur-challa also charged that Lake Point's rockpit was deeper than allowed by thecounty's Comp Plan, which the countyhas not verified and Lake Point disputes.)

Using the code name “DEEP Rock-pit,” Hurchalla's private email exchangewith Fielding was dated two days priorto the Jan. 15 county commission meetingwhen the Lake Point project had beenplaced on the meeting's agenda. Hur-challa gave specific instructions to Field-ing: “Avoid discussion of other issues.Don’t complicate things. Just set up ameeting to legally void that contract.Don’t issue any cease and desist order onthe mining. Get the contract cancelledand wait for staff to come back. Doug(Commissioner Doug Smith) will screamthat you are missing an opportunity tosave the river and giving up money duethe county. Engineering will back him up.(Don) Donaldson is Doug’s man.”

Fielding's response, “Thanks for theinput, Maggy.”

(Hurchalla's Jan. 13 private email withFielding is attached to Lake Point's legalmotion filed Nov. 25 in district court ask-ing that the county be compelled to pro-duce all private emails of thecommissioners that pertain to Lake Point,and to testify under oath as to theirmethodology in conducting the search.)

On the commissioner's public emailsystem, Hurchalla also sent an email thesame day, Jan. 13, to all the county com-missioners titled, “Tues Lake Pt. Agendaitem,” which is still posted on thecounty's public email database. Hur-challa says in what seems to be an en-tirely different tone: “I know that it isvery hard to look a gift horse in themouth, but I would strongly advise thatyou take (the Lake Point RestorationProject) off the agenda until you knowwhat you are getting into.”

Two days later, at the Jan. 15 countycommission meeting, CommissionersFielding, Sarah Heard and Anne Scottcalled for canceling the Lake Point con-tract, and none revealed having re-ceived any private correspondence fromHurchalla.

After Lake Point's original requestFeb. 7 for all email correspondence be-tween Hurchalla and the commissioners,their attorneys spotted CommissionerHeard's private email account with hercode name, pockethouse, among the pub-lic emails as she routinely conducted

county business from her private com-puter, prompting Lake Point to follow upwith a request four days later that Com-missioners Fielding, Heard and Scott pro-vide their private email correspondenceas well as the public correspondence re-lating to Lake Point.

“Ms. Hurchalla has produced some e-mails related to Lake Point that she hadsent to Commissioner Sarah Heard’s pri-vate e-mail account,” the attorney's mo-tion reads. “No e-mails to or from anyother commissioners private e-mail ac-counts, however, have been produced.”

The private email between Fieldingand Hurchalla was provided by thecounty to Lake Point on Nov. 8, ninemonths after the original request andafter several follow-up requests, accord-ing to attorney Ethan Loeb of Tampa.Heard, who provided some private Hur-challa emails to Lake Point, reported toLoeb in February that she was unable tocomply fully with Lake Point's publicrecords request because her private com-puter had been “hacked” and most of heremails had been deleted, although shewas using a web-based browser.

Lake Point in turn requested thatHeard authorize Yahoo to allow accessfor a search regarding Lake Point emailsstored in Heard's account, after which sheretained attorney Scott Zappolo, who de-nied their request. Subsequently, LakePoint asked 19th District Court JudgeJames McCann to order CommissionerHeard to sit for a deposition to explainthe “missing” emails, but no date for thedeposition has yet been set.

Hurchalla's attorneys, Trey White,Cristina Cambo, and Virginia Sherlock,sought to have Lake Point's motionsagainst their client dismissed, but JudgeMcCann allowed the tortious interfer-ence charge to stand at a hearing Oct. 11in Martin County. Dates to hear othermotions in the case have been set forJanuary. ■

A public hearing toconsider adoptionof a temporarymoratorium onpermitting modular homes in residentialzoning districts has been set for the Dec.17 Martin County Commission meeting.The temporary moratorium will allowGrowth Management Department staff toreview conflicts in county code regardingmanufactured homes.

Modular homes, which are con-structed to higher standards and to with-stand hurricane-force winds than aremobile homes, are protected by federalfair housing and anti-discriminatorylaws. County ordinances that could re-strict their use would be subject to stateand federal review.

The hearing will be conducted in thecommission chambers of the county's ad-ministrative building on Monterey Blvd.in Stuart. ■


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An email from former Martin County commissionerMaggy Hurchalla to current Commissioner Ed Fielding's per-sonal computer may be the key that un-ravels a blanket of secrecy currentlycloaking not only Hurchalla's communi-cations, but Commission Chair SarahHeard's as well, in the Lake Point WaterRestoration Project's lawsuits filed nearlya year ago.

Lake Point's suit against Hurchalla

filed in February 2013 for tortious interfer-ence (interfering with a company's abilityto conduct business) claims that the for-mer five-time Martin County commis-sioner worked “aggressively behind the

Sarah HeardMaggy HurchallaEd Fielding

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 9


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Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 11News Feature

After all the Veterans Day parades,dedications and ceremonies wereover in mid-November, one more

rather special event took place Nov. 13 atthe Ridgeway clubhouse in Hobe Sound.

The residents of Ridgeway, a seniorcommunity subdivision, recognizedthe veterans who currently are livingin their own neighborhood with a freelunch and special programchocked full of nostalgia, patri-otic songs, and memorabilia.

“I am truly honored to be inyour presence,” said guest speakerMichael Roberts, of the Road toVictory Military Museum in Stuart,who also serves to arrange HonorFlights for Martin County veteransto visit the World War II Memorialin Washington, D.C. He encouragedthe veterans to make the trip if theyhad not already done so.

“Everyone who has made thattrip has said it was one of the bestexperiences of their lives,” he said,“and that's either as a veteran or as avolunteer guardian.”

Doris Fenner, a former Army Cap-tain and Ridgeway resident whoserved “19 days short of 40 years” and isherself a recent Honor Flight veteran,echoed Roberts' admonishment to makethe trip. She told about her guardian, anROTC student at South Fork HighSchool, who had accompanied her.

Fenner had brought to the Ridgeway

luncheon a handful of hand-made Veter-ans Day cards from the ROTC unit todistribute among the veterans, whosecombined service total 168 years.

As Roberts went through his militarymuseum display, holding up variousweapons and photos of encampmentsand vehicles from U.S.

military actions, theformer soldiers' voices rang out from theaudience with their names: a GermanMauser, an M-1 carbine, a Luger, a P-31,even a green pack of Lucky Strikes...andso the afternoon passed by.

Ridgeway resident and speaker FredErickson, who had served in the Navy

aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Han-cock, told spell-binding tales of his ship,which had survived two Kamikaze at-tacks, destroyed 732 Japanese planesshooting 10 of them out of the air, andlost 221 men out of the more than 3,200

serving on board, allburied at sea. Theship also shot

the last Japanese plane in the air at theend of WWII.

“We have only 167 men left of the3,200 who came home after serving onthe Hancock,” he said, “so we're dimin-ishing fast.”

He serves now as a member of VFWPost 10132 Honor Guard, often leadingparades and helping to provide militaryhonors at funerals and memorial serv-ices. “We are honored to do it,” he added.

Ridgeway resident and Navy veteranDick Willis, who emceed the event,called for the veterans of each branch ofservice to stand and give his or hername, rank and service. They alsoadded little tidbits: “served at Nor-

mandy”... “was in Rhineland” …“three tours in Vietnam” …“served stateside for 20 years” …“was a pilot in a Piper Cub direct-ing field artillery” …

“On March 1, 1947, I flew toManila on a C-47,” said Fenner,after Roberts had shown photos of

a C-47 that had been carefully re-stored by the Museum.

The program concluded with a tele-vised recording of Kate Smith singing“God Bless America,” her alto voice re-verberating in everyone's chest: “Godbless America...My home sweet home.”

As people began gathering their be-longings, the mother of a soldier killedin Iran took the microphone. “We cele-brate veterans of our past wars as if it'sall over,” she said. “It's not over. We'restill at war. Please remember to pray forour soldiers. Pray for their families.” ■

--Barbara Clowdus

Dick Willis, a Navy veteran, emceed theRidgeway event.

Navy veteran Fred Erickson told of his serviceaboard the USS Hancock during World War II.

Road to Victory Museum Director Michael Roberts gave a presentation on military memorabilia housed at the Stuart museum.

Ridgeway residents Doris Fenner, an Army veteran, and Hap Harrington, a Navy Veteran, greetguests as they arrive at the Ridgeway clubhouse for a Veterans Day celebration.

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Voices12

Editorial: Air of distrust dampens return of NACs


Publisher and Editor Barbara Clowdus

Website Design Sonic Fish Studios

Printer Southeast Offset Inc Hobe Sound Currents is published monthly by World Print Link, 8965 SE Bridge Road, Suite, 206, Hobe Sound, FL 33455. The entire contents are Copyright 2010 by World Print Link, and no portion may be reproduced in part or in whole by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed are those only of the writer. Letters to the editor are encour-aged, as differing opinions strengthen our democracy, but they may be edited for length and/or clarity. Register at www.hobesoundcurrents.com and post on-line or send via snail or emal. Phone: 772.245.6564hobesoundcurrents.comeditor@[email protected]

Our choices of news-services reflect our prejudices, and vice versa. It’s probably

always been like that. Those who are always quoting conservative newspapers or mainstream TV are conservative and mainstream individuals; those whose references are to online blogs or forums (while ignoring the standard news-sources) are more likely to be rebels and sceptics. People judge our characters by our choices. The internet has broadened the range, but the division is an old one.

What the internet has changed, mainly, are the quality of the reporters and the independence of commentators’ opinions. The official news-media allows no departure from the Party Line. Indeed, it allows no departure from the teleprompter’s version.

A couple of months ago a Korean plane crashed while landing at a California airport. A local TV newsreader carefully read out the pilots’ names, while her audience could see the names printed on the separate video feed. Sum Ting Wong (Captain), Wi Tu Lo, Ho Lee Fuk (she pronounced it “fook”, rhymed with “book”) and Bang Ding Ow. You can Google those names, if you want to see the actual telecast.

It was a one-off, and it would be unfair to build a case on one brief example of mindless recitation. Or would it? It did illustrate the mainstream zombies’ instructions to say what their superiors tell them to say – no hesitation, no doubts, no deviation.

A recent scandal in Britain was the disclosure that a senior executive

Something is wrongGordon Barlow

Outside, Looking In

at the BBC ordered his minions to play down Israel’s bombing of a Gaza suburb during one of its raids. That sort of manipulation is common in the MSM these days. In general, it is beholden to its national advertisers and to the legislators who can make life difficult – and to the lobbyists who own the legislators. Jon Stewart on the Comedy Central TV channel invented the word “truthiness” to describe the official versions of events. What a wonderfully satirical invention that word is!

The “alternative media” is free of such restraints. It offers alternatives to the official “truths”. Mainstream reporters, to a man and woman, presume they are reporting the truth; freelance bloggers increasingly presume the authorities are lying. The alternative media doubted Saddam Hussein had WMDs; the mainstream media weren’t allowed to doubt. If they are told sum ting wong, they report it.

The mainstream news sources parrot the official versions of WTC #7 (the building that collapsed in its own footprint because of a few office fires), the gassings in Syria, the Iranian nuclear plans, and the death of Osama. The blogosphere insists the official stories are blatant propaganda, and wonders what is being covered up, and why. I

myself jeered at the Osama lies in a blog-post of May 2011, and at the infamous “wiped off the map” false-translation in February 2012. [The blog is “Barlow’s Cayman”, accessible via Google.]

There is a gulf of mistrust. Parallels are being drawn with earlier false-flag attacks. The Reichstag Fire paved the way for Hitler’s propaganda equivalent of America’s PATRIOT Act. Both were drafted well in advance of the event – which the alternative media find highly suspicious! In recent weeks, it has emerged that almost all the military experts interviewed on Western TV are actually in the paid service of companies with a vested interest in Western wars. They are all part of a pro-war propaganda machine – TV stations and interviewees alike.

Unquestioning belief generates heresies that must be quashed, and heretics who must be persecuted. The MSM has become an arm of a 21st-Century version of the brutal religious authorities of the 16th Century.

We are on a slippery slope, at the moment, with a rapidly increasing distrust of officials and their mouthpieces. There is a clear disconnect between us and them. On the one side, the establishment’s stooges and shills: on the other, amateurs and anarchists. There is little scope for compromise. Where do we go from here?

(It bears saying, that independent local publishers of news and opinions, such as Martin County Currents, are outside the scope of this criticism. They are reliant on

local advertisers, whose finances are far too small to overwhelm the integrity of their reporters and commentators. If newspapers have a future at all, it will exist in the small local ones.)

Gordon Barlow, a world traveler, professional blogger and and political commentator, lives in the Cayman Islands.

Without exception, every Neighborhood Advisory Committee of all 7 Community

Redevelopment Areas--Hobe Sound, Golden Gate, Port Salerno, Old Palm City, Rio, Indiantown, and Jensen Beach--were excited to get back to work on the proj-ects they know will build the foundation for increasing the quality of life in their generally working-class neighborhoods.

If Community Development Director Kev Freeman had been standing in the doorway at their first meetings handing them shovels and telling them to start digging...something...they probably would have done it and still been smiling. They are that ready.

Under all the optimism and hope for the future, though, lies a current of distrust--toward county officials generally and the commission specifically--many saying they resent that the NAC members and the former CRA members had been

treated as if they’d done something wrong. They knew THEIR NAC was not made up of power-hungry, self-serving residents, as they had been painted. They also knew that the majority of their members were residents, not “senior managers” of businesses who lived else-where, yet they were powerless to stop both the scathing attacks and the eventual dismantling of what had been the most effective three years of revitalization their neighborhoods had undergone since the program began more than a decade ago.

Now they are almost afraid to get their hopes up that they’ll have some control over the direction their commu-nities will take, particularly since some commissioners are unwilling even to listen to the logic of their choices. These people live and love every inch of their “place,” and toil and sacrifice and volun-teer and check on their neighbors and beat the bushes to make it a better place.

Why had they been painted as nearly evil? It’s a question they’re still asking.

They also do not understand why their CRAs are not entitled to a refund of the TIFF revenues that were mistakenly misappropriated by our lovely property appraiser to the general fund, rather than to the communities from which the monies came?

When Mr. Freeman is asked--and, yes, he is asked--he answers, “There’s no money in the budget in the first place, and the money probably was spent within the CRAs on other projects...like roads...that just were not identified as CRA projects.”

Now, an explanation like that does not warrant much confidence among residents. They can look around and see what was--or was not--spent in their communities....and it certainly was not on roads or much of anything else either.

They also are asking why the City

of Stuart’s CRA apparently is entitled to a refund, but the county’s are not. Are these funds not required by law to be spent ONLY within the CRAs from which they came? That’s just one of those “incon-venient” facts that can mess up a good argument.

The point is that residents, both within and outside of the CRAs, are feeling betrayed. That’s not surprising, because they were, and it will take much more than a charming, talented Kevin Freeman tap-dancing around every question to heal the unnecessary wounds caused over the past year.

The healing won’t even start until we have county commissioners willing to listen--not just pretend to listen--but to get outside of themselves and to hear what their constituents are saying--then be willing to take a risk, to place some trust in THEIR judgment, in their expe-rience, and in their perspective. That’s what good government should be.

Ibelieve in Common Core StateStandards, believed in themdecades before they existed, and

desperately want them for my grand-children, their children and the futureof this great nation.

If I'd been an educator, I might haveinvented them.

There, I've said it. I'm "out." And Ican explain.

In 1976 my husband and I uprootedour seven children from schools in theUnited Kingdom, transplanting them inthe U.S., in the mountains of New Eng-land. Two years later we did it all again,moving the gang to South Florida, en-rolling them in schools in Stuart.

Talk about culture shock. And I don'tmean the change from English to Ameri-can football, or from oak trees to alliga-tors. I'm talking about education. Aftereach move, our kids were thrown intosome wildly different learning environ-ment -- each time streets ahead of theirclassmates in all subjects. In Florida thiswas particularly disconcerting, becauseMartin County had the top-performingschool system in the state. What if wehad moved, say, to Madison County orDuval County? What if one day wemoved to Alabama, Ohio, California orVirginia?

I totally feared the idea of a pot luckeducation if fate had sent our familypacking again.

The thing is, I had no idea if our chil-dren were being taught skills like criticalthinking and deep analysis, and howprepared or competitive they would beas they moved on to college and careersin our knowledge-based global econ-omy. I cared about all that. A lot. But noone could tell me. No one.

Certainly, I wasn't alone. Read inves-tigative journalist Amanda Ripley's newbook, “The Smartest Kids in the Worldand How They Got That Way.” The gistis that American students are not per-forming at the same level of their peersinternationally.

Our educational system -- a coat ofmany colors, a different flavor for everystate and, in some cases, for everycounty in the state -- is not keeping upwith the system of many other industri-alized countries, even as the job marketbecomes more global and internationalcompetition for jobs becomes steeper.

Here we are, leader of the FreeWorld, and as the Broad Foundation, aneducational reform group, tells us,“American students rank 25th in math,17th in science and 14th in reading com-pared to students in 27 industrializedcountries.”

It was only in the last three decadesthat parents and state lawmakers wereshown school systems need accounta-bility: measurable goals, thorough andfair evaluations of performance, incen-tives for achievement and interven-tions for poor performance. In fact,Florida has been a leader in insistingon accountability.

But, measured against what? We are in the enlightened 21st centurynow and thank heaven edu-cators in the majority ofstates miraculously havecome to realize that weneed that accountability tobe standardized. We need a"common core" of rigorousstandards -- the same stan-dards -- in every state, as anation.

I've listened carefully tothe naysayers, I really have,but I can't for the life of mesee "conspiracy theory" inany part of Common CoreState Standards.

Neither can I see howpolitics plays a part in theiradoption. When I want thebest education for my child,I don't think of it as a Re-publican or Democratic thing; it isn'tprogressive or conservative. It's justwanting my child to be able to competeon a level playing field with anybodyanywhere in the world. Whatever ittakes, whether it's red or blue.

I have great respect for Shane VanderHart, perhaps the most active force inthe trenches against Common Core, buthe bases the majority of his oppositionon issues that have nothing to do withthe actual standards themselves.

CCSS is sensible and badly neededreform and should not be derailed bymisguided and misinformed opposition.It’s discouraging to see states that hadoriginally embraced this effort blink inthe face of unexpected political opposi-tion. We're down to 46 plus the Districtof Columbia.

Here's what I think the problem is:Even though Common Core has beenaround for more than two years, mostpeople are just hearing about it. And insome states Common Core testing has

been implemented before even teach-ers, let alone parents, have been in-structed in how to teach students usingthe new standards.

And we've put such a premium ontesting and scoring, when our prioritiesshould be on teaching. Teaching is whatthis is all about. And I don't mean teach-ing to a test, or teaching specifics, as somany fear.

When students score poorly on themore rigorous Common Core-basedtests, it threatens to cause a backlashamong parents, who increasingly seetesting as the problem, not the solution.

But talk to teachers who have beenwith Common Core for a while. I've spo-ken with so many now who are so intoit, who are converts and now are com-

mitted to seeing CCSS implemented.Melissa Erickson, who began work-

ing on Common Core in 2009 with theNational PTA and continued on her ownsince the PTA project ended, claims she'sseen virtually zero negativity fromteachers. "Certainly, it's a big shift wheneverybody is making the shift at thesame time," said Erickson, "but the moreinto it teachers get, the more they cometo be believers. This is not about teach-ing anything Washington dictates. It'sabout reaching goals."

As for the problem of data mining --harvesting information from studentfiles -- Erickson agrees that's a problem,but not one brought on by CommonCore. "Authorities have been gatheringand distributing student informationever since the invention of the mimeo-graph machine," she said. "Certainly it'sa conversation we should be having, butit has nothing to do with the Standards."

Patricia Levesque, chief executive offi-cer for the Florida-based Foundation forExcellence in Education, looks at Com-

mon Core from a parent's perspective:"All standards are, are end-of-the-

year expectations. As the mom of akindergartner, I'm paying attention, andI can tell you all kindergartners used tohave to do is count to 20 by the end ofthe school year. Now they have to dothat by the end of the first quarter.

"By the end of the year they have tocount to 100, and they have to be able tocount by 10s. They have to be able to fol-low words left to right and know thatsentences start with capital letters.

"The teacher uses text books or workbooks, but how she teaches him -- howshe gets my son to the goal at the end ofthe year -- is determined by Leon County,not by the state of Florida or the federalgovernment," Levesque explained.

Andrew Vega, a teacherat Orchard Gardens K-8Pilot School in Boston,Mass., said: "It's imperativethat administrators under-stand, as my principaldoes, that it may take timefor the benefits of the newcurriculum to be fullymeasurable. I'm convincedthe kinks will work them-selves out and that teachersshouldn't fear CommonCore. What I'm doing inmy classroom now justfeels so much better, andtwo years into the Com-mon Core, I am a better --and happier -- teacher thanI've ever been."

I support high standards. I support our children being competitivewith other children in other states andother nations. And I understand thatCommon Core State Standards in and ofthemselves don't mean students willlearn more -- but coupled with good ac-countability and assessment, I believewhen all the bugs are worked out,they're going to be everything I washoping for those many years ago, whenmy husband and I were trying to figureout where our kids stood, where theywere going and if they had a hope ofgetting there. ■

--Printed originally in Sunshine StateNews on Nov. 25, 2013

Nancy Smith, executive editor of Talla-hassee-based Sunshine State News, was re-porter, city editor, managing editor andassociate editor of The Stuart News/PortSt. Lucie News for 28 years. She left TheNews in January 2005. Reach Nancy Smithat [email protected] or at228-282-2423.


Why Florida should embrace Common Core

Voices

NancySmith

Guest Columnist

14 Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013Newstream

SUCCESS FEE SPECIAL

Commission will be discounted to 4.25%with 6 month listing agreement

and sold by Debra Parker

Apollo School event breaks recordsThe freshly refurbished, historic

Apollo School in Hobe Soundhosted its first public event

since its interior renovation wascompleted. Guests were stunned tosee the number of vehicles parkedthroughout the Zeus Park neighbor-hood, some parking down A1A atApollo's "Art in the Windows" event.

"It looks like everyone who livesin Hobe Sound is here tonight," saidLaurie Gaylord, superintendent ofschools. As well as quite a few whodon't live in the small village 11miles south of Stuart.

Special guests included State

Senator Joe Negron, who was ableto squeeze a $150,000 grant out ofthe state budget to top off the 15years of fund-raising by the ApolloSchool Foundation, organized byKathy Spurgeon, president.

When Spurgeon addressed therecord-breaking crowd after arecord-breaking art auction thatraised more than $18,000 for land-scaping and other amenities with areminder that she had promised thatafter the building was saved, thenrestored, that the next step would beto create an historical museum "forthe people of Hobe Sound."

David and LindaChambers tookhome an originalacrylic in an oldApollo Schoolwindow by CareyChen of Jupiterwith a winningbid of more than$5,000. Chenalso provided freesamples of hisnew line of wines.

Local artistDan Mackin,center, withMichele andTony Hannanwho placed the winning bid ofmore than$6,000 to takeMackin's"School's Out"home withthem.

The dynamic duo who conductedthe live auction: Harry MacArthurand Bob Steiner.

Kathy Spurgeon, president ofthe Apollo School Foundation.

15Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013What ’n Where16

Saturday, Dec. 7Martin County Christmas Boat Parade

The 33rd Annual Martin County ChristmasBoat Parade will be Dec 7 at 6 pm, startingeast of the Roosevelt Bridge near downtownStuart. Viewing stations include Flagler Parkand City Docks, Stuart Riverside Stage, Mar-tin Memorial Hospital, the Evans CraryBridge (Stuart to Sewalls Point), Sandsprit

Park and Manatee pocket. 772-692-7599 Don't forget the binoculars and ajacket. Other Holiday Boat Parades in our area include: The St Lucie Win-ter Boat Parade, Friday, Dec. 13, in Ft. Pierce, and Indian River County‘sHoliday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Vero Beach, and in Jupiter.

For additional information, contact the Marine Industries Associationof the Treasure Coast at 772-692-7599 or [email protected].

Saturday, Dec. 7Children’s Christmas Sale at St. Luke’s Each year St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in PortSalerno holds a Christmas Sale for childrenages 4-14 to purchase Christmas gifts for theirfamily and friends. The children's Christmasgifts are priced from 25 cents to $5, so that agift is affordable to all. Each child should bring

a list of people for whom they want to buy presents, and a “Santa’s elf”will guide the child through the parish hall to the gift tables. After makingthe selections, the child will proceed to the wrapping room where all giftsare wrapped and tagged ready for the Christmas holiday. Proceeds fromthe sale go to community outreach. The church is at 5150 Se Railway Ave atthe corner of Cove Road and A1A. For more information, call 772-286-5455.

Saturday, Dec. 7Christmas Cuties Mini Nutcracker Performance The Dance Academy of Stuart will present its holiday show featuring the Mini-Performance of "Let it Snow" at South Fork High School. Tickets for the 3 p.m.performance are Adults - $15; Senior Citizens (65+) - $12; and Children - $10 each.

Sunday, Dec. 8Singing Christmas TreeThe last chance to experience Hobe Sound Ministries' 17th Annual SingingChristmas Tree will be Sunday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., if you missed their Fridayand Saturday night performances at the same time. This spectacular, near-professional stage production features 75 singers in a Christmas tree of thou-sands of lights, a 25-piece orchestra, a children's choir and a cast of 50. Theproduction also includes live instrumentation and singing, in addition to fly-ing angels, kings and shepherds, the holy family, and the message and lightsof the season! Admission is free, but an offering will be asked of attendees.Hobe Sound Ministries is at 11295 Gomez Ave in Hobe Sound at Hobe SoundBible College. Call 772-546-5696 or visit www.hobesoundsingingtree.com.

Sunday, Dec. 9Designs for the Holidays The speakers for the general meeting of the Garden Club of Stuart will beEmily Kane and Susan Slater, flower show judges and designers. They willmake four special designs for the holidays at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, atthe Knights of Columbus Hall, 7251 S.W. Gaines Ave, in Stuart. RSVP: 772-219-4332, or contact [email protected] for more information.

Weekend, Dec. 6, 7, 8Christmas StreetParadesNothing like a parade to herald theseason, and we've got a bunch of 'emall on the same weekend, beginningwith the Stuart Christmas Parade onFriday night, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m.through downtown Stuart.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, two paradeswill happen, one in Hobe Sound at 1p.m. (preceded by an art stroll next toTaste restaurant on SE Dixie Highway,beginning at 10 a.m.) on A1A indowntown Hobe Sound, turning westonto Bridge Road. The Martin CountySheriff’s Office will kick-off the pa-rade with a helicopter fly-over, kidswill get to see some of their favoriteslike Ronald McDonald, Smoky theBear, Clowns and the NesquickBunny. The rumor is that even Mrs.Claus will make an appearance thisyear. Bands and musical presenta-tions will include Dancensound DJRich Otten, Murray Middle SchoolBand of Pride, South Fork HighSchool Spirit & Pride, Anderson Mid-dle School Band and Hidden OaksMiddle School Band & Color Guard.

In the same afternoon, the In-diantown Christmas Parade will beginat 4 p.m., after Ronald McDonaldspeeds over there from Hobe Sound.He, along with the floats, will gather atBig Mound Park at 15285 SW IndianMound Drive at 2:30 p.m., with the pa-rade starting at 4 p.m. and ending atPost Park, immediately followed by aChristmas tree lighting courtesy of thelocal Lions Club. About 30 units havesigned up, and will include lots ofhorses and even some livestock on thefloats, according to Hillary McKeich,executive director of the IndiantownChamber of Commerce. The parade isexpected to last about an hour, but thefun will be all day.

A parade like no other will be Sun-day, Dec. 8, when the JupiterTequesta Athletic Association pres-ents its 37th Annual Christmas Pa-rade at 1pm, beginning on Alt A1Aand Center Street in Jupiter and pro-ceeding north to Bridge Road inTequesta. Each float and participantswill be celebrating all holidays at thisyear’s parade with the theme “AllOTHER Holidays with a Twist.”

“Just think of what the Easterbunny all decked out for Christmaswould look like,” said parade directorMichael Cesarano. “Let’s not forgetSt. Patrick’s Day, President’s Day orValentine’s Day. Imagine Mrs. Clausand the elves getting ready forThanksgiving.” More than 1,700 par-ticipants will take part.

Sunday, Dec. 9Holiday Home TourThe 5th Annual Holiday Home Tour of magnifi-cent homes decorated for the holidays will beSunday, Dec. 8, from 1 to 5 p.m. An event of theGFWC Woman's Club of Stuart, the homes arelocated in Stuart, Sewall's Point, and Palm City.Tickets for the tour are $30, and may be re-served by calling 772.545.7780, through theirwebsite at www.womansclubofstuart.com, andat the door the day of the event. Tickets are$35 at the door. Only 500 tickets are available.The tour begins and ends at the Clubhouse,729 SE Ocean Boulevard, Stuart, and proceedsbenefit the Woman’s Club of Stuart scholar-ship fund and charitable giving. Tickets aretax-deductible.

Tuesday, Dec. 10Cooky Baking Contest atHobe SoundA holiday fundraiser for the Hobe Sound Toast-masters Club includes a cooky-baking andcooky-tasting contest during the Hobe SoundToastmasters International Table TopicsSpeech Contest on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at HobeSound Bible College, Archie Coons Fine ArtsCenter, at 11295 S. E. Gomez Ave in HobeSound. The doors will open at 6:30 and thecontest is expected to end at 9 p.m. The pub-lic is invited at no charge to bring a platter of20 cookies (or other baked goods along with20 copies of the recipe, even if it's the back ofa box) to enter the contest, but cooky contest-ants must register to participate by callingJan Otten at 772.546.4724.

So with free admission, how does the localToastmasters raise funds? Cookie tasters,which includes everyone attending, will “vote”for their favorite cooky recipe by depositingany amount of money into the cooky jar. At theend of the evening, the cooky that raises themost cash (so tell your friends to stuff the bal-lot boxes!) will be declared the winner of anartistic cooky apron created by Brooke Sam-ples, a member of the Hobe Sound club. It willbe a fun evening of unexpected surprises, notonly since Table Topic speeches—short im-promptu speeches—catch speakers by sur-prise, but no one knows what cookies will belined up for tasting.

The holidays make the whole month of December sparkle: the lights, the celebrations, candle flames, Menorahs, Christmas trees and the wonder in the eyes of children. Martin County offers a dizzying array of events, with one exception. Due to lack of funding, the Port Salerno Christmas Jamboree that provided bicycles to dozens of local children and a dump truck load of real snow will not happen this year, but plans are in place by Port Salerno Community Promotions for more fund-raisers to ensure the Jamboree resumes next year. For this month, though, take your pick from other great events and make a memory!

Melodie McKenzie and Judy Oswald

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 What ’n Where 17

Wednesday, Dec. 11OPUS & CombinedChoir Holiday ConcertWhat many residents consider essentialto experience for the holidays, the An-nual OPUS & Combined Choir HolidayConcert under the direction of Ronald L.Corbin, will be Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 7p.m. in the Wanda H. Yarboro Perform-ing Arts Center, 2801 S. Kanner Highway,in Stuart. The concert will feature tradi-tional hymns, festive holiday songs andperformances highlighting OPUSsingers. Tickets are $15 each, and can bepurchased from choral students or bycontacting Tina Bartolotta at 772.248.2139or email: [email protected].

The Holiday Concert is the majorfundraiser for trip-related expenses forMartin County High School’s OPUS (Out-standing People United to Sing), who willtravel to New York City in March 2014 totake part in the WorldStrides HeritageMusic Festival competition. During theHoliday Concert intermission there willbe an auction for a live OPUS Concert tobe performed at a private home, event orbusiness! Refreshments will be served byOPUS boosters in the lobby.

Friday, Dec. 13Children's CommunityChristmas ConcertA special Community Christmas Concertfeaturing “Children of the Arts, Passingon the Legacy of Classical Expression”will include the Treasure Coast ClassicalChildren's Choir, the Redeemer LutheranHandball Choir, and the Amazing GraceSchool of Dance on Friday, Dec. 13, at 10a.m. in the Blake Library auditorium,2301 SE Monterey Blvd. in Stuart. Thereis no admission charge.

Friday, Dec. 13South Fork High's Holiday Concert

The South ForkHigh Schooljazz, concert andsymphonicbands will per-form a holidayconcert to cele-brate the holi-

days at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13, at theSouth Fork High School Auditorium,10205 S.W. Pratt Whitney Road, in Stu-art. Admission is only $5. For more infoabout the event, call 772-287-7811.

Weekend, Dec. 13-15Live Nativity: 'A Journeyto Bethlehem'A live nativity scene, “A Journey to Beth-lehem,” with continuing performancesfrom 6-8 p.m. each night, Dec. 13, 14, 15,will be at the Redeemer Lutheran Churchand School, 2450 S.E. Ocean Blvd. in Stu-art. For more information, call 772-286-0911 or visit www.redeemerstuart.com.

Weekend, Dec 13-15Christmas Angels &Cowboys at the BarnDon't miss the Barn Theatre HolidayShow, "Christmas Angels & Cowboys atthe Barn." Performances are Friday, Dec.13, and Saturday, Dec. 14, at 8 pm andSunday matinee, Dec. 15, at 2 pm. Thisholiday musical review includes both tra-ditional and country-themed Christmasand Holiday songs. Price for reservedseating is $15 for adults, $10 for stu-dents. 772.287.4884

Saturday, Dec. 14South Fork HighSchool CommunitySpectacularSpectacular in every way, the SFHS Com-munity Spectacular on Saturday, Dec. 14,from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and includescrafts, household items, organic produce,gifts and more for sale to shoppers. If youwant to sell your own stuff, tables are$20 each, which benefits the UnitedWay. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Rent a table andkeep what you make from your sales, orgo shop. For more information, call JodiGoode, 772.219.1849, ext. 103.

Saturday, Dec. 14Wreaths Across AmericaRiverside Memorial Park on County LineRoad in Tequesta will be the site for lay-ing wreaths at the gravesides of Ameri-can Veterans on Saturday, Dec. 14, bymembers of the American Legion Auxil-iary of the Rood Williams Post 271. Theprogram is part of the national effort tohonor military veterans. The time is yet tobe announced, but for information, call561.741.0580.

Sunday, Dec. 15Traditional Lessonsand CarolsFor a deeply moving, exquisite Christ-mas event, be sure to attend the Tradi-tional Lessons and Carols at St. Luke'sEpiscopal Church at 5 p.m. on SundayDec. 15. A reception will follow at thechurch, 5150 S.E. Railway Ave., at theintersection of A1A and Cove Road inPort Salerno. For more information, call772-286-5455.

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continued on page 18

Martin County CurrentsDecember 201318 What ’n Where

Saturday & Sunday,Dec. 14-15Stuart CommunityBand Holiday ConcertsThe ever-popular Stuart CommunityConcert Band will present three holidayconcerts this season. The first two will beSaturday, at 11 a.m. and at 2 p.m., Dec. 14at the Blake Library, 2351 S.E. MontereyRoad, in Stuart. A ticket IS required bycalling 772-288-5702. If seats for those twoconcerts are already filled, you still have achance to hear a Sunday matinee per-formance at 2 p.m., Dec. 15, at the KaneCenter, 900 S.E. Salerno Road, in Stuart.Tickets for those 55 and older range from$5-$8. For more information, call 772-223-7800, or go to www.kanecenter.org.

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 20-21Welcome to ManhattanYou'll be transported back to a simplertime with musical favorites from theGolden Age of Broadway to your Memo-ries of the '40s and '50s, including FrankSinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin.Take a break from the hustle and bustleof the holiday season to tap your toeswith these timeless treasures and heart-warming hits from “New York, NewYork” to “Have Yourself a Merry LittleChristmas.” This charming cavalcadefeatures Barn Theatre favorites, NickyWood, Dante Marelli, Arlette Eulo, BettyDallas, Claudia Paonessi, and, new-comer, Erin Howard. Performances areat 8 pm on Friday, Dec. 20, and at 2 pmon Saturday, Dec. 21. Tickets may bepurchased online or at the box office. Re-served seating ticket price is $15.

Through Dec. 22'Annie' at the MaltzJupiter TheatreAmerica’s favorite comic-strip orphancomes to life in the Tony Award-winningmusical set in the Great Depression. You’llcheer as Annie escapes from her “Hard-Knock Life” but don’t wait until “Tomor-row” to get your tickets. This one will sellout fast! For show times and ticket prices,go to www.jupitertheatre.org.

Tuesday, Dec. 17A Peter White Christmas at The LyricFor more than four decades, acoustic gui-tarist Peter White has brought variety tothe contemporary jazz scene with his im-pressive combination of jazz, pop, andclassical guitar. A long-time session mu-sician, Peter White’s smooth musicalstyling is perfect for the melodies of theholiday season. His intelligent and in-spired arrangements of Christmas clas-sics, with the accompaniment of RickBraun and Mindy Abair, offer a refresh-ing new take on time-old songs. Two per-formances: one at 6 p.m. and the secondat 8:30 p.m. For ticket information, go towww.lyrictheatre.com.

Thursday, Dec. 26The NutcrackerThe St. Lucie Ballet will perform at theLyric Theatre presenting the classic storyof Clara, who awakens after a holidayparty to find that her beloved nutcrackerdoll has changed into a real live prince.The Nutcracker Prince must defeat thewicked Rat King and a despicable armyof mice in a bitter war to the end. Afterthe victory, the Prince escorts Clara asthey travel to strange far-off lands tosample the exotic sights and flavors ofthe world. Based on a fairy tale by E.T.A.Hoffman and set to the memorable musi-cal score of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Thisproduction features renown guest artists,beautiful scenery, dazzling costumes andspectacular special effects.

Sunday, Dec. 29Christmas Bird CountOne of the most rewarding holidayevents is the annual Audubon birdcount, which is open to everyone all dayon Sunday, Dec. 29, at the Hobe SoundNature Center, about a mile south ofBridge Road at 13640 U.S. 1 in HobeSound. You will be doing exactly what itsays: Identifying and counting the birdsyou see that day. To sign up, go towww.hobesoundnaturecenter.com.

Come to your favorite diner for home-cooked, real food servedby friendly staff in a congenial, happy place in Hobe Sound.

WE'RE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK11189 SE Federal Hwy

Regular hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Beginning Sept. 9, on Monday nights too, 5-8 p.m.

OPEN

CHRISTMAS DAY

& NEW YEAR'S

OPEN MONDAYS FOR DINNER!

continued from PAGE 17

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 Feature 19

Prices range from $50 for a breath-taking, Old Florida Wildlifeswamp buggy tour of this 4,000

acre private game preserve and workingcattle farm on Fox Brown Road west ofIndiantown to $500 or more for an entireday of hunting—from quail to big game.It's the largest facility of its kind east ofthe Mississippi.

“If you bag your game,” says RenaMullins, manager of J&R Outfitters, “the additional trophy cost is determinedby your targeted game, but we do notguarantee that you'll bag an animal—only that you'll have a great hunt.”

J&R Outfitters is a fair-chase facilityand hunting is on foot over 3,000 squareacres, which gives the animals fair oddsthat it can escape, particularly if its skillsto elude are more refined than thehunter's skills to chase; however, huntersare not left alone to wander the grounds.

“You'll have an experienced guidewho will share his knowledge withyou,” she says. “Even first-time huntersare welcomed here—they get special at-tention and instruction—so we reallyneed to know in advance that they'venever hunted before in order to matchthe guide to the needs of our guests.”

She calls visitors “guests,” but in re-ality, they're treated more like family,staying in the nearby bunkhouse at noadditional charge, sitting on the porch towatch the sunset with owner JoeyO'Bannon, licensed to guide and huntin Tanzania, Africa, as well as in Florida.His quick wit causes bursts of laughterto erupt periodically in the evening'shush, and according to some of hisguests, out on the hunts, as well.

“I've been on a lot of safaris,” saidone guest, “and this outfit makes the ex-perience just as exciting as any I've hadanywhere, but Joey O'Bannon makes itfun, too.”

O'Bannon takes his role seriously,

however, as a conservationist and natu-ralist, as well as a hunting guide. Overthe past 25 years that he's owned thispiece of property, he's been working athis own expense to remove the exoticsand fill drainage ditches, restoring theranch to its original pristine state.

“What you see here,” he says as heleads a buggy tour around his property,“is what Florida was 100 years ago.You'll not find one exotic plant growinganywhere on 4,000 acres.”

What you will find,though, are old cabbagepalm islands, oak ham-mocks, and pine flat-woods dotting thelandscape with wet-lands, prairies, pondsand uplands in between,providing the perfecthabitat for a variety ofdeer, antelope, waterbuffalo, alligators, wildhogs, and game birds, aswell as a host of native

animals and birds, including gopher tor-toises, crested caracaras, sandhill cranes,falcons and eagles.

“We also provide habitat for severalspecies of deer that are rare or extinct inthe wild,” Mullins adds. “For instance,the Peré David’s deer have been extinctin its native China for hundreds ofyears, but their species survives becauseof ranches such as ours.”

Another critically endangeredspecies is the Barasingha deer fromIndia, on the brink of extinction in itsnative land, but thriving in large herdsat J&R Outfitters.

“Part of the permit fees paid to huntBarasingha here go back to their nativeIndia,” she adds, “to provide for criticalhabitat for this rare species.”

With the exception of the Asian waterbuffalo, which are destructive when mat-ing, all the animals breed naturally onthe ranch, according to Mullins, result-ing in vibrant, healthy herds that the OldFlorida Wildlife swamp buggy touristsseem to enjoy the most.

“The deer have no fear of the swampbuggy,” O'Bannon says, “because noshot has ever been fired from a buggy.That's why we can get so close to them.”

The extra height of the swamp buggyalso gives visitors awe-inspiring viewsof a sweeping horizon that at timesseems to undulate from the crossingherds of deer and water buffalo, a dan-gerous, big-game animal that looks mo-mentarily docile when looking down atit from above. But it is not. Hunterscome from throughout the US, Canadaand Latin America for the adrenaline-pumping chance to take one down.

J&R Outfitters also cater to those whoprefer the milder thrill of quail, pheasantor snipe hunting, providing trainedpointers for guests who do not havetheir own dog. They also keep additionalguns and ammo on site, since travelingacross country can be difficult with aweapon, and they provide a breadth ofother services—and more than a dozenpotential quarry—to make each experi-ence uncomplicated and memorable.

You sense its uniqueness as soon asyou turn up J&R Outfitters' long drive-way to the guest house, confirmed asyou sit on their wide front porch. You'resuddenly experiencing an unspoiledtime, when even the air, and all theplants and animals who breathe it, isdifferent from wherever you just came.

“None of this would be possiblewithout hunting revenues,” Mullinssays. “These environmental efforts sim-ply would not be possible, but, youknow, the best conservationists in theworld are hunters, because maintaininga healthy natural environment is criticalto what we do.”

Go experience Florida as you'venever done before, or provide that giftto someone you love.

For more information, call772.485.5391, or visit HYPERLINK"http://www.jrOutfitters.com/"www.jrOutfitters.com. ■

--Barbara Clowdus

Give the gift of an adventure this holiday season A gift for the man (or woman) who already has everything stumps mostpeople this time of year, yet just about half an hour's drive west fromStuart lies one of Martin County's little-known, ecological treasures—J&R Outfitters and Old Florida Wildlife Tours—a place that can providethe gift to a loved one they'll never forget.

Old drainage ditches have been filled in order to restore Florida wetlands, habitat to a varietyof native animals including alligators.

The most dangerous big-game animal to huntin the US is the water buffalo, which roams inlarge herds at J&R Outfitters.

One of the extraordinary views from atop an Old Florida Wildlife Tours swamp buggy is ahealthy herd of Pere David's deer, once on the brink of extinction.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive inHobe Sound on Saturday, Dec. 7,for the 28th Annual Hobe Sound

Christmas Parade, which will featureKathy Spurgeon, president of theApollo School Foundation, as ParadeGrand Marshall.

This annual holiday tradition is freeand is presented by Treasure Coast Irri-gation and Rood Landscape. The popu-lar Santa couple will ride in the paradein a special, vintage wagon compli-

ments of Treasure Coast Irrigation.Other special guest appearances will

include Ronald McDonald, AmaraShriners, Smoky the Bear, the NesquickBunny, AMVETS, VFW, clowns, elvesand holiday characters. Patrons canwave to Senator Negron, RepresentativeMagar, the Martin County Commission-ers, Sheriff Snyder and other local andstate officials as they ride in the parade.The Martin County Sheriff’s Office willkick-off the event with a helicopter fly-

over, which will thrill kids of all ages.There is no shortage of live enter-

tainment planned for the parade: hearmusical selections from DancensoundDJ, Murray Middle School Band ofPride, South Fork High School Spirit &Pride, Anderson Middle School Bandand Hidden Oaks Middle School Band& Color Guard.

Families can arrive at 10 a.m. toenjoy the holiday art stroll, then claimthe perfect viewing spot along the route

for their blankets and lawn chairs. Theparade begins at 1 pm and the route isalong Bridge Road and Dixie Highway,and the Art Stroll ends at 3 p.m.

Parade floats and decorated cars aresponsored and created by local busi-nesses, schools and organizations. Sup-porting sponsors include Bridge Boat &RV Storage, Coast 101.3 and ScrippsTreasure Coast Newspapers. Call theHobe Sound Chamber of Commerce at772.546.4724 for more information. ■

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013Hobe Sound Chamber20

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus to visit Hobe Sound

NEWEST MEMBERS OF HOBE SOUND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Julia Bilodeau

5641 SE Crooked Oak AvenueHobe Sound

[email protected]

BilodeauRenovations Llc

Robert Bilodeau

12655 SW Kinner HighwayIndiantown

772-626-1733www.bilodeaurenovations.com

[email protected]

Indiantown Gas

Brian Powers16600 SW Warfield Blvd.

Indiantown 772-597-2168

[email protected]

ActiveCanvas

Eric & Linda Wolf

8509 SE Retreat DriveHobe Sound, FL 33455

[email protected]

Stacy WeimerAmanda McLaughlin

8515 SE Mangrove StreetHobe Sound

772-403-3750www.hscommunitycalendar.com

[email protected]@gmail.com

Carlos Vizcarrondo

11305 SE Federal HighwayHobe Sound

772-545-3805www.stoneysautomotive.com

[email protected]

TooJay's Gourmet Deli & Restaurant

(Stuart and Jupiter)

Tiffany Grozan2504 SE Federal Highway, Stuart

772-287-6514Robin Moran

Bluff's Shopping Center4050 US Highway One, Jupiter

561-627-5555www.toojays.com

Key Business Connections, Inc.

Tony SementelliMelbourne, FL 32935

[email protected]

The first meeting of the“reconvened” HobeSound Neighborhood

Advisory Committee on Nov.6 covered little “official” busi-ness; instead, county offi-cials—including countyattorney Michael Durham,Community Development Di-rector Kev Freeman, andCounty Commissioner AnneScott—listened and attemptedto answer the questions HobeSound residents fired at themin a community building filledto capacity.

It was the second timewithin a month that residents,primarily of Olympia Plat,known locally as the Zeus Parkneighborhood, had gathered todiscuss their options in havinga manufactured home in theirtraditional neighborhood ofsite-built homes removed.

To describe the Hobe Sound resi-dents as irate would be an understate-ment, particularly former Hobe SoundNAC Chairman Mike Ennis. A highly re-garded building contractor consideredto be one of the pillars of his community,Ennis called for Hobe Sound residentsto use their solidarity to form their ownmunicipality.

“It's the only way to have control ofour own future,” he said, after railingagainst the county commission for abol-ishing the independent Community Re-development Agency one year ago—thefirst official act of Commissioner SarahHeard as chairwoman—and for “dis-missng” all the NACs two months later.

Those two decisions, Ennis affirmed,along with the lull that followed as thecounty rewrote its NAC qualificationsand rules, resulted in the placement ofthe low-cost manufactured home inZeus Park.

“That NEVER would have happenedunder the old CRA,” Ennis explained,which previously would have alertedlocal NACs of proposed changes to theirneighborhoods, he said. The NAC mem-bers would then in turn make recom-mendations to an independent,volunteer agency appointed by the com-mission that oversaw all seven CRAs.Their decisions were subject to countycommission approval, but seldom didthe “old” commission overturn any ac-tion of the CRA, whose decisions werebased on the input of the NACs.

The “new” county commission(elected in November 2012) now sits asthe Community Redevelopment Agencyand the Public Art Site Selection Com-mittee, as well as the commission. Theelected officials announced their inten-tion even prior to their election that theyintended to evaluate local NAC requests

in terms of what they see as in the bestinterest of the county overall, ratherthan in the individual interests of eachCommunity Redevelopment Area.

The projects completed in the Com-munity Redevelopment Areas have al-ready resulted in increases in propertyvalues greater than those that lie outsideof the Community RedevelopmentAreas, according to Freeman, and “Thatshows that redevelopment works.”

The development director also toldthe gathering that the role of the Neigh-borhood Advisory Committees actuallyhave not changed, that they've alwaysbeen just advisory in nature. More thana dozen residents disagreed, and theirloss of faith in county government con-vinced them to form the Olympia De-fense Fund to fight the county BuildingDepartment's decision to allow the

modular home in Zeus Park. It is a certified modular home that

exceeds the county's code for hurricaneconstruction with additional rooftrusses, etc., but it is primarily the foun-dation that seemed to lack sufficientstrength to withstand a major storm.

“But what I'm hearing from you,”said Freeman, “is that even if this had aslab foundation, it would not beenough; you would not be satisfied.”The crowd shouted, “No.”

An appeal to the Zoning Adjustmentand Licensing Board has been filed bytheir attorney Ginny Sherlock, ironicallyone of the most strident critics of the for-mer Community RedevelopmentAgency. Her law partner, HowardHeims, was in the audience duringEnnis' complaint about the county's deci-sion to dissolve the NACs and the former

structure of the CommunityRedevelopment Agency, lead-ing Heims to quip, “because it(the CRA) wasn't working.”

Ennis apparently did nothear Heims, as he continuedto address the issues with thebuilding department and itsapparent inconsistency in ap-plying CRA standards.

“The CRA standards inHobe Sound are not tightenough,” Freeman responded,a comment that drew an ava-lanche of criticism and anec-dotal stories of the countyforcing residents to spendthousands of additional con-struction dollars in order tomeet CRA standards. Appar-ently, the standards werenever entered into thecounty's code, however, thuswere enforceable, according tocounty staff.

“Well, if I cannot get a building per-mit until CRA standards are met,” Ennissaid, “that's not voluntary compli-ance....and the county owes thousandsof dollars to these people who havebeen forced to spend money when theydidn't need to...to do what the buildingdepartment required.”

County Attorney Durham said thathe had been negotiating a possible com-promise with the property owners, Stu-art and Jane Greenberg of Palm City, toput in a solid, slab foundation ratherthan an “engineered” foundation. Thesteel chassis of the modular home isstacked on concrete blocks and tied tocompacted soil with corkscrew anchors.He also has been discussing an alterna-tive that would improve the exterioraesthetics, including adding a porch.

“Modular homes, from the founda-tion up, are protected by the federalgovernment,” Durham said, but thecounty can specify the type of founda-tion, landscaping, setbacks, etc.

“We're fortunate,” Durham added,“that we have some monies available todo some things to make it more aestheti-cally pleasing, although we may not beable to have it removed.”

Durham was referring to the HobeSound CRA budget, which has exceeded$1 million, according to Freeman, withmore expected from the 2012-2013 fiscalyear. The revenue comes from a percent-age of the increase in property valuesfrom year to year, which are required bylaw to be spent in the county fromwhich it came.

“We don't want our CRA funds spenton this,” Ennis said. “Not one dime...wejust want the county to admit their mis-take and get it out of here—and the ex-penses are theirs ... and should come outof their pockets, not ours.” ■

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 Hobe Sound Neighbors 21

Modular home issue shoves NAC meeting aside

A stop-work order has been placed on the installation of a modular home in the Zeus Park neighborhood of Hobe Sounduntil the legal issues revolving around its foundation and zoning are settled. The home faces the alley, although its address is on Apollo Street.

Legal wrangling begins

The director of the Martin County Building Department, Larry Massing,who has hired his own attorney, interpreted the Florida Building Code asallowing a modular home to be placed on an engineered foundation,

which he apparently considered an acceptable “alternative” permanent founda-tion when he issued a building permit Oct. 1.

The attorney representing four Hobe Sound residents, Ginny Sherlock, filedan appeal Nov. 12 of that permit with the Construction Industry Licensing Boardin an effort to reverse Massing's decision to authorize the placement of the homeon Apollo Street in the Zeus Park neighborhood of Hobe Sound.

A hearing must be scheduled by the Licensing Board within 30 days of the fil-ing of the appeal; however, the county has asked for a continuance so CountyAttorney Michael Durham can negotiate further with the property owner.

In the meantime, the County Growth Management Department DirectorNicki van Vonno issued a Notice of Violation of the zoning code and land devel-opment regulations, because that department determined that the Apollo Streethome is not on a permanent foundation and zoning codes were violated.

After receiving the county's code violation notice, the Greenbergs retained anattorney, as well.

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013Palm City Chamber22

The members and staff of the ThePalm City Chamber of Commerceare busy working now to plan

their 2nd Annual All Around the HomeExpo and Business After Hours forMay16 from 4-7 p.m.

Jointly sponsored and hosted byMartin Downs Golf Club, the event isfree and open to the public until 5:30,after which the venue becomes thechamber's “Business After Hours”venue that will offer one free drink andappetizers for a $5 charge.

More than two dozen vendors havesigned up already, who will set up prod-uct displays regarding anything anyoneever needed in a home—inside or out—

including interior designs, kitchen, bath,air conditioning, windows, closets, re-alty, garage, plumbing—even bamboofrom the Bamboo Shoots nursery. But it'snot limited to home products. The expoalso will include products for yourhealth, wealth and happiness, accordingto organizers.

Attendees will be able to browse thevarious displays for project ideas andpromotional items, or just to sign up forthe multiple door-prize giveaways of-fered by vendors.

The Chamber's Business After Hours,which will start at 5:30 pm, will providean opportunity for attendees not only toget a drink ticket and munch on some

snacks, but they also may take part inthe Chamber's 50/50 drawing at theconclusion of the evening.

“Plan to attend this exclusive All

Around The Home Expo,” saidCarolyn Davi, Palm City Cham-ber's executive director, “and getsome creative ideas for your homeat the same you'll be getting toknow your local Palm City busi-ness owners a little better.”

To make a reservation for theevent, which is not required butencouraged in order to ensure

sufficient food will be available, go towww.palmcitychamber.com. For moreinformation call Flo at Palm City Cham-ber 772-286-8121. ■

Chamber begins planning for May's Home Expo

PALM CITY CHAMBERS NEWEST MEMBERS

Palm City Coffeeand Snoballs Inc

Pam & William Watkins

1133 SW Martin Downs BlvdPalm City

[email protected]

Costopoulos & Helton P.A. CPAs

Michael L Costopoulos

3500 SW Corporate Parkway,Suite 201Palm City

863-763-1120www.chcpa.com

Lucy Fowler

4336 SW Bimini CirclePalm City

561-758-4962www.4skinnylucy.com

Vic Miskanic, Veronica Montoya

Charles Hernandez, Cheryl Holm

772-873-7773www.assistchores.com

Doreen Barnes

2110 SE RailswayStuart

772-287-9163www.thepensionsource.com

Sunday’s Holidays

Sunday Piccoli

3300SW Mapp Rd.Palm City

[email protected]

David Winters

515 No. Flagler DriveWest Palm Beach (561)214-1618

www.thebackofficellc.com

Larry D. Williams, Jr.

4285 SW Martin HwyPalm City

772-283-2441www.triplelinsurance.com

Pan American Round Table

Dr. Carmen Boden

P.O. Box 175Palm City

[email protected]

Suzanne Wentley

101 SE Central ParkwayStuart

772-288-5758www.cscmc.org

The Palm CityChamber’sAnnual In-

stallation Gala willbe Jan. 25, 2014, atPiper’s Landingfrom 6-10 pm. Thegala’s theme, “PalmCity Renaissance:Night of the Light,”represents revital-ization and celebra-tion, according to organizers, and willinclude the installation of new cham-aber officers.

Outgoing president, Michael DiTerl-izzi, a Martin County School Board

member and busi-ness owner, will in-stall architect NikiNorton as the Cham-ber's 2014 president.

A cocktail hourfrom 6-7 pm will besponsored byPiper’s LandingYacht & CountryClub, 6160 SW This-tle Terrace in Palm

City. The event will conclude at 10 p.m.Sponsorship opportunities and ticket

sales are available online at www.palmc-itychamber.com or by calling the Cham-ber at 772-286-8121. ■

Piper's Landing to host Chamberannual gala, 'Night of the Light'

Michael DiTerlizziOutgoing ChamberPresident

Niki NortonIncoming ChamberPresident

No mistaking that MartinCounty Community De-velopment Director Kev

Freeman was excited about anew proposal for the MappRoad project in Old Palm Citywhen he addressed the firstmeeting this year of the OldPalm City Neighborhood Advi-sory Committee on Nov. 18. Youcould hear it in his voice.

“We have something reallyexciting to share with youtonight,” he said. “We knowthat Mapp Road is a spine thatruns the whole length of theOld Palm City CRA (Commu-nity Redevelopment Area), andwe know it's vital to the com-munity...and we thought wehad the best plan, but we werestill $700,000 short...”

The previous plan incorporated tra-ditional methods for dealing with aroadway's stormwater run-off, includingpipes, culverts and retention ponds. Theprevious plan also called for back-inparking, which would slow traffic, but

the additional spaces would benefit thebusinesses along Mapp Road. The oldplan also was expensive to construct.

“I challenged my staff, who haddone quite a lot of research on stormwa-ter treatment,” Freeman said, “and wepartnered with our engineering and util-

ities depart-ments...asking thequestion, is there away, can we treatstormwater right in the roadway?”

The eventual answer, they discov-ered, is, yes, we can.

The innovative new plan, which mayget funded as a demonstration projectbecause of its suitability and applicabil-ity to a broad number of other places,will maintain the current flow of trafficon Mapp Road (abandoning the back-in,on-street parking concept). It will main-tain the same number of parking spacesas in the old plan, and they will treat

stormwater right in the roadway. Theyalso will be able to add bike lanes andsidewalks.

“It's an engineering miracle,” Free-man said. “This is a huge thing. No oneelse does it, which makes finding thefunding we need (around $1.3 million) amuch greater possibility.”

The next Old Palm City NAC meet-ing, which is open to the public, is sched-uled for Monday, Feb. 17, at the PalmCity Community Center at 6 p.m. ■

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 Neighbors 23

New Mapp Road plan revealed at Old Palm City

The new design for Mapp Road will overlay the swaleswith pervious material, add bike lines, create pocketsfor parking, treat the stormwater with rain gardens andother devices, thus maintaining current traffic flow andmitigating stormwater run-off into the St. Lucie River.

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By partnering with the county's en-gineering and utilities depart-ments, Kev Freeman, director of

the community development, told theJensen Beach Neighborhood AdvisoryCommittee members on Nov. 20 that hehas been able to maximize the impact ofprojects and reduce their cost throughthe economies of scale.

“The engineering department was al-ready coming through (on Indian RiverDrive) and resurfacing,” Freeman said,“but by adopting our plan, they wereable to reduce the amount of asphalt re-quired, and of course, we were betterable to influence what would be done atthat intersection (with Jensen Beach

Blvd) since we made our proposal in ad-vance of their project being done.”

A new pedestrian walkway acrossIndian River Drive in front of Mulli-gan's restaurant is being planned to in-crease pedestrian safety, which wouldinclude adding off-street parking and anisland to make the crossing safer andmore efficient.

“The other property owner, Sun-Dance Marina, is excited about the im-proved accessibility,” Freeman added,“and they might even start some workon their own site plan.”

The committee also accepted respon-sibility to serve as the sign committee,the only NAC that approves all signsprior to their placement within the CRAto ensure they meet the criteria of theJensen Beach CRA. They are acceptingapplications now through Dec.11 forcommittee members, which must befiled with Community Development De-partment via fax (772-419-6942), e-mail([email protected]) or to drop off atthe county Administrative Center on

Monterey Road.For more informa-tion, contactNancy Johnson at772-463-3253 orvia e-mail.

The next meet-ing of the JensenBeach NAC, whichis open to the pub-lic, will beWednesday, Feb. 6,at 6 p.m. in theJensen Beach Com-munity Center. ■

New crosswalk plannedin front of Mulligan's

Frank Wacha Jr.,Chair

Stephen Dutcher,Vice Chair

Glenda BurgessRobert "Mac" McElroy Sharon Adams

Chuck Smith, ChairDouglas Legler, Vice Chair Rex "Doc" Sentell Tracy Seagott

Joseph Gilio Thomas Plymale Jane S. Vandrum

Jensen Beach NAC members

The New Membersof the Old Palm City

Neighborhood Advisory

Committee

Rio Neighborhood Advisory Com-mittee Vice Chair Jim LoPilato reg-istered no surprise when

Community Development Director toldthe committee that their vision plan had

been rejected by the county commission,and they also had been denied the use ofRio's CRA funds to purchase a piece ofpublic art for the new roundabout recentlyconstructed on County Road 707 in Rio.

LoPilato wasn't surprised, becausehe'd been at the commission meeting,and commented after CommissionerJohn Haddox said he would not approveexpenditure of funds for anything otherthan infrastructure—roads, bridges,stormwater treatment or sewers.

“Some people consider art as infra-structure,” LoPilato replied.

The commissioners also said they feltthe Rio vision plan was too ambitiousand did not address the immediateneeds of the community. The news didnot sit well with the other committeemembers, who complained that theyhad worked on the vision plan for 10years—with the exception of Rio NACmember Myra Galoci, who told Freemanthat she “had issues with the plan.”

“The vision plan is not dead,” Free-man said. “I've been directed to bring itback to the Rio community, so they canlook at it again with fresh eyes, get theirinput, and also present it to the commis-sion in such a way that they realize that

the vision is just that, a vision, so that ifa business comes in here, we've gotsomething to show as to what kind ofstreetlights or benches or bus stops weexpect them to put in. It's not a plan togo out and purchase these things.”

Freeman said another communityworkshop will be planned, which willbe the 19th workshop or meeting overthe past four years that he and his staffhave devoted to crafting a plan that thecommunity would buy into, he said.“We're going to keep at it,” he added.

Many other projects are beginning totake shape in Rio from private investors,including the purchase of the Rio VillageMobile Home Park, which appears fromfirst indications will continue its life as 25'x 100' housing lots, the possible redevel-opment of the waterfront, and the con-struction of a “boutique” food market.

The next meeting of the Rio NAC,which is open to the public, will beThursday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. in the RioCivic Center. ■

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013Neighbors24

The Golden Gate neighborhood re-ceived both good news and badnews from Community Develop-

ment Director Kev Freeman at their firstNeighborhood Advisory Committeemeeting in nearly a year. The good newsis that the Railroad Avenue CommercialRevitalization project identified byGolden Gate residents as a targeted areafor redevelopment in the 2002 GoldenGate Redevelopment Plan and at the2010 Neighborhood Opportunity Work-shop is complete.

“A lot was accomplished,” Freemansaid, “and we're already seeing a differ-ence among the businesses along Rail-road Avenue who have started sprucingup what had been their back lots, asmore and more of them realize that theyhave new road frontages and the poten-tial that brings to their businesses.”

They've also stopped encroaching onthe Martin County and FEC rights-of-way, and some also have started invest-ing in their own properties as well, hesaid, which will raise property values.

“We removed 5,000 tons of contami-

nated soil,” he added, “which means wewere removing the threat of additionalpollution of the river. The water draineddirectly from Railroad Avenue into theriver.” The primary contaminate proba-bly had come from the creosote from oldrailroad ties that had leached into thesoil, Freeman said.

The bad news was that the earlierrenovation of some of the roadways eastof Dixie Highway in Golden Gate hadcaused stormwater drainage issuescausing flooded lots for some of thebusinesses and homeowners, particu-larly the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

“We need to address stormwaterdrainage,” he told the group, “becauseGolden Gate already has a septic tankproblem with a number of failed septicsystems. This community has been iden-tified in the past, I believe, as the worstarea in the county for failed septic in anold survey, and I doubt that haschanged much.”

With lots flooding, the septic drainfields also flood, and effluent winds upbeing washed directly into the river,Freeman said.

His staff currently is working on theissue in conjunction with the engineering

and utilities de-partments, andcould possiblyapproach localbusinessesabout replacingtheir parkinglots with pervi-ous materials,Freeman sug-gested, in orderto allow rainwa-

ter to drain into the ground, rather thanto create sheet flow onto other properties.

Freeman also discussed with mem-bers the possibility of using Golden GateCRA funds to accept an offer by a localbank to purchase an abandoned homefor $5,000. The estimate to repair dam-age to it is in the neighborhood of$30,000. The members voted to followup with the bank, and to investigate theproposal further.

The next Golden Gate NeighborhoodAdvisory Committee meeting, which isopen to the public, will be Monday, March10, at 6 pm. in the Cassidy Center. ■

Golden Gate NAC to tackle stormwater issues

Rio's hopes for public art in roundabout dashed

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Debra Harsh Myra Galoci Robert Taylor Rick Zurich, Chair Jim LoPilato David Wishart Brent Waddell

The New Rio NAC Members

New Golden Gate NAC Members

Jan Dalcorso, ChairMichael Wilchak, Vice Chair MaryAnn Moore Althea Redway Joe Hatton

The largest of the Community Re-development Areas at more than5,000 square acres, Indiantown's

Neighborhood Advisory Committeemeeting brimmed with expectations ofthe future.

“We have some potentially excitingbusinesses looking to locate in In-diantown,” Community DevelopmentDirector Kev Freeman told the NACgathering, to which NAC Chair Art Mat-son asked, “Are we going to get an op-portunity to have some input beforethey get here?”

Freeman assured Matson and thecommittee members that they wouldhave input, “after we have somethingformal to present.”

The Carter Park project is progress-ing, Freeman added, as well as the Boysand Girls Club at the heart of the proj-ect, which is nearing completion. He

also revealed that the Habitat for Hu-manity homes already constructed hadbeen appraised at $120,000 each in aneighborhood of homes usually ap-praised at $60,000.

“That will make a huge impact onproperty values,” Freeman said, “and itproves that redevelopment works.”

An audience mem-ber and resident, PollyWilliams, asked if therumor she'd heard wastrue, that the bound-aries of the IndiantownCRA were going to beredrawn to reduce thesize of the CRA.

“It's not a matter ofredrawing bound-aries,” Freeman re-sponded. “All theCRAs will be reevalu-

ating their plans and looking at what'sbest for their community.”

Matson requested that meetings beheld monthly, as they'd had in the past,and Freeman said that emergency meet-ings could be called, but that initially, allthe NAC meetings have set quarterlymeetings to start.

“If there's a need formore frequent meetings,” hesaid, “then we'll definitelyhave them.”

The next scheduled In-diantown NAC meeting willbe Wednesday, Jan. 8, at theIndiantown Civic Center onOsceola Street at 6 p.m. AllNAC meetings are open tothe public. ■

Extending the sewer system weston Salerno Road was a major topicat the Port Salerno Neighborhood

Advisory Committee meeting Nov. 12at the Port Salerno Civic Center.

“We have the funding in place nowto extend sewer to the businesses alongSalerno Road,” said Community Devel-opment Director Kev Freeman, “butwe'd like to extend it to the homes inthat neighborhood, as well, so we'reworking with the engineering and utili-ties departments for the economies ofscale....and to see if we can't come upwith some funding solutions.”

When pressed by the Port Salernoresidents attending the meeting as towhy the sewer line could not be laiddown Salerno Road now, then add otherareas as funding becomes available,Freeman responded, “Well, the districtcommissioner (Sarah Heard) wants tosee those neighborhoods on sewer, andit would probably be more cost-efficientto wait until it could be done at thesame time....but we're looking at somegrant possibilities that might be avail-able because of Port Salerno's proximityto the Manatee Pocket.”

They also requested an update as tothe status of the previously plannedbenches and umbrellas along the ManateePocketwalk west of A1A, adjacent to BasinSeafood. “Maintenance is an issue,” Free-man said, which is why the project wasdelayed, “because no formal agreementwas reached (over the past year) abouthow and who would maintain them.”

Prior to the dissolution of the NACs,however, an innovative public-privatepartnership between the county andlocal businesses had been announced, inwhich the county would purchase theamenities, such as cigarette receptacles,trash bins, and umbrellas, if a business

owner would commit to keeping themclean. Currently, even without a signedagreement, the Manatee Grill maintainsthe public plaza in front of its restau-rant, and also retrieves the stingray um-brellas during high winds.

“The Port Salerno Restaurant Associ-ation agreed to do that and they've beendoing it,” said John Plant of BasinSeafood, “and I'll commit to doing thesame thing. I already take care of theboardwalk next to my place.”

Freeman said it was just a matter ofgetting approval of a (purchase order)from the county to purchase benches andumbrellas, but the staff also would follow

up with formalizing the public-privatepartnership agreement between thecounty and the restaurant association.

Freeman also told the members thatthe owners of the King Neptunerestaurant had asked about the possi-bility of extending the A1A streetscapefurther north along the street that nowends at the Salerno Road intersection.The committee unanimously agreedthat it would benefit the business area,and also that additional benchesshould be installed at various spotsalong the Pocketwalk as a safety issuefor pedestrians.

The next meeting will be Thursday,March 20, at the Port Salerno Civic Cen-ter on Anchor Avenue at 6 p.m. It isopen to the public. ■

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 Neighbors 25

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The Boys & Girls Club at the heart of the Carter Park nears completion.

Extending sewer, streetscape in Port Salerno

The New Indiantown NAC Members

Catherine Winters,Chair Karen "Mike" Gordon Gloria McHardy Ellen Asselin Cynthia Oakowsky

Butch Olsen, Vice Chair

The New Port Salerno NAC Members

Indiantown NAC poised for newgrowth, tackling more projects


IIn Port Salerno, home to one of thestate's few remaining commercialfishing waterfronts, not all roads

necessarily lead to fish. One of themtakes us to the Fish House Art Center, aone-of-a-kind art colony on the scenicManatee Pocket, where Salerno Roaddead-ends east of A1A.

Its presence in an old fish house fitsnaturally into the cozy atmosphere of thehistoric fishing village of Port Salerno,edging The Grove Dock Bar &Café next to a marina, gleam-ing on gold-plated water.That’s the place to sip a cup offragrant coffee as you watchthe sun-blazed boats, but onlyafter you've perused an arrayof distinctive artwork by half adozen artists in various media.

The “Manatee PocketWalk,” a boardwalk that gir-dles the Art Center like a lumi-nous aura over sunlit waters,reflects the resplendent beautyof the now, along with itscharming local colors and hintsof its past, creating a relaxingambiance for visitors to appre-ciate the synergy amongart, fishing and a serene,breathtaking setting.

On the historical sitewhere the center is now,the original E.J. RicouFish House was built in1913 when the townwas called Mulford.One day, a female pas-senger was let off thetrain accidentally in Mulford, instead ofher intended stop at Fulford, exposingher to a nasty, black legion of mosqui-toes. After that incident, the railroadcompany demanded that Mulfordchange its name to avoid a lawsuit,which is how the town was renamedSalerno, chosen because many of its in-habitants had immigrated from the Ital-ian town of Salerno.

Along with the local history it em-braces, the Fish House Art Center, withits distinctive “candy-colored” art stu-dios, provides visitors a cornucopia of

artwork to enjoy—painting, sculpture,glass, textiles, pottery, photography, jew-elry, and giftware.

“We are the arts colony,” said Car-olyn Gordon, owner of Art GumboGallery and a talented watercolorist, asshe graciously escorted me through herelegant and spacious gallery in the re-furbished, two-story fish house build-ing. She features many other artists’works in diverse media, in addition toher own watercolors that are infusedwith a delicate waiflike beauty that onlythis medium can convey—the techniqueshe shares with her art students.

And as the artists “guild,” the FishHouse Art Gallery takes you back tothe legendary Byrdcliffe Art and CraftsColony inWoodstock,

New York, and its nu-merous counterpartsthat emerged at the

turn of the 20th century nationwide,based on the aesthetic principles of theArt and Craft Movement.

Rejecting soul-less and standard-ized production that came along withthe era of industrialization, itsfounders advocated for restoring me-dieval integrity and imparting the di-vine spark to the arts andcraftsmanship. As one of its followersin the United States, Elbert Hubbard,said: “Art is not a thing; it is a way.”

That is precisely what the Fish Housearts colony stands for--crafting excep-

tional works of art and “basking in thecreative energy,” as Elizabeth EstherKelly, the weaving and mixed mediaartist, expressed so poetically on herblog, Tapestry of Light.

Each of her textile “compositions” isentwined with a deep and beautiful po-etry we all can relate to:

Just sharing here some colors/Insideand out.

One is the sunset on Pinelake, the othera new warp on the loom in Port Salerno.

In the Tibetan culture, weaving,among other traditions, signifies the in-terconnectedness of all--the metaphorElizabeth holds sacred. That’s how shekeeps the spirit of Tibet alive, she said,by burning its timeless incense andhonoring its exclusive spiritual patternon this side of the globe; and, in thisway, creating a meaningful alternativeto “made in China,” that cheap and im-personal universe.

When you watch her work on the

four-harness wooden loom in her Fish ArtCenter studio, called Gateway to Tibet--infriendly presence of her Corgi, Chrissie--itseems she plays the lyre, weaving stringsof light into her femininely smooth andsoftly-toned scarves and wraps.

Diane Concepcion, an exquisite mo-saic artist, discusses with contagious en-thusiasm her radiant medium, usheringme to her sunlit studio.

“I always loved jigsaw puzzles anddid cross-stitch embroidery,” she toldme. “I find the art mosaic very intrigu-ing and fascinating as little bits andpieces are enabled to create the ultimateforms and images for decorative pur-poses or just for pure art’s sake.

“My students love the mosaic mostlybecause it does not have to be perfect,”she added, “but eventually those whohave a real knack come up with themasterpieces we all are proud of.”

Whether it’s Lora Yakimov’ssparkling “Silver Sea Life” sculptures,Roxy Linde’s marvelous silk art, SallyEckman Roberts' original home décordesigns, Raida Disbrow’s one-a-kindlampwork glass and artisan jewelry, orRich Eggert’s glass-blowing that allows

him to express through this see-through medium such conceptsas mutation and “frozen time,”they all invite us to enter theshrine of the local artist, whereall pieces of the mosaic come to-gether, reflecting Florida’skindly spilled sunshine and agentle breeze in a unique, made-only-in-Port Salerno way. ■

Russian-American Maya Ellenson,who holds M.A. and PhD degreesin Russian language and literaturefrom Moscow State University, haslived in Martin County for eightyears. A free-lance writer, she has aparticular interest in world cultureand art.

Port Salerno's Fish House: art as a form of synergyMaya

Ellenson

Art Kaleidoscope

26 Lifestyle

Mistletoe Madness coming to Fish House Art Center

Santa Claus will pay a personalvisit to the Fish House Art Centerin Port Salerno on Friday, Dec. 6,

from 5-6 p.m., where each child can geta FREE photo with Santa as carolersfrom South Fork High School provideholiday music.

Santa's visit kicks off the Fish Houseartists' annual Friday night and Satur-

day, Dec. 7, “Mistletoe Madness” week-end from noon to 8 p.m.

The artists of the Art Center havebeen collecting new, unwrapped Toysfor Tots throughout November, andvisitors are invited to add to the collec-tion that goes exclusively to MartinCounty children in need.

Over the weekend, each art studio

will have specials on their artistic cre-ations, and The Grove Dock Bar willprovide drink specials as you enjoytheir live musical entertainment as youstroll through the artists' studios.

Each visitor to the Fish House ArtCenter also will receive an entry card,which must be punched at each studioand at the Art Gumbo Gallery, to enter

a drawing for an original piece of artfrom one of the studios.

The Fish House Art Center is aboutfives miles south of Stuart at 4745 SEDesoto Avenue in Port Salerno. (TakeSalerno Road east until it dead ends eastof A1A on the Manatee Pocket water-front.) For more information, go to theFish House Art Center Facebook page.

The loom on site at Elizabeth Esther Kelly's studio, the Gateway to Tibet.

Sally Eckman Roberts

Raida Disbrow

Roxy Linde

Rick Eggert

Artist Diane Concepcion in

her Port Salernomosaic studio.

(Photo by MayaEllenson)

Carolyn Gordon

THE ARTWORK OF PORTSALERNO FISH HOUSEARTISTS INCLUDES:


IIn Port Salerno, home to one of thestate's few remaining commercialfishing waterfronts, not all roads

necessarily lead to fish. One of themtakes us to the Fish House Art Center, aone-of-a-kind art colony on the scenicManatee Pocket, where Salerno Roaddead-ends east of A1A.

Its presence in an old fish house fitsnaturally into the cozy atmosphere of thehistoric fishing village of Port Salerno,edging The Grove Dock Bar &Café next to a marina, gleam-ing on gold-plated water.That’s the place to sip a cup offragrant coffee as you watchthe sun-blazed boats, but onlyafter you've perused an arrayof distinctive artwork by half adozen artists in various media.

The “Manatee PocketWalk,” a boardwalk that gir-dles the Art Center like a lumi-nous aura over sunlit waters,reflects the resplendent beautyof the now, along with itscharming local colors and hintsof its past, creating a relaxingambiance for visitors to appre-ciate the synergy amongart, fishing and a serene,breathtaking setting.

On the historical sitewhere the center is now,the original E.J. RicouFish House was built in1913 when the townwas called Mulford.One day, a female pas-senger was let off thetrain accidentally in Mulford, instead ofher intended stop at Fulford, exposingher to a nasty, black legion of mosqui-toes. After that incident, the railroadcompany demanded that Mulfordchange its name to avoid a lawsuit,which is how the town was renamedSalerno, chosen because many of its in-habitants had immigrated from the Ital-ian town of Salerno.

Along with the local history it em-braces, the Fish House Art Center, withits distinctive “candy-colored” art stu-dios, provides visitors a cornucopia of

artwork to enjoy—painting, sculpture,glass, textiles, pottery, photography, jew-elry, and giftware.

“We are the arts colony,” said Car-olyn Gordon, owner of Art GumboGallery and a talented watercolorist, asshe graciously escorted me through herelegant and spacious gallery in the re-furbished, two-story fish house build-ing. She features many other artists’works in diverse media, in addition toher own watercolors that are infusedwith a delicate waiflike beauty that onlythis medium can convey—the techniqueshe shares with her art students.

And as the artists “guild,” the FishHouse Art Gallery takes you back tothe legendary Byrdcliffe Art and CraftsColony inWoodstock,

New York, and its nu-merous counterpartsthat emerged at the

turn of the 20th century nationwide,based on the aesthetic principles of theArt and Craft Movement.

Rejecting soul-less and standard-ized production that came along withthe era of industrialization, itsfounders advocated for restoring me-dieval integrity and imparting the di-vine spark to the arts andcraftsmanship. As one of its followersin the United States, Elbert Hubbard,said: “Art is not a thing; it is a way.”

That is precisely what the Fish Housearts colony stands for--crafting excep-

tional works of art and “basking in thecreative energy,” as Elizabeth EstherKelly, the weaving and mixed mediaartist, expressed so poetically on herblog, Tapestry of Light.

Each of her textile “compositions” isentwined with a deep and beautiful po-etry we all can relate to:

Just sharing here some colors/Insideand out.

One is the sunset on Pinelake, the othera new warp on the loom in Port Salerno.

In the Tibetan culture, weaving,among other traditions, signifies the in-terconnectedness of all--the metaphorElizabeth holds sacred. That’s how shekeeps the spirit of Tibet alive, she said,by burning its timeless incense andhonoring its exclusive spiritual patternon this side of the globe; and, in thisway, creating a meaningful alternativeto “made in China,” that cheap and im-personal universe.

When you watch her work on the

four-harness wooden loom in her Fish ArtCenter studio, called Gateway to Tibet--infriendly presence of her Corgi, Chrissie--itseems she plays the lyre, weaving stringsof light into her femininely smooth andsoftly-toned scarves and wraps.

Diane Concepcion, an exquisite mo-saic artist, discusses with contagious en-thusiasm her radiant medium, usheringme to her sunlit studio.

“I always loved jigsaw puzzles anddid cross-stitch embroidery,” she toldme. “I find the art mosaic very intrigu-ing and fascinating as little bits andpieces are enabled to create the ultimateforms and images for decorative pur-poses or just for pure art’s sake.

“My students love the mosaic mostlybecause it does not have to be perfect,”she added, “but eventually those whohave a real knack come up with themasterpieces we all are proud of.”

Whether it’s Lora Yakimov’ssparkling “Silver Sea Life” sculptures,Roxy Linde’s marvelous silk art, SallyEckman Roberts' original home décordesigns, Raida Disbrow’s one-a-kindlampwork glass and artisan jewelry, orRich Eggert’s glass-blowing that allows

him to express through this see-through medium such conceptsas mutation and “frozen time,”they all invite us to enter theshrine of the local artist, whereall pieces of the mosaic come to-gether, reflecting Florida’skindly spilled sunshine and agentle breeze in a unique, made-only-in-Port Salerno way. ■

Russian-American Maya Ellenson,who holds M.A. and PhD degreesin Russian language and literaturefrom Moscow State University, haslived in Martin County for eightyears. A free-lance writer, she has aparticular interest in world cultureand art.

Port Salerno's Fish House: art as a form of synergyMaya

Ellenson

Art Kaleidoscope

26 Lifestyle

Mistletoe Madness coming to Fish House Art Center

Santa Claus will pay a personalvisit to the Fish House Art Centerin Port Salerno on Friday, Dec. 6,

from 5-6 p.m., where each child can geta FREE photo with Santa as carolersfrom South Fork High School provideholiday music.

Santa's visit kicks off the Fish Houseartists' annual Friday night and Satur-

day, Dec. 7, “Mistletoe Madness” week-end from noon to 8 p.m.

The artists of the Art Center havebeen collecting new, unwrapped Toysfor Tots throughout November, andvisitors are invited to add to the collec-tion that goes exclusively to MartinCounty children in need.

Over the weekend, each art studio

will have specials on their artistic cre-ations, and The Grove Dock Bar willprovide drink specials as you enjoytheir live musical entertainment as youstroll through the artists' studios.

Each visitor to the Fish House ArtCenter also will receive an entry card,which must be punched at each studioand at the Art Gumbo Gallery, to enter

a drawing for an original piece of artfrom one of the studios.

The Fish House Art Center is aboutfives miles south of Stuart at 4745 SEDesoto Avenue in Port Salerno. (TakeSalerno Road east until it dead ends eastof A1A on the Manatee Pocket water-front.) For more information, go to theFish House Art Center Facebook page.

The loom on site at Elizabeth Esther Kelly's studio, the Gateway to Tibet.

Sally Eckman Roberts

Raida Disbrow

Roxy Linde

Rick Eggert

Artist Diane Concepcion in

her Port Salernomosaic studio.

(Photo by MayaEllenson)

Carolyn Gordon

THE ARTWORK OF PORTSALERNO FISH HOUSEARTISTS INCLUDES:

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 Lifestyle 27

My African Journal continues with the Maasai

Asafari to Africa a decade or so agomade an indelible impression oncolumnist Suzanne Briley, who wrote

the first of two installments about her trip inlast month's Martin County Currents (online at www.MartinCountyCurrents.com).She continues with some excerpts from her“African Journal.”

The Maasai are people who immi-grated from the Sudan and northern re-gion of the Nile some 400 years ago. Theylive independent of the outside world,graze their thin cattle on the open plainsand drink the blood of goats and sheepwith milk—no vegetables or fruit. Theirlife span is short because of malaria,cholera and other tropical diseases.

One can see them from afar withtheir beautiful tall silhouettes againstthe sky, wearing robes of colorful fab-rics, and holding spears in hand. Smallchildren from the age of six are giventhe responsibility of a large herd of cat-tle. It is remarkable to see intense con-centration on their little faces. They aretaught how to defend themselvesagainst wild animals as well.

There are approximately 150,000 Maa-sai in Tanzania living on land given tothem by the government. The women arequite handsome with very white teeth,large eyes and strong faces. They arefriendly, but shy, and wear colorful beads.Some of the old ones are in desperateneed, living in mud huts with strawrooftops and no shoes. During rainy sea-son the shelters are quite dire indeed.There are children everywhere....alongthe road, fields, farms, standing in theblowing wind, spear in hand.

Closer to Manyara Park, in a morefertile area, live a different tribe of peo-ple wearing ragged clothes, living inmud huts, who scratch out an existenceby farming a bit of corn.

There are no paved roads in Tanza-nia and many thousands walk on thedirt roads.

Not far away from Manyara Park, wearrived with intentions to stay in tents.It was truly in the "bush." Our tent wasequipped with a narrow bed, a woodendresser, a mirror, hot water bottles, atiny shelf, a table with candlesticks, andoutside, behind the tent, was a tinyshower. We often had fresh towels andour laundry was done.

I wore khaki color pants and shirts,the same color of the dusty roads. Hotwater was provided by wood fires heat-ing five-gallon drums of water. The tentwas near the river and had a smallawning and two chairs facing the dis-tant blue hills.

As I put my things away, the skycleared and a triple rainbow appearedand arched its way through the heavens.That night, I heard two lions speaking inthe dark, and the lovely sound of a birdin the wood. A quarter moon made anappearance.

A Maasai warrior stood guard holdinga spear outside the tent all night. I heardmany sounds: more lions, hippos crashingthrough the wood, and the cry of a distantgroup of hyenas. In the early morning asteward appeared outside my tent with a

tray of tea and milk, leaving it on a table. When I came out, I saw a group of ba-

boons scampering off into the bush, drag-ging the milk pitcher and teapot. Later,after a delicious breakfast of fruit andeggs served on a large table under thetrees, I returned to my tent just in time tosee the same baboons having a wonderfultime running out with my bed sheets,headed across the camp. It seemed thatthey were laughing as much as I was.

Later in the day, I saw a large prideof lions (females)sleeping in the hotnoonday sun. Theywere chewing ears,resting, yawning andone slept on her backwith her legs spreadfar apart in the air.We were very closeto a cheetah, alsosleeping in the grass,and while I watchedI saw a large eaglefly down, kill andeat a newborn babygazelle. The motherwas helpless.

We always left for

safari at dawn, and the animals wereplentiful. Leopards sleeping in a tree, acolorful secretary bird, large kopjes (ter-mite mounds) standing as high as sixfeet. We saw many ostrich. The black

male ostrich sits on the eggs at night,and the white female ostrich guards theeggs during the day. Perfect.

There were thousands of wild flow-ers, and I looked upon a lovely lilac-breasted thwart bird, yellow and brownparrots, and a group of bright red bishopbirds. Large groups of elephants were inthe distance often crossing in front of us.One evening was so lovely and blue, Idecided to go for a walk. I should haveheeded the warning: NOT TO WALKALONE. Near the camp I came upon a17-foot python. Just frightening!

I fondly admired wart hogs (humor-ous), the snake-eating mongoose, andsmall jackals. We were on an intensivejourney and had crossed 2,000 miles.Rain descended upon us in heavysheets, making it impossible for me totake the hot air balloon over theSerengeti. I had never seen such a flood,mud everywhere and deep sink holes. ALand Rover traveling with us turnedover in the black sticky mud. Our Maa-sai driver was skillful and calm, and henever lost a moment's concentration. Ittook two hours to travel 12 miles.

The little air strip closed down, sothat the plane scheduled to fly us further

into Amboseli andMt. Kilamanjarowas delayed, whichwas all part of thegreat adventure. Wewould travel therenext, when the littleair strip dried andMt. Kilamanjarorose above theclouds, sun crown-ing its snow-cappedpeak as it stood onthe equator.

That flight putthe period on my African adventure,something I'll never forget, an adven-ture I am fortunate, indeed, to have toexperienced at least once. ■

Suzanne Briley, who lives in Hobe Sound, is anartist, author, entrepreneur, environmentalistand world traveler. She may be contacted athopscotch@ hscurrents.com.

SuzanneBriley

Hopscotch

Keep Martin Beautiful recentlylaunched a program to reducethe amount of cigarette butts that

are littering the landscape of MartinCounty. Coordinated by Keep AmericaBeautiful, the national pilot “CigaretteLitter Prevention Program” has beenlaunched at two targeted locations in thecommunity known for large amounts oftobacco-related litter: Mary Brogan Parkand Flagler Park, both in Stuart.

Ash receptacles have been installedat both parks to encourage residents todispose of cigarette waste properly in-stead of simply flicking cigarette butts tothe ground, where they remain until acitizen picks them up or an animal mis-takes it for food and ingests it. Keep

Martin Beautiful is also distributingpocket and portable auto ashtrays aspart of the program.

Statistics from the 2013 Keep MartinBeautiful's International CoastalCleanup effort showed that more than25 percent of the litter collected in Mar-tin County was tobacco-related trash,and in 2008, nearly 200 communities re-ported an average 46 percent reductionin littered butts as a result of implement-ing this program. .

“Nationally, the cigarette litter pre-vention program has proven to behighly effective,” said Jim Dragseth,board president of Keep Martin Beauti-ful. “Simple actions like installing ashreceptacles and distributing pocket ash-

trays have made noticeable difference indecreasing litter and ultimately keepingcommunities beautiful and litter free. Byraising awareness and taking actions toinvolve the community, we are hopefulfor similar improvements here in MartinCounty. Keep America Beautiful hasfield-tested and expanded the CigaretteLitter Prevention Program for the lastsix years with support from Philip Mor-ris USA, an Altria company.

To request pocket and portable autoashtrays or for more information on thisor other Keep Martin Beautiful pro-grams, visitwww.keepmartibeautiful.org, [email protected] or call781-1222. ■

No “butts” keeps Martin beautiful

African elephants with the majestic Mt. Kilamanjaro in the background. (Courtesy of Amboseli Park)

Gigantic termite mounds, known as kopjes,look like giant rocks scattered on the Africanplains. (Courtesy of Amboseli Park)

Cigarette ash and butt receptacles have already been installed by Keep Martin Beautiful at Flagler Park in Stuart. (Photo provided.)

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013Lifestyle28

Billy and Karen Vaughn, the par-ents of Aaron Vaughn, a memberof Navy SEAL Team Six killed by

the Taliban on August 6, 2011, will ad-dress a gathering on Friday, Dec. 20, at 6p.m. in the Towers Building, 1111 SE USRoute 1 in Stuart. Itis free and open tothe public.

The Vaughns willsign their book, “Be-trayed,” a recentlypublished accountbased on author BillyVaughn's investiga-tion into the circum-stances of his son'sdeath and the U.S. gov-ernment's culpability.

Navy SEAL TeamSix member AaronVaughn was one of 30US servicemen justthree months after thedeath of Osama binLaden when their Chi-nook helicopter was shotdown by Taliban militants overAfghanistan. Vaughn, 30, left behind awife and two children.

Karen Vaughn said in a Fox News in-terview that despite another book detail-ing one SEAL’s account of the bin Laden

mission, it normally is the desire ofTeam Six members to stay private.

“I can tell you one thing,” she said,“SEAL Team Six did not want to beidentified...those men do not need a pat

on the back. They don'twork for that. They spendtheir entire lives in thiscode of secrecy and pri-vacy, and …. they do notwant attention.”

It's the attention thatTeam SEAL Six receivedafter bin Laden's deaththat Billy Vaughnblames partially for thedeath of his son. He alsosays that US militaryforces are not being ledto win battles, buthave been sent insteadto “win the hearts andminds” of other na-tions, leading to com-plicated US MilitaryRules of Engagement.

Billy also learned that a MuslimImam was invited by US military lead-ers to “pray” over his son’s dead body,but according to the heartbroken fa-ther's interviews with eyewitnesses, theImam damned the fallen soldiers as “in-fidels” who would burn in hell. As US

military leaders observed the ceremonyat Bagram Air Base, the Imam boastedover the deaths of US heroes withwords such as, “The companions ofheaven [Muslims] are the winners.”

According to the publisher's press re-lease, “Betrayed is a heart-rending ac-count in America’s history, an engagingstory of faith, patriotism, honor, dutyand loss....a book Billy Vaughn wishes hedidn’t have to write. But his son is goneand there are still unanswered questions.He needs to know if finding the truthmay prevent another father from stand-ing in his shoes.”

A Christmas bake sale also will takeplace during the book signing, and a newConstitution coloring book will be avail-able for purchase in time for Christmas. ■

Parents sell, sign new book about son's death

MARK YOUR

CALENDAR!

11933 SE Juno Crescent

Hobe Sound

Find great items at great prices

as you help repair

this beautiful church.

For more info call

772.546.5043

'Raise the

Roof and Cool

the Church'

Community Yard Sale

at Hobe Sound Community

Presbyterian ChurchSaturday, Jan. 258 a.m. – 3 p.m.

• Furniture

• Housewares

• Jewelry

• Clothing

• Children’s items,

• Toys, and more!

of the proceeds go to

repair the sanctuary roof

and air conditioning!

100%

Refreshments and baked goods

will also be available.

Navy SEAL Team Six soldier Aaron Vaughn,killed in Afghanistan in 2011.

Want to give Grandma a greatgift this Christmas? Howabout a call? On her new

smartphone? Which, of course, youbought, and she uses and totally lovesfor … the health benefits.

Findings show more and more sen-iors finally relinquishing those flip-phones and trading them forsmartphones. Pew Research captures thetrend. In 2012, only 13 percent of seniors65 and older owned smartphones.Today, that number is up to 18 percent.

It’s easy to understand why. Asmartphone can be a real lifesaver. (Andnot just by ignoring it when you’redriving.) Developers are creating soft-ware that enables patients to completeroutine medical tests with the comfortof a smartphone. The app can measurea patient’s heart rate and—when at-tached to blood-pressure monitoringdevice—detect any abnormalities in thetest’s results. The idea is to better armpatients with insights when they seetheir doctor.

Another new application availablefor mobile download helps seniors man-age their medication. Programs likeMedWatcher alert seniors to govern-ment safety warnings and provide infor-mation about possible side effectsassociated with various medications.

Decades ago, Life Alert foreshad-owed the value of wearable communica-tion technology. Now the people behindthe device best known by the slogan,“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” offer a

smartphone app. Seniors in an emer-gency can reach for the Life Alert on thelanyard around their neck or the app onthe smartphone at their waist.

Most surprisingly, researchers showsmartphones helping seniors stay men-tally sharp. According to a new study bythe University of California San Fran-cisco, adults ages 60 to 85 demonstratedincreased cognition after playing Neuro-Racer, a video game designed by neuro-scientists (though not availablecommercially) for mobile devices.

During the one-month study, partici-pants played the game for an hour aday, three days a week. In the game,players must “drive” a car on a roadand respond to cues that pop up alongthe way while remaining on the course.

After a six-month hiatus from thegame, participating seniors returned toplay again, this time revealing drasticimprovements in multitasking skills andmemory enhancement. (You read thatright. Memory enhancement. From asmartphone. Mmm.)

While picking out a smartphone foryour grandmother—or any senior onyour shopping list—remember to use thecalendar app in your own smartphone toschedule a visit with them. Drive to seeher (putting the phone down along theway, of course). There’s no gift they’llappreciate more than your time. (Andthat time together means more to theirhealth than any gift ever will.)

But while you’re there, do the smartthing—put your smartphone down andgive them the undivided attention theydeserve and desire. Happy Holidays. ■

Most medical inquiries are best served byconsulting your physician or a qualifiedspecialist, and this “Ask Florence” is nosubstitute for professional exams and in-sights. To reach Ask Florence, please [email protected].

NicoletteChristie

AskFlorence

Smartphones a healthygift choice for seniors

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013 Lifestyle 29

Eating healthy through sugar-laden holidays

They’re back! The holidays areback, and with them come thosedietary dilemmas and challenges.

How can you maintain a healthy eatingplan when there are cookies on everydesk, sweets at every turn and newspa-pers are filled with tempting recipes for“HOLIDAY TREATS”?

The key word in the phrase “healthy-eating plan” is not “healthy.” It is“PLAN.” It is always important to havea plan when trying to “eat healthy,” butduring the holidays, it is imperative.

The plan needs to be simple, realisticand inclusive. Once you decide to elimi-nate any specific food or food group youbegin to feel deprived, and then to cravethat food. In truth you can eat virtuallyanything you would like to eat. The keyis not what you eat but HOW MUCHyou eat. Success lies in CONTROL. Por-tion control and self control.

Be aware of not only what you eat,but portion size and “value.” While it is

possible to eat whatever you feel like eat-ing, and by staying within a controlledcalorie count not gain weight, you willnot improve your health. Equally; youcan strictly limit yourself to “healthy”foods and feel cheated and unhappy.

I was recently introduced to the“HEALTHY PLATE” concept with greatresults. I have been able to reduce myweight, improve my health a great deal,and continue to enjoy virtually anythingI want. I use a smaller-sized dinner platethan I used to. I use a brightly coloredplate, which helps me see how large orsmall my portions are.

I plan my meals: I think about whatmy choices are and select foods that ILIKE. I don’t eat something just becauseit is supposedly good for me or healthy.(Memories of the hated liver and onionswhen I was a kid!) I eat a fresh, coldcrisp salad at least twice a day.

I eat S-L-O-W-L-Y while sittingdown at the table or counter. I don’t eatin the car or “on the run.” Thoughtfuleating is healthy eating. I divide myplate into quarters:

One quarter of the plate is a LEANprotein (chicken, fish, lean pork). Onequarter is a grain (rice, quinoa, corn etc.).One HALF of the plate is non-starchy veg-etables and fruits (a variety of veggies).

It is best to use a measuring spoon at

first to get adjusted to the proper portionsize: veggies and fruits should be about ahalf cup each serving. Protein should bethe size of a deck of cards or the palm ofyour hand. Starches and grains should bea half cup. Try to make at least half ofyour grain choices whole grains.

Here is my personal guide to goodeating: Eat foods you like. Just eat less.

Make half of your plate fruits andveggies. Lean Protein. Add Dairy to atleast two meals. DO NOT SKIPMEALS. Eat slowly; put your forkdown between bites. Eat thoughtfully.Try new lean, healthy foods.

Don’t forget dessert…fresh fruit, lowcal sherbet or sorbet, or try fat-free yo-gurt. Drink water with every meal. Coldwater is fine, but so is hot water; justdrink plenty.

I discovered a good, easy recipe thatwould make an excellent dinner entréefor holiday guests or family get-togethers.

CHICKEN-ASPARAGUS ROLL UPSPre-heat oven to 375 degrees.4 Whole Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (6-8 oz. each)2 Tablespoons Olive Oil1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese2 teaspoons Mixed Fresh Herbs (Oregano, Rosemary, Parsley)

2 Beefsteak Tomatoes, Cut into 4 1/8 inch slices each8 Asparagus Spears, halved lengthwise then crosswise.

With a sharp knife split each breastin half along the center “line.” Placeeach half between two pieces of plasticwrap and using a meat mallet or rollingpin to pound until about 3/8 inch thick.(You should have 8 thin pieces).

Heat oil in large skillet; add chickenand sauté with garlic until brownedonly on one side about 2 minutes. Dis-card garlic.

Transfer chicken to a baking sheet,browned side down, season with saltand pepper, sprinkle with herbs. Layereach piece with a Tomato slice and fourasparagus pieces. Roll each piece up andsecure with a toothpick. Sprinkle withcheese, bake in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove toothpicks. Servehot. Enjoy! ■

George Kleine, a professional chef, writerand entrepreneur in Hobe Sound, recentlylost a few tons of extra weight. He won't sayhow many pounds, but enough to make himan expert on healthy cooking and eating.We're delighted to offer his column in Mar-tin County Currents.

GeorgeKleine

The Right Bite

Ahot, home-cooked lunch servedamong friends is being pro-vided to seniors over age 60 at

no charge from the Martin CountyCouncil on Aging. The cost of themeals, which provide one-third of therecommended daily nutritional needsfor those age 60 and over, are under-written by government grants, but do-nations are encouraged.

Four dining centers are currently op-erating in Martin County and are openfrom 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday throughFriday. To pre-register or learn more, callthe Council’s Nutrition Services Depart-ment at 772-223-7826.

The meal sites include:• Log Cabin Senior Center, Lang-

ford Park, 2369 NE Dixie Highway,Jensen Beach

• Salerno Southern Methodist Church,4899 SE Ebbtide Ave., Port Salerno

• Stuart Recreation Center, 724 E10th Street, Stuart

• Mt. Zion Missionary BaptistChurch, 14789 Martin Luther KingBlvd., Indiantown

If a senior is unable to drive to a mealsite, Meals on Wheels can deliver. Call772-223-7826 for more information. ■

Hot lunches, company of friends at senior meal sites in Martin

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Beachgoers can now view oceanand river conditions at Hutchin-son Island’s House of Refuge

with a new surfcam recently installed atthe historic attraction at 301 SEMacArthur Blvd. in Stuart. The cam pro-vides live 360-degree views up to onemile north and south on the Atlanticcoast between Santa Lucea and Chastainbeaches on Hutchinson Island.

Camera controls also offer viewers

the ability to see the conditions in the In-dian River Lagoon.

The House of Refuge surfcambridges the long stretch of coast betweenJensen Beach and Bathtub Reef, the onlyother surfcam sites in Martin County.

“I use surfcams every day,” saysFrank Wacha Jr., owner of Kona BeachCafe and an avid surfer, “and I’m excitedto learn that there’s a new one in Stuart.There’s a nice break near the House of

Refuge and the cam will help me deter-mine when and where to paddle out.”

The cams also appeal to tourists,sailors, windsurfers, and anyone whowants to know beach conditions, anddaily audio reporst on SurfGuru.com,which provides the service, gives waveheights, wind, weather and UV forecasts.

View the surfcam video feed atHouseofRefugeFL.org, orSurfGuru.com. ■

New House of Refuge surfcam givesgood views of surf, wave conditions

Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013Outdoors30

Welcoming the return of the silver bullets

Stephen Gyland, president of Cod and Capers Seafood Market in North PalmBeach, and Pompano Rich showing offRich's haul of silver nuggets.

Thirty knots of November's Northeast winds cause a surging JunoBeach coastline as a determined gull feeds on abundant sandfleas.

Staying engaged to protect our estuaries

River activist Evan Miller called for another rally Nov. 9, again at PhippsPark, which included a march to the St. Lucie Lock and Dam. The LakeOkeechobee discharges had ended, but about 200 marchers were no less

adamant than the first 5,000 summer marchers about ensuring that the St. LucieRiver and Indian River Lagoon no longer suffer from Lake O discharges. Millercalled for citizens to undertake an intense email and letter writing campaigncalling for Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature to live up to their promiseof $220 million for water projects. Photo: Harvey Eubank

Cod and Capers is not a typical seafood market, which is devoted to selling and serving only the freshest seafood from local fishermen. It alsohas a delightful array of coastal-themed trinkets and treasures for sale.

Remarkable! Seems like foreverwith nothing to report but our dis-mal water conditions. It's no fun

to report about everything BUT fishing.And I'm so out of condition it's like

my hands have gone arthritic with my“pisces cerebrum” going into aquaticrehab. After pretty much destroying myshoulder this past April, I was ready tothrow away the whole premise of physi-cally fishing again. Three non-rustingshoulder pins reattaching some de-tached rotator ligaments, 80 days in asling 24/7, and 48 physical therapy ses-sions, and I've emerged to fish again.

Thank goodness I'm old and the gov-ernment footed the $68,000 bill. Add an-other 60 days in the gym and "BoomShack A Lacka" and I can CAST! Notonly that, I am now a threat to the pom-pano population. All right, sooooowhere's the fishing report, you ask?

After 170 consecutive days of muck-infested Hobe Sound surf conditions,the “dust” settled. Mid-November pro-

vided water quality that emerged fromthe heavens. North Federal Beach pro-vided every surf enthusiast with nicecatches of pompano.

Hobe Sound Public was not to be de-nied and followed suit. Dead fleas,blanched, smelly shrimp, old clams, itdid not matter. They bit anything, pro-ducing happy anglers with a bit of "SIL-VER LINING" in their buckets. The DowJones on the succulent whiting was onthe upswing. Two days of blue greenwater (NOT from algae) was simply ashort-lived phenomenon, but the localworld was happy to feel the difference.

Now, big-time Nor'easters have dis-placed the happy, fishy waters with theremains of the St. Lucie River bottom.As we approached Thanksgiving, theseas were huge and colder air arrived.Sure, a lot of us could be miserable thatwe still have to co-exist with a very de-structive rainy summer and a filthyocean floor, but there were hopefulsigns. The fish didn't give up on feedingat shoreline!

The beaches eroded to a small decla-ration of naturalness, but the sand fleasare calling it home. I'm always amazedat how Mother Nature's creatures some-how adapt to the seismic nuclear toxic-ity that we bury them in.

The beaches from Stuart to Ft. PierceInlet haven't fared so well. During No-

vember the ocean never cleaned upenough to catch pompano. Sure, therewere good bluefish, jack crevalle and la-dyfish catches, but those fish are notbothered by sand in their gills, as areSpanish mackerel and the silversides.The only way to surf fish proficiently isto search the coast.

An easier way is to Google ErdmanVideo Systems and study the beachcams. They are very current, and like theJupiter Inlet cam, you can get a livestream. To make these cams work foryou requires some additional work,though, if you want to be a much betterangler. For example, it's 3 p.m. and yourbeach cam seems to show a really good-looking water color, and naturallyyou're ready to fish.

Take the ride to the cam location. Seethe beach yourself, and perhaps eventake a picture of the water. Sometimesthe cam pic denotes awesome-appearingwater, but on beach arrival, you mightdetermine the water is a murky green-gray and really not fishable. Downloadyour photo and maintain a folder (ifyou're as nuts as I am) for future refer-ence between what the cam shows andwhat it really is. After a few trips, youwill discover this methodology is usefuland somewhat exciting.

There are numerous factors that canmisalign a cam recorder's visual aspect.

One is the angle of the sun, the cloudcover, and the mounting angle of thecamera. Yep, I've actually gone to the12th floor to see the camera itself, andenjoyed the best ocean view ever, barnone, as well as the Osprey family! Did-n't bother the nest with a camera, just letthem be. So cool.

And so is Stephen Gyland, presidentof Cod and Caper's Seafood Market inNorth Palm Beach. He's a cool guy whogets great personal satisfaction in retail-ing the freshest seafood caught by localfishermen, which he's done for 30 years.I've personally delivered pompano toseveral fish wholesale houses, but havefound a home in supplying the Caper'sthe past six years.

The retail display is just fun to lookat, but the topper is the gourmet restau-rant in the front. Yes, I'm going to tellyou where they are: 1201 U.S. Highway1 in North Palm Beach. Phone is 561-622-0994, or go to www.codandcapers.comfor more info. I'm encouraging you tovisit the Caper.s, because I know they'llsatisfy any of your seafood desires. ■

Rich Vidulich, a commercial pompano surffisherman who traverses the beaches ofMartin County and points north for his"golden nuggets," lives in Jupiter. Sendcomments or questions to [email protected].

Rich Vidulich

Pompano Reporter


Martin County CurrentsDecember 2013A Jensen Beach Moment32

'Yes, Victoria, there is a Santa Claus'The smile on this little girl's face as she tells Santa her wish list reveals the true wonder of Christmas. It is the reward received by organizers of the 13th AnnualKidz Christmas Party, the Women's Power Lunch Bunch, hosted by Jan's Place restaurant on Jensen Beach Blvd.. Sixty-two children from Hibiscus House andHouse of Hope were entertained by the Jensen Beach Elementary Choir, firefighters, a face painter, and lots of treats. "It was a heart-warming event," saidAnne Schafer, president of the WPLB.

Photo: Out2MartinCounty.com

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Martin County Currents December 2013 Vol. 3. Issue #7

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