by Pedro Heizer
- Local Olympic Swimmer, Anthony John (A.J.) Barbar who swam for his native Lebanon in the Rio 2016 Olympics, was the special guest during story time at the Boca Raton Library last week.
- The Boca Raton municipal election that will be held on March 7th 2017 already has a list of candidates. Earlier this year Mayor Susan Haynie filed to run for re-election. Council Member Scott Singer was reportedly considering a run for Mayor. However, early last week he filed to run for re-election to Seat A. On September 9, Boca Raton attorney, Andy Thomson, stopped by City Hall to file his preliminary paperwork to run for Seat B. He joins Andrea Levine O’Rourke and Emily Gentile, each of whom filed to run for Seat B.
- Andre O’Rourke will have her campaign kickoff party at The Wick Theatre on September 30th at 5:30pm
- Florida Atlantic University officially announced a $5 million gift from Phil and Susan Smith to establish The Phil Smith Center for Free Enterprise at FAU’s College of Business. The main tower at the College will be named Phil Smith Hall in honor of the FAU alumnus.
- Office Depot’s headquarters in Boca Raton has been awarded a gold re-certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design. This is the sixth year the company headquarters, at 6600 N. Military Trail, has been LEED-certified.
- The Boca Raton Municipal Cemetery has been running out of graves to bury the dead. But now, a new solution may extend its capacity for many more years. City Council members this month will consider converting the cemetery’s unused walking paths into 1,172 burial plots. Of the 9,430 graves already at the cemetery, only 85 remain available for purchase. The city sells about 80 plots a year. Under a proposal, 8-foot walkways that extend north to south would be converted into additional plots, generating an estimated $3,762,120 in revenue for Boca. Any money that would be brought in by the sale of the proposed plots would go toward upkeep of the cemetery.
- The wait to experience Boca Raton’s new science playground is almost over, park officials say. Visitors to Sugar Sand Park at 300 S. Military Trail will have access to the playground Nov. 19 after about eight months of construction and an anticipated $1.8 million in project fees.
- Robb & Stucky celebrated its groundbreaking in Boca Raton with a ceremony attended by city officials on Tuesday, September 6. Robb & Stucky’s president Steve Lush and Vice President, CFO Eric Chien were also be in attendance, as well as the Robb & Stucky buying team and marketing department. Architect Matthew Kragh, representatives from Fisher Contracting Corp., and members of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce also took part in the event.
- The “season” has officially begun as Kelly Smallridge, president of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, welcomed a sellout crowd to the annual gala at the Breakers. It was an evening of renewal as friends got to visit and enjoy the BDB’s great event. Underlying the festivities was Kelly’s report on the continuing success of the BDB in attracting companies and jobs to Palm Beach County (exceeding the goals for last year).
- Welcome the newest member of the Boca Raton Police Services Department family, Officer Phillip Torsiello!
- Congratulations to Renata Rosa, Tony Beltran and Valeria Rodriguez on the grand re-opening of their Art of Dance studio. Located, now, at 151 SE 1st Ave in Downtown Boca Raton, the new location is bright a full of fun as Renata and company help their clients feel happy, energized and accomplished.