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June 30, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE

·         Protect Your Pets This Fourth of July

·         Head to Sunset Cove Amphitheater for a July 4^th Celebration!

·         County Water Utilities Department Flushing Lines

·         Learn How to Grow Bromeliads at Mounts Botanical Gardens

·         Palm Beach County Library Hosts “Kamishibai for Kids” Event

·         Cooperative Extension Service Offers Tips on Sun Safety

·         SWA Makes Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Easy for Residents

For more information about Palm Beach County’s programs and services, visit us online at www.pbcgov.com. If you have any questions or to provide feedback, you can email us at countenews@pbcgov.com or call (561) 355-2754. To unsubscribe to Count-e-News, click here.

Protect Your Pets this Fourth of July

Celebrating the Fourth of July is great fun, but for pets it can be dangerous. The following precautions will help keep your animals safe this Independence Day:

-Resist taking your pet with you to any festivities and do not leave your pet in a car.  (Even with the windows open, temperatures are usually 15 degrees hotter in a vehicle.)

-Pets feel more secure at home; place your pets in a “safe room” with the television or radio on while you are out celebrating.

-Do not leave pets outdoors for any reason during the celebration hours; noise and fireworks may cause animals to panic, escape or possibly become injured or entangled while trying to get away from the noise.

-Be sure dogs and cats are wearing current rabies license tags for identification and proof of current rabies vaccination; horses should have identification attached to their halter.

-Though the law states that dogs are not allowed to be tethered or chained between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., no animal should be chained after 5 p.m. during the holiday for fear of becoming entangled and severely injured trying to escape loud noises.

-If you do not want to leave your pet alone, ask friends or relatives to sit with your pet while you are away for the celebration.  Ask your veterinarian for a list of bonded and professional pet sitters.

If you would like more information about Palm Beach County animal laws, visit www.pbcgov.com/pubsafety/animal.

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Head to Sunset Cove Amphitheater for a July 4^th Celebration!

South County Regional Park’s Sunset Cove Amphitheater will host a July 4^th Celebration this Friday at 9 p.m.  Fireworks will be presented by Florida Power & Light and a band will perform hits from the 1940s to today. Gates will open at 5 p.m., and the show will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Vendors will be on site and no outside food or drinks are allowed. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair to the park at 12551 Glades Road, west of Boca Raton. Admission is free. For more information, call the event hotline at (561) 488-8069.

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County Water Utilities Department to Flush Lines     

To maintain high water quality in the county’s water distribution system, Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department will temporarily modify the disinfection process used to treat our drinking water. The county will be using a somewhat stronger disinfection process until July 16, 2008. The county will also increase hydrant flushing during this time. This is a preventive maintenance process.

Customers served by the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department may notice a slight chlorine taste or odor in their tap water during this period. These temporary conditions will not cause adverse health effects. If you are especially sensitive to the taste or odor of chlorine, keep an open container of drinking water in your refrigerator for a few hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

Users of home dialysis machines, owners of tropical fish and managers of stores and restaurants with fish and shellfish-holding tanks are advised to seek professional advice because the method for removing free chlorine residuals differs from removing chloramine residuals from tap water.

Should you need more information on this change in the water treatment process, please call the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department at (561) 740-4600 and press option 3.

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Learn How to Grow Bromeliad at Mounts Botanical Garden

Discover the many bromeliads that grow so well in South Florida during a workshop at Mounts Botanical Garden on July 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. Jeff Hutchinson and Joe Libertucci of the Boca Raton Bromeliad Society will identify the variations that thrive in the sunny, shady and other challenging areas of your Florida garden. Tips on the best bromeliad growing culture – watering, light requirements, pest and fertilizing – will be explained. A guided walk to the Mounts Island Color Shade Garden will give you a chance to view bromeliads in a landscape setting. Each participant will take home a plant and have the chance to win raffle prizes. Rare and hard-to-find plants will be offered for purchase at the end of the workshop. Pre-registration is required by July 16. Cost is $30 for members; $40 for non-members. For more information, call 561-233-1757 or visit www.mounts.org.

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Palm Beach County Library Hosts “Kamishibai for Kids” Event

Head to the Palm Beach County Library this summer to witness a performance of Kamishibai, a Japanese storytelling tradition. As part of its outreach programming for children, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens Education Department will present Japanese cultural programs for children that will include Kamishibai and a related origami craft.

Kamishibai, (pronounced kah-mee-she-bye) or “paper-theater,” is said to have started in Japan in the late 1920s, as part of a long tradition of picture storytelling. The Kamishibai performer rode from village to village on a bicycle equipped with a small stage and made a living by selling candy. As audiences gathered, the storyteller told several stories using a set of illustrated boards inserted into the stage and withdrawn one by one as the story was told. Children who bought candy from the storyteller got the best seat in front of the stage. With the advent of the television in the 1950s, Kamishibai all but disappeared.

This exciting event will take place at the following library branches:

Belle Glade Branch
Wed., July 9 at 10 a.m.

Wellington Branch
Wed., July 9 at 2 p.m.

West Boynton Branch
Wed., July 16, 2 p.m.

Southwest County Regional Branch
Wed., July 16 at 4 p.m.

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Cooperative Extension Service Offers Tips on Sun Safety

The Cooperative Extension Service’s Family and Consumer Sciences Division reminds residents that sun safety is never out of season. Summer is the time for picnics, trips to the pool and beach, and an increase in sunburns. Studies over the past 20 years have shown that excessive exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer. Harmful rays from the sun, as well as those from sunlamps and tanning beds, may also cause eye problems, weaken the immune system, and produce unsightly spots and wrinkles later.

No matter what our skin color, we’re all potential victims of sunburn and the other detrimental effects of excessive exposure to UV radiation. People who need to be extra careful in the sun are those who have:

• pale skin
• blonde, red or light brown hair
• been treated for skin cancer
• a family member who’s had skin cancer.

Some medications may increase your sensitivity to the sun. Cosmetics that contain alphahydroxy acids (AHAs) may also increase sun sensitivity and susceptibility to sunburn. The following are some sun safety precautions to take.

• Reduce time in the sun. This is especially important between the hours of 10 a.m and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest. Even on an overcast day, up to 80 percent of the sun’s rays can get through the clouds.
• Dress with care. Wear clothes that protect your body. Cover as much of your body as possible. Wear a wide-brimmed hat, long sleeves, and long pants. Consider using an umbrella for shade.
• Be serious about sunscreen. Check product labels to make sure you’re getting a sun protective factor (SPF) of at least 15. The higher the number, the better the protection. Look for sunscreen that protects against UVA and UVB, and is water-resistant.
• Don’t forget the eyes. When buying sunglasses, look for a label that specifically offers 99-100% UV protection.

Source: Sun Safety Save Your Skin! FDA Consumer Health Information. www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/sun072407.html

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SWA Makes Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Easy for Residents

Used oil, paint and pesticides are just a few examples of the hazardous materials that most residents have in their homes or garages. What can you do to ensure that these items are properly disposed of so that the environment is not impacted? It’s simple. Palm Beach County residents can take their household hazardous waste items to one of the Solid Waste Authority’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers located strategically throughout the county from Jupiter to Delray Beach. Visit the SWA’s website at www.swa.org for a complete listing of the items that are accepted at the collection centers as well as their locations and times of operation.

Old electronics equipment such as televisions, VCR’s, stereos, computer monitors and computer CPU’s can also be taken to the collection centers where they will be sorted and hauled away by a certified electronics recycler. The electronics are stripped apart and all useful components are redistributed and recycled. This keeps these bulky items out of the landfill and helps to conserve valuable landfill space.

For more information contact the SWA at (561) 697-2700. Together, we can make a difference in Palm Beach County by ensuring the future of the environment today for the generations of tomorrow.

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