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Palm Tran Rolls Out New Hybrid Buses
 In keeping with its dedication to environmental friendliness, Palm Tran, Palm Beach County’s public transportation agency, has purchased three hybrid buses. The purchase was funded through a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for the Martin County Express Route, slated to begin service this summer. The new hybrids are similar in body style to Palm Tran’s existing BRT buses, with the attractive rolling wave design and rounded edges.
Passengers may experience a smoother ride in a hybrid bus, in addition to decreased noise. The seats have higher backs and more leg room for passenger comfort, and the continuous domed interior lighting system is less harsh than the fluorescent lighting found in most transit buses.
The diesel-electric hybrid buses are expected to be more fuel efficient than traditional diesel transit buses. This improved fuel efficiency should make the hybrids less expensive to operate. Introducing these three hybrid vehicles into the fleet now will allow Palm Tran to test the technology prior to making further investments.
Palm Tran’s new hybrid buses are in line with the company’s focus on green operations. In 2008, Palm Tran implemented the use of bio-diesel fuel among other programs.
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County Celebrates Grand Opening of Scripps Florida
 County Commissioners Jeff Koons and Karen Marcus, along with Governor Charlie Crist, Dr. Richard Lerner, president of The Scripps Research Institute, and a host of state lawmakers, dignitaries and invited guests attended a ribbon cutting on February 26 to officially open the new, state-of-the-art Scripps Florida biotech research complex in Jupiter.
Speaking to a crowd of approximately 800, Governor Crist declared 2009 “the year of science in Florida” and praised the vision of the Board of County Commissioners for making the dream a reality. “Florida is one of the top biotech centers in the world,” he said. “We must continue our commitment to these state-of-the-art research facilities.”
Palm Beach County contributed $187 million to construct the 350,000-square-foot biomedical research complex on 30 acres at FAU’s North Campus. An additional 70 acres are available for expansion on the adjacent Briger tract in Palm Beach Gardens.
“This is the proverbial public-private partnership,” said Commissioner Koons. “We have bet a lot on this.”
“It was a gamble, very bold, but we believe it will pay off big in the future,” said Commissioner Marcus. “We are so thankful for the partnership that we have.”
Nearly 300 faculty members, scientific, technical and administrative staff currently work at Scripps Florida, a division of The Scripps Research Institute headquartered in La Jolla, California. Scripps Florida and its neighbor, the Max Planck Florida Institute are at the center of the county’s blossoming biotechnology cluster that is projected to generate an estimated 6,500 new, high-paying jobs over the next 15 years.
After the ceremony, guests were invited to tour the three lab and administrative buildings. Several other events are planned through the weekend. guide.
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Economic Development Office Receives Loan Funds
The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) approved a $13,340,000 low-interest loan pool for the Palm Beach County (PBC) Section 108 Loan Program. The commitment is the second from HUD.
The low interest loan pool will be administered by the County’s Economic Development Office (EDO), under the Section 108 Loan Program. EDO intends to offer financial assistance in the form of a loan to eligible businesses in eligible areas, create jobs and strengthen local economy. The time frame to use the loan commitment is five years.
“Access to credit is hard to come by for local businesses. EDO in partnership with PBC Department of Housing and Community Development is pleased to announce the availability of $13.3 million for businesses seeking capital to expand” said EDO Director Kevin Johns.
The loan rate is based upon the three-month London Inter Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) at the time of closing plus 1%.
The PBC Section 108 Loan Program is designed for those business projects that need to close a financial gap and that have both permanent financing and equity in place. The business must have been in operation for at least two years and show that it is profitable. The Loan Program Criteria is available at the EDO’s website www.pbcgov.com/edo. For further information, please contact Claudia Lopez by phone at (561) 355-1680 or by email to clopez@pbcgov.com.
HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation’s fair housing laws. For more information about HUD and its programs, visit www.hud.gov.
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Sign Up for the Spring Egg Splashtacular
 Coconut Cove Recreation Center and the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department will host the 7th Annual Spring Egg Splashtacular on Saturday, April 4 from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
This event will feature an egg hunt in the water playground area and prizes for the lucky winners. Children will be divided into age groups while they gather eggs filled with candy and prizes. Parents, remember to bring your camera to capture that special moment and a basket to store all the eggs. Proper swimwear is required.
Pre-Registration for the event will begin March 16 at Coconut Cove Recreation Center. The event is $4 per child for ages 10 and under.
Coconut Cove Recreation Center is operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and is located in South County Regional Park, 11200 Park Access Road west of Boca Raton.
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Win a Free MP3 Player Through Palm Beach County Library
 Beginning this month, the Palm Beach County Library System is giving away a Creative MuVo T200 MP3 player.
To be eligible to win, visit the the library’s Digital Media Collection and check out anything in the collection using a Palm Beach County Library card. At the beginning of each month, one checkout will be randomly selected as the winner for the previous month.
Each checkout you perform will automatically enter you in the drawing for that month. Each checkout equals one chance to win, so the more you check out, the greater your chance. Full contest rules are available below.
The library’s Digital Media Collection includes over 1,700 downloadable audiobooks by best-selling authors as well as self improvement, business, foreign language instruction, and other popular nonfiction, and over 200 full-length music albums. For more information about the contest, click here: http://www.pbclibrary.org/story-overdrive-giveaway.htm.
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