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First NENA Trail Breaks Ground

Construction recently began on Bluegill Trail, the first of five proposed multiuse trails that will connect various conservation lands and activity and education centers that make up the Northeast Everglades Natural Area (NENA). 

Ultimately, the trail will provide a connection that is nine miles long between the county’s Riverbend Park in Jupiter and Grassy Waters Preserve in West Palm Beach.  It will pass through the county’s Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area and the city of Palm Beach Gardens’ Sandhill Crane Access Park.  Phase I construction will stretch over five miles from Riverbend Park to Sandhill Crane Access Park along the east side of the C-18 Canal.

Improvements will include a 10-foot wide shell rock path for better bicycle and pedestrian access, a chickee shade shelter, four informational kiosks, a well with hand pump for equestrian use, native trees for shade and habitat, and a bridge over the C-18 Canal at Riverbend Park.  During construction activities, access along the C-18 Canal will be closed.  Phase I construction is anticipated to be completed in October.

Financing for Phase I comes from two programs sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).  The county has secured $500,000 through FDOT’s Transportation and Enhancement Fund and $750,000 through FDOT’s Florida Stimulus Scenic Enhancement Fund which will be used to reimburse the cost of bicycle and pedestrian related improvements.  The Department of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) is adding equestrian amenities to the trail. 

Background on NENA

NENA is a collection of 165,000 acres of conservation lands stretching from Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County northward to Bridge Road in Martin County and from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Okeechobee.  These natural areas and over a dozen activity and education centers will be connected by unique trail and information systems to create a world class destination.  The five main NENA connector trails will meet at a centralized hub, Riverbend Park in Jupiter. 

The conservation lands that encompass NENA are owned and maintained by different government and private organizations.  ERM is the lead agency for providing planning, permitting, and construction of the connecting trails, as well as outreach and support to the various partners and to the public. 

For more information regarding NENA, contact ERM at 233-2400 or visit NENA’s Web site at www.pbcgov.org/erm/nena/.

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VSA Solo Art Exhibit Sets Sales Record

 

More than 40 people attended the VSA Florida-PBC third solo art exhibit on May 28.  The exhibit showcased artwork by Johnson Simon, a very special, young, emerging local artist with a disability.  Eight pieces were sold, netting over $700, which set a sales record for a VSA opening exhibit. 

 

Pictured here is Simon with Youth Leader Penny Sangregorio at his first solo exhibit opening.

 

The two-hour event celebrated Simon’s incredible accomplishments and successes and gave him an opportunity to share his talents and creations with friends, family, and the community for the first time in a public venue.

 

The exhibit featured a variety of artwork, live entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, and a sense of community goodwill that transcended the average art opening.

 

Simon’s exhibit can be viewed through June 25 at the Club Managers Association of America Therapeutic Recreation Complex at 2728 Lake Worth Road in Lake Worth, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

 

VSA Florida-PBC is sponsored in part by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. VSA Florida-PBC promotes arts education and creative expression, involving children and adults with disabilities, thereby strengthening the human spirit and improving the quality of life for all. For more exciting VSA programs and events, contact VSA Florida-PBC at 966-7025 or visit www.vsapbc.com.

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Earthquake Survivors Join Family in PBC

 

When the earthquake in Haiti occurred January 12, an estimated 250,000 residences and 30,000 commercial buildings collapsed or were severely damaged.  The Haitian government reported that an estimated 230,000 people had died, 300,000 injured and 1,000,000 left homeless.  Among the displaced survivors were several hundred students who came to Palm Beach County to continue their education. 

 

Seven of these young adults recently came to the county’s Channel 20 studio for a taping of “Exploring Education.”  With show host Debi Stewart, the students discussed their lives before and after the disaster. 

 

Pictured here (l to r):  back - Guidance Counselor Vivianne Jean-Francoise, Host Debbi Stewart, Social Services Facilitator Monique Estinfort; middle - Jupiter Fleurimon, 18, (Palm Beach Lakes High School), Gabrielle Veillard, 19, (Palm Beach Lakes High School), Cesaire Hendophe, 20, (Toussaint Louverture High School), Charles Cupidon, 17, (Royal Palm Beach High School); front - Aristide McGuire, 17, (Royal Palm Beach High School), Mathilde Pierre, 13, (Woodlands Middle School), Malaika Craan, 17, (Olympic Heights Community High School).

 

Within a couple weeks of the quake, the students came to Palm Beach County via the Dominican Republic to live with immediate ore extended family members and enrolled in Palm Beach County schools.  Some hold tourist or humanitarian visas, or have citizenship or dual citizenship.  Eighth-grader Mathilde came here with her sister and mother, and they will all return back to Haiti during the summer.  Those with permanent residency will continue their schooling here in the fall.

 

To hear their stories, watch “Exploring Education” on Channel 20 in July.  For a schedule, call 355-4573 or visit the county homepage, http://www.pbcgov.com, and click on “Program Schedule.”

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Would You Like to be a Master Gardener?

 

Applications Available for Next Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program

 

The mission of the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener Program is to train a core of volunteers to assist the County Extension horticulture agent in delivering information to residents on how to design, plant and care for their plants and landscapes in an environmentally friendly way.

 

Pictured here (l to r) is the June 2010 Master Gardener Volunteer graduating class:  front - Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator Deborah Levulis; front row - Chris Spencer, Joanne Smith, Nancy Renz, Louise Brule’, Laurie Albrecht, Uma Bhatti, Pat Erichsen, Kitty Omura; middle row - Greg Spencer, Sandra Giller, Sandy Smith, Judith Laffin, Karen Khan, Sam Stevens; back row - Mark Fairchild, Jeffrey Hunt, Douglas Weaving, Victor Serra, Terry Virta.

 

The active Palm Beach County Volunteer Master Gardeners have contributed 2,928 hours of volunteer time to our community since January 2010. Their volunteer work includes answering plant questions at the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service and Green Markets, conducting tours of the Mounts Botanical Garden, and supervising the installations of landscaping at Habitat for Humanity homes. The value of their outstanding volunteer service in the last four months is $52,000.

 

The Palm Beach County Master Gardener Volunteer Program is open to anyone who has an interest in gardening and is willing to help serve the Extension Service by sharing their gardening knowledge and skills to help others in the community.  Oftentimes, master gardeners are retired individuals, but this is not always the case.  Successful master gardeners often share several qualities.  They have the desire to learn more about plants, growing things, and gardening, are eager to participate in a practical and intensive training program, look forward to sharing their knowledge with others, and have enough time to complete the training and fulfill their volunteer commitment.

 

Applications are now being accepted for the Fall 2010 Palm Beach County Master Gardener Volunteer Training Program.  Stop by the Cooperative Extension Service at 531 North Military Trail and pick up an application, or you can download an application by visiting the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener Web site, pbcgov.com/coextension/mastergardener. Master gardener volunteer interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 18 and Aug. 25.

 

This volunteer training program is a 16-week commitment beginning on consecutive Wednesdays, Sept. 1 to Dec. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service in the Mounts Auditorium.  University of Florida specialists, Extension Service faculty and master gardeners conduct the training.  Volunteers in training are required to spend four hours on call in the West Palm Beach hotline office and another eight hours volunteering during their training. Master gardener graduates are also required to volunteer 75 hours the first year and 35 hours each year after that to stay certified. 

 

The cost for the program is $199 which includes a set of South Florida master gardener notebooks published by the University of Florida and an embroidered polo shirt, license plate, graduation certificate and University of Florida Master Gardener identification card.

 

Call Master Gardener Coordinator Deborah Levulis at 233-1758 (or visit http://www.pbcgov.com/coextension) for information on the Palm Beach County Master Gardener Volunteer Program.  The Cooperative Extension Service Master Gardener Help Desk, located at 531 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Workshop on Keeping Your Kids Safe

It is summertime already, and it is prime time to keep your children safe from all harmful elements including gang involvement.  If you are a parent searching for the tools and early warning signs, this is the workshop for you.  Participants will leave the workshop with tools to keep children safe not only this summer but in the months to come.  Leading experts in evidenced-based violence prevention will present this timely workshop.  Wayne Rawlins of Wayne Rawlins Consulting and Victor Gonzales both have successful consulting practices that provide extensive training for the U.S. Department of Justice. 

 

The purpose of the workshop is to give parents, educators, service providers and community leaders the tools and resources to identify behaviors that have been linked to gang involvement. Most recently, anti-bullying activities have taken a front seat in our community.  Many of the characteristics of bullying (intimidation, threats of violence) are linked to progressive gang involvement.  Palm Beach County has long been at the forefront in these efforts by offering school-based programs.

 

The “Keeping Your Kids Safe” workshop is being coordinated locally by Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission.  The main partners in the workshop include the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Southern District), Palm Beach County Weed and Seed and Project Safe Neighborhoods. Weed and Seed and Project Safe Neighborhoods are initiatives of the U.S. Department of Justice to provide neighborhoods relief from the threat of gangs and illegal criminal activities.  There are five Weed and Seed sites located in Palm Beach County:   Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, Gramercy Village, Delray Beach and Belle Glade.  The Keeping Your Kids Safe workshop will be offered in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami Dade counties.

 

          When:          Wednesday, June 23, 2010

          Where:         Salvation Army Community Center

                             600 North Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach

          Time:           5:45 to 7:45 p.m.    

 

For more information regarding the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) and its Youth Violence Prevention Project, contact the CJC at 561-355-4943.  For more local information regarding this project contact Rosalind Murray, Palm Beach County Weed and Seed, at 561-355-2332 or visit http://www.pbcgov.com/criminaljustice/initiatives/weedseed.htm.

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