Count-e-News • Aug. 16, 2010

Human Services Distributes Free Meals

Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operates during the summer months, June to August, when schools in our area are closed. The SFSP was established to ensure that children in needy areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during school vacations. Free meals are provided to all children at approved SFSP open or enrolled sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.

Pictured here are the summer food monitors: Jessica Gillespie, Keianna Williams, Taylor Dawson, Brad Feiger, Thelmarcia Williams, Shannon Gavin and Doug Greenwald.

The program is paid for by the United States Department of Agriculture, administered by the Department of Education (DOE), sponsored by the county, and operated by the Palm Beach County Division of Human Services.

This year, to increase participation, DOE piloted a marketing campaign, wrapping Palm Tran buses with the program information and logos.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

CJC Hosts Weed & Seed Re-entry Fair

The county Criminal Justice Commission’s (CJC) Weed & Seed program hosted its third Re-entry Transition Fair on May 14 at the Old School Square Gymnasium in Delray Beach. The project was sponsored by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.

The purpose of the fair was to connect ex-offenders with services offered in the county. Re-entry has become a primary strategy for the CJC as it looks to lower the number of incarcerated residents, the number of victims of crime and the cost of taxpayer-supported jails.

Pictured here is CJC employee Shahzia Hashmi (fourth from right) presenting a certificate of participation to members of the Salvation Army who provided assistance at the fair.

More than 40 service providers attended including Gulfstream Goodwill, justice service centers, the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. Palm Beach County Workforce Alliance also held job readiness and resumé preparation activities. More than 250 participants from the Delray Beach area attended.

For more information, contact the Criminal Justice Commission’s Weed & Seed program at 355-4943 or visit www.pbcgov.org/criminaljustice.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

Landscaping Tip: How to Properly Prune Palm Trees

When you imagine a tropical setting, you might think of palms and a low-maintenance landscape. The University of Florida palm specialists say, however, most palms require regular pruning to keep them beautiful and people near them safe.

Palms maintain a set number of live fronds. A natural turnover of palm fronds occurs as dying lower fronds are replaced by new ones at the top of the palm at its bud area. Attached dead fronds are not detrimental to the health of the palm.

Shown here are sabal palms that were pruned improperly.

If there is an excessive number of older yellow fronds, determine the cause before pruning. There could be a severe nutrient problem caused by a potassium or magnesium deficiency that could worsen if the palm is overly pruned or fertilized with high nitrogen, or the wrong type of fertilizer.

These are some important reasons for pruning palms:

• Removing dead and dying lower fronds improves the appearance of a palm.

• Dead and dying fronds and loose palm leaf bases are weakly attached to some palms and can place people and property at risk should they fall from tall palms. People have been severely injured by falling fronds. Dead and dying palm fronds should be removed regularly to reduce this risk.

• Pruning can remove fruit clusters, especially in public landscapes where falling fruit and flower debris can be messy as well as hazardous. Some palms generate copious amounts of seedlings near the plant. Removing flowers or fruit reduces the number of potential seedlings.

It is important not to remove live, healthy fronds. If the palm fronds must be removed, then do not remove fronds that are growing horizontally or those growing upward. Fronds removed should be severed close to the petiole base without damaging living trunk tissue. There is little reason to shave or sand the trunk smooth. The pineapple shape created at the base of a date palm canopy is not required to maintain a healthy date palm.

Dead fronds can be removed with a small chain saw. Use a hand saw to cut developing flower and fruit stalks that emerge between live fronds so you do not injure the surrounding fronds.

Removing dead and dying fronds can also enhance aesthetics. Consider removing lower fronds that are dead, or more than half dead. There is no biological reason to remove live green fronds on palms. There is no research supporting the notion that removing live green fronds reduces future pruning requirements. If you remove green fronds, the palm could become stressed. If you decide to remove green fronds, do not remove those growing horizontally or pointed upward.

Over-pruned palms look too “naked” and may attract pests. In the third picture above, you can see that many upright fronds were removed. There is no need to remove green fronds when the palm was planted for its tropical look with several live green fronds.

Call the Master Gardener volunteer hotline at 233-1750 with your pruning questions weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

Building Division Returns to Five-Day Service

Due to an appreciable upturn in construction activities and revenue, the Palm Beach County Building Division will once again be operating five days per week. Beginning on Monday, Aug. 30, the Building Division will go from a 32-hour, four-day work week to a 36-hour, five-day work week.

The new office hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Currently, the Building Division is closed on Friday. Due to a sharp drop in housing starts and commercial construction, the Building Division last year had to lay off dozens of workers, including plans examiners, inspectors, permit technicians, cashiers and records clerks.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

Cooperative Extension Workshop: Backyard Vegetable Growing

Workshop: Backyard Vegetable Growing

When: Sat., Sept. 18

Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Mounts Exhibit Hall A, 559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach

Topics: site preparation, seedling establishment, planting, maintenance and harvesting

Fee: $35 members; $45 non-members (includes box lunch)

ˆ Go to the top of this page