VOLUME 48 • NO.

32
AUGUST 12, 2010

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HOMES
& BUSINESSES IN
• DEERFIELD BEACH
• LIGHTHOUSE POINT
• HILLSBORO BEACH
• POMPANO BEACH
• BOCA RATON
www.observernewspaperonline.com Since 1962 Deerfield Publishing, Inc. © 2010

OF INTEREST (Below) Jerry Edelman, a

member of the Coast Guard
Layoffs: Effect on
city services?
Auxiliary, stands at the top
of the Hillsboro Lighthouse.
By Diane Emeott
On July 30, the City of
Deerfield Beach laid off 103
employees.
Parks & Recreation laid off
69 part-time, and 2 full-time
employees (Parks & Recreation
Manager III George Edmunds
and Parks & Recreation De-
Cove parking lot
partment Secretary Angela
page 3 Storr).
Hillsboro Lighthouse on Aug. 7, National Lighthouse Asked how this will affect
Day. It has the most powerful lighthouse beam in the services for Deerfield residents,
world and can be seen by ships 28 miles out at sea. Parks & Recreation Director
Bob Harbin said: “I don’t an-
can be a good mentor,” he said.
Harbin explained that half of
the cities in the country do it this
way [with combined duties],
the other half do it the way the
city used to [with separate du-
ties]. “It’s not to say the city was
wrong in the way they used to
do it. Half the cities in the coun-
try do it that way. My opinion is
this [combined duties] is the
right way to go,” he said.
Reached for comment,
George Edmunds also talked
about the two different nation-

National Lighthouse Day ticipate a large effect on the

By David Volz keeper of the lighthouse, leav-
Arthur Makenian is pas- ing the position in 2002.
sionate about the Hillsboro “It was an extreme pleasure
Lighthouse. He was the last to be the keeper of the light-
Judges, school board house. I love this lighthouse,”
said Makenian. He is active in
page 6, 7 the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
and is president of the Hillsboro
Lighthouse Preservation Soci-
ety, Inc.
Hillsboro Lighthouse Preser-
vation Society organized a tour
on Aug. 7 of the Hillsboro Inlet
LightStationFlorida.Ittookplace
on National Lighthouse Day.
People could climb the stairs of
Arthur Makenian and Pat the lighthouse and enjoy a view
Feighery at the Hillsboro Inlet of Hillsboro Inlet. “This light-
Lien amnesty Light Station. house has the strongest light in
Photos by David Volz the world,” said Makenian.
page 8
Pat Feighery, commander
of the Third Division, Sev-
enth District for the U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary, was
pleased that people came to
see the lighthouse. “This
lighthouse is important to
ships and its light can be
seen up to 28 nautical miles
out to sea,” he said.
Jerry Edelman, a mem-
ber of the U.S. Coast Guard
Auxiliary, spoke with
people at the top of the light-
house. “I think it is fantastic
that people can enjoy this,”
he said.
Hillsboro Lighthouse is
maintained by the Active
Duty U.S. Coast Guard.
public because of the reorgani-
zation. Staff will [now] be as-
signed to one park instead of
having roving crews.” He said
that from a management per-
spective, this would make staff
more productive and increase
accountability.
Harbin, who has 45 years’
experience, said they did the
same thing at the county level
25 years ago. “I know how it
works,” said the former
Broward County Parks & Rec-
reation Director.
He said that currently, the
city’s workers are specialized
in either recreation programs or
park maintenance. He said the
long-term goal is to have them
experienced in both, through
on-the-job training. “I hope I
wide models for Parks & Rec-
reation departments.
“If you look at the county,
where Mr. Harbin’s experience
is, that’s the way they do it [with
combined duties],” said
Edmunds. He added that there
is going to be a big [learning]
curve for workers.
Edmunds said the layoffs
happened while he was on va-
cation in Toronto and Michi-
gan. He said the reorganization
really began in June [with the
creation of Manager III posi-
tions to cover East, Central and
West zones]. He had no further
comment but to say: “I am look-
ing for a job.”
When Edmunds started here
4+ years ago, he said he “did a
See Layoffs, pg 20

FAU’s Center for Ocean Energy Technology Quiet Waters UPDATE

Teen Zone
page 18
‘Let the little chil-
dren come to me, and
do not hinder them, for
the kingdom of God
belongs to such as
these.’
Luke 18:16
ALSO INSIDE
Opinion ............................ 6
Election ............................ 7
Sports .............................. 9
Back to School .............. 10
Dining & Entertainment .. 15
Happenings ................... 17
Schools .......................... 18
Religion .......................... 21
Classified ....................... 22
receives U.S. Dept. of Energy national designation
By Corinne Tillman
Florida Atlantic Uni-
versity’s Center for Ocean
Energy Technology (COET)
has been designated as a na-
tional center for ocean energy
research and development by
the U.S. Department of En-
ergy. The Southeast National
Marine Renewable Energy
Center (SNMREC) will work
to research and develop re-
newable energy from ocean
currents and ocean thermal
energy.
“The SNMREC’s goals —
advancing research and de-
velopment of open-ocean cur-
rent and ocean thermal en-
ergy systems, and building the
capability, infrastructure, and
strategic partnerships needed
to develop, deploy and test
commercially-viable ocean
energy generation systems –
are in direct alignment with
the Department of Energy’s
goal of securing our energy
future by producing more
domestic, renewable energy,”
said Susan Skemp, executive
director of COET.
COET was started with a
$5 million award from the
state of Florida in January of
2007.
There are only two other
centers, located in Hawaii and
in the Pacific Northwest, that
have this designation. They
are also researching ocean
technologies. “We are ex-
tremely proud of this national
designation and are very ap-
preciative of the support we
have received from the state
of Florida, the Department of
Energy and our partners glo-
bally, who have been instru-
mental in helping us achieve
this major milestone,” said
Skemp.
Energy source
According to Dr. Howard
Hanson of FAU, harnessing
the Gulf Stream for energy is
“conceptually like using wind
energy, essentially the same
thing, but underwater.” Be-
fore they can implement these
designs, there are many areas
that must be looked into such
as environmental interactions
and engineering issues.
For environmental, they
have to be careful of what the
current will do to the equip-
ment. They also have to worry
how it will affect the ecosys-
tem. “It won’t do a lot of good
to have green energy if it
causes damage,” said Dr.
Hanson. For engineering, they
have to make it automatic
since it will be underwater
and cannot be watched, and
how will the power be trans-
ported to land?
Dr. Hanson also shared that
they have started developing
a curriculum for high school
students. He hopes that by
starting the process of learn-
ing before college, it will give
students the opportunity to
look into and understand the
field.
By Diane Emeott
Q: Is Quiet Waters Park being impacted by recent
layoffs in the City of Deerfield Beach?
A: “Quiet Waters Park is operated by Broward County,”
said Bob Harbin, Parks & Recreation Director.
Ball fields for West Deerfield
Harbin said that just over a year ago, the county and school
board did a land swap. The county got 10 acres of
“environmentally sensitive land that you couldn’t
build on.” The school board got 5 acres just west
of Quiet Waters Elementary that is developable
land [earmarked for ball fields]. “The school can
use it during school hours; the city can use it
during off hours.”
Harbin said all that’s needed is to get the funds for devel-
opment and the city’s commitment. “We are in the process of
hammering out an agreement between the school board and
the city. It would be the city’s responsibility to maintain and
develop it.” Harbin said he hopes to have something to bring
before the city commission this fall.
Commissioner Bill Ganz said, “The city is desperate for
park space. While it is a very small area, it would be a win-win
for everybody.” Ganz said that early schematics show one
multi-use field, an early age Little League field and a walking
track around it.
He said they have been looking into this since last August,
“as far back as the meetings included [former city manager]
Mike Mahaney and [former Permanent Acting Parks &
Recreation Director] George Edmunds.” He said that in
January or February of this year, he and Interim City Manager
Burgess Hanson met with Dr. Bob Parks and Quiet Waters
Elementary Principal Lori McConaughey.