Technology in the toy industry did have its place during the late 1990's with the Furby craze. The novelty of high-maintenance
toy animals, however, lost its lustre after a few years and the public began to ask for something more. Consumers turned towards
old favorites, where a certain comfort level could be found. In 2003, analysts are confident the migration towards classic
toys will continue. Companies are already slated to launch classics like Strawberry Shortcake and Teenge Mutant Ninja Turtles.
At the 2003 toy fair in New York , the classic toy market garnered as much attention as the high-tech toys. Toy experts say
the bottom line is that classic toys deliver the type of fun and interaction that children desire and satisfy a sense of tradition
that have parents opening their pocket books.
Palm Beach County's school system will soon have another tool at its disposal to make learning and education easier. It
is not a grant for a slough of new computers, it is not a new teacher contract, and it is not a brand new school. Coming soon
to a cable channel near you, The Palm Beach County School system will have its very own television station.
The idea is hardly revolutionary. Instructional Television has been a key educational tool in hundreds of school systems
across the country and Palm Beach County, for a time, had a flourishing ITV program in the 60's and 70's. Budget cuts did
away with the station for a time but in the Summer of 2000, a new vision was realized for the ITV studios on Congress Avenue
just next door to Congress Middle School. Dr Judith Garcia took the helm as ITV manager and from there launched into an endeavor
that would bring Palm Beach County up to speed in the arena of distance learning and educational programming.
By all accounts, she is the obvious choice. A veteran educator with a penchant for using emerging technology to accellerate
the educational process, Garcia is also a NASA trained astronaut. Slated to be the 3rd teacher in space in 1988, her mission
was scrubbed after the Challenger explosion. She was actually Christa McAullife's back-up for the ill-fated mission. She stayed
on with NASA, however and it was during her stint as a kind of good-will educational ambassador for NASA that she decided
that education needed a shot in the arm.
"I travelled all over the world. Each time I spoke to teachers and students and realized how lacking things were in certain
parts of the country. I got interested in bringing these incredible things I was seeing at NASA into the classroom." Garcia
says the natural move was towards mass distribution of her exploits. Television seemed the logical way to go.
"This is a way to do it economically and effifciently".
ITV will take over Adelphia cable channel 19 in mid March, after a mandatory notification process. When the station first
launches, Garcia says they will be slowly rolling out locally produced educational programming and distance learning classes
via the airwaves.
"For adults without kids we'll have programs in arts and crafts and distance education courses will increase their availability
to students who otherwise wouldn't be able to take these courses".
Garcia says that everyone in the community will benefit from the station but it will be especially beneficial to the elderly
and homebound people. Other programs will include student produced projects and School Board meetings as well as informational
programming from different schools within the system.
"It's going to be a good cross-section of a variety of programming that we hope will meet the needs of everyone in our
community". Garcia said.
As the station rolls out, Garcia says ITV will be taking baby steps but will grow by leaps and bounds as they garner support
and forge relationships with the community and different organizations.
"We're looking to help fulfill the educational needs through the school district".
The station will be not-for-profit, relying on underwriters, grants and donations for its continued operation. People wishing
to help out, volunteer or underwite projects can contact Dr. Judith Garcia at 561-738-2702 or Director of instructional support
Chuck Shaw at 561-434-8779.
Mike Peter's home on Royal Palm Beach Blvd has a peculiar look to it these days. It stands 10 feet higher than it's foundation
and is balanced precariously on a system of steel and wood. Still, Peters says the expense and the inconvenience is all worthwhile.
"It's better than the alternative, getting flooded again".
The work being done to Peters' home is literally an effort to save it from repeat flooding. As part of a new grant program
sponsored by the federal government, Peters qualified for assistance to have his home raised. The government is actually picking
up the majority of the 100 thousand dollar bill.
He says he found out about it the last time his home was waterlogged.
"During my last flood event, I heard about some kind of mitigation through the National Flood Insurance people. I found
out about it through FEMA's link with the state department of community affairs".
Peters first checked with his local flood control district and was directed to Emergency management of Palm Beach County.
He says the relationship with Emergency management was crucial to winning the grant.
"I was told what I needed to apply for. They said, 'You have to get an agency to apply for the grant for you"'.
With about 5 weeks to go, the project is at the half-way mark. What's left is to shore up the sides, build footings and
columns and reconnect the plumbing and electricity. Peters is the first homeowner in Palm Beach County to take advantage of
the grant and encourages other homeowners with similar problems to do the same.
"With any luck there will be other people in Palm Beach County that will be able to use this program. There are 500 other
properties up for this".
Those 500 properties represent a county-wide problem that began 30 years ago. Peters says there is no use in playing the
blame game.
"This is progress. This is change. There was a few of us that basically got stuck".
The problem can be traced back to how property was landscaped in the '70's. Property was allowed to be built at a certain
elevation. When the South FLorida Water Management District raised the elevation at which the properties held water the difference
made for flooding problems at some of those properties".
So far peters is happy with the way things have worked out.
"I didn't want to talk to lawyers, I didn't want to talk blame. Sure enough, it worked".
The program is a new one and Peters says there are a few "kinks" left to work out but insists that the whole ordeal has
been worth the time and energy. He credits Palm Beach County for trying to help people out and suggests people with flooding
problems persue the grant. For more information on the grant and how to apply, call the Senior Mitigation Planner at the Emergency
Operations Center at 561-712-6400.
It's hard to know when the evolution started but rest assured, an evolution in Royal Palm Beach is taking place. In fact,
the village may be one of the few communities in the South Florida area breaking the mold of senior geared communities and
leaning more towards its newest influx of residents, "The Family". Recent village council meetings have put into effect laws
that loosen the restrictions put on things that could be construed as "family oriented". For instance, a law regulating the
use of motorized scooters in the village is in the works. The council could have simply dropped the hammer and banned the
scooters completely. In the interest of recreation, however, the council has chewed on the subject, is consulting other cities
and researching state law to come up with their own ordinance regulating the use of the scooters. The end result will probably
be a law that allows for scooters to operate within the city limits with some restrictions. Time and time again Royal Palm
Beach mayor David Lodwick said he had no intention of banning the scooters but felt there was a need for regulation for safety's
sake.
Village manager mirrors the mayor's opinions, saying that the village council is keeping their fingers on the pulse of
the community.
(The council) recognized consciously what's been good in the past and recognized the need for more communal open space"
That space he refers to is the space where park upon park has been either built or rennovated for public use. He says the
council recognized that the gated communities so popular in the western communities didn't offer much in the way of large
plots of private land, hence the need for more parks where people could congregate and socialize.
"Over the course of the last decade, we've invested a significant amount of money for recreation".
Most recently, the village decided to amend a leash law that restricted walking pets to the owner's property only. Now
the leash law has been changed to allow for the walking of pets on public property as long as they are cleaned up after. It
occurred as a byproduct of what was already taking place at one of the villages parks.
"As we ronnovated Robner Park," Farber explains, "there were a group of dog owners that used it to exercise their animals
and socialize. Clearly what was happening was more and more folks had dogs and walked them. The state of the law was not in
sync with the common practice".
With the park and city improvements being done , scooters will most likely be buzzing through the village and no doubt
pet owners will be walking their animals through the rennovated areas of Royal Palm Beach. Both the new Royal Palm Beach Blvd
and State Road 7 projects are including pedestrian walks and bike paths and the new Veteran's Park is just months away from
completion. These improvements will add to what is already shaping up to be a family oriented community, far from its beginnings
as an out-of-the-way hamlet for snowbirds to settle into. An efficient village council is at the helm of the change and puts
in place the machinery of politics necessary to get things done, and done in a timely fashion.
My sense is that the greatest part of local government is that it's local", Farber said. "We have the same problems".
Royal Palm's new police chief Ed Stepnowski is gearing his department towards a more community friendly policing philosophy
as well, making it easier for people of all ages to access officers. His community oriented policing will get more officers
visible on the streets and allow more of an interaction between the community and those who serve and protect. This is all
part of that move towards a more family friendly village. It's a move that Royal Palm officials say wasn't intentional but
is a sign of the times.
"In an odd way,some of our needs have come full circle" Farber said.
