Meeting Summary May 3, 2017
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Captain DiBerardino was pleased to tell us that burglaries in vehicles in April went down to four from the previous month’s twenty-three.
Alliance Executive Vice President Lori Vinikoor told us the Alliance sponsored Mature Driver’s Class for April was filled to capacity and the May class is fully booked. The Alliance is working on having more of these classes as completion of this course results in lower automobile insurance costs from most companies. She also made us aware that we should be able to vote on an additional $25,000 homestead tax exemption on the 2018 ballot.
City of Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein was the first featured speaker. He began by telling us that a big challenge the City faces is deciding what it will be, a village such as it was in past years, an urbanized town where residents can walk to shopping and work or something else. As Mayor he must reconcile the wants of the people. Delray Beach is a full functioning city with its own Police Department, Fire Department, Parks Department and Government. The City of Delray Beach is in the running for “All America City” again, an award it has already won twice. Residents of surrounding areas such as Boynton Beach, Lake Worth and Boca Raton flock to the downtown area to enjoy what is offered. There will be a slight inconvenience to beach-goers while areas are fenced off. The project, at completion, will result in improvements such as better lighting and wider walkways for all to enjoy.
The next featured speaker was Winnie Edwards, Executive Director of the Delray Beach Historical Society. A brief timeline of the early history of Delray Beach begins in the late 1800s when the first pioneers arrived. The railroad came in 1896 allowing farmers to ship winter crop fruits and vegetables north. The first school was also built in 1896. The 1910 census showed a population of 904, mostly farmers and fishermen. The town of Delray was incorporated in 1911. Delray got electricity and city water in 1914. A real estate boom started in 1920 when the census showed a population of 1501. The 2010 census recorded a population of 60,522. There are five historic districts in the City of Delray Beach, each with different historic treasures. The Del-Ida Park Historic District is home to Banker’s Row. Four prominent bankers lived here. The West Settler’s District was the first African-American community and is where the Spady Museum, a Black Cultural Museum is located. The Nassau Park Historic District is an area of relaxed ambiance showing cottages built from 1935 to 1941, Old School Square is the location of the first school house where cultural activities are presented, The Marina Historical District is located near the Intercoastal Waterway and contains homes built between 1922 and 1943.
The next meeting of the Delray Alliance will be Wednesday, September 6, 2017.
Stan Goodman – Vice President and Acting Recording Secretary