0OypCtl Pa e rn t l a i r a EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR Hobie Hiler/staff photographer Stephanie Joyce smiles as she receives the public safety Employee of the Year award from North Palm Beach Mayor Ed Eissey at Village Hall last Thursday. Detective Joyce won in the law enforcement division. See story at right. Park From page Al from 18,500-square-feet to 22,000-square-feet, adding more walking trails, concession stands, a restroom, stage and gazebo, fixing the tennis courts and removing the shuffleboard court. The items eligible for reimbursement under the grant's terms are a per- formance area or outdoor classroom, fishing pier, picnic facilities, hiking trail, parking, renovation of the volleyball courts and related support facili- ties. Plans for Phase 1 of the park's renovations include these items, plus play- ground areas and the dog park, said Mr. Hodgkins. The dog park will be divided in two sections. "We heard loud and clear that the residents wanted a division between the small and large dogs, and we provided for that in our plans," said village manager Jimmy Knight. The grant's terms give a three-year deadline for the work to be done and it must be completed - which means open and available to use before the Department of Envi- ronmental Protection Land and Water Conserva- tion Fund hands over the final payment. Mr. Hodgkins is opti- mistic the village will meet the allotted time frame. The village will provide its match of $200,000 from the unreserved, undesig- nated fund, as stated in the resolution regarding accepting the grant. The total $400,000 will be combined with other awarded grants to finance the project, said Mr. Hodgkins. The recent grant was the final one for this part of the project. The village has appropriated $800,000 and received various grants for a total of $2.4 million for Phase 1, but it's likely not all of it will be spent on that part of the project, said Mr. Knight at the meeting. A contractor should be selected by late Septem- ber and work should begin shortly afterward, he said. "We hope that as Phase 1 gets completed, we'll start applying for grants for the upcoming phases," said Mr. Knight. PALM BEACH GARDENS Florida Classical Ballet performs at Eissey campus The Florida Classical Ballet Theatre presents Don Quixote at the Palm Beach Community College's Eissey campus tonight, April 4 to be repeated on April 5, said artistic director Colleen Smith. Six paid professional dancers, in collaboration with students, are participat- ing in the production, she said. The show is based on a section of the novel by Don Quixote, titled "Kitri's Wedding," Ms. Smith said. "It is a story of a girl living in Seville, who is in love with the local barber, but can't be married to him because her father wants her to marry a very rich man," she said, adding several twists and turns follow. "It is appropriate for any age. A very young child would enjoy watching it. It is very, very bright and colorful." Group rates are available. Tonight's show is at 7 p.m. The April 5 shows are at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Ticket prices vary between $20 and $30. The matinee performance includes meet and greet with the performers, Ms. Smith said, and people can take autographs and photo- graphs during this time. The Florida Classical Ballet Theatre is a pre- professional ballet company based out of the Esther Center in Palm Beach Gardens, she said. For more information, contact (561) 630 8235. City named 'Tree City USA' On Feb. 21, the city of Palm Beach Gardens proved its greenness and why it's known as "The Gardens." In late February, the Arbor Day Foundation named the city a "Tree City USA Community" to honor its commitment to community forestry for the 20th consecutive year, according to a city press release. City forrester Mark Hendrickson said the city will turn 50 in 2009, and that for the last 20 years, the city has consistently received national recognition by being named Tree City USA. "Locally, the elected officials, city staff, busi- ness owners and residents, who have protect- ed, planted and cared for our city trees and forests, know the city of Palm Beach Gardens as a 'Tree City' for 50 years, and counting," he said. "'As the city matures and prospers, so will our trees." The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State foresters and the USDA Forest Service, according to the release. The four standards to become a Tree City USA community include having a local tree board or department, adopting a tree care ordinance, establishing a comprehensive community forestry program and observing Arbor Day, all of which Palm Beach Gardens has done, according to the release. FEMA to reimburse city $1.1 M The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the city $1.1 million for removing debris from gated communities dur- ing the 2004 hurricanes, it was announced during the last city council meeting held March 20. FEMA reversed an earlier position to not reimburse for that effort, after ongoing appeals and efforts from city staff and former mayor and now Councilman Joseph R. Russo. "That's a lot of money," Mr. Russo said at the meeting. "I know how hard I worked for this and it was frustrating." City officials were happy to hear of the reim- bursement and appreciated all of Mr. Russo's efforts at making it happen, although it is not known when the money will be received. Compiled by staff writer PurviDesai NORTH PALM BEACH Public Safety Department honors Employees of Year The North Palm Beach Public Safety Depart- ment encompasses both the police and fire rescue departments. One employee from each division were named Employees of the Year for 2007 at the Village Council meeting on March 27. Detective Stephanie Joyce was named Employee of the Year by the law enforcement division, and Lt. Juliet Adams was named by the fire rescue division. Detective Joyce has worked with the village since 2004, and previously worked for the Greenacres Public Safety Department. She was transferred to the Detective Bureau in 2006 as a result of her hard work and skills, wrote Steve Canfield, public safety director and North Palm Beach Police chief. Among her noted efforts, Detective Joyce worked on the investigation of a complaint of sexual battery, kidnapping and armed robbery at Sanctuary Cove earlier in the year, and was able to make an arrest in a short time period. She also investigated an official corruption case and prepared a report for the state attor- ney's office for possible prosecution, Chief Canfield's statement said. Lt. Adams has been with the fire rescue divi- sion for eight years. This was her first employ- ee of the year nomination, she said. 0 See REVIEW, A10 .' -- . o .. .- .. - . .- ..-- -r ..... .' -, ... .. -.... . - .... ._. -'" - ..' ,.-j- T' :,- -- .. " .-. r 7 ^ K n v &' 4 .- t .- ,- 3.1 . AIR," . . '. .- .. . . .. .- ..... ... -_.- ,... ' ' "[ t .. .. .:,\ . CUTTING-EDGE DIAGNOSTIC EXPERTISE. OUTSTANDING CLINICAL SERVICES ACROSS A WIDE RA I ,E OF CONDITIONS. A SEASONED TEAM OF PHYSICIANS SELECTED BY THEIR PEERS AS SOME OF THE BEST D( TORS IN /A ERICA, Introducing a new physician practice from the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. UNIVERSITY INTERNAL MEDICINE GROUP of palm beach gardens Call University Internal Medicine Group today at 561-219-1000 for an appointment. 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