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Why did City Council sack Utilities Commission? Page 3

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Question arises after sacking of four members of the Utility Commission

BY IAN LOVEVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

When the Vero Beach City Coun-cil removed four members of the Utilities Commission and replaced them with citizens said to be more in tune with selling Vero Electric, they left open the central question of the proper role of these volunteer panels.

To be sure, the three council mem-bers in favor of pushing forward with a sale -- Mayor Pilar Turner, Vice May-or Craig Fletcher and council mem-ber Tracy Carroll -- were completely within their rights. [ ey followed pro-cedure perfectly at the Dec. 6 Council

meeting in seating Chuck Mechling, James “Toby” Hill, former City Council member Brian Heady and Daniel Four-mont as new members on the panel.

[e new members replace former commission Chairman Herb Whittall; Robert Blumstein; Duane Wasmuth and alternate [ omas Burkett. In addition, Jane Burton was removed from the com-mission but will serve as an alternate.

“[ey (commission members) serve at the will of the council,” act-ing City Attorney Wayne Comment said. “It is council’s prerogative if they don’t like the advice they are getting or they don’t think it is well founded, they can make changes.”

Just the same, City Clerk Tammy Vock says she can never remember such a wholesale change of a sitting board in all her time at City Hall. [ e

only members she remembers being replaced with time left to serve were individuals who missed meetings.

[e issue came to a head at the last City Council meeting when both the Mayor and council member Carroll placed items on the agenda under New Business to discuss the Utilities Commission. At-tached as backup to that request were the resumes of Mechling, Hill, Heady and Fourmont, all of whom wanted to serve on the Utility Commission.

[en, minutes before the 9:30 a.m. council meeting was scheduled to be-gin, Turner added a slate of members she wanted to appoint to the board and members she wanted taken off .

When the council reached the New Business portion of the meeting, the mayor laid out the issue, stating: “[e commissions are formulated by

council to support council decision-making. Per our ordinance, Decem-ber is the time for Utility Commission appointments. In light of the over-whelming citizen support of the refer-endum to proceed with the sale of our utility to FPL does our current com-mission assist or hinder our progress? Should our advisory commissions be committed to forwarding the desires of the citizens and the council?”

It is debatable if the meaning of the referendum was to sell Vero Electric to FPL or, as many supporters said prior to the vote, simply to continue negotiations to see if a deal can be worked out to the satisfaction of both sides. Such a council debate on the meaning of the referendum would have been instructive.

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What is proper role of advisory panels to City Council?

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What would also have been instruc-tive is a discussion concerning the role of advisory commissions and if their purpose is to “be committed to forwarding the desires of citizens and the council.”

However, that never happened. Over the strong objections of Council members Jay Kramer and Dick Wing-er. Instead, Council quickly voted on the slate of candidates and moved on to the other matters.

“It happened with the speed of light, but at least three people were on the same wave length,” said former Mayor Warren Winchester. Council member Dick Winger tried to include Winches-ter for consideration to join the Utility Commission, but he was kept off by the votes of Turner, Fletcher and Carroll.

Citizens were left without a discus-sion of the proper role of commissions or the pros and cons of those going off and those coming on the board. And it seems it could take a while for such a discussion to take place, since Turner, Fletcher or Carroll did not return phone calls over a number of days from Vero Beach Newsweekly toexplain their vote.

Whittall says he was never ap-proached by a council member who said he or she was dissatisfi ed with the work of the panel. He also objects to the notion that he or any member of the commission was against a sale of Vero Electric to FPL.

“W e comment that the members of the Utility Commission weren’t for (a sale) and were interfering with

the sale going forward is completely false,” Whittall said. “Everyone on that commission knew we would sell the utility to Florida Power and Light; all we wanted was to make sure all the due diligence was done.”

Whittall said the timing of his sack-ing may have centered on a year-end report the Utility Commission was charged with producing in which he suggests the commission would have laid out that due diligence still needs to be completed before they could recommend a sale to FPL.

“Our publicity would have caused (those pushing forward for a quick sale) a problem,” he said. “W ere is no way any commission can stand in the way of the City Council doing what its wants to do.”

However, part of the ordinance on city commissions states that Decem-ber is the time members of the Utility Commission are reviewed. W e former commission had just been seated in April as part of a house-cleaning undertaken two years ago by newly-elected members of the council to re-constitute all advisory boards.

Whittall also takes issue with the mayor’s statement that the role of his former commission was to be “com-mitted to forwarding the desires of citizens and the council.”

“We were supposed to give inde-pendent advice,” Whittall said.

We section in the Code of Ordinanc-es dealing specifi cally with the Util-ity Commission seems to support that position. It states: “In performing its mission, the commission shall initiate

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Vero Beach, Florida - Code of OrdinancesSec. 2-102. - Advisory commissions

(7) Utilities commission. The utilities commission shall provide recommendations and advice to the city council on all matters related to the administration and operation of the city’s utilities, including Hnances and accounting; eI cient and economic operations; maintenance; expansion and contraction of service areas; rates and fees, including taxes; improvements; and other matters speciH cally relating to the electric, water and sewer, and solid waste enterprise funds. The commission may seek counsel with the city manager and the other charter oI cers from time to time, as well as city department heads and employees as the commission H nds necessary.

Any commission member may request the city clerk to coordinate with the commission chairman to place items on the commission agenda and/or request a commission meeting. Meetings may also be called by the city council to review issues prior to city council deliberations. The utilities commission shall meet at least once every quarter. The commission is expressly charged with representing and considering all utility customers of the city in its activities, including city resident and non-resident customers alike. As long as the Town of Indian River Shores receives utility services from the City of Vero Beach under a franchise, at least one member of the utilities commission shall be a resident of the Town of Indian River Shores.

In performing its mission, the commission shall initiate and provide its own proposals, recommendations, and alternatives to the city council. In addition, the commission shall also review and constructively critique all proposals from city staR , consultants, and the public and make its own independent recommendations on such proposals in order to provide the best and most complete information possible to the city council.

LOCAL NEWS

CONTINUES ON PAGE 8

BY BARBARA YORESHVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKY

VERO BEACH -- A revamped city Utility Commission this week agreed to table a draft of a Council-request-ed end-of-year annual report which former Commission Chairman Herb Whittall submitted after he was oust-ed from the panel.

Whittall said the draft was what he intended to submit at the meeting were he still chairman as a starting point for discussions for the required year-end report.

“I sent it to them because most of those new members that they put on have never been to a meeting,” Whit-tall said after the Utility Commission meeting. “Wey wouldn’t have known what we had done in the last year.”

Service on the Utility Commission is at the discretion of City Council and on Dec. 6, Mayor Pilar Turner sug-

gested new candidates for the Utility Commission and, with the support of Vice Mayor Craig Fletcher and Coun-cil member Tracy Carroll, voted to remove the Whittall, Robert Blum-stein, Duane Wasmuth and Womas Burkett from the board; in addition it moved regular commission member and environmental consultant Jane Burton to an alternate; and added new members including developer Chuck Mechling as a regular mem-ber; contractor James “Toby” Hill as

an alternate, former Council mem-ber Brian Heady as a regular member and banker Daniel Fourmont.

Remaining on the commission are newly-named chairman Scott Strad-ley, a CPA and financial planner and chemical engineer Charles “Bill” Jen-kins who was voted as vice chairman. Ed Weigner also stays on as the rep-resentative from Indian River Shores.

When asked about the changes to the commission, Fletcher said he, Turner and Carroll were seeking new

opinions regarding the city’s utilities.“We needed a fresh look at what

was going on – some fresh blood,” Fletcher said.

While all Council members have said they want to sell the city’s elec-tric plant to Florida Power & Light, councilmen Jay Kramer and Richard Winger have stated the city must be certain the financial implications of the sale will not be detrimental to city coffers.

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Newly seated Utility Commission meets for Erst time

SCOTT STRADLEY CHARLES JENKINS ED WIEGNER BRIAN HEADY DANIEL FOURMONT CHUCK MECHLING

Whittall had appeared on a video produced by the Florida Municipal Electric Association which admon-ished city voters to question the ben-efits of the proposed sale of the city’s power plant to FPL.

In his Dec. 11 letter to the Coun-cil, Whittall urged Council members to be certain that major power con-tracts “are essentially settled finan-cially before completing a contract with FPL.” He did advise pursuing that contract and said he believed the final lease for the city-owned land at the power plant site “needs to be ap-proved by the voters of Vero Beach in a referendum.”

Stradley remarked that Whittall’s letter to council “was not an approved (Utility Commission) report” and there were several drafts of a report that had questionable authorship.

“eere are several drafts here but the last one doesn’t have a ‘from.’

Just to be clear, this is a draft. eere were supposed to be some attach-ments that were never received but it doesn’t matter because they were all drafts,” Stradley said.

In an attempt to offer some clarifi-cation, Burton noted that Whittall’s letter of recommendations to council members “cannot be construed as a document that came from the com-mission.”

Commission members agreed to table the matter of their annual re-port until February.

City Manager Jim O’Connor briefed commission members on the nego-tiations with FPL and predicted it would take 18 to 24 months to draft a solid sales document due to the com-plexity and difficulty of the city’s ex-isting power contracts as well as the challenge of trying to market electric power in a flooded energy market.

O’Connor explained that such dis-cussions among all parties and attor-neys take time and asked for patience with regard to the process to deter-

mine the utility’s value versus its in-debtedness.

“ee key is to make sure you build up through conversations to an ex-pectation – that this is the value. We’re doing a transaction.

“FPL has a corporate philosophy and doesn’t want to bankrupt the city in this transaction…and leave skid marks on the road. We’re trying to get to a negotiation that’s livable,” O’Connor said.

LOCAL NEWSV

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UTILITY COMMISSIONFROM PAGE 5

Former Utility Commission Chairman Herb Whittall’s year-end report dra7

Utility Commission Report to the Vero Beach City Council – December 11, 2011

When we were appointed in April, 2011 to the City of Vero Beach Util-ity Commission we were asked by the City Council to make a report in December 2011. At the November 22, 2011 Utility Commission meeting, Councilman Fletcher ask the Commission to report what we thought the City Council should be considering and looking out for. Since then the Mayor and two Council members essentially disbanded that Commis-sion. Since the newly constituted Commission did not regularly attend the monthly Utility Commission meetings, I am writing this report to tell the Council what I think that report would have said.

1. ee Council should make sure that all the major contracts with OUC (Orlando Utility Commission) and FMPA (Florida Municipal Power Au-thority) are essentially settled financially before completing a contract with FP&L.

2. ee Council should pursue a contract with FP&L.

3. ee final lease for the land under the power plant needs to be ap-proved by the voters of Vero Beach in a referendum.

4. ee Vero Beach Water/Wastewater and Sewer system is in good financial shape and is needed by the County much more than the City needs the County. eerefore, any sale of the systems to the County should be at a price way above the $24 million the County offered.

5. A private enterprise operating the County and City water/wastewater and sewer systems is an idea that should be looked into.

6. Even if the City sewer treatment plant is moved to the airport area, the two big reuse water tanks would still be left on that property.

7. ee water and sewer rates for the City need to be made competitive with those of the County.

Respectfully submitted,

Herbert V WhittallPast Chairman, City of Vero Beach Utility Commission

VERO BEACH — As the city searches for ways to generate more revenue from its utilities or get rid of them altogether, it has received an action plan from its water and sewer consultants that could generate an estimated $2.7 million annually if fully implemented.

ge optimization study by GAI Consulting listed about a dozen rec-ommendations where the city could either create new revenue or institute cost savings.

ge area where the biggest savings might be generated is if the city were to mirror the County’s billing sys-tem. Such a change could generate as much as half the $2.7 million in sav-ings that could be realized by some estimates. Switching to the County’s billing system would also help as the parties consider a possible merger so that as much as possible the negotia-tions are comparing apples to apples.

Perhaps more importantly, the change would allow the city to pick up some charges that it is not cur-rently implementing. g e Council voted on the fi rst of those charges, called the Readiness-to-Serve charge, last week. Basically, the city will im-pose a new fee that would charge owners of vacant properties for hav-ing water and sewer available even if the services are not being used.

ge City Council voted 4-1, with Mayor Pilar Turner, Vice Mayor Craig Fletcher and council members Jay Kramer and Dick Winger in favor of moving to a fi nal vote on Jan. 3. Council member Tracy Carroll was the lone vote against.

Nearly 1,000 properties would be affected with the change and the big-gest impact would be felt by owners of various developments containing vacant lots.

According to Water and Sewer Di-rector Rob Bolton, the department is maintaining lines and other infra-structure to serve these properties even though they have not hooked into the system yet. g e charge the City is proposing is to cover fi xed

costs to the system regardless if any water is ever consumed.

ge city had proposed a fee of $9.77 for water service and $15.83 for sew-er service, or $25.60 combined. Indi-an River County charges a similar fee, but its rates are $7.76 for water and $14.58 sewer, or $22.34 combined.

However, the county adds a small franchise fee and a billing charge with each transaction which actu-ally pushes the county’s readiness-to-serve charge higher than Vero Beach.

Bolton said the rates were suggest-ed by the city’s consultants based on the cost of providing the service. Bol-ton said lowering the proposed fee to that of the county would reduce the amount the city takes in annually from $254,000 to $220,000.

“On balance there are only nickel and dime diff erences between the city and county (in terms of billing),” said Councilman Dick Winger. “But we

can never have a comparison of city and county bills as long as we use the old (billing) system. It is like trying to equate AC power and DC power.”

Indian River County Director of Util-ities Erik Olson said while he did not have the data at hand, it was his sense that many utilities across the country charge some form of a readiness to serve charge. He said the county has been implementing a readiness-to-serve charge (the county calls it a base service charge) going back to 1999.

Vero Beach City Manager Jim O’Connor said that readiness-to-serve fees are typical for counties and municipalities that have seen rapid growth as they grapple with the need to provide service to an expanding population.

“ge older systems are less likely to have it,” he said. “It is based on impact fees and having to maintain the lines out front. Your older municipalities

have typically not had major impact fee contributions. So it is just some-thing that hasn’t applied.”

Another area where GAI said cuts could be implemented was outsourc-ing or ending city-run water testing. In fact, the city has already made some moves in that direction.

ge GAI report suggested the city was doing more lab testing than was necessary and that with outsourcing the number of workers in that de-partment could be reduced signifi -cantly as new systems are put online.

GAI said costs could be cut by making the existing plants more effi -cient. Winger says this might involve some small capital outlays of cash or changing employee work schedules. For instance, Winger points out, that through some of what he calls “fairly easy steps” the city could end “24/7” staffing at water and sewer creating another cost savings to the city.

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LOCAL NEWS

Utility fee on vacant lots would raise $250,000

Piper Aircraft wants to keep some of theincentive money paid by state, county

VERO BEACH — Piper Aircraft Inc. asked state and county offi cials it be allowed to hold on to part of the $10.7 million in incentive money the airplane manufacturer received to stay in Vero Beach when it was planning to build the PiperJet.

fe state and Indian River County in 2008 entered into a $32 million incen-tive package with Piper to keep the general aircraft manufacturer and its pro-posed PiperJet program here. f e money was to be paid out in stages based on Piper meeting certain employment and investment benchmarks.

fe company received its fi rst payment of $10.7 million in 2008 after audits showed an employment level of at least 1,014 full-time jobs as required in the agreement. However, since that time Piper has not met any of the employ-ment goals after the economy went into a recession.

Under terms of the 2008 incentive package, Piper would have to pay back about $1,529,000 plus interest of the $10.7 million it received from the state and the county for failing to meet employment benchmarks. f e county would receive more than $571,000 of the $4 million it gave to the aircraft manufacturer and the state would get back more than $957,000 of the $6.7 million it awarded the company.

Piper offi cials are asking for the agreement with the state and county to be renegotiated in light of the current economic conditions. f e company, in correspondence sent last month to the state and Indian River County Ad-ministrator Joe Baird, cited its investment of nearly $100 million into its Vero Beach operation and that it still employs about 700 people.

“f e company does not plan to ask for more incentives, but due to the large investments of its own money it has made under the agreements Piper re-quests for forgiveness for the government expenditures to date. f is will help ensure the company can successfully continue to manage its fi nancial aff airsand accomplish its marketing, sales and employment goals in the future,” wrote Piper offi cials in correspondence sent to the state.

In October Piper announced it was indefi nitely suspending its jet program and letting go 150 employees and 55 contract employees.

Anonymous couple gives $100,000to foundation’s grants program

VERO BEACH – A local philanthropic couple who wish to remain anony-mous recently provided a gift of $100,000 to the Indian River Community Foundation’s unrestricted grants program.

fe couple helped launch the unrestricted grants program in 2008 and have been joined by other philanthropists each year in contributing to the fund. Since inception, $160,000 has been awarded to programs that address critical and time sensitive community issues.

Previous grants have ranged from a vehicle repair program for qualifi ed residents to a medication management program for frail seniors and even a program to reha-bilitate foreclosed homes to give homeless and near-homeless families a place to live.

For more information contact Kerry Bartlett at kerry@ircommunityfounda-tion.com or (772) 492-1407.

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Full Service Animal Hospitaland provide its own proposals, recom-mendations, and alternatives to the city council. In addition, the commission shall also review and constructively critique all proposals from city staff ,consultants, and the public and make its own independent recommendations on such proposals in order to provide the best and most complete informa-tion possible to the city council.”

In fact, Whittall points to the last commission meeting he attended where the year-end report was being discussed and he asked Fletcher what he would like to see in the report.

fe minutes from that Nov. 22 meeting state: “Mr. Fletcher wanted the commission members to under-stand that council wants to know what pitfalls the commission may see as they move through the process of selling the utilities. He said it was very important that they inform council what they feel should not be done and what they agree with.”

Less than three weeks later, Fletcher

was saying to a Newsweekly reporter: “We needed a fresh look at what was going on – some fresh blood.” He of-fered no explanation about where he thought the seven-month-old com-mission had gone stale in its thinking.

At least two former mayors disa-greed with the notion that the utili-ties commission should serve in a supportive role of council wishes.

“f ose who serve on the boards and commissions serve in an adviso-ry role to council members,” former Mayor Mary Beth MacDonald said. “It is advantageous and necessary to have people with diverse viewpoints advise City Council members. I never removed anyone from any board or commission simply because they may not have agreed with my views.”

Former Mayor Winchester echoed those sentiments.

“I wanted unbiased opinions,” he said. “I think there is a very strong political danger that you end up with a council that tries to control every-body’s thinking. f e quality of the in-put you get will be diminished greatly.”

UTILITY COMMISSIONFROM PAGE 4

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STAFF PHOTOThe pool at Leisure Square, which costs the city $15,000 a month to keep open.

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Larger cities spend less on quality of life for citizensBY LISA RYMERVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

One of the fi rst tasks City Manager Jim O’Connor’s asked of his depart-ment heads was to look at the best practices of other municipalities to see if there was a way for Vero Beach to save some money.

One of the usual sacrifi cial lambs in times of austerity is the recreation budget. While recreation programs have everything to do with the quality of life, something has to give when essential services such as public safety are at stake.

Vero Beach Newsweekly did its own survey to see how other municipali-ties handle their recreation budg-ets. One of the fi rst lessons learned was that our city spends much more money on the quality of life for its citizens than do neighboring cities.

However, when comparing Vero Beach to other communities, it’s im-portant to recognize that each is or-

ganized diff erently. For instance, Vero’s beaches are

maintained by the Parks Department, not Public Works. But, the lifeguards are paid by Recreation.

“We want to make sure we’re com-paring apples to apples,” said Jim O’Connor, Vero Beach city manager.

Vero Beach’s Parks and Recreation budget is $3 million, approximately $1.1 million for parks and $1.9 mil-lion for recreation. Total user fees are approximately $600,000, accounting for 19 percent of the total $3 million budget and 31 percent of the Recrea-tion budget.

Ironically, Sebastian - Vero’s clos-est neighbor - is bigger and has more residents, but spends much less when it comes to recreation programs.

Chris McCarthy, parks and rec-reation superintendent for Sebastian, said the city has one full time recrea-tion employee and a handful of con-tract workers, who receive a portion of user fees as their payment.

Not that user fees make a signifi cant

impact on the city’s $900,000 recrea-tion budget. Last year Sebastian’s Rec-reation Department took in $57,260 from user fees at the community cent-er, the skate park, and the tennis courts. Although the revenue helped off set the department’s expenses, it only covered about six percent of the costs.

Most of Sebastian’s recreation budget goes to personnel salaries for maintain-ing the city’s 14 parks, said McCarthy.

“Recreation is a highly subsidized activity,” said Louis Boglioli, assistant finance director for the city of Stu-art, which re-tooled its Recreation Department last year, by removing it from public works and renaming it “community services.”

Stuart’s vision is based on com-munity partnerships and collabo-rations, going as far as to share its recreational facility with nonprofi tyouth groups, mental health groups, a school suspension program, and af-terschool activities.

“Ad valorem taxes don’t cover the first dime of recreation,” said Boglioli.

`is year’s recreation budget for Stuart came in at $655,000, with user fees covering less than 10 percent.

In order to ensure residents have access to this level of service, the city seeks other sources of revenue. Currently, a grant from the Children Services Council for $191,000 has helped underwrite the cost of after-school programming.

Indeed, size does not seem to have much bearing when it comes to recrea-tion. Port St. Lucie, with a population of about 165,000, has 800 parks, spans 116 square miles and “is bigger than Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach put together,” said Ed Cunningham, community director for the city.

`is year, the city’s recreation budget is $803,741, separate from the parks, with about 25 percent coming from user fees.

With a recreation budget of just under $2 million, Vero Beach is in-vesting more than twice the amount of any of its neighboring cities on the Treasure Coast.

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Wellness

BY LISA RYMERVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

One of the ways hospitals distin-guish themselves from their peers is by specializing in procedures not offered elsewhere.

Currently, Indian River Medical Center is the only hospital between Jupiter and Merritt Island that of-fers hip resurfacing, an alternative to hip replacement surgery.

Hip and knee replacement are two of the most common surgeries in America today, with more than 200,000 hip surgeries performed each year.

As baby boomers age, the number of joint surgeries will continue to increase, said Dr. Richard Steinfeld,

an orthopedic surgeon at IRMC, who is seeing a lot of younger peo-ple these days with arthritic hips.

“It may be that we just have a more active lifestyle,” he said. Stein-feld is the only doctor on the Treas-ure Coast practicing hip resurfac-ing, which he recommends for his younger patients. Over the past four years, he has performed about 60 such procedures.

The hip joint is essentially a ball and socket mechanism that, over time, can wear out. Joint deterio-ration can also be brought on by a number of genetic and environmen-tal factors, including degenerative diseases, with osteoarthritis being the most common. As the carti-

lage wears out, bone grinds against bone, tearing down the joint.

Deterioration can also be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, an auto-immune disorder marked by pain and inflammation. Developmental dysplasia, a congenital defect of the hip, can also take its toll over time.

Symptoms of a deteriorated hip joint can include pain in the groin, buttocks and thigh, as well as stiff-ness in those areas even during times of inactivity.

Hip replacement surgery entails substituting the ball and socket mechanism with a device com-prised of metal and plastic.

While effectively providing pain relief, the most common problems

in hip replacement cases arise from dislocating the new joint, where the ball comes out of the socket.

Other problems may arise by the deterioration of the prosthetic it-self – which has a 15- to 20-year life expectancy -- causing pieces to break off and aggravate the area.

Hip resurfacing, on the other hand, employs a metal prosthetic that reinforces existing bone. So, instead of replacing the femur, the bone is capped with a mushroom-shaped metal apparatus and left in-tact.

Moreover, resurfacing usually re-sults in a larger femur than conven-tional replacement surgery, which prevents the joint from dislocating

IRMC o8ers alternative to hip replacement surgery

PHOTO BY LISA RYMER Dr. Richard Steinfeld recommends hip resurfacing to his younger patients.

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and causing additional pain. “Resurfacing preserves more

bone, lowers the incidence of dislo-cation and allows for a more active post-operative lifestyle,” said Stein-feld.

Although it has been around since the 1970s, hip resurfacing was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration until 2007.

Both surgeries are similarly in-vasive, requiring inpatient hospi-talization and a two- to three-week recovery period. For eligible candi-dates, however, hip resurfacing can ensure greater quality of life.

In fact, it was fear of losing her quality of life that kept Vero Beach resident Josefina Monasterio from getting medical attention for the chronic pain in her left leg.

“I couldn’t even walk to the mail-box anymore,” recalls Monasterio, 65, a lifelong athlete who under-went the procedure two years ago.

A former Olympic gymnast, Mon-asterio is also long distance runner and an award-winning body builder who was determined to maintain her activity level.

“Hip replacement surgery has a lot of limitations,” she said. “You can’t cross your legs, you can’t wear high heels and you can’t run.”

In researching her hip issues, Monasterio learned about the ben-efits of resurfacing, a procedure be-ing successfully performed in clin-ics across Europe.

To her surprise, it was also avail-able in Vero Beach.

Before electing to have the sur-gery, however, Steinfeld had to test Monasterio’s bone density to see if she were even eligible as a can-didate. In general, women under age 60 – before menopause saps too much strength from the bones - and men under age 70 are eligible for resurfacing.

Due to the extent of her physical conditioning, Monasterio met the criteria for hip resurfacing. In all, she spent three days in the hospital followed by a week of home-visits with a nurse and a couple of weeks of physical therapy.

“I had to learn to walk again,” said Monasterio, who for years had compensated for the pain in her left hip by making the right leg do all the work.

Studies indicate that the suc-cessful outcome of hip resurfac-ing is dependent in large part on the experience of the surgeon and the correct positioning of the joint components.

A month after surgery, Monaste-rio was back in the gym.

Now, she can barely see the six-inch scar.

“There’s no pain,” she exclaimed. “Dr. Steinfeld gave me back my life.”

PHOTO SUPPLIED Jose9na Monasterio is back to body building after having the procedure done two years ago.

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Community Forum

Vero Beach Newsweekly is distributed throughout Vero Beach and the barrier island.

Visit us on the web at www.VeroBeachNewsweekly.com

Mail may be sent to Vero Beach Newsweekly,

1801 U.S. Hwy. 1, Vero Beach, FL, 32960

To advertise call Martine Fecteau at 772-696-2004 (martine.vbnewsweekly@gmail.com) or Mark Schumann at 772-696-5233 (Mark.Schumann@scripps.com)

Mark Schumann, Publisher 978-2246 Mark.Schumann@scripps.com

Ian Love, Managing Editor978-2251ian.love@scripps.com

Mike Bielecki, Sports Editor321-6105 mbwordsmith@gmail.com

Christina Tascon, Writer/Photographer978-2238 verobeachnewsweekly@gmail.com

Carrie ScentGraphic DesignerMarsha DamerowGraphic DesignerLisa RymerContributorMilt ThomasContributor

Scott AlexanderContributorMichael BirnholzContributorBarbara YoreshContributorMartine FecteauAccount Executive

To contact one of our contributing writers please call 772-978-2251

or send an email to verobeachnewsweekly@gmail.com

“Doing well by doing good.”

We appreciate the positive feedback for the Newsweekly

A management model for Vero Beach City Hall

BY BOB BRUNJESPUBLISHER TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS

Vero Beach is a unique community, with a citizenry particularly interest-ed and engaged in preserving a qual-ity of life that has for decades made the city a special place to live. Vero Beach is such a gem of a community, that many people with the means to live anywhere in the world choose to make Vero Beach their home.

My wife, Amy, and I enjoy Vero Beach. She recently joined the Board of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, and she and I have been honored to be asked to serve as the 2012 co-chairs for the United Way Campaign.

Seeing a desire for expanded re-porting on local news and features of particular interest to Vero Beach, eight months ago we launched the Vero Beach Newsweekly. Designed to supplement the Press Journal’s daily reporting of local, state, national and world news, the Newsweekly is essentially a weekly news magazine serving one very special community – Vero Beach.

be more time I spend in Vero Beach the more positive feedback I receive on the Newsweekly’s fea-tures, reporting, and commentary. Clearly Vero Beach is a community that values the thorough, balanced, unbiased reporting the Newsweekly

has been off ering on issues that will make a diff erence in the quality of life for everyone living in Vero Beach and southern Indian River County.

Not only is Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers committed to fully in-forming the community through the Newsweekly, the Press Journal and TCPalm.com, we are also com-mitted to supporting and assisting many non-profi t organizations that are working hard every day to meet vital needs. In 2011 alone we contrib-uted more than $48,000 in direct fi -nancial support of organizations like the Learning Alliance, Hibiscus Chil-dren’s Center and Riverside b eatre, Saint Edward’s School and the United

Way, and more than $300,000 in ad-vertising and in-kind support to help local non-profi t organizations pro-mote their fundraising events and services.

As we enter a new winter season and close out another calendar year, I want to express my appreciation for the encouragement and sup-port we have received for the VeroBeach Newsweekly. brough this new weekly news magazine, the daily Press Journal newspaper and our real-time reporting on TCPalm.com, Scripps Treasure Coast News-papers remains committed to doing our very best to serve our readers and advertisers.

To the Editor:In previous letters, I have written

about what we have learned at univer-sities, and then relearned in business life, “Management is getting things done through others.” What does that mean for the Vero Beach City Coun-cil who, after all, are legislators and do not manage anything? It means the City will need to be reorganized to provide the services the citizens want at a cost they can aff ord, after the loss

of $5.8 million in revenue from the Vero Electric. But Council will not be the one wielding the surgeon’s knife. It will be the City Manager, staff , and the commissions reacting to leader-ship and policy from Council.

Let’s talk about that surgeon’s knife a minute. While everything the City does will need to be optimized, the Police Department, for example, costs $7 million dollars, but we cannot cut patrols. Or, for another example, take

Parks and Recreation. While we need to narrow the gap between revenue and expenditure from -$2.4 million a year to a lesser number, we cannot lose Leisure Square, life guards, or our beautiful parks. Here is my proposal for how we manage our way through the repercussions of an Electric sale.

We should realize that, in Vero Beach, we have people that are experts in virtually any discipline there is. I al-ways wondered why we did not use our

resident baseball people to negotiate keeping a major-league spring training team, but instead left it to government? What I am saying is that we have will-ing and talented people to staff our City commissions and they have seen and solved virtually every one of the myriad of problems we have to resolve. We need to use them, like we did with the Utilities and Finance commissions over the last year and a half.

Council needs to give each com-mission a piece of the optimization pie in their area, and the commissions need to work with the City Manager and department directors to fi nd in-ventive solutions. And then, Council needs to consider, amend, and then delegate downward implementation. be commissions then must monitor the City Manager and his staff to be sure the plan is implemented. Where barriers arise, the commissions must be involved in fi nding modifi cations to get where we need to go.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

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16 COMMUNIT Y FORUM

Should we let Piper oB the hook for incentive money?BY BARBARA YORESH

We ! Piper.Yes, Indian River County has lav-

ished its love, respect and dollars on a company with a tradition here as sto-ried and renowned as that of Dodgers baseball. You might even say that along with the county’s world-acclaimed citrus, balmy climate and beautiful beaches, Piper Aircraft, Inc. helped put Indian River County on Florida’s map.

But love affairs are funny things and when one half of the relationship values the other much more, an im-balance occurs that usually leads to discontent, distrust, disillusionment and ultimately disengagement.

Right now, in light of Piper’s lat-est announcement that the company seeks to renege on incentive package repayment provisions, it is beginning to feel like the citizens of Indian River County have been jilted at the altar and left to wonder what went wrong.

Alas, Piper has not fully !’d us back and has instead taken what it wanted and needed with little consideration for the county’s residents and local government officials who bent over backwards to help the company with taxpayer dollars.

I’ll state right now that I am not an advocate of underwriting private busi-ness with taxpayer funding unless those taxpayer “investors” are assured some return on their money. Large pri-vate businesses like Piper which seek fi-nancial help from governments should be prepared to issue company stock or some tangible collateral in addition to the reimbursement provisions stipu-lated in the incentive agreement.

fe common practice of commu-nities providing tax dollars to pay for things like sports stadiums for private-ly-owned professional teams which also threaten to leave if they don’t get a new stadium is a slippery slope and, I believe, a potential legal quagmire. If Piper or the Florida Marlins can get taxpayer-generated funds to make im-provements to their companies, they why shouldn’t any private business and employer be accorded the same opportunity? What’s good for the goose should be good for the gander.

Some who have looked at Piper’s incentive deal with the state and county note there is a big difference between tax abatements and defer-rals often offered to companies for a certain period as a carrot to get them to relocate to a community and the tax incentives which were given to Piper which has been in Vero Beach for more than 50 years.

As it stands, the $32 million incentive package granted to Piper in 2008 by the state and county was not approved by the citizenry in a referendum, but rather by state and local politicians who could hardly wait to write big checks and plas-ter “We ! Piper” bumper stickers all over county-owned vehicles. fe very people who were being asked to under-write the company with their tax dollars were never given the opportunity to say if they agreed. To date, the county has paid Piper $4 million of the $12 million it was to pay out over the multi-year term of the incentive agreement.

But now Piper is saying it doesn’t want to pay back money it agreed to

repay according to provisions of the incentive package agreement. fat’s like telling your mortgage lender that you have no intention of repaying your loan, but you’ll keep the house and all the improvements that mort-gage loan financed.

Life just doesn’t work that way and Piper knows it. As the too-big-to-fail banks showed us, a company will con-tinue and even escalate bad behavior if it can get away with it. And, with a disturbing level lack of concern to the public as well as to its own rank-and-file employees, Piper has more than gotten away with it.

For six months in 2009, Piper did not communicate with county offi-cials regarding its future performance and job creation standards which were tied to its $32 million incentive package payouts. fe company has also been chronically non-responsive to requests for information by mem-bers of the press and, according to an employee I spoke to recently, the company “doesn’t tell us anything.”

Residents were told that Piper -- one of the county’s largest private employers -- was threatening to leave Vero Beach and fly off to Oklahoma City or Albuquerque if it did not get that incentive money. With the econ-omy tanking in 2008 and double-digit unemployment plaguing the state and Indian River County most especially, it would seem that local government officials and business leaders pan-icked at the thought of losing Piper on the heels of the Dodgers’ exit.

fat concern was understandable. But if those pulling out the check book had only done their homework, perhaps they wouldn’t have been so quick to spend taxpayer money on what has now become little more than corporate extortion.

Piper Aircraft, Inc. has experi-enced an uncommonly high turnover in upper-level management not to mention corporate ownership. fe revolving door of Piper leadership has become reminiscent of that clas-sic Abbott & Costello routine leaving

everyone wondering “who’s on first?”But perhaps the most glaring prob-

lem not identified by those handing out the money was the fact that Piper’s light jet project was probably doomed from the start if one can believe the buzz within the aviation industry.

Simply put, Piper started its PiperJet/Altaire project too late. Its competitors like Cessna, Embraer and Eclipse had been building light jets for years and were up to speed on the aviation tech-nology and design that differentiates a propeller-driven aircraft from a jet. Piper was consigned in a tanking econ-omy to play “catch-up” amid an ever-changing corporate hierarchy. Our county leaders should have checked with aviation experts on the viability of the PiperJet/Altaire project.

Instead, they focused on the coun-ty’s own foundering economy and bought Piper’s hat-in-hand appeal hook, line and sinker. County officials pressured the cities to pledge funds to the Piper “pot” and they paid. In 2008, the state paid $6.7 million and Piper is presently trying to renegotiate that agreement with the state in an effort to avoid reimbursement for failing to meet agreed upon benchmarks.

With a fiduciary responsibility to its taxpayers, the state and the county should not let Piper off the hook and insist that the company make good on its contractual agreement. While the state and county need to explore every avenue to bolster and expand economic development interests, it is also incumbent for officials to re-member that offering financial incen-tives up front without a secured guar-antee of repayment is little more than gambling with the public’s money.

Piper Aircraft is known within the general aviation industry for the high quality and reliability of its products. Most of the 144,000-plus aircraft the company built over the years are still op-erational and safely flying. With such a proud tradition, it would be fitting for its management to pursue the same level of excellence by doing the right thing and meeting its financial obligations.

CITY HALLFROM PAGE 14

As an example, we have an opti-mization study of Water and Sewer, which makes a very good department better. By the way, as implemented, it saves $2.5 million a year. fat mon-ey can be accumulated to move the Waste Water facility off the lagoon sooner. fe Utilities and Finance commissions spotlighted the need to

optimize and now they, with the City Manager, must be sure it happens.

fe City of Vero Beach has all the resources and brains it needs to Keep Vero Vero, while slimming down. We just have to be willing to give our “best brains” the opportunity to achieve what we need. It is called “Management.”

By Richard WingerRichard Winger is a member of the

Vero Beach City Council

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Council needs to begin budget-balancing actEDITORIAL

If a sale of the city’s electric utility ultimately proves best for all inter-ested parties, the City Council can reasonably expect broad support for handing the system over to Florida Power & Light at a price fair to the city and its taxpayers.

Almost surely, though, the public would not appreciate learning down the road that either through a se-ries of carefully calculated moves or monumental blunders, the Council has placed the city in such a dire fi-nancial position that it has no choice but to consolidate many if not all services with the county.

Such an idea may seem far-fetched, but consider that just last week May-or Pilar Turner received a letter from an Indian River Shores resident ad-vising her that the city should con-sider allowing itself to be absorbed by the county. “Other than the separate police force, the city offers nothing significant to its residents that is not available to the county residents,” the author of the letter suggested.

Merging many, if not all, city serv-ices with the county may or may not make sense to a majority of city vot-ers. aat discussion has not yet taken place, at least not in the sunshine. Any such consolidations should result not from the pursuit of hidden agendas, but from open discussion and debate.

If the City of Vero Beach is to be dis-solved as a political entity, that decision should be made by a majority of city’s residents. ae end of Vero Beach as an independent municipality should not come as an unavoidable consequence of decisions made by a three-person majority of the City Council.

While the Council has shown de-termination in keeping negotiations on track with FPL, one cannot help but wonder if it has the same resolve to deal with the resulting financial consequences in any way other than eventually handing the keys to the city over to the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners. If this is not the intention of Turn-

er, Vice Mayor Craig Fletcher and Councilwoman Tracy Carroll, then perhaps it is time for them to begin explaining how they envision the city bridging a $4 to $5 million deficit.

ae Council is moving steadily to-wards concluding an agreement with FPL. Yet, the three council members most inclined to accept FPL’s initial, informal offer have remained all but silent about the difficult adjustments that will have to be made in pro-grams, services, staffing and taxes.

It is not a day too soon for the Coun-cil to begin identifying the spending cuts and tax increases that may be necessary to avert a budget crisis. Everyone should be clear, though, that even if cuts of up to $2 million are possible, a projected shortfall of nearly $4 million will almost surely require a tax increase in the range of 50 to 75 percent.

Admittedly, if cuts of $4 million in spending can be made, the Council might be able to avoid a tax increase. No one has come close to suggest-ing, though, that the city is going to be able to reduce expenses by any number close to $4 million.

ae City Charter requires that a

tax increase of more than 10 percent be approved by at least a two-thirds majority of the Council. With a five-member Council, no less than four of them will have to approve the sub-stantial tax increase that, along with spending cuts, that will be required to balance the city’s budget once it is no longer drawing $5.8 million from the electric utility fund.

Are Carroll, Fletcher and Turner willing to go on record now as being prepared to make the budget cuts and approve the tax increases a sale of the electric system will necessitate?

Again, their silence on this has been all but deafening. aey have been long on energy and determination to sell the electric system as quickly as possible, but appear short on any sense of urgency to begin clarifying and addressing the likely financial fallout of a sale.

Some will say that the numbers are not available to determine down to the penny what spending cuts and tax in-creases will be necessary. aat is true. FPL has yet to make a formal offer, and the city’s transactional attorney is months away from determining how much it will cost the city to get out of

its contracts with the Florida Munici-pal Power Agency, the Orlando Utility Commission and others.

Still, more than enough information is available for the Council to begin considering best and worst case sce-narios. City Manager Jim O’Connor and Finance Director Cindy Lawson have been working for months to identify ways the city can deal with the loss of revenue from the electric system. It is time for the Council to openly engage in this process as well.

At last week’s Council meeting Carroll opposed Richard Winger’s request that the Recreation Commis-sion be asked to consider ways of be-ginning to narrow the $800,000 gap between user fees and expenses.

In the same meeting Carroll cast the lone vote in opposition to assess-ing a readiness to serve fee for water and sewer services. As the county and many other utilities now do, the city would begin charging a monthly fee of approximately $25 on vacant lots for which service is available. Supported by the Council’s other four members, the readiness to serve fee and would raise $250,000 a year.

With a $4 million budget gap loom-ing, it is reasonable to ask what else is off the table.

While the lower electric rates may very well outweigh the offsetting need for spending cuts and tax increases, the inescapable reality is that a sale of the electric system will bring about a seismic shift in the city’s budget. ae Council must either raise taxes, cut expenses, or a combination of the two. Something has to give.

Whether one describes the threat to the city as a ton of bricks hanging over it or a train barreling straight for City Hall, the issue is real and unavoidable. ae sooner the Council begins leveling with the public about the fact that lower electric rates will come at a price, the sooner we will all know whether the Council is as wise and prudent as it is determined to get the city out of the electric business.

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18 COMMUNIT Y FORUM

Finding holiness through appreciating hollownessBY RABBI MICHAEL BIRNHOLZ

We have all had times when, in speech or reading, words slip out of our mouths in an order or pronunci-ation far from what we were intend-ing. Because I participate in worship where I and others read and speak out loud a lot I do this and hear this a lot. Usually it is simply funny or mildly embarrassing. Every once in a while, however, one of the gaffes/bloopers actually results in words or a phrase that creates insight instead of a laugh.

One afternoon in rehearsal for a service, our candidate for Bar Mitzvah proudly declared that we should hollow God’s name. Both the Cantor and I quietly corrected the student. The word is hallow, we said. Hallow means to acknowledge God’s holiness. This is very differ-ent from hollowing -- making God somehow empty. Then we reviewed

the paragraph over and over with this thoughtful young adult. After a few times the student grasped the con-ceptual problem and straightened out the slip of the tongue. Of course on that Shabbat morning the stu-dent returned to his original read-ing, declaring with great gusto that we must make the most of every opportunity to hollow God’s name. The Cantor and I just looked at each other and smiled. Sometimes it’s the spirit and effort that’s im-portant not the reading accuracy of every word.

Uis was a fine response until the next week when we were working with the next Bat Mitzvah student.

It is amazing to me while each can-didate for Bar or Bat mitzvah reads the same service, the really do it with their own style and personality. It re-ally stood out when this next student made the same mistake in a differ-ent part of the service. Let us hollow God as we sense God’s presence in the world, she announced. As I sat behind the Bat Mitzvah candidate, I smiled and thought, you win some and you lose some. Uen my mind took a different tact. Maybe students were not reading what was on the page, but what if it wasn’t an irrever-ent mistake but a positive refocusing. While the word and concept on the page is hallow, there can be a power-ful play on the word and concept of hollowing God in the world.

In one description of the Creation process from Jewish tradition, Isaac Luria taught that God contracted to give space for Creation. Uis switch

of hollow for hallow by these students resonates with this explanation. In order to really sense God’s holiness we have to pull back and stop trying to fill every moment of life with effi-cient activity. Whether we are trying to connect with the Divine or appre-ciate the Sabbath we have to make a time that is hollow of tasks, but not hollow of value. We have to empty out the busyness, “to do lists” of the week to really enjoy appreciate, con-nect with the awesome beauty and flow of creation and sense God’s presence in it. By making an effort to create more hollow time and space in our schedules we may be able to actu-ally do more of the hallowing that we desire.

Rabbi Michael Birnholz has served Temple Beth Shalom in Vero Beach since 2002. One of his goals is bring-ing Jewish values and wisdom to the wider community.

RABBIMICHAEL BIRNHOLZ

Reach More Than A Zip Code

To learn more, call Martine Fecteau at 772-696-2004 or Mark Schumann at 772-696-5233.The Vero Beach Newsweekly gives you the barrier island and more.

Advertise your business in Vero Beach Newsweekly to reach every home on the barrier island, plus communities such as Vero Isles, River Wind, Oak Harbor, Grand Harbor, Vero Beach Country Club,

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PHOTO BY J. SCOTT KELLY

J. Scott Kelly combines his love of photography with giving back to the community.

Finding a cause for artGallery to donate to

non-proFtsPage 18

T H U R S D A Y J U L Y 1 4 , 2 0 1 1 V O L . 1 , I S S U E 1 5

City defends Finance Director hiringPage 3

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MARTINE FECTEAU 772.696.2004

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Christmas in July

Santa makes summertime visit for Homeless

Family Center Page 16

Toe-tapping fun

Oceanside Business Association hosts week-

end concert Page 10

In land they trust

Indian River Land Trust sets about keeping

the Indian River Lagoon green Page 7

Inside

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19COMMUNIT Y FORUM

Council meeting more like cage >ghting than civil debateBY MARK SCHUMANN

Because the City Council is unable to print mon-ey like the federal government, it may soon face difficult choices about exactly how to cut expenses and raise revenues in order to bridge what could easily amount to a $4 million budget shortfall re-sulting from a sale of the city’s electric system.

Apparently believing it would be wise to begin addressing these issues sooner rather than later, Councilman Richard Winger placed a number of budget-related items on the agenda for last Tues-day’s Council meeting.

One of the subjects he proposed discussing was the Recreation department budget. Currently 19 percent of the Parks and Recreation Department’s $3 million budget is funded through user fees, with the remaining $2.4 million paid for by taxes.

Cities such as Winchester Va., where City Man-ager Jim O’Connor most recently served, have found innovative ways of raising recreation rev-enues through a combination of gradual increases in user fees and fundraising events. Winchester now covers 30 percent of its recreation expenses through program revenue.

Winger suggested that in light of the loom-ing budget shortfall, the Recreation Commission should be asked to “think outside the box” to ex-plore ways of raising revenues in order to help the City balance its budget.

Upon learning that Winger would propose asking the Recreation Commission to consider how they might help the city avoid a budget crisis, Council-woman Carroll fired off a memo to the members of the Recreation Commission claiming that, “Wing-er, 73, feels that Recreation programs should be self-funded.”

First, by suggesting that Winger wants the Rec-reation Department to pay its own way, Carroll’s memo only served to raise unfounded concerns. Second, one wonders what age has to do with it. If anything, perhaps Winger’s maturity and extensive business experience account for his encourage-ment to Council to address the budget deficit issue before it is left with no alternative but to more than double taxes.

Because Carroll’s memo gave the false impres-sion that Winger would propose that recreation fees be raised to cover the full cost of the programs, a number of the members of the Recreation Com-mission were understandably concerned. [ey re-sponded by writing comments such as “this is so sad,” and “this is very troubling.”

Armed with the statements she had solicited, Carroll began interrogating Winger. “Did you

know…” “Are you aware…”Winger certainly would have been within his

rights if he had chosen to refuse to engage Carroll. After all, he was not elected to the Council to be interrogated, but to represent the public.

What is most disappointing is that an opportu-nity was lost to have a serious, civil, conversation about how the city is going to live within its means.

If you want to witness a contrast in communica-tion styles and conflict resolution skills, just attend or watch a meeting of the Indian River County Commission. [en watch or attend a meeting of the Vero Beach City Council.

What you are likely to see at a typical meeting of the County Commission are all five commission-ers agreeing, or respectfully disagreeing with each other. County Commissioners hear each other out, with little or no interruption. Somewhere along the way these gentleman seem to have learned that the convergence of conflicting views need not neces-sarily result in a conflagrations.

In a debate among County Commissioners, what you typically won’t hear are those members in the

majority on a given issue stifling the rights of the minority to express their opinion. Indeed there have even been times when a commissioner has admitted to having his mind changed in the course of the discussion.

Perhaps it is time for the City Council to take a field trip to a County Commission meeting.

A reader suggested recently that a cartoon de-picting a dysfunctional City Council might be funny enough to make for a popular comic strip. [at might be true, except that, unlike regular comic strips, the purpose of a political cartoon isn’t so much to be funny as to make a point. [ere is nothing funny about the sarcastic comments, snide remarks, sharp jabs, and verbal hand grenades of-ten tossed around at City Council meetings.

True, people have different styles of communicat-ing and, depending on the circumstances and the setting, use varying levels of forcefulness in making their points. We just think that when someone is channel surfing they shouldn’t have to refer to their cable guide to figure out if they have tuned into a cage fight or a City Council meeting.

BY CHRISTINA TASCONVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

Ne rain kept coming down over the weekend, but that did not wash out the annual charity event brought to town by tennis professional Mardy Fish and country singer Jake Owen.

When faced with a little rain, nei-ther of the local heroes chose to take a star attitude and walk away. Fish was on the phone non-stop at the pre-event dinner Friday night assess-ing whether or not he would be able to play with special guest Serena Wil-liams.

As patrons were finishing up their

dinners and being entertained by the Mardy Fish After-School Dancers, it was announced that the match would go on.

Ne rain held off throughout the match between Sam Querrey and the obviously favored hometown star.  In a good-natured match, Fish and Querrey exchanged vocal jabs and lobs across the court.  

When ESPN tennis announcer Brett Haber asked Querrey how he thought Fish was doing, he answered, “Com-ing from a young guy like myself I would have to say he was doing pretty

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CONTINUES ON PAGE 22

Social | LifestyleThe show goes on for Mardy and Jake despite rainWeather did cause change in plans for weekend fundraisers

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA TASCON Jake Owen was undeterred by the rain, he moved his show to the Riverside Cafe.

PHOTO BY SAM WOLFEMardy Fish (left) watches as Jewell Milliman, 8, returns a volley during the Kids’ Tennis Clinic at Grand Harbor Gold and Beach Club.

Executive Director of the Mardy Fish Foundation, Patrick Toole, with Mitzi and Steve Owen, parents of Jake Owen

Michelle Sheehan, Stacey Fish and Gina Marano

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21SOCIAL | LIFEST YLE

Doug & Susanne Sweeny with Mike Rahaley Blake Ward and John & Barbara Drnkdak in cowboy spirit at the dinner at Grand Harbor

Minnesota Twins’ Jamey Carol and LA Dodgers’ AJ Ellis attend the dinner and tennis tournament

Sam Tredenick, Kelly Hiers and Ellen & David Lane

Emily McPherson and top player Sam Querrey before the tennis exhibitionDan WagstaM, Andrew & Luke MacLaughlin, Carson Evans and Steve Ma-cLaughlin

good for a man his age,“ he laughed.]e crowd ate it up and then

cheered loudly when Fish, the No. 1 ranked men’s tennis player in the United States, took home the “win.”

]en it was time for the mixed dou-bles match with Williams and Fish, Melanie Oudin and Bob Bryan and the anticipation was palpable in the stands. First Oudin and Bryan were introduced and then out came Serena Williams to major applause…and so did the first raindrops.

As the pace picked up, the wind and rain started coming down heav-ier but the players all wanted to keep going until it became a danger to them and they had to stop.   Haber saw Fish take a slip that could have really injured his ankle and it was agreed that it had been a wonderful match, but it was time to thank them and end play.

]e audience gave the group a standing ovation and Jake Owen came out to congratulate the players.

After a day of greeting students at

Vero Beach Elementary; holding ten-nis clinics with the kids and playing in both matches, Mardy Fish received a well deserved thank you from the crowd.

Although his desire to keep the show going on was just as strong, Jake Owen’s concert Saturday night was canceled because of safety con-cerns after the daylong rains. Owen plans to re-schedule the event, but as of press time a date had not been set.

When the concert was canceled Owen decided instead to play to a capacity crowd at Riverside Cafe with Nashville recording artist Chris Young.

Riverside was where Owen first began his career singing in the popular bar and restaurant.   “Riv-erside is where Jake always comes to relax and hang out when he is in town,” said Riverside owner Da-vid Lane.   “His ‘unofficial’ video on YouTube of ‘Blue Jean Summer Nights’ even features the bar.”

“Blue Jean Summer Nights” was Owen’s hit single this summer.

Financial support for the Mardy Fish and Jake Owen foundations was the reason for the weekend of charity events and proceeds are used to support after school pro-grams at 13 elementary schools in Indian River County.

Sebastian Mendoza is just one of the kids helped by the program. He started playing tennis just a year ago and his mother said he is already re-ceiving a lot of praise for his talent. Mendoza was given a Wilson tennis racquet on stage at the dinner by Fish.

Fish’s wife Stacey, an attorney and former Suitcase # 2 on Howie Man-del’s game show “Deal or No Deal,” said spoke proudly of her husband and his giving back to his local community.  “He is very close to his family as I am to mine, but you can see just by his foundation, the kind of man he is.  That is what made me fall in love with him,” She said.

After thanking everyone attend-ing, Fish said, “When Jake and I talk about home, this is where we think about, Vero Beach.”

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MARDY AND JAKEFROM PAGE 21Enjoy the BeneHts of

100% Plus“We were

impressed with how quickly

we began receiving results from our

advertising in the Newsweekly.”

With a circulation of 15,000, Vero Beach Newsweekly

reaches 100% of the homes and businesses on the

barrier island. An additional 4,000 are distributed

on the mainland.

John S. Cairns, DDS, Julie A. Cromer, DDSCromer & Cairns Dental

Call Martine at 772-696-2004 or Mark at 772-696-5233

www.tcpalm.com/vbweekly

SOCIAL | LIFEST YLE

Edie Dubord, Wheatie Gibb, Steve Dubord, Tom Fish and Bob Gibb

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PHOTO BY SAM WOLFEMardy Fish stretches to reach the ball during his exhibition match

Serena Williams concentrates as she prepares to make a return of serveMardy Fish shares a joke before serving to Sam Querrey

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PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA TASCONKaren O’Brien, Cathie Callery and Brenda Lloyd

SOCIAL | LIFEST YLE

BY CHRISTINA TASCONVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

A Night in Vienna at Xe Moorings Club offered a glamorous evening of sparkling champagne and stunning attire from friends and supporters of the Hibiscus Children’s Center.

Everyone made sure they looked their most marvelous at this “best party with a cause,” noted committee person Raquel Tilton.

Tilton’s ex-mother-in-law, LaVaughn Tilton, was the founder of the Hibiscus Children’s Cent-er.   Raquel took on the challenge a few years ago to help put on a ben-efit which stood out among the many events on the yearly social calendar.

Tilton and Linda Teetz spoke about the glittering affair as a way to “build friends, strengthen the support and raise as much money for the cause” as possible.  

It was also a way for guests to cel-ebrate the holiday by dressing in their best formal attire.  “Xis is the event that you look for your dress all year long,” said Roni Fustus.

Debbie Bedell and HCC’s Event’s Director, Angela Astrup, said they hoped to raise at least $200,000 at the event. With over 160 items that Linda Teetz secured for the auction, it was certainly possible.

Xe two main items in the live auc-tion which had everyone buzzing were the golf clubs and bag signed by golf great Phil Mickelson and a stun-ning six-carat diamond bracelet val-ued at over $12,000.

Also offered was a raffle for a gold Hibiscus necklace donated by John Michael Matthews Fine Jewelry to be drawn at the end of the night.

Toby Turner was bidding on a pos-sible Christmas present for his wife.

Guests spend A Night in Vienna for Hibiscus Children

Odaray Prats & Stelly Rodriguez are glamorous bookends for Lindsay Chandler, Pamela Halvorsen, Elke Brockway, Jackie McNally, Jackie Gregg & Jan Christensen

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25SOCIAL | LIFEST YLE

“At the moment, I am still top bidder,” Turner said hopefully. Turner was among many who perused the auc-tion items used to raise funds for the Hibiscus Children’s Center’s $2.5 mil-lion yearly budget.

Bedell said this was one of the cent-er’s two main fundraising events, the other is their Blue Ribbon Luncheon held at Oak Harbor. “People seem to be much more hopeful and enthu-siastic about coming this year and about donating” she said.

Ray Comparetta has been attend-ing the winter event for the last eight years.

“Having lost two children has made me more connected to children’s causes. Ris is a great event and along with my wife, Lindsay, who designs the invitation package, we support

them in any way we can. Giving kids a good foundation is the most impor-tant thing,” said Comparetta.

In addition to supporting a favorite cause, guests were treated to a glitter-ing dining room filled with roses and crystal and enjoyed escargot, crab filled dumplings and veal chops and sipped sparkling wine with cranberries.  

As guests listened to an assort-ment of dinner music by “Private Af-fair,” they were also entertained by the New Century Dance Company, choreographed by Ruddy Sanchez. A program of Strauss waltzes and clas-sical ballet rounded out an evening reminiscent of a beautiful Viennese Crystal Gala.

Re cocktail party was sponsored by Vero Beach Newsweekly and the Press Journal.

Jim & Kathy Linus with Amy & Bob Brunjes

Roni Fuster, Linda Teetz and Helen Robertson Debbie Bedell, Nadja Ricci and Sybille Ludwig

Kim Hardin, Michael Thorpe, Anita Astrachan and Mike EdmondsJudy and Tom Peschio with Gwen and Toby Turner

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26 Community CalendarEvery Friday: Farmer’s Market

from 3-6 pm in downtown Vero at the corner of 14th Ave. & 21st St. 772-480-8353.

Every Saturday: Oceanside Business Association’s Farmer’s Market, 8 am-noon. Ocean Dr. & Dahlia Ln. www.VeroBeachOBA.com, 772-532-2455.

First Friday of Month: Downtown Gallery Art Stroll, art galleries and businesses open house receptions all through downtown. Free event, call 772-562-5525 or 772-299-1234 for info.

Second Saturday of Month: Oceanside Business Association Free Concert Series – 5:30-8:30 pm, mu-sic, vendors, food and drink. Ocean Dr. 772-532-7983

Dec 15: Patricia Cornwell, “Red Mist, A Scarpetta Novel” book Sign-ing at Vero Beach Book Center, 2145 Indian River Blvd., 6 pm. 772-569-2050, theverobeachbookcenter.com.

Dec 15: Silver Tones Chorus & Gif-ford Youth Orchestra Concert, Emer-son Center, 1590 27th Ave., Donation $5, 7 pm. 772-469-2062

Dec 15-18: Holidays at McKee, Mc-Kee Botanical Gardens, 350 US1, 6-8 pm, Dec 16 holiday concert by VBHS Orchestra at 6 pm. Christmas train, Letters to Santa, music, lights & treats. 772-794-0601, mckeegarden.org.

Dec 15, 19, 20 & 22: Tara Planta-tion Christmas tour, last year interior offices will be open. Park at Central Assembly, 6767 20th St. for shuttles, 6-8 pm, free admission. 772-569-0000.

Dec 16: Hope for the Holidays Cel-ebration, 5-7 pm. Jason Pennington from the Wild 95.5 morning show will be at Route 60 Hyundai & Vero US1 Nissan for Toy Drive celebration. Toys & Donations to go to Homeless Family Center. 772-567-5537

Dec 17: Youth Guidance Christmas

Party, St. Helen’s Catholic Church Gym, 2000 20th Ave., volunteers needed, 772-770-5040

Dec 17: Winter Celebration, Schu-mann Hall Senior Ctr., 686 14th St., 5 pm, music, refreshments, $15, 772-469-2062

Dec 17: Winterfest at Pointe West, 1999 Pointe West Dr., 2-6 pm, 30 tons of snow, snow slides, Santa, skating pond, bounce houses, entertainment & tons of activities. Firework finale at 6 pm. 772-794-9912

Dec 17: Kiwanis Club “From Tots to Teens” Golf Tournament benefit-ting Childcare Resources, he Club at Pointe West, 1999 Pointe West Dr., 7 am, $100 per player. 772-460-0925, verokiwanis.com.

Dec 17: Cowboy Christmas, LaPorte Farms, 7700 129th St, Sebastian, local annual holiday tradition with 10 tons of snow, petting zoo, family fun. 4-9

pm. Free. 772-633-0813Dec 17 & 18: Handel’s Messiah, 7

pm, First Baptist Church, 2206 16th Ave., Treasure Coast Chorale & At-lantic Classical Orchestra, offering taken. fbcvero.org, 772-567-4341

Dec 18: Hallstrom House Holiday Open House by Indian River His-torical Society, 1723 Old Dixie Hwy., candlelight Christmas, 2:30-5:30 pm, $15-$20. 772-778-3435

Dec 18: “he Christmas Puzzle” by Recreation Dept.’s Aerial Antics Youth Circus at the VBHS Perform-ing Arts Center, 2 & 6 pm, tickets $5 & $6 at Leisure Square and Commu-nity Center. 772-567-2144, covb.org.

Dec 18 & 19: A Heritage Holiday Dinner Show by the Charter High School Chorus & Jazz Band, Heritage Center, 2140 14th Ave., 6 pm, $20. 772-567-6600 x235

Dec 21: Live Nativity, Carols, candle-

light communion, Heirs Farm, 5540 8th St., 7 pm, bring a snack to share, 772-567-0085, CornerstoneChristianVB.com.

Dec 21-23, 26-30: Youth Skate Camp at Skate Factory, 485 27th Ave. SW, 7:30 am-5:30 pm, $22 per day. 772-794-3373

Dec 27-29: Night of Lights, McKee Botanical Gardens, 350 US1, 6-7:30 pm, Christmas stroll through gardens among luminaries, lights & treats. 772-794-0601, mckeegarden.org.

Jan 12: Vero Beach Museum of Art Antique Show & Sale Preview Party, 6-10 pm, $75, 3001 Riverside Park Dr., 772-231-0303

Jan 13-15: Vero Beach Museum of Art Antique Show & Sale, Fri & Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun 10 am-4 pm, $10. 3001 Riverside Park Dr., 772-231-0303

Jan 14: An Evening in Cannes at Maison Martinique, 6:30-10:30 pm, dinner & dancing to benefit Environ-mental Learning Center, $125-$200 per person. 772-589-5050

Jan 14-21: Quail Valley Charity Cup Week, Quail Valley River & Golf Club: Jan 14 – Kids’ Fun Run, 7 am, $15-$25; Jan 16 – Gourmet Wine & Chef Dinner, 6pm,$200 per person; Jan 18 – Shopping for Children, Oceanside Shops, 5:30-8:30 pm; Jan 19 – Duplicate Bridge, 9 am-2 pm, $65; Jan 19-21 – Tennis Tourna-ment, 8 am, $175 per player; Jan 20-21 – Golf Tournament, 9 am, $300 per golfer; Jan 21 – Grand Gala Cocktail Buffet & Auction, 6-10 pm, 772-492-2020

Jan 20-22: Art by the Sea Exhibit by members of Vero Beach Art Club & Museum of Art, Holmes Great Hall, Opening Reception Fri 5-8, Ex-hibition Sat 10-5 & Sun 10-4, free, 3001 Riverside Park Dr., 772-231-0303. VeroBeachArtClub.org.

PHOTO BY MALCOLM ALLEN

If you’d like to see one of your photographs published in Vero Beach News-weekly, please send them to us at verobeachnewsweekly@gmail.com. Photos need to be at least 200 dpi and in jpeg format.

To submit your calendar listing please email: verobeachnewsweekly@gmail.com

THURSDAY, DEC. 15 FRIDAY, DEC. 16 SATURDAY, DEC. 17 SUNDAY, DEC. 18 MONDAY, DEC. 19 TUESDAY, DEC. 20 WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21

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VERO BEACH -- `e Indian River Photo Club’s 2011 Juried Print Ex-hibition is on view through the end of the year in the Patricia M. Pat-ten Community Gallery of the Vero Beach Museum of Art

`e exhibition of 50 photographs by area artists is free and open to the public. `e show is comprised of members of the Indian River Photo Club as well as non-members, both professional and amateur. Pictures are grouped in seven categories: People, Nature-Flora, Nature-Fauna, Scapes, Still Life, Special Techniques, and Open.

`e jury of the 153 submitted pho-tos consisted of Marilyn Cook, pho-tography instructor at Brevard Com-munity College with degrees in Fine Art Photography and Photography; Louis Ciszek, a retired professional photographer and photography in-structor and Aric Attas, instructor of Creativity, Art, Photography, Web Design, and Photographic History.

Attas also has a Masters of Fine Art in Photography and has worked as a commercial Photographer since 1987.

`e Patricia M. Patten Community Gallery was formerly knows as the Studio Gallery.

Ribbons were awarded as follows:

People Category1st place – Jim Riley, Girl with the

Pearl Earring; 2nd place – Earl Ev-ans, Pumpkin Pie for `anksgiving; and 3rd place – Courtney McKenzie, If Looks Could Kill.

Nature-flora Category1st place – Shelly Stang, Trans-

lucence; 2nd place – Andrea Gel-dres, Trilogy; 3rd place – Mary Lou Christy, Magical Summer Dew Drops; and Merit Awards – Debbie Garber, New Beginnings and Tom Smoyer, Green Spider on a Sunflower.

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MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 28

Arts | Entertainment

Special Technique – 1st Place Tom Smoyer, Regal Beagle

Photo Club exhibition winners on view at Museum

STAFF PHOTOS

People – 1st Place – Jim Riley, Girl with the Pearl Earring

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28 ARTS | ENTERTAINMENT

PHOTO CLUBFROM PAGE 27

Open – 1st Place – Lisa Willnow, Floating Feather

Nature-fauna Category1st place – Mike Ricciardi, Pink

Anemone Fish; 2nd place – Ron Bielefeld, Snail Kite; 3rd place – Ur-sula Dubrick, Coming Up for Air; and Merit Awards – Juanita Baker, My Country Tis of Y ee; Ron Bielefeld, Ring Necked Duck; and Susan King, Pelican Wrap.

Scapes Category1st place – Edwin Link, Wind and

Sleet at Sunrise; 2nd place – Billy Ocker, Stormy Sebastian; 3rd place – Charles Kellington, Y e Mormon Barn; and Merit Award – Richard Baker, Contrast in Fall.

Still Life Category1st place – Sarah Kappel, Cusco

Wares; 2nd place – Donna Green, Masterful Arts; 3rd place – Barbara du Pont, Evais Work is Never Done; and Merit Award – George Bollis, Jr., Crayons, Ribbons, and Flowers.

Special Techniques Category1st place – Tom Smoyer, Regal Bea-

gle; 2nd place – Earl Evans, Y e River of Life; 3rd place – Betsy McKean, Converging Containers; and Merit Awards – Patricia Corapi, Happy Skimmer, and Jim Riley, Flaming Wheel.

Open Category1st place – Lisa Willnow, Float-

ing Feather; 2nd place – Jim Cohoe, Mill-End Mystery; 3rd place – Kim Hunt, Imprisoned by my Shadows; and Merit Award – Jim Cohoe, Bay City Reading Room.

Ye Vero Beach Museum of Art is located in Riverside Park. Exhibitions are open to the public Monday thru Saturday from 10 am until 4:30 pm, and Sundays from 1 pm until 4:30 pm.

Museum programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, De-partment of State, Division of Cul-tural Affairs, and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture the Museum is accredited by the American Associa-tion of Museums.

Still Life – 1st Place, Sara Kappel, Cusco Wares

Advance tickets – $20Tickets at the door – $25

Students 18 years of age and under(with identification) – FREETo Purchase Tickets Visit:

www.TheEmersonCenter.org or Call (772) 778-5249

Sunday, December 18at 2:30 p.m.

“A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas & Duke

Ellington’s Nutcracker”

(772)778-52491590 27th Ave., Vero Beach, FL 32960(On the SE corner of 16th Street & 27th Avenue

at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach)

Presenting Sponsor

Jazz On SundaysTHE EMERSON CENTER

Presents

Performed by theSpace Coast Jazz Orchestra

To learn more, call Martine Fecteau at 772-696-2004 or

Mark Schumann at 772-696-5233.

The Newsweekly gives you the barrier island and more.

Advertise your business to every home on the barrier island,

and to communities like Vero Isles, River Wind,

Oak Harbor, Grand Harbor, and the Vero Beach Country Club.

Reach theisland and

beyond

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Entertainment Calendar

I T ’ S H A P P E N I N G A T T H E

mersonCenter

1590 27th Avenue, Vero Beach(772)778-5249

www.TheEmersonCenter.org

JazzOn SundaysSpace Coast Jazz Orchestra

Concerts: December 18 & March 11

ATLANTIC CHILDREN’S CHORALE772-469-2310atlanticchildrenschorale@gmail.comDec 15: “This Little Babe” Christmas Concert, 7 pm, $15, Community Church, 1901 23rd Street

ATLANTIC CLASSICAL ORCHESTRAJan 5: Pianist Lindsay Garritson, Waxlax Center of the Performing Arts, 8 pm, $55

COMMUNITY CONCERT SERIESCommunity Church1901 23rd Street772-778-1070communityconcertseries.orgDec 15: Atlantic Children’s Chorale, “This Little Babe” Christmas Concert,  7 pm, $15Jan 13: The Phantom of the Opera, Tom Trenney, organist with f lm, 7:30 pm, $25

EMERSON CENTERat the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship1590 27th Avenue 772-778-5249TheEmersonCenter.orgDec 18: “A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas & Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker,” Space Coast Symphony, $20-$25/Students, Free. 2:30 pm Jan 14: Arianna Huc ngton, Celebrated Speakers Series, 4 & 7 pm, $65  Jan 26: Cynthia Barnett - “Blue is the New Green” Florida Humanities Series, 7 pm, Free

INDIAN RIVER SYMPHONIC ASSOCIATIONCommunity Church1901 23rd Street772-778-1070irsavero.orgJan 7: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 7:30 pm $50 each, season tickets $260-$290

RIVERSIDE THEATER3250 Riverside Park Drive772-231-6990riversidetheatre.comAnne Morton Theatre:Dec 28-30: “My Son Pinocchio,” 1:30 pm, $5-$16Jan 6, 7 & 8:  “My Son Pinocchio,” 7:30 pm, $5-$16Children’s Theatre:  Dec 16-18: The Nutcracker: Swingtime! 7:30 or 1 pm, $12-$18, Students $6-$9  Stark Main Stage:  

Jan 12 - Feb 5: The Full Monty, 2 pm, 7:30 & 8 pm, $57-$73Skyline Room:Jan 17:  New York Supper Club with Christine Ebersol, 6:30 pm, $250, 772-231-5860

SPACE COAST SYMPHONYVarious Locations321-536-8580SpaceCoastSymphony.orgDec 18: See Emerson Center

SUNRISE THEATRE116 South 2nd Street Fort Pierce772-461-4775sunrisetheatre.comDec 17: Comedian Sinbad, 8 pm, $39Dec 21: “A Christmas Carol,” 7 pm, $39/$35Dec 27: Nutcracker by State Ballet Theatre of Russia, 7 pm, $55/$45Jan 5: The Nylons, 7 pm, $29/$35Jan 10: Swan Lake, The State Ballet Theatre of Russia, 7 pm, $39-$55

TREASURE COAST CHORALE &FIRST BAPTIST CHORUSFirst Baptist Church2206 16th Avenue772-567-4341treasurecoastchorale.orgDec 17 & 18: Handel’s Messiah, 7 pm, donations accepted

VERO BEACH CHORAL SOCIETYTrinity Episcopal Church2365 Pine Avenue772-569-8165verobeachchoralsociety.org

VERO BEACH OPERAverobeachopera.org772-569-6993Box Oc ce:  772-564-5537verobeachopera.orgJan 15: The Barber of Seville, 3 pm, Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Ctr., $30-$50, 772-564-5537

VERO BEACH THEATRE GUILD772-562-83002020 San Juan Avenueverobeachtheatreguild.comJan 12-22: Born Yesterday, $20-$22

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ARTS | ENTERTAINMENT

Jazz Christmas show slated for Emerson Center

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

The Space Coast Jazz Orchestra presents “A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas & Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker,” at the Emerson Center on Dec. 18.

VERO BEACH – It is time to jazz up your holidays.

“A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas & Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker,” will be presented on Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. as part of the Emerson Center’s Jazz on Sunday’s.

ee holiday jazz show features the Space Coast Jazz Orchestra. e is Emer-son series is the inaugural appearance for the Jazz Orchestra, which is com-prised of 18 jazz musicians handpicked from the Central Florida area.

ee professional jazz orchestra will present big band arrangements of holiday classics including “O Holy Night,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentle-man,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “e e Twelve Days of Christ-mas” and more. e e second half of the concert will feature Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite which transforms Tchaikovsky’s classic into a jazz ex-pression. Ellington and writing part-ner Bill Strayhorn created this hybrid album in the 1960s. 

ee Space Coast Symphony is a

lively and passionate Central Florida orchestra comprised of professional musicians and select youth players.  ee orchestra was formed with a two-fold mission: to provide mentor-ing and performance opportunities for Florida’s fi nest youth musicians as well as to provide professional-level concerts at genuinely aff ordable pric-es. ee ultimate goal of the organiza-tion is to help ensure the symphonic tradition for the enjoyment of future generations.

ee third part of the series will be held on March 11, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. when the orchestra presents “Blues, Boogie, Be-Bop and Beyond.”

Advance tickets of $20 may be pur-chased online at www.e eEmerson-Center.org, or by calling the Box Of-fice at 772-778-5249. Tickets at the door are an additional $5.  Students 18 years of age and under (with iden-tification) are admitted free. 

CenterState Bank is the presenting sponsor of the Jazz on Sunday’s tril-ogy of events.

BY MARK JOSEPHEnjoying a lazy Sun-

day afternoon, we decided on an early dinner. After hearing so much about be Mandarin, a fairly new Asian restaurant located on 21st Street at Miracle Mile, we knew we were hungry for Asian fare. 

be Mandarin is more then just a Chinese restaurant. Owned and op-erated by Joey and Wincy Schlitt, the Mandarin is truly a family affair. Wincy Schlitt’s parents, who are from Korea, both work as chefs in this classy Asian dinner house located on Miracle Mile in the location that once housed the former Carmel’s. Wincy’s parents had prior experience operating successful restaurants in South Florida and last year they brought their culinary tal-ents to Vero Beach.

Shortly after opening, be Manda-rin closed for a few weeks, but only for the purpose of remodeling. be res-taurant has since reopened and now serves lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Arriving on a Sunday at 4:30 p.m. seemed to be the perfect time, since there was only one other couple in the dining room at this early hour.

Our friendly server Alex who greet-ed us at the door also personally took care of us for the entire meal. After

taking our seats Alex quickly returned with the traditional bowl of egg noo-dles which included accompaniments of hot mustard and sweet and sour sauces. be condiments arrived in lit-tle ceramic trays; a set for each of us which was a nice personal touch.

When our server asked about our drink order we were surprised that we were also not offered a selection from the bar that serves both wine and liq-uor, so instead we chose our regular Asian dinner favorite of hot tea.

be hot tea served in a traditional ceramic tea pot was light and lemony and a nice way to begin the meal.

be dining room of be Mandarin included subtle hints of Asian cul-ture in tastefully done deep reds and blacks. In the back corner was a small sushi bar. A sushi chef was preparing for what most likely would be a busy night of sushi and sashimi lovers.

be menu -- which was already on the table -- was fairly extensive and in-cluded a good selection of both sushi and sashimi dishes including classic Chinese and Cantonese specialties. 

bough it was difficult to choose, we finally decided on the Capt. Crunchy salmon roll at $10.50 and ginger chicken at $10.95. Since both entrees included a choice of soup or salad, we chose the hot and sour soup and the blend, a mixture of both egg-drop and wonton soups.

be soups arrived promptly and both were hot and equally delicious.

be hot and sour soup was indeed spicy hot with chunks of tofu in a deep rich broth. be blend was a thick deli-cious egg-drop soup with a large ten-der wonton, an excellent blend of both flavors. Our soups were especially sat-isfying on a rainy evening.

 Seeking the comfort of familiarity, we chose the traditional PuPu platter for two as an appetizer and at $15.95 we were not disappointed. Served Lazy Susan-style, the bountiful plat-ter was presented with a flaming hi-bachi, but only for show since all ap-petizers were already fully cooked. be impressive selections included two each of teriyaki chicken sticks, fried chicken wings, pork spare ribs, fried wontons and finally two large egg rolls. All items were delicious and well prepared; though we did find the spare ribs to be a bit dry.

  After this generous appetizer, we questioned our ability to be able to finish entrees that would soon be de-livered.

As with the first two courses, both entrees’ arrived perfectly timed. be ginger chicken included moist and tender medallions of chicken breast with sautéed’ onions, mushrooms, scallions and sliced ginger. be dish was spicy as advertised and delicious. bough the chicken included the tra-ditional cup of white rice, we were pleased to see that brown rice was an option, but later a bit surprised to discover there was a small additional

charge for this substitution which was not previously mentioned.

Our second entree was the Capt. Crunchy salmon roll, served tempura style. be salmon roll arrived with a garnish of an artfully carved orange, a small tower of stacked, thinly shred-ded carrots and a side of wasabi paste that had been carefully fashioned into the shape of a small leaf. be tempura roll was as good as it looked: delicious bites of salmon, imitation crab, crisp asparagus spears and cream cheese, all tightly rolled together, lightly fried and sliced. be entire dish reflected amazing attention to detail.

When our server cleared the final plates and presented us with our for-tune cookies, we were surprised that desserts were not offered or suggest-ed; nonetheless, we left very satisfied and even paused to pick up a take-out menu.Amount before tip: $45

-e Mandarin - Asian CuisineRestaurant with full bar

398 2st Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960

772-257-5166Most major credit cards

Hours: Mon-burs: 11-2:30  /  4:30-9:30

Fri-Sat: 11-2:30 /   4:30-10Sun: 4:30 - 9

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30 DiningThe Mandarin:  Asian cuisine that blends well In Vero Beach

Join Us For DinnerChristmas Eve

and New Year’s Eve!$10 OFF Your Gift CertiYcate

Purchase of $100Please come by Tangos

after 4 pm Tuesday-SaturdayOffer good with coupon until 12/24/11

3001 Ocean Drive, beachside Veroacross from Humiston Park

(772)231-5553Reservations suggested for three or moreServing dinner Tues. thru Sat., from 5:30 pm

See our NEW menu at www.tangosvero.com

Join us in the Wave Kitchen & BarChristmas Eve Dinner 5:30-10pm or Christmas Day BuPet 11am-3pm

Ring in the New Year at Costa d’Este Beach Resort

2 people 0 excuses 1 night 2 cherishChoose the party that is right for you:

Poolside Party with Bobby & the Blisters & DJ Swingsation 7pm - 3am,Dinner Show with Jennifer Patty 8pm, Five Course Pre- Fixe Dinner 7pm & 9pm

Take the Elevator Home New Year’s Packages

3244 Ocean Drive I Vero Beach 32963 I costadeste.com I 772.410.0100

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31Cuisines of Vero

Open Monday-Saturday 9 AM-8 PM • 231-4790917 Azalea Lane ~ (Corner of Azalea Ln & Cardinal Dr)

Join us for your favorites - our famous breakfast sandwich (9-11am)Prepared by Deirdre Williams Cheeseburgers, Belly Buster Hot

Dogs, Grilled Chicken, Turkey Club, Fresh Salads and much more...

TCN26

3771

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Now Open Mon. - Sat. 9 AM-8 PM

Celebrating our 30th Anniversary!

Now serving our famous

CannelloniHomemade crepes Jlled with freshly ground veal, sausage

and spinach, topped with tomato and Bechamel cream sauce.Enjoy your favorite Bruschetta, Veal Parmigiana, Pizzas, Pasta,Subs, Burgers, Salads, Fried Calamari,Wings and much more

TCN2640100

CAFEItalian Restaurant

& pizzeria

Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 4-9pmEat In,Take Out, Beachside Delivery • 231- 9311

1006 Easter Lily Lane (next to Humiston Park off Ocean Dr. in Vero’s Beach)

3500 Ocean Drive | Vero Beach, FL 32963 | 772.469.1060

IT’S TIME TO RING IN THE NEW YEARPICK YOUR PARTY

Please call 772-469-1060 for details and reservations

Dinner and Delight 4 course dinnerRenowned Jazz Duo Bossa Bluein the Cobalt Lounge from 9pm-1amSeatings available beginning at 6pm

Celebration Under the Stars”Mr. Motown” Curtis Hill playing from 9pm-1am$10 at the door plus $5 glasses of wine and draftsTables available for $120 with seating for 8Includes entrance, 2 bottles of Champagne and cheeseplate for the table

OR

Visit our online catalog atwww.cravingscookies.com

Indoor & Outdoor Seating7 days 6:30am-10pm

3149 Ocean Drive,Vero Beach 231-0208

For yourholiday gift giving!

Sweetbreads,Eggnog Rum Cake,

CookieTins &HolidayTrays.

Breakfast • LunchLite Dinner • Dessert

Gift CardsBuy $50 Gift Card,

Receive a $10 Gift Card FREE!Ocean Drive

TCN2642825

Home of the best pizza in town!Gift Certi<cates • Holiday Catering

More than just awesome pizza...Pastas • Veal • Chicken • Salads • Subs • Calzones • Beer • Wine

OPEN 7 DAYS 11:30AM-9PM56 Royal Palm Pointe, Vero Beach • 567-4160

www.pizzoodles.com

LISA RYMERVERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

A “loggia” is a porch-like structure with a roof that opens on one side to the outdoors.

Xe store, Loggia, which has two locations in Vero Beach, accurately describes the indoor-outdoor feel of its home decorating inventory, while capturing a unique sophistication in day-to-night apparel, jewelry and other accessories.

Xe home and garden store, located on Old Dixie Highway just south of State Road 60, leaped onto the scene about seven years ago when Sandy How finally opened her own home

decorating business.She’d only been decorating her own

home and those of friends for three decades.

“I carry fun and different stuff,” says How about her boutique, an early-arrival in the renaissance of down-town’s dine and design district. Prior to moving to Vero Beach, Hoe had owned a jewelry business in Ohio.

Entering her store is to be trans-ported to another world, where fabulous furniture and elegant em-bellishments coexist without clutter, but only bold, clean lines and colors awash in nature.

Sea mist green, turquoise blue, to-

mato red and lots of white comprise this season’s palette, although Log-gia’s inventory is not dictated by fads. Rather, says How, she buys what she likes.

And what’s there not to like about the store’s stunning selection of table linens from France, custom created centerpieces from an array of silk flowers, and mouth-blown glassware by Juliska that is so utterly delicate and beautiful, it is like jewelry for the dining room.

In 2007, when the housing market started its downward spiral, How opened a second store on Ocean Drive specializing in women’s cloth-

ing, jewelry and small gifts. By diver-sifying the store’s inventory, Loggia has been able to survive the current economy.

Loggia’s cashmere sweaters are memorable; soft as satin, and cut in fashions that flatter the feminine phy-sique. Xis year’s ruffle-edged car-digan comes in bright aqua, fuchsia, mango, periwinkle, black and white.

A few years ago, a wrap-around cashmere sweater was featured in an ethereal blue gray.

As if a justification was needed, but doesn’t everyone know that cashmere lasts forever?

For those who eschew cashmere for

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32 Vero StyleLoggia a place to spruce up home and wardrobe this season

STAFF PHOTOSLucy Whittemore manages Loggia’s Ocean Drive store that features women’s clothing, jewelry and small gifts.

Florida’s sweater-less temperatures, an enchanting cache of tunics and t-shirts are as comfortable as they are attractive.

Loggia also offers an eclectic col-lection of big, fun, affordable jewelry pieces interspersed among genuine gold, silver and gemstone designs.

Ze handbags… well, there are plenty to choose from, with one Birken-Bag-lookalike in navy patent leather a particular favorite.

Whether it’s shopping for a friend, family or even yourself, “there is something for everyone,” says a weekend customer ducking out of a midday rain shower to purchase a white silk orchid.

On top of all that, Loggia carries a variety of scented candles, some un-usual such as Japanese quince, oth-ers, like hyacinth, are more floral and more familiar. Zere are also bath and skin care products, rounding out any idea for creating a bathroom sanctuary.

As a decorator, How does not fol-low any hard and fast rules. Her style leans toward antiques with one or two contemporary pieces mixed in.

When the whole room is decorated in a contemporary style, “it looks too cold,” says How.

Zat’s not to say she prefers florals. Not this season, says How. “Geomet-ric patterns are big right now in fab-rics with just two colors.”

Another furniture staple that has been relegated to a relic of the past is the armoire, long used to hide televi-sions and other media consoles.

With the introduction of ever-larger flat screens, the armoire, says Hawl, “doesn’t conform to television technology anymore. “

One trend that How embraces these days is a return of manufactur-ing to the United States.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of my vendors are now promoting made-in-America products,” says How, who continues to add them to her inventory.

LOGGIA1882 Old Dixie Highway

Vero Beach(772)770-3009

2900 Ocean DriveVero Beach

(772)231-2901

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33VERO ST YLE

As a decorator Loggia owner Sandra How does not follow any hard and fast rules.

Entering Loggia is to be transported to another world.

BY MICHAEL BIELECKI VERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

Heading into the 2011-2012 sea-son, expectations were high for Vero Beach High School Basketball Coach Chuck Loewendick.

After 24 years at the helm, it would almost be wrong to expect anything less from a coach with a 489-190 ca-reer record at Vero Beach.

be Fighting Indians were 3-1 heading into play this week with a game against a strong Martin County team. bis would be cause for con-cern under most circumstances, but Vero Beach’s loss was to Orlando Christian Prep -- which boasted a pre-season ranking of 41st in ESPN’s Powerade Fab 50 national ranking system.

Loewendick’s teams traditionally are built upon superior defense, ball control and pre-season conditioning -- and with a front line that tops out at around 6-foot-3, this team is right in line with the teams from the past.

But what really stands out about this year’s unit is the senior leadership.

“With a lot of seniors on the team this year, there is such a high level of trust between us all,” said senior for-ward Lance Roache. “With all of the experience we have playing with one another, every single one of us out there knows where each other is go-ing to be at all times. Knowing that about each other makes us a much better team.”

Roache, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound bruiser, and senior forward Dwayne Hoilett, a 6-foot-3 230-pound ath-letic specimen, played tight end and defensive end respectively on the school’s 9-2 football team. Rounding out the front line rotation are senior 6-foot-3 center Cedric Mayes and 6-foot-1 forward Paul St. Mary.

Roache and St. Mary are the unit’s effort players, setting picks, play-ing tough low-post defense and col-lecting offensive rebounds. Mayes

and Hoilett provide inside scoring and shot blocking to this undersized group of post players.

be backcourt is fast and athletic, boasting two of the football team’s top three receivers in Charlie Miller, 5-foot-11, and Jeremy Bell, 5-foot-10. Miller, who averaged 20 points, four

assists and three steals per game last year, is the catalyst that sets the tone for the team on both offense and de-fense.

“We have the most experience and talent every time we step onto the floor in district play,” Miller said. “We’re two-time defending district

champions and we intend on playing like it all year.”

Miller, who shares the point guard duties with Bell, is an excellent ball handler, a good t3--point shooter and can dunk to finish off his drives to the basket. In short, he plays about six-inches taller than he is, thanks to the solid-rocket boosters he calls legs.

Bell is known for his hounding man-to-man defense. Few players are faster with the basketball in their hand and he runs Loewendick’s team to perfection. It seems no matter how fast he plays, Bell never seems to tire or slow down.

Jamario Lambert, standing a lanky 6-foot-2, is the team’s swingman. Depending on who is on the floor, he’s athletic enough to play guard and plays above the rim enough to play forward. Lambert has one of the team’s two 20-point games so far this year (Miller has the other) to go along with a handful of rim-rattling, crowd-pleasing dunks.

Senior shooting guard Nick Mc-Goye provides 3-point shooting and another ball handler off the bench, with sophomore guards Javonte Bagley, Brandon Shaw and Will Dawkins all ready to step into the ro-tation in case of an injury.

Most of this team has been play-ing together since middle school, so great team dynamics is a given. They play the fierce man-to-man defense their coach demands of them and they have some very ex-plosive athletes which can some-times make their defense seem im-penetrable.

In a weak, three-team district, it is all but a sure thing they will advance past either Treasure Coast or St. Lu-cie West Centennial. be only thing keeping the Fighting Indians from reaching the state’s final four could be it lack of height.

Connor Moore contributed to this story.

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VBHS boys hoops looking for 3rd consecutive district title

PHOTO BY SAM WOLFEJamario Lambert plays both guard and forward for Vero Beach High School.

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35SPORTS

Vero Beach table tennis scene gaining momentum

BY MICHAEL BIELECKI VERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY

VERO BEACH -- a e rhythmic pattering of ping pong balls echoes through the River House in Vero Beach every Monday evening.

Men, women and teens -- armed only with ping pong paddles -- scan the air for tiny hollow, plastic balls with determination in their eyes and sweat on their brow. a ey swat serves, spin volleys and hammer-like, 60-mile-per-hour smashes at one an-other with fervor. a ere is no mis-take about it; the games are every bit as competitive as they are social.

Welcome to the Vero Beach Table Tennis Club – which meets Mondays from 6 to 9 p.m. at the River House, located at 305 Acacia Road on the north side of Riverside Park. a is is Vero Beach’s best bet to fi nd a decent game of table tennis -- the world’s second-most popular participation sport -- on any given week.

“Our players are having such a good time that they want to extend the club to multiple nights.” said club founder Karl Freitag. “With some ex-

tra help from a local business spon-sorship, we could host a tournament that brings in players from the other clubs across the state.”

ae money generated from a tourna-ment would go towards renting the Riv-er House out for another night or two per week. Currently, the club members -- who mostly hail from Vero Beach and Sebastian, with a few traveling from as far as Port St. Lucie and Stuart -- pay $5 every week. In order to entice members, a player’s initial visit is free. Freitag hopes that the club can gain enough momen-tum to eventually support a league.

Freitag, 56, started his love aff air with table tennis when he was in college. He founded the Vero Beach Table Tennis Club last year mostly because the drive to the closest table tennis club was 60 miles away. Freitag tired of the long trek to play the sport he loved and so he decided to start his own club.

Starting with a website and through word of mouth, players were soon meeting at each other’s houses and other local spots for practice and the occasional tournament. After scour-ing the town for locations and almost

purchasing a warehouse, the club was able to settle down at the River House with the help of Paul Good.

In recently celebrating its fi rst an-niversary, the club had its fi rst cham-pionship tournament. It wasn’t like the fi rst Olympic table tennis match back in 1988, but it was certainly a far cry from the Vero Beach Table Ten-nis Club’s fi rst meeting of members in Steve Hutchison’s garage. Cielo Galman, who had recently joined the club, went undefeated and took home the first-place trophy.

But for members like Richard Niesler, 72, it isn’t so much about championships as it is about making new friends and getting a little exer-cise. Even for Freitag, it isn’t about running his own club or about com-peting at a world-class level.

“One thing I look forward to every week is going to the club and having fun with the other members,” he said.

For more information about the club, visit www.vbttc.com or call Karl Freitag at (772) 978-7103.

Joe Grover contributed to this article.

PHOTO BY JOE GROVER

Ping pong enthusiasts meet every Monday evening at the River House on the north side of Riverside Park.

Home of 18 months or 18,000 milesPARTS AND LABOR warranty.

We Service Foreign & Domestic Cars www.donsimport.com

Don MeeksOwner

150 43rd Ave.Vero Beach ASE & Bosch

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Donna J. BallardDonna J. Ballard, 75, died Dec. 4,

2011, at her home. She was born in Hammond, Ind., and moved to Vero Beach in 1969 from Indianapolis. She and her husband owned 13 McDon-ald’s restaurants before their retire-ment. Survivors include her daugh-ters, Sharon Ellis and Barbara Morey, both of Vero Beach; sister, Sandra Geissendorfer of Schererville, Ind.; brother, Bill Stevens of Highland, Ind.; three grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, 1030 N. Orange Ave., Or-lando, FL 32801.An online guest book is available at www.coxgifford-seawinds/obituaries.php.

Hope DinanHope Dinan, 92, died Nov. 17, 2011,

at Consulate Health Care of Vero Beach. She was born in Stamford, Conn., and moved to Vero Beach 18 years ago from New York. Survivors include her daughters, Patricia Mar-tinez and Sharon Smyth, both of Vero Beach; son, Dennis Dinan of Vero Beach; eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Memorial con-tributions may be made to the Can-cer Foundation, 6211 S.W. 37th St., Davie, FL 33314.

Phyllis MaulfairPhyllis Maulfair, 70, died Nov. 28,

2011, at Florida Hospital, Winter Park. She was born in Newark, N.J., and lived in Vero Beach since 1975. After college at the University of Mi-ami and Rutgers University, she stud-ied commercial art and fashion illus-tration in New York and attended the Heritage School of Fine Art in South Orange, N.J., where she studied with John R. Grabach, NA. After a 25-year career in the fashion industry work-ing with Bill Blass, Pierre Cardin and Givency, she retired and turned to developing her artistic talents. Her work was seen in Vero Beach art shows, and she was an integral part of

the Vero Beach Art Club exhibiting in and chairing the Art In the Park and Art by the Sea shows for many years.

Her work was seen at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, John Turchin Gallery of Fine Art in Banner Elk, N.C., and private collections. Sur-vivors include her husband of 40 years, Richard of Vero Beach; son, Dr. Mitchell Maulfair of Orlando; and three grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the Florida Hospital Foundation, Bone Marrow Transplant Program, 2809 N. Orange Ave., Orlando, FL 32804.

Milbern BatesMilbern “Bill” Kinard Bates, 72,

died Nov. 26, 2011. He was born in Biloxi, Miss., and moved to Vero Beach in 2006, coming from Miami. He was the founder and president of Life Appreciation Training Seminars, a company for training death-care professionals in the funeral indus-try. Survivors include his son, Kevin Bates of Bend, Ore.; daughter, Lisa Harvey of Princeton, N.J.; and three grandchildren. Memorial contribu-tions may be made to the American Cancer Society , P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123. A guest-book is available at www.coxgifford-seawinds.com.

Vinodkumar BrahmbhattVinodkumar A. Brahmbhatt, 69,

died Dec. 4, 2011, at Indian River Medical Center. He was born in India and lived in Vero Beach since 1983, coming from his birthplace. Survi-vors include his brothers, Indravadan Brahmbratt and Girish Brahmbratt, both of Vero Beach; and sisters, Ku-mud Brahmbratt of North Carolina, Kokila Inamdar of Texas and Madhu Barot of India. A guestbook is avail-able at www.lowtherfuneralhome.com.

Margie CampbellMargie G. Campbell, 95, died Dec.

4, 2011, at her home in Vero Beach. She was born in Pikeville, Ky., and

lived in Vero Beach for 55 years, coming from Pikeville. Before retire-ment, she worked in an auto shop for years. Survivors include her daugh-ters, Stella Stock of Vero Beach, Mae Eason of Ohio and Enetta Knepper of Idaho; sons, Bill Young and Donnie Coilye, both of Fort Pierce; sister, Jean Dautherty of Atlanta; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Me-morial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association , 1100 E. Ocean Blvd. Stuart, FL 34996. A guestbook is available at www.ay-cock-hillcrest.com.

Thomas Messmanneomas Duane Messmann, 59, died

Dec. 2, 2011, at VNA Hospice House, Vero Beach. He was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and lived in Vero Beach for 11 years, coming from Denver. He was a painter and a chef. Survivors include his companion, Marge Wil-liams of Vero Beach; stepmother, Lois Anzini of Sebastian; sons; eomas of Ohio and David of New York; daugh-ters, Joline of New York and Jessie of Colorado; brother, Michael Stieglitz of North Carolina; and sister, Tamra Annett of Sebastian. Memorial con-tributions can be made to Dogs and Cats Forever Animal Shelter, 4600 Selvitz Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981. A guestbook is available at www.seawindsfh.com/obituaries.php.

Harry CondryHarry Faye Condry, 69, died Dec. 2,

2011, at Indian River Medical Center. He was born in Charleston, W.Va., and lived in Vero Beach for the past seven years, coming from Federal Way, Wash. He worked as the cater-ing manager for SAS and then Flying Foods, which provides in-flight meals to airlines. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Chaine des Rotis-seurs, achieving the title Chef de Ta-ble. Survivors include his wife of 14 years, Aleyda; daughter, Pamela Brac-keen of Dallas; sons, Steven Condry of Tulsa, Okla., and David Condry of

Caddo Mills, Texas; sister, Mary Jo Pack of Morganton, N.C.; and seven grandchildren. A guestbook is avail-able at www.aycock-hillcrest.com.

Jeanette ConquestJeanette Conquest, 90, died Dec. 3,

2011, at Indian River Medical Center. She was born in Muncie, Ind., and lived in Vero Beach since 1986. She and her husband owned a grocery store and an insurance agency. She was involved with local politics and held many political offices during her career. She served many years on the Republican Executive Board of Indian River County. She served on the board of the Republican Women’s Club, the Association of Professional Insurance Women, and Business and Professional Women. Her devotion to local and state politics resulted in her receiving the Key to the City pre-sented by the governor. She attended Asbury Methodist Church in Vero Beach.

Survivors include her daughter, Ju-dith Robertson of Vero Beach; two grandchildren; three great-grand-children; and two great-great-grand-children. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.

Leslie CottrillLeslie R. Cottrill, 89, died Dec.

5, 2011. He was born in Flushing, Mich., and was a winter resident of Vero Beach. He was a real estate de-veloper. He developed Seven Lakes State Park located between Flint and Detroit. Survivors include his daugh-ters, Sue Ann Albayya and Cathy Jo Cottrill; son, Craig R. Cottrill; sisters, Phyllis and Joyce; companion, Sha-ron Walker; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Hos-pice of Northwest Michigan.

Robert DeVoeRobert B. DeVoe, 70, died Dec.

3, 2011, at his home. He was born in Ellenville, N.Y., and lived in Vero Beach for 12 years, coming from

Obituaries

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Wallingford, Conn. He was the unit commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America in Hamden, Conn., serving in the Quinnipiac District. Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Sandra P. DeVoe of Vero Beach; sons, Dan-iel D. DeVoe of West Haven, Conn., and Robert J. DeVoe of Colchester, Conn.; daughter, Lynette A. Simpson of Wallingford; sisters, Evelyn LaVan of Stuart and Mary VanHoutan of Monticello, N.Y.; and seven grand-children. A guestbook is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.

Dorothy FlynnDorothy Yorke Flynn, 96, died

Dec. 2, 2011, at Divine Senior Care, Fort Pierce. She was born in Boston and moved to North Palm Beach in 1981 before moving to Vero Beach in 1988. She was a member of St. Helen Catholic Church in Vero Beach. She was a life member of the DAV and charter member of the AMVETS; a member of the Irish American So-ciety; AAUW; Legislative Chairman of AARP of Northern Palm Beach County and a member of the Dem-ocrat Club. Survivors include two nieces and two nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation, 1201 S.E. Indian St., Stuart, FL 34997. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.

Harry Foxwell Sr.Harry D. Foxwell Sr., 76, died Dec.

6, 2011, at home. He was born in Washington, D.C., and lived in Vero Beach for 27 years, coming from Fort Lauderdale. He was a heavy equip-ment operator for Dennis L. Smith in Vero Beach for many years. Sur-vivors include his wife of 27 years, Beverly Foxwell of Vero Beach; sons, Harry Foxwell Jr. of Micco, Richard Foxwell of Sebastian, Robert Fox-well of Barefoot Bay, Rusty Dalberg of Vero Beach and James Dalberg of Fort Myers; daughters, Dana Hanlon and Robin Dove, both of Sebastian, and Patricia Foxwell of Fort Lauder-dale; brothers, Kenneth Foxwell and Michael Foxwell, both of Fort Worth, Texas, and David Foxwell of An-

napolis, Md.; sisters, Catherine Droll of Annapolis and Linda Coulson of Canton, Pa.; 13 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. A guest-book is available at www.seawindsfh.com/obituaries.php.

Tony HarrTony A. Harr, 43, died Dec. 4, 2011,

at his home. He was born in Parkers-burg, W.Va., and lived in Vero Beach for five years, coming from New Smyrna Beach. He was a manager for the Pilot Travel Centers. He served in the Marines, where he worked in the armory. Survivors include his wife of 18 years, Robyn; son, Payton Harr of Vero Beach; daughter, Courtney Harr of Vero Beach; parents, Larry and Connie Harr of Titusville; broth-ers, Troy Harr of Titusville, Jody Harr of Titusville, Dana Harr of Parkers-burg; and sister, Machelle Homan of Parkersburg. Memorial contribu-tions may be made to VNA Hospice House, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.

Linda SweazeyLinda Sweazey, 68, died Dec. 5,

2011, at the VNA Hospice House, Vero Beach. She was born in Clin-ton, Ind., and lived in Vero Beach for 27 years, coming from Indiana. She worked as an administrative assist-ant for New Horizons of the Treas-ure Coast. Survivors include her hus-band of 40 years, Samuel L. Sweazey; daughter, Summer Lynn Sweazey of Vero Beach; sister, Carolyn Holl-ingsworth of Clinton, Ind.; and two grandchildren. Memorial contribu-tions may be made to VNA Hospice House, 901 37th St., Vero Beach, FL 32960. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds/obituaries.php.

Ethel YatteauEthel Reppert Horhun Yatteau,

92, died Dec. 5, 2011, at her home. She was born in New York City and moved to Vero Beach 40 years ago from Sunset Lakes, N.J. She worked for Ethicon Pharmaceutical before her retirement. Survivors include

her three nephews. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.

Hearne Neely Jr.Hearne Neely Jr., 90, died Dec. 6,

2011, at VNA Hospice House, Vero Beach. He was born in Brooklyn and lived in Vero Beach for 34 years, com-ing from Long Island. He worked at Long Island Lighting Co. for 25 years. He served in the Army during World War II. He was a member of the An-tique Car Club of Vero Beach. Sur-vivors include his daughter, Wendy Keenan of Ballground, Ga.; sisters, Marion Bauer of Vero Beach and Elizabeth Milner of Boca Raton; and two grandchildren. A guestbook is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.

Karl Hollers Jr.Karl Hollers Jr., 79, died Dec. 10,

2011, at the Indian River Medical Center, Vero Beach. He was born in Blowing Rock, N.C., and lived in Vero Beach since 1960, coming from his birthplace. Before retirement, he was the parts manager for Arnold Ford Sales in Vero Beach for over 30 years. He was a founding member and past president of the Indian River Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America, and a member of First Bap-tist Church in Vero Beach.

Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Barbara Hollers of Vero Beach; sons, Daniel Hollers of Las Cruces, N.M., and Michael Hollers of Vero Beach; sister, Janice Shatley of Col-lettsville, N.C.; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. Me-morial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer/Parkinson Asso-ciation of Indian River County, 2501 27th Ave., Vero Beach, FL 32960. A guestbook is available at www.coxgif-fordseawinds.com.

Elizabeth KelleyElizabeth A. Kelley, 83, died Dec.

8, 2011, at VNA Hospice House. She was born in Dorchester, Mass., and lived in Vero Beach for 30 years, coming from her birthplace. She was a parishioner at St. Helen Catholic

Church and a member of the Polish American Club. Survivors include her sons, Paul Kelley, Richard Kelley and Mark Kelley, all of Vero Beach, Daniel Kelley of New Hampshire and Brian Kelley of Georgia; daugh-ters, Bernadette Kelley and Donna McGrath, both of Vero Beach; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Memorial contribu-tions may be made to VNA Hospice House, 901 37th St, Vero Beach, FL 32960. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds/obituaries.php.

Carol O’BrienCarol Aileen O’Brien, 74, died Dec.

6, 2011, at Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa. She was born in Boston and lived in Vero Beach for 25 years, com-ing from Detroit. She was a former manager of the Harold Grant Store, Vero Beach. She was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Vero Beach. Survivors include her hus-band of 53 years Miles O’Brien Jr. of Vero Beach; son, Miles O’Brien III of Chevy Chase, Md.; daughter, Aileen Graef of Vero Beach; brothers, Philip Riley of Wellesley, Mass., and Kevin Riley of Brighton, Mass.; and four grandchildren. Memorial contribu-tions may be made to Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, UTC-FOUND, Tampa, FL 33612-9416. A guestbook is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.

Harry C. “Charles” OrmistonHarry C. “Charles” Ormiston, 80,

died Dec. 7, 2011, at Indian River Medical Center, Vero Beach. He was born in Horseheads, N.Y., and came to Vero Beach in the early 1960s. He worked as a flight instructor at Flight Safety, Vero Beach. He was a multi-engine instructor there and was transferred to a New York Flight Safety facility where he qualified on multi-engine jets and did testing for airline pilots qualifying certificates. Upon leaving Flight Safety, he was employed as a pilot with U.S. Air, from which he retired in the late 1980s. A guestbook is available at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.

OBITUARIES

Bindi3 Years Old

Domestic ShorthairFemale

Billy7 Years Old

Chihuahua MixMale

Oreo7 Years Old

Cocker Spaniel MixFemale

Oreo4 Years Old

Domestic ShorthairMale

Danny9 Months Old

Turkish Van MixMale

Snowball1 1/2 Years Old

Turkish Angora MixFemale

These and other animals are available for adoption at the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River Countylocated at 6230 77th Street. For directions and information call (772)388-3331

Humane Society Pets Of The Week

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38 Real EstateBarrier Island Real Estate Sales – December 1-December 7

12954 Highway A1A Ambersand Beach 2/11/2011$649,00012/1/2011 $600,000True Blue RealtyTigger Lilley True Blue RealtyTigger Lilley

Address:Subdivision:List Date:List Price:Sell Date:Sell Price:Listing Broker:Listing Agent:Selling Broker:Selling Agent:

1240 Spanish Lace Ln. Castaway Cove 11/9/2009 $450,00012/6/2011 $380,000Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc.Cli_ LambDale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc.Cli_ Lamb

Address:Subdivision:List Date:List Price:Sell Date:Sell Price:Listing Broker:Listing Agent:Selling Broker:Selling Agent:

1755 Sand Dollar Wy. Seagrove 4/20/2011 $549,00012/6/2011 $475,000Norris & CompanyBob Faller Alex MacWilliamCharlotte Terry

Address:Subdivision:List Date:List Price:Sell Date:Sell Price:Listing Broker:Listing Agent:Selling Broker:Selling Agent:

210 Peppertree Dr. S, #25 Peppertree 12/17/2010 $325,000 12/5/2011 $315,000Dale Sorensen RE NorthTripp Hernandez Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc.Christine Hughes

Address:Subdivision:List Date:List Price:Sell Date:Sell Price:Listing Broker:Listing Agent:Selling Broker:Selling Agent:

Address Subdivision List Date List Price Sell Date Sell Price Listing Broker/Agent Selling Broker/Agent 917 Coquina Ln., A-6 Seahorse Beach 4/19/2010 $129,000 12/1/2011 $125,000 Coldwell Banker Ed Schlitt VB/Pat Zangre Dale Sorensen Real Estate, Inc./Elizabeth Sorensen 5601 Highway A1A, #308-S Robles del Mar 4/5/2010 $95,500 12/5/2011 $95,000 Weichert, Realtors Hallmark-VB/Lorry Gartner Weichert, Realtors Hallmark-VB/Lorry Gartner 1335 Winding Oaks Cr. E, #1004 SEA OAKS 10/1/2011 $99,000 12/1/2011 $90,000 Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc./Christine Hughes NMLS/NMLS AGENT

4177 Abington Woods Cr. Abington Woods 10/4/2010$229,90012/1/2011$225,000Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc.Christine Hughes Coldwell Banker Ed Schlitt VBVance Brinkerho_

Address:Subdivision:List Date:List Price:Sell Date:Sell Price:Listing Broker:Listing Agent:Selling Broker:Selling Agent:

4560 Bridgepointe Wy., #144 Bridgepointe 8/12/2011 $234,900 12/7/2011 $220,000 Weichert, REALTORS Hallmark-VBLorry Gartner Dales & Company Real EstateSally Daley

Address:Subdivision:List Date:List Price:Sell Date:Sell Price:Listing Broker:Listing Agent:Selling Broker:Selling Agent:

Mainland Real Estate Sales – December 1-December 7

Address Subdivision List Date List Price Sell Date Sell Price Listing Broker/Agent Selling Broker/Agent 1978 Grey Falcon Cr. SW Falcon Trace 5/27/2011 $250,000 12/6/2011 $210,000 Dale Sorensen Real Estate Inc./Sallie Brooke Weichert Realtors Hallmark-VB/Wendy Browning

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