Print

IN THIS ISSUE

·        County Holds Grand Opening of Old Trail Park

·        High Ridge Scrub Natural Area Opens

·        Volunteer with Environmental Resources Management

·        VSA arts Holiday Showcase

·        Have a “Green” Holiday

·        More Upcoming Events 

For more information about Palm Beach County’s programs and services, visit us online at www.pbcgov.com. If you have any questions or to provide feedback, you can email us at countenews@pbcgov.com or call (561) 355-2754. To unsubscribe to Count-e-News, click here.

County Holds Grand Opening of Old Trail Park

In response to a community request, a new neighborhood park was developed by Parks and Recreation and the Office of Community Revitalization’s Countywide Community Revitalization Team (CCRT).  Old Trail Park, located at 2739 N. Old Military Trail in West Palm Beach, opened on Nov. 17. 
 The 1.52-acre park includes a junior basketball court and two age-appropriate play areas featuring slides and a tire swing. The park also includes an open playfield, a covered accessible picnic table, seven benches, a water fountain and a bicycle rack.
 For information on recreational opportunities available in your community, contact
the Parks and Recreation Department by visiting www.pbcparks.com or calling 966-6600.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

High Ridge Scrub Natural Area Opens

The High Ridge Scrub Natural Area in Boynton Beach has some new public-use facilities. This 39-acre natural area has a parking area, an ADA trail and an information kiosk. On Nov. 8, visitors came to the site for the first tour of the new facilities located at 7300 High Ridge Road in Boynton Beach. High Ridge Scrub Natural Area is a fragment of a large ridge of scrub habitat that ran north-south between Lake Worth and an inland lake/marsh system that contained Lake Osborne and the former Lake Webster. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife including the gulf fritillary butterfly, gopher tortoise and American kestrel. Plants have to be tough to live in a scrub community. There is little shade, hot temperatures and dry soils. The vegetation consists of sand live oak, sand pine, saw palmetto, prickly pear cactus and narrowleaf silkgrass. The natural area is also home to several species of air plants including ballmoss and giant airplant. For more information on natural areas managed by Environmental Resources Management, call 233-2452.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

Volunteer with Environmental Resources Management

The Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management is sponsoring three volunteer events in November and December:

The first event is scheduled for Saturday, November 3, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area in Hypoluxo. Volunteers will remove trash and invasive exotic plants, and install hiking trail markers. A maximum of 30 volunteers is allowed.

The second event is scheduled for Saturday, December 1, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at Juno Dunes Natural Area in Juno Beach. Volunteers will remove trash from the natural area perimeter, including the mangrove shoreline along the Intracoastal Waterway. A maximum of 30 volunteers is allowed.

The third event is scheduled for Saturday, December 8, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at Rosemary Scrub Natural Area in Boynton Beach. Volunteers will remove trash and invasive exotic plants. A maximum of 25 volunteers is allowed.

Remember, volunteers must register for each event they plan to attend. Volunteers can register by either replying to this email or calling 561-233-2426.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

VSA arts Holiday Showcase

Join us to celebrate the season! The VSA arts Holiday Showcase “Holiday Harmony” will feature seasonal performances by children and adults with disabilities on Saturday, December 8 at 2:00 pm at the Palm Beach Community College Duncan Theatre located in Lake Worth. This two-hour tribute to dance, drama, and music is an opportunity for people with and without disabilities to share their talents with the community. The showcase will be hosted by Alan Billingsley.

The Showcase will feature world-renowned Sidiki Conde, the award-winning founder of Tokounou, a mixed-ability West African dance and drumming ensemble. Returning artists include Southern Dance Theater and Donna Tucci’s Dreams Come True Dancers.

VSA arts Dance Residency students from West Riviera elementary school will melt your heart as they celebrate the meaning of Kwanzaa. New local artists bringing harmony to the holidays include vocalist Jay Hutton and violinist Elizabeth Torres. VSA arts’ new song and dance performance group The “Dynamix”, will make their debut performance at this year’s showcase when they sing “I Write the Songs.” VSA arts’ “SpotLighters” return and perform a dance routine to  “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.”

Tickets, $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, may be purchased at the door or reserved by calling (561) 966-7025.

For more information about VSA arts of Florida-Palm Beach County and other programs available through the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, visit us online at www.pbcparks.com

ˆ Go to the top of this page

Palm Tran Goes Green

Palm Tan, Palm Beach County’s public transportation agency, will implement new environmentally-friendly initiatives over the next few months. Palm Tran received a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to install a nitrogen inflation system which will be used to fill tires on Palm Tran’s buses. The installation is currently in progress and the switch will take place in December. Additionally, Palm Tran has plans to fuel its buses with biodiesel, a mixture made from regular diesel fuel and processed vegetable or soybean oil. Biodiesel fuel has been shown to reduce bus emissions by 30 to 40 percent. The switch to biodiesel is planned for January. Riding public transportation is a meaningful way to reduce the impact of pollution on the environment. Palm Tran is an affordable, safe and convenient method of transportation. For assistance with planning your trip and general route information, please call the customer service department at 841-4287.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

Have a “Green” Holiday

Here are some simple ways you can make a difference this holiday season.

1. Make your own gift wrap from bags, bows, fabric, magazines and decorative boxes. You can reuse these materials every year.

2. Put a timer on your tree and decorative house lights. You can save a lot of energy.

3. Recycle your Christmas tree. Trees with tinsel or fake snow spray cannot be recycled.

For eco-friendly tips, visit www.christmastree.org.

ˆ Go to the top of this page

More Upcoming Events

• Tour Riverbend Park by bicycle! Explore historical sites and observe wildlife on this naturalist-led bicycle tour. Participants 16 and under must wear helmets. The event is on Saturday, December 8^th from 8 to 10 a.m. For more information call (561) 741-1359
• Have breakfast with Santa at West Boynton Recreation Center. The event will be held on Saturday, December 15^th from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Kids ages 5 and under must be accompanied by a parent. Registration runs from November 26^th to December 8^th. What better way to start the day than a piping hot breakfast, magic show and good ol’ St. Nick? For more information call (561) 355-1125

ˆ Go to the top of this page