![]() Bringing you News that Counts
|
|
July 28, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
· Palm Beach County Celebrates “Unleashing” of New Dog Park · BCC Finalizes Agreement with Max Planck Society · Fair Housing Student Poster, Essay & DVD Contest Winners to be Displayed During Upcoming Exhibit · Join Fire-Rescue in Memorial 5K Run · Solid Waste Authority Makes Hazardous Waste Disposal Easy
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 e-mail us at countenews@pbcgov.com or call 355-2754. To unsubscribe to Count-e-News, click here.
Palm Beach County Celebrates the “Unleashing” of New Dog Park
Pet owners and their canine best friends enjoyed the large new dog park. It was developed alongside a lake where a frequent breeze complements the beautiful setting. Three gazebos and 34 benches offer additional comfort for dog owners as their pets romp unleashed under their supervision. Many trees have also been newly planted in the area. Additional amenities at Canine Cove include three drinking fountains with attached pet fountains, a pet washing station large enough to accommodate two dogs and 15 pet stations with plastic bags and waste receptacles. New picnic facilities and a large, colorful new playground are located next door. A shaded gazebo with benches has also been included in the playground, as well as 19 additional benches and a drinking fountain. Canine Cove Dog Park and the accessible playground are located next to the newly opened Sunset Cove Amphitheater. These new amenities are all part of the major expansion that’s in progress at South County Regional Park.
BCC Finalizes Agreement with Max Planck Society The Board of County Commissioners continued its pledge to make Palm Beach County a leader in biomedical research and development with the July 22 approval of a financial incentive plan to build the U.S. headquarters of the Germany-based Max Planck Society in North County. Under the grant agreement, the county will pay $86.926 million for construction of a 100,000-square-foot bio-imaging research facility on six acres at FAU’s Jupiter campus. The site is located adjacent to Scripps Florida. The state is providing $94 million for operations from its Innovative Incentive Fund. In return, Max Planck promises to create 135 high-wage jobs at the new center, which will be named the Max Planck Florida Institute. It also agrees to commit 3 percent of the royalties it receives each year from the medicines it develops to educational programs in Palm Beach County over a 26-year period, beginning in 2012. The new research facility will include a world-class bio-imaging center, laboratories, classrooms, offices and an auditorium. Hundreds of new knowledge-based jobs are expected to be created directly and indirectly by teaming with FAU and Scripps Florida. An economic model conducted by Palm Beach County estimated a financial return on investment of $1.2 billion in gross regional product, economic output and personal income over the next 20 years. This will be the 80th research institute operated worldwide by Max Planck, which employs more than 23,000 people. The Max Planck Society was founded in 1948 and has produced 16 Nobel Prize winners.
Fair Housing Student Poster, Essay & DVD Contest Winners to be Displayed During Upcoming Exhibit
In April, the Palm Beach County Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) in conjunction with the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches held its annual contest in celebration of Fair Housing Month. This year’s theme recognized the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and was titled “40 years…keeping the dream of fair housing.” The goal of the annual contest is to raise public awareness of the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, familial status, disability, national origin and gender and encourage fair housing opportunities for all citizens. The
OEO provides coordination of the four civil and human rights programs of Palm
Beach County government. These programs include the Equal Employment
Opportunity Program, Fair Housing Program, Handicap Accessibility Program, and
the Human Relations Camp that provides programs to encourage interracial and
intercultural understanding among high school students. Elementary School Poster Middle School Poster Middle School Essay High School DVD/Video Their work will be displayed at Palm Beach County recreation and nature centers. The specific locations and dates of the displays are:
July 11 to 27:
Daggerwing Nature Center, 11200 Park Access Road (South County Regional Park), Boca Raton
Green Cay Nature Center, 12800 Hagen Ranch Road, Boynton Beach
July 28 to August 1:
West Boynton Recreation Center, 6000 Northtree Boulevard, Lake Worth
Westgate Recreation Center, 3691 Oswego Avenue, West Palm Beach
August 2 to 11:
Okeeheelee Nature Center, 7715 Forest Hill Boulevard (in Okeeheelee Park), West Palm Beach
Join Fire-Rescue in Memorial 5K Run
Annas was an avid runner who was in the process of organizing this race when he died. Proceeds will go toward the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics Benevolent Fund. All county employees and members of the public are welcome to run. For more information, visit www.pbcfr.org/5krun.asp, or contact Richard Ellis at RELLIS@co.palm-beach.fl.us
Solid Waste Authority Makes Hazardous Waste Disposal Easy
County residents can take their household hazardous waste items to one of the Solid Waste Authority’s (SWA) Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers located throughout the county from Jupiter to Delray Beach. Visit www.swa.org for a complete listing of the items that are accepted at the collection centers as well as their locations and times of operations. Old electronics equipment such as televisions, VCR’s, stereos, computer monitors and computer CPU’s can also be taken to the collection centers where they will be sorted and hauled away by a certified electronics recycler. The electronics are stripped apart and all useful components are redistributed and recycled. This keeps these bulky items out of the landfill and helps to conserve valuable landfill space. For more information, contact the SWA at 697-2700.
|