May
19

Work ethic ‘building block’ for architect Jess Sowards

admin on May 19th, 2012


By Dennis Glade

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

DELRAY BEACH — In his 25th year with Currie Sowards Aguila Architects, Jess Sowards works on projects that vary from bridges to residential to governmental work both in the United States and abroad. As a senior architect, Sowards is involved with nearly all of the projects the firm takes on. Soward has worked on the recently completed Delaire Country Club Clubhouse renovation Boston’s on the Beach in Delray Beach.

Sowards was honored in 2004 with the Hillard T. Smith award by the Palm Beach Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for active leadership in community activity and service that was of direct benefit to the community. Sowards has been a member of the city’s board of adjustment and planning and zoning board, where he once served as chairman. He also is the immediate past president of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida American Institute of Architects.

Age: 51

Hometown: Pikeville, Ky.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Kentucky.

Family: Wife, Judy, and 15-year-old daughter, Madison.

Your organization: We have eight employees and our mission is to provide good service and quality design.

First paying job and what you learned from it? My dad owned a hardware store, so I grew up working there and I learned a great deal about work ethic. It’s the building block for everything. If you have good work ethic you can do almost anything you want to do.

What’s a typical day for you? I take my daughter to school and then I’m on the phone making my calls and working on design work.

How has your field changed and how is your organization adapting to that change? There’s a lot more governmental regulation, and that requires more detailed work from us. Also, quality of the construction documents has become greater than in the past and the expectations from the public and our clients have grown. We have to step up our game every year and we’ve got to be well versed and stay up on all the new codes and designs to stay on the cutting edge. We were one of the first firms to use Revit, a modeling information software.

What do you see for the future of Currie Sowards Aguila Architects? Better design work, we have won over 60 design awards and we were an AIA architecture firm of the year in 2000. We continue to build on our success in becoming service oriented and a creative design firm.

Best business book? I am reading Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer. It basically tells you how to tap into your creativity and that’s what we need. As far as business is concerned you need creativity in all aspects. Especially architecture.

Best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? Be honest. You have to provide a good service for a good fee and in that you will be rewarded. If you’re trying to be greedy, people know it, they see it. You have to be honest about what you’re doing.

What do you tell young people about your business? It’s a tough business and everyone thinks they’re an architect. Everyone should have an opinion about what we’re designing for them, that is important and we need to listen and be respectful of that, but at the same time it really becomes a challenge with some clients and their expectations about what we are creating for the cost. It’s a tough business and it takes a long time. Some projects will take years. You have to be personable and willing to bend and move with your clients. It’s like a marriage.

What do you see ahead for Palm Beach County? We’re on the cusp of bringing in the biotech companies and, with Office Depot, we really are a vibrant, livable community.

We have all worked together very hard to entice more outside corporations to come in and make this the best community in the world.

Power Lunch Spot? Caffe Luna Rosa in Delray Beach. I just love the food, and it’s on the beach.

What are you doing when you’re not at the office? Hanging out with the family, playing tennis or playing golf.

What is the most important trait you look for when hiring? Personality, work ethic and the vibe you get off people.

We hire a lot of young people, and it’s how they handle themselves. It’s a connection.

What’s their willingness to work late to meet the deadlines? How they hold themselves.

Article source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/work-ethic-building-block-for-architect-jess-sowards-2364080.html

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May
19

16292 Bridlewood Cir, Delray Beach, FL 33445 (MLS # R3283005)

admin on May 19th, 2012


Boca Raton Homes and Real Estate

Article source: http://bocanews.com/idx/mls-r3283005-16292_bridlewood_cir_delray_beach_fl_33445

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May
18

Waterfront a Hot Issue for Silberberg on the Campaign Trail

admin on May 18th, 2012

Democratic City Council candidate Allison Silberberg says Alexandria’s waterfront-area redevelopment plans top the issues citizens are asking her about as she traverses the city, according to a new profile piece in blog The Buried Lead.

“Every voter won’t even let me speak before they ask me about the waterfront,” she said. “I can’t even finish saying my name before they say: ‘What’s your opinion on the waterfront?’,” Silberberg told journalist Mark McHugh.

Silberberg wrote an opinion piece on the waterfront issue published in the The Washington Post saying: “Some aspects of the plan are well thought out, such as extending the path for walking and biking. But the large-scale development at the crux of the plan badly needs rethinking.”

The article also addresses Silberberg’s positions on the Del Ray Trolley, the controversial development of the Defense Department’s BRAC complex and her wish to see entrepreneurship classes taught at  T.C. Williams High School, among other things.

Silberberg is one of 14 Democratic City Council candidates whose name will appear on the June 12 primary ballot. Six of those 14 candidates will appear on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

For more Patch stories on this year’s election, follow @alexandriapatch and @delraypatch on Twitter and “like” Old Town Alexandria Patch and Del Ray Patch on Facebook.

Article source: http://delray.patch.com/articles/silberberg-says-citizens-express-concern-over-waterfront-on-the-campaign-trail

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May
18

Builder GL Homes showing new models west of Delray Beach

admin on May 18th, 2012


By Dennis Glade

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer


Updated: 7:09 p.m. Friday, May 18, 2012

Posted: 6:54 p.m. Friday, May 18, 2012

Despite a nationwide downturn that has crippled the housing market across
Florida, GL Homes is succeeding in a way that not even the company could
have predicted.

GL Homes will have a grand opening Saturday for nine new model homes at its
newest development, The Bridges. It expects nearly 1,000 people to attend
the event west of Delray Beach.

At The Bridges, where 600 homes are planned, 108 have been sold at an average
price of $700,000, said Jill DiDonna, division director for GL Homes. She
said the progress in 2012 is a pleasant surprise.

“We opened in February and that’s just one community and it’s indicative
of what is going on right now,” DiDonna said. “We expected the
market would respond well, but we didn’t expect it to explode the way it has.”

GL saw first-quarter revenue of more than $200 million with the sale of 503
homes. It sold 310 in Palm Beach County during the quarter.

DiDonna said the growth is across the board and not just the result of the
more affluent buying more homes.

“I think the biggest reason for their success is they are listening to
the brokerage community and they have done some focus groups to ask what
buyers are looking for,” said Chuck Luciano of Keller Williams Realty. “They
have a good reputation and they have stood by their product.”

The construction of the homes is creating jobs.

“If you go to any of our communities in Boynton, we have hundreds of
construction workers out there working and that will ripple across the
construction community,” DiDonna said.

“It’s not just the success of GL Homes; it’s everyone getting involved
and getting back to work and they are all happy and excited about what is
happening.”

Article source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/real-estate/builder-gl-homes-showing-new-models-west-of-2363891.html

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May
18

Palm Beach County property value estimates show small growth or slowing losses – Sun

admin on May 18th, 2012

Property values are growing again, even if it’s by the smallest amounts, and some local officials hope it could be the beginning of a noticeable recovery.

Preliminary numbers from the Palm Beach County Appraiser’s Office show that the decline in property values in Boca Raton and Delray Beach has turned around.

For the first time in a number of years, there’s the smallest increase — a fraction of a percent. In Boca Raton, values increased nearly a half-percent and, in Delray Beach, the city’s taxable property value grew by .15 percent, according to the county’s preliminary estimates.

In Boynton Beach, on the other hand, values continue to fall.

This year, Boca Raton raised its property-tax rate 4.3 percent and increased fire fees in order to generate more revenue. Higher property values mean the same tax rate next year will raise about $245,000 more, according to preliminary projections, Assistant City Manager Mike Woika said.

The county’s first projections are expected Wednesday.

Arguably, the tiny increases aren’t much more than a psychological boost.

“I’m glad to see it stop going into the red,” Delray Beach Mayor Woody McDuffie said, pointed out that property values had been dropping every year since 2007.

“I’m hoping it’s the end of an era,” he added.

Delray Beach, is still struggling with a budget shortfall, this held it property tax rate, took about $1.5 million from reserves, and took other cost-cutting steps.

When taxable values drop, cities often increase their tax rates to raise the same amount of money or more. South Florida property values tumbled by 53 percent from the 2006 peak to 2010, according to the real estate website Zillow.com.

And although assessed taxable value didn’t fall as fast as market values, the meltdown has meant that municipalities either slashed services, raised tax rates or both.

In Boynton Beach, real estate still is losing value, although at a slower rate. Preliminary projections show that the city’s tax base dropped 2 percent in the last year. But that number might improve in the final analysis, according to Finance Director E. Barrett Atwood Sr.

Overall, the taxable value of all property in Palm Beach County is projected to drop a little less than a half-percent this year, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office.

But that’s still better than previous years.

Since 2006, prices for existing single-family homes in Palm Beach and Broward counties fell by more than 50 percent, by most estimates. Condo values plummeted by more than 60 percent.

That’s had a huge impact on the taxable property value in each municipality.

In Boca Raton, that taxable value dropped 18.7 percent between 2008 and this year, with the steepest drop between 2009 and 2010.

With that in mind, Boca Raton‘s Woika said, he’ll take the latest numbers as a possible indication of better times.

“It’s certainly encouraging,” he said. “We’ve also been seeing an increase in some of these larger projects in the last six months.”

Still, Lenore Wachtel, a past chairwoman of the Federation of Boca Raton Homeowners Associations who’s lived in the city 42 years, said she finds it hard to get excited that this year’s tax rate could generate another $245,000.

“It’s not going to help us a lot,” Wachel said. “We’re not in a great situation yet.”

ageggis@tribune.com or 561-243-6624

Article source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/fl-taxable-values-rising-20120517,0,2405400.story

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May
18

Cinema Del Ray: ‘Rio’

admin on May 18th, 2012

The 2011 Blue Sky Studios animated film “Rio” will be shown outdoors and free of charge Saturday in the field next to Mount Vernon Recreation Center.

Attendees can start showing up at 7 p.m. with the movie scheduled to begin at dusk. 

Area Realtor Jen Walker sponsors the Cinema Del Ray screenings on the third Saturday of May, June, July and August.  

Attendees are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs to sit down and get comfortable for the movie. Pets are not permitted.

In “Rio,” a blue macaw named Blu is snatched from his native Brazil by smugglers before he learns to fly. By mistake, he ends up in Moose Lake, Minn., and is taken in by a bookstore owner named Linda. Later, it is found that Blu is one of the last of his species and he is taken back to Brazil by an ornithologist hoping to mate Blu with a female macaw named Jewel. Smugglers get into the mix again and, in the middle of Carnival, things get a little crazy.

The film features the voice talents of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, will.i.am, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Megan Lehmann wrote that the G-rated “Rio” is “a tropical-colored wingding that will have kids and their chaperones shaking a tail feather to its pulsating Latin beats.”

The film garnered a 2012 Academy Award nomination in the Best Original Song category for “Real in Rio,” written by Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett. The film grossed more than $484,635,760 at the box office worldwide.

Check out the attached trailer.

Article source: http://delray.patch.com/articles/cinema-del-ray-rio

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May
17

InZon Announces the Acquisition of American Visiontech Co. Ltd.

admin on May 17th, 2012

DELRAY BEACH, Fla., May 17, 2012 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) –
InZon Corporation


/quotes/zigman/374284/quotes/nls/izon IZON
+29.41%



(InZon) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of AVC Acquisition Corporation, the holding company of American Visiontech Co. Limited in the consideration of approximately 96% of the outstanding shares of InZon as of the closing date set forth in the agreement.

American Visiontech Co. Ltd. (AVC) is a fully owned subsidiary of AVC Acquisition Corp. engaged primarily in equity investment of biotech, green energy and communication technology area.

AVC is in the process of finishing the financial audit based on US GAAP standard. The acquisition will be closed and completed upon a satisfactory audit result and customary due diligence requirements.

About InZon Corp.

InZon currently has no operations.

The company is currently located at 238 NE First Ave, in Delray Beach, FL.

About American Visiontech Company Limited

America Vision-tech Co., Ltd (AVC) is a private company registered in British Virgin Island (BVI) that focuses in equity investment in public and private companies. The headquarters is in Los Angles, United States and corporate web site is

http://www.americanvc.com

AVC has several branch offices in the Asia Pacific region, mainly investing in high technology companies and high growth enterprises in various industries. It looks for Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) opportunities and also invests in Initial Public Offerings (IPO) opportunities.

AVC focuses on assisting Chinese companies to go public in the United States and Canada. AVC has a team of professionals bringing in valuable capital market experience for those Small and Medium Enterprises (SME).

Cautionary Note About Our Forward-Looking Statements

All of our statements that contain other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to our business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable federal securities law. Forward-looking statements may generally be identified by words such as “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “may,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “could,” and similar expressions. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 contains safe-harbor provisions for forward-looking statements, and we intend that our forward-looking statements be covered by those provisions.

Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual future results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Our ability to predict future results of current plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors that could have a material adverse effect on our future operations and prospects include, but are not limited to: competition, interest rates, changes in economic conditions, litigation, political and regulatory changes, the cyclical nature of the mining industry, technical issues inherent in the mining process, our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, the availability of capital and a change in demand for minerals produced. These risks and uncertainties should be considered when evaluating forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.

We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. More information concerning our business, including additional factors that could materially affect our financial results, may be found in our periodic filings with the SEC (
http://www.sec.gov ).

Investor Relations Contact:
Perfians Networks Corp.
416-847-7871 (phone)
ir@perfians.com

This information was brought to you by Cision

http://www.cisionwire.com

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire,
www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: InZon Corporation

http://www.cisionwire.com/inzon-corporation/r/inzon-announces-the-acquisition-of-american-visiontech-co–ltd- ,c9261458

(C) Copyright 2010 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/inzon-announces-the-acquisition-of-american-visiontech-co-ltd-2012-05-17

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May
17

Delray Beach Neighborhood Resource Center seeks to expand – Sun

admin on May 17th, 2012

The needs of the residents of Delray Beach have outgrown the Neighborhood Resource Center — a hub of social services in the heart of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

The city has plans to expand the center at 141 SW 12th Ave. Community Improvement Director Lula Butler said expansion plans are in an early stage. The city of Delray Beach is just starting to rezone the adjacent half-acre property, where it will add another building for the center.

“There’s a need to have additional services and resources,” Butler said.

The center houses the Delray Beach Community Land Trust, which provides affordable housing for qualifying families; C.R.O.S Ministries Community Food Pantry, which helps families apply for foods stamps and provides foods for families and the nearby Caring Kitchen; Goodwill, which provides assistance with jobs; and Legal Aid.

“The city has been very kind having us here,” said Juanita Bryant Goode, director of pantries and access programs for CROS Ministries. “But the space is limited and being able to have other agencies to offer more services would be great. Jobs are one of the biggest things we need help with.”

Bryant Goode said the new building would provide the space to partner with other organizations that can provide job training, have public computers for people applying for food stamps and jobs and provide more services to help struggling families stay afloat. Bryant Goode said it’s hard to measure the impact the center has on the community, but last year she said the center helped 1,700 clients.

“To be able to give people hope, you can’t measure that,” Bryant Goode said.

For the expansion, the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency donated two lots where a blighted apartment building once stood.

Butler said she hopes to have the new building completed in 14 months. She said she will be seeking Community Development Block Grants and city money to complete it.

Elizabeth Burrows, project coordinator for the Delray Beach CRA, said the center plays an important role in the redevelopment of the southwest neighborhood.

The city, CRA and residents developed a redevelopment plan for the area in 2003 and the CRA has been working on implementing it since.

A $1.7 million project was completed earlier in February along the Southwest 12th Avenue corridor from Southwest Fourth Street to West Atlantic Avenue and the Auburn Avenue neighborhoods.

The project included bus shelters, on-street parking, roadway resurfacing and reconstruction, sidewalks, landscaping, paver crosswalks and improved drainage as well as decorative street lights and roadway signage. The project was completed with $1 million Palm Beach County grant, $449,000 from the CRA, and $324,000 for construction from the Public Utilities Funds.

Burrows said the center is an integral part of redevelopment, focusing on the social infrastructure of the community instead of the hardware.

“Being able to create a facility where residents can go right there in the neighborhood and have access to multiple type of essential services has been critical in improving the quality of life there,” Burrows said.

meherrera@tribune.com or 561-243-6544

Article source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/delray-beach/fl-delray-neighborhood-center-20120517,0,3325993.story

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May
17

Trolley Meeting Scheduled for Saturday

admin on May 17th, 2012

Alexandria is holding a second public information meeting concerning expansion of motorized trolley service down Mt. Vernon Avenue at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning at Cora Kelly Recreation Center.

At the meeting, city officials will present an overview of the project and discuss preferred routing, hours of operation and headways.

In March, Alexandria’s Department of Transportation and Environmental Services revealed the proposed trolley route (see attached map) at a public meeting. At the time, members of the Arlandria-Chirilagua Business Association raised concerns that the proposed route didn’t go farther north into Arlandria.

A few weeks later, members of Alexandria City Council also expressed concerns about the route not going a few more blocks north. Councilmembers Rob Krupicka and Del Pepper also questioned the name of the line. The working title is “The Del Ray Trolley,” but the councilmembers said they’d like to see something more inclusive like “The Mt. Vernon Avenue Trolley.”

Arlandrian-Chirilagua Business Association representatives plan to be in attendance at Saturday’s meeting.

“As business owners, it will certainly be in our best interest to advocate for expanding the trolley route into Arlandria,” ACBA President Juan Nelson Zavaleta wrote in an email to members.

The issue has also popped up at recent City Council candidate forums. Democratic candidates Allison Silberberg and Boyd Walker have both said they believe the trolley should go farther into Arlandria.

“Not going three more blocks into the heart of Arlandria just wreaks of unfairness,” Silberberg said.

Article source: http://delray.patch.com/articles/trolley-meeting-scheduled-for-saturday

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May
17

Delray Beach named Best Small Town in Florida – Sun

admin on May 17th, 2012

Delray Beach is the Best Small Town in Florida, according to readers of Rand McNally’s “Best of the Road” website.

Although the Village-by-the-Sea would love to have claimed a bigger trophy, the 262 votes Delray Beach received — for categories such as Most Beautiful, Best For Food and Most Patriotic — left it far short of the 2,662 votes cast for Denton, Texas, which was named the Best Small Town in America.

Article source: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-05-16/news/fl-delray-best-small-town-20120516_1_delray-beach-florida-votes-cast

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