Page 10 - Boca Exposure - October '20

Page 10, Boca Exposure
Festival of Arts Boca Announces

Virtual Youth Music Competition

For All Palm Beach And at an upcoming Festival of the Arts Boca
concert; second place will receive $3,000 and the
Broward County Students opportunity to perform at a sponsor appreciation
reception; and third place will receive $1,500.
Festival of the Arts Boca will host a virtual music The Schmidt Family Center for the Arts
competition open to Palm Beach and Broward County classical was formed with the goal of exposing young
string music students who are 18 years old and younger. children and their families to the fine arts. With
“Since its inception 15 years ago, Festival of the Arts Boca this in mind, education has always been a central
has supported our community and youth through various component of Festival of the Arts Boca. Thanks
outreach programs,” said Joanna Marie Kaye, director of the to the generous support of the Vegso Family
Festival of the Arts Boca. “During these challenging times, Foundation, the festival has established the Vegso
we are excited to expand our program to offer students much- Family Educational Initiative to enable ongoing
needed assistance and showcase some of the most talented educational activities. Each of our visiting artists
aspiring musicians in South Florida.” is encouraged to engage with students in some
Applications, to include a $25 donation to the festival way, whether it is through a school visit, open
and a link with a five to 15 minute video performance will be rehearsal, master class or direct collaboration.
accepted until Dec. 31 at www.festivalboca.org. Donations The festival also provides free tickets to student groups and Established in 2007, Festival of the Arts BOCA was
may also be made via check to Centre for the Arts at Mizner their families. designed to promote the cultural arts and to enrich the quality
Park to Festival Music Competition, 222 Yamato Road, Suite For more information about the competition, the festival’s of life of the residents of Boca Raton, North Broward and Palm
106-137, Boca Raton, FL 33431. educational efforts or to contribute, contact Joanna Marie Beach County.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three competitors. Kaye, executive director, at joanna@festivalboca.org or call For more information, visit www.bocafestival.org.
First place will receive $5,000 and the opportunity to perform (954) 646-8804.
Mayor’s Update:

Progress Report On Issues That Affect You

Scott Singer is the 35th Glades and I-95: Major improvements are coming Schools Progress: When Boca Raton students returned
Mayor of Boca Raton. to the intersection of Glades Road and I-95, one of the to campus this month, they saw the first of three brand new
A South Florida native, busiest interchanges in the area. The Florida Department school buildings in our city. Verde K-8 opened to a new
attorney, mediator, and of Transportation unveiled plans for a diverging diamond state-of-the-art facility, and work is underway on the new
small business owner, Scott interchange, the latest technology in traffic planning. The facilities for Addison Mizner Elementary School. Not only
and his wife, Bella, live in design eliminates left turns by having lanes crossover have these addressed crowding concerns, our students will
Broken Sound with their two each other with safe barriers. The plans are praised for have outstanding facilities. Spanish River High also had
young children. reducing crashes, cutting travel time, and saving taxpayer substantial upgrades during the closure, and plans for the
Hello, Neighbors. dollars. The design also can incorporate wider bike lanes new school, 05-C, on Military and Spanish River Boulevard
Thank you for your and more green space, by reducing its footprint and are being finalized. Roadway improvements were added at
continued efforts to stop height. Work should be underway in 2021. Verde and are underway at Addison Mizner ES to ease traffic.
the spread of COVID-19 to
speed our city’s recovery. Here is some good news on our
city budget and transportation improvements. Please stay
safe, stay positive, and stay connected with me on social
media at @ScottSingerUSA on all platforms. You can
also email me at ssinger@myboca.us with any questions,
thoughts, or to be added to my email newsletters.
No Tax Increase – Again: Despite millions in
additional costs with our COVID-19 response, and no
direct federal funding for them, I’m pleased to report that
the City of Boca Raton will yet again have no increase
in its millage rate, no increase in fire assessments, and
no increase in water or sewer rates. Our tax rate remains
one of the lowest of any full-service city in Florida, and
our costs of services for a median homeowner are far
lower than any other peer city in South Florida. We’ve
continued to invest in infrastructure, libraries, parks and
green space, technology to better make services available,
and in our first responders, including a new fire station
on Clint Moore Road to protect our residents. Here are
some further details on our transportation and roadway
upgrades.
Woodfield Safety: Residents in Woodfield Country
Club and nearby areas have been pleased to see the new
traffic signal being paid for and installed by the City
of Boca Raton at the north entrance on Clint Moore
Road. Although Clint Moore is a county road and traffic
warrants showed the need for the intersection, the county
did not pay for this improvement. As a result, the City
of Boca Raton is paying the entire cost from our budget
to ensure the safety of our residents and other drivers
on Clint Moore. The traffic signal should be open this
October, and possibly by the time you receive this issue
of the paper.
Brightline Grant: This month, the City of Boca Raton
received a federal grant that will save our taxpayers about
$1.5 million on the cost of our new downtown parking
garage next to the future Brightline station. The CRISI
grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, totaling
$16.35 million, should enable Brightline to accelerate
construction plans on the station. This will let Boca
residents and businesses reap the benefits of this major
transportation upgrade more quickly. Construction is
expected to start in early 2021 and be completed in
less than a year. Thanks to the bipartisan Congressional
delegation who secured these funds for Boca Raton, Sen.
Rick Scott, Sen. Marco Rubio, and Rep. Ted Deutch, as
well as our neighboring representatives Lois Frankel and
Mario Diaz-Balart, for their instrumental support.