At about 11:30A.M.Tuesday morning, while the salvage company was moving debris for the state

investigators a small fire flared up. Deerfield Fire responded with Engine 102 and Ladder 102

to put more water on the ruins. Deerfield Fire will begin manning an engine with off duty

personnel , at the property owners expense until further notice. Mayor Peggy Noland said “it’s

too dangerous to leave it this way”.  She said “the insurance carrier want to bring in their own

investigators and they can’t get here till Thursday”. When asked about a local TV station citing

a determination of arson had been made, Fire Marshall Gary Fernaays  said no ruling had been

made as of yet.  “Some of the media think that suspicious means arson”, it

doesn’t”.

CITY OFFICIALS DISCUSS SAFETY AT THE SITE

Crabby Jacks, at 1015 S.  Federal, in Deerfield Beach,  is the second restaurant this month in Rivertowne Square shopping center at SW 10th and Federal to have a fire.

People cruising by Sunday morning watched as it was burning down between 6:40 and 7:00 a.m. before someone finally called the fire in. Deerfield started rolling on the call at 7 a.m. and quickly called for back up from Pompano and Ft. Lauderdale.

There was a rumor going around town that maybe there was a “firebug” in the area because of a fire at Peking Tokyo Buffet on Aug. 12, which is still closed, less than a 1000 feet from Crabby Jack’s. That fire was a result of grease build up on and around the grill so when the employee fired it up there was a flash fire.

Quitoni from Deerfield fire said it took about 30 minutes to whack down the initial blaze.  BSO cleared out Denny’s next door because it was so hot.  Onlookers were coming by all day. The state Fire Marshall is investigating the fire and we should have an answer soon.

We will have the complete story in our Sept 1 issue of the Observer. To watch video of the Peking Tokyo Buffet fire on Aug 12 and the Crabby Jack’s fire go to ObserverTV and click on” latest videos”

PHOTO BY JEFF GRAVES

In late August and during September, the Board of Directors of the Deerfield Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will be considering a series of action requests pertaining to the reconstruction of the City’s International Fishing Pier. The project will include a new restaurant, a new bait shop, new expanded restrooms, and a new public observation deck. Earlier this year, a few plan modifications resolved objections from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The project team is currently in the process of obtaining local building permits and negotiating pricing contracts with the selected general contractor, Stiles Construction, as they obtain bids from various subcontractors.

Note: Special CRA meeting August 30, 6:30 p.m., Deerfield Beach City Hall, 150 NE 2nd Avenue, to discuss the pier and the consideration of purchasing 1601 East Hillsboro Blvd., Deerfield Beach (This building houses the Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce) as well as the CRA budget approval. Agenda here: Click to see the August 30 CRA Agenda.

The first signs of construction could be seen as early as mid-September, contingent upon CRA approval of an initial construction contract with Stiles. The initial contract will be for construction of a temporary access ramp out to the pier and a small building that will initially serve as a temporary bait shop and the pier manager’s office. These temporary facilities will allow for the existing buildings and the western portion of the pier itself to be demolished starting in October, again subject to contract approval. If approved in this manner, the new construction will get under way in November.

The site logistics plan map for the project shows, amongst other helpful information, where the temporary access ramp and the entry building would be located.

In 2009 a structural engineering analysis of the pier indicated that reconstruction, without delay, was necessary to ensure its safety. It has also been determined that the existing buildings do not meet current building codes, including safety requirements for emergency egress. During 2010 a series of public workshops resulted in new site and building plans that received unified community support, particularly for their environmentally-friendly design. A LEED Silver certification is the anticipated upon completion of the project, which is anticipated to be late 2012.

Questions regarding the pier project can be answered by Keven Klopp, CRA Director, at 954-480-4263 or kklopp@deerfield-beach.com.

For more information about this project, visit the project home page.

View project updates online at www.Deerfield-Beach.com.

Due to severe weather and dangerously high surf, the International Fishing Pier closed at 3:30 PM Thursday, Aug. 25. Weather permitting, the pier will re-open Friday morning. The beach is also closed to swimmers. Future updates posted on this website.

Hurricane Irene, now a category 3 storm, remains steady on the forecast track staying east of Broward. A tropical storm watch is in effect for the Atlantic waters off southeast Florida; however, no tropical storm watches are planned for land areas. Due to the close proximity of Hurricane Irene, marine interests should exercise caution until the storm passes. While a direct impact from Hurricane Irene continues to become less likely, peripheral impacts are expected. Residents should expect gusty winds and showers beginning Thursday morning. There continues to be a 25 percent probability of tropical storm force winds affecting Broward County. Rough surf and beach erosion is expected. Motorists should use caution when traveling the roadways and treat intersections without working signals as four-way stops. Travelers should check with their airline or cruise line for delays and cancellations. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reports that due to deteriorating conditions in the Caribbean there have been numerous cancellations in and out of the Bahamas today. The Broward County Emergency Operations Center remains at a monitoring level and emergency management officials continue to keep a close watch on Hurricane Irene. Residents should remain vigilant and stay tuned to TV and radio for updates.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

If Hurricane Irene leaves us alone, two varied movies opening this weekend will provide a fine diversion.

Don‘t Be Afraid of the Dark is a great date movie to end this summer’s blockbuster season. Chasing Madoff is an espionage documentary about the Gordon Gekko of our time, Bernie Madoff.

In the recent decade of irrational exuberance, money managers missed the signs of approaching doom. Much like ignoring hurricane warnings, people like Harry Markopolos warned the watch dog organization of Wall Street, the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). When Madoff’s financial abuse made front page news,  the SEC lost credibility with independent investors. The sins of Madoff have affected charitable fundraising on a local level.

Sometimes veering too much toward dramatic comedy, Canadian director Jeff Prosserman’s superficial approach deflates Harry Mark-opolos’ emotional sacrifice.  That said, this film simplifies Madoff and his Ponzi schemes, making a complicated financial con job approachable for the layman.

For the past decade, Guillermo Del Toro has directed some of the most consistently interesting motion pictures; starting with The Devil’s Backbone, both Hellboy movies and Pan’s Labyrinth. He has also produced the gothic thriller The Orphanage and this summer’s best monster movie Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

Based on a 1973 teleplay staring Kim Darby and Jim Hutton, “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” opens with a scary myth-making prologue, good old fashioned opening credits that foreshadow the plot structure and an entertaining balance between laughs and scares.

Vulnerable from the opening scene, Bailee Madison plays the disregarded daughter of Guy Pearce, a real estate speculator who is trying to sell the Blackwood Mansion. Dealing with dueling divorced parents is trauma enough, but little Bailee must contend with scurvy little demons under her bed at the Blackwood Mansion. Once awakened, these intelligent little devils need a human sacrifice to be placated.

The success of this motion picture weighs heavily on 9-year-old Madison, a Ft. Lauderdale native. Along with the nifty special effects, Madison holds her own with veteran actors Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark is good popcorn-eating Saturday Morning escapism.

Jordyn Griffith helps the Deerfield Beach Sharks win the state championship. Photo by Gary Curreri

By Gary Curreri

Jordyn Griffith has been playing softball for the past four years and knew this year would be special.

“I thought we would be good this year because we have a lot of good players and we work together as a team,” said Griffith, 10, who helped the Deerfield Beach Sharks 10-Under softball team win the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) ‘A’ state title with 9-2 victory over its arch rivals, the West Pines Diamond Dusters. “We are really good together. We don’t fight.”

Brooke Antonio’s two triples led the way for the Sharks in the title game as the local squad finished the year 73-4 and won 13 of the 15 tournaments they entered.

Griffith and the Sharks spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the country by USSSA. They also finished as the fourth-ranked team in the country.

“It is more pressure, but we play the same way we do and [don’t] let the pressure bother us,” Griffith added. “We rarely even brought it up. We just tried and had fun. I like it because it is fun and you get exercise when you run. It is a fun sport.”

The Sharks opened action in the state tournament, winning the first three contests by a combined 29-0 score. Amy Robbins, Sami Restrepo and Tiffany Saba starred at the plate in victories over St. Pete Fury, West Coast Vipers
and the Sunrise Thunder.

Deerfield Beach followed that up with a 3-2 victory over the Port Orange Blazers before downing Wellington Wild, 8-1, to advance to the championship round against the Diamond Dusters, which needed to defeat the Sharks twice for the title.

West Pines won the first game, 5-0. However, Deer-field Beach prevailed in the second contest, 9-2, to win the state title. Karissa Bauzon also had two hits in the final, while Brandi Antonio allowed just one hit in notching the win on the mound.

Coach Karla Antonio said they are a great bunch of girls.

“They are fun and always entertaining,” Antonio said. “They work very hard, and I can’t say enough about them. The parents are good too, which is very important. The kids are only 10. They have a lot of years ahead of them.”