Periodic column on companies that grew up with our community

By Karen Lustgarten

When she was 13, Adolphine “Dodie” Keith remembers heading out on survey and mapping jobs with her father, William “Bill” Keith, along with his crew and watching how the work was done for construction projects.

Mr. Keith began making a mark on South Florida in 1956 when he joined the Broward County Engineering Department as a surveyor. Then, in 1972, he started the engineering firm Keith & Schnars. It would become synonymous with Broward’s growth.

His firm helped plan Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and bought the land and developed the route for the Sawgrass Expressway. It was responsible for planning Parkland and the redevelopment of Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach and Boca Raton. They surveyed 390 miles from Florida to Georgia and bought 4,000 parcels of land for a Florida Power & Light transmission line.

In 1998, Mr. Keith established Keith & Associates, his own Pompano Beach-based civil engineering, planning, surveying firm. Daughter Dodie grew up to become a professional surveyor and mapper working in that capacity for her father.

By the time Mr. Keith died in 2006, he had spent his life working towards the development and improvement of the south Florida community and giving back to it, helping improve the county’s infrastructure and way of life. Dodie Keith-Lazowick succeeded her father as company president and managing principal.

Under her leadership, KEITH, as the firm has been rebranded, has grown to include civil engineering, surveying and mapping, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), urban & comprehensive planning, landscaping, permitting, construction management and construction engineering inspection.

“I work in the development field, so believe growth is good,” she said. “Dad always taught me respect for the community. I try to make projects better for both the residents and the city.”

The Ft. Lauderdale airport, a key KEITH client since her father’s early days, is a case in preservation. A huge African Baobab tree was set to be cut down when a new airport runway was being planned. Dodie proposed a slight redesign shift in the runway plans that preserved the historic tree.

Dodie helped draft the Pompano Beach 2020 business plan and Mayor Fisher’s stimulus task force. Her firm helped raise funds and advocated to pass the Pompano Beach bond referendum for capital improvement projects that will revitalize the city.

KEITH is at work on several major construction projects you are witnessing around Pompano Beach to revitalize the city. Successful advocates for permitting and approvals, staff has coordinated the site plan approval process through the city and provided civil engineering design, project management, permitting coordination, planning, surveying, construction management, infrastructure convergence and roadway improvements, assessments and recommendations.

Among the projects you notice are the following: the pedestrian-friendly Pompano Beach Blvd. streetscape, Old Pompano Area streetscape improvements, as part of the Downtown Connectivity Plan, MLK Jr. Blvd. streetscape improvements, MLK Blvd., the Pier Parking Garage, John Knox Village and in-kind site design services to preserve the Sample-McDougald historic House/Museum.

Coming up: The new Mullet Alley — turning an existing parking lot in the Old Pompano area into a lively plaza — awaiting the site plan design and development approval.

“I enjoy Pompano Beach. It has a different feel than other cities and we want our own distinct city identity in South Florida,” says Dodie. “Pompano Beach is a community-based and family-oriented place. Our parks and roadway projects, for example, help give our city its own identity as a community.”

As a business community leader, Bill Keith was committed to causes he cared about such as the Broward Urban River Trails and homelessness. He was founding chair of Broward Partnership for the Homeless helping people stabilize their lives. Dodie is the 2018 board chair and a fundraiser.

Dodie’s son Alex and daughter Elizabeth serve as third generation professionals at KEITH. Alex Lazowick, a civil engineer, is executive vice president, and Elizabeth, with a marketing degree, is corporate manager, overseeing more than 100 employees in five state offices. They are committed to the company values established by their grandfather and mother. With young children of his own, Alex sits on the board of the Parks Foundation of Broward County, raising funds for Broward County parks.

The business transition plan has the 3rd generation taking over KEITH with Alex stepping into his mother’s role as president, “so, hopefully, I can sit on Pompano Beach watching the sunrise,” said Dodie.

Karen Lustgarten is president of Multi-Media Works, a multiple award-winning media company specializing in video, PR, print and social media with offices in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. She founded a newspaper in Washington, DC, was a syndicated columnist and a bestselling author. www.multi-mediaworks.com

The City of Hillsboro Beach has rescinded the Boil Water Order, which went into effect on 10/8. The reason for the order is that there was a main break. It is ok to use your water without boiling it now, according to the water department.

By Rachel Galvin

From Sept. 28 to 30, the Pompano Beach Senior High School Class of 1968 held its 50th reunion, including a school spirit night ice breaker and dinner dance with music from 1965 to 1968. Mr. & Mrs. 50th Reunion were recognized – George Gardner and Sue (Colton) Franklin, said Cherryl Cook, one of the organizers of the event. Some of those attending the reunion also made a Sunday trip to the Hillsboro Lighthouse, leaving their home base of the Pompano Beach Marriott and heading by trolley over to see the landmark and take a tour happily provided by Ben, who portrays the Barefoot Mailman.

Visitors could also climb the 175 stairs up to the top to get a great view on a perfectly beautiful day.

The group who had assembled posed on the stairs to the entrance of the lighthouse, which have new railings that were just put in to match the original design (based on old blueprints, etc) from 1906, with materials donated by Skyline Steel. This was one such renovation recently made to the lighthouse. Among other things, they just replaced 48 tie rods and turnbuckles that were devastated by last year’s Hurricane Irma. They fixed it using a brand new process, said President of the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society Ken Herman.

The lighthouse is the most powerful continuous public lighthouse in the world, according to Herman. Want to visit the lighthouse? Their next event is on Barefoot Mailman Remembrance Day, Oct. 13. Find out more at www.hillsborolighthouse.org.

The City of Deerfield Beach would like residents and visitors to be aware that water samples retaken on Thursday, Oct. 4, by Broward County in coordination with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), show low concentrations of naturally-occurring red tide. The county will collect additional samples next week, Monday and Wednesday, and they will overnight the samples to FWC to continue monitoring the concentration levels of the algae bloom.

To take a look at the FWC map containing the levels of concentration, please visit: http://myfwc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=87162eec3eb846218cec711d16462a72.

In the meantime, the city will continue to fly Red and Purple flags, which indicate high hazard water conditions, and marine pests. Ocean Rescue has also added “Red Tide” to the boards on the lifeguard towers, and new signage indicating Red Tide will be displayed at the beach on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Also, in an abundance of caution, the International Fishing Pier will not allow angling and will be closed to the public Friday and Saturday between 12 and 6 a.m.

According to FWC, the concentrations observed in this area are much lower than the high concentrations observed on the Gulf coast.

Red tide has been documented in Florida since the 1840s and can be transported around the Gulf of Mexico as coastal waters move with winds and currents. Some red tides have even been carried by the Gulf Stream current into the Atlantic Ocean as far north as Delaware. Since the early 1950s, red tide has been documented on the east coast eight times.  Red tides on the east coast are rare and typically last for shorter durations than those on the Gulf coast.

Health and Safety

Some people experience respiratory irritation (coughing, sneezing, tearing and an itchy throat) when the Florida red tide organism, K. brevis, is present and winds blow onshore. Offshore winds usually keep respiratory effects experienced by those on the shore to a minimum. The Florida Department of Health advises people with severe or chronic respiratory conditions, such as emphysema or asthma, to avoid red tide areas.

For more information on Red Tide, residents and visitors are encouraged to call 1-866-300-9399 or visit http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/faq/

By Lois Crockett

Three “Moscatoteers” and a Beer Drinker walked into the brightly lit, clean Crown Fine Wine & Spirits store in Ft. Lauderdale (1030 NE 15 Ave.) to attend a wine tasting and have some fun.

Upon first walking in, the two gents at the cash registers were there to sign you in, give you a wine list and tiny golf pencil along with a wine glass and send you on your way to explore the wonderful world of wines.

Crown wine tastings are set up with several numbered stations throughout the store. On Friday night, Sept. 28, there were six. Each station has several wines and the sommeliers are knowledgeable and generous pourers.

Wines are discounted 15 percent, which can be quite a windfall if you’re considering a $79.99 bottle of wine. Being the Three “Muscatoteers” (Wine for All and All for Wine), the first thing we did was scope out the priciest bottle and make a beeline for a taste of Rodney Strong’s Crown Cabernet Sauvignon. There aren’t enough oh’s in smooth to describe the taste.

We clicked with the sommelier, Keith Hill at Station No. 2. We enjoyed the Etude Pinot Noir and a couple of other samples. Treated to small slices of bread to cleanse our palate (and glass, if you’re that picky), we were treated to cheeses, jams and myriad treats carried by the store for gift items or go-togethers for get-togethers.

The Three “Moscatoteers” and the Beer Drinker tripped lightly onto the station featuring Moscato wines …. light, fizzy, exceptionally pleasant and refreshing; we enjoyed imbibing such delightfully lovely wines. Across the way was “The Big Gun:” the $79.99 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cab is the preferred choice for sophisticates, although blends merit a taste and can be interesting as well. We learned red wines can and should be aged, white wines new, within a year or two for best taste.

Finally, we tried the Frosé, think 7-11 slurpy tricked out as a rose wine. Sweet, light, and bracing — this was the highlight of my pink night and even my red wine loving companions were encouraged to take a taste — and loved it!

In all, we sipped, swilled, shrilled and thrilled our way through the tasting and brought home delicious delights to be enjoyed at home. The Beer Drinker is starting to love wine. See you next time!

[To find a Crown Wine Tasting near you, see ad below.]

By Gary Curreri

Jaylan Knighton put in a good night’s work as he ran for a school-record 348 yards on 26 carries and four touchdowns as Deerfield Beach topped Taravella, 44-8 at Coral Springs High last Thursday night.

The 5 ft. 11 in., 190-lb. junior eclipsed the Bucks’ previous single-game record of 332 yards which was set by Marc Renaud against Northeast on Nov. 9, 1991, in just one half of the football game.

Knighton said he didn’t even know that he was on the brink of a history making performance. He hoped to be the Bucks’ single game record holder before he graduated.

“I always wanted to do that,” Knighton said after the game. “It was one of my goals and I accomplished it.

“In the fourth quarter, my coach told me I needed 20 more yards to break the record,” Knighton added. “I pushed and with two carries broke the record. I want to thank my offensive lineman and team for pushing me every day in practice.”

Knighton’s yardage tied him for sixth all-time in Broward history with LeCorey Robey of Flanagan set against Ft. Lauderdale in 2004. The county record is 405 yards set by Sheridan Hills’ Frainy Alfrena in a 2008 game against Highlands Christian.

“He deserves this because he has put in the hard work,” said Deerfield coach Jevon Glenn, whose team improved to 6-0, 2-0 in district and extended its consecutive victories in district play to 17 over four seasons.

“If you think about the incredible backs that we had here at Deerfield Beach, Renaud, Steve Feagin and Brandon Powell just recently,” Scott continued, “to set himself at the top of those names, it’s an accomplishment that I’m very proud of.”

The Bucks will face a difficult test this Friday as they host St. Thomas Aquinas.

Taravella, which entered the game with a 1-0 record in the district and 3-1 overall, pulled to within 12-8 on a Logan Rubin 29-yard scoring pass to Vantraveous Williams. It was all Deerfield after that. The Bucks defense also stepped up big as it intercepted Taravella on four of five pass attempts in the second half.

The Bucks finished the game with 554 yards, while Taravella was held to 121 total yards, 25 coming on the ground.

The Bucks led 24-8 at the half with two scores from Knighton of 16 and 56 yards. The other was a 26-yard pass from Derohn King to Bryce Gowdy. King also tossed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Williams. Brandon Dorlus added a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

Foster, Mascatello, Smith team for win in PBMGA

The trio of Jim Foster, Bob Mascatello and Willie Smith, their blind draw partner, shot a 121 and took top honors in the Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association tournament on Sept. 26 at the Pines Course at Pompano Municipal Golf Course.

The team won the two best ball of threesome tournament on a match of cards with a back nine score of 60.

The team of Pete Strychowskyj, Max Walker and Roy Wilhoite also shot a 121, however they shot a total of 64 on the back nine to finish second. The team of Chuck Brown, Bart Valerio and their blind draw partner, Bob Mascatello, shot a 123 to finish in third as they also won a match of cards with a back nine score of 60.

The closest to the pin winner was Joe Patchen.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

In the motion picture industry, the last weekend in September features box office doldrums. Halloween season is starting to rev up, while some of the summer blockbuster movies enjoy their final big screen moments on the smaller screen. This is why for the past six years I have departed Deerfield to attend “Adventures in Charity” in Orlando.

The Adventurers Club in Disney World opened when Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was playing on the big screen, circa 1989, and closed when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released in 2008. A controversial business decision, Disney made plans to convert Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. The plan was successful, though many Adventurers Club members were displaced. [The Adventurer’s Club was a themed nightclub in Pleasure Island with theatrical entertainers in this part of Disney World]. Nature abhors a vacuum and for four years, there were reenactments. However, it wasn’t until 2013 with the creation of Adventures in Charity, that I started making the pilgrimage to the Holiday Inn Resort by Lake Buena Vista to attend. The show was so good that my 94-year-old mom has joined for the last five years.

Under Chairman Robert Croskery’s financial leadership and the dedicated attention of the Adventures in Charity Board, the Adventurers Club lived on, but with the mission of helping charities. This year, they raised $25,000, more than double the amount of the previous five individual charity event totals. Proceeds benefited the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Texas Civil Rights Foundation, the Actors Fund, the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation and the Dravet Foundation.

Each year, this author donated “A Cinema Dave Adventure Pack” which featured my four published books and various unique artifacts from “The Cave of Cinema Dave” [Dave’s house], including a mini crystal head vodka bottle autographed by Dan Aykroyd.

With budget limitations, cast member Graham Murphy scripted an adaptation of club bits and featured songs. This was a true Ma & Pa operation as Graham’s wife Emily filled in as secretary/event decor and swag coordinator. The spirit of adventuring lived on.

Adventurers in Charity ran its full course last Saturday night, almost to the day of the 10 year anniversary of the original club’s closing. It was still a bittersweet moment, as many of us accepted that our club has now folded; tears were shed.

Still, being a true adventurer, there had to be one last act of defiance. Last Sunday at 1 p.m., a flash mob of 21 adventurers visited “The Edison,” the steampunk replacement artifice of our beloved club. On cue, we all sang a rousing version of the Adventurers Club all-purpose theme song. Our building and our annual charity weekend are history, but the spirit of the Adventurers Club lives on…

The Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival will be born again this Nov. 2. There will be an emphasis upon Florida locals. While Connie Francis has already been announced, Cindy Morgan (Caddyshack) and Woody Woodbury have been added to the list of attendees. Woodbury owned a nightclub in Ft. Lauderdale 45 years ago and made movies with Fred MacMurray, Ernest Borgnine, Jerry Lewis and baseball legends Mickey Mantle & Roger Maris. Expect the spirit of adventure this FLIFF season. For more info., visit www.FLIFF.com.

By Gary Curreri

Juniors Jaylan Knighton and Derohn King helped make quick work of host Coral Springs as nationally ranked Deerfield Beach rolled past the Colts, 55-6 at James Caldwell Stadium.

“They came out and excited very well and made the most of the short time they played,” said Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn, whose team is ranked 37th nationally by MaxPreps. “They both only played the first half as we were up 49-6.”

The Bucks, which face Taravella this week, have outscored the opposition 174-46 this season and host No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas on Oct. 5. The teams have split their past four meetings with the Raiders winning 14-0 last year. Glenn was pleased with his team’s effort against the Colts.

“We did what we were supposed to do,” Glenn said. “I was pleased with our execution and was happy to get the backups and young guys a chance to play the entire second half.”

King was 11 for 17 passing for 153 yards and five TDs in one half of action. He has 12 TDs in his last four games. Knighton had 10 carries for 239 yards and two scores.

Szklany repeats as Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Week

Embry-Riddle cross country’s Ryan Szklany earned his second straight Sunshine State Conference Runners of the Week award.

Szklany set a personal-best for the Eagles at the Mountain Dew Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida.

Szklany, a freshman from Lighthouse Point, etched his name into the ERAU men’s cross-country record books with a time of 24:51.6, becoming the seventh-fastest runner in program history. Szklany’s time of 24:51.6 put him ninth overall and made him the top non-DI finisher. Szklany helped lead the Eagles to the non-D1 team title, making the Blue and Gold 2-for-2 in 2018.

Szklany finished third overall in his first-ever collegiate race, leading the Eagles to the team title when he clocked a 26:26.41.

Teammate Sarah Edens also earned her second straight Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Week award when she ran the third-fastest time in program history, a 17:30.69, bettering her previous career-best time by nearly a minute (18:22.61 at Sand Shark Invitational – Oct. 22, 2016).

HCA Family Fitness Day planned

Highlands Christian Academy is planning its annual Family Fun Fitness day for Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

They will have vendors and assorted challenges. They will have a 20-minute fitness class starting at 10:15 a.m. followed by a 20-minute walk/run at 11:10 a.m. The event will close with challenge winners being announced at 11:30 a.m.

By Gary Curreri, Correspondent

Former Deerfield Beach High and University of Michigan quarterback Denard “Shoelace” Robinson was all smiles as his No. 16 jersey was retired at halftime at the annual McDougle Bowl.

By then, current Deerfield Beach quarterback Derohn King had tossed touchdown passes on the first three series of the game as the Bucks seized a 32-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 46-0 win over neighborhood rival Blanche Ely on Saturday night.

“I am blessed to get my jersey retired,” said the 27-year-old Robinson, a 2009 Deerfield Beach grad who played collegiately at the University of Michigan and played from 2013-16 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He became just the second Bucks player to have his jersey retired joining Stockar McDougle in the exclusive club. McDougle had his jersey retired in 2005.

“This is my community and I always come back and give back and they always show me love,” he added. “They ain’t going to wait until I am dead.they showed me love now and I appreciate it.”

King, a junior who transferred from Piper, threw scoring passes of 57 yards to Donte Banton, 23 yards to Deajaun McDougle and 68 yards to Bryce Gowdy. Vgor Fiuza connected on a 35-yard field goal and Jaylan Knighton added a 1-yard run for a 32-0 lead with 1:51 left in the half for the state’s top-ranked Class 8A team by Associated Press and the nation’s 24th ranked team by MaxPreps. King has tossed seven TD passes in the past two weeks.

Knighton added a 43-yard scoring run on the first series of the third quarter to up the lead to 38-0 and force a running clock. Miles Dickens recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown with 2:50 remaining for the final margin. Knighton also had a strong game with 16 carries for 148-yards.

Deerfield Beach (4-0) leads the series against Blanche Ely 22-16, winning the last seven times after Ely (1-3) was able to win three consecutive games from 2009-11. The Bucks, who won last year’s contest 55-8, have outscored the Tigers 240-41 during that span.

“In certain points in games like this, we need to play against ourselves,” Deerfield coach Jevon Glenn said. “This was a game of importance because it’s a neighborhood rivalry.”

Deerfield Beach wasted little time in taking a 7-0 lead as King found senior wide receiver Banton on a 57-yard scoring toss on the game’s third play with 10:50 left in the first quarter. It was the only score the Bucks needed.

Retired NFL players and brothers Stockar and Jerome McDougle have hosted the McDougle Bowl for seven years. Stockar McDougle (1996 Deerfield Beach grad) and Jerome McDougle (1997 Blanche Ely grad) are also heavily involved in the community.

They typically handed out $1,000 scholarships to the MVPs from each team for the game; however, this year, they decided to donate the money to Blanche Ely sophomore Wilbens Morissaint, who is making progress in rehab after suffering a severe neck and back injury in a high school football game in August.

The Bucks finished 8-3 last season and was an upset loser to Western in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs.

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Museo and Love, Gilda open this weekend. While both are diverse movies, both movies present pure drama with a touch of comedy, a dose of thrills and maybe a few tears.

A hit at the Berlin Film Festival, Museo is a film with international acclaim set in Mexico. It is the holiday season and Juan Nunez (Gael Garcia Bernal) is bored with simmering anger. Observing the lax security at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, Juan recruits his friend Benjamin (Leonardo Ortizgris) to rob the museum on Christmas Eve.

With relative ease, Juan and Benjamin steal over 140 treasures and artifacts. The heist becomes an international sensation in 1985, for many of the stolen objects are priceless artifacts from the Mayan culture. Due to the notoriety of the crime, the young criminals have a hard time trying to fence the objects for payment.

Unlike the film noir conventions of The Asphalt Jungle or Heist, Museo presents a travel log of adventure. The stolen artifacts are presented as shimmering treasures that are misused by the crooks. One scene of debauchery features Juan drinking alcohol from a cup that may have been used by Montezuma. Montezuma’s revenge is not presented, but Museo reaches a thought-provoking and satisfying climax.

RE: Love, Gilda — It was post Halloween in 1975 and Channel 12 WPEC presented too many commercial interruptions of Son of Frankenstein on Creature Feature. Frustrated, I switched the dial and tried this new show, Saturday Night Live. Candice Bergen was the guest star, with a new cast of unknowns (known as The Not Ready for Prime Time Players). Among the unknowns, there was Gilda Radner, who appeared both vulnerable and tough enough to take a funny pratfall.

Gilda Radner died a month short of her 43rd birthday from Ovarian Cancer and young people today may just know her because a sick relative may visit Gilda’s Club for comfort. However, this new documentary, Love Gilda, presents videos of what made this comedian so successful, respected and loved.

Through home movies, we see a chubby girl from a well-to-do Jewish family in Detroit. Using comedy as a defense for her insecurities, Gilda becomes the class clown and excels in performing. Moving to Canada, Gilda finds work on the musical Godspell (despite her initial inability to sing) and is noticed by the Second City and National Lampoon comedy troupes. Using her personal diary as a narrative thread, Love Gilda is not just a celebration of her life. Through laughter, Love Gilda shows how one can achieve victory over his or her own mortality.