United Way's ride program is stretched thin after transit cuts
Ride counts, a bus contract, a data center vote, a new yacht and FireFest in Hobe Sound.
More than 2,800 rides in three and a half months. That is how hard the United Way's ride program has been working as buses stopped and disability transit shrank.
Ride United, the United Way of Martin County's ride program, has given more than 2,800 trips in the last three and a half months. Last year, the full total was over 7,600. That pace runs ahead of last year's total. Demand grew as other options fell away. In August, state budget cuts trimmed money for Community Coach, which helps disabled residents get around. Disabled riders younger than 70 lost that service and had to look elsewhere. Then MARTY buses stopped running. CEO Carol Houwaart-Diez said the new riders have strained the group's finances. United Way is now asking the community for support. For riders without a car, more of the load now sits on one charity's budget.
Anderson Middle's culinary class teaches kids to cook safely
Anderson Middle School in Stuart has the only culinary class among Martin County's middle schools. Students learn to cook, to use kitchen tools safely and to make healthy meals. The room recently got fresh stoves, fridges and dishwashers. Students also have new plates this year. Those who want more can keep going at Martin County High School. District officials say its culinary program ranks second in the state. For families, that makes a clear path from a middle school class to a high school program.
Stuart's Grand Banks yard unveils a 65-foot carbon-fiber yacht
Grand Banks, the Stuart shipyard behind long-range yachts for 70 years, is unveiling the 65 Skylounge. The new motor yacht fits between the company's 62 and 85 models. Its hull is carbon fiber. The yard's V-Warp method treats hull shape, materials and the build process as one system, meant to cut weight while adding strength. Hull, bulkheads, deck and superstructure tie directly into each other. At 10 knots, the yacht can travel 2,344 nautical miles.
County hopes MARTY buses roll again Oct. 19
Martin County commissioners on Oct. 13 approved a one-year emergency contract with MTM Transit to restore MARTY bus service. The deal runs roughly $3 million for that one-year emergency term. The county is aiming for Oct. 19, though Public Works Director James Gorton said he expects the restart sometime during that week. Until then, riders still have no MARTY buses. MTM ran the service here before. Under the emergency deal, it will rehire every bus driver and mechanic. The county will also start seeking bids for a longer contract of three years, with two optional one-year extensions. Commissioners also talked about suing Martin County Transit to recover costs, including the price of hiring the new operator.
Data center pause clears its first vote as a big application lands
Martin County commissioners voted unanimously on Oct. 13 to advance a one-year pause on new data centers. It is not final. Another vote is required, and the board is expected to return to the issue Oct. 27. The timing is notable: a large application arrived one day before the vote. It proposes a hyper-scale data center of more than 950,000 square feet on a Kanner Highway site west of I-95. No data center had been proposed before in the county's unincorporated area. Because it was filed ahead of the proposed pause, the measure would not apply to it. So even if the moratorium passes, the Kanner Highway project moves on its own track.
FireFest lights up Jonathan Dickinson State Park on Oct. 17
- When
- Oct. 17 · 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Where
- Jonathan Dickinson State Park
- Address
- 16450 S.E. U.S. 1, Hobe Sound
- Price
- $6 per vehicle (up to eight people)
The 20th annual FireFest runs 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 17 at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. The lineup mixes live demonstrations and music with hayrides, swamp buggy tours of the park, ghost tours and a spooky trail. Pumpkin patches, a bounce house, campfires and food trucks round out the day. Park admission is $6 per vehicle, covering up to eight people, and carpooling is recommended. Organizers point to friendsofjdsp.org for more.