Memorial Park's future is up for public input as Boca starts master planning
Also: Boca's interim city manager, U.S. 1 bus shelter closures and a library reading reward.
City Hall sits inside Memorial Park, and Boca wants to hear residents' ideas for the park before any plan goes to the City Council.
A six-month master plan for Memorial Park, led by council-selected Chen Moore & Associates, will study open space, veterans memorials, walking connections and community needs at the downtown park. Recommendations will go to the City Council for consideration, and no final design, layout or plan has been approved.
Residents can weigh in at public sessions on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2 to 4 p.m. at the Boca Raton Community Center; Nov. 17, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Spanish River Library; and Nov. 19, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. online, with details to come. An online survey runs in English and Spanish, and design charrette sessions follow Dec. 10 to 12 at The Studio at Mizner Park.
Boca breaks ground on a new Jeffery Street railroad crossing
The railroad crossing at NW 28th Street is being replaced. Its successor at Jeffery Street will run from NW 2nd Avenue to Federal Highway and give access to North Park, which is still under construction. The aim is to reconnect neighborhoods on the northeast side, help emergency response and improve how traffic moves.
The tracks are only part of the job. Crews will extend and widen the road, then rework signals, sidewalks, lighting, drainage and the intersections nearby. A federal award of $2 million will help cover the cost of the crossing project, with the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida East Coast Railway coordinating on the work. Construction is expected to start in November and finish in 2027. The city keeps a Jeffery Street project webpage for residents who want to follow along. Once it is done, the northeast side gets a new east-west route to Federal Highway.
CFO Jim Zervis steps in as Boca's interim city manager
Boca's new interim city manager has been running the city's money and three of its departments. As deputy city manager and CFO, Jim Zervis handled Boca's finances and supervised Utility Services, Management Services, and Public Works & Engineering. Council members approved a resolution naming him to the interim post after Mark Sohaney's resignation, and he now runs the city's daily operations.
Before Boca, he served as chief administrative officer of Kern County, California, overseeing a $3.5 billion budget there. He brings more than 20 years in local government leadership, including turns as a city manager and as a finance director.
"My focus will be on supporting our employees, maintaining continuity in City operations, and ensuring we continue delivering the services our residents rely on," Zervis said. City officials expect services to continue without interruption.
Bus shelter work on U.S. 1 means midday and overnight lane closures in Boca
One lane in each direction of U.S. 1 will close on and off between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and again overnight between 8 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., where the highway meets NE 20th Street and where it meets Spanish River Boulevard, from Nov. 9 through Nov. 13. The closures come from the U.S. 1 Bus Shelters Project, a 32.9-mile, $2.3 million state job stretching from Palmetto Park Road north to Northlake Boulevard that is set to begin Nov. 6.
Downtown, this week brings its own closure windows. Crews will close one southbound lane at times from Camino Real to SE 5th Street, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Signal work at Camino Real will also take a lane each way at times, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farther north, up to NE 8th Street and Mizner Boulevard, median work holds U.S. 1 to one lane each way from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays through late 2026.
A completed Read Up log is worth a $10 library bookstore gift certificate
The 2026 Read Up log gives a reading prompt for every month, from starting a series in January to a sports book in December, plus two bonus challenges. Hand a completed form to the front desk at the Downtown Library, 400 NW 2nd Ave., or Spanish River Library, 1501 Spanish River Blvd., between Nov. 1 and Dec. 9 to get a $10 gift certificate for the bookstore run by the Friends of the Library. Certificates can be used Nov. 30 to Dec. 18, exclude the GEM selection and don't combine with other offers.
Free drive-thru e-waste drop-off and document shredding on Congress Avenue Nov. 14
- When
- Saturday, Nov. 14 · 9 a.m. to noon
- Address
- 6500 Congress Avenue
- Price
- Free
Dead chargers and old laptops have somewhere to go on Saturday, Nov. 14. The city's Office of Sustainability and Police Services are running a free, drive-thru collection from 9 a.m. to noon at 6500 Congress Avenue.
Accepted: TVs other than CRT models, phones and tablets, computers and monitors, printers and keyboards, plus audio gear, cables and chargers. The city will also take batteries, light bulbs, small home electronics, medical equipment, and ink or toner cartridges. Household hazardous waste, radioactive materials, CRT TVs and monitors, and large appliances such as stoves, washers, dryers and dishwashers will be turned away.
Microshred Corporation will shred papers on site from its trucks at no charge. It is residents only, with no commercial participation, and each household gets up to five banker-sized boxes. Officers will also share tips on preventing identity theft, and the Office of Sustainability posts information at myboca.us/Take-Action.