The “Rocky Horror Show” Cast Salutes Our New King &Queen Of
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OCTOBER 24 -30, 2019 The “Rocky Horror Show” Cast Salutes Our New King & Queen of Fantasy Fest 2019! King Ryan Acker Queen Karen Frank-Noll Florida Keys 3-9 • Upper Keys 10-12 • What's Happening 14 • Real Estate 24 Photos: Virginia Wark & Guy DeBoer • Cover: JT Thompson FLORIDA KEYS City Closes Notorious Transit Driver of the Cosmetics Shop for Quarter Ten Days ean Vertus has been named Driver Jof the Quarter by Key West Transit. ity Manager Greg Veliz ordered of sidewalk protest by local consum- Vertus began his career with the Ca ten days business license sus- er action group The Key West Rip-Off City of Key West in 2006 as a tran- pension against Oro Gold, 518 Du- Rapid Response Team for bad business sit fleet helper, washing and cleaning val Street, during a Suspension/Re- practices. The group has made several buses. In 2011 he advanced to bus vocation hearing at city hall on Oct monetary recoveries to consumers who operator. 17, Thursday morning. The business were cheated after false claims and high “Vertus values the opportunities owners Nir Chen and Zohar Alon pressure sales tactics. he has had and shows his appreci- were warned any future code viola- Rip-Off Team spokesperson Tevis ation daily,” said Transit Director tions would close their business in Key Wernicoff said, “We’re encouraged the Rod Delostrinos, “by providing ex- West. The suspension was ordered to new city manager is getting tough on cellent customer service and driving start at 2PM on Oct 17, Thursday. serial code violators and willing to sus- the bus in a safe manner for our pas- Oro Gold has a long history of con- pend their license. The city needs to sengers. He really understands the sumer complaints, citations and repeated come down hard because the cosmetics value of hard work in order to be fines for violating Key West City Code. shops have a horrible track record here successful and is dedicated to doing Driver Jean Vertus and Transit Oro Gold has also been the target in Key West. We are better than this!” n a good job.” n Director Rod Delostrinos. GET IT Stunning design. TODAY Worry-free installation. Coastal CHIC AT Amazing results! featuring FLOORING by Mohawk: FURNITURE Carpet INTERIOR DESIGN Wood & Laminate WINDOW TREATMENTS specializing in KITCHENS & BATHS Ceramic & Porcelain Tile FLOORING Call 305-481-1790 to schedule a complimentary in-home consultation, or stop by any of our three stores: KEY LARGO MARATHON KEY WEST 305-451-5700 305-743-4397 MM 50 Oceanside 305-295-6400 MM 99 Median www.RoyalFurnitureAndDesign.com Searstown by Publix 2 www.konklife.com • OCTOBER 24-30, 2019 K E Y N E W S Expensive energy savings promised at new City Hall falling short BY PRU SOWERS in Keys Energy bills, are only pro- which optimizes the solar collection stalled on the roof of City Hall so as to KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER ducing 10 kilowatt hours per month, but requires an expensive steel support be out of sight. Several residents in the reducing the monthly bill by about system instead of a flat installation on neighborhood had complained about hen Key West $1,100, Justice said. the existing City Hall roof, the city the tilted array structure, resembling Wwas awarded the “On average they provide 20 percent paid considerably more than it had to a carport, in the back part of the City LEED Platinum energy of the power that’s consumed in this in order to get solar energy benefits. Hall parking lot. But they were told conservation certifica- facility on a day to day basis,” he said, “The difference between that [tilt by then-City Manager Jim Scholl and tion in November 2018 standing at the podium in City Hall. structure], which is a more expen- project architect Bert Bender of Bender for the design of the renovated City The two arrays cost approximately sive-type installation, and laying them & Associates Architects that it would Hall, it was cause for celebration, earn- $686,000 to build but that cost was flat on the roof is about four percent cost between $800,000 and $1 million ing the highest LEED ranking among reduced by a $240,000 contribution annually in [energy] production. It’s in- to change the location to the roof. only three city halls in the United from Keys Energy. They were sup- significant for the increased cost to do it At last week’s meeting, commission- States that have earned the coveted posed to pay for themselves in about the way we did,” Justice said. ers were still interested in exploring platinum award. 20 years by reducing electricity bills. Three city commissioners had ar- the use of solar power on city-owned But, as the city’s former energy man- If the 10-kilowatt hour production gued in August 2016 against installing buildings, including the recently-pur- ager reported recently, it may have been cannot be increased, it will take closer the second solar array in the parking chased former Citizens newspaper a little too soon to pop the champagne to 50 years to pay off the investment. lot. Commissioners Margaret Romero, building and the new transit building cork. Promised savings from both the When city commissioners inquired Richard Payne and Billy Wardlow asked solar panel array installed in the City about boosting that output by install- why the second array couldn’t be in- X Continued on page 4 Hall parking lot and the in-ground ing a third solar panel array at City water conservation cistern system are Hall, Justice was not encouraging. coming in well below expectations. “Given that it would increase our Terrence Justice, recently named the savings on the solar to the tune of Key West Chief Building Official, had $500, $600 a month, the simple pay- been the city’s energy manager since back investment looks something 2017. He made the energy manager’s along the lines of 52, 53 years; not very annual report to city commissioners at supportable from a financial stand- their Oct. 16 meeting and had some point,” he said. startling – and dismaying – informa- Justice pointed out that in pursu- tion. First, the two solar panel arrays ing a LEED Platinum Certification, in the parking lot that were supposed the highest possible, the city paid for to provide 100 percent of the electric what he called the “Rolls Royce” of requirements of the new City Hall, expensive solar panels. In addition, saving approximately $6,000 a month by choosing to install them at a tilt, 3 www.konklife.com • OCTOBER 24-30, 2019 o c t o b e r 24 - 30, 2 0 1 9 FLORIDA KEYS Published Weekly Vol. 9 No. 95 Key West Art & Historical Society PUBLISHER/EDITOR Guy deBoer Announces Perpetual Groove NEWS WRITERS Pru Sowers Terry Schmida Concert Tickets Now on Sale ickets are now on sale for an evening of live PHOTOGRAPHERS Tmusic starring legendary “jam band” Perpetu- Ralph DePalma, Bill Klipp, Guy deBoer al Groove with opening act The Happy Dog, pre- DESIGN sented by Key West Art & Historical Society via its Nand K. Pandey, [email protected] popular Music at Martello series. Set for Decem- ber 12, 2019 on the grounds of historic Fort East PIXEL WRANGLER Martello, 3501 S. Roosevelt Blvd., doors will open JT Thompson at 6:00pm with The Happy Dog band starting at CONTRIBUTORS 7:00 followed by headliners PGroove. Jeff Johnson & Perpetual Groove, known for a sound that fus- Paula Forman es Southern rock, funk, jazzy improvisation, indie Short Answers rock and synth loops, and whose hits include “Save their newly released self-titled album. General ad- Ian Brockway for One,” “Mr. Transistor,” “Three Weeks,” “Teak- mission is $25; children under 12 admitted free. Tropic Sprockets Tammy Fox-Royer wood,” and “Walking in Place,” will be performing Limited parking is available; bicycling is encour- Florida Keys SPCA from their classic play list along with material from aged. Tickets are now on sale at kwahs.org/tickets. n Sylvia Bogart Astrologically Yours Expensive energy... The design did not account for in Energy and Environmental Joanna Brady X Continued from page 3 the fact that the top half of the Design. To achieve LEED Plat- Reviewer cistern tanks are above ground inum status requires a minimum SUMMER INTERN on Stock Island. They directed and the piping system connect- of 80 points on the LEED energy Emily Bracher the new energy manager, John- ed to them cannot fill the tanks conservation check list. Between nie Yongue, to research the issue above ground level, Justice said. 60 and 79 points is required for ADVERTISING and get back to them. “So, we have a capacity in the Gold certification, while Silver Jose DeLaRosa – 585.203.5156 “At least to have that option cisterns of about 22,000 gallons certification requires 50 points. Ashley Williamson – 410.999.4917 so we could sit here and actually rather than the initially reported Achieving Platinum status 305.296.1630 have a discussion about it,” rec- 44,000 gallons,” he said. was a goal several city officials be- Advertising Deadline Every Friday ommended Mayor Teri Johnston. City Manager Greg Veliz said lieved was important. Called the PRINT-READY advertising materials due by “I would suggest that you that he had spoken to a plumb- “showcase of sustainability” by Friday every week for next issue of KONK Life. would be paying 10 cents on the er last week asking for a plan to the U.S. Green Building Coun- Ad Dimensions Horizontal and Vertical: dollar against what we paid for get the cistern up to full capaci- cil and Green Business Certifica- Full, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/8 page, bizcard the support structures out here,” ty.