LEARNING INSIDE VERO BEACH PATIENCE Sometimes it is not your computer that needs improving Page A6 Vol. 11, No. 22 Your Local News and Information Source • www.HometownNewsOL.com Friday, Jan. 31, 2014 Need A tale of two chambers Indian River, Vero Beach chamber When it comes to marketing for tourism, 086485 to know representatives outline goals and strategies Mr. Wilson said they have already begun Health fair taking By Jessica Creagan Vero Beach will be better for Vero launching a program [email protected] Beach, said Mr. Wilson, a former Vero to target Orlando and place Feb. 4 Beach city councilman, and a vocal South Florida resi- INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Can local government critic. dents to come to IRSC Nursing Student Vero Beach sustain its own chamber Mr. Wilson said his organization, Vero Beach during Health Fair Tuesday, Feb. 4, of commerce? Charlie Wilson thinks the Vero Beach Chamber of Com- the summer for get- from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn so. merce, will be able to focus on and aways and family how to take care of your The Indian River County Chamber promote Vero Beach’s unique quali- activities, but that health in a fun and engag- of Commerce has been promoting ties and characteristics since they do out-of-state visitors will ing way. Information about business and tourism in the county not have any obligation to outside not be forgotten. Beach health issues for every age since 1918 as the Board of Trade and financial backers to do anything else, “Nobody in Ohio or Paducah, Ky., chamber would not be group. At the Koblegard then with a name change to chamber whereas the Indian River County says let’s go visit Indian River County, competing with the Indian River Student Union on the IRSC of commerce in 1922. Chamber of Commerce has contrac- they say let’s go visit Vero Beach,” Mr. chamber, and that, “if you like your Main Campus, 3209 Vir- Focusing on the county is good for tual obligations to promote all the Wilson said. ginia Avenue, Fort Pierce, the county, but focusing on the city of municipalities equally. He repeatedly stated that the Vero See TALE, A3 and the J Building at the IRSC Pruitt Campus, 500 N.W. California Blvd., Port St. Lucie. Event is free. For Clearing up the waters High more information, call (772) 462-7298 or email [email protected]. Boating enthusiasts make oyster mats to help lagoon schools The Source opens as By Jessica Creagan [email protected] cold weather shelter have VERO BEACH — A The Source will open for group of volunteers with cold night shelter when the Vero Beach Power room to temperatures are forecast- Squadron got their hands ed to drop below 35 dirty, and a little dusty, degrees Fahrenheit or 40 doing something to help improve degrees with rain. Decision fight the decline of the for action is usually made Indian River Lagoon. By Jessica Creagan by noon of a shelter day. Every day for three [email protected] The Source will provide hours in the morning, cold night shelter at its volunteers picked up oys- INDIAN RIVER COUNTY facility located at 1015 ter shell after oyster shell, — High school grades and Commerce Ave., in Vero threaded a cable tie graduation rates were Beach. Dinner is served at 5 through drilled holes and released by the state depart- p.m. on shelter days. attached them to a plastic ment of education last Guests must arrive no later grid, creating oyster mats month, and the scores show than 9 pm. Breakfast will be to help increase oyster Indian River County doing provided the following habitats in lagoon waters well, but with areas of morning. near the Moorings Flats improvement. The Source is the only in Vero Beach. Indian River Charter High drop-in outreach ministry Once a year, oyster lar- School earned an “A” grade in Indian River County, vae, known as spat, is again for the 2012-13 school open six days a week, pro- produced by mature oys- year, while Vero Beach and viding hot meals, emer- ters and the spat floats on Sebastian River high schools gency food boxes, clothing, the water, searching for both earned “B” grades. basic hygiene items, show- something solid to grasp In terms of graduation ers and laundering facili- onto and continue grow- rates, the district rate is 80.1 ties, mail and phone servic- ing, said Toby Jarman, percent, scoring higher than the state average rate of 75.6 organizer of oyster mat Cliff Partlow/staff photographer See KNOW, A3 project for the squadron’s percent. Save the Lagoon commit- Vernon Pastirchak fills a mess mat with oyster shells at the Vero Beach Power Fifty percent of a high tee. Squadron Thursday, Jan. 23. school’s grade is measured by ENTERTAINMENT B1 “It will float on the scores earned on the Florida water, on the river until it show a single oyster can navigate the lagoon and ing on the oyster mat Comprehensive Achieve- PHILHARMONIC hits something or is filter about 50 gallons of place the mats, he said. project with the Rotary ment Test and the other 50 eaten. We don’t want water daily. People that hear about Club of Vero Beach Sun- percent is based on student Beautiful them to die, so we’re put- “Nothing that we do to the declining health of rise and the overall goal is participation and perform- music will ting these mats out where help the lagoon is an the lagoon and the dan- to put together 1,100 16- ance in accelerated curricu- fill the air there are already oysters overnight process. We are gers it poses to local inch by 16-inch mats, lum, college readiness overall at local so they have something a committed organization wildlife often wonder, holding about 30 oysters graduation rates, and gradu- commu- stationary to hit and live,” and we are committed to “‘what can I do, I’m just each, and place them on ation rates of at-risk students. nity Mr. Jarman said. making a difference with one person,” Mr. Jarman the lagoon floor like a The scores are based on a church Oysters work as natural what we can do,” Mr. Jar- said. quilt. 1,600-point scale, and in water purifiers, taking in man said. “If you want an organi- The squadron is hoping order to earn an “A” grade, water and consuming The Vero Beach Power zation that is doing some- to help them get to the schools must earn at least polluted particles, and Squadron has about 450 thing, we are the place to halfway point. 1,050 points. then releasing fresh clean members and a great be. We work hard and play The squadron receives Indian River Charter High GARDENING B2 water back into the envi- many members have hard,” he said. oyster shells with the School earned a total of 1,362 ronment. Some studies boats, which they use to The squadron is work- points, enough for a top See CLEARING, A2 grade. HELPFUL GARDEN Sebastian River High School earned 1,013 points, What items just shy of an “A” grade, plac- from the Health clinic idea moving forward ing them in the “B” category. garden can Vero Beach High School help cure earned 1,102 points which is common By Jessica Creagan Representatives of responded to the new superintendent of human enough for an “A” grade, but ailments [email protected] CareHere, which is based request for proposals, resources. they were downgraded to a in Tennessee, will work staff said. CareHere has worked “B” for falling short of the INDIAN RIVER COUN- with school district staff The idea for the full with school districts in state levels of at-risk student TY — A health care clinic to negotiate a contract service primary care clinic Florida in the past and graduation rates. for Indian River County and the school board will is to provide health care has good recommenda- “Now we will drill down to WEEKEND WEATHER school district teachers review it and vote on it at for teacher, employees tions, he said. target those areas in need of a later date. and retired employees Should the clinic Friday: Partly and employees is once improvement,” Superinten- cloudy; high: 82; again on the table and Last year, the school while at the same time receive a final “yes” vote dent Fran Adams said in a low: 61; high tide: moving forward. district had a prepared lowering health care costs when the contract returns press release. 8:34 a.m.; low tide: 2:30 p.m. During the Jan. 21 three-year contract with over the long term. to the school board, the “The district is looking for Saturday: Partly meeting, the Indian River CareHere, but the final The anticipated cost to facility will be housed in ways to improve and cloudy; high: 81; County school board vote on the issue was a the district for the first two district-owned con- enhance all students’ per- low: 55; high tide: 9:22 a.m.; low voted 4-1 to enter negoti- stalemate at 2-2 with one year of operation is $1.3 crete portables at the dis- formance, starting with ele- tide: 3:21 p.m. ations with a company board member outright million, with $160,000 in trict’s facility on 41st mentary school students Sunday: Partly cloudy; high: 79; low: 59; high tide: 10:09 a.m.; low tide: 4:11 p.m. who could potentially rejecting the clinic idea one-time startup costs.