The Palm Beach Post from West Palm Beach, Florida • Page 35

THE PALM BEACH POST TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 1990 3B Seacoast expects hookup-fee revenue to drop 30 By NORV ROGGEN Palm Beach Post Staff Writer PALM BEACH GARDENS Seacoast Utilities is anticipating fees from water and sewer hookups to drop by 30 percent next year because of a construction slowdown, but slower growth will not mean rates, executives say. In its $16 million budget for 1990-91, the authority is projecting the number of pew connections at 700, about 300 fewer than anticipated when Seacoast Utilities Authority bought the utility in December 1988. "We find the number of new hookups is falling off sharply," Executive Director Rim Bishop said Monday. "We expect the number to drop to 500 in the next two years. It's a cause for concern." Seacoast anticipates $945,000 from hookup fees next year.

The utility had projected income of $1.35 million per year from new connections when Seacoast was taken over by an authority formed by Palm Beach County and four cities Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park and Juno Beach. Fewer hookups also mean income from water and sewer charges will not grow as fast. A new hookup costs $2,700 for the average three-bedroom, two-bath house, and Seacoast estimates residents of that home will use about 350 gallons of water per day. Authority Chairman John Orr said Seacoast doesn't contemplate any rate increases and can cope with the revised revenue projection by juggling its spending priorities. "We're in good shape financially," Orr are issued.

said. Besides, Seacoast anticipates an increase in sale of recycled waste water to golf courses to boost income in the future, Orr said. Barkley Henderson, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors, said Palm Beach County's new concurrency law is not the reason for a slowdown in north county construction. The law requires that roads be able to handle new traffic before building permits "I don't think we're feeling the effects of concurrency yet," Henderson said. "The real estate market is just depressed." Seacoast's expenses will increase next year about 14 percent, partly because the utility will be using its new treatment plant in the PGA area and closing down older plants in North Palm Beach and Cabana Colony, Bishop said.

The new plant is expected to increase operating costs by more than $200,000, he said. Former doctor convicted in killing seeks new trial FAU enrollment rises 13; new classes boost PBCC 18 College Enrollments 1989 1990 WEST PALM BEACH Former doctor John Freund, a cancer specialist convicted in the 1984 stabbing death of a drifter during a Palm Beach cocaine party, is seeking a new trial. Defense attorneys asked Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Marvin Mounts Monday to schedule a hearing to determine whether a professional relationship between Freund's trial attorney and Freund's accomplice constituted a conflict of interest for the trial attorney. The attorney, Robert Foley, had previously represented another man charged in the murder, John Trent, in criminal matters, the attorneys said. A conflict of interest finding could lead to a new trial.

In November 1985, a jury rejected Freund's insanity defense, and he was later sentenced to life in prison. Trent, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced to 12 years. In trial, defense attorneys for Freund contended that Trent ordered the killing. 10,600 14,610 FAU PBCC 12,031 17,257 Former doctor John Freund says his attorney had a conflict of interest. Record 106,000 expected at county schools By CHUCK McGINNESS Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Florida Atlantic University reported a 13 percent increase in enrollment while Palm Beach Community College was up 18 percent as students returned to classes Monday.

"The classes are kind of crowded, and there's a lot more students than we were planning for. But so far, so good," FAU President Anthony Catanese said. "Our classes are just jammed, and we can't take anymore," PBCC President Edward Eissey said. At FAU, 12,031 students signed up for classes, compared with 10,600 last fall. Freshman enrollment increased from 359 to 540.

Officials expect another 1,000 students to register this week. PBCC enrollment was 17,257 compared to 14,610 last fall. Glades campus enrollment increased 61 percent after an aggressive marketing campaign this summer and the opening of 12 new classrooms at Wellington High School, officials said. Additional classes are being offered at the south campus with the opening of a new laboratory building, resulting in a 19 percent increase in students. Despite the enrollment gains, officials at both schools said there were no major problems Monday.

Some FAU students complained that classes they wanted to take were filled, Catanese said. Most students, however, were adjusting. "I got the classes I wanted, but maybe not at the most convenient times. It should all work out," said junior David DePillis, who transferred from the University of Miami. Freshman Albert Moragues of West Palm Beach said he was happy with his classes in electrical engineering.

"I was a little nervous at first, but I like it here," he said. The enrollment increases run contrary to a national trend in higher education. Catanese attributed the increase at FAU to the influx of families from out of state. Also, parents find the $1,400 tuition for a full-time student attractive, he said. Twenty-five FAU students remain at the Radis-son Inn in Boca Raton because campus dormitories are full.

Classes begin today at Palm Beach Atlantic College. Students will return to classes Sept. 6 at the College of Boca Raton. the new year relatively smoothly, officials said. Most drivers ran three routes, moving about 48,000 students to and from their first day of classes, said Bob Riley, assistant director of transportation.

Three School Board employees handled about 150 calls each from parents who'd waited until the first day of school to find out which schools their children were assigned to. Fifty of them submitted applications Monday for permission to send their children to another school. They'll be approved only for medical or child-care reasons or unusual circumstances, Superintendent Tom Mills said. Staff writer Lynette Holloway contributed to this report. SCHOOLfrom IB right into the parking lot next to the school.

The arts school students were met at the Amtrak station in West Palm Beach by two school buses that took them the short hop to school in plenty of time for class. The Tri-Rail plan had at least one hitch, though. A Boca Raton eighth-grader mistakenly took a southbound train instead of the northbound and ended up in Miami. Tri-Rail employees, prepared for such incidents, put her back on a train to Boca Raton. The student called her parents, who called her a taxi.

'Aside from some late buses and the usual confusion over stops, the 440-bus transportation fleet handled Challengers criticize Childers on abortion Contempt sentencing another chapter in bitter society divorce Senate District 28 Childers Silver Wexler Indian River State Senate District 28 DON CHILDERS i st- OCCUPATION: Legislator PARTY: Democrat RESIDENCE: Wellington r- Martin surgery on attractive patients." The judge set sentencing for' 8 a.m. today. It will be the latest court hearing in a stormy relationship. The Persoffs got married on June 18, 1982. A few weeks before their fifth wedding anniversary, the doctor got kicked out of the house when Lynn Persoff filed for protection with the court.

Abuse claimed "My husband struck me in the Southern Blvd. Glaaes PERSONAL: 58, born in Skipperville, Ala. Married, three children. EDUCATION: Troy (Ala.) State University, B.S. Business Administration, 1960 CAREER: Elected to Senate in 1974 and re-elected subsequently; licensed building contractor.

BARRY SILVER PARTY: Democrat OCCUPATION: Lawyer RESIDENCE: Boca Raton PERSONAL: 33, single. Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y. EDUCATION: Florida Atlantic University, B.A. Political Science, 1979; Nova University Law School, J.D., 1983. CAREER: Teacher in Boca Raton Hebrew schools and Palm Beach County schools, 1979-83; associate in law firms in Miami and Palm Beach County, 1983-86; opened own law office in 1986 in litigation and civil rights law.

SENATEfrom IB ing off the Senate Appropriations Committee two years ago in a fight with the committee chairman. "He cost Palm Beach County millions of dollars when he gave up his seat," Wexler said. Silver's campaign has taken a softer tone, and his challenge has been showing why he is a better candidate than Wexler. Silver, a civil rights lawyer who does volunteer work for pro-choice, environmental and animal rights groups, says Wexler uses the issues as window-dressing. the only candidate endorsed by any pro-choice group," Silver said.

Silver said Wexler makes "campaign pit stops" at environmental meetings while he works as a shirt-sleeve volunteer. "I'm not sure Robert is better for, the environment than the incumbent is," Silver said. -Silver is the strongest supporter of universal health care, saying it should be adopted immediately and at whatever cost. He said the cost should be lower, because more than 20 percent of medical costs now go to administration. Childers' strong belief in more restrictions on abortion is expected to figure in the outcome of the race, CONTEMPTfrom IB before he operated and that he had so many outstanding lawsuits against him that she left him while he still had something to split up." Estep, it turns out, was one of Dr.

Persoff's patients. And now, among other things, she had heard the doctor's ex-wife call him "a moron." "I was very shaken by this and considered changing surgeons," she said. Estep was in the midst of long-range reconstructive surgery and didn't go back to finish her work, Myron Persoff said. So the doctor called her to ask her why, he said. 'After what I she said, 'I didn't know if I wanted to see you any the doctor said, recalling the conversation.

2 suits in 15 years Dr. Persoff has had two malpractice cases filed against him. "Two malpractice suits," he said, "and I've been in practice 15 years. I operate on 300 to 400 patients a year." About the masturbation allegation, he said: "She has a very vivid imagination, and her one quest has ROBERT WEXLER but his defeat would be an upset. In 1986, he ran against Adele Messinger, whose campaign theme was that Childers showed no support for issues affecting women and the elderly.

Childers won the election with 58 percent of the vote. "The choice issue was not an issue in 1986," Wexler said. "My name recognition is higher, I have a broad base of support. I am a very viable alternative." There is no Republican opponent on the ballot in the Nov. 6 general election, but the name of the Democratic primary winner will appear on the ballot because of a write-in candidate, Tim Bearson.

PARTY: Democrat OCCUPATION: Lawyer RESIDENCE: suburban Boca Raton PERSONAL: 29, born in Long Island and grew up in Broward County. Married, one daughter. EDUCATION: University of Florida, 1982, B.A. Political Science; George Washington University Law School, J.D. 1985.

CAREER: Moore, Farmer, Menkhaus and Juran, a Boca Raton law firm, 1986-present; English, McCaughan and O'Bryan, a Fort Lauderdale law firm, 1985-86. been to denigrate me." The doctor filed a motion for Commissioners agree to limit developer's role stomach, then lifted my body entirely off the ground and threw me into a hallway wall," she wrote in her petition for protection. He protested that his wife was making it all up. In court documents, he described her as "a hysterical and vindictive woman." She filed for divorce on July 8, 1987. In her petition, she stated that she sacrificed her own career as a teacher of emotionally disturbed children to advance his medical practice.

She took on a variety of fund-raising events in the community the Caldwell board, the Boca Museum of Art, work for the Boca Pops, the Red Cross New Year's Eve gala introducing him to a lucrative pool of plastic surgery candidates. But the doctor saw things differently. Debt was the main product of their marriage, he said in court documents. She always wanted a bigger and better everything. He had to work long and hard to pay for their $265,000 house mortgage and their $21,000 in car loans.

The judge gave her a $75,000 lump sum payment, money for attorney's fees and $1,250 a month in alimony for 18 months. She got the Jaguar. He got the Porsche. He got their house and the mortgages. It could have ended there.

On Feb. 7, 1988, the doctor stopped by the house. Under a settlement their lawyers worked out, she would hand him the keys, he would hand her the alimony check and they would never have to see each other again. Instead, they summoned four sheriff's deputies and ended up exchanging only nasty words. doesn't need a developer at all.

He said he was worried about obtaining community support for the project. "Dog-and-pony shows have failed to date," he said. Commissioner John "Jeff" Koons cautioned that the city should build countywide support. "We need to have Palm Beach County involved," he said. "This is a golden opportunity." legislation that would have permitted the tax.

Not all commissioners were pleased with Monday's proposal. Commissioner Helen Wilkes said she didn't like the extent of Spectacor's proposed role. The city should be able to hire a different company to manage the center, she said. Commissioner David Smith said the city CENTERfrom IB when the Palm Beach County School Board rejected the deal and another site on Downtown-Uptown land was scrapped when officials decided it was too small. attempt to raise money through a meals tax failed when Gov.

Bob Martinez vetoed contempt against his wife. Judge John Phillips, who inherited the Persoff divorce from Colbath, held a hearing on the matter earlier this summer. "I've never said any of those remarks," Lynn Persoff still maintains. "In my wildest dreams I couldn't have thought of anything so nasty to say." She had brought her own witnesses to court to counter Estep's testimony. Lynn Persoff's date for that evening, Dan Pallick, a Reebok sales representative, said he was with her the whole time and she never brought up anything about her ex-husband.

Lynn Persoff said Estep's name wasn't on a guest list for that night, and Estep couldn't remember important details of the evening. "If I said these things, you'd think somebody else would say I did." Keith S. Cowan, former Post controller Obituaries degree in business administration from Stetson University in 1976. He is survived by his parents, George and Edith Cowan of Royal Palm Beach; a sister, Vicki Jones of Jupiter, two nephews, Christopher and Jordan Jones, both of Jupiter; his grandfather, George H. Cowan of Jacksonville; his longtime companion, Don Walsh of West Palm Beach; and several aunts and cousins.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. today. Dorsey Funeral Home, 3525 S. Congress is handling the By SCOTT G. CAMPBELL Palm Beach Post Staff Writer WEST PALM BEACH Funeral services will be held this morning for Kejth S.

Cowan, former controller for Palm Beach Newspapers who died Saturday after a long illness. "Keith's death is a real loss to us," said Larry Siedlik, vice president and treasurer at PBNI, which publishes The Palm Beach Post. "He brought many innovative management ideas to us during his career here." Mr. Cowan, 36, started with PBNI in March 1985 as assistant controller and was promoted to controller in November 1985. His illness forced him to leave PBNI in March 1989.

Before joining PBNI, Mr. Cowan was a senior accountant with Deloitte Haskins and Sells, starting there in July 1982. While working for Deloitte, Mr. Cowan did a routine audit of PBNI's books. His skills were noticed by PBNI management and he was soon recruited.

Mr. Cowan received his bachelor's Cowan in 1 985 Frederick Schang, 96, ex-president of Columbia Artists Deputy 'stepped in' "Dr. Persoff got very violent and made a harsh movement toward Mrs. Persoff. as to try to assault her," deputy Joseph Christie testified.

"I stepped in." Things got worse. They fought over the furniture, diamonds in a safe-deposit box and their joint income tax return. And then, according to the doctor, he started hearing about the things his wife was saying about him. And now, both of them feel done in. done in by words.

"It's not been a lark or fun for me." the doctor said. whole thing was so flimsy and so perjurious." his ei-wife said. "I can believe anybody could believe it Other testimony The doctor introduced other testimony from two women who said Lynn Persoff told them her ex-husband had 14 malpractice cases against him and couldn't be trusted to perform eyelid surgery. But Phillips ignored that testimony. He decided that Estep's testimony was sufficient for a contempt conviction against Lynn Persoff.

"The court finds." Phillips wrote, "the former wife made remarks at a public gathering, in the Boca Raton. Fla area that her former husband was engaged in multiple medical malpractice suits, that be was a moron, and that he masturbated before preforming Ballet Russe. That work landed him a job as advance man for the ballet. When the troupe returned to Russia, Mr. Schang became sales manager for the Metropolitan Music Bureau, which later became part of Columbia Artists, the report said.

lished report. He spent 46 years in the business. Mr. Schang moved to Delray Beach nearly 20 years ago. He graduated from the Columbia University School of Journalism in New York and became a reporter for the Sew York Tribune, where he wrote about the By JAN LINDSEY Pairn Beach Post Staff Wntef DELRAY BEACH Frederick C.

Schang a retired president of Columbia Artists Management, died Sunday. He was 96. Mr. Schang booked stars such as Enrico Caruso, Grace Moore and Liliv Pons, according to a pub Mr. Schang was a skilled bridge player who played at the Delray Beach Bridge Club.

His abilities at duplicate bridge earned him the title of Golden-Age Master. A memorial service is scheduled for Friday. Soobbe-Ireland-Potter Funeral Home in Delray Beach is handling arrangements..