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Volume 36, Number 7February 13 - February 19, 2015Your Community
Newspaper Serving Palms West Since 1980
TOWN-CRIERTHEWELLINGTON ROYAL PALM BEACH LOXAHATCHEE THE
ACREAGE
INSIDE
DEPARTMENT INDEXNEWS ..............................3 - 12OPINION
................................. 4CRIME NEWS
......................... 6NEWS BRIEFS ........................
8PEOPLE ................................ 13SCHOOLS
......................14 - 15COLUMNS ..................... 16,
25BUSINESS .....................26 - 27SPORTS
.........................31 - 33CALENDAR
...........................34CLASSIFIEDS ............... 35 -
38
Visit Us On The Web AtWWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
OPINION
EMILY BROOKE STILL IN THE IDOL HUNTSEE STORY, PAGE 7
The Palm Beach Unites Hunger Project recently handed out 100,000
lentil casserole meals at seven different locations. A total of
2,500 meals went to the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club
in Wellington on Monday, Feb. 9 and were handed out to families as
they picked up their kids. Shown here are Leland Gassman, Brooklyn
Simpson and Program Coordinator Latisha Paul. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE
5
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
B&G CLUB HELPSFIGHT HUNGER
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
The Royal Palm Beach Vil-lage Council last week autho-rized
appraisals of about 10 acres of village-owned land across
Okeechobee Blvd. from Royal Palm Beach High School for what could
become a future charter high school.
At the Thursday, Feb. 5 meeting, Village Manager Ray Liggins
said Flagler Realty had asked to pur-chase land on Okeechobee Blvd.
east of the First Baptist Church. He said that there are two
parcels owned by the village, near where the village entrance sign
sits. The village would keep 2 acres for the sign, and the
potential buyer has offered to pay for the necessary
appraisals.
This would authorize me to get the appraisals and bring them
back to the council for consideration at a later meeting, Liggins
said, pointing out that the public high school is currently at 102
percent capacity, and about 1,000 students living in the village
take advantage of the choice program, although village staff
believes that putting a charter high school across the street from
the public high school
is inappropriate.Vice Mayor David Swift said
that this is just the first step and noted that Flagler Realty
will pay for the appraisals.
Village Attorney Jennifer Ash-ton said the Realtor was asking
whether the council is interested in selling the property.
Mayor Matty Mattioli said he would not want to sell the land for
a charter school because it would undercut the progress that Royal
Palm Beach High School has been making.
Swift, however, disagreed.I have a different view, he
said. I talked to elementary and middle school teachers, and
they are concerned about the prolif-eration of private and charter
schools.
However, with RPBHS at 102 percent capacity and 1,000 stu-dents
in the village choosing to attend high schools outside the area,
Swift said he thought a char-ter school is worth looking into.
I dont think its going to have an effect on Royal Palm Beach
High School, Swift said. It gives parents a choice within the
village. [Public school] teachers dont like
Vacant Land Near RPBHS Eyed For A
Charter High School
See CHARTER, page 19By Julie Unger
Town-Crier Staff ReportThe superheroes who landed
last week at the Palm Beach Inter-national Equestrian Center
amazed thousands as they leapt and soared Saturday, Feb. 7 at the
sixth an-nual Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity
Investments, at the Winter Equestrian Festival.
Professional and amateur riders, along with their equine
sidekicks, entertained the thousands who came out to watch them and
root for their favorite charities in a night full of fun, games,
surprises and more. Many riders were dressed as superheroes to
match the evening theme.
I want to thank everyone who has participated here, said Mark
Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions and co-founder of
the Great Charity Challenge, before the competition. The theme this
year is superheroes. That represents the superheroes
who are the riders who donate their time, the equestrian
families who donate their money, the members of the community and
our staff who operate this show and, finally, those amazing
individuals who are the directors of these organizations who make
unbelievable commit-ments to their passion. Without them, this
community would be a different place.
Charities of every type partici-pated in the event.
Its overwhelming to see so many great organizations being
represented here tonight, said Anne Caroline Valtin, executive
director of the Great Charity Challenge. We came up with this
theme, and we thought it would tie the whole event together, but
you guys have gone above and beyond on your own time to make this
special.
Thirty-four of the hundreds of charities that put their names in
the hat for the Great Charity Chal-
Superhero Theme Adds To The Fun At Great Charity Challenge
lenge were selected to participate and walked away with a check
for at least $15,000 last Saturday evening.
Riders Juan Carlos Maurin, Emanuel Andrade and Victoria Karam
had the fastest time of the night, riding for Danny and Rons Rescue
and earning the nonprofit $150,000. The team was sponsored by
Hollow Creek Farm and corporate sponsor Gold Coast Feed &
Supply.
Coming in second place was the team of Sydney Shulman, Cloe
Hymowitz and Alexa Ef-fron, riding for Propel. That team, sponsored
by Back Country Farm and corporate sponsor Visse We-dell, earned
$125,000 for their charity.
The Kids Cancer Foundation finished third and won $112,500 on a
strong effort by riders Darragh Kenny, Allison Epstein and Andre
Mershad, sponsored by Mershad
See GCC, page 21
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
The Wellington Village Council approved a contract Tuesday to
re-place a 24-inch water main coming from a well field in Little
Ranches with a new PVC pipe.
The action authorized the award of a contract for $167,921.04 to
Ferguson Enterprises Inc. for the purchase and delivery of 24-inch
PVC pipe and fittings and mechan-ical restraining devices to build
a culvert crossing to cover the pipes, which would run underneath
the C-28 Canal.
Originally, the contact was on the consent agenda and was not
planned for discussion. However, about 30 Little Ranches residents
attended the meeting to express concerns about the design of the
replacement pipe, which included a 20-foot crossing for public
works to access the area, which many felt was a preamble for
another access
Wellington Council OKs Plans For Little Ranches Culvert
See CULVERT, page 19
Three-Way Race Takes Shape For RPB Council SeatBy Lynn
Demarest
Town-Crier Staff ReportAs the filing deadline came and
went Tuesday at noon, Royal Palm Beach Village Councilman Fred
Pinto found himself unopposed for a seventh two-year term, while
Vice Mayor David Swift prepared to face two challengers one a
first-time candidate and the other a familiar foe.
Pinto brushed off a challenge in March 2013 by garnering twice
as many votes as his challenger. Now, two years later, there are no
comers at all.
Im fully appreciative, Pinto, 64, said of the easy win. None of
us is entitled to anything.
Pinto retains Seat 4. He said his top priority is overseeing the
development of the former waste-water treatment plant property,
west of H.L. Johnson Elementary
School in the northwestern part of the village. Council members
have accepted a $35 million bid from Lennar to purchase the land,
but details of the new residential community remain to be ironed
out, he said.
Pinto also wants to reduce the property tax rate, a common
practice back when the villages tax base was growing. Pinto said
rebounding property values might make it possible to lower the
rate, now set at $1.92 for every $1,000 of taxable value.
Swift, the Seat 2 incumbent, said he wasnt sure why he had drawn
two challengers.
Im not sure what the issue
Put Restoration OfThe Everglades BackOn The Front BurnerAfter
years of slowed progress, Gov. Rick Scott recently an-nounced his
goal to commit $5 billion toward Everglades resto-ration over the
next 20 years. If approved by lawmakers in the upcoming legislative
session, the money could bring long-delayed Everglades restoration
projects back on track. This is good, but it will take a far more
concerted effort to get the job done. Page 4
is, Swift said with a chuckle. I guess they want to be on the
council.
During the same March 2013 election in which Pinto handily
prevailed, Swift likewise captured 63 percent of the vote to defeat
three-term incumbent Martha Webster, a 68-year-old retiree who
wants the seat back.
Webster thinks Swift, 70, who has served nearly continuously for
more than two decades, has been on the council long enough. Its
time for David to sit back, she said.
During her five years on the council, Webster represented the
village on the executive board of the Palm Beach County League of
Cities, the Treasure Coast Re-gional Planning Council and the Palm
Beach Metropolitan Plan-ning Organization. She said she
point to their neighborhood.Little Ranches has only one ac-
cess point in an out, along South-ern Blvd. south of Royal Palm
Beach Blvd.
Residents said having one ac-cess point helps maintain the
security of the community and prevents excessive traffic that would
frighten horses.
Village Engineer Bill Riebe said the request was to replace an
existing water main within Little Ranches. The design was to get
the most efficient, cost-effective solu-tion and still provide the
necessary level of service.
The water main project is an approved project in the 2015
capital improvement plan, Riebe said. We need to replace this
par-ticular pipe. Its a critical piece of infrastructure for our
community.
He said that village staff met with the Little Ranches Property
Owners Association on Jan. 6 to
discuss several projects that affect them, including the planned
cul-vert crossing in question and the possibility of installing a
service drive across it.
All of this was done in an effort to reach out to the
neighborhood so they know what were trying to accomplish, and what
our goals and intentions are, Riebe said. As part of the meeting,
the POA rejected the service drive, but they approved the culvert
crossing provided that there are protections, including [the
prevention of] pe-destrian access across the canal.
Riebe said that the current plans do not include the service
drive, explaining that the drive was removed from the plan, but
that the village continues to receive e-mails and other
communications expressing concerns about it.
He said the pipe needs to be covered to protect it from the
sun
would work to acquire those roles again, should she win.
A year after losing to Swift, Webster finished third in a
four-way race for mayor. She also announced, but then dropped, a
run for Palm Beach County Com-mission.
Webster said she dropped out because of the candidacy of former
Wellington Mayor Kathy Foster, whom Webster described as one of the
finest people I know. Foster lost the Democratic primary to Melissa
McKinlay, who went on the win the seat.
Despite her sound defeat by Swift last time, Webster said she
expects to do better this time because of endorsements from Mayor
Matty Mattioli, Council-man Richard Valuntas and Pinto, along with
former Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santa-
maria. Most of her endorsements two years ago, she said, came
from outside the village, from people she had met at the League of
Cities and other organizations.
If Webster wins, she will be the only woman on the council.
The other Swift challenger is Darrell Lange, a former member of
the Royal Palm Beach Plan-ning & Zoning Commission. He entered
the race a day before the filing deadline.
A 50-year-old father of three boys ages 11, 13 and 15 Lange and
his wife, Katherine, have lived in Royal Palm Beach for 14 years.
He is assistant scout-master for Boy Scout Troop 111 and also has
been active in the Youth Baseball Association of Royal Palm Beach,
where he has coached 39 teams over a decade.
ROYAL PALM SELLS WATER PLANT LANDSEE STORY, PAGE 3
Sponsors Sara and Rick Mershad and rider Darragh Kenny with
Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo. Kenny and his
teammates rode for the Kids Cancer Foundation, taking third
place.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
Palm Beach County Commis-sioner Melissa McKinlay gave an update
Wednesday to the Indian Trail Board of Supervisors on the progress
or lack of it on is-sues that affect The Acreage.
McKinlay said she met with representatives from the western
communities in a roundtable discussion Tuesday attended by
representatives of all the improve-ment districts and
municipalities in District 6.
I think it was the first time that
all these individuals had sat around a table and shared ideas
and con-cerns and found equal areas where they can work, she said,
adding that she and her staff will work on some of ITIDs ideas and
report back to the board.
McKinlay said she has been working in Tallahassee to improve the
status of the State Road 7 ex-tension to Northlake Blvd., which
recently had its financing delayed from 2016 to 2020.
I was in Tallahassee last week, and the chairmen of the
Senate
CANDIDATES FORUMTuesday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.,RPB Village Meeting
Hall
See RPB VOTE, page 19
McKinlay Asks ITID For Support On
District 6 Issues
See ITID, page 19
Wellington Council OKs First Reading Of Hedge Height ChangesThe
Wellington Village Council gave preliminary approval Tues-day to a
code amendment that would allow hedge heights of 6 to 10 feet based
on the loca-tion, also allowing for waivers.
Page 3
Family Raising Money To Help LongtimeResident Dave SpallOn Nov.
30, longtime Royal Palm Beach resident Dave Spall, 36, boarded a
cruise ship in Miami. Destination: the Caribbean. He never arrived.
Instead, he lies in a hospital bed at Jackson Memorial Hos-pital
with family members and friends maintaining a vigil at his bedside
and wondering how this could have happened.
Page 7
Crowds Seek Bargains At RPBs Kids Yard SaleThe Village of Royal
Palm Beach held its annual Kids Yard Sale on Saturday, Feb. 7 at
Veterans Park. The day was a great way to find bargains on clothes
for kids and infants, toys, games, books and more. There was a DJ
and food for sale. Page 12
Dance Show Travels Through Time At WHSFred Astaire Dance Studio
of West Palm Beach presented Travel Through Time on Sat-urday, Feb.
7 at the Wellington High School. Students and professional dancers
put on a showcase with music and ball-room dances from the 1920s
through the 1990s. Page 18
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Page 2 February 13 - February 19, 2015 www.gotowncrier.com The
Town-Crier
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The Town-Crier www.gotowncrier.com February 13 - February 19,
2015 Page 3
NEWS
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
The Wellington Village Council gave preliminary approval
Tues-day to a code amendment that would allow hedge heights of 6 to
10 feet based on the location, also allowing for waivers.
Planning & Development Ser-vices Director Tim Stillings said
the current code allows hedges up to 6 feet in most of the
sub-urban areas and along the major thoroughfares, and up to 8 feet
on properties of one acre or more.
The current code provides for a waiver for those heights, he
said, explaining that waivers for greater than 6 feet require
approval from the village engineer and the Architectural Review
Board, and anything greater than 8 feet goes through the Planning,
Zoning & Adjustment Board.
The rules also provide excep-tions for arches and other
orna-mentation up to 12 feet maximum for up to 25 percent of the
length of a section.
Waivers are needed for thor-oughfares in the Equestrian
Pre-serve Area but are required for any fences along streets that
have hedges.
Eight waivers have been ap-
proved since 2002 for heights greater than 6 feet, Stillings
said, explaining that some existing hedges are deemed
nonconform-ing after a hedge height amend-ment approved in
2007.
The new proposal brought through the Architectural Review Board
and slightly modified by the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment
Board would allow a maximum hedge height for zero-lot-line homes of
6 feet with 8-foot excep-tions. One-acre lots or less would be
allowed 9 feet with a 10-foot exception, and lots greater than one
acre would be allowed 10 feet with a 12-foot exception along
thoroughfares, Stillings said.
Ornamentation would also be reduced from 25 percent to 20
percent of the length of the hedge section.
Vice Mayor John Greene said he agreed with Councilman Matt
Willhites comments at the agenda review meeting the day before that
the major issue is not with hedge height but with hedge
mainte-nance. He added that he was dis-turbed that the amendments
were not sent through the Wellington Tree Board. I dont see any
reason why we should change our code if they have the option of
applying
for a waiver that is available, Greene said. The waiver seems to
be an easy and workable solution.
Greene also objected to the number of different allowable hedge
heights being written into the code. Weve got something that works,
and theres a solution, he said.
Willhite said that there is still a disparity of allowable
heights within neighborhoods and on different roads. He said that
add-ing the different allowable hedge heights would be a headache
for code enforcement.
I think this is ludicrous to try and put more numbers and more
burden on our Code Enforcement Department to go out and try to tell
people what height their hedge can be, because I can tell you, if
you have a 12-foot, beautifully manicured hedge, Im not worried
about it, he said. If you have a 6-foot hedge that youve let
white-flies take control of and youve not done anything to trim it
or fertilize it or eradicate whiteflies, I have an issue with it.
My issue is strictly about maintenance.
Willhite said the maintenance issues are primarily along
thor-oughfares, where the hedges are most visible.
Wellington Council OKs First Reading Of Hedge Height
ChangesRather than put residents
through having to apply for a waiver, he favored a uniform
al-lowable height of 10 feet, and ap-plying for a waiver for more
than 10 feet, with applicants showing how they intend to maintain
it and what type of plant material they intend to use. I think this
is crazy, Willhite said. I think it goes beyond what we are trying
to govern and control, other than a maintenance issue.
Councilman John McGovern asked how the proposed amend-ments
evolved, and Stillings said the council had discussed hedge heights
and asked the Architectural Review Board for input.
Councilwoman Anne Gerwig said she would support the ordi-nance
the way it is proposed. As
far as code enforcement, I dont think it is a problem, she
said.
She made a motion to approve the ordinance as written, but later
amended it to include only 6-foot and 10-foot heights as a
conces-sion to Willhites comments.
During public comment, Mike Curry, an 18-year resident of
Birkdale Drive, said he maintains his hedge but received a form
let-ter from the Code Enforcement Department informing him that his
hedge was in violation because it was 6 inches above the allowable
height. Ive walked down the street and seen hedges devastated by
whitefly, Curry said.
He added that the village once maintained the hedges but that
they are now a burden on the resi-dents. I agree with
Councilman
Willhite; its not the size, its about how its maintained, Curry
said.
Mayor Bob Margolis said the hedge height issue has been going on
for many years and was part of a recent planning workshop where
council members recommended that the advisory boards provide
input.
Greene said he thought that go-ing from 6 to 10 feet was too big
a change and asked Gerwig if she would amend her motion to allow an
8-foot height village-wide.
Gerwig said she was happy with the ordinance the way it was
writ-ten and had proposed the 6-foot and 10-foot heights as a
compro-mise to Willhite.
Margolis called the question, and it carried 4-1 with Greene
opposed.
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
The Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved the sale of the
154-acre former wastewater treat-ment plant property to the Lennar
Corporation for $35 million on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Village Manager Ray Liggins said Lennar was the highest of three
qualified bidders.
The site is at the north end of Crestwood Blvd., near H.L.
Johnson Elementary School and bordering the Saratoga Pines and
Madison Green communities. The current zoning, approved in October,
provides for generally lower residential density than the
surrounding communities.
Resident Diane Queller, who lives across the M Canal from the
property, has been heavily involved with the sites future,
in-cluding opposition to an early plan for commercial development
of
the property. She enthusiastically supported this sale, which
will be for residential development.
This has been dear to my heart, Queller said. Its like see-ing
my first child being born. This is going to do nothing but improve
the community.
She thanked the council, staff and residents who got involved in
the sale for seeing it to a good ending. It came to be, and you all
do listen to the residents, Queller said.
Vice Mayor David Swift cred-ited Liggins with leading the way to
the completion of the sale.
I think Rays vision for getting this done kept us on the right
path, Swift said, thanking Liggins for keeping the process at the
staff level until it came to council ap-proval. You really did a
great job on this one.
Councilman Fred Pinto also praised Liggins for leading the
project. This is certainly in the ballpark I had in mind, Pinto
said. I knew we would be mov-ing into a market for more robust
development.
Councilman Jeff Hmara said that village staff had put together a
creative approach in preparing for the sale that put the council in
a position to make a clear decision. That was due to a
well-executed approach by staff, Hmara said.
Liggins said his staff members had worked with many agencies,
including professionals experi-enced in planning for land
sales.
There is nothing that gets done here without a lot of people, he
said. When we put this out, we got proposals from people who do it.
There was a lot more con-sistency. Thats what made it better for
people in the market.
Pinto made a motion to approve the sale, which carried 5-0.
Royal Palm Council Inks Sale Of Treatment Plant Land To
Lennar
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
Palm Beach State College Di-rector of Facilities John Wasukanis
updated Royal Palm Beach Edu-cation Advisory Board members on the
progress of the colleges new Loxahatchee Groves campus Monday.
The campus, under construction on Southern Blvd., will be the
col-leges fifth major site.
As the college continues to focus its growth in the center
portion of the county, we spent the past seven to eight years
in-volved in searching throughout the county for construction sites
that would become homes for future facilities where we could center
our program offerings in a more convenient setting to the local
population, Wasukanis said. The Loxahatchee Groves project will
take quite a number of years to fully realize. As in all our
cam-puses, its usually built one or two buildings at a time.
Construction of the first campus building is slated to start in
early April. It will have three computer rooms, 10 classrooms, 16
offices and several student study areas and flexible
classrooms.
We will have a mix of interior and exterior gathering spaces and
meeting spaces for students to interface and socialize, Wasu-kanis
said. There will be a large,
250-foot meeting space that will be available as part of this
build-ing, along with food service and a security office.
The programs to be offered at that first building will be
typi-cal associates degree two-year programs also offered at the
other sites. Eventually, with the con-struction of the other two
buildings that are part of the first phase, we hope to have
assigned classrooms and a library, as well as a cafeteria service
on site, and start to offer a full gamut of educational-type
programs, he said.
The first phase of construction on the 75 acres will be
concen-trated on the southwest portion of the property, west of a
privately owned 22-acre site at the north-west corner of B Road and
South-ern Blvd. planned for commercial development.
The rest of the 75 acres is rather heavily wooded in native
Florida-type landscape that we actually want to try to maintain as
part of the landscape design for the entire campus, Wasukanis said.
Ultimately, the college will probably see the expansion of cer-tain
vocational programs, as well as possibly some of the four-year
programs.
Construction of the first three buildings will probably take
about seven years, he said.
Theres about 180,000 square
feet of buildings proposed in the first phase of development.
The funding that has been obtained partially from the state and
par-tially with local funds that the college has put together is
only for a 50,000-square-foot building that borders the lake right
along Southern, along with the associ-ated parking and the road
system that connects to B Road and to the traffic signal back at
Southern, he explained.
Wasukanis expects that the development pattern will be simi-lar
to the Palm Beach Gardens campus that the college purchased about
40 years ago.
Its a heavily wooded parcel and a very beautiful and natural
area, he said. It contains one of the larger stands of Florida
flatwoods timber in this particular area of the county. The college
has an interest in development of educational opportunities, but we
would like to preserve as much of the site in a natural manner as
is possible and make sure that the things that we do out there will
be done with the most sensitivity for the natural landscaping.
Wasukanis said that PBSC staff is investigating the idea of
devel-oping the campus as a net-zero site, producing as much energy
as it consumes.
The site has been approved by
College Official Reviews PlansFor Campus With RPB Ed Board
See CAMPUS, page 19
ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING
REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS,
REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENT REQUIRED BY SECTION
718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A
BUYER. THIS ADVERTISEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER WHERE
PROHIBITED BY STATE STATUTES. PRICES, TERMS, FEATURES AND
AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
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TOWN-CRIERTHEOUR OPINION
Put Restoration Of The Everglades Back On The Front Burner
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SEND IN YOUR LETTERSThe Town-Crier welcomes letters to the
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Shocked By Wellington
CouncilEven though I read the
Town-Crier and watch the local news daily, I was somehow not
informed of the major vote to be held at the Wellington Village
Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27. It was just by chance that I
hap-pened to be telling a friend who is currently looking to
relocate about the Wellington Gardens project. Luckily, I saw their
web site men-tion the meeting (date, time and location). I
navigated to the Village of Wellingtons web site and found it
confusing and difficult to even read the details. Fortunately, this
attempt at holding a quick and quiet meeting spread by word of
mouth among those who truly care about the community they live
in.
As a prior HOA president, I was shocked when I saw more than 350
residents, shoulder to shoul-der and elbow to elbow, standing room
only, and some even sitting on the floor for the almost
five-hour-long meeting. Never have I witnessed so many people from
so many different backgrounds, ages, life experiences and residing
in several different areas all speak in favor of the same project.
I recall hearing a chief of police, student, stay-at-home mom,
doctor, engi-neer, attorney and various other professions speak.
Even the former mayor of Wellington spoke (and received a standing
ovation when he concluded).
How an approximate 750-unit apartment complex was even up for
consideration is embarrassing and shameful. I didnt hear one single
person speak in favor of this project other than our own village
council. To that note, it was interesting that I sent an e-mail
detailing my frustration and disap-pointment to our council
members, and the only person who took the time to respond was
Councilwom-an Anne Gerwig. What is ironic is Councilwoman Gerwig
was tech-nically not allowed to vote on this project due to a
potential conflict of interest. Ill admit that at least Mayor Bob
Margolis and Vice Mayor John Greene can clearly agree to disagree
with each other and at least remain professional while doing so.
Although I have my doubts with Mayor Margolis because at times he
spoke in favor of open land and parks, yet was in favor of an
approximate 750-unit apartment complex. This seems to be a huge
contradiction.
The same professionalism and respect could not be said for
Councilman Matt Willhite. I was in shock how rude,
condescending
and unprofessional he was during the meeting with residents who
elected him. It appeared he only wanted to listen to himself speak,
and he misspoke about what the developer and several residents said
earlier. It was clear Council-man Willhite was talking down to
residents. I surely hope Floridians are paying attention come
voting time.
In summary, this council dis-played a clear disregard for what
the community wanted. I cannot help but to question personal
motivations, by having a meeting they certainly did a good job at
not advertising, to cover such a major vote; a vote that truly
affects the future of Wellington. While no project was perfect,
Wellington Gardens would bring jobs, money and entertainment to
Wellington, as well as keep jobs, money and entertainment in
Wellington. Res-idents are tired of driving a half hour north,
south and east to what we have a chance at having locally. I urge
the residents of Wellington to stay informed and remain in-volved.
It appears we might have very well had this council vote in support
of the apartment complex project had it not been for the blatant
disgust and disapproval by so many residents at the Jan. 27
meeting.
PS: Councilman Willhite, I re-side in the Grand Isles community
and saw neighbors from Grand Isles and the Isles at the meeting.
Shame on you to suggest that only the neighboring communities were
vocal at the meeting.
Rich BestWellington
Keith Harris AnOIG SupporterU.S. Senator Joe Lieberman was
quoted as saying the strength of a democracy is measured by the
citizens trust in government. Honest government is the founda-tion
of our country, our state and our community.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of Palm Beach Countys
mission is to provide independent and objective insight, oversight
and foresight in promoting effi-ciency, effectiveness and integrity
in government. The OIG accom-plishes this through conducting
audits, investigations and contract oversight activities.
By vote of the citizens, the OIG jurisdiction includes the
county government and each of the 38 municipalities. 72 percent of
Palm Beach Countys voting population is in favor of the OIG. It is
fund-ed not by tax dollars from Palm Beach citizens but by
receiving one quarter of one percent from the
RON BUKLEYManaging Editor
contract sum of all municipal and county vendor contracts.
On a personal note, I have had interaction with the OIG on a few
issues. On all occasions, they have been forthright in promoting
right and proper government. Prior to the Loxahatchee Groves Town
Councils vote to approve recent road projects, the OIG told the
council that piggybacking of construction projects is not
en-couraged. The council awarded a contract for $72,000, which
ended up costing Loxahatchee Groves some $140,000.
As a private citizen, a town government participant and a
candidate for Loxahatchee Groves Town Council, I support and will
continue to support the Palm Beach County Office of the In-spector
General in its mission to furnish honest government for all county
residents.
Keith HarrisLoxahatchee Groves
Vote For The Future Of
Lox GrovesLoxahatchee Groves residents,
this is your time and chance to cast a vote on March 10, to
determine what you individually would like to see happen within our
town as we continue to grow.
Issues to consider: Do you want paved roads or not? Your opinion
should count. Vote. If you want them, they should be moved forward
on instead of countless surveys with little or no action. If the
vote is for paved roads, it should be for all and not just the
roads on which members of the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control
District live. The if its free, its for me attitude of many years
cannot continue if you are vigilant regarding what happens. If the
board can buy a building or approve a college without a vote from
the residents, they should be able to decide on roads.
Do you want equestrian trails or not (at this point probably at
least a 25-year-old effort and ongoing)? Your opinion should count.
Vote.
Are you happy with the RV/camper parks springing up all over the
Groves, perhaps without per-mits, septic, water, trash pickup, etc?
Your opinion should count. Vote. Loxahatchee Groves voted to become
a town on the premise of one residence on five or 10 acres. If this
is what you voted for and want, it should be enforced. Temporary
residences should not be a way around this restriction.
Does it concern you that prop-erties are being used for parking
lots for semis even when there is
no residence on the property? Does this then become a commercial
enterprise? If you have a concern, vote.
Lastly, do you want term limits on your candidates? Good or bad,
if the same people have a lock on the board forever, the only
things that will or can happen are the things they allow to happen.
No council member is going to vote themselves out, so unless
someone resigns, your board will never change. We are in a period
of rapid and changing landscape and growth, so if what happens to
you is important to you, vote!
Joyce BatchelerLoxahatchee Groves
Can We Trust Ryan Liang?
Trust is a valuable commodity. When anyone violates the bond of
trust, everything this untrust-worthy person did or does in the
future is questioned. Whenever a politicians integrity is
questioned, they are quick to respond. Their responses are examined
and the electorate makes their decision. In the 2012 election for
the Loxa-hatchee Groves Town Council, the voters re-elected Ryan
Liang without questioning his integrity.
Why is Liangs integrity in question in 2015? During the 2012
campaign, Liang was asked about his alleged conflict of inter-est
with the Callery-Judge comp plan challenge. During the 2012
election cycle, the Town-Crier published an article about Liang
which included this paragraph: During the resolution of the
Call-ery-Judge challenge to the comp plan, there were some
allegations that Liang had a conflict of interest regarding his
familys relationship with Callery-Judge. Liang said he approached
the Commission on Ethics, which found no conflict. I asked them if
there was a conflict, and they told me that there was not a
conflict, he said. Which Com-mission on Ethics did Liang seek an
opinion on his Callery-Judge conflict of interest? The Palm Beach
County Commission of Ethics has no record of opining on any inquiry
from Liang; the Flor-ida Commission on Ethics has no record Liangs
request. This begs the question, what Commission on Ethics gave
Liang a pass?
Can Liang be trusted for another term? Fact: As a sitting
council member during the Callery-Judge challenge, Liang attended
the councils shade session, an out-of-the-Sunshine meeting where
the towns legal options were dis-cussed and plans formulated. Fact:
The Liang family owns 120 acres of land within Callery-Judges
boundary. Fact: Laura Zung, along with Liangs mother, are
partners in Dancing Crane Farms LLC. Fact: Dancing Crane Farms LLC
owns 45+ acres of land within the northern border of the town and a
stones throw from Callery-Judge. Fact: Laura Zung is married to Nat
Roberts, one of the owners of Callery-Judge and the principal
challenger to the towns comp plan. Does anyone else see a con-flict
of interest?
Lets fast-forward to December 2013. Liang filed a Form 8B,
Memorandum of Voting Conflict, when the council had votes on Minto.
The reason stated on the form was inured to my special gain or loss
of my relative. The relative? Liangs mother. What has changed?
Liangs circumstances from 2012 still exist. If there was no
conflict of interest during Call-ery-Judge, why did Liang recuse
himself during the No on Minto resolution votes? Voters of
Loxa-hatchee Groves, stop kowtowing to the Liangs!
Dennis LippLoxahatchee Groves
Wellington: Stop Dumping On
Rustic RanchesOnce again the Village of Wel-
lingtons leaders have chosen to consider Rustic Ranches as their
dumping ground. This time its for their tons of manure, which is
generated in the village, not Rustic Ranches.
First of all, I would like to know why the Village of Wellington
has chosen this to be their problem, instead of the problem of the
property owners in their horse community, which generates the
monumental amount of manure.
I cannot stress the impact on our roads with hundreds of trucks
daily. That question stands alone, not to mention the road
mainte-nance costs.
Additionally, how could any site be considered that has a mostly
residential status when there are other sites available, i.e.,
20-Mile
Bend. If Village Manager Paul Schofield and Special Projects
Manager Mike ODell are so anxious to have a manure transfer station
in a neighborhood, let them use their own.
As president, I said this at our last Pine Tree Water Control
Dis-trict meeting: In what world would I ever allow the Acme
Improve-ment District to use Pine Tree as their dumping ground?
More questions: wheres the money going? Someone is lobby-ing for
this. Whats next?
Chris WallaceWellington
Louda Supports Jarriel & LiangThis letter is an expression
of
my support for the re-election of Loxahatchee Groves councilmen
Ron Jarriel and Ryan Liang. Both councilmen have participated in
the town and water control districts efforts to get complete new
and legally binding surveys of roadway/canal easements. These
surveys are required before any further work can proceed on
equestrian trails/greenways.
When I served on the Roadway, Equestrian Trails and Greenway
Advisory Committee (RETGAC) with Mrs. Nina Corning as the chair, we
worked out a full trail system with interconnections to the south
into Wellington and the north to the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural
Area and on to the Dupuis preserve. Further, we presented a
proposed phasing schedule to have that implement-ed. All this takes
time and money. Regarding money we also investigated grant
proposals, but without valid surveys we could not proceed. Only
when the land surveys get completed can grant proposals be
submitted. Both Liang and Jarriel realize this and supported us
back then and will do so in the future!
Prior to the upcoming election, make sure that you have facts
and not heated rhetoric.
Dr. Bill LoudaLoxahatchee Groves
After years of slowed progress in a down economy, Gov. Rick
Scott recently announced his goal to commit $5 billion toward
Everglades restoration over the next 20 years. If approved by
lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session, the money could
bring long-delayed Everglades restoration projects back on
track.
As part of Scotts 2015-16 budget, he is earmarking $150 million
for Everglades restoration, along with an additional $150 million
toward land acquisition focused in part on protecting land for the
Florida panther. We will keep working to make sure we preserve our
natural treasures so Florida can continue to be a top destination
for families, visitors and businesses, Scott said as he announced
the plan.
While this latest push is certainly good news for the
Everglades, it is just the latest chapter in a decades-long saga to
save the famed River of Grass, restoring as much of the historic
flow of the Everglades as possible given the current reaches of
development. However, this noble effort has long been stymied by
competing jurisdictions and interests; pushed forward during the
years of plenty and scaled back during lean budget years. And it is
certainly not just the State of Florida. The federal government, in
particular, has spent decades dragging its heels on
the topic of Everglades restoration, preferring unfunded
mandates to necessary appropriations. Meanwhile, the South Florida
Water Management District has so far not pursued the options it is
holding to buy thousands of acres of farmland that could be used
for future Everglades restoration projects.
That is, of course, the problem with projects designed to be
massive, multi-generational initiatives. It is very hard to keep
the progress moving forward when the needs of today con-tinue to
intervene. However, the problems with the Everglades ecosystem were
not created overnight and will not be fixed overnight. It will take
decades of steadfast work to get it done.
If you want to learn more about why it all matters, the 16th
annual Everglades Day Festival will take place, rain or shine, on
Saturday, Feb. 14, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Arthur R. Mar-shall
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (10216 Lee Road, two miles
south of Boynton Beach Blvd. off State Road 7). The festival aims
to focus attention on the importance of the Everglades to South
Floridas people, animals and habitats. The event will include a
dozen special presentations, live music, animal encounters, food
trucks and many activities for kids. Learn more at
www.auduboneverglades.org.
NEWS
By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report
Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Administrator Steve
Yohe reported Monday, Feb. 9 that his staff has completed an
11.8-mile canal dredging and clearing project funded largely by a
grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The grant
was in response to a request to help in the recovery from Trop-ical
Storm Isaac.
LGWCD Supervisor John Ryan complimented Yohe on the com-pletion
of the project, explaining that it had saved the district a lot of
money by purchasing a long-reach backhoe to do the project, rather
than contracting it out.
Even though we dont have a Tropical Storm Isaac that often, it
did allow a contract with USDA,
Ryan said. I think this was a worthwhile project.
Yohe said the canals had been put back to their proper design
configuration.
He also reported that the dis-tricts legal staff is in its
second appeal to get $75,000 that the Federal Emergency Management
Agency granted but has not sent. Second attempts can take as long
as a year, Yohe said.
Ryan said that the district has done the work, which had been
approved by FEMA.
FEMA specifically approved the work, they funded the initial
disbursement, Ryan said, until they learned that the USDA had
granted money to the district. They felt it was double funding.
Supervisor Don Widing, who works at a fire department in
Broward County, said one appeal of his had gone on for three
years.
Ryan said part of the confusion was that the district
communicates with the USDA office in Tallahas-see. We have a
gerrymandered congressional district, Ryan said, referring to
Congressman Alcee Hastings 20th Congressional District. Im not sure
hes aware of these issues up here.
Yohe also reported that the district presented the Town of
Loxahatchee Groves with a pro-posed interlocal agreement on Feb. 2
for maintenance of roads and berms. He expects approval at the
councils meeting on Feb. 17, and it should come back for LGWCD
approval on March 9.
He said he gave the draft to Town Manager Bill Underwood last
week, who had not had time
Lox Groves Water Control District Reviews Progress With
Projectsto review it completely. It is quite lengthy, Yohe
said.
Ryan said reaching an agree-ment has been difficult due to
statutory limitations of the district.
Its not an easy agreement in the sense that it is implementing a
local bill that was passed, and it is not just an absolutely
natural com-bination of abilities because youre dealing with
district easements and, as per the local bill, a perpetu-al use
permit given to the town that authorizes the construction and
maintenance of the trails, and then combines our canal maintenance
roads with that agreement and tries to really suit the objectives
of both entities, Ryan said.
Supervisor Frank Schiola asked legal staff if the district will
still be able to access the canal main-tenance roads, which are
planned
for adaptation as horse trails.LGWCD Attorney Mary Viator
said one of the issues was drafting an agreement that would not
have the district compromising its pri-mary responsibility.
Everyone needs to understand that the districts primary
respon-sibility is drainage, and we have to have access, Viator
said. That is communicated in the agreement, that the trails will
be part of the ongoing maintenance, to make sure that there is a
provision for access.
Widing noted that a provision of the agreement states that use
of the easement by the town for equestrian trails is subordinate to
the uses of the district.
Viator added that most of the details had been worked through
with Town Attorney Michael
Cirullo, who was reviewing the agreement with the town
manager.
Yohe noted that the maintenance maps, once they are recorded,
will be part of the agreement. The maintenance map survey contract
was awarded to Erdman Anthony in January.
Viator said that some of the delays have been due to getting the
maintenance maps finished. Widing said that he wanted the public to
understand the reason for the delays.
LGWCD Chairman Dave De-Marois said the district and the town
were working together so they can open equestrian trails, but it
has to be done in a specific way.
In other business, the board granted Yohe a 3.7 percent raise
during his annual performance review.
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The Town-Crier www.gotowncrier.com February 13 - February 19,
2015 Page 5
NEWSWELLINGTON BOYS & GIRLS CLUB TEAMS UP WITH THE HUNGER
PROJECT
Leland Gassman, Elliana Hernandez,Alexander Diaz and Valentino
Rangel.
Jewel Lewis, Brooklyn Simpson and Boys & GirlsClub Program
Coordinator Latisha Paul.
ORANGE SUNSHINE BAND BRINGS GROOVY MUSIC TO RPB COMMONS
PARKRoyal Palm Beach hosted a free concert by the Orange Sunshine
Band at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park on Sunday, Feb. 8. The band
played a variety of 1960s music while guests danced and sang along.
There were also food trucks and a few vendors on site.
Brooklyn Simpson and Savanna Hall.NKhaya and Wakisha Mawali got
two
pouches from Leland Gassman.
Aiden Sosa, 4, likes to dance.Cheryl Williams and Annmarie
Spohnholtz enjoy the music.
Brooklyn Simpson with Layla, Tommy, Breanah and Kristin
Santos.
The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, Palm Beach Day
Academy, the Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the Boys &
Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County and Feeding Children Everywhere
partnered for the Palm Beach Unites Hunger Project, handing out
100,000 lentil casserole meals at seven different locations. A
total of 2,500 meals went to the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys &
Girls Club in Wellington on Monday, Feb. 9 and were handed out to
families as they picked up their kids. Each pouch of lentil
casserole will feed three people.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Cassidy Rosa, Brooklyn Simpson and Nelson Rosa.
The Orange Sunshine Band plays 1960s music.Eleni Ceresna with
Precious.
towncrier - 2015bw.pdf 1 1/13/2015 12:53:11 PM
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Page 6 February 13 - February 19, 2015 www.gotowncrier.com The
Town-Crier
CRIME NEWS
By Julie UngerTown-Crier Staff Report
FEB. 10 A deputy from the Wellington substation of the Palm
Beach County Sheriffs Office was called to the Palm Beach
International Equestrian Center on Tuesday morning regarding a
business burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 1
p.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, someone walked into a saddle
tent display, climbed over a storage unit, broke two shelves and
stole three Antares saddles, together valued at $15,000. The stolen
saddles were entered into the teletype registry.
FEB. 2 A deputy from the
PBSOs Royal Palm Beach sub-station was called to a home on
Sandpiper Avenue last Monday regarding a vehicle burglary.
According to a PBSO report, sometime between 6 p.m. on Jan 30 and
noon on Jan. 31, someone entered the victims unlocked Nissan
Frontier and removed a Porter-Cable chipping hammer, a 32G Apple
iPad Mini and a set of keys from under the passenger front seat.
Fingerprint evidence was collected from the vehicle.
FEB. 2 A deputy from the PBSOs Royal Palm Beach sub-station was
called to the Little Caesars restaurant on Okeechobee Blvd. last
Monday afternoon regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report,
sometime between 4 and 4:15 p.m., as the manager was getting ready
to leave for the day, she set her purse down on the front counter.
According to the report, a woman entered the restaurant and removed
the purse. The incident was caught on video.
FEB. 3 A deputy from the PBSOs Acreage/Loxahatchee substation
was contacted by a resident of Tangerine Blvd. last Tuesday
regarding a case of fraud. According to a PBSO report, the victim
received a notification that someone had attempted to open a
Capital One account and a Sprint account in the victims name over
the past two months. The victim did not know how his information
had been compromised.
FEB. 3 A deputy from the PBSOs Acreage/Loxahatchee substation
was called to a home on 33rd Road North last Tuesday afternoon.
According to a PBSO report, three suspects distracted the victim
and removed the victims safe, which contained cash, coins and
jewelry valued at approxi-mately $25,000.
FEB. 5 A deputy from the PBSOs Royal Palm Beach substa-tion was
called to a hotel on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. last Thursday morning
regarding a stolen vehi-cle. According to a PBSO report, two
individuals stole the victims 2006 Ford F550 truck, which
con-tained an air compressor, welder and other tools. According to
the report, the vehicle, with a tracking device, was later
recovered in Okeechobee County.
FEB. 6 A deputy from the PBSOs Royal Palm Beach sub-station was
called to a home on Shoma Drive last Friday morning regarding a
vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 7
p.m. last Thursday and 8 a.m. last Friday, someone entered the
victims 2010 Chevrolet Impala and removed a pair of Paxon shoes and
ProTaper dirt bike, valued at $170, from the vehicle. The vehicle
showed no signs of forced entry.
FEB. 6 A deputy from the
Saddles Stolen From Show Grounds Store
PBSOs Acreage/Loxahatchee substation was called to a home on
62nd Lane North in The Acreage last Friday morning regarding a
residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between
9 p.m. last Thursday and 11 a.m. last Friday, someone entered the
victims residence and removed half a bottle of Grey Goose li-quor,
two Heineken beer bottles and tore the victims patio screen door.
The alcohol was valued at approximately $35. Fingerprint and DNA
evidence were collected at the scene.
FEB. 6 A deputy from the PBSOs Royal Palm Beach sub-station was
called to the Walmart store on Belvedere Road last Friday afternoon
regarding a shoplifting incident. According to a PBSO report, at 1
p.m. last Friday, a loss prevention officer noticed a man acting
suspiciously in the home goods section of the store. According to
the report, the man, later determined to be Antho-ny Riley,
selected $85.38 worth of merchandise, placed it in his cart, and
exited the store without paying for the items. According to the
re-port, Riley was found with a crack cocaine pipe on his person
and was also arrested for the possession of drug paraphernalia.
FEB. 6 A deputy from the PBSOs Royal Palm Beach substa-tion was
called to the Target store on Okeechobee Blvd. last Friday
afternoon regarding a shoplifting incident. According to a PBSO
report, an unknown male was observed taking items, including
clothing and toys, and exiting the store before leaving the parking
lot in a silver Honda Accord with a sunroof.
FEB. 8 A deputy from the PBSOs Wellington substation was called
to the Macys department store in the Mall at Wellington Green
Sunday afternoon regarding a shoplifting incident. According to a
PBSO report, at 4:33 p.m., a loss prevention officer noticed Yana
Skovorodina enter into a fitting room with four items of clothing,
leave with three, and exit the store with one piece of merchandise
a pair of jogging pants valued at $39 concealed in another bag.
According to the report, the officer stopped Skov-orodina outside
of the store and recovered the merchandise. She was arrested for
retail theft.
FEB. 9 A deputy from the PBSOs Wellington substation was called
to a home in the Sailboat Point community Monday morn-ing regarding
a case of vandalism. According to a PBSO report, sometime between
2:30 p.m. Sun-day and 10 a.m. Monday, someone slashed one of the
Firestone tires, valued at $150, on the victims 2007 Chevy
Express.
FEB. 9 A deputy from the PBSOs Wellington substation was called
to a home in the Aero Club on Monday evening regarding a vehicle
burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 8 p.m.
Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Mon-day, someone entered the victims unlocked
2015 Porsche Cayenne S and removed two paychecks, as well as $7
from the center console.
FEB. 10 A deputy from the PBSOs Wellington substation was called
to the Rustic Ranches neighborhood Tuesday afternoon regarding a
sign theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime be-tween 1:30 and
2:45 p.m. Tuesday, one of the five marker signs at the end of
Skipiks Way noting that the road came to an end was stolen.
THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BYCRIME STOPPERS OF
PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIMESTOPPERSIS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
CONTENT SHOWN HERE.
Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the publics
help in finding these wanted fugitives:
Joseph Murphy is a white male, 511 tall and weighing 180 lbs.,
with blond hair, blue eyes and multiple tattoos. His date of birth
is 06/07/82. Murphy is wanted for violating the terms of parole for
felony charges for domestic battery on a person 65 years of age or
older. His last known address was Nan-tucket Court in Wellington.
He is wanted as of 02/05/15.
Trevor Nolan is a white male, 511 tall and weighing 170 lbs.,
with brown hair, blue eyes and multiple tattoos. His date of birth
is 06/30/90. Nolan is wanted on felony charges for the sale of
cocaine. His last known addresses were Wellington Drive in
Wellington and Pilgrim Road in West Palm Beach. He is wanted as of
02/05/15.
Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000
reward. For more info., call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS
(8477) or visit www.crime stopperspbc.com. Trevor Nolan
Joseph Murphy
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The Town-Crier www.gotowncrier.com February 13 - February 19,
2015 Page 7
NEWS
By Deborah WelkyTown-Crier Staff Report
On Nov. 30, longtime Royal Palm Beach resident Dave Spall, 36,
boarded a cruise ship in Miami with his aunt, his uncle and his
fianc. Destination: the Caribbean. He never arrived.
Instead, he lies in a hospital bed at Jackson Memorial Hospital
with family members and friends maintaining a vigil at his bedside
and wondering how this could have happened.
According to his mother, Karen, it happened due to a series of
un-fortunate mistakes.
They were just a few hours out of port when they decided to
visit the buffet, she said. Dave took a piece of meat and put it on
his plate and remarked to his aunt, This looks really good. He
started toward his seat, and she went back to help her husband.
About four minutes later, she returned to their table and found a
lot of activity. Evidently, Dave had put down his tray, gone limp
and fallen backward.
Unsure what was happening, the aunt asked if he was choking but
was told that Spall was not he was having a heart attack. Cruise
ship staff told her they had it under control, but no one checked
Spalls airway where, in-deed, a piece of meat was lodged.
Were not sure if he put a piece of meat in his mouth as he was
walking back or not, Spalls mother said. But who assumes a
36-year-old man is having a heart attack? Check the mouth ev-eryone
who has ever taken CPR knows that.
Spall wasnt breathing, yet valuable time was lost searching for
a wheelchair and getting him to the onboard infirmary. By the time
the meat was discovered, he had already lost vital oxygen to his
brain. The damage was further compounded as minutes ticked by due
to miscommunication regard-ing getting him airlifted off the ship
to a hospital.
Spall suffered severe brain damage but is finally breathing on
his own. His parents were awarded legal guardianship of their adult
son last week, and the push is on to bring Spall home to Palm Beach
County, where he can get the help he needs at a long-term care
facility.
Spall grew up in Royal Palm Beach, was a sponsor of a Royal Palm
Beach Youth Athletic As-
sociation team and had purchased a home in The Acreage. Usually,
he was the first one to help anyone in need, Karen said. Now, the
community he loves has rallied around him.
A successful yard sale got things off to a good start.
Fur-niture, home dcor, water skis, designer fabrics, lighting
fixtures, clothing and more were donated and sold last weekend,
earning more than $2,000. More events are being planned.
I used to tell him, Dave, you do too much, and he said, Mom, I
take after you. I just spent 30 hours with him the other day, Karen
said. His eyes are open, but he is unconscious. Nonethe-less, he
was able to raise his left hand. He definitely hears you theres no
doubt about that. He is
responding. I take his head and say, Focus. Focus, and you can
see him coming down and trying to focus and relax, but you have no
control. Thats why were try-ing so hard to get him out of there and
into therapy. Its a long, slow process, but were family. Well be
there.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Dave Spall turned 37. He celebrated in
the Miami hospital, his 11th week there.
Wed like to bring him closer to us, Karen said. But, as it is,
we dont leave him by himself. One of us is there 24 hours a
day.
To help, look for announce-ments of upcoming fundraisers, such
as a planned softball tourna-ment, or donate directly to the David
Spall Donation Fund, set up at Wells Fargo Bank.
Family Raising Money To Help Longtime Resident Dave Spall
Dave Spall
Liz Codis, Vincent Riggle and Carol Dettling ran last weekends
yard sale, which raised more than $2,000 for Dave Spall.
Linda Renna found a bag full of bargainswith some help from
Carol Dettling.
Gwen Van Sickle looks over holiday items.PHOTOS BY DENISE
FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
By Julie UngerTown-Crier Staff Report
Hollywood Week: It marks one of the segues into making it
through the elimination rounds to the top 24 of the talent-packed
American Idol. Airing over two weeks, the first episode had
sing-ers perform for the judges in lines of 10, before the second
episode where singers worked in groups.
On Wednesday night, during episode three of Hollywood Week,
contestants, including Welling-tons own Emily Brooke, per-formed
solos one last time before the nerve-wracking episode airing
Thursday, Feb. 12: Hollywood Week #4: Top 48.
Final solo performances take place before the judges announce
the top 48 contestants.
Next week, on Wednesday, Feb. 18, the top 48 perform once more
in a special showcase before the second showcase round, Feb. 19,
where the top 24 are announced.
Hollywood Week was a stress-
ful whirlwind for the 16-year-old budding star, who found that
not only is she learning a great deal, but she is forming lifelong
friend-ships. One of the most amazing things, she said, was meeting
all of the different contestants from all over the country.
I met a new friend during Hol-lywood Week, she said, explain-ing
that their friendship has grown quickly.
Beyond the competition, some of those friendships she is making
have allowed Brooke the opportu-nity to be around people with the
same goals in mind.
There are so many other people who are there doing the same
thing that you are, so its like you all relate to each other, she
said. Its really cool.
As far as making it this far into the competition, that is
something the Wellington High School stu-dent does not take for
granted. Knowing I made it through that whole part was
absolutely
crazy, because there were so many people, she said.
Entering into Hollywood Week, and the subsequent episodes,
Brooke would remind herself, Im safe today. Whats tomorrow going to
hold?
To be in that situation was an awesome experience, she said.
It was actually really surpris-ing, to be honest, Brooke said
about making it past the group part of Hollywood Week, especially
since she was feeling ill. It was difficult to make sure to stay
mo-tivated, stay hydrated, and make sure you do everything you need
to do to get through that week.
The group performances came as a delightful surprise to Brooke.
They performed A Little Help from My Friends by the Beatles.
My group was amazing. They were all so nice and so fun. It was
just the best group I could ask for. Im just glad I was able to
have them, she said. The per-formance we definitely didnt
have all of our stuff together that we needed to have together.
We all know that. Its just funny because we all laugh at it like,
Whoa, we actually got through that.
Even being sick, Brooke made it through, which was a welcome
surprise, only solidifying how ap-parent her talent and promise
is.
Brooke has also received a great deal of help and advice from
the judges.
I am always just wanting to improve any way I can with my music
and my stage performance, she said. Getting that experience, being
able to talk to them and ask them what I need to work on it has
been very helpful. Since then, Ive gotten so much more confi-dent.
Im just getting better and better from their advice.
One criticism Brooke recalls from the judges is that Jennifer
Lopez didnt always feel the emo-tions when she was singing, so
Brooke has been working hard to change that and make her
perfor-
mances more emotional. Thats definitely something Ive had to
work really hard on, she said.
The hard work that goes into the competition, and pursuing a
professional singing career, has been softened with the support of
her family.
Having her mother with her has been an amazing experience.
It was really good, especially since I wasnt feeling very well,
Brooke said, explaining that her mom was always there to help her
feel better. Its just really awesome that my parents are so
supportive, and it was great having my mom there to have my
back.
Youll have to watch Wednes-days episode online or on demand, but
be sure to tune in Thursday to see how Brooke does and catch her
showcasing her talent.
For more information about this season of American Idol, visit
www.americanidol.com. To learn more about Brooke, visit
www.emilybrookemusic.com.
Emily Brooke Still In The Action As Elimination Rounds
Conclude
Emily Brooke during her American Idol audition.
Wellington Film Festival Planned
The Wellington Film Festival is coming up. The three-day event
will take place at the Cinema 8 Movies at Wellington from Tues-day,
Feb. 24 through Thursday, Feb. 26 from 7 to 10 p.m. each evening.
Each day will feature a film from the new 2053 Trilogy, a
filmmaking seminar and student films.
Founder Jean-Michel Millien wanted to put together a
family-friendly festival that highlights Wellington and the
surrounding areas, which the 2053 Trilogy does. All three films,
Two Girls, a Dragon and a Fisherman, More Girls, a Dragon and a
Fisherman and Viejo were all shot in and around Wellington, Royal
Palm Beach and The Acreage. They are family friendly and star
14-year-
old Aeja Pinto, who has to experi-ence growing pains and affairs
of the heart, yet the films also have enough action to keep male
audi-ence members interested as well.
It is free to submit a film for con-sideration to the Wellington
Film Festival. For more information, or to learn about
sponsorships, visit www.wellingtonfilmfestival.com or call (561)
255-7625.
Art Society Offering
ScholarshipsThe Wellington Art Society is
currently accepting applications for its one-time $500 to $1,000
college art scholarships for gradu-ating seniors who live in and
attend high school in Palm Beach County.
The scholarship is available to students planning a college
major
in visual arts. Applications can be obtained from school art
teachers or from the Wellington Art Society by contacting Suzanne
Redmond at [email protected].
Requirements for the scholar-ship are as follows: students must
reside in and attend high school in Palm Beach County; students
must maintain a 3.0 GPA in visual arts and an overall GPA of 2.0;
and three art classes in high school must have been completed. An
artists statement and career goal must be submitted, along with 7
to 10 photographs for viewing, a letter of recommendation from a
faculty member and the students transcript.
The application package for the scholarship is due March 25 and
should be sent to the Wellington Art Society, P.O. Box 212943,
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-2943.
The Wellington Art Society Scholarship, established in 2001, has
provided 30 talented young artists with money for their art-related
expenses, such as art/photographic supplies and books or tuition
for visual art classes. Proceeds from the organizations annual art
exhibitions and sales, such as ArtFest on the Green and Whole Foods
Market art shows, support the scholarship fund.
For more information about the scholarship program, e-mail
Su-zanne Redmond at [email protected].
Wellington Chamber Shop
Talk Feb. 26The Wellington Chamber of
Commerce will hold its Shop Talk event on Thursday, Feb. 26
at the Wanderers Club from 6 to 8 p.m. The topic will be To
Friend or Not To Friend? Expert panel-ists Christina Rowe and Heidi
Richards Mooney will discuss the pros and cons of social media in
the workplace. For more infor-mation, and to RSVP, visit
www.wellingtonchamber.com.
Transportation Services Job Fair Set For Feb. 18Bus drivers
wanted! The School
District of Palm Beach Coun-tys Transportation Services
De-partment will hold a job fair on Wednesday, Feb. 18 to hire
drivers to transport approximately 58,000 students each day to Palm
Beach County schools.
The job fair is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Central
Trans-
portation Facility, 3376 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach.
Applicants must meet the fol-lowing requirements:
Be a safe, licensed driver for five years.
Have an excellent driving record.
Pass the Florida Department of Transportation physical
exami-nation.
Pass the bus driver training course.
Communicate effectively in English.
Enjoy working with students.The school district offers
excel-
lent benefits, competitive pay and health insurance. The
district also offers free Commercial Driving License (CDL) training
for those who qualify.
To learn more about the Trans-portation Services job fair, call
(561) 242-6515.
NEWS BRIEFS
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Ag Reserve Roundtable
Set For Feb. 17 The public is invited to attend
a roundtable meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 17 to discuss issues
affecting Palm Beach Countys Agricultural Reserve Area.
The discussion will be held at the Clayton E. Hutcheson
Agri-cultural Center, located at 559 N. Military Trail in West Palm
Beach, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. No pre-registration is
required.
The Agricultural Reserve covers an area of approximately 22,000
acres west of Floridas Turnpike in southern Palm Beach County. It
was established in the 1980s to preserve unique wetlands and
farmlands by limiting uses to agriculture, conservation,
low-density residential development, and limited non-residential
uses.
The Feb. 17 discussion is a follow-up to a roundtable held in
March 2014 in response to requests by farmers and property owners
seeking to expand the de-velopment options currently avail-able in
the Agricultural Reserve.
Representatives previously
selected by each interest group will participate at the table,
but all interested members of the public are invited to attend and
interact as audience members. For more info., visit
www.pbcgov.com/pzb/plan-ning/ag_reserve/ag_reserve.htm.
Gang Resistance Training Session
Wellingtons Community Ser-vices Department has partnered with
the Palm Beach County Sher-iffs Office and the Neil S. Hirsch
Family Boys & Girls Club to host a Gang Resistance Education
and Training Informational Session for Wellington parents.
The session will take place Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the
Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club, located at 1080
Wel-lington Trace. To RSVP, call (561) 791-4764.
Robotics Team To Host Open House Feb. 14The Children of the
Swamp
(179) Robotics Team of Palm
Beach County, a member of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology), will be hosting the open house and
scrimmage at 7071 Garden Road in Riviera Beach on Saturday, Feb. 14
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participating high schools in-clude Inlet Grove, Suncoast,
Semi-nole Ridge, Lake Worth, FAU, the Dreyfoos School of the Arts,
the G-Star School of the Arts and the 4-H Clubs of America.
Food and drinks, a bake sale and a 50/50 raffle will be
available, and funds will be used to cover team costs at various
events throughout the year.
For more information about the event and/or how to get involved
with the team, e-mail [email protected] or visit
www.179swampthing.org. For more information about FIRST, visit
www.usfirst.org.
Naturist Festival At Sunsport
GardensSunsport Gardens is holding
its 27th annual Midwinter Natur-ist Festival from Thursday, Feb.
12 through Tuesday, Feb. 17 at
14125 North Road in Loxahatchee Groves. There will be six days
of fun, growth and community.
This years new age festival will feature workshops on health,
per-sonal growth, bodywork, ecology, relationships, the arts and
naturist rights. There will also be sports, drum circles, musical
performanc-es, dances, spiritual ceremonies and activities for
children.
Sunsport Gardens, South Flori-das premier family naturist
resort, offers a heated swimming pool, spa, sauna, tennis,
volleyball, petanque, nature trail, childrens playground, camping,
free wire-less Internet access and a full-service restaurant.
Approximately 350 people are expected to attend the festival.
For more information, call Sun-sport Gardens at (561) 793-0423
or visit www.sunsportgardens.com.
Rummage Sale At St. Davids
St. Davids in the Pines Epis-copal Church in Wellington will
host a bazaar/rummage sale on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 8 a.m. to 2
p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 22 from 8
a.m. to noon. Items offered include knitted/crocheted articles,
gently used adult and childrens clothing, toys/games, household
items (lin-ens, glassware, china, books, etc), costume jewelry,
chili/cornbread, baked goods and more. There will be a special bag
sale on Saturday from 12:30 to 2 p.m., for all items, excluding
jewelry. For more infor-mation, contact Nancy Schroeder at (561)
792-0244 or [email protected].
Dark Sky Festival Feb. 21 At OkeeheeleeThe Palm Beach County
de-
partments of Environmental Re-sources Management and Parks &
Recreation will celebrate the night and turn down the lights by
hosting the third annual Dark Sky Festival at the Okeeheelee Nature
Center on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 10 p.m. The event is free and
open to the public.
The purpose of the Dark Sky Festival is to expose citizens to
the marvels of astronomy and the importance of protecting dark
skies, not just for astronomy
purposes, but also for the effects on human health, and the
value that darkness provides to area wildlife. This festival will
include stargazing with local astronomers, exhibits, vendors,
nature walks, a childrens activity area, food trucks, a campfire
and more. Additional support for this event is provided by the
International Dark Sky Association-South Florida.
The Okeeheelee Nature Center is located in Okeeheelee Park at
7715 Forest Hill Blvd., one mile west of Jog Road. For more
in-formation, e-mail Jacey Biery at [email protected] or visit
www.pbcgov.com/erm/darkskyfest.
RPB Rotary Club Changes Meeting PlaceThe Royal Palm Beach
Rotary
Club has changed the location of its weekly meetings. The
meet-ings, at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday mornings, will now be held at
the Oak Bistro & Wine Bar, located in the Southern Palm
Crossing shopping center at 11051 Southern Blvd., Suite 201, near
Stein Mart.
NEWS BRIEFS
I am very pleased to announce that attorney Cathy Kamber has
joined the firm. Ms. Kamber brings with her 35 years of legal
experience in family matters like divorce, paternity, pre and
post-nuptial agreements, and child custody and child visitation
issues. Ms. Kamber has attained the highest rating available
(AV-Rated) on Martindale Hubbell. Ms. Kambers addition is
reflective of my
commitment to provide the most comprehensive and diverse legal
services to our Wellington community. - Blanca Greenstein
Family Law Litigation Business Formation and Transactions Equine
Law
Immigration Law Real Estate Wills and Estates Contract Review
and Drafting
Wellington12300 South Shore Blvd., Suite 210
Wellington, FL 33414
West Palm Beach1655 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Suite 800
West Palm Beach, Fl 33401
Lake Worth917 N Dixie HighwayLake Worth, FL 33460
561-222-2222 | www.greenstein-law.com
G&A is continuously fusing in-depth legal experience, high
level customer service, and custom built technology to find optimal
solutions for our clients.
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The Town-Crier www.gotowncrier.com February 13 - February 19,
2015 Page 9
Photography by LILA PHOTO
3667 120th Avenue SouthWellington, Florida 33414
For ticket options, please visit InternationalPoloClub.com or
call 561.204.5687.
Polo and BrunchThe Perfect Match
Experience the energy of world-class polo and brunch at the
International Polo Club. Delicious food, champagne, celebrity
sightings, music, fashion and, of course, polo.
Every Sunday at 3 p.m. through April 19The Pavilion opens at 2
p.m.
Join us at The Pavilion for the after-party from 5 p.m. to 8
p.m.
57527_IPC_TownCrier_FP_Ad.indd 1 12/17/14 10:45 AM
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The Town-Crier www.gotowncrier.com February 13 - February 19,
2015 Page 11
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Page 12 February 13 - February 19, 2015 www.gotowncrier.com The
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NEWSCROWDS SHOP FOR BARGAINS AT ROYAL PALMS ANNUAL KIDS YARD
SALE
Sandy Webb cant decide which dressto buy granddaughter McKenna
Eakin. Lily Lanier buys a necklace from Donna Mine.
CLUB SUPPORTS HARMONY HOUSE
Winsom Martin, Dr. Elaine Ealy, Millie Hamptonand Junette Powell
at the CAFCI booth.
Vivian Konrad looks over some dolls shown byPatricia Forde and
Rhonda Ferrin Davis to benefitthe Vivian A. Ferrin Memorial
Scholarship Fund.
The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its annual Kids Yard Sale
on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Veterans Park. The day was a great way to
find bargains on clothes for kids and infants, toys, games, books
and more. There was a DJ and food for sale.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Boy Scouts from Troop 111 and parents sellcoupon cards to raise
money for summer camp. Jeanetta Bair knits a hat.
Alex Palmowski helps Landin Halle make a square knot.
The Women of the Western Communities met Feb. 6 at the Wanderers
Club in Wellington for a delicious dinner and fellowship. At the
meeting, the group donated pajamas and slippers to YWCA Harmony
House residents. To attend a meeting, contact Mair Armand at (561)
635-0011 or [email protected].
The sighting of a Florida Pan-ther last occurred about 30 years
ago in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area. All that time
without a single sighting symbol-izes the environmental changes
that have occurred in South Florida in recent decades.
For years, Wellington Radio Club members have volunteered with
the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at Corbett
and its Everglades Youth Conservation Center. Members will help
promote the theme of preservation and conservation by setting up
and operating a special event shortwave station later this month at
the Everglades Youth Conservation Center.
The radio amateurs hope to raise consciousness by contacting
their
colleagues worldwide. The station they will operate has already
been assigned a special FCC call-sign: W4P Whiskey Four Panther.
The weekend of Feb. 21 and 22, for 24 hours straight, club mem-bers
will inform as many of the two million hams and shortwave listeners
as possible of the role the FWC plays in protecting Floridas
native, endangered species.
This year, we are excited to call the Fish & Wildlife
Foundation of Florida a supporting sponsor for the event, said
Wellington Radio Club President Larry Lazar, a longtime FWC
volunteer.
The FWFF provides assistance, funding and promotional support to
contribute to the health and well-being of Floridas fish and
wildlife resources.
Florida is like no other place on Earth, and working together
with the Wellington Radio Club, we can further communicate and
share our fish and wildlife resources locally, nationally and
globally, so they survive and thrive for current and future
generations, said Judie Gibson, director of development for the
FWFF.
Club members will man their station from 1 p.m. Saturday through
1 p.m. Sunday, and the public is invited to observe their operation
during daylight hours.
For more information on the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of
Florida, visit www.wildlifeflorida.org. To learn more about amateur
radio, visit the Wellington Radio Club web site at
www.qsl.net/k4wrc.
Radio Club To Commemorate Last Panther Sighting In The Corbett
Area
Saturday, March 7, 20151:00 - 3:00
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The Town-Crier www.gotowncrier.com February 13 - February 19,
2015 Page 13
PALMS WEST PEOPLELionshare Dressage Loans Delorean MF To
Para-Equestrian Margaret McIntosh
When Caroline Roffman re-ceived an e-mail from Margaret McIntosh
inquiring about bor-rowing a horse for the USEF High Performance
Southeast Para-Equestrian Dressage Sym-posium, Roffman immediately
wanted to help. Accomplished para-equestrian McIntosh asked for
just two things: a horse with a good mind and a great walk.
Roffman, an international grand prix rider and head trainer at
Li-onshare Dressage in Wellington, called her working student
Sierra Keasler to suggest that McIntosh borrow Keaslers Delorean
MF, the 6-year-old son of Don Principe known around the barn as
Baby Horse.
McIntosh is a talented rider who enjoyed a successful eventing
career with the help of Bruce Da-vidson, which led to her competing
in the CCI*** and CCI**** at the Rolex Kentucky three-day event in
1997 and 1998 before a life-changing accident. While riding,
McIntosh fell over a cross country fence and broke her neck in
1999.
Although she was initially par-alyzed from the chest down,
McIntosh was able to regain her mobility and get back in the saddle
as a para-equestrian. She has risen
back through the equestrian ranks, earning the title of 2014
USEF Para-Equestrian dressage reserve champion.
Unable to bring her own horse to Wellington for the symposium,
McIntosh looked to Roffman for the perfect ride.
For Keasler, the decision to lend her horse to McIntosh was an
easy one. After hearing her story, there was no way I could say no,
she explained. At the symposium, Baby Horse made me proud. He took
his job very seriously and worked so hard for Margaret.
McIntosh competes in pa-ra-equestrian dressage at Grade 1(a), a
classification in which riders walk their dressage tests. Although
she just barely missed the mark for the 2012 London Olympics
Selection Trials and she was unable to compete in the 2014 Alltech
World Equestrian Games due to a classification discrepancy,
McIntosh continues to push forward in her competi-tive career. Her
sights are set on qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de
Janeiro.
For more information about Lionshare Dressage, visit
www.lionsharedressage.com, e-mail [email protected] or
call (617) 633-1003.
Sierra Keasler stands with Margaret McIntosh on Delorean MFat
the USEF High Performance Southeast Para Equestrian Dressage
Symposium.
MARISSA PRIORE HONORED AT ROTARY
STUDENT OF QUARTER
WINGATES WELCOME NEW GRANDSON
Pamela and Lawrence Wingate, Wellington residents for 34 years,
are proud to announce the birth of their second grandchild, Beau
Lawrence Cortese, who was born on Nov. 1, 2014 at 9 pounds, 3
ounces to Ashley and Tony Cortese of Tallahassee. Ashley Cortese, a
former Wellington resident and student at the Kings Academy, and
her husband Tony welcome Beau, their second child, as a younger
sibling for Reid Anthony Cortese.
The Wellington Rotary Club presented Marissa Prior