ELECTION RESULTS FAVOR INCUMBENTS DRESSAGE PERMIT GETS WELLINGTON OK SEE STORY, PAGE 4 SEE STORY, PAGE 4 THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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Annual Holiday Lights Spectacular Returning To Okeeheelee Park
Volume 41, Number 26 November 6 - November 19, 2020
Serving Palms West Since 1980
A SPOOKYVILLE DRIVE-THROUGH
Continuing its growing tradition, local nonprofit Lights 4 Hope Inc. will present its decorated drive-through holiday light spectacular at Okeeheelee Park at 7715 Forest Hill Blvd. during the upcoming holiday season. Opening night is set for Friday, Nov. 20. Page 3
Coldwell Banker Wellington’s Annual Food Drive Is Underway
In the spirit of giving thanks and thinking of others who are in need, this is the time of year to consider charitable donations to the less fortunate — and now is the time to donate staples and canned goods to the annual Coldwell Banker Realty Wellington food drive. Page 7
Bolander Of WLMS Honored As Beginning Teacher Of The Year
Wellington Landings Middle School teacher Kaitlyn Bolander has received Palm Beach County’s Beginning Teacher of the Year Award for her contributions to her classroom and the school. She was nominated for the honor by WLMS Principal Blake Bennett. Page 13
Kids Cancer Foundation Presents Annual 5K At RPB Commons Park
The Kids Cancer Foundation held its annual Kids Cancer Foundation Superhero 5K in Memory of Sebastian at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park on Saturday, Oct. 31. The 5K run/walk raised money to help families in the community who are facing the battle against childhood cancer. Page 18
Known as one of the best family-friendly Halloween events in the Palm Beaches, this year’s Spookyville was a drive-through experience at the South Florida Fairgrounds. The fairgrounds came alive as children were able to enjoy a slow cruise with friendly faces, familiar songs, Halloween sets, actors and lots of candy. Shown above, purple witch Carlene Llopis talks with Sami Hayes. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Keith Jordano Wins Race For Seat On Indian Trail Board
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Longtime Acreage businessman Keith Jordano soundly defeated Realtor and Acreage Landowners’ Association Board Member Richard Heinl in the race for Seat 2 on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors. Seat 2 was the only ITID race on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot. Jordano took 13,698 votes (63.78 percent) to Heinl’s 7,779 votes (36.22 percent), according to unofficial results released Wednesday morning by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office. A longtime resident of The Acreage and leader locally and in surrounding communities, Jordano has run unsuccessfully several times previously for the board, most recently losing a narrow race to Supervisor Joni Martin in 2018. “I finally made it over the hump,” Jordano told the TownCrier on Wednesday, adding that this race had not been as strenuous
as previous ones. “The others, I stood on the corners and everything else. This time I did a smarter campaign.” He said he tried to take advantage of name recognition this time around. “I’ve paid my dues out here in this community for 21 years as far as being visible and working for the good of the whole community, so I guess it finally paid off,” Jordano said. “Now I just have to live up to the promises that I made. I’ve started keeping a list. I’ve had a lot of residents e-mailing me or through Facebook saying what they would like to see done. I will get with the powers that be to try to get many of those things done.” Things people have mentioned include issues regarding roads and money. “There’s a lot of commotion about a gate that was put up dividing The Acreage from Loxahatchee Groves,” Jordano said. “The good thing with me is that
Keith Jordano I have a lot of rapport with local elected officials.” Jordano feels he has the ability to negotiate issues that are outside The Acreage, such as issues surrounding the possible four-laning and increasing the speed limit on Okeechobee Blvd. “They also want to four-lane See JORDANO, page 14
RPB Planners Support Two More Gas Pumps At RaceTrac Royal Palm Outlasts Wellington 26-21 In Gridiron Opener
Royal Palm Beach High School quarterback Peyton Mainolfi threw for 359 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Wildcats to a 26-21 season-opening victory on Friday, Oct. 30 against host Wellington High School. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval Tuesday, Oct. 27 of the installation of two additional fuel pumps and a canopy extension at the RaceTrac gas station at 665 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. Planning & Zoning Director Bradford O’Brien said the applicant had originally applied to install 10 fuel pumps when the gas station and convenience store was approved in 2016, and the Royal Palm Beach Village Council had limited it to its current configuration of four pump islands and eight pumps. When first proposed, the RaceTrac project generated significant opposition. Limiting the pumps until traffic in the area could be evaluated was one of the condi-
tions the village placed on the approval. “The applicant had suggested that at a future date, the additional two fuel pumps would be revisited after observing functionality of the site,” O’Brien said. “Right now, they feel the addition of two additional fuel pumps is warranted and is appropriate, and staff agrees with that.” Brian Terry with Insite Studio, representing RaceTrac, said the applicant wanted to preserve the opportunity to come back to the village and reapply for the pumps that had been denied originally. “I think we’re at that day, and we appreciate your support,” Terry said. Commissioner Adam Miller asked if there was an issue at the original time of approval, and O’Brien said the council was
concerned that the installation of 10 pumps might be too intense for the location. “They limited it to eight pumps with the idea that they would evaluate the functionality of the site over a period of time with the eight pumps and re-evaluate the additional two pumps if, in fact, the pumps functioned properly and adding two additional pumps would be appropriate and still maintain functionality of the site,” O’Brien said. Terry said the original design of the site had never changed, although it was built with one less fueling island. “Originally it was designed with the 10 overall pumps,” Terry said. “When it was determined at the council meeting to reduce it to eight, the remainder of the site See RACETRAC, page 14
Wellington Manager Announces Decision To Retire Next Year By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Village Manager Paul Schofield informed members of the Wellington Village Council this week of his intent to retire at the end of his current contract. After more than 12 years at the helm of the village, Schofield will leave his post on Feb. 12, 2021. Before the manager’s report toward the end of the Tuesday, Oct. 27 council meeting, Councilman John McGovern announced that Schofield had informed council moments just before the meeting of his decision, and that Feb. 12, 2021 would be his final day. It will be the end of a storied career with the village. Schofield served as director of community services under Wellington’s first village manager, Charlie Lynn. Schofield was tapped to replace Lynn when he retired in 2008. In his time leading the village, Schofield led the village through a
severe recession and has overseen a major increase in village services and facilities, including building what is now known as Wellington Town Center, a growing collection of village facilities in the center of the community. Schofield has also weathered a number of political storms and survived longer in his post than most municipal managers. Schofield agreed to a five-year extension of his contract in 2016, hinting at the time that he would likely be ready to retire when it was up in 2021. That formal decision has now been made. In his letter to the council, Schofield thanked the village for giving him the opportunity to accomplish many programs on behalf of Wellington residents. He cited only a couple in a letter that McGovern called “uncharacteristically brief and characteristically humble.” Mayor Anne Gerwig described See SCHOFIELD, page 4
BACK TO BASICS
Wellington-based nonprofit Back to Basics has found a new temporary location in the Southern Palm Crossing shopping center on Southern Blvd. The new location will help facilitate this year’s Back to Basics Angel Program initiative, made more of a challenge due to COVID-19. Shown above, Kaitlin O’Dell and Mike O’Dell wrap gifts as part of a group volunteering from the Village of Wellington. STORY & MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 16 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Veterans Day Parade Nov. 15 In Loxahatchee Groves By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A Veterans Day parade and honor service will be held in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves on Sunday, Nov. 15, with the parade beginning at 9:45 a.m., ending with the service at Loxahatchee Groves Town Hall at 11 a.m. Organized by Councilman Robert Shorr and a parade committee, residents are invited to join in the parade or watch from along a parade route that will roughly follow an earlier parade on the Fourth of July, ending with the ceremony. “We’ll be staging on East Citrus [Drive] on the north side of Loxahatchee Groves Park, and everybody will be facing west,” Shorr said. “We start staging at 9 a.m.,
and plan on going at 9:45 a.m.” The route will go west on East Citrus to E Road, jog slightly south and then go west on Tangerine Drive to E Road and north to 6th Court North by the Florida Forestry Service office, back east on Collecting Canal Road to F Road and south to Citrus near Town Hall, located at the northwest corner of Southern Blvd. and F Road. “It will be the same route as the Fourth of July, we’re just going clockwise instead of counterclockwise,” Shorr said, adding that he expects the parade to end at approximately 10:45 a.m. “At 11 a.m. we’re doing a ceremony at the town flagpole to recognize Frank Schiola Jr. for See PARADE, page 14
Wellington Proclamation Declares Nov. 10 As Wellington Community Foundation Day
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council approved a proclamation last week recognizing Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020 as Wellington Community Foundation Day in Wellington to coincide with the foundation’s popular Red, White & Blue Jeans “A Salute To Our Heroes” fundraiser event, which this year will be held online. Former Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham, currently chair of the Wellington Community Foundation, thanked the council for their support. For the past four years, the patriotic evening has allowed
veterans and other local heroes, their families and members of the Wellington community to come together for a night of camaraderie, patriotism, gratitude and fun — all while raising money for a great cause. Wenham said that while the event will not be held in person this year, it will be held virtually, starting on Tuesday, Nov. 10. He explained that this year, the event, using the hashtag #wellathon2020, is dedicated to the foundation’s superheroes. “The superheroes are the donors,” Wenham said. Mayor Anne Gerwig praised the foundation and the upcoming virtual event.
“This event allows the organization to do so much for the community of Wellington,” she said. The Wellington Community Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization committed to benefiting community residents by supporting and improving their quality of life, particularly for children, seniors and veterans. Throughout Wellington, this local nonprofit has continued to support and improve the quality of life for some of the community’s most vulnerable residents by providing food, home repairs that enable seniors to age in place, school uniforms, backpacks, summer camp See WELLATHON, page 14
Wellington Community Foundation Chair Tom Wenham (center) accepts the proclamation from the Wellington Village Council, joined by several other foundation board members.