PBCFR HELPS CHILDREN’S HOME SOCIETY SEE STORY, PAGE 3
TOWN TAKES AIM AT TRASH DUMPERS SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE Volume 36, Number 15 April 10 - April 16, 2015
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
Opera Fusion Brings ‘The Sopranos’ To Wellington April 18
Serving Palms West Since 1980
NATIONAL WALKING DAY AT WRMC
“The Sopranos” are coming to the Wellington High School theater on Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Opera Fusion is putting on a show you can’t refuse. After all, the opera singers are singing for Save a Pet Florida. Page 3
Cake Off Benefits Nonprofit Children Of Wounded Warriors
The fourth annual Cake Off event to benefit the Children of Wounded Warriors was held Saturday, April 4 at the Wellington Amphitheater. The afternoon included food trucks, a cake contest, military vehicles, bingo games and more. Page 5
RPB Council Approves New RV Storage Lot
The Royal Palm Beach Village Council gave site plan approval last week for a new villageowned recreational vehicle storage lot on almost 14 acres on the north side of Southern Blvd. under the FPL power lines west of Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery. Page 7
Easter Holiday Fun At P.W. Presbyterian Church
Palms West Presbyterian Church held its Family Easter Festival on Saturday, April 4 at the church in Loxahatchee Groves. There was a magic show, egg hunt and arts & crafts to keep the kids entertained. Page 21
OPINION
Charter Changes Should Be Set Up As Separate Ballot Questions
Wellington’s Charter Review Task Force has done a lot of hard work. It would be a shame if its ideas are not enacted because of how the referendum is set up. While it might be easier to serve up a single document for an up or down vote, that idea is not in the best interest of the village or the voters. Page 4
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 25 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS......................... 33 - 35 CALENDAR............................ 38 CLASSIFIEDS................ 40 - 43 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Wellington Regional Medical Center hosted a walk around the hospital parking lot on Wednesday, April 1 in honor of National Walking Day. The event was led by WRMC CEO and 2015 Palm Beach Heart Walk Chair Robbin Lee. The walk was part of the American Heart Association’s goal of reaching 1,000,000 steps. Shown here are the WRMC walkers in front of the hospital. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
40 Participate In Wellington Forum On Equestrian Issues
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report About 40 Wellington residents interested in equestrian issues answered survey questions Monday in a town hall meeting hosted by the village to gather information about the future of the Equestrian Preserve Area (EPA). Wellington Projects Manager Mike O’Dell, who led the meeting, pointed out that comment cards were available for attendees to fill out, in addition to a prepared survey and the opportunity to comment at the end of the presentation. Those attending were given remote transmitters to record their survey responses. O’Dell showed a brief video on the history of the equestrian overlay, which explained that the preserve has about 1,600 units of mostly 5- to 10-acre lots, and that in 1972 the county designated much of the area as estate properties or ranchettes in its comprehensive plan. The equestrian overlay makes up about 8,200 acres, or 37 percent, of Wellington’s total 22,000 acres. In the late 1990s, the area saw a dramatic increase in equestrian activities, which placed more development pressure on the area.
The evolution from ranchettes to high-end equestrian properties created areas of higher intensity, and as of 2014, the area was about 80 percent built out. The area has stalls for about 8,200 horses, with temporary stalls for about 3,000 more. O’Dell said the equestrian industry has a significant impact on the village, and the Wellington Village Council has directed staff to work toward the creation of an equestrian master plan. The first set of survey questions was regarding roadways. The first question pointed out that the current comp plan limits roads in the Equestrian Preserve Area to two lanes. Asked whether that requirement should be applied to roads near current and future venues, 58 percent responded “yes” and 42 percent said “no.” Asked if the two-lane limit should be re-evaluated or reconsidered on a case-by-case basis for collecting roads and arterials such as South Shore Blvd. and Lake Worth Road, the response was 74 percent “yes” and 26 percent “no.” Asked whether speed humps similar to those on Pierson Road east of South Shore Blvd. should
be included in all future roadways, the response was 56 percent “yes” and 44 percent “no.” Asked if improvements in the EPA should be financed through special assessments, 34 percent said “yes” and 66 percent said “no.” Current policies on paving dirt roads provide for doing so at the request and approval of a majority of the property owners abutting the roadway. Asked whether Wellington should revisit this, 63 percent said “yes” and 37 percent said “no.” Asked if the discussion should be decided in an EPA referendum, the response was 50-50. The next section was on bridle paths. O’Dell said that for most of the 67 miles of current bridle path easements, roads and canals are the primary use, and only 5 miles are dedicated bridle paths. He pointed out that the council recently adopted an equestrian circulation plan that gives residents the opportunity to provide input, including equestrian roadway crossings. “Others have argued that safer crossings are needed,” he said, including elevated crossings for See SURVEY, page 4
Groves Council Postpones Big Dog Hearing To April 21
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council on Tuesday postponed a vote on Big Dog Ranch Rescue’s plan to move to a site at Okeechobee Blvd. and D Road. The decision was moved to April 21 at the applicant’s request. Several residents attended the meeting to speak about the Big Dog application. Town Manager Bill Underwood said he had received correspondence from Big Dog asking to continue the site plan hearing to the April 21 meeting, and he recommended that the council agree to the delay. Councilman Jim Rockett said he thought the continuance was a delaying tactic to discourage people who had shown up at that meeting to speak on the request.
“This will be another continuation, moving it to another date,” he said. “We keep bringing people back to talk on the subject. They keep coming back, and we tell them they have to come back again. To me this is a delay, nothing more than a tactic to weaken our position to the variance as requested.” Rockett said that by allowing the continuance, the council was allowing the problem to continue. “If the council wants to delay this, that’s their prerogative,” he said. “If the council knows what they want to do on this, then let’s do it. All I see it doing is making it harder for people to object.” He suggested that the council hold the hearing that evening and approve it or reject it. Councilman Tom Goltzené said he personally opposed Big
Dog locating in town, but pointed out that the council had already approved it as a use in the land development code. “This is just whether or not their site plan’s OK,” Goltzené said. “They are already going to do what you’re objecting to. You’ve already allowed this. It will go forward unless you go back and change the rules.” Attorney Michael Cirullo said he was concerned that Big Dog had asked for the continuance and staff had already told them it would be granted, and the argument could be made that they were not allowed due process. “Not wanting to grant any further continuances, I would suggest that that be made clear this evening, but I would have a concern about process,” Cirullo said, pointSee BIG DOG, page 20
RPB Seeks FAA OK To Use ‘Unmanned Aerial System’
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report They avoided using the word “drone,” but the Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved a resolution last week authorizing village staff to pursue a certificate of authority from the Federal Aviation Agency to use an “unmanned aerial system” to conduct village business. Councilman Jeff Hmara had the item pulled from the consent agenda at the April 2 meeting and asked Village Manager Ray Liggins how the aerial system will be used. Liggins said a number of uses have been identified, including
up-to-date aerial maps of village projects. “The main purpose that we have identified in that application is village construction projects and infrastructure,” he said. “We routinely take timely pictures of our construction projects on a scheduled period of time, whether it be two weeks or every month depending on the project, from the same angle.” Other uses include taking imagery for village studies. “An example of that could be the canals,” Liggins said. “We do a lot of in-depth surveys of our canals, and the depth and the sonar See DRONES, page 20
WELLINGTON EGG HUNT
Wellington held its annual Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4 at Village Park on Pierson Road. Children came with baskets and left with eggs and sweet treats while also enjoying their chance for a picture with the Easter Bunny. Shown here, Eric and Owen Finn found a pink ticket and picked a stuffed animal as their prize. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
McKinlay To ITID: GL Homes Constrained Ag Bill Dead For Now
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay said Wednesday that significant state legislation affecting The Acreage is dead at least for this legislative session. She brought that news and updates on other significant accomplishments to the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday. “I’m excited to be here before you tonight,” she said, explaining that she had received news on Tuesday that HB 933, which contained provisions for “constrained agricultural uses” — aimed at giving GL Homes similar development rights that Callery-Judge Grove enjoyed as an agricultural enclave — had been amended. “That is wonderful news,” she said, explaining that she had received confirmation from Senate Committee on Community Affairs Chairman Wilton Simpson (R-District 18) that he promised to read in different language con-
tained in the Senate version of the bill. McKinlay said that she had also spoken that day in a conference call with bill sponsor State Rep. Mike LaRosa (R-District 42) and lobbyist Dave Ramba, who represents GL Homes. “They have committed to this issue being dead for this session,” she said. “That is a huge victory that I don’t think I would ever have been able to do alone without a team of not only you, but the advocates.” She specifically credited residents Alex Larson and Patricia Curry for their support in stopping the objectionable portions of the bill. “I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet,” McKinlay said. “I think this is an issue that we’re going to deal with for a number of years. We are going to continue to see this. We are going to have to sit at the table and have conversations as a community.” McKinlay said she would plan See ITID, page 4
Travel Baseball Team To Promote Autism Awareness
Brothers Bryan and Andrew Riedell.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Brothers Andrew and Bryan Riedell share a close relationship. You see, 13-year-old Andrew — and his friends — look out for Bryan, who just turned 12. Bryan is special, which he views as both a blessing and a curse. He has Asperger syndrome, which is an autism spectrum disorder that affects language and behavioral development. Andrew’s newest quest to look after his brother will take place Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m. at Village Park on Pierson Road in Wellington. Andrew is on the Wellington Colts 13U Orange Travel Baseball Team, and instead of their normal uniforms, the 13 boys on the team will be wearing Autism Awareness shirts. During the season, Andrew
typically plays in about 60 games between January and May, and Bryan goes to all of his games. In fact, Bryan used to play baseball, too, and has attended thousands of baseball games, so it only seemed fitting to use baseball as a way to raise awareness for autism. The special event started when Andrew wanted to do something for Autism Awareness Month in honor of his brother and approached his coach, Rob Melchionna. Then, he and their mother, Kris, approached the president and director of operations for the team’s board, Pete Bruno and Chad Mills, with the idea. “It has been a rough ride for us,” she said. “My son was diagnosed at a young age, and we’ve been very lucky because he has been able to get the interventions that he needed.”
At 3 years old, she said, Bryan communicated with fewer than 30 words, which classified him as low-functioning. “With interventions, he is now high-functioning, but he’s socially inept. He’s 12, and he has the social skills of a 7- to 8-year-old, so it’s very hard socially for him,” Kris said, adding that making friends is difficult. “He doesn’t get invited to the birthday parties.” Though it isn’t easy for Bryan, he tries to take his autism in stride. “It’s a curse and a blessing,” he said. “It’s a curse because I can’t go make friends, but it’s a blessing because there are other people out there like me who I can make friends with.” This article, and the awareness that will come from the baseball game April 19, is important to See AUTISM, page 7