PARA-DRESSAGE RIDER SEEKS SUPPORT SEE STORY, PAGE 7
RPB SENIORS CELEBRATE CENTENNIALS SEE STORY, PAGE 15
THE
TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
Volume 34, Number 15 April 12 - April 18, 2013
RPB KIDS RELAY WITH SUPERHEROES
FPL Steps In To Help Area Dog Rescue Bring Down Energy Costs
Big Dog Ranch Rescue received a free energy makeover Tuesday, April 9, sponsored by Florida Power & Light. As a result, they will save at least $2,000 off their annual energy costs. Page 3
Women Honored At Stiletto Awards
Five women were honored for their professional achievements and community leadership at the 2013 Palms West Community Foundation Women of the Year Stiletto Awards. The luncheon event was held Wednesday, April 3 at the Breakers West Country Club. Page 9
Iron Lion Fitness Hosts Ryde For Autism
Iron Lion Fitness held its second annual Ryde for Autism event to benefit the Palm Beach School for Autism on Sunday, April 7 at its studio in Wellington. Participants cycled on the studio’s Real Ryder bikes and raised approximately $8,000. Page 22
OPINION Florida Needs TextingAnd-Driving Ban With Real Consequences
The Florida Legislature is once again considering a bill to restrict cell phone usage behind the wheel, but the bill does not go far enough. Time has long passed for Florida to follow the example of other states and ban texting and driving, and it’s important that our state law enforcement has a law with some teeth behind it. Page 4
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 15 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 SCHOOLS ..................... 16 - 17 PEOPLE ............................... 18 COLUMNS .................... 27 - 28 BUSINESS .................... 29 - 31 ENTERTAINMENT .................37 SPORTS ........................ 41 - 44 CALENDAR ................... 46 - 47 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 48 - 53 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Royal Palm Beach Relay for Life was held Saturday and Sunday April 6 and 7 at Royal Palm Beach High School. Participants walked around the school’s track overnight to raise money for cancer research and support. The event’s theme was “Superheroes,” and teams dressed the part. Shown here, the Royal Palm Beach Bobcats cheerleading squad walks the track with Captain America. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Sends RV Rules Back To The Drawing Board By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Plans for governing recreational vehicle use in Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve were once again waylaid after council members worried the changes could allow for the proliferation of the temporary homes. After debating for more than an hour Tuesday night, council members decided to table the ordinance, which would permit one RV on 2.5 to 5 acres, two RVs on 5 to 10 acres and three RVs on properties of 10 acres or more. Property owners would be able to use the temporary housing only for six months during the equestrian season, Equestrian Master Plan Director Mike O’Dell said. “The equestrian community has a desired use for RVs,” he said, noting that the council had directed staff to look at a code that would allow for the use of RVs as temporary housing. Despite being prohibited, O’Dell said that there are a number of RVs in the area illegally. Wellington staff surveyed the number of RVs in Wellington during the 2012 and 2013 seasons and found 78 last year and about 80 this year.
The Wellington Equestrian Preserve Committee recommended allowing RVs on only properties of three acres or more, O’Dell said, but the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board recommended 2.5 acres or more. “That was one of the major differences between their recommendations,” O’Dell said. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig pointed out that a map provided by staff showed RVs on properties of less than 2.5 acres, which O’Dell said would not be permitted under the new ordinance. The proposed rules would also require that all RVs be on properties with principle structures, such as a home or barn, meet all required setbacks, be screened from view, and have working water, sewer and electric hookups. But Councilman John Greene was skeptical of Wellington’s ability to enforce the rules if people are already flouting the ban on RVs. “We have an ordinance right now that doesn’t allow RVs, period,” he said. “Now we want to put an ordinance in place that allows limited RVs based on property size. What is going to be different?”
O’Dell noted that because RVs would be permitted under the new ordinance, property owners would be able to apply for a permit and not need to ignore the rule. But Greene noted that code enforcement hasn’t been enforcing the current rules. “You’re talking about a different mindset with a new ordinance in place,” he said. “Why isn’t that same mindset and enforcement being applied to what is currently on the books? That’s where I struggle.” O’Dell noted that Wellington has long struggled to balance allowing the vehicles, even proposing an RV park and other attempts to deal with the issue. “We’re trying to provide some guidance,” he said. “But this is a policy issue that we, as a village, have been discussing for a number of years.” Greene asked what had been done to enforce the current ordinance. “Have fines been issued?” he asked. “It seems like we go through this on an annual basis, and by the time we get to March and April, there’s a magistrate hearing and See RV RULES, page 20
Royal Palm Council Decides Against Temple Site Purchase By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council last week reversed its previous position and decided not to get appraisals and consider purchasing the former Temple Beth Zion site on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. after the cost of appraisal estimates came back higher than anticipated. The temple offered to sell the site to the village after it announced that it was closing and merging with Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach. Village Manager Ray Liggins had told council members at a previous meeting that the $1,500 estimate for an appraisal of the prop-
erty was based on the cost of previous appraisals. Council members were divided 3-2 in their March 7 decision to go ahead with an appraisal, unsure whether they wanted to spend an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million for additional parking at Veterans Park, whose larger functions are being shifted to the recently opened Commons Park. “The lowest [appraisal estimate] I got was $2,900,” Liggins said. “It was $1,800 for the land and $1,100 for the building.” Mayor Matty Mattioli said he still favored going ahead with an appraisal. “My position is that whether we use it for a parking lot or use it for storage or whatever,
it’s a piece of property between our village office and Veterans Park,” Mattioli said. “It has 30 building units permitted if someone else buys it. It will create a nightmare between animals, kids, cars, trash, and I don’t think we want a housing unit between two of our village-owned properties.” Councilman Richard Valuntas, who had opposed the appraisal originally along with Councilman Fred Pinto, said he was still opposed. “To me, that is a lot of money to pay for that property,” Valuntas said. Councilman David Swift, elected recently to replace former Councilwoman Martha Webster, who See TEMPLE LAND, page 20
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Indian Trail Opposes Northlake Shopping Center Proposal By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed Wednesday to oppose a proposed shopping center at the southeast corner of Northlake and Coconut boulevards. Agent Marie York said the applicant plans to apply for a landuse amendment with Palm Beach County that would change the land use from agricultural residential of one home per 20 acres to a multiple-use planned commercial development. The parcel, to be called Coconut Palm Plaza, would include a 2,300-square-foot convenience store and gas station with 12 pumps and 24 fueling positions, a 3,100-square-foot fast-food restaurant with a drive-through, a 3,500-square-foot bank and a 15,000-square-foot pharmacy with a drive-through, as well as 13,000 square feet of other uses, for a total of 12 tenants with almost 38,000 square feet of commercial use. The site had previously received approval for a post office. In other community meetings, uses suggested by residents had included a hay and feed store, a
sit-down restaurant, a medical clinic, a fitness center and a Dunkin’ Donuts. “We kept asking what they would like to see if it was to be developed,” York explained. York said Wednesday’s ITID presentation was the fourth meeting with local groups. Most recently, a presentation was made to the Acreage Landowners’ Association on Monday. Like ITID, the ALA unanimously rejected the proposal. The owner/developers of the site are Jorge and Chantal Segurola, who currently own a gas station in West Palm Beach. The request for the land-use change was submitted to the county on Feb. 1. York said environmental concerns were foremost from members of the community. She said the gas station would have concrete pads because concrete would not allow seepage into the water table. “If there is a gas spill, it evaporates in about 10 minutes,” she said, adding that a switch would shut down all the pumps if an emergency comes up, and the fuel storage tanks will have double walls to reduce the likelihood of leakage into the aquifer. “They’re made of See ITID, page 20
10 YEARS OF ‘FLAVORS’
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce celebrated 10 years of Flavors of Wellington on Friday, April 5 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Guests enjoyed sampling from Wellington restaurants while enjoying music and entertainment. Shown here, the award for Best Plate went to “The Cookin’ Yogi,” Sherri Mraz. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER
Gannon’s PDQ Gets OK To Open On SR 7 By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Despite concerns about a “fastfood row” on State Road 7, members of the Wellington Village Council agreed to allow another fast-food restaurant in the Village Green Center. “It has become what I call ‘fastfood row,’” Councilman John Greene said. “I understand this is a different concept, but it seems like we’ve allowed developers to come in, present something that is very appealing to the council, and then little by little chip away at it. All of a sudden, it’s a completely different site.” Originally billed as office space with a bank and some restaurants, the proposed changes would allow the property owner to shift 14,738 square feet of space formerly allotted for office space to general use, and also would allow for a 4,272-square-foot fast-food restaurant.
The property already is home to a McDonald’s with a drivethrough, a Taco Bell with a drivethrough and Buffalo Wild Wings, an eat-in restaurant. The proposed restaurant on the new site is PDQ, a “fast-casual” restaurant created by Outback Steakhouse founder Tim Gannon, a leader in Wellington’s polo community. Don Hearing, agent for the applicant, noted that the restaurant was not typical fast food. “I know it qualifies under your code as fast food,” he said. “But, as Mr. Gannon will tell you, this is designed to bring good-quality food to the fast-casual market, competing with the Panera [Breads] and Chipotles of the world.” Hearing noted that there are now five PDQ restaurants in Florida, including one under construction on Okeechobee Blvd. near InterSee RESTAURANT, page 20
Music, Chili & More Return To The Acreage On April 20
Local band County Line Road performs at last year’s festival.
By Jessica Gregoire Town-Crier Staff Report The sixth annual Acreage Music & Chili Cook-off will bring the community together for a day of good food, music and entertainment. The event takes place Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Acreage Community Park. The cost to enter is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 or younger. Active-duty military personnel and those under 3 get in free. The cook-off is sanctioned by the International Chili Society (ICS), which means the people who win at the event automatically gain a spot at the world championships at the end of the year. More than 50 contestants will
be competing in the chili cook-off this year, and that number has grown every year since organizer Robert Trepp started the event. “I originally wanted to just do a concert in The Acreage — an event that everyone could come out to,” he said. Although there are many clubs and organizations in The Acreage, Trepp felt that there wasn’t anything that attracted and brought together all groups in the community. “I wasn’t seeing any single event where everybody would come together, and I thought a music festival would do it,” he said. After learning at the time that the Indian Trail Improvement Dis-
trict was canceling its chili cookoff, Trepp decided to include one at his music festival. “I figured I could do a chili cook-off along with the music festival, and no taxpayers’ dollars are being spent,” he said. The chili cook-off has grown tremendously since its inception. “When we first started, nobody knew us,” Trepp said. “We were a brand-new ICS event. We were what they call a district, meaning if you won, you didn’t go to the world championships — you had to win another event in order to go.” The event has since been upgraded to a regional competition. See CHILI FEST, page 4