Town-Crier Newspaper April 1, 2016

Page 1

APPLY FOR WELLINGTON SEAT BY APRIL 4 TWO TV SHOWS TO FEATURE WEF ACTION SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 7 THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE

County Uses Purchase Option For Mecca Farms Sem Pratt Right Of Way To The Beeline

Volume 37, Number 14 April 1 - April 7, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

U.S. OPEN POLO DRAW PARTY AT IPC

The Palm Beach County Commission last week approved county staff’s recommendation to notify the South Florida Water Management District that it intends to execute its option to repurchase an easement of land that will be the realignment of the Seminole Pratt Whitney Road extension to the Beeline Highway. Page 3

Boys & Girls Club Kids Check Out Butterflies At Wellington Green

On Wednesday, March 23, children from the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington visited the butterfly conservatory at the Mall at Wellington Green. Throughout March, more than 150 butterflies have found a home at a 300-squarefoot conservatory in the mall’s Grand Court. Page 5

PBSO & Pepsi Visit With Children At Palms West Hospital For Easter

Pepsi representatives and members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office joined Easter Bunny Inc. to visit children at Palms West Hospital on Saturday, March 26 bringing fuzzy bunnies and cheer for the holiday. Page 19

OPINION April Is National Donate Life Month

It’s April, and that means it is once again National Donate Life Month. Donating organs to help save lives is crucial. Anyone familiar with the issue of organ transplantation is keenly aware that there is a severe and longstanding shortage of human organs made available for transplant. Registration is simple. If you’re renewing your driver’s license any time soon, all you have to do is check a box volunteering to become an organ donor. If not, you can go to www.donatelife.net/registernow and sign up. Page 4

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS.................37 - 40 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The culmination of the International Polo Club Palm Beach’s season gets underway this weekend with the start of the month-long U.S. Open Polo Championship, the nation’s most prestigious polo tournament. The brackets for the tournament were put together at a Thursday, March 24 draw party at IPC. Shown here are polo legends Memo Gracida, Tony Coppola and Mike Azzaro. SEE STORY, PAGE 3 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Flavors Food Fest Returns To PBIEC On Friday, April 8

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Food, fun, drinks, music and dancing are on the agenda at Flavors 2016, taking place Friday, April 8 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Visitors will wine and dine their way through booths representing some of the best area restaurants and caterers at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s 13th annual Flavors of Wellington Food + Wine Festival from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Musical entertainment will be a 1980s flashback by Studio 54, a 10-piece band that will bring attendees back through time. “They’re absolutely amazing,” Wellington Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michela Green said. As attendees take in the atmosphere of the International Tent at PBIEC, the flavors of local eateries will beckon them to have a taste, along with a glass of wine. Flavors is an opportunity to discover new and new-to-you eateries. “Flavors came about because we were looking for a way to make sure that restaurants stay busy in the off-season. It started to be a

showcase for the people who live here year-round, and our seasonal people, that these great restaurants and catering facilities are here, and not to forget about them in the summertime,” Green said. “We have been very fortunate that the event has gone 13 years and grown to the degree that it has.” Participants include Art Cellar, the Binks Forest Golf Club, Bolay, Chef Donna Kokulak, Chef Shannon Atkins, Grand Champions Events, Gandhi’s, Great American Cookies, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Jordan’s Steak Bistro, Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pasquale’s, Rollatini Restaurant, Romeo’s Restaurant, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Starbucks, Stonewood Grill & Tavern, Suri West, TaOne Asian Fusion, Trader Joe’s, the White Elephant Bar & Grill, Whole Foods Market Wellington, and specialty vendors CJR Fine Arts and Clothed4APurpose. Chukker.TV’s Michael Ferreira, chairman for the past two years, wanted to create a personal spin on the event and has created a new awards category: Best Cocktail. “I loved it last year. It was a lot

of fun,” Ferreira said of his desire to return as chairman this year. “I’ve always really liked food and wine events. I like the turnout. I like to see everybody enjoying the food that’s right here in our community. It’s a nice event for everybody to come together and taste Wellington.” This year’s judging panel includes Ferreira, polo player Nic Roldan, Michael Stone from Equestrian Sport Productions, Stephanie Mitrione from Florida Power & Light, Roxanne Stein from WPTV News Channel 5, Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig and Chamber President Debbie Crompton. Sponsors include the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, Grand Champions Polo Club, Chukker.TV, FPL, the Wellness Experience and My Community Pharmacy. “This year’s Flavors has a brand new feel to it,” Green said. “We’ve been able to get some of our brandnew restaurants, such as Suri West, Bolay and a new Asian fusion restaurant that just opened, called TaOne, as well as Ghandi’s, which See FLAVORS, page 4

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Details of a contract have stalled the choice of a contractor and the groundbreaking originally targeted for this month for the long-awaited Acreage Community Park southern expansion. The contract, which was set for approval on March 16 by the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors, was postponed until supervisors could get more information about costs that they thought were too high. “We have not awarded the contract yet,” ITID Manager Jim Shallman told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “That has been pushed off for the last two months, so we’ve been looking at different options. Some of its components that came back were a little more

than the board had anticipated. We’re trying to work through those issues now, and we’re pretty close. All the permitting and everything is ready.” The low bid of $3,389,889 was by Rosso Site Development. At the March 16 meeting, engineer Gene Schriner of Craig A. Smith & Associates said he thought that the cost of the three buildings on the site totaling $551,437 might be high, and that some expenses could be reduced or eliminated if the board desired. “If you want to eliminate some of these items right off the bat and have somebody else do it, for example the buildings, I think they are a little excessive,” he said. “If we want to eliminate them from the bid, I’m sure the bidder would not have an objection to that.”

He said other items in the bid could not be eliminated because they are necessary to the function and the actual development of the park. ITID President Carol Jacobs said she was originally for a community center at the park, which was eliminated after it became too expensive, due to cost-cutting efforts after Tropical Storm Isaac flooding caused a change of focus by the district at the time. “We’re doing the park now, which seems to be coming out to the same amount of money,” Jacobs said, adding that she believes there are local small contractors who could do the work for less money. “We can pay as we go. They do this, they get paid.” She added that the bathrooms See PARK PROJECT, page 4

11 File Applications For Appointment To Royal Palm Council

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A total of 11 people filed applications for appointment to the vacant Seat 4 on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council. The seat was vacated by Fred Pinto upon his election as mayor. The applicants are: Lynn Balch, Joshua Bieri, Michael Cacioppo, Ryan Driggers, Jackie Larson, Leslie Salas Leffler, Felicia Matula, Barbara Powell, Jan Rodusky, Richard Valuntas and Larry Zabik. Council members will review the applications and talk to the applicants prior to the council meeting on Thursday, April 7, where the current four members of the council will try to appoint a fifth member. Once appointed, the new council member will serve out the final 11 months of Pinto’s unexpired term, facing the electorate next March. Balch, a 30-year resident, is chairman of the village’s Education Advisory Board and was on the Recreation Advisory Board for three years before that. He also coached youth baseball and soccer

when his children were involved. He is a charter member of the Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club and works as a financial advisor. “I am a longtime resident of the village who has watched the village grow while raising my three children here,” he wrote. “I have been active throughout that time in various civic activities. My focus has been on youth and education through coaching when my children were younger, to serving on the recreation board and the education board to make Royal Palm Beach a desired location to raise and educate a family.” Bieri, a lieutenant for Lost Tree Village security and a 25-year resident, wrote that his experience as a dean with his church gives him experience in community service. “I believe my passion for a sage, friendly and refreshing community, along with my experience in managing and judgment, will help make Royal Palm Beach an even better village for families to live,” he wrote. Cacioppo, a retired aerospace See RPB SEAT, page 7

WELLINGTON EGG HUNT

Wellington’s annual egg hunt returned to the Village Park softball fields on Saturday, March 26. The egg hunts were divided into four age groups: ages 2 and under, ages 3 to 4, ages 5 to 7 and ages 8 to 10. Shown here are Alex and Ava Cardenas with their egg collections. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

LGWCD Supervisor John Ryan Not ITID Board Delays Contract For Community Park Expansion Seeking Re-Election By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Longtime Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Supervisor John Ryan did not file for a new three-year term in the upcoming election for two available LGWCD supervisor seats on Monday, June 27. Filing closed Tuesday, March 29, and three candidates filed: LGWCD Chairman David DeMarois filed for re-election, while Anita Kane and Simon Fernandez are also seeking the positions. The election will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, June 27, with ballots to be counted immediately afterward and results announced at the district’s annual landowners meeting at 7:30 p.m. The top two vote-getters will take the open seats.

Ryan told the Town-Crier on Wednesday that he had discussed filing with LGWCD Administrator Steve Yohe and DeMarois, and planned to make public statements at the April 11 board meeting regarding its relationship with the Town of Loxahatchee Groves. “I’ve got several concerns about the town, and every time I raise a concern, it’s attributed to a conflict with the district, which is not the case,” he said, explaining that he has filed complaints with the Office of the Inspector General and plans to raise questions with other governmental bodies. “I just didn’t feel that I was going to be able to do justice to what I wanted to accomplish if everything is attributed to a conflict between the town and the district, See LGWCD, page 4

Dr. Avossa Unveils Strategic Plan At RPBHS Meeting

Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa speaks Monday at RPBHS.

PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach County School Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa presided at a community meeting at Royal Palm Beach High School on Monday, March 28. The meeting was designed to introduce the Palm Beach County School District’s new Strategic Plan. Parents, students, teachers, elected officials and school district officials filled the school’s media room to standing-room-only capacity. Avossa took to the floor after being introduced by District 6 School Board Member Marcia Andrews. “Thank you all for being here,” Avossa said. “We spent a lot of time in the community. We talked

with 17,520 people during this process. Face to face, large groups, small groups, medium groups. Just when we thought we had heard enough, we went back and did another round, to make sure that when we talk about success in Palm Beach County, that we’re measuring it the way that people think is important. Whether it’s arts, it’s athletics and most importantly, academics.” Long-term goals include increasing the number of students who read on grade level by third grade, ensuring that students are ready for high school, increasing the number of students who graduate from high school and helping to foster post-graduate success.

Some of the strategic themes the district is focusing on include a high-performance culture, talent development, effective and relevant teaching for all students and their needs, and a supportive and positive climate. Avossa showed a picture of a classroom at Military Trail Elementary School in 1965 and explained how the classroom had no diversity, the class size was large, the desks were in tidy rows and there was minimal testing. “The reality is, in some ways, things have changed dramatically, and in some ways, they really haven’t,” he said. It used to be that with a high See AVOSSA, page 17


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Town-Crier Newspaper April 1, 2016 by Wellington The Magazine LLC - Issuu