BAKER TO TAKE OVER CAFÉ AT RPB PARK SEE STORY, PAGE 3
ALEGRIA CLAIMS U.S. OPEN TITLE AT IPC SEE STORY, PAGE 15
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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INSIDE
Saddle Trail Project Moves Ahead Despite Some Objections
Volume 35, Number 17 April 25 - May 1, 2014
Serving Palms West Since 1980
CAKE-OFF FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS
Residents in part of Saddle Trail Park are a step closer to having paved roads and municipal water. Members of the Wellington Village Council gave unanimous approval Tuesday for village staff to pursue plans for the services. Page 3
Indian Trail Celebrates Hamlin House Opening
The Indian Trail Improvement District celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Hamlin House on Friday, April 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located on Hamlin Blvd. near Nicole Hornstein Equestrian Park, Hamlin House will be a venue for community events, as well as a facility for the nearby horse shows. Page 5
The third annual Cop Cakes Cake-Off to benefit Children of Wounded Warriors was held at the Wellington Amphitheater on Saturday, April 19. There was a cake-decorating contest in which the winner won a television, while two runners-up won trophies. The cakes were auctioned for the cause. Shown here are cake decorating winners Ali Benvenuto (third place), Natalie Arocho (second place) and Dina St. Andrew (first place). MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Might Raise Drainage Assessments
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington might add a $100 per unit annual assessment to residents in the Acme Improvement District to fund what council members said are muchneeded drainage upgrades. Council members voted Tuesday to allow staff to proceed with the process of amending the district’s water control plan. Village Engineer Bill Riebe told council members that the changes would add several capital improvement projects to the water control plan, including raising Forest Hill and South Shore boulevards. “This only affects residents of Wellington who own property within the Acme Improvement District,” he said. The district spans most of the original areas of Wellington, west of State Road 7 and east of Flying Cow Road. The assessment would bring Wellington a revenue increase of
approximately $2.4 million a year. The projects, which will be built over 12 years, are estimated to cost $29.3 million. Since Tropical Storm Isaac dropped nearly 18 inches of rain on the western communities two years ago, Wellington has been working to improve its drainage system. “We can only discharge so much into the regional system,” Riebe said. With changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps that put parts of Wellington in a flood zone, Riebe noted the drive to improve drainage became even greater. “So far we’ve been successful in our attempts to provide more information and update the proposed maps,” he said, noting that some of the organization’s information dates back to the early 1990s and did not include recent improvements. Though residents will likely see a rise in flood insurance premiums, See ACME, page 16
RPB Zoners Approve Changes ROYAL PALM EGG HUNT For Cypress Key Townhouses
Wellington’s Egg Hunt Returns To The Fields At Village Park
Wellington’s annual Egg Hunt took place Saturday, April 19 on the softball fields at Village Park on Pierson Road. The event was sponsored by the Wellington Preservation Coalition, Bright Horizons Early Education & Preschool and Premier Family Health & Wellness. Page 9
OPINION
Drainage Upgrades Are Costly, But Necessary
If we learned anything from Tropical Storm Isaac two years ago, it was that having a working infrastructure is crucial in an emergency. Though updating infrastructure is neither cheap nor exciting, communities must do so. This week, Wellington took the first steps to increase its annual drainage assessment by $100 per unit. Although some residents may cringe at the added cost, these improvements are critical to preventing future problems. Page 4 2014
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By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval Tuesday of a site plan modification for the 35-acre Cypress Key mixed-use development to include reducing the floor levels of the 124 townhouses from three to two. The applicant, builder K. Hovnanian, purchased the development at the northwest corner of Southern Blvd. and Cypress Head Ave. The project received approval in 2006 and was started but never finished. Site Plan Coordinator Kevin Erwin said the total number of homes will remain the same, with 23 single-family units, 124 townhouses and 120,800 square feet of commercial uses, which would be reduced from the originally approved 125,000 square feet. “Other than minor parking changes and a reduction in the
overall commercial square footage of 4,200 square feet, that site is going to remain essentially the same,” he said. Erwin noted that the townhouses will be toward the center of the development, with the single-family homes situated along the north and east sides of the property, and a central entrance from Southern Blvd. connecting to the commercial portion of the development. Two service roads will run east and west through the development between Cypress Head Ave. to the east and Old Crestwood Blvd. to the west. The site has an overall density of 4.173 units per acre, which is below the allowable density of five units per acre. Erwin explained that the site was approved years ago. “There has been no activity on the site for a number of years,” he said. “However, the prior ap-
plicant installed the underground utilities, which vested the site plan approval. That is why it’s not a site plan approval at this point. It’s a site plan modification through the infrastructure improvements that were completed.” Erwin said the modification meets all parking and height requirements, and keeps the current commercial floor area ratio of 0.79, which is less than the allowable 0.802. In addition to cutting the building height from three stories to two, the amendment would change the bedroom mix and square footage of the units and eliminate an internal ring road that would have provided access to garages. The townhouse design was turned around so the front of the homes face the open space and the garages face the two roads, which will be tree-lined on both sides. The road designs were also See CYPRESS KEY, page 16
RPB To Host Commons Park Workshop Saturday, April 26
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Royal Palm Beach will host a design workshop for undeveloped portions of Royal Palm Beach Commons Park on Saturday, April 26 at 8:30 a.m. At the meeting, which will be held on the main floor of the Commons Park Sporting Center, the village will gather input from residents on additional park pathways with a specific discussion of a possible connection to the north. Village Manager Ray Liggins updated council members on the planned workshop last week. “We put it on the front page of our newsletter, and it went out to all the households,” he said. “We have a survey online that about 100 people have responded to. We’re going to keep that open right up to April 26 and bring the results of that information, along with some other methods we’re
using in gathering information from the public.” In February, the council approved master plan amendments for the park but removed plans for two new pedestrian and bicycle entrances at the park’s north end. One of the entrances would be created by demolishing a foreclosed home at 109 Heron Parkway. The village purchased the property for that specific purpose. However, residents near the proposed northern entrance presented a petition in opposition to the idea, concerned that it would compromise their privacy and lead to more vehicular traffic on the street. The entrances were part of proposed changes to the park’s plan that include the location of a new dog park and community gardens, expanding the use of the great lawn and adding two restrooms. Other residents complained
about pedestrian/bike paths within the park that are on the conceptual drawings of the park but have not actually been designed. At the April 17 council meeting, resident Peggy Jupp of Swan Parkway East presented another petition on behalf of 111 residents who favor a pedestrian and bicycle entrance at 109 Heron Parkway. “The signatories are aware of the upcoming charrette, and many have expressed that they will attend,” Jupp said. “Having a pedestrian/bike path on the north end of Commons Park will enhance our neighborhood, as well as increase our safety as we walk or bike to the park.” The village’s planning consultant, Cotleur & Hearing, will use the information gathered at the workshop to develop a final plan for review and adoption by the council.
The First Baptist Church of Royal Palm Beach hosted an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 19 at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. The event also featured crafts and snacks. Shown here, Ayden and Isabella Vergin take part in the festivities. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Bid Discrepancies Irk Wellington Council Members
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Concerned about inaccurate estimates for several recent projects, members of the Wellington Village Council chastised senior staff members Tuesday. After the final bid for a public restroom and storage facility at Wellington Green Park came back more than double the original budget, council members expressed concern about what they deemed a persistent issue. “This has been a recurring issue, and I’m not trying to be critical,” Councilman Howard Coates said. “When we make decisions to move forward on projects, we take the estimates that have been given to us as the basis [for that decision].” The council was asked to ap-
prove a $208,000 contract to add public restrooms and storage to the 10-acre park located on Stribling Way behind the Hampton Inn & Suites hotel. But council members pulled it off the consent agenda, noting that they had budgeted only $100,000 for park upgrades when the issue was raised two years ago. “When something comes in at 100 percent more than what we estimate the budget for this to be, how can we be that far off?” Coates asked. Director of Operations Jim Barnes said that the scope of the project had changed, asking for three restrooms on each side instead of one. He also said construction costs had risen since the project was originally presented. But Coates said inflation See PARK COSTS, page 16
PBSO Leaders: Area Districts Among County’s Safest
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Commanders of the local Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substations discussed their respective districts at a meeting hosted by County Commissioner Jess Santamaria on Wednesday, April 16. Capt. Jay Hart, commander of PBSO District 8 in Wellington, said his village is the safest municipality in Palm Beach County, statistically speaking. The department has several special programs in the works, including a crackdown on illegal use of Section 8 housing. “It’s not as widespread a problem as people think it is,” Hart said. “It’s actually a very good
program for what it is meant to do. Unfortunately, there are some issues with Section 8 housing that prevent the good people from actually getting into those homes. The problem is that when you do have a family get into that home, maybe they’re not following the rules, it seems to deteriorate the entire neighborhood.” Hart’s substation has set up a program so that anytime someone is arrested on a felony charge, his or her name is run through the Palm Beach County Housing Authority’s list of Section 8 clients. If the arrestee is part of the program, then the PBSO starts the paperwork to evict that person and possibly anyone else living there.
“We feel that as long as we can keep control of that, and we know who is living in those homes, then we can kind of contain that and keep the good people who actually deserve to live in there,” Hart said. District 8 also made a recent change in its street team, putting a different sergeant in charge. “As a result of that change, in the last four months, we have made 75 drug arrests; we’ve arrested 76 different individuals; we’ve confiscated 1,977 grams of marijuana, which equates to about 4.3 pounds; and seized about $5,000 in cash,” he said. The team is also working on illegal pill problems, which Hart said is a major contributor to crime.
Crime in Wellington was at its worst in 2009. Since then, the crime rate has declined each consecutive year. “We are on track for 2014 for it to go down for the fifth year in a row,” Hart said. As of that evening, Hart cited declines in all categories: robberies were down 14 percent; sexual assaults, 25 percent; shootings, 33 percent; vehicle burglaries, 27 percent; residential burglaries, 15 percent; stolen vehicles, 20 percent; and construction burglaries, 67 percent. Business burglaries rose, however — up 57 percent, or seven burglaries, five of which occurred at the Village Park concession stand.
“We’ve actually stayed in that concession stand all night long with our undercover guys,” he said. “Unfortunately, it did not get hit that night, but we are doing whatever we can to protect that.” Hart credited the Wellington Village Council for giving the department everything it needs to do its job. Lt. Ulrich Naujoks represented PBSO District 9 in Royal Palm Beach, which is commanded by Capt. Paul Miles. Naujoks noted that most of the calls the department answers are not crime-related. “Most of the calls we receive on a daily basis don’t really have to do See PBSO, page 16