GARDEN CLUB TO STAGE FLOWER SHOW SEE STORY, PAGE 3
FLAVORS FOOD FEST RETURNS APRIL 13 SEE STORY, PAGE 4
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Versattire Shirt Pitch Takes Top Prize At Xcelerate Wellington
Volume 39, Number 14 April 6 - April 12, 2018
Serving Palms West Since 1980
JUSTWORLD INTERNATIONAL ASADO
The Young Professionals of Wellington hosted Xcelerate Wellington 3.0 on Saturday, March 31 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Matteo Ferrer finished in first place with his Versattire business shirts pitch and business plan, winning the grand prize of $10,000. Jenny Levin won the Homegrown People’s Choice Award with her Mind Games pitch, claiming a $2,500 grant. Page 3
JustWorld International hosted a “Thank You Asado” for volunteers, sponsors and supporters on Thursday, March 29 at Belle Herbe Farm in Wellington. Shown above are JustWorld Ambassador Coordinator Molly McDougall, Kristina Welling with Longines and JustWorld Development Manager Ariana Coniglio. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
The Easter Bunny Visits Patients & Families At Palms West Hospital
The Easter Bunny stopped by the Children’s Hospital at Palms West on Thursday, March 29. Along with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Pepsi representatives, the Easter Foundation’s bunny visited patients in the NICU, pediatric ward, pediatric intensive care unit and the emergency room to help celebrate the holiday. Page 5
HomeSafe Holds Eighth Annual ‘Jump For HomeSafe’ At PBIEC
On Saturday, March 31, HomeSafe hosted its eighth annual Jump for HomeSafe at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center with local competitive rider Emma Heise serving as the event chair. HomeSafe provides comprehensive programs preventing new cases of violence, protecting victims of child abuse and domestic violence, and preparing children and families for safer, more productive lives. Page 19
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Equestrian Plan Of Action Heads To Wellington Council
By Dani Salgueiro Town Crier Staff Report The Wellington Equestrian Preserve Committee voted Wednesday, April 4 to recommend that the Wellington Village Council approve the committee’s Equestrian Plan of Action that has been undergoing development since it was first discussed in 2010. The committee’s goal is to set guidelines when it comes to equestrian growth and expansion in the village. During the past two years, the committee has compiled the detailed plan to address the needs and issues experienced by the equestrian community, as well as the impact of the equestrian industry on surrounding areas. Project Director Michael O’Dell explained the plan of action as the committee’s goals and milestones. The committee narrowed down
the plan of action to cover six key categories: community interdependence, economic impact, horse sports and tourism, land use, infrastructure and environmental management. Within the plan, each category lists different questions raised about pressing matters within the community of equestrians and non-equestrians. Along with the possible concerns, there are recommendations provided by the committee. The plan of action topics are not new subjects for the world of equestrians, or for the people of Wellington, but the committee’s objective is to create reliable structures that will set the foundation for a more organized way of approaching equestrian-related concerns, necessities and plans for the future. O’Dell said that when trans-
mitting this plan to the elected officials, “We can explain to them that this is your work product, that this document essentially lays out your work plan for the next couple of years.” O’Dell went on to describe this as one step in many that will come, as hard work will follow the approval of the plan. “You will have in-depth discussions on some of these matters, and some of the discussions will obviously come down to dollars and cents,” explained O’Dell, who said that the village hasn’t yet put dollars toward many of the items contained in the document, and part of the discussion will be the assemblage of what everything will cost and decisions on who will pay for it. “So, further discussion, fine-tuning, coming up with [recommendations] will then be See ACTION PLAN, page 17
Indian Trail Signs Agreement To Accept GL Homes’ 640-Acre Donation
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors approved a final agreement for GL Homes’ donation of 640 acres of land to be used for water storage last week. GL Homes offered the land to ITID as one of the conditions for Palm Beach County’s approval of its development of approximately 4,872 acres northwest of The Acreage. GL was required to place a deed conveying the property to ITID by April 1, placing the property in escrow until all terms are met by both parties. The agreement was approved at ITID’s rescheduled meeting on Thursday, March 29. The Palm Beach County Com-
mission gave approval for the privately initiated comprehensive plan amendment on Sept. 22, 2016 to GL Homes’ Indian Trails Grove application for a change in density from 0.1 to 0.8 dwelling units per acre on the property. The approval allows for the development of approximately 3,592 acres of the property, leaving approximately 1,279 acres retained as agricultural use. This would allow up to 3,897 homes and 350,000 square feet of commercial use on the land. ITID Attorney Frank Palin said district staff had been meeting with GL Homes over the past month on the terms of the agreement. “We’ve come to an agreement, and we understand the needs of See ITID, page 4
WELLINGTON EGG HUNT
The Village of Wellington held its annual Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 31 at the Village Park softball fields. Children from ages 2 through 10 were welcomed to participate in the hunt, with four fields designated for the different age groups. Two lucky winners of each egg hunt won special prizes. Shown above, Savannah Williams opens her eggs. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 8 PHOTO BY DANI SALGUEIRO/TOWN-CRIER
Lox Groves Council Wellington Vital For Riders Heading To World Cup In Paris Listens To Plan For Aldi, Wawa & Bank
By Betsy LaBelle Town-Crier Staff Report Quite a few riders in dressage and show jumping qualified during Wellington’s 12-week winter series for the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final and FEI World
Cup Dressage Final taking place next week in Paris. The entire group will fly their horses from Miami to Paris for 10 days to compete in the indoor final against the best in the world. Top riders from the two disciplines will
Laura Graves and Verdades ride in Wellington.
PHOTO BY BETSY LABELLE/TOWN-CRIER
be in Paris from April 10-15, having completed a long and difficult World Cup qualifying process. The 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup Dressage Final will take place at the AccorHotels Arena, formerly known as Paris Bercy Arena, located on the Boulevard de Bercy in central Paris. Major sporting events, including the ATP Tour tennis tournament Paris Masters, have been held at the venue. As one of France’s largest concert venues, and known for its unique pyramid shape, the indoor arena has hosted global megastars such as Madonna, Céline Dion, Tina Turner, Kylie Minogue and U2, among many others. Paris will welcome 18 horseand-rider combinations in dressage representing 13 countries at the 33rd FEI World Cup Dressage Final. In show jumping, the 40 best riders in the world will compete head-to-head. Five of the 18 dressage riders competed this winter in Wellington, including Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén, Americans See WORLD CUP, page 7
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Loxahatchee Groves Town Council members held a workshop Tuesday to hear plans for the Groves Town Center’s request for an amendment to allow it to reduce its buffer from 50 feet to 25 feet along B Road and Southern Blvd. Matthew Barnes, the principal planner for Akerman LLP, representing property owner Delaware North, whose two subsidiary companies own the 90-acre Town Center Planned Unit Development, said he and other representatives were there to present a proposed amendment to the PUD that was approved in 2013 to allow adjustments from what was proposed in the original site plan. Barnes explained that an Aldi grocery store, Wawa convenience store and a Chase Bank branch in the southwest corner of the site are the first phase of the PUD, which also has plans for a senior care center and office space. “I think that it’s important to
note that this PUD amendment does not seek to increase the maximum allowable floor area,” he said. “We’re not seeking any new uses that weren’t previously contemplated, so it’s all within the same scope of the prior PUD.” Barnes also noted that the project has already spent about $1 million sharing the cost of improving B Road, although it has not yet begun development. “While the narrower buffers along B Road and Southern Blvd. are being proposed to be modified, the more substantial buffers along the back, the 300-foot and the 100foot buffers along the north and the east side are not being proposed to be modified at all,” he said. “They will be for conservation and equestrian trails only.” Barnes said he and developer representatives had attended a Roadway, Equestrian, Trails & Greenway Advisory Committee meeting in January, where they agreed to prepare and submit a site See LOX COUNCIL, page 4
STEAM Program Prepares Students For The Future
By Dani Salgueiro Town Crier Staff Report For the past two years, the staff and teachers at H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach have been making changes to prepare their students for jobs of the future. H.L. Johnson implemented a school-wide STEAM program to provide students with a head start in advanced science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Assistant Principal Cyndie Wolf implemented the STEAM program. She believes that children deserve the resources and opportunity to excel in the subjects that will professionally benefit them, 15 years into the future. “I think it is really important
for today’s youth to have a strong background in sciences, technologies and engineering for the jobs that will be available in the future,” Wolf explained. “The jobs that they will have probably don’t even exist yet, so it is important that they know and understand technology.” Many schools have implemented a STEM program in recent years, providing children with courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, but, currently, H.L. Johnson is the district’s only STEAM elementary school in the central region of Palm Beach County, as they incorporate art courses as well. Students are taught the value and interchangeability of art within the sciences, and they learn that
every scientific or technological project has an artistic design. “The arts and sciences go handin-hand,” STEAM resource teacher Suzanne Adams said. “Anything that is designed, like a graphic design, has to be aesthetically pleasing, but also has to [function] technologically.” The STEAM courses, which are part of all kindergarten through fifth-grade fine arts rotations, are to help students build skill in problem solving, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Students often work together on projects, on which they learn to share technological and artistic tasks. “A great coder may not be that See STEAM, page 4
Katie Johnson, Grace Power, Daniel Galambos and Travis Robinson code one of the school’s Dash robots.
PHOTO BY DANI SALGUEIRO/TOWN-CRIER