Town-Crier Newspaper August 1, 2008

DON BROWN: $900 FOR A FRONT DOOR?

FUN IN THE CHURCH LABORATORY

Two Challengers Take Aim At County Elections Czar

Town-Crier

By Ron Bukley

Staff Report

Palm Beach County Supervi-

sor of Elections Dr. Arthur Anderson is facing a strong challenge from two candidates in the Aug. 26 primary election: Wellington Councilman Bob Margolis and State Rep. Susan Bucher (D-West Palm Beach).

Both challengers fault Anderson for eroding voter confidence by mishandling elections under his watch and not providing sufficient staff training, and for his decision to keep election office finances out of the public eye.

Margolis, who was appointed to the Wellington Village Council in 2003, elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2006, said he became very interested in the election supervisor position two years ago, when Anderson internalized the office’s finances after Palm Beach County Clerk & Comptroller Sharon Bock refused to grant the office some reimbursements.

“What Arthur did was really insulting to me,” Margolis said.

“The clerk of the court has always taken a look and was responsible for overseeing the finances at the Supervisor of Elections office. That motivated me to make a decision two years ago to get into this office and provide financial transparency for everything.”

Margolis said one of his goals on the Wellington Village Council has been to provide financial accountability. “I have been more proactive in reviewing the village budget, I believe, than any other council person,” he said.

Numerous faulty elections under Anderson’s tenure, Margolis said, compounded Anderson’s decision to internalize election office finances. “I saw a pattern of administrative breakdown in the office,” Margolis said. “We were always in the news for municipal elections for not being able to count the votes. Whether the software wasn’t working correctly or the reporting wasn’t accurate or the reporting was late, everything I saw in regard to the supervisor’s office was a breakdown in management and administration.”

Margolis said one of the problems with the office is training: poll workers inadequately trained to run the voting precincts, especially with new voting machines, and voters not given adequate instruction on how to cast their votes with the machines.

He cites his 25 years’ experience as a manager and trainer for Procter & Gamble and more than five years on the Wellington council as good credentials to run the Supervisor of Elections office.

“For most of my career at Procter & Gamble, I was responsible for training adults,” he said. “I’ve probably trained thousands of adults during my tenure. I understand how to treat adults, what motivates them and how to mentor them, and I’ve seen a breakdown in the training of poll workers. I’ve heard many stories of poll workers saying they’re confused. They do the best they can, but they’re not given the best resources from the supervisor’s office.

They’re in the business of counting votes and restoring voters’ confidence in Palm Beach County.”

Margolis said he is eager to turn over a new leaf at the county’s election office, because he shares the frustrations of his fellow Palm Beach County voters.

“I have a business plan to get the supervisor’s office back on track and running efficiently,” he said. “I’ve got a poll workers’ training and education plan. I also have a plan to restore confidence to the voters of Palm Beach County. The supervisor’s office should not be in the newspapers anymore. Dr. Anderson may be well-intentioned, but I believe that results matter; solutions matter. Every time mistakes happen, he has a tendency to blame someone else. Leadership takes responsibility.”

A Democrat, Margolis said he will work to keep partisan politics out of the elections office. He has criticized fellow Democrat Bucher as being too partisan to run a non-partisan office.

However, Bucher is quick to defend her record. “I know that is the mantra of some of the other candidates,” she said, “but if you examine my legislative record, you will find that I did work across the aisle for all of the years that I was there.”

Bucher has served District 88 in Tallahassee since 2000. Her district includes Royal Palm Beach. She gained a reputation as one of former governor Jeb Bush’s sharpest critics.

But Bucher said that as a legislative committee member she

Full Speed Ahead? Council Members

Ponder PBCC Plan

By Carol Porter

Town-Crier Staff Report

Wellington Village Council members traded views on the merits of accommodating a Palm Beach Community College campus during a special workshop Wednesday, without making any firm decision beyond continuing talks with college officials.

In April, PBCC proposed to build a campus in Wellington, citing as an ideal location the 60 acres of Wellington-owned land along State Road 7 known as KPark. The village for years planned to build a “signature park” on the site, but due to a tightening budget and shrinking revenues has deferred development of the property.

PBCC’s request for Wellington to donate the land was greeted with enthusiasm by some council members and skepticism by others, and village residents have also weighed in both for and against the idea.

Some question the wisdom of providing a piece of land worth as much as $20 million for free without any possibility of tax revenues. Other questions involve whether the land is large enough to accommodate a largescale campus and whether the location, near the Mall at Wellington Green and one of the busiest intersections in the county, is suitable for the purpose.

The council’s lack of consensus on the proposal was confirmed July 8 when members voted 3-2 to continue talks with PBCC, with councilmen Bob Margolis and Matt Willhite opposed. At that meeting, council members said they wanted more information on several topics, such as the number of Wellington students the campus would serve, the effect on area traffic and PBCC’s intentions on offering four-year degrees.

PBCC officials have since provided details on the council’s concerns. The college claims that Wellington High School has been the leading supplier school of graduates to PBCC in three of the last five years, noting that the four high schools in the western communities are all in the top five. The college reports that 3,019 students who live in the 33414 zip code or claim Wellington as their place of residence were enrolled in the past academic year.

The college also reported traffic issues would be mitigated by its “block” schedule in which the majority of students attend class either on Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, with few students attending all four days, and a lower

amount of classes on Fridays. The Wellington campus would be the first to offer a bachelor’s degree in applied science, according to college officials.

Three conceptual master plans for the campus were circulated at Wednesday’s workshop, one provided by PBCC and two others sketched out by Wellington Village Manager Paul Schofield, an experienced planner. All three plans incorporated an accommodation for Life Covenant Church, which owns an adjacent ten acres of frontage on SR 7 and has offered to trade its land for some property along Pierson Road, the northern border of the K-Park site.

Although college representatives and residents attended the workshop, neither group was given time to speak. The village has scheduled public input forums on the topic for Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 9 at 9 a.m. Both forums will be held at the Wellington Community Center.

Mayor Darell Bowen opened the workshop discussion with a presentation that weighed the pros and cons of the proposal like a business proposition. He noted that benefits to the village would include control and use of campus sports facilities, scholarships from the college for local residents and use of its performing arts theater, while increased traffic and law enforcement demands figure among its disadvantages. But the benefits would far outweigh any costs, he said.

“There is nothing wrong with raising the educational bar for the community,” Bowen said. “It will make us a better community, and a more valuable community to everyone. Also, by offering programs that will be beneficial for employment, the community college will help us foster an environment that will be attractive for employment centers in Wellington.”

Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto thanked Bowen for the review but urged council members to spend the workshop time in a discussion format, hopefully to reach consensus on further action.

“I understand the purpose of this workshop is so we can talk to each other,” she said. “Let’s come to some starting point with the college. If we can’t send the right message to go forward, we can’t go forward.”

Schofield said he has been in discussions with PBCC officials almost every day about particulars of the site plan, maximiz-

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

In light of a federal court ruling this week that slammed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, former Wellington village manager Charlie Lynn said Thursday the village “dodged the bullet” by complying with a 2006 deadline to clean up its surface water.

The village executed a costly and complicated plan to reroute water in its canals and lower its phosphorus content flowing into the Everglades to ten parts per billion in order to comply with a December 2006 deadline in the state’s Everglades Forever Act of 1994 and the subsequent Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The village stuck by the deadline although the Florida Legislature in 2003, acting on a pro-

posal from the South Florida Water Management District, pushed back the deadline for steep reductions in phosphorus for Everglades-bound water by ten years.

However, this week U.S. District Judge Alan Gold ruled that the EPA was “patently wrong” to allow the change in the deadline and had abandoned its duty to protect the Everglades. Gold ruled that the EPA acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” by simply accepting assurances from the State of Florida that relaxation of the deadline would not change water quality standards for the Everglades set by the Federal Clean Water Act.

“It is my view that the Florida Legislature, in 2003, by adopting the state’s draft LongTerm Plan, as proposed by the South Florida Water Manage-

ment District’s Governing Board, changed water quality standards under the Federal Clean Water Act, and violated its fundamental commitment and promise to protect the Everglades, by extending the Dec. 31, 2006 compliance deadline for meeting the phosphorus criterion for at least ten more years,” Gold wrote.

The suit against the federal government was filed by the Miccosukee Indian tribe and the environmental group Friends of the Everglades, although the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the New Hope Sugar Company and another sugar interest farming at the edge of the Everglades, the Okeelanta Corp., were also named as respondents.

In his ruling, Gold ordered the See WATER, page 18

Congregation B’nai Avraham in Wellington hosted an open house on Sunday, July 27 to celebrate the temple’s first year. Shown here, Temple President Mel Kohan cuts the cake. MORE

ITID: County Has The Money To Bring Road To Northlake

By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report

Indian Trail Improvement District supervisors are hoping to convince Palm Beach County that it already has the money to extend State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd.

Faced with county claims that the money for the work isn’t available, on Monday the supervisors discussed the possibility of diverting county funds for other Acreage road-related projects in favor of furthering a two-lane extension to Northlake.

After the state declined to fund a northward extension of SR 7 from its current Okeechobee Blvd. terminus, the county began construction of a twolane extension to Persimmon Blvd. in The Acreage. The county is committed to continuing the road to 60th Street North in a second phase. But ITID officials argue that the extension as planned will dump large amounts of traffic on residential Acreage streets if it does not continue farther northward.

In response to a county request for a permit to connect the extension to Orange Grove and Persimmon boulevards, on July 17 ITID sent the county a list of 24 conditions, including demands that the county get construction through to Northlake completed within five years, have funding in place before the permit is issued, and post a surety bond for the work before the Persimmon connection is allowed.

While County Engineer George Webb agreed to many of the other conditions or offered compromises in his reply memo to the district last week, he flatly refused any accommodation on construction to Northlake Blvd.

“This is the only potential state road to be constructed in the entire western area, and the county needs to focus its limited funds on all the rest of the roads and allow the state to pay for the connection to Northlake,” he wrote in the July 22 memo to ITID Administrator

Chris King.

Webb also noted that the fiveyear timeframe would be unfeasible because neither the county nor the state has funding to begin design work until 2011, and that permitting alone would take two or three years, especially because of anticipated objections from the City of West Palm Beach and residents of the Ibis Golf & Country Club.

Webb warned that the board’s “power to impose conditions is not unlimited; several of the imposed conditions seem unrelated to the legitimate scope of this permit, unconstitutional and/or require financial commitments far in excess from the level I am allowed to authorize.”

But Monday, during a special ITID workshop to discuss the conditions, Supervisor Michelle Damone said the Palm Beach County Commission must take the blame for the permitting dispute, having voted to commence construction before getting the permits.

“The county went ahead and built,” she said. “You have built a road to nowhere because there have never been permits issued. This dispute is not between the staffs of the county and the district. It is between the supervisors and the county commissioners.”

But ITID President Mike Erickson, noting that a partially paved road is already present at the Northlake end of the extension route, suggested urging the county to use money allocated to other projects in The Acreage, as the board is only requesting a two-lane road.

“The county can take the $14 million they have already allocated for work on 60th Street North, adding the $19 million they just took from [the widening of] Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, and they’ve easily got enough money to create a twolane reliever road that can run east along the M Canal at 60th Street and then up along the east side of Ibis,” Erickson said.

“They even have a sign at that road where it intersects Northlake that says it is SR 7.” Among the board’s other conditions is a request that the county not erect any signs on the extension that would mark the road as SR 7, because many drivers would expect a northbound through road and instead wind up lost on residential Acreage roads.

On Monday, Damone also said she wants the county not to place any signs designating the extension as the “Acreage Reliever Road,” and chided the Village of Royal Palm Beach for opposing a planned Madrid Street connection to its La Mancha neighborhood.

“It should be called the Royal Palm Beach Reliever Road,” she said. “Royal Palm Beach wanted the road; they advocated for it. They should feel some responsibility for taking part in dealing with traffic. They should live up to their end of the deal. People will eventually use the Roebuck Road extension to come into our neighborhood and make left turns on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. We are not allowed to make left turns and go into La Mancha now.”

On Wednesday, ITID Engineer Lisa Tropepe told the TownCrier that district staff members are still revising the list of conditions for further review by Webb and his staff.

While Webb in his memo urged the board to finalize its position in advance of the county commission’s Aug. 19 meeting, Damone said Wednesday that because of postponement of the ITID board’s next business meeting, the county will have to wait a bit longer. “Considering our meeting is not until Aug. 20, the commissioners won’t get it until their first meeting in September,” she said.

In other business:

• The supervisors agreed Monday that ITID’s three main capital improvement priorities should be building a community center, improving parks and creating satellite facilities in key spots where district equipment can be stored as a way to cut the travel time of large equipment.

• Bair said that he and ITID Attorney Charles Schoech had spoken with County Commissioner Jess Santamaria and received indications that the Palm Beach County Commission might return Acreage Community Park to the district through a simple resolution. The supervisors instructed King to have a resolution written.

• The supervisors agreed, subject to a formal vote at their next meeting, to hire all three law firms who took part in the recent Request for Qualifications process. Caldwell & Pacetti would continue to function as the district’s general counsel, while Glen Torcivia & Associates would deal with labor issues and Ellen J. Neil of Gaylord, Merlin, Ludovici, Diaz & Bain would litigate land and water issues.

The ITID supervisors agreed that they should hold fast to their demand that the extension continue to Northlake Blvd. “Our only leverage is our connections,” Supervisor Ralph Bair said. “Without getting an agreement now, we’ll never have it. The county started the road; they need to finish it. They can lobby the state for money.”

Wellington Art Festival Is Seeking Sponsors

The Eighth Annual Wellington Art Festival will take place on Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday, Feb. 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at a site near the Mall at Wellington Green. The Village of Wellington is returning as host sponsor.

“We are pleased to have the Village of Wellington working with us once again,” said Roni Garron of Artful Events, one of the festival organizers. “The village’s commitment to the arts on behalf of their residents is commendable.”

The Wellington Art Festival attracts approximately 25,000 visitors annually. Sponsorship is

limited to one company per business category, and early participation ensures maximum media exposure. “The Wellington Art Festival is held during the height of the winter equestrian season,” said Deborah Welky of Welky Publications & Promotions. “Through print, radio, TV and web site publicity, this

Royal Palm Beach To Begin Online Recreation Registration

By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report

Royal Palm Beach will institute online registration for its recreational activities beginning Monday, Aug. 4.

Parks & Recreation Director

Lou Recchio said the online registration process will offer convenience to residents and nonresidents who previously were required to go to the office at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center. “You don’t have to worry about getting here during the hours we’re open,” he said. “Just go online at any time and register.” But before a person can take advantage of online registration, he or she must make one more personal appearance at the recreation center, as the village is building a new registration database. “It is a one-time thing,” Recchio said. “Once you are in the system, you never have to register in person again. And you can check us out by using the guest section of the system.”

For the new database, Recchio said the village wants to reconfirm the residency status of participants in its programs, as staff members have been finding many address changes in registration applications in recent months.

“We had so many people who

came in to register, and the addresses were wrong and they changed it on the application,” he said. “That is why we decided to start with a clean slate.”

The village has set up a terminal in the lobby of the recreation center providing access to the online registration system, and those who still wish to register in person can continue to do so.

Recchio said most village activities have limits on the number of participants and that many fill up quickly, so those interested in registering for an activity are encouraged to do so early. The village accepts cash, checks, MasterCard and Visa as payment, and payment must be made at the time of registration.

Among the village’s popular offerings, registration is now open for the fall session of the Early Childhood Activities Program, which starts the third week of September. The eightweek ECAP sessions offer children three to five years old the opportunity to socialize and take part in fun and interesting activities.

Recchio said the village has consolidated the location of its programs for seniors, which were previously spread among the recreation center, the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Cen-

ter and the Harvin Center.

“Now everything is at the cultural center,” he said. “Many seniors who took part only in the meals program now also are signing up for our other programs, and vice versa. Also, the whole program is on the first floor, which is a blessing for some of the people taking programs. Palm Tran now has the cultural center as a drop-off and pickup spot, which makes things easier for many people in the programs.”

The Parks & Recreation Department also offers many programs for kids and teens, including tumbling, yoga, karate, cartooning and Spanish.

Recchio said parents should remember that the recreation center is open on school holidays and early release days. To get in, children must present a valid RPB school ID or proof of residency.

The department also offers a large number of classes and activities for adults. Recchio said the only Miami Dolphins bus trip still available is the Oct. 26 game against the Buffalo Bills. Participants get transportation, tickets and free food and soft drinks for $90 per person.

Royal Palm Beach also offers a series of community events scheduled at Veterans Park.

‘Once you’re in the system, you never have to register in person again. And you can check us out by using the guest section of the system.’ — RPB Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio

“One upcoming highlight will be a new monument to service providers, particularly police, firefighters and EMTs as well as all others who help us,” Recchio said. “We will hold the unveil-

ing and dedication on Sept. 11 at 9:11 a.m.” A full list of activities and the village’s Web Trac registration program are accessible online at www.royalpalmbeach.com. The

RPB Goes High-Tech — Royal Palm Beach Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio shows off the terminal at the RPB Recreation Center providing access to the new online registration system. Once entered into the village’s database, residents will be able to sign up for programs from their home computer as well.

PHOTO BY LEONARD

OUR OPINION

Protect Yourself: With The Rains Come Plenty Of Mosquitoes

We wanted rain, and we definitely got rain. After years of residential lawnwatering restrictions because of severe drought conditions in South Florida, the past several weeks have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of rainfall in the region. Unfortunately, all that water doesn’t arrive alone. With it comes a whole population of unwanted pests — mosquitoes. And with them comes a host of health risks, including viruses such as eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus.

According to Palm Beach County Mosquito Control, electronic mosquito-repelling devices and “bug zappers” aren’t very effective. As long as there are plenty of open water sources, the mosquitoes have somewhere to go. PBCMC recommends the following measures to make your home less attractive to the winged disease-carriers: make sure there’s no standing water in any outdoor containers; clean out any clogged gutters and inspect the drainage of all flat roofs as well as your ground; place a lid or 16-mesh screen on barrels and trash containers; empty plastic wading pools at least once a week (or store them indoors if they’re not currently in use); cover boats or store them upside down; fill any spaces that collect water, including tree holes and hollow stumps; stock your pond with mos-

Sheriff Can Operate With Smaller Budget

Editor’s note: the following letter is a response to last week’s Town-Crier editorial “Skimping On Law Enforcement Is Not A Recipe For Success.”

It’s unfortunate that you have blindly endorsed Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s claim of needing $35.6 million more to run his department, supporting the concept that without the additional money our community will be overrun by crime and criminals.

This cop-out, pardon the pun, has been the rallying cry and accompanying threat for every law enforcement office wanting more money during the last 20-plus years. Holding public safety as a hostage should not be endorsed nor tolerated.

Crime statistics might indicate that throwing more and more money has not necessarily always been the answer. I might further suggest that in any municipal governmental office, there is measurable waste and fat to be found for those choosing to examine their internal business practices and methods. After identifying these areas of waste, leaders must then have the courage to disrupt the status quo. Sheriff Bradshaw should be invited to publish where he has made budget cuts and the amount before we go throwing more money his way. You talk about “cost-of-living allowance raises” for sheriff’s office personnel. Even given a union contract, maybe now is the time to eliminate or plan for the elimination of this wasteful expenditure in its current format. How many businesses today offer salary increases to their staff every year for doing the same thing as

quito-eating fish such as minnows, goldfish or guppies; and ensure that all screening is in proper repair.

According to the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce your own personal risk. These include limiting your time outside during dusk and dawn hours (when mosquitoes are most active); wearing light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants to cover your skin; and using insect repellent that contains DEET. And while parents have the responsibility of ensuring their children’s protection against mosquitoborne diseases, horse owners must take their own precautions such as checking with their veterinarians to make sure their horses have received the latest vaccinations.

Of course, the best way to get rid of mosquitoes is to not invite them in the first place. And though we can’t control the amount of rainfall we receive this summer, we can minimize the amount of water that remains afterward — and how vulnerable we are to the pests it spawns. Still have questions? Call the Palm Beach County Mosquito Control office at (561) 967-6480 or visit the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services web site at www.doacs.state.fl.us.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

they did last year? Teacher union contracts calling for annual raises have been unilaterally voided in these hard budget times.

How much money is spent entitling department personnel, including “community service aides,” to drive official county cars to and from work, sparing them from having to purchase the same expensive gas as the rest of our county citizens? And please spare us the self-serving and delusional propaganda that police cars in neighborhood driveways cut down crime.

How many man-hours are spent on ceremonial functions based on “customary” practices? Why, when there is an incident, might you find two, three, five or ten deputies standing around doing nothing versus reinitiating their road patrols.

The only way to squeeze the fat and waste out of any governmental function is to hold management responsible for satisfy-

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A.

ing their missions without added funding. Good managers and administrators will find the ways to do so, and I suggest the sheriff’s office should not be an exception to identifying and eliminating their waste and fat. The public demanded spending reforms, and they did so not exempting any function or organization.

Jay

Manning Wellington

Support For PBCC Campus

In Wellington

Our forefathers saw the need for education, so in the new world, unlike the old, school for all became the norm. Today the United States is near the bottom of the developed world in education, and there is a terrible price to pay for this shortcoming, which we will see in the near future as we “attempt” to compete with India, Eastern Europe and China. We risk eventually that we will become a “second-rate” power! Consider our present economic status, our devaluing dollar, and one can and will note our decline.

Education is the tool. If we’re arguing about an elementary, middle or high school at the KPark site, parents would clamor for their children and a local school. Just as families do, our village can tighten its belt to help our youth. Unfortunately, we (they) are so provincial that some say no to a university, yet it is just as important as grades one through 12 if we want our children to prosper in this global economy.

Some want more, more, more ball fields, but using village statistics, only 25 percent of our youth participate in current sports facility programs, and population growth has become stagnant. Yes, that means 75 percent don’t participate! Do we need non-taxpaying Wellington Regional Medical [Center’s] school? Do we want another strip mall? A higher education facility with ball fields the village can use (but won’t have to maintain) and a host of other beneficial programs (seniors, adult education), etc. seems to be a perfect fit.

Pardon me, but I would have liked it if my son hadn’t had to commute to Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens and Belle Glade to attend Palm Beach Community College. Today, gas prices could make it prohibitive for some families. This is 2008. Things have changed economically and educationally. We are in a new world that needs and requires more from our children. We shouldn’t be so short-sighted, so provincial, in our thoughts and beliefs that we cheat western communities youth (especially Wellington youth), of a local, good education.

If 25 percent of our children receive 75 percent of taxpayers’ largess, isn’t it time we give something to the potential other 75 percent, and won’t our great 25 percent athletes want a better education too?

I’m truly sorry and disappointed in [Councilman Bob] Margolis, who staunchly opposes a local college because it shouldn’t be about sports, money or anything else. If our youth are foremost, then we must give them the tools, and we will reap rewards in the hundreds of millions. It is about our children, isn’t it? It is an indisputable fact that college graduates earn far more money over a lifetime than non-graduates — we don’t want mediocrity.

I have yet to see a single other proposal for the K-Park site. All I hear is Mr. Margolis’ opposition. Tell me — no, tell us, Mr. Margolis — what is more important than educating our youth? What better investment is there, Bob? Even a successful taxpaying business is less important than the overall effect of feeding the minds of our youth!

George Unger Wellington

SEND IN YOUR LETTERS

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address, and telephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090 ; or you can e-mail them to letters@goTownCrier.com

How Replacing My Front Door Ended Up Costing Me Nearly $900

Sometimes it’s not easy living in paradise. It can be expensive, too. It isn’t easy for many reasons — traffic jams everywhere we go, growth so fast it makes our heads spin, expensive homes in a runaway housing market followed by freefalling values after that market goes bust, just to name a few. It’s expensive for all the same reasons.

I have another reason why it isn’t always easy living in South Florida and why it can get expensive beyond logical explanation: code enforcement. I know that got your attention because we love complaining about those pesky municipal laws that seem to be written just to make our lives more complicated. Grab a cocktail, smoke ’em if you got ’em, sit back and listen to my tale of woe. It all started when I decided to replace our front door. It didn’t really need replacing that badly, but events moved so quickly I got caught up in them. We had that wind mitigation report performed. That is a state program offered to homeowners who want to make sure the house isn’t going to be blown away by the next hurricane.

One of the items the inspector pointed out was a small window in the front door he said could possibly be blown out by high wind. Of course it might not, he said, but it could. We also had something else performed that I’d never even heard of. Our insurance company told us we had to have a three-point inspection done or the carrier would not sell us an insurance policy. We dutifully complied. They forgot to mention until after the inspection that we had to fork over $100 for the 15minute inspection of the roof, electrical wiring and plumbing.

While browsing during a visit to one of those big-box hardware stores, I decided to buy a new front door. I’ve replaced three or four doors in other houses before without any problem. It was just a plain white hurricane-rated door. Nothing fancy. It cost $201.29, a bargain. That was my

By Don Brown

first mistake. Back home, I noticed some molding that had to be replaced and a few other minor problems I didn’t feel comfortable about repairing. I called a handyman who came over to give me an estimate for installing the new door. That was my second mistake. The handyman was very competent. My problem was that I attracted too much attention.

Gary, my handyman, told me that a code inspector drove by and slowed down to see what was going on. “Did you get a permit?” he asked. “Huh?” I answered. “You’re supposed to get a permit to replace a door.”

I had no idea. If I wanted a new front door, whose business is it anyway? It seems that it’s the business of Royal Palm Beach. My significant other was dispatched to the village bureaucracy that handles such matters. The nice person seemed mostly focused on collecting the $75 permit fee. Yep, that’s right: a whopping $75 for replacing a $200 door. You do the math.

While Gary was laboring on my door, I went onto the village web site to read the code and check on the price of permit fees. If there was any information there (which I doubt), I couldn’t find it, making me wonder if village residents are required to read minds. I would never have even thought about a permit for changing a door. I’m now wondering if I have to pull a permit for sweeping the floor and how much that costs.

Needless to say, all this attention made Gary nervous. He thought the code Gestapo might want

TOWN-CRIER

to inspect the work after he finished the job, and he pointed out a few more things he recommended doing — even though he heard me wondering out loud how the code Gestapo was going to get past the 120-pound dog named Lucky. It took Gary two full days and part of a third to do the job (I threw in a couple of other jobs).

I’m still waiting for Gary’s bill. My guess is it will be around $600 or so. That’s a total of $800 for a $200 front door — plus the $75 cost of being a good citizen. My third mistake was not anticipating the permit requirement. Why? Because I could have scheduled the work under the cover of darkness or over the weekend when everyone

bureaucrats never work. How did life get so darn complicated? Where was I when this code madness started? Why a permit for a door? And then it hit me. We can’t be trusted to take care of our own home repairs. That’s why we have local government — to keep us idiot residents out of trouble. Never mind that even an idiot would want to do the best job possible in his own home. The next time I go browsing at Home Depot or Lowe’s, I hope someone slaps me. Come to think of it, if I thought I could escape a jail sentence, slapping a local elected official might make me feel better.

Hospital Care Is Big Bucks Industry

Uncompensated care cost hospitals in the United States an astounding $312 billion in 2006... that is up from an already shocking $19 billion just ten years earlier, according to the American Hospital Association. What are more and more hospitals doing about it? Demanding payment in advance!

The complex, increasingly difficult system of health services in America usually hits hardest against patients with longterm, costly problems such as heart disease and cancer. If it isn’t a “medical emergency,” which hospitals are required by law to treat, more and more hospitals are asking for money upfront.

Interestingly, A Wall Street Journal analysis, based on the American Hospital Directory,

Footloose and...

By Jules W. Rabin

points out that the nation’s 50 largest not-for-profit hospitals did “eke out” a combined net income of $4.27 billion in 2006. Yup, a paradox. The AHA says one in four American hospitals operates in the red. But factually the country’s 2,919 community hospitals also receive some $50 billion in annual tax exemptions.

“It is shocking that some hospitals badger sick people for down payments,” Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said while reviewing the growing tenden-

cies. “This is like applying the principles of home or car sales to healthcare.”

The chorus facing up to the new hospital policies also is growing. What to do if you wind up in a medical pickle? First, work hard at negotiating a lower bill; try to work with the hospital’s social worker, who often will lend a sympathetic ear. Also remember the average insurance plan gets a healthy discount (maybe 60 percent) on hospital reimbursement. You won’t get 60, but why not take a shot at half?

Also keep in mind there are help lines such as the Cancer Information Center at (800) 227-2345 and the Patients Advocate Foundation at (800) 5325274 or www.patientadvocate. org. They can and will help!

Local Families Exchange Culture With Visiting Spanish Students

By Candace Marchsteiner Town-Crier Staff Report

Three families from the western communities hosted exchange students from Spain throughout most of July. A group of eight Spanish teens arrived just in time to celebrate America’s birthday.

Dispersed to families around Palm Beach County, students met each weekday for English classes and activities that included visits to CityPlace, numerous beaches, St. Augustine, the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, snorkeling at John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo, watching the sunset in Key West, bowling, an airboat ride through the Everglades and more. The exhausting schedule allowed for family time in the evenings and on weekends.

Wellington residents Joe and Mary Bruggeman, along with their sons Derek and Adam, welcomed 14-year-old José Eiros into their family.

“He’s been a piece of cake,” said Mary, noting the idiom — something the students dis-

cussed during classes. “He’s neat and very respectful. He has the gift of joy, and it has been so wonderful to watch him because he’s always smiling.”

Together the boys watched movies, swam with the neighbors and played ping-pong. Mary noted that José jumped right in to do dishes after supper, and when the boys shared chores, “there was such camaraderie.”

Joe taught the city boy how to mow and edge the lawn. “And my boys allowed him the privilege of doing those chores,” Mary laughed.

A home-schooling mom, Mary embraced José’s wonder. “He was blown away by the idea of home-schooling,” she said, adding that he was skeptical about it until he saw the boys’ Lego robotics alternative energy source project, for which their team won best project in the state this year at Melbourne’s Florida Institute of Technology. José also wanted to know about how the healthcare system works and where drivers park

their cars downtown. “He said it’s very different here than in Spain, where the community is built around the church,” Mary said.

The son of two doctors, José said the first thing he’ll tell others when he returns to Spain is “about all the people I’ve met — all the different people. They were all great.”

In a nearby Wellington neighborhood, fellow home-schoolers Dave and Linda Pervenecki hosted 16-year-old Macarena Lozano.

“Normally we do our own thing, but with Maca here, we spent more time together as a family,” said Linda, who planned activities such as beach days, pool-hopping, mall time and jaunts to “typical American treats” like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

The family, which includes daughter Jerusha and son Tilon,

spent many evenings playing cards and board games. “Even though I’m exhausted, it has made me realize that I need to do more for my family by being purposeful in planning time for us to spend together,” noted Linda, whose “nicest surprise” was how much her husband “went out of his way to be accommodating.”

“I love my [American] family. They were very good for me,” Macarena said, sporting polka dot nails painted by Jerusha.

In Loxahatchee, a family with six boys welcomed number seven — 12-year-old Jesus Sevilla. Dan and Nancy Fioramonti, along with sons Daniel, Andrew, Michael, Matthew, Joseph and Jonathan, managed to notice the addition. “I’ve always wanted eight sons,” Nancy said, “and Jesus just fit into one of those spaces so beautifully.”

Sports rule in the Fioramonti family, and Jesus learned how to play American football, watching Dan coach the youngest sons. “We don’t usually play much soccer,” Jonathan said, “but we played a lot with Jesus here.”

According to Jonathan, Jesus ranked number two in the family for ping pong, and Nancy added that he loved chicken fights in the pool and was competitive with practical jokes as well. “For example, he’d serve one of the boys a few spaghetti noodles and keep the rest of the plate for himself,” she said. Matt, an incoming freshman football player at Seminole Ridge High School, said he’ll miss Jesus. Daniel, who recently returned from Mexico as part of his journey into the priesthood, bonded with Jesus through language. Daniel corrected Jesus’ English, and Jesus

corrected Daniel’s Spanish.

“I’m really proud of my boys,” Nancy said. “They’d agree to do whatever Jesus wanted and wouldn’t quit until he tired of doing it.”

Not surprisingly, Jesus’ luggage is now packed with sports souvenirs such as baseball gloves, a bat and a ball he received at a Jupiter Hammerheads game.

The experience for all three families turned into something unexpected as they spent their final Sunday afternoon together at a grand finale party at Anchor Park in Delray Beach. Beyond friendships gained in a cultural exchange, the American families made new friendships with each other as well. Would the American families do it again? “Yeah!” Jonathan Fioramonti replied as his weary but happy mother headed for bed.

Wellington’s Temple Beth Torah Planning Several Upcoming Events

Temple Beth Torah in Wellington has several upcoming events planned:

• Bunko Night will take place Saturday, Aug. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The event will include plenty of fun and games, the chance to meet new people, Chinese food and prizes. The cost is $12.50 for members in advance, $15 for non-members in advance and $18 at the door. For more information, or to make reservations, call the temple at (561) 793-2700.

• The “Junque to Gems Sale” will take place on Sunday, Aug. 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale will feature gently used accessories (jewelry, scarves, belts and handbags), bric-a-brac (vases, plates and decorative items), books, CDs, games, DVDs and pottery. The sale is open to the public.

• The temple is already planning for Monte Carlo Night, which will take place Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. With lots of food, music and cocktails, this will be the temple’s biggest gala of the year. For more information, contact Gregg Levi at (561) 753-3012 or porky203@aol.com. Guests are warmly welcomed.

The Sisterhood of Temple Beth Torah runs a well-stocked Judaica boutique. It includes hostess gifts, children’s gifts, gifts for Jewish life cycle events, ritual items, holiday items and books. The boutique’s hours are flexible. For more information about the boutique, call the temple office at (561) 793-2700 and ask for the boutique’s voice mail if a

volunteer is not available. Messages will be returned within 24 hours. Friday evening services at Temple Beth Torah begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday morning services begin at 9:45 a.m., preceded by Torah study at 9 a.m. Birthday blessings occur the first week of each month.

As a Reform congregation, Temple Beth Torah is mindful of its tradition and special responsibility of welcoming inter-religious married couples and their children, single-parent families, and gay and lesbian individuals, couples and their children.

Temple Beth Torah is located at 900 Big Blue Trace in Wellington. For more information, visit www.templebeth torah.net.

Exchange student Jesus Sevilla (middle row, center) with the Fioramontis: (front) Daniel, Michael, Andrew and Matthew; (middle) Joseph and Jonathan; and (back) Nancy and Dan.

Exchange student José Eiros (center) with Derek, Joe, Mary and Adam Bruggeman.

Spanish exchange student Macarena Lozano (center) with Tilon, Jerusha, Linda and Dave Pervenecki.

Juvenile Threatens Deputy With BB Gun In Royal Palm Beach

By Jason Budjinski Town-Crier Staff Report

JULY 22 — A juvenile was arrested for aggravated assault last Tuesday afternoon in Royal Palm Beach. According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation was dispatched to a parking lot in the Trails neighborhood regarding a juvenile carrying a firearm. Upon arrival, the deputy entered a nearby wooded area, where he spotted three juveniles, one of whom pointed a gun at the deputy. According to the report, the deputy took cover behind a tree, drew his handgun and pointed it at the juvenile, ordering him to drop his weapon. After a second warning, the juvenile complied. Upon inspection of the juvenile’s weapon, the deputy discovered it was a BB gun that had been painted black to conceal the red safety muzzle. The juvenile was transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

JULY 23 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded last Wednesday to a parking lot on Southern Blvd. regarding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim parked her vehicle at approximately 4:30 p.m. and returned an hour later to discover someone had shattered the front passengerside window. Stolen from the vehicle was a black Coach purse, which contained a brown Coach wallet, five credit cards, the victim’s driver’s license, Social Security card and $100 cash. Also taken from the vehicle was a pair of black Gucci sunglasses.

puter and $200 cash. A canvas of the neighborhood was conducted, but no additional leads were obtained.

JULY 26 — A resident of Wyndcliff Drive called the PBSO substation in Wellington last Saturday regarding a burglary. According to a PBSO report, at sometime between 1:30 and 8:45 p.m., someone forcibly entered the victim’s home through a rear kitchen window. Stolen from inside the home were multiple electronics items, jewelry, a checkbook and a Visa credit card. The victim noted that when she returned home, the garage door had been left open and she found a cell phone at the foot of her driveway. A neighbor said he witnessed a white car, possibly a BMW, in the victim’s driveway during the time she was away. According to the report, the neighbor said a white male with sandy blond hair sat in the vehicle for approximately a half-hour and then left.

JULY 26 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to a home on Shoreline Drive last Saturday in response to a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim parked her vehicle at approximately 1 a.m. and returned at 7 a.m. to discover it was on a 45-degree angle. All four tires and rims had been stolen. The total value of the stolen items is approximately $1,000. There was no suspect information at the time of the report.

JULY 23 — A Stuart woman was arrested last Wednesday night after a traffic stop in Royal Palm Beach. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation observed a white Oldsmobile driven by 28-year-old Amanda Mitchelltree traveling with inoperable brake lights on Okeechobee Blvd. A computer check revealed that Mitchelltree had an outstanding warrant for grand theft. She was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail.

JULY 26 — Two juveniles were arrested last Saturday at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Belvedere Road in Royal Palm Beach. According to a PBSO report, a store employee witnessed the juveniles select three pairs of basketball shorts and conceal them inside their pants. The employee further witnessed the juveniles proceed to the exit without paying for the merchandise, which was valued at $40.64.

JULY 26 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach was dispatched to a business on Belvedere Road last Saturday morning regarding a burglary. According to a PBSO report, at sometime between 6 p.m. last Friday and 6:30 a.m. the following morning, someone entered the business and stole a 32-inch plasma flatscreen TV. There was no suspect information at the time of the report.

JULY 25 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded to the Wellington Aquatic Complex last Friday regarding a burglary. According to a PBSO report, the complainant entered the office of the complex at approximately 7:30 a.m. and discovered that the cash register was positioned at an angle, the front office window was unlocked, office drawers were scattered throughout the back office and a cabinet had been forcibly opened. DNA samples were taken. There was no further information at the time of the report.

JULY 26 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to a home on North Hampton Terrace last Saturday regarding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, two of the victim’s vehicles had been entered and items were stolen, including a Hewlett-Packard laptop com-

JULY 26 — A Royal Palm Beach woman was arrested last Saturday for shoplifting at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Belvedere Road in Royal Palm Beach. According to a PBSO report, a store employee observed 19-year-old Priscilla Alexandre select five DVDs and five video games from the electronics department and then enter the shoe department, where she concealed the merchandise inside her shoulderstrapped bag. Alexandre proceeded to the register to pay for some grocery items but not the electronics items. She was apprehended as she exited the store.

JULY 27 — A resident of Goodwood Terrace called the

See BLOTTER, page 18

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives: • Gustavo Cabrera, a.k.a. Gustavo Cabrera-Manan, is a white male, 6’2” tall and weighing 230 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 07/13/82. He has tattoos on his right arm and shoulder and a scar on his right eye. Cabrera is wanted for violation of probation on a conviction for grand theft over $20,000. His occupation is laborer. His last known address was E. Pimlico Drive in Loxahatchee. Cabrera is wanted as of 07/31/08. • Marvin Quintero is a white male, 5’6” tall and weighing 185 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 11/11/55. He has a scar on his back. Quintero is wanted for failure to appear in court on the charges of sexual activity with a child and soliciting sexual activity with a child. His occupation is unknown. His last known address was 82nd Lane N. in The Acreage. Quintero is wanted as of 07/31/08. Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestopperspbc. com.

Gustavo Cabrera

Marvin Quintero

Animal Planet To Film Reality Show At Nicole’s Village Tavern

Nicole’s Village Tavern in Wellington announced that a production crew from the cable channel Animal Planet will be at the restaurant on Wednesday, Aug. 6 to film scenes for the pilot episode of a new reality series. The show is called Wellington and will follow the lives of three sisters who are part of the local equestrian community.

Filming will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. Anyone wishing to appear as an extra should fill out

Palms West

the necessary release forms. “We are very excited to be able to host the production of this show,” Nicole’s Village Tavern co-owner Ron Miranda said. “Positive publicity for our village can only promote a positive economic impact to the area.”

Nicole’s Village Tavern is located at 12300 South Shore Blvd., Suite 103. For more information, call (561) 793-3456 or visit www. nicolesvillagetavern.com.

Chamber

To Host Candidates Forum

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will host a candidates forum and luncheon on Monday, Aug. 11 at 11:45 a.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). The event is sponsored by Florida Public Utilities and will be moderated by Geoffrey Sluggett, vice chair of the chamber’s Government Affairs Committee. Lunch will be catered and sponsored by California Pizza Kitchen in the Mall at Wellington Green.

During the event, chamber members will meet incumbents and qualifying candidates for Palm Beach County offices, including County Commission District 3, Property Appraiser, Sheriff and Supervisor of Elections. The public is encouraged to attend this important event to learn more about the candidates as they present their platforms. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. For more information, or to RSVP, visit www.palmswest.com or call (561) 790-6200.

Send local news items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.

Wellington JAFCO Seeking Donated School Supplies

The Wellington Chapter of Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options (JAFCO) will hold a back-to-school drive to collect school supplies at various locations in the western communities.

JAFCO will collect donations at the following locations:

• The Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches Wellington branch (13889 Wellington Trace, Wellington), from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday until Aug. 21

• Congregation B’nai Avra-

ham (12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 6, in the original Wellington Mall) from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays until Aug. 21

• Temple Beth Zion (129 Sparrow Drive, Royal Palm Beach) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday until Aug. 21

• Temple Beth Torah’s Leonie Arguetty Preschool (900 Big Blue Trace, Wellington) during the preschool parent orientation on Aug. 21.

• Strathmore Bagels (4095 State Road 7, Suite N, Welling-

ton), from 8:30 a.m. to noon Aug. 9, 10, 16 and 17 (outside the restaurant) Suggested items for donation include the following: pocket folders with fasteners, lunch boxes, number-two pencils (lead refills, if mechanical), backpacks, protractors, inexpensive calculators, 3x3 Post-It notes, wide-lined loose-leaf paper, wide-lined spiral notebooks, marble composition books, pencil cases, standard metric rulers, highlighters, large glue sticks, white school glue, ballpoint pens (any color), black and blue

PBC Supervisor of Elections candidates: incumbent Dr. Arthur Anderson, Wellington Councilman Bob Margolis and State Rep. Susan Bucher (D-District 88). State House District 85 candidate Joseph Abruzzo.

Water Level In Corbett Has Indian Trail Officials Concerned

By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report

While Indian Trail Improvement District officials are concerned about high water levels in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area, those responsible for regulating water in the area said Wednesday that there is no cause for alarm.

ITID Engineer Lisa Tropepe raised the issue with the district’s board of supervisors Monday, saying she is concerned with the amount of pressure Corbett water is putting on a berm that separates the preserve from The Acreage, directly to the south.

Tropepe told the board she had asked the South Florida Water Management District to investigate the matter, charging that the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, which manages Corbett, is keeping the water level a foot higher than the July target level of 20.5 feet.

ITID’s Western Area Maintenance Supervisor Terry Benefield told the board that the district is keeping the water level of a nearby canal much lower.

“Right now, our water levels over here at the M-O Canal right next to Corbett are set at 15.7 feet, and under our permit we are allowed 16 feet,” he said.

“We actually lowered the water level by a foot because we’re in the rainy season. That allows more flexibility for drainage in

hurricane season. I am concerned that water pressure from the high levels in the Corbett area may damage the berm.”

Tropepe’s letter to the SFWMD noted that the berm has been breached several times over the years, and one instance in the 1990s kept some ITID roads flooded for more than a month. Because the area is now more heavily populated, “any future breaches of the dike may not have a happy ending,” she wrote.

FWCC official Jim Schuette, who administers Corbett and other wildlife areas in Palm Beach and Martin counties, told the Town-Crier Wednesday that ITID’s concerns are unfounded.

“We always keep our water levels consistent with the emergency operations level allowed each month,” he said. “The standard target level for August is a bit over 21 feet, and the emergency level is about 22 and a half feet. We sometimes bring the water up to a bit over 23 feet without having any damage.”

SFWMD Regulations Department Director Robert Brown said he sent inspectors to examine the berm, which runs parallel to the M-O Canal, on Tuesday as soon as he learned of Tropepe’s concerns.

Inspector Jim Fyfe told the Town-Crier Wednesday that on examination, the water level did not seem unusual. “It’s not going over the top of the structure,”

Fyfe said. “It seems to be running at about the same level it normally does.”

SFWMD officials said that while it would take more time to fully analyze all the results of their inspection, and that they would fully examine data presented by Tropepe, at this time they see no reason for great concern.

Tropepe, who also inspected the berm Tuesday along with Benefield and Parks Director Tim Wojnar, said lowering the water in Corbett to accepted target levels would take several weeks. “There is a difference of 5.7 feet between the two levels based on this measurement, and our own telemetry for Corbett shows it even higher at 22.3 feet,” she said.

Tropepe and Benefield noted two places on the berm, between 180th Avenue and Mandarin Blvd., where water had apparently seeped through.

“This could be very serious even though the area of seepage is small,” Tropepe said. “Right now, this is something that can and should be checked out immediately. But remember that any big storm could put a lot of pressure on the dike. A few inches of rain could do damage. Water is very powerful. And of course, there is always the danger of a major hurricane.”

Schuette said he drove around the berm on Wednesday, and said that its condition is the re-

sponsibility of ITID. “I agree with ITID that there is seepage,” he said, “and since ITID owns the berm, they should fix it.”

Schuette noted that the SFWMD’s water management agreement with Corbett centers on maintaining the area in a flooded state, and that the FWCC is only allowed to let the water drain off in the event of an emergency, such as an approaching hurricane. “Our ba-

sic purpose is to prevent damage to the wetlands,” he said.

Schuette noted that he is an Acreage resident with a home in close proximity to the berm, and he does not fear a potential flood.

“I live on 94th Street North right next to the M-O Canal,” he said. “I actually own and pay taxes on not only the road, but the canal and the berms on both sides of it.”

Schuette noted that in advance of the hurricanes of recent years, he had cooperated with ITID and lowered the Corbett water level appropriately.

Schuette also said residents of the area, most of whom draw their water from wells, should consider themselves lucky that they are right next to 100 square miles of “the freshest water in the area.”

Holding Back The Water — Terry Benefield, Tim Wojnar and Lisa Tropepe of the Indian Trail

Improvement District on the berm separating the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area from the M-O Canal. The water on the left, in Corbett, is at 21.4 feet. The water on the right, in The Acreage, is at 15.7 feet. ITID officials are worried about signs of seepage on the berm.

PHOTO BY LEONARD WECHSLER/TOWN-CRIER

Mahoney Discusses Salmonella Outbreak With Ag Reps In Loxahatchee

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-District 16) met with members of the local agricultural industry Monday to discuss a proposed bill that would compensate tomato growers and packers nationwide for their losses due to the recent salmonella scare, which was later traced to Mexican peppers. Held inside an office at J&J Produce on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in Loxahatchee, the meeting included representatives from J&J Produce, Callery-Judge Grove, Yew Farms, Roth Farms, the Florida Farm Federation and the

Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. The main issue was the need for regulation that doesn’t negatively affect growers’ profit and that creates the same rules industry-wide. Also discussed was the need for better communication between the growers and agencies such as the Food & Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control, so accurate information is available when outbreaks occur.

Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association Public Affairs Director Lisa Lochridge expressed frustration with the communication process between the FDA

and the CDC. “The FDA made a decision based on the information they had,” Lochridge said. “The most frustrating part was that the FDA and CDC waited a very long time to come to us. We could have given them information about the distribution channels and other information. Those questions were very, very slow in coming. In moving forward, it might be a good idea to have some sort of task force or advisory panel to sit down and talk with CDC or FDA.”

Mahoney said the tomato growers he spoke to concurred with Lochridge, and they seemed amenable to having

some method of tracking how products are shipped and where they come from. Rick Roth of Roth Farms wanted to know if incidents such as the salmonella outbreak could be compared to a weather-related disaster such as a hurricane, for which the agriculture industry can receive compensation. Mahoney said he didn’t think so, but that did not mean the agriculture industry does not qualify for some sort of compensation.

J&J Produce senior buyer Neal Mazal said there is already a tremendous amount of regulation. “Part of the issue is we

are self-regulating to a degree, but in order to comply with the demands of our customers, we are forced into the machinations of keeping records,” he said.

“We don’t have a level playing field.”

Both Mazal and Roth said they are concerned about more regulation putting growers out of business.

“It’s just unbelievable the amount of regulation going on,” Roth said. “I know there are some processes in place. It seems like there should be an opportunity for grant money to help the industry gear up and do a better job.”

Why Are You The Best Person In This Race To Serve On The ITID Board?

Because three candidates are seeking Seat 4 on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors, district residents will cast votes in that race during the Aug. 26 primary election. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to the November general election ballot.

For the next three weeks, the Town-Crier will ask questions for publication each week to the three candidates in the Seat 4 race, in which ITID Supervisor Michelle Damone is defending her seat against challengers Barbara Brecker and Patricia Curry. This week’s question: “Why are you the best person in this race to serve on the ITID Board of Supervisors?”

Barbara Brecker — I have resided in the State of Florida and Palm Beach County almost my entire life, and I believe I have a genuine responsibility to stand up to what I feel are corrosive and corruptive influences that if not addressed, will destroy our peaceful rural way of life for our 45,000 residents.

You should vote for me because:

• I am here to say no to greedy special interest groups to protect our rights.

• After reviewing the budget, I believe significant savings could be garnered for capital improvements for our residents.

• Our community park on

140th Street was deeded to the county in exchange for construction dollars that they refuse.

• My opponent is responsible for spearheading and for recently stopping the retrofit program.

• Giving away our easements to the county for Persimmon Blvd. will enable increased traffic on that road that will benefit developers only.

• This board has given away more of our people’s assets than the history of all boards combined. They gave away our easements, the largest asset our residents have.

• I will tell the greedy that we are not their “cash cow” to be exploited.

• It is time we have full disclosure to the public so they can make educated choices and no longer be lied to regarding increased development and its ramifications.

So, just say no to Damone!

The last time I looked, this is still a government by the people and for the people. We once stood against taxation without representation, and I am running for office to stand against it again. I promise to be a true representative for the people, unlike my incumbent. E-mail me at 1_safe_harbor@bellsouth.net, and I will answer all of your questions as to why you should vote for me.

Patricia Curry — As a 28year resident of the Acreage, I have intricate knowledge of the

issues and outside intrusions that affect our community. I truly care about the wishes and desires of the silent majority of our community, and understand the “leave us alone” attitude that prevails. I recognize that the sole responsibilities of ITID are roads, drainage and parks (with parks being a late addition), and these are the areas where I would focus most of my attention.

In the past, and much too frequently, elected officials and critical staff of our special district have acted as a conduit for promoting and/or endorsing development proposals that would result (and have resulted) in a negative for all residents. Various boards have ceded important roads to the county, ceded necessary drainage outfall capacity (possible due to misrepresentation or a breach of fiduciary duty), and ceded all-tooimportant easements that enable increased development and threaten all residents. I will not follow in the path of those officials, as protecting our community and those who reside within it is my sole motivation.

Perhaps what qualifies me more than anything as the “best person” in this race is simply my history of activism, diligently working toward protecting and preserving our way of life, protesting actions of government wherever and whenever appropriate. I am certainly not a politician, and don’t play political games. My focus is and always

has been ensuring and maintaining our quality of life. I believe all residents would benefit from my honest and open approach as it relates toward governmental responsibilities, and all will know that I will be working on their behalf as an elected official. For my campaign, I have not sought (nor will I seek) campaign contributions from those who seek special favors from the district. I promise that I will not violate the Sunshine Law, nor seek circumvention of public interests in favor of special interests.

Michelle Damone — From the day I arrived here in 1996, I have been devoted to serving and protecting The Acreage, making it a better community for our children and our families to live in. I originally got involved as a park advocate working dil-

igently to increase the number of parks from one to the nine we have today. It was important to me in 1996, as it is today, to give our youth positive activities to be constructive instead of destructive. My position has not changed; I would like to continue to add additional activities for the entire family.

Both my experience and dedication through volunteering in this community for the past 12 years should prove my commitment to the residents of The Acreage. I am not afraid to get my hands dirty whether it is building a butterfly garden at Kidscape Park, participating in a roadside cleanup or coaching our children.

I have served The Acreage through my position on the Indian Trail Board of Supervisors from 1999 to 2002 and then returned in 2004 to bring fiscal

responsibility and stability back to the district. I kept my promise four years ago, and without any tax increases, we have increased our reserves back to appropriate levels and have increased the level of service in the fields. In 2007, we expanded Acreage Community Park after it lied still for five years. The current board of supervisors is still committed to completing all phases of the park. I am a firm believer in “if you are going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk.” I have walked the walk in 1999 and in 2004, and I am still willing to walk with you in 2008. Because there are only two candidates for Seat 2, the other contested ITID seat this year, that election will be decided in November, and the Town-Crier will cover that race in the fall.

Barbara BreckerPatricia CurryMichelle Damone

PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

J&J Produce senior buyer Neal Mazal

Property Appraiser, Tax Collector Visit With LGLA Members

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

The Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association welcomed two guests with key roles in the local taxation system on July 24, Palm Beach County Property Appraiser Gary Nikolits and Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon. Nikolits told LGLA members he and Gannon are both independently elected constitutional officers and neither works for the Palm Beach County Commission. His job is at the front end of the ad valorem taxation process, while Gannon’s is the final part of it.

“Our job in the property appraiser’s office is to assess property for ad valorem tax purposes,” Nikolits said. “We’re the folks who estimate market value on all 625,400 parcels of property in Palm Beach County each year.”

While the state legislature achieved some success in tax reform last year with expansion of homestead exemptions and portability of Save Our Homes homestead benefits, Nikolits said the state must still address problems with the property tax system, such as inequity in the tax bills of part-time residents who pay as much as three or four times who permanent residents with similar properties pay in taxes. Portability also isn’t helping first-time homebuyers, he said, who are often recent college graduates or people who provide essential services such as teachers and nurses.

“They are just paying way too much,” Nikolits said. “Somehow or another, the legislature needs to wrap their hands around this and come to grips with it. They also need to give some benefits to first-time property owners and get something on the ballot that will benefit first-time property buyers.”

Nikolits said homeowners who want to dispute the official assessment of their property can call or visit the Property Appraiser’s office and discuss the matter with an appraiser. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, they can petition the Value Adjustment Board, and in a further step can appeal to the Circuit Court.

LGLA member Ken Johnson told Nikolits he knew of a property owner who pays very disparate property taxes on two homes on five-acre lots that were built within the same year. He asked how one would go about finding the reason why.

Nikolits suggested the property owner compare the tax summaries from year to year via the property appraiser’s web site, and if the reasons for the difference are not apparent, the property owner should contact the Property Appraiser’s office.

Tax Collector Anne Gannon noted that while she won her office in an election two years ago, this year she is unopposed.

As the agent for the county’s 97 taxing districts, Gannon said the Palm Beach County Tax Collector collects about $3.3 billion in taxes and fees. Her office also serves as the county’s agent for the administration of business tax receipts and tourist development taxes, serves as the state agent for the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Revenue.

Gannon said that her office would soon be a sales outlet for Sun Pass turnpike toll transponders. “In October, we are going to begin to sell Sun Pass,” she said. “We will be a point of sale for them. We are kind of excited about that. We think we are a good place to be selling it, rather than in the grocery store.”

Gannon said that in the last two years, she and her staff have

been making improvements to the main tax collector’s office in downtown West Palm Beach as well as its satellite offices. The downtown branch office piloted an electronic client cueing system that manages customers and directs them to the appropriate representative, while ATM machines have been placed in most offices. The office is also encouraging more businesses to interact with it via the Internet, she said. For the sake of efficiency, Gannon said, she reassigned employees from the overstaffed main office to the satellite offices. “We discovered we had too many people in our West Palm office and our governmental office,” she said. “We transferred them to an office that had a shortage of people. When I got elected, we also put a freeze on hiring. However, we did hire a public affairs director and a government affairs manager who works and watches closely what legislation is passed. It’s critically important to be on top of what’s going on in the legislature.”

Gannon said her office has an annual budget of about $19 million, much of that going to personnel costs. While the office brings some $47 million in revenues and fees to the county, it funds itself by collecting fees for its services.

“The way our office runs is that for every transaction we get paid a fee,” Gannon said. “Our property tax system is a threetiered system. For every license that you renew in our office, we get paid a fee for doing that.”

With property tax revenues in decline, Gannon said her office is seeking out other revenues it is owed, such as unpaid bed taxes from hotels and landlords.

“Our agency is really committed to seeking out revenues that people are supposed to be paying,” Gannon said, “especially with the property tax changes in the last couple of years, and especially since our cities and county commissioners rolled the taxes back to previous amounts. Our whole economy is readjusting for the real estate values.” Gannon said her office recently implemented its first-ever report to citizens to demonstrate how the process works, and is also striving to gain recognition for excellent management from the governor’s office.

“The whole process of excellence in management is called the Governor’s Sterling Council,” Gannon said. “It teaches you how to manage the business in an excellent way.”

Also last Thursday, Michelle Damone of the Autism Project of Palm Beach County introduced LGLA members to a personal locator system now in use in Palm Beach County for people at risk of wandering and becoming lost.

Damone, who is also an Indian Trail Improvement District supervisor, told members the system consists of a wristband for at-risk individuals and a tracking device that can locate it. The Project Lifesaver system, as it is called, is being tested in a pilot program of several months with the partnership of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The system is in use in 42 states at present, Damone said, and has proved successful in locating every person for which it was needed. She said that as the lead agency for the program in Palm Beach County, the Autism Project is committed to getting the $300 wristbands to the families who need them.

“The Autism Project has been writing grants,” she said. “We have been quite serious in raising funds for it. Anyone who is underprivileged or can’t financially afford the wristband, we will find the grants for you.”

Poker Run To Benefit

Horse Rescue Group

Walking For Autism — Bob Wright, Kate Cardenas, Denise Negron and Suzanne Wright at the start of the 2008 Palm Beach Walk Now for Autism in West Palm Beach.

Walk Now For Autism Awards Reception Held At S.F. Science Museum

More than 100 people, including individuals with autism, their families and friends, gathered on Friday, July 18 to celebrate the success of the 2008 Palm Beach Walk Now for Autism held last March in downtown West Palm Beach.

Almost $270,000 was raised for critical scientific research and to increase awareness about the nation’s fastest-growing developmental disorder, now diagnosed in one in every 150 children.

Established in 2000, the Walk Now for Autism events are the signature fundraising events for the national advocacy organization Autism Speaks and have attracted hundreds of thousands of walkers worldwide who have raised tens of millions of dollars for autism research. More than $26 million was raised nationally in 2007 at walks held at approximately 70 locations across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The July 18 awards party was held at the South Florida Science Museum. After the ceremony, families enjoyed the museum and planetarium show.

“We are so grateful to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this year’s walk an unprecedented success, from the walkers to their sponsors, our incredible walk staff and many dedicated volunteers,” 2008 Palm Beach Walk Now for Autism co-chair Denise Negron said.

Kate Cardenas, the other cochair, agreed. “Working together, we are moving ever closer to finding the cause, better treatments and a cure for autism spectrum disorders,” she said.

Toys ‘R’ Us, the Toys ‘R’ Us

Children’s Fund and Parade magazine serve as the national sponsors of the Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism program, along with local presenting sponsors Modern Babies and Children and the Palm Beach School for Autism.

For a complete list of walk events, visit www.walknowfor autism.org.

Autism is a brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders affect four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism.

Bob Wright is senior advisor at Lee Equity Partners and served as vice chairman at General Electric and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than 20 years. Wright also serves on the board of directors of the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, RAND Corporation and Mission Product. To learn more about Autism Speaks, visit www.autism speaks.org.

Funding For Fitness — McDonald’s franchisee Ricky Wade, Palm Beach County Sports Institute Executive Director Gerry Baron, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida Executive Director Soraya Rivera-Moya and Kids Fitness Festival Chairman Jeff Zipper.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Grant Supports

The Kids Fitness Festival

Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida presented the Palm Beach County Sports Institute with a check for $20,000 on Friday, July 18 to help fund the 2008 Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches. The Kids Fitness Festival was a joint collaboration by both organizations. One of South Florida’s favorite children’s events, the festival was held July 17-18 at the Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds. This year’s event drew a record number of more than 6,300 kids. According to Kids Fitness Festival Chairman Jeff Zipper, the festival offered something for everyone. “Elementary and middle school children were given the chance to learn the basics of 47 different sports from the area’s leading instructors,” he said. “Professional sports teams and sports facilities were also in attendance sharing their sports experience with the kids. These included the Florida Panthers, Roger Dean Stadium, the International Polo Club [Palm Beach], Florida Atlantic University, the Florida Marlins, the Bennie Blades 36 Foundation and many others. Kids could also spend time in the

midway, play games and interact with professional athletes and mascots. Parents were able to enjoy the educational expo, food, and interactive games.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities South Florida Executive Director Soraya RiveraMoya was grateful for the partnership. “The Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida is once again privileged to partner with the Palm Beach County Sports Institute and the Kids Fitness Festival to promote the well being of children through sports,” she said. “It is an excellent and well planned event, something we strongly support. We hope to continue supporting it and being part of it for years to come.” The Kids Fitness Festival of the Palm Beaches was sponsored by Cardinals-Marlins Fund of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, ESPN Radio 760, KOOL 105.5 FM, Primetime Palm Beach County, Publix, Salud al dia magazine, South Florida Parenting magazine, the Blum Foundation and the Palm Beach Post . For more about the event, contact Rachel Miller at (561) 233-3178 or rmiller@palmbeachsports.com

WELLINGTON’S CONGREGATION B’NAI AVRAHAM CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR

Congregation B’nai Avraham in Wellington hosted an open house on Sunday, July 27 to celebrate the temple’s first year. There were bagels, coffee, birthday cake and entertainment for the kids. The synagogue is located at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 6, in the original Wellington Mall. For more information, call (561) 793-4347 or e-mail info@congregation bnaiavraham.com.

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Lisa Mentkin, Harvey Cohan and Jack Mentkow.

Alan Cohan and Alan Wasserman chat with visitors.Rabbi David Abrams with Joel and Iris Sandberg.Denise Geller with some of the children.

Temple President Mel Kohan says a few words.

Ellen Bender and Wendy Wasserman of the B’nai Avraham Sisterhood.

Children help themselves to some bagels.

Youngsters wait for cake to be served.

Temple President Mel Kohan with Rabbi David Abrams and his son Joshua.

Parssi Featured In Cincinnati Gallery

The work of Wellington artist Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi was recently accepted by Malton Gallery in Cincinnati’s Hyde Park, where four of her paintings are now available. Parssi is a product of the Midwest, where her love of art was nurtured by a family whose passion for art, music and theater was instilled at a young age.

“Having such a prestigious gallery carry my work is quite rewarding,” she said. “It’s a validation of all those years of hard work, and to be represented by a gallery in the city where I grew up is especially nice.”

Parssi’s work can be found in 35 private collections and galleries around the world. In 2004 Parssi founded ArtStart, a nonprofit organization that provides educational opportunities in the arts to at-risk youth in underserved areas of Palm Beach County. She also donates time and talent to charitable organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Lung Association and Hospice of Palm Beach County.

To view Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi’s work, visit her web site at www.jpparssi.com.

Art Society Open House Sept. 10

The Wellington Art Society is planning for big things in 2009, starting with its annual Open House/Membership Drive.

The open house will be held Wednesday, Sept. 10 from 6:45 to 9:30 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center, 151 Civic Center Way, near the southwest corner of Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach boulevards. Several Wellington Art Society members will have their work on display at the event, and there will also be a raffle. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.wellingtonartsociety.com or call President Adrianne Hetherington at (561) 784-7561.

ACREAGE CHEERLEADERS HOLD CAR WASH IN RPB

The Acreage Xtreme Cheerleaders spent Saturday, July 26 washing cars at Royal Palm Toyota in Royal Palm Beach. The group expresses its thanks to the dealership for allowing them to use the location. The Acreage Xtreme Cheerleaders will host the “Back-to-School Gently Used Clothing Sale” from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 at 11921 67th Place North. A wide variety of adult, teen and children’s clothes will be available, including school uniforms, shirts, shorts, jeans, shoes, backpacks and accessories. To sponsor the team, or for additional information, call Head Coach Melody Sayles at (954) 410-1709 or visit the team’s web site at www.xtreme cheer.9f.com.

Members of the Acreage Xtreme Cheerleaders gather for a group photo at the car wash.

Jessica Jarrell and Kasey Birch hard at work.Cheerleaders wash a pickup truck.

Megan Cabot and Angela Turpin take time out from washing cars to have a drink.

Junior and senior Xtreme Cheerleaders work together to wash a big truck.

Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi’s oil painting Daisies in a Field

Local Firefighters, Media To Compete In Charity Softball Game

Area firefighters from the Palm Beach County Fraternal Order of Leatherheads Society (FOOLS) will battle a media allstar team in a charity softball game on Saturday, Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. at Seminole Palms Park in Royal Palm Beach. Ric Blackwell, the veteran morning anchor for WFLX Fox 29 and WPEC Channel 12, is the player-manager for the Media All-Stars. Players joining Blackwell include Fox 29 and WPEC

12 colleagues John Bachman, Suzanne Boyd, Lindsay Cohen and Alex Zequiera, while WPBF Channel 25 will be represented by Corey Saban, Meredith McDonough, Kate Wentzel and acting news director Steve Boyer. Proceeds from the game will benefit the not-for-profit Palm Beach County FOOLS and its fund to honor local firefighters who have been killed, injured or become sick while serving their

WRMC HONORS RONEL JUAN

Dr. De Jesus Graduates Med School

Dr. Lady Paula Jose de Jesus graduated from Barry University this past May with a degree in podiatric medicine and surgery. She is doing her medical residency at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York City. De Jesus attended the King’s Academy from junior kindergarten through high school. Her brother Mark de Jesus is a software engineer, her father Quintin works in an en-

communities. The event helps firefighters who spend their lives and careers helping others as well as their families.

A bounce house for kids, raffle prizes between innings and a 50-50 raffle highlight the offthe-field activities.

The game is open to the public. Tickets are $5 and will only be sold at the gate.

The FOOLS team is managed by Richard Kingston of Royal Palm Beach, a 15-year veteran

of Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue.

“We’re looking forward to a close game and everyone having a good time for a great cause,” Kingston said.

The Palm Beach County FOOLS is a non-profit organization of area firefighters established to help fellow firefighters and those in need in their communities while bringing back tradition, honor, pride and brotherhood into the service.

Foundation For Teen Killed In Plane Crash

Wellington resident Kevin McLellan and his son Kevin McLellan Jr. have taken a tragedy and are turning it into something positive.

Kevin McLellan’s

15-year-old son Tyler played center for the Martin County High School junior varsity team.

As a freshman, Tyler hoped he would make the varsity squad as a sophomore. But he was killed in a plane crash in Tampa on Thursday, July 17 as he accompanied a family friend on an Angel Flight for cancer treatment in Tampa.

Tyler had a chance to go to Orlando for a few days and he refused, as he already made a promise to the family friend to be there for her.

Tyler loved football, and the family thought a good way to keep his name alive and help

gineering department, and her mother Margaret is a registered nurse. They have resided in Royal Palm Beach since 1979.

Groves Artist

Baker Exhibits

Work In Boca Loggerhead Trek, an oil-oncanvas painting by Loxahatchee Groves modern realist painter Tony M. Baker, has been selected for inclusion in the 23rd Annual Juried Open Art Exhibition a part of Boca Festival Days. The juried art exhibition at the

the healing between the father-and-son team would be to help the football team he was a part of.

The father has set up a fund to help players in need of help to pay for cleats, summer camp insurance and other expenses not covered by the school. The foundation is geared toward rewarding perseverance and not allowing a family’s finances to hold players back.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the fund can stop into any Riverside Bank in Palm Beach or Martin counties and mention the Tyler McLellan Foundation or call (800) 741-3283.

People wishing to send a prayer or comment to Tyler or the family can Google “Tyler McLellan” and it will bring them to the guest book.

Courtyard Building was open to all South Florida artists and sponsored by the Artists’ Guild of the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Coneca Properties and Prudential CRES Commercial Real Estate SFL. The exhibit is open to the public through Sept. 5. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The Courtyard Building is located at 5301 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, just north of Yamato Road on the west side of the highway. All proceeds will benefit the Boca Raton Museum of Art.

Wellington residents Dwight Saxon and Tony Andrewson will serve as co-chairs. Buddy Yarbrough of Lake Worth is chairman emeritus. Committee members include Kingston, Cherie Andrewson of Wellington and Connie Saxon of Wellington.

“We’re excited about our first year, and we want to make it a fun day for everyone,” Saxon said. “We’re honored and thankful to the members of the media

who are participating. I’m looking forward to seeing who can hit the ball.”

Major sponsors for the event include Francis and Rosa Feeney, BE Aerospace, John G’s restaurant, Saxon Archives, Costco and IAFF 2928, the local firefighters and paramedics union. For more information about the Aug. 16 game, call Y.A. Teitelbaum at (561) 373-5424 or e-mail yagiants@aol.com.

Arthritis Presentation In

cise as well

On Friday, July 18, the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center hosted Palms West Hospital Director of Physical Therapy Bob Rohack, who gave a presentation to seniors on arthritis of the hips, knees, back and shoulders. During the discussion, Rohack answered many questions on the subject and gave advice on how to help ease the pain of arthritis through diet and exer-

Sculptor Colbert C. Collins Pens Adventure Book

An adventure novel driven by one man’s personal search for truth and justification, Don’t Cross Over has been released by Wellington author Cobert C. Collins.

Don’t Cross Over, published on June 17 by Xlibris, follows the exploits of Charles Lindsey. Better known as “Granddad” to others, Lindsey is often troubled by the caverns of doubt and fear that ensnare the

actions of most of his modem contemporaries. His personal beliefs in private property domain and the rights to keep them lead him later to an unexpected adventure of unbelievable courage. Collins graduated from University of Missouri, doing undergraduate work in psychology and fine arts. An artist for the past 45 years, he is an internationally renowned sculptor. For more information about the book, contact Xlibris at (888) 795-4274 or visit www. xlibris.com.

Lady Paula Jose de Jesus

Wellington Regional Medical Center’s May Employee of the Month is Ronel Juan, an employee of the laboratory. Shown here, Juan receives a certificate of appreciation from WRMC CEO Kevin DiLallo.

Palms West Hospital Director of Physical Therapy Bob Rohack gives a presentation on arthritis.

Tyler McLellan

SRHS Plans Kickoff Events To Welcome The New School Year

Seminole Ridge High School begins its fourth year with a variety of special events: On Wednesday, Aug. 13, seniors may purchase parking passes in the cafeteria between 4 and 6:30 p.m. Applications were included in the newsletter mailed out recently. On Thursday, Aug 14, juniors and seniors may purchase parking passes in the cafeteria beginning at 8 a.m. Also on Thursday, Aug. 14, the annual Freshman Invasion will be held in the gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. All incoming Hawks and their parents

are welcome to this fun and informational evening. On Friday, Aug. 15, sophomores, juniors and seniors may purchase parking passes in the cafeteria beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 18 is the first day of school for students.

On Tuesday, Aug. 19, athletics orientation for all sports will be held in the courtyard at 5:30 p.m. This is a change from the original date of Wednesday, Aug. 20. Open house for parents is set for Tuesday, Sept. 16. Parents should report to their students’

first-period classes at 6:30 p.m.

Registration Dates for New Students — The guidance department will register students new to Palm Beach County from 8 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 4; Tuesday, Aug. 5; Thursday, Aug. 7; and Tuesday, Aug. 12 through Friday, Aug. 15. Students may also register on Monday, Aug. 18, the first day of school, from 1 to 2 p.m. only.

Science Teacher Honored Statewide, Nationally — Science teacher Kevin Lasagna has been selected as Florida’s out-

standing biology teacher for 2008.

“He is a great tribute to the biology teachers of Florida,” said Dr. Ann Lumsden, chair of the Outstanding Biology Teacher program.

The state has submitted Lasagna’s name to the National Association of Biology Teachers as Florida’s winner and will recognize him at the Florida Association of Science Teachers convention in Orlando this October.

In addition, Prentice-Hall Publishers, the program’s na-

PBCC President Named To College Task Force

Palm Beach Community Col-

lege President Dr. Dennis Gallon has been named to the Florida College System Task Force by Florida Commissioner of Education Eric Smith. Gallon will join ten college presidents, chancellors and advisors on the task force, which is charged with issuing recommendations regarding the transition of community colleges to baccalaureate-degree-granting colleges and the criteria for establishing and funding state colleges, as

well as with monitoring the implementation of the State College Pilot Project. PBCC will offer its first fouryear degree program, the bachelor of applied science (BAS) in supervision and management, beginning in August 2009. The other members of the task force are Broward College President David Armstrong, Central Florida Community College President Charles Dassance, Pasco-Hernando Community College President Katherine

Johnson, Tallahassee Community College President William Law, Florida Community College at Jacksonville President Steve Wallace, Seminole Community College President Ann McGee, University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft, St. Leo’s College President Arthur Kirk, Keiser University Chancellor Art Keiser and Dean Colson, special education advisor to Gov. Charlie Crist.

The first meeting of the Florida College System Task Force

will be on Sept. 4 in Tampa. Palm Beach Community College, Florida’s first public community college, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2008. The largest institution of higher education in Palm Beach County, PBCC serves more than 45,000 students annually. The college offers more than 100 programs of study at locations in Lake Worth, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens and Belle Glade. For more information, visit www.pbcc.cc.fl.us. The

tional sponsor, will present him with a pair of world-class binoculars. The Leica Corporation will present him with a microscope at the National Association of Biology Teachers convention in Memphis that same month.

One Book, One School Seminole Ridge has started a new reading initiative. In addition to its successful “BookIt!” daily reading program, everyone at SRHS will read the same book at the same time during a five- to six-week period in the second quarter.

Back To School

Luau In RPB Wild Orchids Café at Veterans Park in Royal Palm Beach will hold a “Back to School Explosion Luau” on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 5 to 11 p.m. Attractions will include a hot-dog-eating contest, pie throwing, virgin drink bar, tiki torches, limbo contest, prizes and a DJ. Admission will be free. Food will include pulled-pork sandwiches, a roasted pig and more. For more information, visit www.wild orchidscafe.com or call Helen at

“The ‘One Book, One School’ concept continues building a community of readers within Seminole Ridge, and the joys of us all reading the same book at the same time furthers strengthens our reading culture,” media specialist Carole Koester said, adding that the school’s BookIt! committee will choose the title to read. One Book, One School was highlighted at the recent state reading conference “Just Read” and schools that completed the program were thrilled with the results, Koester said.

(561) 252-8633. Veterans Park is located at Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and Sparrow Drive, south of Okeechobee Blvd. Reception For New Principal At Western Pines Western Pines Middle School (5949 140th Ave. North) will hold “Meet the Principal Night” with new Principal Robert Hatcher on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. For more about the event, call the school at (561) 792-2500.

WELLINGTON AQUATIC COMPLEX HOSTS SUMMER DIVE-IN MOVIE NIGHT

COMMUNIT Y CALENDAR

Saturday, Aug. 2

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will resume “Saturday Morning Story Time” for ages two and up beginning Saturday, Aug. 2 at 11 a.m. No pre-registration is required. Call (561) 7906070 for more info.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will continue Rob Becker’s Defending the Caveman through Sunday, Aug. 3 in the Rinker Playhouse. Tickets are $40. For more info., call (561) 8327469 or visit www.kravis.org.

Sunday, Aug. 3

• The Palm Beach County Horseman’s Association will host a Poker Run Trail Ride on Sunday, Aug. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon following the association’s Aug. 1-2 show at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center on Forest Hill Blvd. The entrance fee is $20 entrance fee. Half of all winnings will go to Pure Thoughts Horse & Foal Rescue. For more info., call PBCHA President Ann Root at (561) 866-9899 or visit www.pbcha. org.

• Church @ the Grove in Loxahatchee will host its Heavenly Hoedown on Sunday, Aug. 3 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the home of Pat Quinn (3142 C Road, Loxahatchee Groves). Individuals and families are invited. There will be plenty of activities for children, and a great time for adults too. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served. For more info., contact Pastor Holly Ostlund at (561) 3332020 or churchatthegrove@ bellsouth.net.

Monday, Aug. 4

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will hold “Baby Story Time” on Mondays, Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25. The event features rhymes, finger plays, songs, books and toys. Times are 9:30 a.m. for ages up to eight months and 11:15 a.m. for ages nine to 12 months. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6070.

• The Wellington Aquatic Complex will host two separate weeks of the End of Summer Camp Aug. 4-8 and Aug. 11-15. The camp hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Campers will snorkel in the ocean, kayak in the lake and enjoy an airboat ride through the Everglades. Each child will receive a T-shirt at the end of the camp. The cost is $200 for each week. For more info., call (561) 753-2484, ext. 2836.

Tuesday, Aug. 5

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Say Hola to Spanish” on Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 3:30 p.m. for ages four and up. To preregister, call (561) 790-6070.

Wednesday, Aug. 6

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will hold its Book Discussion Series with Sara Harris on Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. for adults. This month’s featured novel is Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman. Call (561) 790-6070 for more information.

• The Internet radio show Night Schuul will premiere Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 9 p.m. on www.wrpbradio.com. The show is a live, interactive 60minute show hosted by Wellington resident and New York transplant Matthew Auerbach.

Friday, Aug. 8

• The Community Associations Institute (CAI) Gold Coast Chapter will hold a free-to-thepublic trade show and educational event at the Palm Beach County Convention Center (650 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) on Friday, Aug. 8. The hours will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the trade show. Class will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more info., call Kathy Sheibel at (561) 3505890, e-mail caigoldcoast@ aol.com or visit www.caigold coast.org.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will present “There’s Music in the Air” on Friday, Aug. 8 at 11 a.m. for ages three to six. Listen to tales of animal music and craft your own music maker. To preregister, call (561) 790-6070.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will present “Memories of Palisades Park” on Friday, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. Performers include Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, Jay Siegel and the Tokens with special guest Jay Traynor of Jay and the Americans, and Shirley Alston Reeves, the original lead singer of the Shirelles. For more info., call the box office at (561) 832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org.

Saturday, Aug. 9

• The South Florida Fairgrounds (9067 Southern Blvd.) will host a Gun Show on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9 and 10

featuring a wide collection of guns, ammo, knives, hunting supplies and accessories. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call (561) 793-0333 or visit www.southfloridafair. com for more info.

• The Folke Peterson Wildlife Center in Wellington will present a special showing of the movie Over the Hedge on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon. The movie will be followed by real wildlife encounters with Stinky the Skunk, Buddy the Opossum and other Folke Peterson residents. Popcorn and juice boxes will be provided. A donation of $5 per person is requested. The Folke Peterson Wildlife Center is located at 10948 Acme Road. To RSVP, call (561) 793-BIRD.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will present “Dragonflies” Saturday, Aug. 9 at 11 a.m. for ages two and up. Participants will hear stories about dragonflies and then make one to take home. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Wellington Aquatic Complex (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) will show the movie Because of Winn-Dixie on Saturday, Aug. 9 at Dive-In Movie Night. The entrance fee to the pool is $5 per person or $15 for a family of four. The movie begins at 8 p.m. For more info., call (561) 753-2484, ext. 2836. Monday, Aug. 11

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will host a Candidates’ Forum at its monthly luncheon on Monday, Aug. 11 at 11:45 a.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. Call (561) 790-6200 to RSVP.

Tuesday, Aug. 12

• The 2008 Goode Water Ski National Championships will take place Aug. 12-16 at Okeeheelee Park. Hosted by the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches, the competition is expected to draw up to 800 skiers from across the country, competing in slalom, trick and jump. For more info., call Phil Brodt at (954) 803-8169 or Pat Keeler at (561) 793-8103, or e-mail plk2001@yahoo.com or patricia.keeler@tenethealth. com.

• The Wellington Village Council will meet on Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Community Center. For more info., call (561) 7914000.

Wednesday, Aug. 13

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Drama Games” on Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 4:15 p.m. for ages nine and up. Come play theater games with library staff. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6070.

Thursday, Aug. 14

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host a meeting of the Teen Advisory Group on Thursday, Aug. 14 at 6:30 p.m. for ages 12 through 17. Join other teens for snacks, conversation and good ideas. Call (561) 7906070 for more info. Friday, Aug. 15

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will present “Financing Your Small Business” on Friday, Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. for adults. Ted Kramer of Florida Atlantic University’s Small Business Development Center will describe how to get the money you need from private and governmental sectors to start or expand your business. To preregister, call (561) 790-6070.

• Buckler’s Craft Show will be held at the South Florida Fairgrounds (9067 Southern Blvd.) on Friday through Sunday, Aug. 15 through 17 featuring a wide variety of crafts and accessories from the unusual to the unique. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call (561) 793-0333 or visit www.southfloridafair. com for more info.

Saturday, Aug. 16

• The Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) will host their Annual Business Expo on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center (100 Sweet Bay Lane). This year’s theme will be “Small Business Survival Guide for Tough Economic Times.” Display your business for a donation of $50. The event is free to the public. For more information, call J. Amanayea Abraham at (561) 791-1618 or Tinu Peña at (888) 609-8791. Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 7936090. E-mail: news@gotown crier.com.

CANDIDATES MEET WITH VETERANS

Candidates for U.S. Congress in District 16 spoke to members of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Palm Beach County Chapter 25, at their offices in West Palm Beach on Monday. Moderating the forum were Wellington residents and Vietnam veterans Jerry Klein and Dave Knapp. (Above left) Republican Hal Valeche (right) answers questions. (Above

PBCC Plan Staff Working

On Lease

continued from page 1 ing the use of the property and resolving the council’s concerns while seeing to the needs of the college. “We are now down to negotiating the deal points,” he said. Schofield said one of the college’s top concerns is what sort

of terms it would get on a lease of the K-Park land. “We need to know what it is that you want in that lease,” he said. “I think one of the things we need to talk about, which is important to the school, is the recommendation that the lease period be between 45 and 50 years, with an option to renew it.”

Village Attorney Jeff Kurtz noted that negotiating a lease should be a collaborative effort including the council, which had not yet reached consensus on

Water Wellington Safe From Ruling

continued from page 1 EPA to enforce the provisions of the Clean Water Act and forbade it from issuing any permits for discharges into the Everglades that violate the original terms of the phosphorus limitations.

Lynn said Wellington can rest easy knowing it complied with the original deadline.

“We decided to go ahead and be done with it,” he said. “We entered into an agreement with the state and said, ‘look, we’re going to go ahead and meet the deadlines. We want Wellington

entering that phase of discussion. “I think you may be jumping the gun,” he said. “There never has been an official consensus that you have wanted to enter into negotiations. That does not mean that anything is set in stone.”

Vice Mayor Dr. Carmine Priore said the council should settle on how far discussions with the college should extend at present, and also asked whether the church had indeed agreed to move. A trade by the church would yield some valuable

Elections Incumbent

Faces Two Challengers

continued from page 1 was instrumental in shepherding through package bills sponsored by Republicans. “I always worked hard on public policy, and I pride myself on the fact that as I leave the legislature, I not only leave with respect, but with integrity from both sides of the aisle.” Bucher, who is term-limited, said that upon leaving the 2008 legislative session, Speaker Marco Rubio revealed to House members that he had been working behind the scenes with Bucher to get her ideas, such as swimming pool safety laws, included in Republican legislation.

“I would beg that they examine my history in my legislative career, and I think they will find that I did work across the aisle,” Bucher said, “and in fact I was on the audit committee this year and I worked very closely with Rep. [Carl] Domino in examining the state investment pool.” Bucher said she wants to re-

store credibility to the Supervisor of Elections office and cites her experience in campaigns and elections for the past 12 years, and her election to the State House during what she calls the 2000 “election debacle here in Florida.”

“I have been very much involved in helping implement the federal legislation that came down in 2002 as a result of that debacle called the Help America Vote Act,” Bucher said. “I was very much involved in crafting the state laws to implement the federal legislation. Coming from Palm Beach County, I also was involved in trying to advocate for a paper trail.”

Bucher said she senses voters have a tremendous desire for accurate elections and want to feel confident that their votes will be counted — and Anderson hasn’t given them that.

“What we find is an administration that never really engaged and learned the job,” she said. “I know that the sentiments out in the public are that we need to find somebody who will go in, roll up their sleeves themselves and not have a layer of individuals that are actually operating the office. The

current supervisor is not overly involved in the operation, and I don’t believe that [he] understands the functions of the job.”

Bucher said she knows what the voters expect from the office.

“I’m a voter, I’ve been a candidate. I’ve been a campaign manager,” she said. “I have some suggestions as to administrative oversight so as not to get a result that is not accurate. It would take some very simple administrative procedures to actually count the number of signatures that came in to vote and to compare that to the vote totals you’re getting from your count.”

Besides comparing historical voting data to the vote received during an election, Bucher said a barcode on voting cartridges would help keep track of what precincts they come from and help avoid incidents such as the confusion of the recent West Palm Beach municipal election, when three cartridges did not show any votes.

“If some training had occurred that had been more appropriate,” she said, “then I’m sure the staff and supervisor would have realized their er-

to meet its deadlines and be off the hook.’ Our concern at the time was that there was a tremendous liability. If we had not met the 2006 deadline, there was liability under the law by not meeting it. There were concerns about being sued by third-party groups, like the 1,000 Friends of Florida. One of Wellington’s core values has been environmental considerations. I feel very good about what we did.”

Lynn said critics accused the village of spending too much money in resolving the water quality issues, but Wellington brought home more than $22 million in state appropriations toward cleanup, acquisition of land for filtration marshes in Section 24 and a protection from a tremendous unfunded liability for which the village would have been responsible had it not complied. The action also converted what had been the village’s adversarial relation with the SFWMD to a partnership, Lynn added.

The SFWMD, meanwhile, is studying the judge’s ruling to see what its implications are.

“We remain committed to continued improvements in water quality as part of our unprecedented efforts to restore the Everglades,” wrote SFWMD spokesman Randy Smith in a prepared statement Thursday.

“The state has constructed more than 50,000 acres of treatment wetlands, which are performing better than expected and cleaning water to as low as 12 parts per billion. We remain committed to expanding and optimizing these technologies to further

improve the quality of water flowing into the Everglades.” Lynn said Wellington did far more than any local government in the state and probably in the country in terms of an environmental project, by rerouting the flow of its canals, striking agreements with the fertilizer industry and initiating best management practices.

“I’m exceptionally proud of what we did,” he said. “Wellington was discharging its stormwater from Basin B, which is roughly everything south of Pierson Road, directly into the Everglades, and that water was very heavily laden with phosphorus. That was why we replumbed it.”

Runoff from Basin B now flows north to the C-51 Canal along Southern Blvd. and west to the SFWMD’s stormwater treatment area for filtration before it is discharged into the Everglades. “We also worked with the equestrian industry on best management practices, to which the equestrian industry stepped up to the plate,” Lynn said. “The fertilizer industry also stepped up and worked with us. It has been a real team effort for everybody.”

Lynn also praised current and past members of the Wellington Village Council for their support. “The council kept the faith and stayed with the program,” he said. “It’s one of those stories with a real happy ending, at least for Wellington. Of course, Everglades cleanup is not finished, but for Wellington and the taxpayers of Wellington, it’s had a happy ending.”

‘It’s one of those stories with a real happy ending, at least for Wellington.’

— Charlie Lynn

property to the village, he said, but the council should have a seat in any discussions between the church and the college.

Schofield confirmed that a meeting between village and church representatives has been scheduled. He also recalled that the council had directed him at its last meeting to prepare a draft use agreement covering items such as specific recreational facilities, liability transfer, funding and joint planning meetings. Margolis said he too had weighed the pros and cons of the campus proposal and warned that there were still too many unresolved issues for the council to be making any commitments so early, and that he had received a good number of emails from residents urging the village to wait and put the decision to a public referendum. He also noted that land-use attorneys advised him that a council decision on the land should require a supermajority vote and that other parties had also expressed interest in the property.

Margolis said he wanted to see a business plan from the college to get a better feel for what they would do, offering some hard numbers before making any commitment. He further questioned the amount of return to the village for its contribution, when the campus would be serving students from the western communities in general. Margolis added that he had spoken to PBCC President Dr. Dennis Gallon on the topic, and while the proposal is impressive, the council has not thoroughly explored all options.

“I’ve talked to Dr. Gallon. It

ror before they let it out to public.”

Bucher also advocates putting the voting machines to use in student government, homeowner and condo association elections so voters can become familiar with their use and more confident in election outcomes.

“It shouldn’t be a fire drill every time we have an election,” she said. “I think it’s very important to utilize that office and its resources in an appropriate manner to make sure that you’re providing voter education and confidence in using these new machines. In-

sounds like a good proposal. I asked if they needed all the property,” he said. “There could have been room for negotiations or discussions. I have a hard time giving it away. I would like to see if we could sell a part of it.”

Willhite said he has spoken with Mall at Wellington Green officials, who do not support the campus proposal because they are worried about the impact of students loitering in the mall and a possible increase in crime, he said.

“Most of them have a good head on their shoulders,” Willhite said. “That doesn’t mean that other kids don’t see it as an opportunity to cause crime.” Willhite also voiced concerns about separate negotiations between the church and the college, and said an even larger question regards funding for construction of the campus.

State legislators have raised the same issue, he said.

“All the people they’ve talked to, I’ve talked to,” Willhite said. “They are all saying the same thing. I don’t know where they will come up with the money.”

Bowen took issue with the idea that the K-Park land represents an investment. “This land was bought for public uses,” he said. “Now we are saying it was bought for investment purposes. If we sell it, we will have another strip center there. I’ve always thought that land was for public use. I’m opposed to converting the land from public use to commercial use and selling it.”

Toward the end of the workshop, Priore once again reiter-

stead, what we’re finding is that the current administration is using a lot of resources, tax dollars, on self-promotion.”

Bucher said the lack of confidence in the new machines is revealed in more than 31,000 absentee registrations sitting at the elections office. “That shows me that in a low voter turnout cycle, we’re seeing a lot of difficulty with the voters wanting to go in and actually use the machines,” she said. “They’d rather use their absentee ballot, and even the administration has said at a very large meeting that this is an untested system, and he rec-

ated the need to hammer out the details of the plan and reach a consensus before going forward.

“If there is no support, we are wasting our time and a lot of people’s energy,” he said. “Fundamentally, we all have a basis on what we would like to see happen. We have to ask ourselves a question: do we want to add PBCC to the Village of Wellington by offering some agreement for the piece of property? If we are not in accord, and we don’t have a majority vote, if we don’t have that established right off the bat, I don’t want to see us writing proposals and documents.”

Blotter

continued from page 6 PBSO substation in Wellington last Sunday regarding a burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim left town at approximately 2 p.m. last Friday. Twenty-five minutes later, the PBSO responded to the home after an alarm was triggered. Upon arrival, the deputy found that the home was secure. At 3:14 p.m., the victim received a call from the alarm company that the intrusion alarm went off. Thinking it was a false alarm, the victim cancelled the call to the PBSO. According to the report, when the victim returned home Sunday afternoon, he found the residence to be secure but discovered that his safe had been pried open and an $8,000 Rolex watch had been stolen. Three latent prints were recovered. There were no witnesses at the time of the report.

ommended that we use absentee ballots.”

A member of the Palm Beach County School Board from 1986 to 1994, Anderson was elected Supervisor of Elections in 2004. He unseated longtime supervisor Theresa LePore, who was widely criticized for her role in the disputed 2000 U.S. presidential election. Anderson did not respond to several requests for an interview this week. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote on Aug. 26, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election ballot.

Bob MargolisSusan BucherDr. Arthur Anderson

Costs Versus Benefits — Mayor Darell Bowen explains how a cost-benefit analysis supports having a Palm Beach Community College campus in Wellington. PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Congressman Ron Klein (D-District 22) held an opening celebration Saturday, July 26 for his new campaign office in downtown West Palm Beach. Among the many supporters in attendance were local officials, including County Commissioner Jess Santamaria and Tax Collector Anne Gannon. (Above left) Klein addresses supporters. (Above right) Klein with Santamaria. PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

right) Democrat Tim Mahoney, the incumbent. (Left) Republican hopeful State Rep. Gayle Harrell. PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

SHOPPERS FIND PLENTY OF BARGAINS AT ANNUAL GIGANTIC GARAGE SALE

The 18th Annual Gigantic Garage Sale was held Saturday, July 26 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Scores of local vendors and shoppers were on hand for the event. The sale was sponsored by the United Way and served as a fundraiser for many non-profit organizations. For more on the Gigantic Garage Sale, see Deborah Welky’s column on page 24.

The Foremans of The Acreage with some of the items they purchased.

Deborah Welky and her finds.

Members of Boy Scout Troop 111 of Royal Palm Beach.

Members of the cancer support group Your Bosom Buddies II.

Bryan and Jessica Marsh.

Mark Harmon of the Lord’s Place.

April Piccirillo (center) with shoppers Mary DeFrancesco (right) and Mary’s cousin Gloria.

Sharon Green, Matt Green and Tovah Grossman of Unity for Kids.

Molly and Megan Leitherman make a friend.

Palms West Alliance Church Hosts Vacation Bible School

By Candace Marchsteiner

Town-Crier Staff Report

More than 50 rambunctious, elementary school-aged children sang and shouted as Palms West Alliance Church in Loxahatchee Groves started its weeklong Vacation Bible School on July 28.

Transformed into a science lab with foil robots, fluorescent beakers and smiling VBS volunteers in white lab coats, the worship center bustled with enthusiasm for this year’s theme: “Power Lab.”

Through games, activities, music and drama, kids learn that Jesus gives them the power to be thankful, to help others, to be brave, to live forever and to tell others about God, said VBS coordinator Sherry Barker. On stage, “Mr. Chris,” the Power Lab “scientist,” conducted a dry ice experiment. To the delight of screaming, giggling kids, it bubbled over.

“I liked the dry ice because it exploded. It’s cool,” nine-yearold Jacob Oesch said. “We’re supposed to bubble over with thankfulness.”

Barker noted that the kids enjoy the hands-on approach to learning. “On Tuesday we’re teaching them about the story where Jesus heals the blind by placing spit and mud on their eyes,” she said. “We’re going to blindfold the kids and use cold oatmeal. They’ll think it’s disgusting, so that should be fun.”

Other special events include an offering on Thursday for Plattsburgh, New York pastor Rev. Bruce Overstreet, who is biking across the country to raise money for a women’s and children’s hospital in Mali, West Africa. On Sunday, Aug. 3, Pastor Randy Clarke invites all of the campers to sing songs from the week during the regular service.

Palms West Alliance Church is located at 16401 Southern Blvd. It offers Sunday school classes for all ages from 10 to 10:45 a.m. and a worship service from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. every Sunday. For more information, visit www.palmswest. org or call (561) 791-0524. For more information on the Mali hospital fundraiser, visit www.bike4mali.org.

Summer dining is the best time of the year! We love summer in the Palm Beaches — no crowds, less traffic and fantastic meal deals! The law of supply and demand rules the South Florida dining scene as most upscale restaurants on the island and throughout the county lower their prices drastically while maintaining their quality to lure the locals to their establishments. Here are a few examples of what some of our favorite restaurants have to offer this summer season:

• Amici, 375 South County Road, Palm Beach, (561) 8320201: three-course dinners for $29 all night long Sunday through Thursday and 4:30 to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Aqua Marine Grill, 11330 Legacy Ave., Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 775-6277: daily allnight-long complete dinners, $19.95.

• Brasserie L’Escalier at the Breakers Hotel, 1 South County Road, Palm Beach, (561) 659-8480: three-course dinner, $50, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.

• Bice, 313 Worth Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 835-1600: threecourse prix-fixe menu, lunch $24, dinner with a glass of wine $34, Sunday through Thursday.

• Bizaare Ave. Café, 921 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, (561) 588-4488: special summer prix-fixe three-course dinners including a glass of wine for $19.95 daily.

• Bova (our favorite), 1450 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, (561) 362-7407: threecourse dinner Sunday through Wednesday, $25.

• Café Boulud at the Brazilian Court Hotel, 301 Australian Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 6556060: monthly gourmet dinners with top-shelf wine pairing from Spain, Italy and France, only $75.

• Café Sapori, 205 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach, (561) 805-7313: daily special three-course dinner with coffee or tea, only $25.

The Phantoms Review

The Top Summer Meal Deals At Palm Beach County Restaurants

• Centanni, 10107 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, (561) 792-7677: daily early-bird summer special, $11.95 to $15.95, before 5 p.m.

• City Cellar, City Place, West Palm Beach, (561) 3660071: The Supper Club 5 to 6:30 p.m. daily, appetizer, entrée and beverage, $21.95, add a glass of wine for $3.

• COCO, 290 Sunset Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 832-3734: 20-percent off the entire daily, lunch, dinner and cocktails (coupons are available at www.coco palmbeach.com).

• Echo, 230-A Sunrise Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 802-4222: three-course Asian Special Summer Menu $30, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

• 88 Keys, 9920 Alternate A1A, Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 627-1305: dinner, show and cocktails for two $35, 8 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Il Bellagio, City Place, 600 Rosemary Ave., West Palm Beach, (561) 659-6160: buy one, get one free daily up to $17.95 savings per table (need coupon).

• Ironwood Grill at the PGA National Resort Hotel, 400 Avenue of the Champions, Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 6274852: three-course dinner for $30, 5 to 7 p.m. daily.

• Le Mistral, 12189 U.S. 1, North Palm Beach (561) 6223009: three-course dinner, 5-6 p.m., $29 daily.

• Michael McCarthy’s, 50 Coconut Rd., Palm Beach, (561) 659-1899: two-course Summer of Grapes Dinner with unlimited wine $29.95 daily.

• Nicole’s Village Tavern, 12300 South Shore Blvd., Wellington, (561) 793-3456: daily all-night $15.95 complete summer special with ten selections.

• Noche, 2401 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 472-7900: everything on all menus — cocktails, wine (glass or bottle, including Dom Perignon), appetizers, entrees and desserts, 50-percent off, 5 to 7 p.m. daily.

• Panama Hatties, PGA &

Intracostal Waterway, Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 6271545: complete sunset dinners, 4:30 to 5:45 p.m., $8.95 to $14.95 daily.

• The Players Club, 13410 South Shore Blvd., Wellington (561) 795-0080: prime rib $19 or quarter-pound lobster $21, Friday and Saturday nights.

• Prime 707, 707 Lake Ave., Lake Worth, (561) 533-0000: special summer prix-fixe threecourse dinners, $19.95 daily.

• Rosa Mexicano, Downtown at the Gardens, 11701 Lake Victoria Ave., Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 6253120: complete dinners 5 to 6:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, $17.99.

• Ruth’s Chris Steak House, CityPlace, 651 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach, (561) 514-3544: Summer Celebration featuring two three-course dinners, $89 daily.

• Spoto’s Oyster Bar, PGA Commons, 4560 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 776-9448: sunset menu threecourse diners $17.95, 5 to 6 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.

• Taboo, 221 Worth Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 835-3500: 15- to 25-percent discount coupons are available at www. taboorestaurant.com.

• Testa’s, 221 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach, (561) 832-0992: all-night special… buy one, get one free Monday through Thursday.

• 264 The Grill, 264 South County Road, Palm Beach, (561) 833-6444: daily early summer diners $19.95 choice of 16 entrees…’til 7 p.m.

• The Waterway Café, 2300 PGA Blvd., on the Intracoastal in Palm Beach Gardens, (561) 694-1700: daily twilight special, three courses and beverage $11.95 to $14.95, 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Joe & Kathryn, the Phantoms, are featured writers for the Town-Crier newspaper. Comments are welcome at thephantomdiners@aol.com.

PHOTOS BY CANDACE MARCHSTEINER/TOWN-CRIER

William Herring (volunteering as a “healed leper”) with brothers Andrew and Matthew Smith.

Jacob and Olivia Oesch.

Chris Ryan encourages the dry ice to bubble over.

Kate Barker, Allison Smith and Savannah Reynolds.

Annual Gigantic Garage Sale Is Almost Like Christmas In July

It’s not quite Christmas morning, but it’s close. To me, last weekend’s Gigantic Garage Sale at the South Florida Fairgrounds ranks right up there with My Favorite Holidays. The United Way puts the sale together, aiming to gather non-profit organizations under one roof so they can benefit from shared publicity and attendees — and air conditioning.

We who arrive at 6 a.m. for the 8 a.m. opening especially love the former drill sergeant whose job is to keep order before the sale starts. In previous years, little old ladies shuffled ahead, heads down as they cut in line. There’s none of that now. Not with the sergeant in charge.

This year they added kettle corn and lemonade sales out front, but these concessions didn’t get cranking until about 7:45 a.m. By 7:45, we veterans aren’t budging from our places in line, and

Deborah Welky is The Sonic BOOMER

we certainly don’t want to be toting popcorn. From 6 to 7:45, though, they would’ve made a killing. Once the expo center doors swing open, we scavengers pour in and fan out like locusts. Some of us are looking for electronics; some for clothes; some for things to keep the kids occupied. Me? I’m looking for the old, the battered, the distressed — one more chipped tea-

cup yearning to breathe free. I am never disappointed.

My modus operandi is to start out in the side room, hoping to avoid the crush of the crowd in the main room as long as possible. Still, by 9 o’clock both rooms are teeming with people, so I work fast. Often sellers will want to talk to me about their items or — worse yet — the weather. They will want to extricate a sheaf of newspapers from underneath a table and lovingly wrap my purchases. They will want to finger the bills I’ve given them and then oh-so-carefully count out my change. The heck with that.

While they’re rummaging under the table, I’ve already pulled out a sheet of tissue paper from the stack I’ve brought, wrapped the item, counted out the exact change and deposited my purchases safely in the bottom of my cart. I’m gone by the time

they turn around. Altogether, I made five trips to my car. I was in heaven. It wasn’t until I got home that I had a chance to really look at some of the stuff I bought. That china statuette was in much worse shape than I thought — one of the horses is missing his entire face. I don’t know enough about my set of cricket bats to be sure all the pegs are there. And the feather plume is missing from my matador decanter. Still, little anomalies like that are to be expected. One has to focus on the positive. My best score of the day was a miniature jointed wooden model like artists use to help them draw the bends of a body right. The one I found was an alien — big oval head, slanty eyes, weird fingers. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s things like that that make us scavengers feel better about our addiction. Besides, as last Saturday proved, we are not alone.

Don’t Expect A Golden-Age Hollywood Musical In ‘Mamma Mia!’

Mamma Mia! is a good example of why live musicals often just are not nearly as good when they hit the world of movie life. After all, the hit show has been running in London since the turn of the century, and its Broadway and touring incarnations almost as long. It has the music of ABBA, the Swedish hit machine of the 1970s, which means most of the audience walks into the theater actually able to sing the score. Yet the movie essentially fails while the show remains a huge hit. The music is pretty much the same in the movie as the show. The cast is certainly better known. And the scenery of Greece, where the story takes place, is lovely. But the film just did not translate well. Many musicals are not able to make the transition, a recent example being The Producers. But a show is a show, and to be a movie it has to be translated into a movielike script. Hairspray did that as cameras followed the cast around through streets, homes and TV studios. This movie does not.

By Leonard Wechsler

The story is essentially nonsense: Donna (Meryl Streep) had a daughter 20 years earlier and is not certain which of three men is the father, and as a result has not told her anything. The daughter, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), is getting married and, having read her mother’s diary, invites all three men. After a lot of nonsensical dialogue and pretty good songs, there is a happy ending. Do not go to this movie for the quality of the story. That does not mean Mamma Mia! was an unpleasant experience. Meryl Streep, who plays Donna, has never given a bad performance in her life. And she sings pretty well, too. Unfortunate-

ly, several other cast members were not in her league. Pierce Brosnan as one of the father candidates has a singing voice that rivals mine in quality. In other words, it should never raise itself in song outside a shower. The other adults were generally in the “can sort of carry a tune” category. I actually missed the old days when singing voices were dubbed in.

Even worse, what comes to life under the artificial lights of the stage can seem ridiculous in the “real world” of cinema. Watching Streep roll around and hop from one point to another during the title song was almost painful. In the show the character sort of just stands and looks stricken as the men walk back into her life, while the whole cast sings along. It was fun. In the movie, it looked like she might be having a fit.

Although occasionally focusing on the landscape of the island that is the setting for the story, the film’s director Phyllida Lloyd keeps the action almost as restricted as a stage show. There were three or four songs in a row on the patio of

I Gave Once, And New Requests Came Out Of

A couple of months ago my wife Sharon and I decided to make a large (for us) donation to a very famous cancer charity up north. We did this to honor my wife’s mother Bea, who died last year from this terrible disease. We are hoping our gift will help find the cure for this disease. I don’t want my grandchildren to go through what my mother-in-law went through.

By Ernie Zimmerman

About three weeks ago we got a very nice letter from this well-established organization thanking us for the gift. The letter was personal and well written. It almost brought tears to my eyes. However there were one or two slight problems, at least problems in my view — they sure weren’t problems in the mind of this charity. Included in the same envelope with the charming thank-you letter were two others asking for more donations. They also included two return postage paid envelopes to help us speed along our next donation. I thought this was a very tacky thing for this charity to do. Of course in their eyes, it was business as usual. The next thing we noticed was that our phone started to ring every day with calls from charities around the country asking for our hard-earned money. I am on the do-not-call list so I haven’t been bothered with these types of calls for a long time, but guess what I was told: that charities are exempt from the list. And call they do. I am now getting at least three calls a night. I suspect that all of these calls are coming because of our cancer donation.

Yesterday I got a call from the cancer charity itself. It seems they have a local person working here who called to thank me for my gift, but then added she wanted to come to my house to meet my wife and myself. I told her thanks, but no thanks. I am sure I will hear from her again. And our mailbox is now full of letters from charities. Regular readers of this column know I love to receive junk mail. But the amount I am getting now borders on the outrageous. I am getting between 10 and 20 pieces of mail a day from various charities around the world, and I trace the increase back to that donation. I don’t know if it is true or not, but I suspect that charities may share their donor lists.

Of course, being the junk-mail freak I am, I have turned this entire situation into a positive. I still believe I get gold in my mailbox. If I live to be a thousand years old, I will never be able to use all the return address labels that have flooded my mailbox. I now have more writing pads than I

The Woodwork

will ever need. Too bad no one writes on paper anymore.

One charity has sent me a couple of angel key chains. They are beautiful. Others have sent me dimes and nickels along with their pitches. One even sent me a penny along with a note that said if I keep the penny I would never go broke. So thanks to this well-known charity, I will never go broke.

I now am the proud owner of at least 20 calendars for 2008. I can’t throw them away because they are all beautiful. Calendars are now hanging all over my house. This year I always know the right date. I also have tons of stickers to put on envelopes. No one gets a letter or payment from me without at least three stickers on the envelope. Of course I think the nicest stickers are the American flag. I have lots of them. I must end this column now, because I see my mail carrier in front of my house with another load of goodies for me.

• ABSOLUTE DANCE OF WELLINGTON —When prices everywhere are rising daily, isn’t it refreshing to know that a business is committed to keeping their prices down? Absolute Dance is freezing their monthly tuition for yet another year so young children can keep dancing. It is our goal to ensure that every child has a positive experience, whether it is a two-year-old taking their first Mommy & Me class or an 18-year-old dancer wishing to perform with the Miami City Ballet. Experienced teachers, observation cameras in both studios, yearly themed recital (this year is Peter Pan), and all at a price you can afford! For more info., call (561) 798-1388 or visit www.absolutedanceof wellington.com.

• BOOMER’S MUSIC — The recording studio at Boomer’s Music is nearly complete. Summer workshops are available for beginners to intermediate students. Co-owner Jeanie O’Neill has taken over as drum instructor and revised the lesson program. Boomer’s instructors give their all to students and are able to bring out the best in them. For more information, call (561) 6561259.

• GLADES DAY SCHOOL — Founded in 1965, Glades Day School offers a balance of academic, athletic and extracurricular programs. Serving students from kindergarten through grade 12, Glades Day provides the opportunity for students to develop to their fullest potential. Accelerated math and science programs

are offered to advanced students, and all students are offered a full range of programs from computer technology and foreign language to the performing arts. Registration for the new school year is on-going and financial aid is available to those who qualify. Glades Day School is located at 400 Gator Blvd., Belle Glade. For more information, call (561) 996-6769 or visit www.glades dayschool.com.

• LEARNING FOUNDATION OF FLORIDA PRIVATE SCHOOL

— The Learning Foundation is a private school, including elementary, middle and high school. We pride ourselves on the personal commitment and attention offered to every child. Students’ individual educational needs are first — “One to One Can Make The Difference!” McKay scholarship are accepted. Grade forgiveness and/or acceleration is available for grades nine through 12. Private tutoring available K-12 all subjects including, math, science, history, English, language, arts and Spanish. The school specializes in exceptional student education and advocacy assistance is also available. For more information, call director Debra Thornby at (561) 795-6886.

• PALM BEACH DAY ACADEMY — Palm Beach Day Academy creates confident learners. Serving Palm Beach County’s primary through ninth grade students, Palm Beach Day Academy has found the right balance of challenging academics and individual support, the right balance of personal achievement and social awareness, and the right balance of disciplined structure and boundless creativity. For more information, call (561) 832-8815 or visit www.palmbeachdayacademy.org.

SACRED HEART SCHOOL — NCEA-FL Catholic Conferenceaccredited, Sacred Heart School has an established history of excellence in education. We offer a low student-to-teacher ratio, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, before and aftercare, and bus transportation. Preparing your child for life... with love! Call (561) 582-2242, ext. 150 for a personal tour, or visit www.sacred heartschoollakeworthfl.com.

• TEMPLE BETH TORAH LEONIE ARGUETTY PRE-SCHOOL

— Temple Beth Torah’s pre-school is committed to providing a nurturing and positive educational experience for children ages two to five, while developing an appreciation and respect for Judaism. Our curriculum is designed to foster children’s natural curiosity while encouraging their social-emotional, cognitive and physical development. Call (561) 793-2649 for more information.

• TEMPLE BETH ZION RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND PRESCHOOL — At Temple Beth Zion’s pre-school, children of all faiths learn and play together. “My First Jewish Experience” is a fun Montessori-style experience for children ages 5 & 6, including vocabulary games, art, musical activities, Jewish holidays, prayers and customs. “More Jewish Experiences” (ages 6 & 7) is a continuation of the program, learning to read and write in Hebrew. For more information, call (561) 798-8888 or visit www. templebethzion.net. The temple is located at 129 Sparrow Drive in Royal Palm Beach.

• WELLINGTON BRANCH OF THE JCC OF THE GREATER PALM BEACHES — Just a few openings remain at the JCC Wellington Branch Camp Rising Stars for fledgling performers ages 7-12. Campers will experience singing, dancing, acting and a grand finale performance. Activities for fall include Mommy & Me programs and after-school enrichment for students in preschool through fifth grade. Call (561)-253-6030 for more info.

• WELLINGTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL — Wellington Christian School has been serving the western communities since 1981, offering a Christ-centered education for pre-K through 12th grades. Accredited by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and CSF (Christian Schools of Florida), WCS offers a competitive athletic schedule, diverse fine arts program, and extra-curricular activities. For more info., call (561) 793-1017 or visit www.wellingtonchristian.org.

CONTENTS PREPARED BY THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT

TOWN-CRIER SPORTS & RECREATION

Registration Now Underway For Wellington Volleyball Camp

By Candace Marchsteiner Town-Crier Staff Report

The Village of Wellington held its first volleyball camp July 25-26 at Village Park.

Twenty-five boys and girls ranging from 10 to 18 years old participated in the academy, which was coached by Kelly Barlow, assisted by her husband Thomas. For six hours, players learned to bump, set and spike, and develop teamwork and confidence. “Communication really improved over the two days,” Kelly said. “Volleyball is definitely a team sport; they need to talk with and rely on each other to get the ball over.”

Kelly, who attended Miami Dade College on a volleyball scholarship, focused on skills with fun drills like “target practice” in which players serve the ball, aiming at a fellow player on the other side. “If we make it fun for

them, they’ll always come back,” said Thomas, a sports enthusiast and avid supporter of his wife’s work.

Athletic Programs Coordinator Jill Denoff took over the program two years ago. “We’ve had many sports academies here during the summer for years,” she noted. “I said, ‘let’s get something going for volleyball!’”

The purpose of summer sports academies, Denoff said, is to acquaint interested kids with the fundamentals of a sport in the hope that they’ll pursue league play.

The camp ended with scrimmages, and most players left with the purpose fulfilled. “My family just moved here,” 11-year-old Olivia Fallon said. “In Chicago, I couldn’t serve the ball overhand and get it over the net. Coach Kelly taught me how to use the base of my hand instead of my wrist, and now I can do it!”

League veterans Karra Miner and Andrea Erickson, both 15, agreed that the academy was beneficial. “When I played in the league [last year], I bumped and set the way I thought I should,” Erickson said. “Here, I learned the actual technique and the right way to do it.”

Miner was equally satisfied. “I learned better skills,” she said. “Maybe it’ll help us make the Wellington High School team. We’re going to try.”

Registration for the village’s fall coed volleyball league runs until Aug. 19 with evaluations for team placement on Aug. 20 and 21. Practices and games fall on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays until the season playoffs on Oct. 12. Interested players can register at Village Park on Pierson Road or online at www.ci.wellington.fl.us. For more information, call (561) 791-4005.

WELLINGTON WAVE SOCCER CLUB HOSTS SUMMER SOCCER SHOOTOUT AT IPC

The Wellington Wave Soccer Club, along with Zoete Soccer International, hosted a three-on-three Summer Soccer Shootout Tournament on Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. The Wave would like to thank the polo club staff for use of their facilities. The first-place teams are as follows: 8-U boys division, the Florida Fusion; 9-10 boys division, the Gladiators of Wellington Wave (Flight A) and the Wellington U-10 white team (Flight B); U-11 boys division, the Wellington Vipers; U-12-13 boys division, Wellington yellow team (Flight A) and the Wellington Wave U-13 white team (Flight B); U-15-16 boys division, the Boynton Beach Knights; U-9-10 girls division, the Nomads; U-1112 girls division, the Nomads (Flight A) and Sunrise Soccer (Flight B); U13-14 girls division, Tropical Soccer; and U-16-17 girls division, Wellington Wave/Brewer. For more information about the Wellington Soccer Club, visit www.wellingtonsoccer.com or call (561) 252-1467.

Horses And Hurricanes: Plan Now For An Emergency Situation

South Florida residents are now familiar with the drill: when the weather radar starts showing those growing swirls out in the ocean and flashlight batteries, plywood panels and manual can openers become important, we clear the yard (flying debris!), stockpile nonperishable food and batten down the hatches. If you have pets, you bring them in. But what do you do if you own horses and a hurricane’s approaching?

Loxahatchee horse owners Mark Perry of Perry Excavating and his wife, local veterinarian Dr. Eileen Gesoff, have seen it all. Being ready well in advance of any storm is always the best plan. Here’s what they recommend: Perry, who has more than 25 years of experience building barns and preparing arena footings, said first and foremost you should take a critical look at your pasture, especially those dead and dying pine trees. The stress of recent hurricanes, drought and pine beetle infestations means many slash pines are barely alive, and falling trees can kill horses, flatten fences and destroy buildings. Potentially dangerous trees or tree limbs should be cut down and put out for removal as soon as possible — but not when a hurricane is approaching.

Next, Perry advised, evaluate your barn. Enclosed barns, whether made of wood or concrete block, are safer than open barns or sheds. Even though horses usually can weather the winds fairly well, especially if they lie down, flying debris can be deadly. Also, even an enclosed barn can be deadly if it’s not built to code with proper roof ties.

“I’d rather see a horse left out in a pasture, free to move, than have him trapped in an unstable structure,” Perry said. “I actually had to bury someone’s horse a few years back. They’d left it in a pole barn, and the roof collapsed.”

Tales From The Trails

By Ellen Rosenberg

If your pasture is heavily wooded and your barn unreliable, Perry advised making plans to take your horse to a safer barn in the area. This may also involve arranging transport, if you don’t own your own trailer. “And don’t wait until the last minute to suddenly try loading a horse that may not have been in a trailer for years,” he said. “Can you imagine trying to load a frightened horse into a trailer when a hurricane’s approaching? That’s just way too much stress all around.”

Horses can actually do well in a storm if they’re pastured in a large, open field. As long as they’re not tied and can freely move around, they’ll just put their rumps to the wind and weather the storm that way. If all else fails, Perry said he’s known people to bring their horses into their garages for the duration of the storm. After all, he points out, you can always park your car outside.

Brandy Rivas runs a boarding barn at Sunshine Meadows Equestrian Village in Delray Beach. The concrete-block barn is built to post-Andrew code, capable of withstanding winds of category 3 or 4. She currently has ten stalls open for hurricane relocations. People can opt for full board and have Rivas care for the horses, or just rent the stalls and do all the feeding and mucking out themselves.

“I always advise people to make arrangements early,” Rivas said. “You can put down a nonrefundable deposit, which guarantees you a stall for that season.”

Perry also suggested raising the low parts of your pasture by bringing in fill or sand. After a storm, horses can suffer rotted hooves and abscesses from standing in flooded pastures. Deep standing water also conceals metal objects and tree limbs that can cause cuts or lacerations. Horses need high and dry ground to avoid potentially dangerous and unhealthy conditions.

Gesoff reminds horse people to have a lot of water on hand. Many horse owners rely on a well for water, and when the power goes, so does the well. Filling garbage cans and water troughs is imperative. It’s also a good idea, if you have a generator, to make sure you can run your pump off that generator. You can live without AC, but your horses need water.

Horses should also be up to date on all vaccinations, especially if you’re planning to board at another barn during the storm. Horses get stressed just like the rest of us, especially when their routines are interrupted, and stress weakens the immune system. Horses also need a current Coggins test, certifying that they are free of sleeping sickness.

Your horse’s first-aid kit should include antibiotic ointment, bandages, Banamine (for colic), bute (which is like horse aspirin), and possibly a tranquilizer or a calming herbal supplement. Have extra halters and lead ropes on hand, as well as a roll of plastic fencing for quick fence repairs. Naturally, you also want to lay in supplies of feed and hay, and make sure they’re fully protected and won’t get wet.

“I wouldn’t leave a fly mask on a horse or a halter, unless it’s a break-away one,” Gesoff said.

“The danger is too great of a horse getting his head caught in fencing or debris.” Horses can have metal ID tags braided into their manes. Some people get creative and spray their phone number on the horse’s rump, or paint it on hoofs using nail polish. Cuff bands that can be wrapped around a leg just above the hoof can be inscribed with a phone number and other information. Keep copies of all medical records, along with identifying pictures, in a waterproof bag. Double-check your property for any unsecured items such as buckets, wheelbarrows and mounting blocks, and also look over your neighbor’s yard for things that might get blown into yours. Park your horse trailer where it’s less likely to get crushed by a falling tree limb. After a storm, walk your pasture before allowing horses back out. Check for downed fences, dangerous debris, especially metal or nails, and downed power lines. “The worst thing you can do is wait for the last minute,” Gesoff said. “Planning ahead will make things much easier and safer for you and your horse.”

Wellington Coach Eddie Caro with the Bouldogs.The Wellington 12-U boys team.Some of the referees gather for a group photo.

Members of the Wellington-based team Happy Feet.

Wellington Soccer Club Director of Coaching Patrick Zoete.

PHOTOS BY CANDACE MARCHSTEINER/TOWN-CRIER

Academy coach Kelly Barlow shows players the fundamentals.

Olivia Fallon successfully bumps an incoming ball.

Kelly Barlow shows players “the tomahawk,” a technique for quickly managing a ball underhand or overhand.

Players in ready position await the serve.

WHS Football Players Sign With Colleges

Wellington High School football coach Chris Romano and Principal Mario Crocetti were on hand in the principal’s conference room on Tuesday, July 29 to celebrate the college signing of three Wolverine football players. Chad Endres signed to play with Jacksonville University; Greg Nowak signed with Assumption College in Worcester, Mass.; and Bobby Zajicek signed with Avila University in Kansas City, Mo. Endres played many positions during his high school career. He is uncertain as to what position he will take as a JU Dolphin. The school’s 12year-old football program is under the leadership of head coach Kerwin Bell, a University of Florida alum and 1984’s Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

Odum’s Wins Softball Playoff

Odum’s Inc. defeated the Slammers 14-8 in the finals of the Acreage Athletic League’s coeducational team playoff on Wednesday, July 23 at Acreage Community Park.

Odum’s players include Larry Reeve, Earnie Damplier, Dink Hall, Kim Hall, Tracy Smiley, Eric Bock, Cynthia Baker, Bob Geis, Mickey Geis, Jay Martin, Megan Snyder, Gina Minuto, Noelle Pilowsky, Erin Olind, Randy Knowles and Pat McCarthy. The team is managed by Doug Bock. For more information about coeducational softball and other Acreage Athletic League sports, call (561) 795-5908.

News From The Palm Beach Zoo

Where can you go to soar on an eagle’s back or ride a magnificent sea dragon? The Palm Beach Zoo, of course! During the month of August, parents are able to bring their kids to the zoo for free for unlimited rides on the carousel.

The “Wings Over Water” (WOW) bird show takes place at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekends. The interactive show features more than 20 trained birds from around the world and gives visitors the chance to get up close and personal with these majestic creatures. The “Wild Things Show”

Nowak was recruited by Assumption to serve as the Greyhounds’ punter. The Catholic college is a member of the Northeast 10 Conference.

Zajicek overcame a back injury during his senior year to play both offense and defense. He has signed on to play as a fullback for the Avila Eagles.

All three players will leave in mid-August to take to their prospective fields.

takes place weekdays at 1 p.m., and at noon and 4 p.m. on weekends. The show gives guests the chance to meet some of the zoo’s most charismatic creatures such as Scooter, the South Asian binturong, or Mic and Syndney, a pair of New Guinea singing dogs. The Palm Beach Zoo is a nonprofit zoological organization housing over 1,500 animals within 23 acres of lush tropical habitat. The zoo is located at 1301 Summit Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Regular admission is $12.95 for adults, $9.95 for seniors (60 and up), $8.95 (ages three to 12), and free for children under three and zoo members. For more information, visit www.palm beachzoo.org.

Katherine Newman Wins In Michigan

After earning triple tricolors the first week of the Horse Shows by the Bay show series in Traverse City, Mich., Katherine Newman’s winning momentum carried into the second week of competition as well. The 17-year-old Wellington rider competed in the older junior hunter divisions at Horse Shows by the Bay II, which took place July 23-27. She trains with her parents Kathy and Gerry at their hunter/jumper show stable Allwyn Court. In the Small Junior 16-17 Hunters, the young rider showcased Pirate for owner Shaw Johnson Price. The duo, who earned the reserve championship during the first week of Horse Shows by the Bay, secured the championship ribbon after they won two firsts, a second, and two fifth-place ribbons. Newman also rode Lifetime Guarantee in the older small juniors for Lisa McKee-Cole. The pair came home with a first,

three seconds, and a fourthplace ribbon, which sealed the reserve championship award. Newman added another tricolor ribbon to Allwyn Court’s tack room curtain when she piloted All the Answers for top honors in the Large Junior 1617 Hunter division. Owned by

PALM BEACH WICKED NATIONAL CHAMPS

The Palm Beach Wicked Pride 12-A softball team recently played in the FAST Sports National Tournament held in Ocoee, Fla., July 13-19. The tournament invited the top teams nationwide to compete. Led by dominating pitching, outstanding offense and impenetrable defense, the Wicked Pride overcame the grueling schedule and intense competition to go on to defeat the Yellowjackets from New Jersey twice in the championship finale. With this win, the Wicked Pride earn the title of “national champions” to add to their USSSA Elite Champion Title. The Wicked are the first girls fast-pitch 12-U softball team from the area to earn a national title. For more info., visit www.pbwickedfastpitch.com. Pictured above are players Maddie Hir, Celine Besman, Sara Vasquez, Rissy Mangini, Sarah Good, Michele May, Kristen Garceau, Haily Stroempl, Jenni Gianantonio, Michaela Sihler, Jillian Lilly and Kami Oberg, and coaches Dave Hir, Matt Besman, Mike Good, Dave May and Bill Kimble.

College Football — (L-R, seated) Wellington High School graduates Chad Endres, Greg Nowak and Bobby Zajicke sign letters of intent with their respective colleges while (standing) Coach Chris Romano, Pat Endres, Heidi Nowak, Robert Zajicek and Principal Mario Crocetti look on.

Sherri Crawford, All the Answers captured three first-place finishes and a second-place finish, which resulted in the division championship for the second week in a row. Newman was slated to compete

PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

J&D Air Duct Cleaning: Quality Maintenance Means Fewer Visits

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

J&D Air Duct Cleaning uses state-of-the-art equipment to thoroughly and safely clean and sanitize residential and industrial air conditioning ducts.

Acreage resident Johnny Perez trained others on how to use the Rotobrush air duct cleaning system, which vacuums as it gently cleans out air ducts, for two years before establishing his own business six months ago. Perez said the visual element of the Rotobrush approach helps make the system more effective.

“As it goes in, it brushes out the debris and sucks it out with the vacuum,” Perez said. “We also have a video camera that can go into the ducts and see the debris and find out if there is anything wrong with the duct; if it is cut open or has mold. Normally, a duct cleaner just sticks a brush in there and vacuums it out, but they don’t know if they’ve fixed it. There’s no way unless you put a camera in there to see what they have inside.”

The company also uses equipment for detecting small leaks that can reduce efficiency, and

a fogger to kill residual mold, bacteria or dust mites that might have escaped the Rotobrush. Perez said the air ducts will be just about like new when his firm is done with the work.

Perez invites customers to look at before-and-after photos to see the difference. “The customer can sit there and watch how the ducts are being cleaned,” he said. “It’s really cool.”

Perez’s web site, www.palm beachairductcleaning.com, features a three-minute video on how the service works.

The Rotobrush is thorough, yet gentle enough that it will not damage the fragile fiberglass interiors of ducts, Perez said. “It spins in such a way that it will take the dust, but it will not damage the duct in any way,” he said.

The Rotobrush system also cleans clothes-drier vents, which can be a fire hazard if not kept clean, he said.

Perez is currently offering a free video analysis of a customer’s air ducts. “We get the camera in there and show them what is in there,” he said. “They usually want to do it right away.”

At $69 for the first six ducts

‘Once you clean a duct the way we clean it, it doesn’t need to be cleaned again for two years as long as you change your filter.’

— Johnny Perez

and $10 for each duct thereafter, Perez said the service is not expensive. Using his own threebedroom, two-bath house in The Acreage as an example, the cost would be $110. Sanitizing is an additional $5 per duct, he said.

“We tell customers up front what it’s going to be,” he said. “Once you clean a duct the way we clean it, it doesn’t need to be cleaned again for two years, as long as you change your filter. That’s something clients have to do. If they change that filter every month, they will be fine with once every two years. Sanitizing we recommend every six months. That will kill everything, including dust mite eggs. We are bio-friendly, too.”

Perez said the visual element of the duct-cleaning process guarantees the best results. “We have the right equipment,” he said. “We show the customer what’s in there. If you don’t have the right equipment it’s like cleaning a car wearing blindfolds. You don’t know what you’re dealing with. We do it right, and the price is the same as almost everybody else.”

J&D’s equipment is also highly portable, so multi-story and large homes are no problem.

“We can go anywhere with it,”

Perez said.

Perez said his six staff members, traveling in three trucks, are all fully trained in the use of the equipment and are meticulous in keeping the client’s home

or office clean. They lay out blankets in case dust falls. They thoroughly clean the vents and paint them if necessary. If the vents are damaged or corroded, J&D staff has a variety of replacement vents on their trucks available for sale.

and services swimming pools.

J&D Air Duct Cleaning is

Clean Air — Johnny Perez, owner of J&D Air Duct Cleaning, uses the Rotobrush system to make a home’s vents sparkling clean without damaging fragile fiberglass.

WALDENBOOKS HOSTS

AUTHOR TONY ROSA

Author Tony Rosa was on hand Saturday, July 26 at the Waldenbooks store in the Mall at Wellington Green, where he signed copies of his novel The Schoolboy. The tale follows young Sam, who faces a series of daunting challenges after being urged by his mother to play in a junior golf tournament. Sam is dropped off at the municipal golf course with a hodgepodge set of clubs, limited skills and the added responsibility of looking after his younger brother. For more information about Waldenbooks, call (561) 792-4012. Pictured above is Rosa with copies of his novel.

CCCS Offers Tips On Back-To-School Savings

Back to school shopping is underway, and getting all the back-to-school necessities, from shoes and clothes to supplies and electronic equipment, will cost you more this year. According to the National Retail Federation, families will spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases, compared to $563.49 last year.

“Families can expect to see rising costs on everything from uniforms and school clothes to supplies for their child and the classroom,” said Jessica Cecere, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. “Advanced planning, careful shopping and a little research can go a long way in helping you stay within your budget.”

• Make a budget and stick to it — Decide how much you will spend on school supplies ahead of time and, if possible, set aside the cash to avoid overspending. Use school shopping as an opportunity to teach your child about making choices by giving them a set spending amount to purchase some of the items they will need. They will learn that if they want the special folders, they may need to forego the fancy markers.

• Take inventory — Begin with a list of all back-to-school

ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT ADVISORS RIBBON CUTTING

needs and expenses including supplies, equipment, clothing, and fees for sports, music and science labs. Next, check around the house for what your family already owns. Look for and reuse calculators, rulers, pencil sharpeners and anything else that is still in working condition. Last year’s backpack may be just what is needed to start the new school year. In fact, wait just a few weeks after school starts and many backpacks and other accessories will be on sale for a fraction of the original price. Most students will not need entirely new wardrobes — just fill in the gaps with a few new outfits or uniform pieces. Well-maintained musical instruments and sports equipment are considerably less expensive than new ones.

• Plan your shopping — With gas prices at record levels, it may

not pay to go to several stores to save a few cents on school supplies. Check the newspaper and online ads and map out your shopping plan to maximize you savings and stay within your budget.

• Shop at school — Many schools offer pre-packaged school supplies for students. Often coordinated by the PTA as a fundraiser, families can purchase supply packs from the school at costs comparable to what you would pay at a retailer. You will save time and gas by not having to shop, and your child’s supplies will be waiting for them on the first day of school.

• Shop online and at discount retailers — Several national office supply stores are offering good online prices for school supplies. Look for free or inexpensive delivery. Outlet stores,

big box stores and discount chains can save you money on uniforms and other school supplies. Check out your neighborhood consignment shops and thrift stores too. Some have designated space for school uniforms and you may get some great bargains.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service is a nonprofit community-service agency that provides confidential budget counseling, money management education, debt management programs, bankruptcy counseling and education, and comprehensive housing counseling.

Headquartered in West Palm Beach, CCCS also has offices in Boca Raton and Port St. Lucie and satellite service in Stuart. For more information, call (800) 330-CCCS or visit www. cccsinc.org.

Educational Trade Show Aug. 8

The Community Associations Institute (CAI) Gold Coast Chapter will host the 2008 Annual Community Association Days Trade Show on Aug. 8 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. More than 100 vendors will exhibit at the event, including insurance agents, banks, management companies, landscapers, roofers and security providers.

Attendees will have the op-

portunity to participate in nine different classes throughout the day on topics such as “Conflict Resolution,” “Effective Time Management” and “How to Choose a Contractor.” The show’s hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free. Booth space is still available. The Community Associations Institute is a national organization dedicated to fostering vibrant, competent, harmonious community associations. For

more than 30 years, the CAI has been the leader in providing education and resources to the volunteer homeowners who govern community associations and the professionals who support them. Sponsors of the event include Goodman-Gable-Gould Adjusters International, Plastridge Insurance Agency, Referred Home Services, CGI Windows and Doors, and Traco. For more info., visit www.caigoldcoast. org or call (561) 350-5890.

Top Avon Honor For Denise Lewis

Avon Products Inc. recently announced that Wellington Avon representative Denise Lewis has been recognized among the beauty giant’s top representatives in the United States. The company recently awarded Lewis a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate her success with other top Avon representatives at the company’s President’s Recognition Program celebration.

The celebration is an annual event at which the world’s largest direct seller of beauty and other products brings together the nation’s top achieving representatives who have distinguished themselves as leaders in sales or leadership.

“Denise embodies the entre-

preneurial spirit Avon representatives have become known for in their rich 120-plus-year history,” said Tom Kelly, senior vice president of Avon U.S. Direct Selling. “She worked hard to build a career with Avon, and the payout has been extraordinary. Denise’s success proves that it is possible to have it all — a thriving career, financial freedom and the personal satisfaction of helping and mentoring others.”

In recognition of their success, the elite group of Avon representatives celebrated their accomplishments in Las Vegas June 22-26, where they stayed at the Bellagio Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The representatives toured Hoover Dam, Red Rock

Canyon and Madame Tussaud’s; attended Cirque du Soleil’s aquatic theatrical extravaganza; attended an inspirational session with informative financial advice from personal finance guru Suze Orman; and capped off the trip with a gala awards ceremony where top executives from the company personally congratulated the group of top performers. Avon Wellington is located in the Kobosko’s Crossing shopping plaza on Forest Hill Blvd., just east of State Road 7. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday or by appointment. For more information, call Lewis at (561) 798-9011 or visit www.avonwellington.com.

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Lake Worth Chamber of Commerce recently joined forces to celebrate the new location of Accounting Management Advisors. Located at 6801 Lake Worth Road, Suite 338, in Greenacres, Accounting Management Advisors is a full service-accounting firm. For more information, call (561) 357-8885. Pictured here is owner Elisa Armetta with chamber ambassadors.

The Visiting Vet Brings Quality Pet-Care Right To Your Door

By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report

The Visiting Vet offers a way for pet owners to avoid those stressful trips to the veterinarian’s office.

The husband-and-wife veterinarian team of doctors Jeffrey and Stephanie Karpf serve dog and cat owners in the western communities by making house calls in a custom van fully equipped with necessities for routine treatments.

The two vets said treating a pet in its own home is far less stressful for both the pet and the pet’s owner. “Some animals can be aggressive, and other pets are more passive but get very upset when forced to deal with aggressive pets,” Stephanie explained. “When they meet in a veterinarian’s waiting room, there can be a lot of problems.”

Jeffrey added that knowledge of a pet’s home environment makes for more effective treatment. “It’s far easier on a pet when they’re in their own home,” he said. “It also helps to deal with issues that are homerelated. Some pets have problems with their home environment. When I come to the house, I can see where they live. Sometimes a problem can be solved quickly by pointing to the problem and suggesting a change.”

The Visiting Vet can handle any outpatient service for dogs and cats. “We come by in our van and can take blood and urine, give shots, do examinations and handle the vast majority of problems,” Jeffrey said. “If there’s anything that needs more intensive care or surgery, we do an immediate referral to a hospital.”

The couple, who live in Wellington with their two young children, met while students. “We were classmates both at Cornell and Cornell Veterinary College in New York. We graduated in 2000,” Stephanie recalled. “I had an apprenticeship with a visiting veterinarian on Long Island, and I learned to appreciate the kind of care done when you have more time with your patient.”

The Karpfs moved to Wellington three and a half years ago after visiting Jeffrey’s parents in Palm Beach Gardens. “It’s beautiful down here,” he said. “This

is a nice family town where there are young families as well as older people, and people really care about their pets.”

“And we didn’t miss not having snow after living in Ithaca, New York for eight years,” Stephanie added.

The Karpfs said they provide far more personalized service than most office-bound veterinarians. “I like being able to spend more time with a pet,” Jeffrey said. “I get to know my patients better as well as their owners. I meet the children in the house.”

And a call to Visiting Vets always puts the pet owner in touch with the veterinarian, Stephanie added. “When you call us you get our cell phone,” she said. “You’re not passing messages through a receptionist or a technician, you’re speaking directly to the vet. There are no missed messages. One of us always has the phone.”

The couple schedules their appointments Monday through Friday, with some hours reserved, as well as weekends, for emergency calls. Appointment hours Monday through Thursday are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 6 to 8 or 9 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays. “I like getting some time to spend with the kids in the afternoon,” Jeffrey said. “But it leaves some time if we get a call. Sometimes someone will come home from work and discover their pet has gotten sick. I have the space open to allow me to come by.”

Stephanie said having a vet that makes house calls is a real blessing to some pet owners.

“We have some clients who are too old to drive,” she said, “but we also have some moms with several young children. Getting everyone ready to go to the vet can be as difficult as getting a pet into the car. And, of course, some people have more than one pet at home. We sometimes come in and handle three or four at once.”

While the Visiting Vet charges a distance-based fee for the travel involved in a visit, Jeffrey said the convenience and savings on drive time for the owner makes up for it. “We do charge a fee for travel, and it varies based on the distances we

have to drive,” he said. “But we also save a lot of time for our clients because we come to them in their homes. We give a twohour window, and we are very good about being within it.”

And for many, nothing’s too good for the family pet. “Paying a little bit more for peace of mind for both the pet and owner is priceless,” Jeffrey said. “And, of course, the time spent getting the pet into the car and then waiting for a vet and later driving home, is worth a lot also. For many people, it is actually more efficient money-wise to have us come to them.”

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (561) 252-8874.

Palms West Chamber Unveils New Content-Rich Web Site

The Palms West Chamber of Commerce recently unveiled its redesigned web site at www. palmswest.com.

The total redesign of the site was made a top priority by the chamber’s board of directors and was spearheaded by Vice President of Technology Ron Tomchin, president of RPB Advisors in Royal Palm Beach. Tomchin provided the determined leadership in blending a committee of high tech profes-

sionals, business people and consultants to work on the project and deliver a world-class web site.

The easy-to-use navigation system provides visitors with access to chamber information, area demographics, business and personal relocation, community events and profiles as well as specific topics of interest and opportunities for business people and the community at large. And chamber

event registration is now easier than ever.

For those constantly on the go, the chamber also offers a mobile version of the web site at palmswest.mobi. This access allows mobile users to browse information from their personal digital assistants (PDAs) or smart phones. For more information about the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, call (561) 7906200.

PHOTO BY LEONARD WECHSLER/TOWN-CRIER

House Call — Doctors Jeffrey and Stephanie Karpf of the Visiting Vet, shown here with George, can handle any outpatient service for dogs and cats.

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