WATER SKI NATIONALS A BIG SUCCESS SEE STORY, PAGE 3
WELLINGTON TO DRAFT LGBT ORDINANCE SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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Wellington Residents Urged To Provide Input On Capital Improvements
Volume 36, Number 32 August 21 - August 27, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
ANTI-BULLYING KICKOFF AT THE MALL
Wellington residents can post their opinions online at www. wellingtonfl.gov for capital improvements they believe are important for the village. Recommendations will be considered during the council’s capital improvements workshop on Monday, Aug. 24 at 1:30 p.m. in preparation for budget approval. Page 3
RPB Rotary, Armand Services & Interact Partner On Project
The Interact Club of Royal Palm Beach High School joined forces with the Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club and Armand Professional Services to give a facelift to the school’s courtyard Wednesday, Aug. 12. Plants and labor were donated by Armand Professional Services. Page 5
The Mall at Wellington Green, Stomp Out Bullying and iHeartRadio held an anti-bullying kickoff party at the mall Saturday, Aug. 15. The event helped kids learn about the impacts of bullying and how to avoid it. Shown here are Rachelle Crain of the Mall at Wellington Green, Stomp Out Bullying Teen Ambassador Brandon Schloss, “Self Esteem Doctor” Simone Alicia and iHeartRadio DJ Carmine Gialanella. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
K-9 Unit Helps Deter Problems And Keep Public Schools Safe
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report On Friday, Aug. 14, the Palm Beach County School District Police Department brought its five canines to Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington for a demonstration to help them prepare for the first day of school.
The department’s five fourlegged officers, and their three human partners, garnered attention as they showed off their special skills, impeccable behavior and warm personalities. Kash, one of the two K-9s partnered with Officer Curtis Riddick, was named through a contest at
Wellington Boys & Girls Club Hosts Talent Show And Fashion Show
On Friday, Aug. 14, the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington celebrated the end of summer with a back-toschool fashion show and talent show. Club members sang, danced, tumbled and strutted their way across the gymnasium floor, entertaining parents and peers alike. Page 19
OPINION
The Height Of Storm Season Has Arrived
The six weeks from the middle of August through the end of September tend to be the most active weeks of the Atlantic hurricane season, and while this year’s season is projected to have below-normal activity, that doesn’t mean we are safe. Quite the contrary. It’ll only take one well-aimed storm to snap our long hurricane-free streak. Tropical Storm Danny is currently meandering its way in our direction. Will it end up here? Hopefully not, but now is the time to get prepared. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
School Police Officer Curtis Riddick with K-9 Kash.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Crosspointe Elementary School in Boynton Beach. His name stands for Kids Are Safe Here, and with Kash (search and rescue) and his other friends, Jake (narcotics), Kobee (narcotics), Tango (narcotics) and Maggie (gun detection), kids truly are safer. These five K-9s are a relatively new unit. The school police department did not have K-9s after the last unit’s dogs retired. The new chief, Lawrence J. Leon, saw the benefits to the program and brought it back, Riddick said. The first dog in the unit, Kash, is a 2-year-old bloodhound who will turn 3 on Dec. 14. Kash was donated by the Jimmy Ryce Center. In 1995, 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce was kidnapped and murdered. The center works to bring media attention to child abductions, increase awareness of predators, counsel and support children and their families, and more. “Mr. Ryce has made it his lifelong mission to provide bloodhounds to any police department that is willing to deploy the dog… if [they] need a bloodhound to See SCHOOL DOGS, page 18
Acreage Residents Muster For AAL Leader Michele Meredith
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Many people in The Acreage and beyond love Michele Meredith, a longtime resident who has supported the Acreage Athletic League for many years. Meredith now needs the support of her friends in her battle with cancer. Those friends have teamed up to coordinate the “Fight Like a Girl” kickball tournament and 5k run at Acreage Community Park on Sunday, Aug. 25 to benefit Meredith. The event is hosted by Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Michelle Damone, Chris Matthews, Keith Shivers, Rob Herron and Sandra Love Semande. Meredith is the wife of ALA President John Meredith. “Michele and John have been an integral part of the Acreage
Athletic League for more than a decade,” Damone said. “John is the president, and Michele has always assisted and done the concession stands, and so a lot of people out in the community know them both very well.” Meredith is battling colon cancer, which has spread to her liver. “She has quite a fight on her hands,” Damone said. The idea of “Fight Like a Girl” came from Damone’s friend, Mike Massimo. “While everyone else was bringing flowers and cookies and things that are very nice, he and I wanted to be different, and we brought Michele a pair of hot pink boxing gloves,” Damone recalled. “He signed the glove ‘Fight Like a Girl.’ It stuck, so for the next three weeks, while Michele was in the
hospital, the boxing gloves hung over her IV stand, and that has been the inspiration behind the entire event.” Supporters also designed a “Fight Like a Girl” logo in hot pink and black. “Since then, John has even gone and gotten himself a tattoo with hot See MEREDITH, page 4
Lox Council Picks Severn Trent As New Management Firm
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In a 3-2 vote, the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council agreed Tuesday to enter contract negotiations with Severn Trent Services as its new management company, although the contract will cost more than the current agreement with Underwood Management Services Group. If negotiations are successful, the council is expected to award the contract on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Vice Mayor Ron Jarriel and councilmen Ryan Liang and Jim Rockett voted July 7 to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a new management firm. Underwood Management’s contract expires Sept. 30, but contains provisions for an extension. The current management firm chose not to participate in the RFP process. At Tuesday’s meeting, about a dozen residents protested against
hiring a new management firm, asking to retain Underwood Management for at least another year. Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Supervisor John Ryan was the only resident who spoke in favor of hiring a new firm. The town had two responses to its RFP, from Severn Trent Services and area resident Larry Tibbs. Severn Trent is a large multinational company with a local office in Coral Springs. It manages several municipalities and numerous community development districts, including the Seminole Improvement District, which is the special district created by Callery-Judge Grove and now controlled by Minto West/Westlake. Tibbs, the other applicant, is a resident of Royal Ascot Estates, just west of the town. He is currently working with various fire See LOX MANAGER, page 18
SHOES OF HOPE EVENT
Community of Hope Church in Loxahatchee Groves held its “Shoes of Hope” event on Saturday, Aug. 15. More than 100 volunteers were on hand to give out new shoes, school supplies and free haircuts to children headed back to school. Shown here are Chris Miskura, Pastor Dale Locke, Jack McCall and event organizer Kasey Heinl. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY MIKE COLAROSSI/TOWN-CRIER
Lox Groves Town Attorney Announces Firm’s Resignation
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Loxahatchee Groves Town Attorney Michael Cirullo this week announced the resignation of his law firm, Goren, Cherof, Doody & Ezrol PA, as legal counsel for the Town of Loxahatchee Groves. Cirullo, who is a shareholder with the firm, did not give specific reasons for his firm’s resignation. The firm has provided legal services to the town since its inception. “You did receive the resignation letter from our law firm,” Cirullo told the council at its meeting Tuesday. “Our retainer does provide for a 30-day notice. We will, of course, honor whatever timeline is necessary for the town to find either an interim or a permanent replacement, and we know our obligations for transition of the work, so there is a smooth transition of information and knowledge to both the new management team, as well as the next attorney.” Cirullo’s announcement came the same evening that the coun-
cil chose Severn Trent Services as the town’s new management company. Cirullo recommended that the current management firm put out a notice seeking a new law firm, pointing out that he would not be involved in the process. He recommended looking at other municipalities to see how they had found new legal representation. “I thank you. It has been an honor, it really has,” Cirullo said. “I don’t know if anybody here is a ‘Star Trek’ fan, but if anybody remembers what the final episode was, it was called ‘All Good Things,’ and I think the timing is right for the firm and for myself, professionally and personally, to go ahead and allow the town to do what it needs to do moving forward. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been a pleasure and an honor to serve the town.” Cirullo reiterated that his firm would be available for longer than 30 days for the transition, if See ATTORNEY, page 18
County Thanks Weisman By Renaming Street, Building
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report It takes a lot to surprise a man who has run Palm Beach County for a quarter century, managing an approximately $4 billion budget while overseeing more than 6,000 employees. Yet, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Palm Beach County Commission did just that. Not only did they announce, during County Administrator Bob Weisman’s last meeting, that they were renaming Process Drive in Royal Palm Beach as Weisman Way, the commissioners also announced that the county government building at 301 N. Olive Ave. in West Palm Beach will be renamed the Robert Weisman Governmental Center. “I was shocked,” said Weisman,
a longtime Wellington resident. “It is really incredible that the commission felt that I deserved that. I’m humbled.” It seems only fitting that the announcements were made during Weisman’s final board meeting, albeit a long meeting covering controversial agenda topics. “I got some very beautiful comments from the commissioners, which I truly appreciate,” he said. “It’s good that it was the last meeting, I think. I’m ready to do something else.” Weisman, a civil engineer by trade, has worked for Palm Beach County quite a long time — 35 years. “That’s a very long time. I’ve been working downtown now, almost 25 years. I’m looking for-
ward to retirement, but I’m going to miss a lot about the job as well,” he said. His fondest memories revolve around those he has met with and worked with over the years. “Mainly working with the people I’ve worked with, the employees and the commissioners,” Weisman said. While county administrator, Weisman has seen roads and buildings named after various individuals who have held pivotal roles in the county’s administration. Naming a street or a building in someone’s honor is not abnormal, he explained. “To have them both done, is kind of different,” he said. “To have the main county building See WEISMAN, page 4
Weisman Way — Vice Mayor Mary Lou Berger, Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, Mayor Shelley Vana, retiring County Administrator Bob Weisman, Commissioner Paulette Burdick, Commissioner Hal Valeche, Commissioner Priscilla Taylor and Commissioner PHOTO COURTESY PALM BEACH COUNTY PUBLIC AFFAIRS Steven Abrams.