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Lox Council OKs Negotiations With New Waste Contractor
Volume 40, Number 32 August 23 - August 29, 2019
Serving Palms West Since 1980
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN RPB
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved a motion Tuesday, Aug. 20 for town staff to negotiate with a new solid waste disposal contractor, Coastal Waste & Recycling, while continuing negotiations with its current contractor, Waste Pro. Page 3
Tree’s Wings To Compete At National Buffalo Wing Festival
A local icon in Royal Palm Beach, Tree’s Wings & Ribs is heading to the big show in Buffalo, N.Y., this Labor Day weekend to compete against the best wing-makers in the world. Page 7
The Royal Palm Beach Seniors Activities Group held a birthday celebration for its two oldest seniors on Friday, Aug. 16 at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center. Kathleen Stavropulos and Attis Solomon, shown above, both will turn 97 years old soon. Friends and family were on hand, and everyone had a box lunch and cake. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 7 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
The Okeeheelee Nature Center Hosts Unique Owl-Themed Yoga Class
On Saturday, Aug. 17, the Okeeheelee Nature Center held an Owl Yoga class. Four owls were perched in corners of the room while Layna Moehl, a yoga teacher and naturalist, led participants through the poses. Page 8
Temple B’nai Jacob Starts Fall Season With Open House
Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington held an open house on Sunday, Aug. 18, offering the community the opportunity to meet with the new rabbinical team of Rabbi David Abrams and Rabbi Matan Peled. Page 15
Wolverines Drop Kickoff Classic Game 43-7 To Treasure Coast
The Wellington High School football team hosted Treasure Coast High School on Friday, Aug. 16 for a pre-season kickoff classic game, falling to the perennial powerhouse Titans 43-7. Page 19 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS............................. 17 CALENDAR............................ 18 SPORTS......................... 19 - 20 CLASSIFIEDS................ 21 - 22 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Players Club Owner Gets First Approval For Condo Project
By Gina M. Capone Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board granted approvals last week that could turn the site of the Players Club into 50 luxury condominiums. Known as the Players Club Residences, the project included several related items for the board to consider. Two of the items were regarding building height: a comprehensive plan text amendment and a zoning text amendment to allow building heights in excess of 35 feet. Property owner Neil Hirsch and Sperin LLC also asked for a comprehensive plan amendment to modify the property from Commercial Recreation to Residential F, as well as a master plan amendment allowing 50 dwelling units and formalizing the access points that exist on the site. The site plan currently proposes
a four-story, 42-unit condo building with underground parking spaces and detached eight-unit townhouses with 14 underground spaces. However, there has been some discussion to include all the units in a single building. Currently known as the Players Club Residences, the project will in the future be marketed as Coach House Wellington. Jon Schmidt of the architectural firm Schmidt Nichols represented Hirsch in front of the board on Wednesday, Aug. 14 regarding changes to the 5.58-acre site located at 13410 South Shore Blvd. “Mr. Hirsch has assembled an A-1 team behind this,” Schmidt said. “This team is diligently working weekly on the design details for this project to create an ultra-high, luxury-end condominium project. We feel we are responding to a void in the Wellington market, which is a
lock-and-leave, full-service condominium building.” The sticking point with staff has been the building’s height. Schmidt said that is necessary to maintain large setbacks and plenty of greenery. “We have considerable setbacks that I will show you in the site plan,” he said. “When we are able to go to this height, we are able to put parking underneath the building, and that provides considerable additional green space on the site. We are going to be well over the code and 50 percent green.” Since the property will be marketed to equestrians, Schmidt said that it will actually reduce traffic in the area. “We are contiguous to the EOZD [Equestrian Overlay Zoning District],” Schmidt explained. “This creates walkability to the [equestrian] venues. It reduces See PLAYERS CLUB, page 18
Wellington Puts A Focus On Fixing Thoroughfare Hedges
By Gina M. Capone Town-Crier Staff Report Hedges are an important aesthetic to the Village of Wellington, and Planning & Zoning Manager David Flinchum led a presentation before Wellington’s Architectural Review Board on Wednesday, Aug. 21, explaining what the village would like to see along main thoroughfares, with a special note on what hedge plants thrive and others that should be avoided. The discussion included a look at several residential properties along Forest Hill Blvd., where in some cases, fences and hedges lack uniform coverage, malfunctioning sprinklers do not allow plants to be watered sufficiently to thrive, or sometimes plant growth is combined with weeds and other invasive species. “For those of you who have lived here a while, the Forest Hill Blvd. hedges have long been a topic of discussion,” Flinchum said. “It’s interesting how many times you drive by it. It’s when you
actually walk it that you see a lot of things you don’t realize are there.” Recently, Flinchum and his team have put a focus on hedge issues. “For the past couple of months, we have been marking where these properties are along the thoroughfares, Flinchum said. “Tonight, we are going to concentrate on Forest Hill Blvd., which is a true thoroughfare. It starts outside the village to the east and then runs through the village.” Flinchum focused on properties between Block Island and Guilford. He explained that there are eight open code cases at this time for hedge violations. Some of the properties are homesteaded, and others are landowners who are out of the area. Flinchum showed the board various slides of hedges that were not up to code, and the reasons why they don’t live up to Wellington’s hedge standards. Then he showed slides in a PowerPoint presentation of hedges that were
well-maintained with the look that the village is trying to implement. Photographs of poorly maintained Ficus hedges show thick trunks with little vegetation. The fence is not covered at all by greenery. “If you look at the trunks of a Ficus, once they get over four inches in diameter, they are never going to sprout,” Flinchum explained. “You can top them all you want, but it will not re-grow its skirt. The other problem I see is irrigation. Most of the properties I did see are disconnected or uprooted.” Some property owners don’t have a gate through their fence line and have little access to the area that is growing the hedge, Flinchum noted. “The problem I believe is that people don’t have the access [to the hedge],” he said. “It’s kind of out of sight, out of mind. A lot of these cases, I believe, will be coming to the magistrate probably in September. We will be working See HEDGES, page 4
ITID To Consider Charter Change Creating A Path To Incorporation
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors reviewed a long list of legislative priorities for next year’s state legislative session on Wednesday, Aug. 21, including several items that did not get to the floor of the legislature this year. After an in-depth discussion, the board approved a new goal — to get legislation passed that would allow Acreage residents a possible vote on incorporation. At the head of ITID’s legislative priorities were the completion of the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area levee at a cost of $5.7 million, construction of the M-O Canal gate and continuation of the Moss property stormwater project, each at a cost
of $400,000, which all died in committee. The supervisors still want to pursue those projects but amending ITID’s charter to allow an incorporation vote dominated the discussion. Although special districts such as ITID are forbidden by statute to advocate for incorporation, the electorate can amend the charter to allow incorporation through a voter-initiated referendum. ITID’s lobbyist David Ramba was on hand for the discussion. He noted the situation in Broward County, which in recent years has eliminated all of its unincorporated areas, insisting that all developed land be contained within municipalities. “They no longer have any unincorporated developed land in See ITID BOARD, page 18
TENNIS CENTER FUN
More than 300 participants joined in the fun on the courts of the Wellington Tennis Center for the Back to School Tennis Bash on Saturday, Aug. 17. This free event gave kids a sample of Wellington’s Youth Tennis Program. Shown above, six-yearold Calliope Chateau learns how to play tennis. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY CALLIE SHARKEY/TOWN-CRIER
RPB Incumbents To Seek Re-Election
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report While the next municipal election isn’t until March 2020, the three incumbents up for re-election in Royal Palm Beach are already making plans to seek new twoyear terms. Candidates used to have until February to qualify for the ballot. However, due to changes in state law and corresponding requests from the Supervisor of Elections Office, the qualifying period is now two months earlier, with candidates needing to decide by early December. The election will be held Tuesday, March 17, 2020, on the same ballot as Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary. While challengers haven’t yet emerged, Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto, Councilwoman Selena Samios and Councilman Jeff Hmara will be seeking re-election. Pinto has been on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council since 2003 and is wrapping up his sec-
ond two-year term as mayor. “We’ve worked hard to get where we are,” he said. “We’ve paid off all our debt, are continuing to provide new services and haven’t raised the tax rate in 25 years. A study recently found Royal Palm Beach to be in the top 10 percent of safest cities, and we are very proud of that.” Creating a unique space for people to settle down and raise their children, or retire and be close to their children, is very important to Pinto. Projects that find immediate use by the community is also high on his list. “One of our big accomplishments is the complete remodel and expansion of the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. It’s really lovely, and the village residents just love it,” he said, adding that additional touches, such as chandeliers, will be on the way soon. Pinto said he enjoys being in local government and having closer interactions with the community. See RPB ELECTION, page 18
RPBHS Kicker Aims To Help St. Jude’s Kick Cancer
By Gene Nardi Town-Crier Staff Report As if attending high school and being a place kicker/punter for the Royal Palm Beach High School Wildcats football team weren’t enough, senior Dominick Grosso has taken on a community challenge to team up with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to help in the fight against cancer. Grosso explained that the Kicking Cancer program is raising money and awareness for the fight against cancer. Donations can be made online. “I heard about Kicking Cancer at Kohl’s Kicking Camp,” Grosso explained. “One of the representatives was there, and she shared another kicker’s story and informed
me on how to sign up and how the program works.” This struck close to home for Grosso. Last summer, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it heavily impacted the whole family. “My summer consisted of football practices and helping care for her,” Grosso said. “She had several surgeries, and life for our family slowed down. She was very restricted and spent most of her time resting.” When Grosso heard about the Kicking Cancer program, it made him reflect on how it could help his family. “It reminded me of my mom, and I thought about the joy it would bring her when I told her what I was doing,” he said.
The program works through community support. Those interested can visit Grosso’s profile and make donations. “When you make a pledge, every kick I make is money going to my overall goal of raising $1,000. However, it would be wonderful if I was able to raise more,” Grosso said. This is Grosso’s first year participating in the Kicking Cancer program, and he looks forward to meeting those involved at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Student athletes mean a lot to the program,” he said. “The more athletes sign up, the more money can be raised toward fighting canSee GROSSO, page 4
Royal Palm Beach kicker Dominick Grosso puts the ball through PHOTO BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER the uprights to fight cancer.