Town-Crier Newspaper August 24, 2018

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RPB ENCLAVE GETS LAND USE CHANGES SEE STORY, PAGE 3

AMERICAN LEGION POST ANNIVERSARY SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE Car Crashes Into Local Dental Office

Volume 39, Number 32 August 24 - August 30, 2018

Serving Palms West Since 1980

RPBHS HOLDS IB CONVOCATION

Business as usual at a local dental practice suddenly became an appointment everyone involved will always remember as a car crashed through the wall just after 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 16. Page 3

Planet Kids Implements Preschool STEM Program Near the corner of Northlake Blvd. and Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in The Acreage is Planet Kids Loxahatchee, noteworthy for being the only preschool in the local area to have implemented a formalized STEM (science, technology, education and math) program. Page 7

Wellington Community Foundation Makes Back To Basics Donation

Representatives of the Wellington Community Foundation presented Back to Basics founder Beverly Perham with a check on Tuesday, Aug. 21 to be used for providing school uniforms to local students in need. The $6,000 will purchase 600 uniforms for Binks Forest, New Horizons and Elbridge Gale elementary schools. Back to Basics distributed 14,000 uniforms this August to Palm Beach County school students. Page 10

Royal Palm Beach High School held its second annual International Baccalaureate Convocation on Monday, Aug. 20 at the Royal Palm Beach High School auditorium. Shown above, International Baccalaureate diploma candidates Jemmanuel Theus, D’Asya Northern, Melanie Ferran, Mia Frozini, Keyanna Diaz, Stephanie Cedeno, Zanviosha Julceus and Valentina Penuela-Gonzalez show their pins. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

ITID Board Reminds Drivers To Take Care Around Horses

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Members of the Indian Trail Board of Supervisors reminded the public Wednesday, Aug. 22 that despite the increased traffic, The Acreage is still a horse community and chastised drivers who are not mindful of equestrians sharing the roads. The board members also discussed improving signage on horse trails and making connections where there aren’t any now, as well as scheduling a meeting with the Acreage Horseman’s Association to take suggestions. During her opening comments, ITID President Betty Argue cautioned drivers to slow down for horses. “If you see someone out riding their horse, will you please slow down just a bit?” Argue said. “My horses are great, and don’t mind you at all, but some people get way too close, going way too fast

for my comfort level. Some people might argue that we [should] ride in an equestrian area. Yes, that’s completely true. That’s why we moved here, so we can. The Acreage is an equestrian area.” She thanked the drivers who do slow down for riders and discussed the Florida Statute stating that any person operating a motor vehicle must use reasonable care when approaching and passing a person riding or leading an animal upon a roadway, or the shoulder of a roadway, and should not intentionally startle or injure such an animal. “It seems like some people out here just are not understanding, and they’re not respecting the fact that if somebody’s on a horse, you cannot go 60 miles an hour past them and blow your horn,” Argue said. “Doing so could end up with a horse bucking their rider, running out into the road and causing serious damage to the horse, but also to you.”

Argue said that she is tired of people telling her that The Acreage is no longer an equestrian community. “We are still an equestrian community, and as long as we are an equestrian community, we need to respect our equestrians,” Argue said. “Maybe if it was a little bit safer, people would get out and ride their horses.” Supervisor Tim Sayre said he had been out looking at all the horse trails with District Manager Rob Robinson and Parks & Recreation Director Tim Wojnar. “We have miles and miles of horse trails here,” he said. “We went over all the signage. We’re missing a lot of signage, and we’re having signage made for that,” Sayre said. “We’re also going over the map of the horse trails. We’re not sure, but we’re going to designate out the areas so far that are designated as horse trails. See ITID HORSES, page 4

Shooting Prompts Policy Changes By School District

Wellington Defeats Boynton Beach 21-6 In Preseason Game

On Friday, Aug. 17, the Wellington High School football team traveled to Boynton Beach High School for a preseason matchup and bested the Tigers 21-6 after a slow start. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 15 LETTERS.................................. 4 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 CALENDAR............................ 18 BUSINESS............................. 19 NEWS BRIEFS....................... 20 SPORTS......................... 21 - 22 CLASSIFIEDS.................23 - 24 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report What began as a promising start to the high school football season turned to chaos as shots rang out in the Palm Beach Central High School parking lot at approximately 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17. Officials are quick to stress that the incident has not been classified as a “school shooting” because the people involved are not connected to Palm Beach Central as either students or staff. Rather, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has called it a “targeted act of violence.” Two people were injured in the shooting and are expected to survive. As classes resumed on Monday, Principal Darren Edgecomb and his staff worked tirelessly to attend to the needs of faculty and students. The Palm Beach County School District brought in outside counselors for students and adults alike. The PBSO and the Florida Highway Patrol provided increased security, and a visible law

enforcement presence was at every entrance to the school grounds. “Everyone is actually doing pretty well,” Edgecomb told the Town-Crier on Tuesday. “Attendance was very good on Monday. I did not notice a difference. I met with the football team. I’ve spoken with students, and I’ve met with parents. Our focus is getting past the grief.” Edgecomb, who lives in Royal Palm Beach, is in his fifth year as principal of Palm Beach Central. He is a graduate of Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, where he was active in the band. His wife is also a school administrator and his eldest daughter is a teacher, while his younger daughter is currently pursuing a degree to begin a career as a guidance counselor. For the Edgecombs, education has become the family business. “I’m coping with it,” Edgecomb said regarding his own experience regarding the shooting. “I have a very good support system at home. I trust in God and my faith. I’m

not hesitant to talk about it with my family.” While Monday was a bit hectic, things were returning to normal by Tuesday. “I’m a former math teacher. I went to a math class and helped students with a problem. It was very helpful,” Edgecomb said. “I met with the football team after school on Monday. They have a normal schedule this week, but the game against Atlantic High School in Delray Beach has moved to Saturday at 5 p.m.” As part of new policies to promote safety, the district will begin Friday night football games an hour earlier at 6 p.m. to take advantage of daylight hours. Only clear bags will be permitted, with the exception of diaper bags, and all bags will be subject to search. No entry will be permitted after the half-time kickoff and no reentry will be allowed. Finally, no loitering will be tolerated outside stadiums. On the night of Friday, Aug. 17, See SHOOTING, page 18

Royal Palm Council Supports Ordinance To Ban Puppy Stores

By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Pet activists clashed with the one local puppy retailer at the Royal Palm Beach Village Council meeting on Thursday, Aug. 16 as the council considered a ban on retail sales of puppies and kittens. A public hearing was held on the first reading of the measure, which passed without opposition. Much of the council’s discussion was on how long until the measure took effect. The end can’t come soon enough for some on the council, and members of the public who spoke emotionally and passionately, some through tear-filled words. The context of the measure, as explained by Village Attorney Jennifer Ashton, is that in 2016, Palm Beach County added new regulations for puppy sellers aimed at regulating home breeders and

driving so-called “puppy mills” to extinction. It prohibited retail sales of dogs and cats, but the phase-out language was removed, so existing businesses in compliance can continue to sell the animals, effectively “grandfathering” them in to carry on doing business. “Royal Palm Beach is proposing a phase-out,” said Ashton, who reported that she had found two cases relevant to the situation. One was in Palm Beach Gardens, where they had a six-month phase-out that has held up in state circuit court, and the other was in Sunrise, which had an eight-month phase-out. That measure has held up in federal court. Both cases are now on appeal. Ashton recommended a sunset period of two years, and that adoptathon events remain legal. “We See PUPPIES, page 18

TWBA HOSTS MIXER AT TREE’S WINGS

The Western Business Alliance held a networking meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 15 at Tree’s Wings & Ribs in Royal Palm Beach. Shown above are Eric Gordon, Jack Rosen, Bill Wenzofsky and Peter Wein. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Three Democrats Seeking Open Port Commission Seat

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report On Tuesday, Aug. 28, registered Democrats residing within the Port of Palm Beach District will head to the polls to elect a new commissioner for the Group 5 seat on the Port of Palm Beach Commission. The three Democrats competing for the seat are Joseph Anderson, a facilities manager; Scott Holtz, a local attorney; and John Sansbury, a former port commissioner and county administrator. A fourth candidate on the ballot, Kesnel Theus Jr., has withdrawn from the race. The winner of the Democratic primary will not face Republican opposition in the general election. Facing only token opposition from a write-in candidate, the winner of the primary will be the de facto winner of the Group 5 seat. The seat has been occupied by Commissioner Peyton McArthur for the past four years. He cur-

rently serves as vice chair of the five-member commission. McArthur was attempting to run for the Palm Beach County Commission in District 2, but his failure to resign from the port commission prior to filing his paperwork to run for another office disqualified him. The Port of Palm Beach District encompasses 50 percent of Palm Beach County, including most of the western communities. The port is the 18th busiest deepwater port in the United States and the fourth busiest within the State of Florida. It is considered an export port with a ratio of 80 percent exports to 20 percent imports. Approximately 60 percent of consumables in the Bahamas originate at the port, and it is essential to several other Caribbean islands. The port employs 2,400 people through direct and indirect means and generates $260 million in See PORT, page 7

Brian McClellan Named Principal At Osceola Creek

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report The 46-member staff and 750 students of Osceola Creek Middle School in The Acreage welcomed Brian McClellan as their new principal at the start of the 2018-19 school year. McClellan received his master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida Atlantic University in 2008. His career with Palm Beach County schools began with six years teaching math at Conniston Middle School in West Palm Beach. He next spent four years at Lake Worth High School as choice programs coordinator, where he promoted the school’s programs to middle schoolers. McClellan later worked with

the Department of Safe Schools as a learning team facilitator and worked with middle and high school math teachers as an instructor specialist. His most recent position was as the assistant principal at nearby Seminole Ridge High School. McClellan currently resides in Jupiter Farms with his wife Robie — a former Palm Beach County school teacher — and their four daughters, ages 10, 8 and a pair of two-and-a-halfyear-old twins. He is originally from Frederick, Md., outside Baltimore, where he grew up a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. He attended the game where Cal Ripken Jr. set the record for consecutive games played and

keeps an Orioles’ bobblehead on display in his office. “I came to Palm Beach County in 1999 at the invitation of a friend from college,” McClellan recalled. “I wanted a change of atmosphere. It’s just a nice place to live.” McClellan is very excited about his latest assignment. “I think Osceola Creek Middle School is a hidden gem,” he said. “The school has tremendous history, and it allows me to stay in Loxahatchee. Working at Seminole Ridge, I became familiar with the community.” McClellan’s time at Seminole Ridge has given him a fondness for the Acreage/Loxahatchee area, and he cites its equestrian comSee McCLELLAN, page 18

Brian McClellan was named the new principal at Osceola Creek Middle School. He previously served as an assistant principal at nearby Seminole Ridge High School. PHOTO BY CHRIS LEVY/TOWN-CRIER


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Town-Crier Newspaper August 24, 2018 by Wellington The Magazine LLC - Issuu