Town-Crier Newspaper August 31, 2018

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POWELL AMONG BIG ELECTION WINNERS SEE STORY, PAGE 3

ITID AWAITS SANTA ROSA REFERENDUM SEE STORY, PAGE 4

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

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Folkstone/Yarmouth Neighborhood Meeting No Day At The Park

Volume 39, Number 33 August 31 - September 6, 2018

Serving Palms West Since 1980

GLASSWARE PAINTING PARTY

Approximately 40 residents of the Folkstone/Yarmouth neighborhood turned out for an at-times-contentious meeting with Wellington officials on Thursday, Aug. 23. At issue was a proposed park to be erected on the site currently occupied by the portion of Folkstone Circle that connects Yarmouth Drive to Carlton Street. Page 3

Frank Zocco’s Auto Repair Celebrates Milestone Anniversary

Frank Zocco has been a leader in the local automotive repair industry for 28 years. He is currently celebrating the 10th anniversary of the current location of Frank Zocco’s Auto Repair off Pierson Road in Wellington. Page 7

Women of the Western Communities held a fundraising glassware painting party on Friday, Aug. 24 at the Wellington National Golf Club. KB Social Artworking had a variety of glassware to choose from, such as wine glasses, champagne flutes, martini glasses, coffee cups and more to paint. Shown above are Karen Cavanagh, Paula Castro, Evette Bilbo and Kaycee Blanchard with their creations. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

WRMC Reunites Stroke Patient With Lifesaving First Responders

Wellington Regional Medical Center hosted a “Call of the Quarter” celebration on Tuesday, Aug. 28 to recognize Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 20 and reunite stroke patient Thelma Bibbo with the rescue crew, hospital physicians and staff who saved her life. The event also celebrated Bibbo’s 91st birthday. Page 7

Lake Wellington Plan Draws Opposition At Council Meeting By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report A number of residents opposed to the redevelopment of the Lake Wellington area addressed the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday, Aug. 28. While the item wasn’t on the agenda, key people from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce spoke during the public forum portion of the meeting against the proposal. Money for the design phase of the plan is set to be voted on as part of the village’s proposed 2018-19 fiscal year budget in September. The project itself, however, has not been approved. Village staff unveiled an ambitious proposal for the lakefront property at the council’s budget/ capital improvements workshop on Aug. 13. The current concept calls for a multi-use recreational

area including an artificial beach and a café. A portion of the proposed site currently contains the Lake Wellington Professional Centre, home to more than 170 businesses. The displacement of these businesses has caused the proposal to meet with opposition from business and civic leaders, including Mayor Anne Gerwig, who spoke against the plan at the budget workshop. The first to speak was Wellington resident Roxanne Stein, a former WPTV news anchor who now serves as president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. “We’re here tonight to express opposition to the Lake Wellington redevelopment initiative,” Stein said. “This demolition is of concern because it would result in the displacement of more than 170 businesses. Many of these busi-

nesses are owned by residents, and they contribute to the successful business climate that we’re experiencing here in Wellington. All have local clientele and they enjoy the convenience of the location.” Among the tenants at the village-owned facility is the Wellington Chamber. “The Lake Wellington Professional Centre generates in excess of $200,000 a year annually for the village,” Stein said. “It’s the only executive suite business model within the village that supports small business.” Stein feels that the proposal has been moving forward too quickly without enough public input. “You, as a council, have already allocated $1.2 million in the current budget just for a design concept,” she said. “In our opinion, a See LAKE PLANS, page 18

Developer To Unveil Latest Polo North Proposal Sept. 6

Wolverines Shut Out Royal Palm Beach 38-0 In Season Opener

The Wellington High School football team hosted rival Royal Palm Beach High School to open the regular season on Friday, Aug. 24, shutting out the Wildcats 38-0. The win gives the Wolverines some momentum as they prepare to face state-ranked Vero Beach High School on Friday night. Page 19 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 15 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS............................. 17 CALENDAR............................ 18 SPORTS......................... 19 - 20 CLASSIFIEDS................ 21 - 22 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report Residents of homes in Wellington’s 12th Fairway neighborhood awoke the morning of Saturday, Aug. 25 to find a flier attached to their doors once again announcing a proposed development for the site of the former Palm Beach Polo & Country Club North Golf Course. The flier invited residents to a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Community Center, located at 12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd., to learn more about the residential housing proposal. The area is located on the north side of Forest Hill Blvd., adjacent to the Wellington branch library. An unused golf course for nearly two decades, the area has overgrown and taken on the look of a natural preserve that many residents of the 12th Fairway enjoy and believe add to their property values. The homes were designated for golf course views when they were built. As a result, past attempts to develop the area by Palm Beach Polo owner Glenn Straub have

been received with strong community resistance. The proposed development, which has not yet moved past the concept stage, is to be called Polo Club North. The company behind the proposed development is Miami-based 13th Floor Investments, whose principal is Michael Nunziata. While representatives from 13th Floor have had preliminary discussions with Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Building Director Bob Basehart, there is no official proposal currently before the village. Village Manager Paul Schofield said at Tuesday’s Wellington Village Council meeting that the preliminary renderings he viewed do not meet with the village code due to a lack of open areas. Karina Castaño with Schwartz Media Strategies in Miami released a statement to the TownCrier on behalf of the developer. “13th Floor Homes has entered into a preliminary agreement to acquire Polo North. Our team is in the early planning stages, and while we have not yet finalized a site plan, we do know with

certainty that this will remain a for-sale residential project designed to enhance the surrounding community,” the statement read. “As we continue our due diligence, 13th Floor Homes will be hosting a town hall on Sept. 6 to gather initial feedback from the community. We look forward to incorporating the insights shared into our vision.” Michelle Kaplan, who has lived on the 12th Fairway since 2012, has been outspoken on the issue. After receiving the notice, she began knocking on the doors of neighbors to gather opposition support. She created a Facebook group called “The 12th Fairway” to organize members of the community. “The proposed plan has one access point on Forest Hill, so it’s right in and right out only,” Kaplan said in an e-mail to village officials that she shared with the TownCrier. “So, if you have to head east, your only option is to dash across three lanes of traffic and make a U-turn at South Shore. In the morning, the traffic backs up at See POLO NORTH, page 4

Museum Of Natural History Finds A Home At Wellington Green By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report Tucked away in a corner of the Mall at Wellington Green near Nordstrom is the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History. It was a topic of conversation at the Wellington Village Council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 28, when Museum Director Rudolph Pascucci and Special Events/Development Manager Alyssa Rudinsky gave a presentation explaining the museum and its background. The museum opened at its present Wellington location on June 10, 2017. Since that time, more than 10,000 visitors have passed through the museum, including numerous school field trips. What began as a three-month test run has now resulted in a new 18-month lease keeping the museum at the mall until the first quarter of 2020. “Fate brought us to Wellington,” Pascucci said. “We love the village. We are more than happy. It is the best place in Palm Beach County that we can be.” Pascucci is a New York native and a retired U.S. Army captain who saw combat in Vietnam. He holds advanced degrees from Florida Atlantic University in geoscience and paleontology.

He relocated to South Florida in 2009 when he began teaching at Everglades Preparatory Academy. Also on the museum staff is paleontologist Robert DePalma, who Pascucci describes as a rising star within the field. DePalma has appeared on NatGeo and is currently at an excavation in South Dakota. Dr. Peter Ferdinando is the museum’s anthropologist. He has displayed a passion for colonial Florida history and was the force behind the museum’s past Exhibition Conquistador displays. Prior to the museum’s acquisition of space within the mall, the exhibits traveled to different locations, including the Grassy Waters Preserve and the South Florida Science Museum in West Palm Beach, and the Lawrence E. Will Museum of the Glades in Belle Glade. “The mall chose us,” Pascucci said. “We explored other locations in Palm Beach and Broward counties, but nothing worked until we came to Wellington.” Pascucci cited support from the quality local schools and businesses, along with the team at Starwood Properties, which owns the Mall at Wellington Green. He singled out Marketing DirecSee MUSEUM, page 18

Alyssa Rudinsky and Rudolph Pascucci beside a triceratops on display at the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History.

PHOTO BY CHRIS LEVY/TOWN-CRIER

Lox Voters Reject Referendum On Road Bonds

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Voters in the Town of Loxahatchee Groves resoundingly rejected a referendum question on Tuesday that would have enabled residents to obtain long-term loans to improve their roads and drainage. The vote was 368 (62.80 percent) opposed and 218 (37.20 percent) in favor. Mayor Dave Browning explained that the referendum question asked voters if they want to change the existing charter language that prohibits the council from taking out long-term loans. “Nothing changes,” Browning said. “This was a tool to allow people who wanted to pay the extra to have their road paved. It would have allowed them to borrow that money over 10 years rather than three years. Our original charter set up a limit to three years of borrowing. The purpose was so that we would not go into long-term debt like a lot of towns do. We’re still at that three-year

limit, which means it will almost make it impossible for someone to have their road paved.” Browning said that the town had established a policy where Loxahatchee Groves would pay half the cost and the residents who wanted paving would pay the other half. “To have the residents come up with the other 50 percent in three years is going to be very difficult,” Browning said. Browning attributed voters’ rejection of the referendum question largely as frustration over taxes. “A lot of people didn’t understand what the referendum was for,” Browning said. “They really thought that the town would then be able to go out and just borrow willy-nilly. That wasn’t the case, but the voters spoke, so we will just continue to go on. It really doesn’t change anything.” Browning said that when he was a Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District supervisor, the district was able to get a 10-year loan See REFERENDUM, page 7

Residents Speak Out On Guns At Frankel Town Hall

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel (DDistrict 21) was at the Wellington Community Center with other elected officials Wednesday night to discuss gun violence and gather input from about 150 residents who attended the meeting. Officials at the table with Frankel included Palm Beach County Mayor Melissa McKinlay, State Rep. Matt Willhite (D-District 86), Wellington Councilman John McGovern, School Board Member Marcia Andrews, Lake Worth Commissioner Herman Robinson and Greg Weiss, who won a seat this week on the Palm Beach County Commission. “I know you all had a fright-

ening experience at one of your local high schools recently, and there was another tragic incident in Jacksonville,” Frankel said. “We wanted to give the public an opportunity to talk to your elected officials.” She said that there is no simple solution to gun violence. “This is not an us-against-them kind of thing, whether it’s better gun regulation, more resources on mental health or community intervention,” Frankel said. “We looked at a lot of ideas, and maybe you have others.” Bruce Tuma said the United States Supreme Court’s opinion about the Second Amendment said that citizens have the right to bear arms to protect themselves.

“My question is, if we decide to take some people’s rights away, who will protect them?” Tuma asked. Ari Silver, a student at Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton, questioned a person’s right to own any type of gun, versus a young person’s right to live or survive in school. “I don’t think this encapsulates the fear that students actually have to experience every day going to school,” Silver said. “If somebody knocks on the door too loudly in the classroom, kids look up in fear and they’re scared. I would like to know what the plan is. If we are allowed to live with the crazy guns, what are the plans to effectively See FRANKEL, page 18

Lois Frankel speaks at Wednesday’s town hall meeting in Wellington, flanked by Melissa McKinlay, Matt Willhite, John McGovern, Marcia Andrews, Greg Weiss and Herman Robinson.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER


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