The Village of Wellington continued its series of public forums on budget issues last week with several on July 28 and a wrap-up forum on July 29.
SEE STORIES, PAGE 3A & 7A
Wellington’s Hometown Newspaper
Volume 28, Number 31
‘B’ Grades W Will S illStand tand For WHS And SRHS AndSRHS
By Paul Gaba Town-Crier Staff Report
Administrators at Seminole Ridge and Wellington high schools have confirmed that neither school is eligible to appeal its 2007 “B” grade with the Florida Department of Education (FDOE).
After administrators from both schools analyzed 2007 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) data with district officials last month, they were faced with the realization that they were unable to find questionable student results that would allow them to properly seek appeals.
In late June, the FDOE rated Seminole Ridge a “B” school based on FCAT results that earned the school 524 points, one shy of the 525 required for an “A.”
Wellington High School’s 576 points were 51 points above the minimum “A” grade benchmark, but the school was docked a grade because only 49.6 percent of its lowest-scoring students in reading made gains in the school year just ended.
The state requires “A” schools to demonstrate a minimum 50 percent improvement in their lowest-achieving students in reading and math in order to retain the grade, and rounding up is not an option.
Wellington High School Assistant Principal Barbara For-
gash said it is truly frustrating that Wellington far exceeded the number of FCAT points needed to achieve an “A” grade.
“The state doesn’t round up; I wish they did,” Forgash said. “We were less than one student [from avoiding the penalty]. It’s very disappointing, but we have to regroup. I know we have great kids and a great staff. We shouldn’t have been so close to the edge; next time we need to exceed it.”
While the school’s review of the lowest 25 percent of reading students unearthed several debatable student scores, “the state wouldn’t let us use those students,” Forgash said.
“We don’t meet the criteria to submit an appeal,” Forgash said.
“In fact, no high school has found a way to appeal. At the elementary level, they can piggyback on the problems they had with the test, but we’re not in that position.”
Forgash was referring to the FDOE’s May announcement that the state had messed up the 2006 third-grade reading test, leading to questions about the viability of state grades.
SRHS Principal Dr. Lynne McGee said she and her staff were unable to find a viable way to appeal the grade after reviewing all the data.
“It’s not that we didn’t want to, but we pored through the data, and the results line up with the state, so there’s no reason
See SCHOOLS, page 46A
Acreage volunteers began to arrive even before the scheduled 8:30 a.m. start of last Sunday’s cleanup of the Indian Trail Improvement District’s planned eastern trail network. The district is working to improve, enlarge and interconnect its system of multipurpose trails, which will be used by equestrians, hikers and bicyclists. Pictured here is Amy Cole aboard April. STORY & MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 13A
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
Pop quiz: Do you know the definition of “running” a red light? If not, you might want to learn quickly as the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is participating in “Stop Red Light Running Week” Aug. 4 through 11 in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation.
For the record, the PBSO defines running a red light as when a driver enters an intersection some time after the signal light has turned red.
According to the FDOT, 40 percent of all traffic deaths and injuries in the state occur in intersections. Many are caused by red light running, driver distractions or failure to yield the right of way.
Last year, Florida law enforcement officers issued more
than 300,000 tickets to drivers who ran red lights. Capt. Tony Araujo, who commands the PBSO’s District 9 substation in Royal Palm Beach, welcomed the focus on red light runners.
“Here in District 9, we’re very proactive when it comes to traffic enforcement on many fronts,” he said. “This is a good opportunity to rally all law enforcement and pay particular attention to red light running.”
Araujo said District 9 has a district-wide traffic action plan, “but we’ll probably duplicate our efforts at certain intersections that are problematic, and we’re going to do zero tolerance.”
Araujo didn’t specify which intersections will experience extra vigilance, but said there are several in the village that see many scofflaws daily. “If you stand at the corner of Okeechobee Blvd. and Royal
Palm Beach Blvd. on any given day,” he said, “you’ll see the light turn red and you’ll see five to ten cars go through the intersection. I think the same occurs at State Road 7 and Okeechobee Blvd. and at State Road 7 and Southern Blvd.”
Araujo said his deputies can’t stop every red light runner, “but we are going to have as many contacts as we can so we can get the point across.”
As with any community policing effort, Araujo said, contact between a deputy and a citizen is as much about education as issuing citations.
“When we see someone run a red light and we stop them, it’s up to the officer’s discretion as to what action they take,” Araujo said. “It could be a citation or it could be a warning. Our goal is to get folks in the habit of stopping, as opposed to what they do now.”
PHOTO BY LEONARD WECHSLER/TOWN-CRIER
PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in West Palm Beach hosted the Petapalooza Adopt-a-thon last Saturday. The event included numerous pet craft vendors, pet photo IDs, face-painting, speakers offering dog-training tips, a canine show featuring the Amazing Frisbee Dogs and more. Shown here is Charlotte Murphy with a black lab she adopted. More Photos, Page 15A
A PETAPALOOZA!
Small Crowds, Big Comments At Wellington Budget Forums
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
The Village of Wellington continued its series of public forums on budget issues last week with sessions on Friday, July 28 directed at the equestrian community; senior citizens; charitable and religious organizations; and neighborhood associations, homeowners’ groups and property associations.
Last Friday’s forums at the Village Park gym on Pierson Road were preceded by discussions the previous day with sports providers, business people, schools and the village’s own boards and committees, and were followed on Saturday by a general-purpose forum for all residents (see related story, page 7A).
The forums were intended to generate feedback to help the village trim its budget and find new ways of keeping revenue flowing in.
Although the public turnout at the series of forums was light overall, last Friday’s forum on senior issues drew the largest group of participants, who discussed topics such as affordable housing, the lack of an adult congregate living facility or senior center, and transportation.
Seniors also voiced concerns about the continuing saga of closing businesses and empty storefronts in strip centers, while new shopping centers were being proposed for elsewhere in the community.
Howard Trager, a member of the Wellington Seniors Club and
the Wellington Senior Task Force, said he chose Wellington because other communities had a “senior living” feel he didn’t like.
“I remember the image of what Wellington was,” Trager said. “We went to Delray. We went to Boca. We went to Boynton Beach, and we came here. It was beautiful. That was in 1988. I wanted children in the community. I wanted libraries. I wanted schools. That was what I wanted. Although I was a senior, I didn’t want to be locked into that kind of community.”
Trager said he was disappointed that a local transport system such as a trolley was never implemented, despite support from older residents, youngsters and business leaders. “They thought it was a wonderful thing,” Trager said. “The kids were able to go out and go to work after school. They wouldn’t have to worry about traffic on the road. It’s just not feasible. The roadways in the community are not county roads. They are difficult to maneuver. It’s difficult for any kind of mass transportation vehicle to get in and out.”
Trager also said Wellington’s Seniors Club deserves a presence on the village’s web site. “When you go to the Village of Wellington web site and you look under seniors,” he said, “all you have is the senior services coordinator. The Seniors Club is not listed there at all. If someone was moving here, and they wanted to look us up, you
would never find the Wellington Seniors Club.”
Resident Bob Kruger called seniors Wellington’s “quiet population,” the most law-abiding residents but also apparently overlooked. “How much money are we going to have to spend on our youth programs,” Kruger asked, “and the crime rate still rises? I don’t get that. It’s the same with education. We’re treading water, and we’re throwing money at education. The last point is a real zinger. How long do we have to bark before we get a park to go to?”
Terry O’Grady, also a member of the Wellington Seniors Club and the Wellington Senior Task Force, noted that while today’s seniors may be dissatisfied with the current level of services and facilities available, the village will soon hear from the subsequent generation, who will also be seniors soon.
“There are thousands and thousands of them,” O’Grady said. “When they are 55, what are you going to do for them? What kind of services are you going to supply for them? Nobody has looked at that.”
Sam and Anita Nebb said they moved to the community for the mix of older and younger residents, and they hoped they would continue to see that.
“We want multigenerational growth,” Sam Nebb said. “We don’t want to see just old people moving to Wellington. We want to see all different ages.”
Nebb also said he hoped the Wellington Village Council would have more public forums or oth-
er opportunities for one-on-one communication with residents in the future, not just when confronted with an emergency situation. “We need to have more meetings,” he said. “It could be e-mails and it could be phone calls.”
During their forum later Friday, representatives of charitable organizations voiced concerns about keeping the kids off the streets, finding care and affordable housing for elderly residents, and keeping cultural programs going in the village. Many cited a need to maintain a balanced population by retaining both its older and younger elements.
Rotarian Wes Boughner stressed the importance of community appearance, maintaining current facilities and revitalizing older areas. “The appearance of the community is important because things are starting to go downhill now,” he said.
Boughner, a retired education professional, also took issue with the village’s annual grants to public schools in Wellington. Boughner said funding public education is the responsibility of the Palm Beach County School District, and cited the Rotary Club’s initiative-based support for education as an alternative.
“I totally disagree with the
See FORUM, page 46A
BY CAROL
Budget Talk — Wellington Community Liaison Officer John Bonde chats with Sam Nebb at last Friday’s budget forum.
PHOTO
Our Opinion Wellington Officials Taking Right Steps To Solve Budget Woes
It’s a year of difficult decisions for local governments across Florida. Wellington’s public budget forums last week were the latest step in finding a long-term fix to what local officials hope is a short-term problem, while at the same time identifying how to shield the community from the effects of a long-term predicament.
We strongly support the proactive approach, and hope village staff and officials seriously review the information gleaned from the three-day series.
The short-term “problem,” so to speak, is the double whammy of a mandatory millage rate rollback and a potential change in the state’s homestead exemption.
The long-term predicament is how to maintain the village’s levels of service, long sustained by development-driven revenues and property taxes.
With the village almost built out, revenues from development are drying up, leaving Wellington with a large residential base that provides a great deal of demand while supplying little revenue apart from property taxes. And the state has mandated that the property tax slice of the pie is too large.
For Wellington, the rollback rate is based on last year’s tax revenue, minus another nine percent. This would bring the village’s tax rate from last year’s 2.7 mills to 2.3 mills per $1,000 of taxable value. The reduction translates to a $3 million decrease in property tax revenues overall. Tax revenues could be reduced further if Florida voters approve the new homestead “super exemption” through a referendum in January.
But insights gleaned from the multiple workshops will not likely result in relief in the short term. For example: the business roundtable focused on ways Wellington can attract new employers and help boost its tax base, but no such measures can be implemented in advance of the fiscal year’s Oct. 1 start date. And to their credit, participants — including village staff and elected officials — never pushed that aspect during the discussion.
Wellington Water Policy Gets An ‘F’
Although the public turnout was disappointing, we are thrilled the forums functioned the way they did. We feared the three-day series would feature a depressing nonstop train of concerned citizens standing before a microphone, begging the village in five-minute increments to save their programs. Not that we have anything against citizen input into the budget process; Wellington residents have every right to ensure business of government is transparent and their elected officials and hired municipal staff are accountable for every penny. However, the roundtable format allowed for a deeper public exploration of ideas and concepts, and if used properly, will be a useful tool to strengthen the community’s focus on services and prioritize its needs in a positive and effective manner. All signs so far appear to point in that direction.
In anticipation of the upcoming budget year, Wellington already implemented a hiring freeze, and will put nearly $5.4 million in projects on the back burner. The village may also reduce or eliminate some of the programs it has funded in the past, donations it traditionally makes to charitable organizations, and some special interest or neighborhood requests.
Wellington’s primary goal, of course, is to trim or adjust expenses without reducing services, particularly those that contribute to the health, safety and welfare of residents. It’s a watershed year for the financial affairs of local governments across the state, which still don’t know what sort of hand they will be dealt.
We congratulate Wellington for trying so hard in a year of tough choices. While neighboring Royal Palm Beach has not found itself in such a difficult corner, the same cannot be said for Palm Beach County. If county officials were equally enthusiastic about reaching out to the public before making adverse budgeting decisions, perhaps their constituents would have more confidence in their leadership.
Letters To The Editor
On Monday in the courtroom in downtown West Palm Beach was a scene that was quite unbelievable. People were cheering when the Village of Wellington lost another case, one after the other. The Wellington lawyers were prosecuting doctors, elderly, Realtors, people of Wellington who really were protesting the water policy of the village and code enforcers who were clearly uneducated. As former president of First Wellington [Well-
TOWN-CRIER
Your Community Newspaper
Serving The Palms West Communities For 27 Years Published Weekly By Newspaper Publishers, Inc.
12794 West Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31
The Original Wellington Mall Wellington, Florida 33414
World Wide Web: http://www.goTownCrier.com E-Mail Address: news@goTownCrier.com
BARRY S. MANNING Publisher
JODY GORRAN Associate Publisher DAWN RIVERA General Manager
ington’s former master homeowners’ association], I can assure the citizens that the code officials do not know what they are doing. They had approximately 18 or so officials in there including police, code officials and a cadre of lawyers that I estimate cost the village $6,000 to prosecute 30 people to get approximately $75 in fines each.
and the citizens of Wellington are so stupid.
Everyone should have gone to the courtroom Monday and seen how each “not guilty” offense was thrown out by the honorable judge. The citizens outwardly clapped and shouted “yay.” By the time the sixth thunderous clapping came about, the judge told the audience to be quiet, and each time he gave the warning the clapping continued, albeit a little less each time.
change staff, get rid of the old staff, and the council needs to be more hands-on and insist on these firings.
The council is in charge, not Charlie Lynn, and not any of the senior staffers there. That’s what I did as president of the 20,000 members living in the old First Wellington: I cut staff by 50 percent and cut the budget by 75 percent in the first few months.
JOSHUA I. MANNING Executive Editor RON BUKLEY Managing Editor
JASON BUDJINSKI Community Editor MARK LIOI News Editor
WRITERS/ Denise Fleischman • Paul Gaba • Lisa Keeney Steve Pike • Carol Porter • Leonard Wechsler
ART & PRODUCTION MANAGER/ Stephanie Rodriguez ADVERTISING/ Evie Edwards • Wanda Glockson STAFF/ Betty Buglio • Shanta Daibee • Geri O’Neil
Founded In 1980 By Bob Markey Sr. Copyright 2007, Newspaper Publishers Inc.
The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising.
Now, maybe the village isn’t a business, but do the math: the village lost $3,000 for one day’s work, not to mention the months and months of preparation and time and money; hundreds of thousands and they still can’t get it right? They have a village manager, Charlie Lynn, paid six figures in benefits and salary and expense accounts yada, yada, and he doesn’t know the proper procedure to file code enforcement? The village “idiots” should be ashamed of themselves. Now to save face, the officials want to “appeal” these items and throw more money at this issue, even though there is plenty of rain and nobody is sprinkling anyway. I know mine is shut off in case the timer gets thrown off.
Now simple math shows that you would not get much more than $2,500 for the day’s work. Isn’t it better to let everyone go than to lose money? For instance, $6,000 cost minus $2,500 income is a net loss of $3,500 for one day. If you add the hundreds of thousands lost in the failed system, the costs are ever larger.
Why doesn’t Wellington stop with the harassment? Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres — nobody does what Wellington does. So isn’t this a wrong and failed policy? Not according to Wellington.
After the judge ruled wisely that Wellington improperly did not give notice to anyone to be put on notice according to [state] statute, he let everyone go and dismissed each case. But Wellington’s lawyers and code officials continued to prosecute a failed system just like [President] George W. Bush is doing in Iraq. Why? Because they can’t go back to Charlie Lynn and go back to the council to show them it’s failed. They will present a rosy picture of why they are so smart
What was so reprehensible was the fact that, for instance, one enforcer didn’t even have much over a year’s or so experience, working as a bank clerk of some sort prior, allegedly. Her own supervisor said she needed more training on the code and understanding. She shouldn’t be in the field citing for violations until she has experience. But they put someone like this in the fray... Where did she come from? Who hired her? All her cases were thrown out.
One Realtor there said that she showed up with two police officials at his door. She was rude and all he did was check his zones, as I had also done, and you are allowed to check zones up to 10 minutes per zone per week! Under the Phase 2 and Phase 3 water restrictions, you are allowed to do this under existing systems. There is nothing wrong with following the rules as I have done, and all these good citizens have done. It is wrong and ridiculous to continue with this enforcement procedure the way it stands.
We need to reduce government in Wellington, reduce taxes, and get rid of three-quarters of the code enforcement staff. There are too many people running around making life miserable for everyone. Even Jess Santamaria’s property was cited, and they are landlords of the village offices. His son also successfully defended one of the tenants there cited wrongly by the village. Very simply, the village needs to
But it’s common sense, don’t spend more than you bring in, right? Hiring a bank clerk to do code enforcement isn’t what is necessary. It’s hiring people who are responsive and pleasant to our community’s needs and desires. Giving a warning isn’t so bad. It’s less expensive than the failed policies of Charlie Lynn. The village needs to clean house, quit using tactics that lose money for the village and that don’t bring any result other than justify their own salaries and jobs.
In business, other than at Enron or some such place, if you screw up with something as massive as the water enforcement, you do not reward the same screw-ups. You replace them.
And when the job isn’t done, you start at the top, and that is Charlie Lynn. The council will always be the council and there will be good and bad council members. The council is not to blame here, but now that they know that they have a failed policy, the council will be to blame if they don’t immediately act and quit the failed policies of Charlie Lynn.
Jerry Ostry Wellington
Wellington Hard On Village Employees
Hostile working conditions are nothing new in Wellington. Charles Lynn, the village manager, master puppeteer and self proclaimed “spin doctor” uses Paul Schofield, community services director, as his hatchet-
See LETTERS, page 5A
The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address, and telephone number (anonymously sent letters will not be published), to 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to 793-6090; or you can e-mail to letters @goTownCrier.com.
Wellington Should Be Jumping On The New Stadium Deal
Wellington and Stadium Jumping deserve each other.
Huh? Is that a good or a bad thing?
Most Wellington residents — apparently including members of the Wellington Village Council — and the business community take it as a good thing.
Some members of Wellington’s equestrian community seem to oppose a project intended to keep Stadium Jumping in the community for many years to come. Perhaps they were up north and hadn’t heard about the debate over broken partnerships and the lawsuits that threatened to tear out the heart of the annual equestrian season.
For nearly three decades, Stadium Jumping, producer of the Winter Equestrian Festival and the National Horse Show, has become synonymous with Wellington. Huge piles of money have been spent to make that connection, which now is international in scope and has made our community the epicenter
Letters
continued from page 4A man, running our village, not our elected leaders.
A recent investigation and revelations have brought forth numerous allegations and quotes, but the one that says it all is [from] Village Engineer Gary Clough, “everyone is scared of Paul Schofield.” For years numerous village employees have told me that personally. I believe it!
Those who don’t fit in are pushed out, or leave of their own accord:
• Debbie Brisson, former recreation director, now Martin County recreation director
• Ken Roundtree, public works director, left for greener pastures
• Caryn Gardner-Young, village planning director, now village manager in Parkland
• Paulette Horn, code enforcement director, left and has been followed by four or five temp and permanent (short-term) administrators and other code enforcement officers hired, quit to go to Royal Palm Beach and Greenacres.
JOIN
IN
of equestrian competition throughout the world.
That partnership generates many millions of dollars annually for the local economy in the form of tax revenues, fees and lots of cold cash to local businesses that benefits all our residents. That figure jumps even higher when hundreds of jobs are factored in.
Stadium Jumping and its head “groomsman” Gene Mische nearly imploded after partnering up with others in hopes of taking the horse show venue to a whole new level. First, according to a lawsuit, one of his partners allegedly started selling off property that was supposed to be part of a new show grounds, and another partner who actually owned the property reportedly served Mr. Mische notice that his lease would not be extended.
Mr. Mische, with a little help from some powerful friends and a supportive village, is trying to free himself from the
Others include Village Attorney Christine Tatum and Public Works Director Prince Alexander. My question is why?
Our mayor likes to say that “a fish stinks from the head on down,” so I’ll start at the top.
Mayor Tom Wenham: Old news, the mayor swore, “not a single house on a golf course while I’m mayor.” That promise only lasted a few weeks! More recently there are the allegations that he (unprofessionally) attempted to set up an employee, but after being told, once, then again, so twice, and then upon a third request he was told “no means no,” and he then allegedly told the employee she had “two strikes against her.” The employee quit!
Even more recently, and not an allegation, but pure fact, Wellington Regional Medical Center had a huge banner (billboard size) for years, in violation of Wellington code, but received no violation or fine. Why? Perhaps because our mayor is on their board, so all visiting Wellington got to see a huge “now hiring” sign. Thanks Tom, good job!
A TOWN-CRIER POLL!
Should The PBSO Do More Or Less Traffic Enforcement?
A. More! We need to make our streets safer.
B. Less! Stop harassing residents and focus on real criminals.
Cast your vote by visiting www.goTownCrier.com and scrolling down to the poll question at the bottom left of the web page. It’s as easy as that!
Previous Question: In Which Area Should The Village Of Wellington Make Budget Cuts? A. Sports and recreation: 3 percent; B. Special events: 26 percent; C. Administrative salaries: 68 percent; and D. Police and firerescue services: 3 percent.
bondage of self-serving partners and count instead on an entire community that wants to keep Wellington’s signature events in the village where they belong. One of his big problems is Stadium Jumping’s success, which corresponds with his own. The shows keep getting bigger, the crowds are growing, the season has expanded beyond the winter... and Stadium Jumping continues to run out of space.
Now Stadium Jumping has worked out a deal that will allow the producer to grow on property about a mile away — the troublesome Section 34 land, which is ideal for a horse arena but not much else. Stadium Jumping hopes to have the site ready in time to accommodate the 2009 equestrian season, completing the $55 million-plus investment over another four years. And the best part is that it won’t cost taxpayers a dime.
Mr. Mische and other Stadium Jump-
Bob Margolis: Using locker-room type innuendo and tactics by accusing another council member of starting a rumor about him. I personally would not be surprised if the rumor was true; many an elected official has used their position to assist themselves! I personally resent his change to fire the village’s volunteer code board because hired attorneys would be cheaper. Yeah, and I have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell.
My favorite Margolis tidbit was his statement, “I learn most of what is going on in Wellington from the newspapers.” I would have hoped that he would have learned village business from staff and the village manager!
Laurie Cohen: A lawyer who got fellow lawyers hired to replace the volunteer code board, because it was cheaper, but recent revelations, from the council, put and end to that dastardly lie! When Cohen ran for office she never stated her time constraints, so imagine my surprise when I found out that village staff (at taxpayers’ expense) was sent into town to prep her for council meetings while the rest were prepped here in Wellington. At a recent meeting, she had the gall to disparage another council member who was absent. Then, showing us her true colors, she stated that a 5 p.m. meeting caused her to lose “billable hours.” Boo-hoo for little Laurie Cohen, whining about her sacrifices.
Personally, I believe public office is something to be exalted and appreciated, but our council shows us something else. Is it any wonder our children do not aspire to public service, and our country has little faith in its leaders. It starts right here at home, unfortunately!
George Unger Wellington
Louda: Everything In Moderation
I would like to make a very important correction to the article “Lox Town
Point of View...
By Don Brown
ing officials are doing the right thing by reaching out to neighbors and other residents to fully explain the project during a series of public forums. The latest one was held last week. Next stop was Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board late this week to unveil Stadium Jumping’s master plan for the new venue.
Stadium Jumping has a date before the Wellington Village Council on Aug. 28 for a full public hearing on the project. My advice to council members: don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Council Hashes Out Manure Concerns With Experts” (July 27).
To quote: “Horse manure dumping is a concern for the town because the waste is high in phosphorus.” Neither I nor anyone else speaking that evening said that horse manure was “high in phosphorus.” In fact, it is at the lowest end of the scale of animal manures. However, as I showed that evening with an analytical demonstration and data recap, horse manure has anywhere from two to 20 mg P (phosphorus) per gram dry weight. That equates to 0.2 to 2.0 percent P on a dry weight basis or about 0.1 to 1.0 percent P on a wet weight basis.
Going further, I and many of the other speakers showed that spreading (composted or aged) manure on one’s fields in moderate amounts and in a rotational basis is good for the land and causes no problems. The problem/concern is that huge accumulations of manure-laden wastes can eventually overwhelm both the capacity for minerals to complex bioavailable (a.k.a. soluble reactive phosphorus) P and the ability of plants (mainly grasses) to utilize it. When that happens (saturation) any new P runs off into surficial waters.
Bottom line, a small number (P content of horse manure) times a really, really big number (mountains of horse manure) is still a really big number.
Loxahatchee Groves can recycle our own production internally quite well. We do not need to be inundated with megatons from outside. Take home lesson: everything in moderation! I thank you for your time and consideration.
Dr. Bill Louda Loxahatchee Groves Councilman
Principal: SRHS ‘Drug Use’ Numbers Misleading
Many of our community members have read the article about Seminole See LETTERS, page 46A
String Of Home Burglaries In Royal Palm Beach Leads To Arrest
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
JULY 28 — The theft of a cell phone charger cord from a vehicle in a Royal Palm Beach neighborhood last Saturday led to the arrest of a man on burglary charges. According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report, deputies from the Royal Palm Beach substation responded to a home on East Lakeview Drive at 7 a.m. After meeting with the victim, who said her phone charger was stolen sometime
CRIME NEWS CRIME NEWS
between 4 p.m. last Friday and 7 a.m. the following morning, deputies responded to three similar incidents at nearby houses. Further investigation led to the arrest of 23-yearold Barry Howle of West Palm Beach, who was sleeping in a house on East Lakeview Drive. According to the report, deputies recovered a bag of stolen items relating to the investigations, and Howle admitted to the crimes. The case was
turned over to the State Attorney’s Office.
• • •
JULY 23 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to Vivian A. Ferrin Memorial Park on Okeechobee Blvd. last Monday regarding an attempted burglary. Upon arrival at approximately 7:42 a.m., the deputy met with an RPB Parks & Recreation Department employee at a park garage, where the key portion of a lock had been pried from the base. According to the PBSO report, because the lock could
Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives:
• Sequel Gaspar, a.k.a. Saqueo Gaspar, is a white male, 5’3” tall and weighing 145 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 10/24/77. Gaspar is wanted for failure to appear in court on the charges of driving without a valid driver’s license and driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury. His occupation is construction. His last known address was Island Shores Drive in Greenacres. Gaspar is wanted as of 08/02/07.
• Ian Lacovara, a.k.a. Ian Thomas or Devon Thomas, is a white male, 5’10” tall and weighing 145 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 11/04/76. He has tattoos on his chest and both shoulders. Lacovara is wanted for grand theft. His occupation is computer repair. His last known address was Callington Drive in Wellington. Lacovara is wanted as of 08/02/07. Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to $1,000 reward. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crime stopperspbc.com.
THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BY CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY, WHICH IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT.
not function, the garage door was stuck and could not be manually lifted. When the door was finally opened, nothing appeared to be missing from inside the garage, according to the report.
JULY 24 — A Lantana juvenile was arrested on a charge of petty theft at the Costco store in Royal Palm Beach last Tuesday. According to a PBSO report, a Costco security guard observed the juvenile attempt to steal four video games worth a total of $128.78 at approximately 5:12 p.m. The juvenile was arrested without incident and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
JULY 26 — A routine traffic stop in Royal Palm Beach resulted in the drug arrest of an Acreage man last Thursday. According to a PBSO report, 23-year-old Michael Sellnow was pulled over at the intersection of Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and Heatherwood Drive at approximately 11:30 p.m. when deputies discovered he was in possession of a marijuana cigarette that weighed approximately three grams. Sellnow was arrested and issued a notice to appear in court.
JULY 27 — A Wellington man reportedly wearing only his boxer shorts and socks was arrested for driving under the influence on Forest Hill Blvd. last Friday. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the substation in Wellington pulled over 21-year-old Anthony Santisi at approximately 5:51 a.m. after witnessing him run a red light at Forest Hill Blvd. and Welling-
ton Trace. According to the report, Santisi failed two blood alcohol tests. He was arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail.
JULY 27 — A 22-year-old West Palm Beach man was arrested for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia in Wellington last Friday. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Wellington substation made contact with Antonio Contreras at approximately 12:10 p.m. in an area behind the Wellington Marketplace. Contreras was discovered to be in possession of 12 grams of marijuana, as well as a glass marijuana pipe. He was arrested and issued a notice to appear in court.
JULY 27 — A man and woman were arrested and charged with retail theft at Nordstrom at the Mall at Wellington Green last Friday. According to a PBSO report, 21-year-old Aviva Cochran of Palm Springs and 20year-old Samuel Minnaker of Parkland were observed by Nordstrom security walking out of the store with merchandise at approximately 2:08 p.m. According to the report, Minnaker walked out of the store with three T-shirts valued at a total of $115.90; Cochran was observed exiting the store with a pair of jeans in her purse. Minnaker and Cochran were taken to the county jail.
JULY 27 — A Wellington man was arrested and charged with driving under the influence at the BP gas station on State Road 7 last Friday. According to a PBSO report, 21-year-old
Ian Lacovara
Sequel Gaspar
See BLOTTER, page 7A
RPB, PBSO Host Night Out Against Crime
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
Next week, Royal Palm Beach will partner with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to host National Night Out, aimed at creating better relations and awareness between the community and law enforcement.
The annual event, subtitled “America’s Night Out Against Crime,” is a nationwide effort that brings together community residents with their law enforcement officers. The Royal Palm Beach event is scheduled for this Tuesday evening at the Target Superstore on Okeechobee Blvd. at State Road 7 and
will feature members of the PBSO and its specialty units, including the canine and mounted units. The event will also feature a bounce house and obstacle course for youngsters, as well as free hot dogs, hamburgers and soda.
PBSO District 9 Commander Capt. Tony Araujo said the event will offer something for all village residents, both young and old.
“We have activities for the young folks and information to pass along to the older folks,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for interaction between public safety and the community. It’s a good opportunity for citi-
zens to express their opinion. The general public to see what our tax dollars pay for, interact with officers and ask questions.”
PBSO District 9 Community Outreach Coordinator Diane Smith said the National Night Out is also a good way for residents to acquaint themselves with PBSO resources they might not otherwise see. “Our mounted unit is huge for the kids,” she said.
The PBSO’s National Night Out in Royal Palm Beach takes place Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Target Superstore at 10155 Okeechobee Blvd.
Wellington Residents, Officials Discuss Variety Of Topics At Final Budget Forum
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
The Village of Wellington wrapped up a series of public budget forums on Saturday morning with a last session at the Wellington Community Center.
Faced with difficult choices in finding ways to cut spending and increase revenue while preparing the municipal budget for the coming year, the village scheduled a series of eight forums the preceding two days aimed at gaining input from specific interest groups. Saturday’s forum allowed village residents to discuss a variety of topics with village staff.
Several speakers touched on the mix of rural and suburban lifestyles found in the village and the need to preserve a small-town feel in the growing municipality.
Resident Gene Nardi said that he and some of his neighbors sort of drafted each other to move to Wellington together because they liked what they saw. Nardi described Wellington as having the best of both worlds but also as a paradise that could be lost if something is not done to maintain it.
“You went west on Lake Worth Road and you didn’t even know this existed back here,” Nardi said. “Basically, it’s a country and rural feeling. You are still attached to the convenience that we are used to. You get the best of both worlds. We moved up here before the mall and a lot of things that were built out here. It’s getting close to being built out. But it’s a place to be, especially when you have a family. We moved [to Florida] from Pennsylvania in 1972. Most of my life I have spent in Broward County. I have seen it go through altered states. If you are not careful, this is what will happen here. There is a way to control it
Blotter
continued from page 6A Michael Reyes-Bonilla was observed stumbling as he walked away from his van in the gas station parking lot at approximately 11:25 p.m. The report further noted that upon contact with Reyes-Bonilla, PBSO deputies observed a 12-pack of beer in plain sight, as well as an open can of beer between the seats. Reyes-Bonilla failed a roadside sobriety test at the scene and
through managed growth.”
Wellington Wave travel soccer club president Dr. Sam Falzone suggested the village facilitate easier communication among the various contingents in the community — educators, homeowners’ associations and so forth.
“The village can’t make them work together, but the village can help them work together,” Falzone said. “The recreation programs and the charity programs can be working with the businesses, and between them, they can be a very positive force together. We don’t have a really good channel to get to the other groups unless you have someone who sits in both chairs.”
Falzone also urged the village to take action on the input residents provided at the series of forums.
“There is nothing worse than going and partaking of an
refused to take a blood alcohol test.
JULY 30 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach was dispatched to the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Belvedere Road on Monday regarding two shoplifters. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 1:30 p.m. a store security officer observed 22year-old Rocky Blythe and 32year-old Brenda Blythe, both of West Palm Beach, remove items
Acoustic Musicians Night Every Monday At RPB Cultural Center
The Village of Royal Palm Beach invites you to strum along at Acoustic Musicians Night on Monday, Aug. 6 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way). The free event will include a jam session and open microphone. The event is held the first Monday night of every month. Bring your guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle or any other string instrument. Acoustic Musicians Night is open to musicians, friends and anyone who wants to hear music. For more information, call Steve Petrone at (561) 790-5149.
Mounts Botanical Garden Presents ‘A Shady Affair’
The Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach will host “A Shady Affair” Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 18 and 19. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature informative lectures, a plant sale by top shade-loving plant growers and a silent auction of gorgeous plant combinations in the exhibit hall.
Informative lectures will include Kitty Phillips of the Palm Society speaking about “Right Palm, Right Place,” Charlie McDaniel discussing “The Versatility of Shade Plants,” Steven Royer of Mounts Botanical Garden presenting “Ferns for the Shade Garden” and Mounts Board Member Doris Happel speaking about “Adding Color to Your Garden with Begonias.”
The event will also feature a wide variety of shade-loving plants offered for sale. There is a $5 entrance donation; members and children under age 10 are admitted free. For more information, call (561) 233-1757. Mounts Botanical Garden is located at 559 North Military Trail in West Palm Beach.
‘U2charist’ Service Aug. 19 At St. David’s-In-The-Pines
St. David’s-in-the-Pines Episcopal Church will host a U2charist on Sunday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m., featuring music of the Irish rock band performed by the St. David’s Praise Band. The Youth of St. David’s will lead prayers. The theme of the service is social justice, calling all participants to do their part to bring about the reign of God. U2charist will be an Episcopal service of Holy Communion enhanced by the music of U2. To date, the service has been held in 150 churches across 15 U.S. states. The liturgy is essentially traditional, meaning it has all the usual required elements: a Gospel reading, prayers and communion from an authorized prayer book. The music is really what is different, and yet not so different. It is rock music, but it is deeply and overtly spiritual.
All donations collected will be sent to the international nongovernmental organization PlayPumps International. PlayPumps is a nonprofit organization that enables individuals, governments, foundations, and companies to donate PlayPump water system to rural African communities and schools.
St. David’s-in-the-Pines Episcopal Church is located on the northwest corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 793-1976.
event,” Falzone said, “and getting the feeling that nobody listened to what you said and it fell on deaf ears, and it’s on a list someplace. You develop trust by showing results. Even if you are not doing what was suggested, ‘your input was valuable, and even though we decided not to go through with your idea.’ I think that kind of stuff is important. It rewards people in a sense for getting involved.”
Village Manager Charlie Lynn, in attendance on Saturday, said that the village council and village staff had already done much of the legwork in the process and it is up to the residents to give feedback.
“We’ve already done a lot of this,” he said. “Now we want to hear from our residents. We’re ahead of the curve. Now we have to make the decisions. There will be another wrap up meeting scheduled in the future.”
from the women’s department, place them in plastic shopping bags and exit the store without paying for the merchandise. The store security officer detained the pair until the deputy arrived. According to the report, the stolen merchandise included miscellaneous clothing items, shoes, undergarments and a remote control. The stolen items were worth a total of $110.91. Both suspects were arrested and taken to the county jail.
Final Forum — Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham, Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore and Dr. Sam Falzone take part in a roundtable discussion on Saturday.
PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Groves Council To Discuss PBSO Contract At Aug. 7 Meeting
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council will try to decide Tuesday whether the community needs around-the-clock police protection.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has presented the new town with two service alternatives: paying $518,232 annually, which would guarantee one deputy assigned within the town boundaries around the clock, or paying $240,000 for full police services, supplemental coverage and special needs but without the guarantee of a deputy within the town at all times.
Councilman Dennis Lipp questioned whether the guaranteed deputy would be worth the extra cost. “What we will be asking is, with 24/7/365 coverage, will we be receiving $280,000 worth of [additional] crime prevention?” he asked.
But Lipp also acknowledged that police presence deters crime, adding that it is difficult to put a value on a life that might be lost due to the absence of a deputy.
Lipp said he is also concerned about what he called “crimes of opportunity,” such as the robbery of day laborers who either do not know how to report robberies or are afraid to for fear of deportation.
Mayor David Browning said the council should proceed with caution in the town’s first year, although the budget incorporates the larger figure for law enforcement spending.
“I was not at the last meeting, but I don’t feel we need 24/7 coverage,” he said. “We can go with the lower package and beef it up for certain things if we need to. To have 24/7 or not, that’s what we’ll be kicking around. Some people have said we need more coverage. We can always change. The budget has it, but we need to be careful the first year.”
Vice Mayor Marge Herzog said some residents are satis-
fied with the current level of enforcement and prefer the lower cost, while others are asking if the town will still have the current ancillary services at its disposal.
“There must be a reason for having two levels,” Herzog said. “I know having 24/7 is expensive, but I’m not sure it is $250,000 more expensive. It’s roughly $250,000 more to have our own designated officers.”
Herzog said some residents, such as former council candidates Toni Vorsteg and Darlene Crawford, are lobbying for increased police protection with insufficient cause to do so.
“Toni and Darlene are concerned that the Guatemalan peo-
ple are being beaten up and we need an officer to go over there,” Herzog said, referring to comments by Vorsteg and Crawford published in the TownCrier last week. “If they’re not reporting the robberies now, why would they then?”
Vorsteg said the extra coverage is justified by the promises council members made during their campaigns.
“That’s what they talked about during the campaign — full protection,” she said. “They have been dancing around the specifics of this need. I took the time to talk to numerous people, and many are not aware that we do not have a contract. It is
See COUNCIL, page 12A
Governor Lauds Legislative Effort On Anti-Looting Law
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Governor Charlie Crist stopped in Stuart Wednesday for the ceremonial signing of an anti-looting bill that increases penalties for those caught committing crimes in the wake of an emergency such as a hurricane.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Dave Aronberg (DGreenacres) and State Rep. William Snyder (R-Stuart), is a new version of an unsuccessful bill Aronberg sponsored in 2005. The bill was officially signed into law in June and went into effect last month. Aronberg and Snyder joined Crist for Wednesday’s ceremonial signing, which took place at the
Martin County Emergency Operations Center.
Crist thanked Aronberg and Snyder for moving the bill through the legislature, as well as Rep. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) for her hard work with both legislators.
“We have a great team in the room today,” Crist said. “We have great people who work together to strive to do what’s right, regardless of party, regardless of what part of the state we are from, because we, as Floridians care, and we should. These great people in the House, and many of their colleagues in the Senate, are doing what the sheriff does at a local level, along with the county commissioners and the mayors, and so many others who work
throughout this state.”
Crist also thanked law enforcement personnel for their concern regarding the bill, and credited their support in making the legislation a reality.
“When we have storms and natural disasters, we want to make sure we hold people accountable for committing crimes such as looting,” he said, “and that the penalty is appropriate so the good sheriff and his deputies can make the appropriate arrests and make sure law enforcement gets the chance to do the job that the people of Florida want them to do. And that is protect you and your property and make sure they are safer.”
Aronberg’s original bill won legislative approval in 2005, but See LOOTING, page 42A
Bill Signing — Gov. Charlie Crist signs the anti-looting bill into law while Sen. Dave Aronberg, Rep. William Snyder and Rep. Gayle Harrell look on. PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Congressman Mahoney Returns From Weekend Visit To Iraq
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Congressman Tim Mahoney, who represents portions of the western communities in Washington, D.C., spent last weekend in Iraq as part of a six-member congressional delegation.
While in Iraq, Mahoney met with soldiers from Florida, U.S. Embassy staff and various military commanders in Baghdad and Ramadi, capital of the strifetorn Anbar Province.
Speaking to reporters in a conference call on the way back to the United States Monday, Mahoney praised American servicemen and women for the job they are doing in difficult circumstances.
“The first thing I will tell you is our military, our men and women, are absolutely heroes,” he said. “They are performing at a high level operationally in an environment not to be believed. It’s a war zone.
It’s 120 degrees there. You are operating in the most inhospitable environment you can imagine. It is dirty, windy and the dust is blowing everywhere. What you will find is a highly motivated group of people who love their jobs and are doing an amazing service for America.”
Mahoney said he lost eight pounds due to the heat and full body armor in his one-day visit to a combat zone.
Mahoney credited the American forces with the amount of stability Iraq has achieved, but said the fruit of their efforts is threatened by continued fighting between members of Sunni and Shiite Islamic sects in the country.
“We have been as successful as we have because they are superbly trained and highly motivated but the overall situation is obvious,” Mahoney said. “It’s clear that the United States does not have the capability to main-
tain the levels in material and manpower to sustain the surge. There is no doubt we will need a different strategy on how we move forward come the fall and the next year. There is no doubt that there are significant improvements in fighting the war on terror. The Sunnis are loosely aligned with the al Qaeda in Iraq. The Shias are taking over. It is becoming clear that the Sunni population is not necessarily the best allies to have.”
Mahoney called for the United States to open a dialogue with the government of neighboring Iran, as well as foster reconciliation in the region among the Shiites, the Sunni and other parties, or Iraq and neighboring nations would face catastrophic results.
“There has to be some reconciliation between the Sunnis, the Shias and the government,” Mahoney said. “These people have tens of billions of dollars and they can’t agree on how to spend it…You can’t bring peace and stability if you don’t have people with a representative government.”
Mahoney also said American troop withdrawals were a matter not of if but when, and said that America’s role in Iraq should be to eliminate terrorists and train Iraqi government troops, not police the area’s religion-based civil war.
“It’s no longer whether we withdraw,” Mahoney said. “We have to have a strategy on how to move on to the next phase. It has to be focused on the war on terror.”
Mahoney with Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) in Ramadi.
Mahoney with Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. Mahoney with Ramadi Mayor Latif Obaid Ayadah.
Congressman Tim Mahoney meets with some Iraqi children.
Volunteers Sought For Help At Area Hurricane Shelters
By Paul Gaba Town-Crier Staff Report
When a hurricane is bearing down on Palm Beach County, numerous emergency organizations are busy preparing for a potential disaster.
One key area is emergency shelters, where the “holy trinity” of hurricane preparation — the Palm Beach County Emergency Operations Center, the Palm Beach County school district and the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross — work together to ensure safety for individuals who are unable to stay in their homes.
There are two schools in the western communities that have been designated as primary shelters: Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington and Seminole Ridge High School in The Acreage. In addition, Frontier Elementary School in Loxahatchee is designated a secondary shelter, to be used in case of overcrowding or damage at primary shelters.
Palm Beach County Emergency Management manager Sally Waite said the county has 13 primary shelters and five more secondary shelters.
“We oversee all 18 shelters in the county,” Waite said. “We have 13 that can be activated in event of a hurricane, and five are on standby. In the event we need more than 13, they can be opened. It really depends on what the storm is gong to do.”
Two of the 13 primary shelters are for “special needs” individuals — the South Florida
Fairgrounds and Palm Beach Central. Staffing at these shelters, which provide a higher level of care, includes physicians and nurses. Waite said the South Florida Fairgrounds shelter is designated for individuals whose medical care require electricity, and that individuals who may need to take advantage of these shelters must register in advance.
School district spokeswoman Vickie Middlebrooks said while schools are used as shelters during hurricanes, the district is not the sole decision maker in the process.
“We have the space, but [the Red Cross and EOC] do all the opening and cleanup afterward,” Middlebrooks said. “We work with them — it is a collaborative effort.”
Red Cross Public Relations Coordinator Joseph Hansen said a structure must be certified by an engineer or architect as able to withstand a Category 4 or 5 hurricane in order to be eligible for shelter usage. Known as a “Standard 4496,” this construction benchmark was initially created by the Red Cross, and has since been adopted and modified by the state. Hansen said all schools built after Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in August 1992 are built to this standard by law.
Hansen said that while all newer schools are technically eligible, the Red Cross and EOC conduct site inspections after deciding which schools will be designated as shelters, to determine which rooms and areas should be used.
“For example, a computer lab wouldn’t be used, nor would a science lab,” Hansen said. So what exactly happens when a hurricane warning is issued and school buildings are to be converted into temporary housing structures? The district has a 50-page guide on preparing schools for hurricanes, ranging from transportation and food service to police and shelter and non-shelter sites. For school facilities, this includes moving all portable items inside the building, audio-visual and computer equipment away from windows or covered with plastic, and testing emergency generators (which are actually tested weekly, regardless of storm concerns).
Waite was quick to note that after county emergency managers decide to open the shelters, not all shelters open at once.
“We give the order when to open or close shelters based on the intensity and location of the storm,” Waite said. “We have an executive policy group that makes those decisions. It’s not just an arbitrary decision.”
Waite and Hansen stressed that residents should consider shelters as a last resort, if they have no other safe place to go and cannot evacuate the area.
Once the school buildings have been made shelter-ready, the Red Cross steps in. “The Red Cross staff at a shelter is totally volunteers,” Hansen said. “There’s a volunteer manager, volunteer assistant manager, everyone leading the shelter is a volunteer. While we
spearhead the initiative, it’s not just the Red Cross there, though,” Hansen said. “We also have ham radio operators, police, EMTs and school district personnel.”
Once the shelters have been activated, Hansen said, the Red Cross contacts various food vendors, brings in emergency trailers and supplies, and does a “mass volunteer drive” to not only get all volunteers on board, but to recruit additional assistance.
Supplies include cots and blankets, although Hansen said individuals who choose to go to a shelter during a storm are encouraged to bring their own bedding supplies such as blankets, sleeping bags and pillows. In addition, shelter-goers should bring any necesary medications, extra clothing, identification and other important documents, toiletries and a basic emergency kit including bottled water, a battery-operated radio and batteries, a first-aid kit and a flashlight.
After the storm has passed, the Red Cross and its partner
agencies close out the shelters, based on what sort of damage has occurred and area emergency situations. After all the shelter inhabitants have left, the school district gets to work, with the principal (or a designee) and at least one custodian reporting to their facility for a damage assessment. The entire building must be thoroughly inspected before being used as a school again.
Hansen said the Red Cross is always looking for local volunteers to help during hurricanes, from setting up the shelter to helping to serve meals to closing it down after a storm.
“We are a volunteer-led organization. We have 45 staff members and 3,000 volunteers,” Hansen said. “It would be impossible for us to do what we do without our volunteers. They are the lifeline of our organization.”
Residents interested in volunteering at the shelters can contact the Red Cross at (561) 8337711 or visit www.redcrosspbc.org for more information.
LGLA Ice Cream Social Aug. 11
Sharyn Browning, wife of Loxahatchee Groves Mayor David Browning, entered an Edy’s ice cream contest. The result? Edy’s has chosen to honor Loxahatchee Groves by providing an ice cream party for 100 of its residents.
On Saturday, Aug. 11 the Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association will host an Ice Cream Social at Good Earth Farm (2141 B Road, Loxahatchee Groves).
The event will include a refreshing treat from Edy’s ice cream, a tour of the animal rescue facility, music and possibly dancing. Call Sharyn at (561) 793-2193 for more information or to confirm the number of people you will bring.
Stadium Jumping Hosts Wellington International Equestrian Arena Forum
Horse show producer Stadium Jumping Inc. hosted a gathering of concerned residents and property owners July 26 at the Players Club restaurant in a continuing discussion of its move to a new, world-class equestrian facility planned in Wellington.
It was the fourth public forum hosted by Stadium Jumping Inc. to gather input on the facility, called the Wellington International Equestrian Arena. The project’s master plan is currently undergoing review by various boards and committees prior to village council review, and was scheduled for the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board’s Thursday meeting agenda.
Stadium Jumping CEO Gene Mische and other project representatives urged equestrians to attend the public hearings to express their passion for the new facility to village decision-makers.
The new facility will be located in extreme southern Wellington and will have
13 rings, five more than at Stadium Jumping’s current location at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club on Pierson Road.
“We are on the right track to have the best facility not only in the United States, but one of the best in the world,” Mische said. “The new facility will be 179-plus acres, about 80 percent bigger than we’ve ever had in the past. Now we’re using about 70 acres.”
World-renowned designer Robert Jolicoeur presented updated drawings of the facility, including trailer parking, hacking access and vehicle ingress and egress.
Project representatives and attendees also discussed topics such as improving access for trainers so they will not have to walk back and forth across the large property several times a day, the possibility of underground irrigation and additional shelters and landscaping to improve the shaded spectator seating.
Mische also addressed concerns regarding the dressage community, saying there will be a covered arena with
box seats and a good sound system.
“We’re definitely thinking about dressage,” he said.
Agriculture Commissioner Reminds Horse Owners To Update Vaccinations
Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson is urging horse owners to remember to vaccinate their animals against eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus in the wake of Centers for Disease Control warnings about a potential West Nile epidemic. Bronson is also reminding people to take precautions against mosquito bites.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of human West Nile virus (WNV) cases in the United States is nearly four times higher than what it was this time last year. The virus, carried by mosquitoes, can cause flu-like symptoms in people and in horses and can be fatal in the equine population. eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is also often fatal in horses.
So far, Florida has not been impacted by the rise in arbovirus activity seen elsewhere. There have been no reported cases of West Nile virus in horses and only 13 eastern equine encephalitis cases in horses. No people have been infected at all in Florida. Bronson said he would like that trend to continue.
“I believe people are heeding the warnings to protect themselves from mosquito bites and that diligence among horse owners to get their animals vaccinated has resulted in Florida’s low numbers,” Bronson said. “Florida also has some very effective mosquito control districts to keep the mosquito populations down. But it’s important that people not get complacent considering what we are seeing elsewhere in the nation.”
Horse owners are urged to check with
their veterinarian to make sure their animals have received current vaccinations and booster shots against WNV and EEE, and that these shots are kept up to date.
Bronson says Floridians and visitors can protect themselves against mosquitoborne disease by following a few simple steps:
• Limit time outside during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants to cover skin and reduce the chance of being bitten when outside between dusk and dawn.
• Eliminate standing water in yards, such as in birdbaths, kiddie pools, old tires and other receptacles, as stagnant water is an excellent breeding ground for mosquitoes.
• Use insect repellent that contains
DEET, which is an effective repellent.
• Keep window screens in good repair.
• Clean out rain gutters and keep them unclogged to avoid pockets of standing water.
Hearing Set For Water Management Permit Fees
The South Florida Water Management District has authorized publication of a notice of rulemaking to delete the current outdated permit fee schedule for several areas.
A hearing will be held on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. at the South Florida Water Management District B-1 Auditorium, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach.
Caring for Infants,Children & Adolescents Since 1955
• **Extended Hours 365 Days a Year: Nearby Boynton office open to all patients until 9p.m.weekdays,8 p.m.weekends and from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.holidays
• Prenatal Consultations and Classes: All expectant & new parents are invited to schedule a free consultation or attend one of our classes by calling our office or visiting our web site
•On-Site Services: Convenient Lab and X-Ray Services in our offices
• Same Day Sick Appointments
• Sick and Well Waiting Areas
• Online Appointments at www.pediatricassociates.com
(561)
2100 45th Street,Suite B-12 (561) 863-5757
John Canavan, Robert Jolicoeur, and Gene Mische.
Traffic Collision — Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Community Service Aide Christan Vallee studies the wreck of an SUV that collided with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Southern Blvd. and Binks Forest Drive in Wellington early Tuesday evening. Two people in the SUV were transported to area hospitals but the driver of the truck, an empty flatbed that jackknifed after the collision, reportedly did not require medical attention.
Council Police Service
continued from page 8A concerning to them when they realize that.”
Vorsteg said the town must live up to its responsibility of providing police protection, which she said has been dwindling. “Before the town incorporated, there was some police presence,” she said. “Now I don’t see that much of it unless they’re going to a call outside Loxahatchee Groves. I don’t feel we are getting the protection that was expected as a town. It should have been a top priority, and it should have been addressed.”
The plight of vulnerable Hispanic laborers is only part of the issue, Vorsteg said, noting that a landscaper recently burglarized did not bother reporting the incident to police.
PHOTO BY AARON TASLITZ/TOWN-CRIER
“Some people feel $1,500 here and there is not worth reporting,” she said. “I can’t hold up a sign and say ‘report every incident.’ It was written that we would have certain services. It’s not just Guatemalans. It’s all the people. You drive down a dirt road and nearly get run over. There’s a lot of speeding. There are many things going on that police presence would reduce. I would like to call police and not have to wait two hours and not have file a report over the phone instead of having a police officer come take the report. I think that’s crazy.”
Also Tuesday, Aug. 7, the council will discuss creating an ordinance regulating the storage and transport of manure. Lipp said Wellington’s manure ordinance would serve as a useful model.
The council meets at 7 p.m. in the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District office.
Man Arrested For Manure Storage
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Division of Law Enforcement special agents arrested a Loxahatchee man last week for illegally stockpiling an estimated 20,000 cubic yards of horse manure on his property on Okeechobee Blvd.
On Thursday, July 26, DEP officers issued resident Walter Duque three misdemeanor citations for the violations, which could result in as much as 18 months in jail and $30,000 in fines.
DEP Law Enforcement Division Director Henry Barnet said his division will not tolerate environmental crimes like illegal composting and manure storage.
“Enforcing Florida’s laws, particularly those that protect our environment, is an important part of DEP’s mission,” he said.
DEP spokesman Stephen Webster said division officers began investigating Duque after receiving complaints from neighbors about growing piles of ma-
nure on his property and foul odors in the neighborhood. Webster said investigators believe Duque might have been accepting loads of horse manure from nearby communities and illegally composting the waste without permits. Webster said mounds of manure, some 15 feet tall, covered several acres on Duque’s property.
Webster said the DEP requires special permits for composting and storing horse manure, including specific nutrient and stormwater management plans to help protect ground and surface water. Composting facilities are also inspected regularly by the DEP to ensure compliance with all state laws.
DEP’s Law Enforcement Division is responsible for statewide environmental resource law enforcement, providing law enforcement services to state parks, greenways and trails. Agents investigate environmental resource crimes and illegal dredge and fill activities, and respond to natural disasters, civil unrest, hazardous material incidents and oil spills that can threaten the environment.
SR 7 Corridor Meeting Aug. 14
A meeting to discuss a master plan for the State Road 7 corridor will take place Tuesday, Aug. 14 in Room 1-E-70 of the Vista Center at 2300 N. Jog Road in West Palm Beach.
The proposed corridor master plan will address the future use of land within the study area, which generally consists of properties that front or are adjacent to SR 7 between Okeechobee Blvd. and Lantana Road. The purpose of the plan is to coordinate and guide long-range land-use and transportation planning along the corridor.
County policy requires the preparation and adoption of corridor master plans
for specific roadways by the end of this year. A result of the plan may be to establish a new level-of-service standard for future traffic in the corridor.
The meeting will be held to provide information to the owners and residents of affected properties regarding the proposed master plan and to solicit input from the public regarding any future development or redevelopment plans for individual properties. Staff will be available to provide information and receive input during the day, which will also include three presentations. The meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, call (561) 233-5300.
Acreage Residents Volunteer For Cleanup Of ITID’s Eastern Trail
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
Acreage volunteers began to arrive even before the scheduled 8:30 a.m. start of Sunday’s cleanup of the Indian Trail Improvement District’s planned eastern trail network.
The district is working to improve, enlarge and interconnect its system of multi-purpose trails, which will be used by equestrians, hikers and bicyclists. The “Eastern Trail,” which runs from Hamlin Park to the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area, is the first part of the system to receive a makeover.
The Acreage Horseman’s Association and the ITID organized the cleanup effort.
Participants gathered at Hamlin Park as early as 8 a.m. The first to show were district employees Dave Specian, Craig Shafer and Chris Kooienga. Kooienga, an Acreage resident
and a member of the ITID Trailways Committee, said she was there as an unpaid volunteer, but that Operations Director Terry Narrow and other ITID employees had already done some of the cleanup work.
“Terry Narrow and the rest of us who work for the district actually did a lot of the work already,” Kooienga said. “We did a lot of the heavy work, getting rid of some of the obstructions. Now we’ll have a lot of people cleaning up.”
Regular volunteers arrived soon after. Several were on horseback, while others planned to walk the route. “I rode along the trail yesterday and it was fine,” Acreage Horseman’s Association President Celeste Hathhorn said. “Now we’re going through to make it really beautiful.”
ITID Supervisor Carol Jacobs said she was pleased at the turnout and predicted more multipurpose trails would be
built. “This is a first step,” she said. “Once we put up all the signs to designate crossings, we can officially open the trail. And then we can build connections to it all through The Acreage and to connections from outside.”
There was a large crop of volunteers. Some were members of the Horseman’s Association. Several members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s Mounted Citizens Observer Patrol contingent were present. “We’re training a lot more people out here,” said Helmut Schmitt, who is also a member of the ITID Trailways Committee. “We plan to be around regularly to make certain that the law is upheld, particularly to prevent speeding when horses are close by.”
Many young volunteers said they wanted to earn service hours and that working on the trail was a good way not only to earn their credits but also help the community. And others were simply residents who wanted to improve the neighborhood.
Shortly before 9 a.m. ITID staffers handed out work gloves and plastic bags and the crew moved out eastward on Hamlin Blvd. until they made a right turn and began cleaning up along Grapeview Blvd.
Hawthorne told the TownCrier the event was a huge success.
“We had a nice group of people, and thanks to the good work of the ITID workers, the job was not very difficult,” she said. “Even the young people could ride the trail. This is why we came to The Acreage.”
PHOTOS
Trailways Committee Chair Linda Renna and Deborah Knapp of the PBSO’s Mounted C.O.P. contingent.
ITID Supervisor Carol Jacobs with Kim Fahey and Travis.
Volunteers Petra Grimm, Audrey and Celeste Hathhorn.
County, ITID Open Phase I Expansion Of Acreage Community Park
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
Children were playing in the new playground at Acreage Community Park even before Indian Trail Improvement District President Michelle Damone and County Commissioner Jess Santamaria opened Phase I of the expansion last week.
The district held an opening ceremony last Thursday for the park’s expanded area, which includes the playground and a shade structure, two multipurpose fields and a large parking lot.
The ground around the playground equipment is covered by a special mulch designed to make accidental falls safer. “And
the mulch is wheelchair-accessible,” ITID Operations Director Terry Narrow said. “We have eight inches of it but children, or adults with them, in wheelchairs can move through it.”
District Administrator Bob Mearns said he had the best available Bermuda grass sod put down on the fields. “We know we will get a lot of use here and we want it to last,” he said. “This can take a lot of tough treatment.”
Damone praised district staff, particularly Narrow and Parks Manager Tim Wojnar, for their exceptional work, which she said is bringing a large number of projects to completion. “We have great workers,” she said,
“and they make me proud to be part of the district.”
She thanked Santamaria for providing county funds to pay for the shade structure next to the playground. “A lot of parents will be thanking you as they sit here comfortably watching their children play,” she said.
Santamaria called spending money on children the government’s best course of action. “We get a thousand-percent profit because there is such a huge return,” he said. “Parks like this are one of the best reasons for people to live in the western communities.”
ITID Supervisor Ralph Bair praised the work of the ITID Board of Supervisors. “The previous board decided to expand
the park in 2001 and then spent the next five years fighting over it,” he said. “This board stopped fighting and spends its time doing the job and now we have a new park area.”
The completed expansion is one of a series of projects being celebrated in what the ITID calls its “Summer of Progress.” Other projects in the works are the rehabilitation of the Acreage trail system for walkers, equestrians and bicyclists, and the addition of a skateboarding/inline skating area at Acreage Community Park. The latter will officially open at 5 p.m. on Aug. 8 (see related story below).
“A lot of young people have been begging for a park like this,”
ITID Supervisor Sandra Love
Semande said. “There were requests going back for years and reports were made, large budgets proposed and nothing was done. We put all this together in a few months and we’ve been able to pay for it out of money we already saved this fiscal year.”
The district will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the opening of Acreage Community Park on August 17. The park, located along 140th Ave. North, is the venue for many sports and recreational events in The Acreage.
“We’ve just begun to really make changes,” Damone said. “Watch what we do and join us. Help us make this as great a community as anyone could ever want.”
After Years Of Planning, Acreage Youths Finally Get Skate Park
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
A new area at Acreage Community Park reserved for skateboarding and inline skating is set to open Aug. 8. Indian Trail Improvement District Parks Director Tim Wojnar said the skating area, which is located in the park’s northern parking lot, has been in demand a long time.
“This has been a long time coming and the day has come where the kids in The Acreage have a skateboard park,” he said. “We’ve been working on the idea behind it for several years.”
ITID District Administrator
Bob Mearns described the area as a “55-by-100-foot area with a fence around it. We’ve already put down a special surface to make it very smooth.”
Mearns told the Town-Crier Monday that the ITID Maintenance Department is positioning specialized ramps and other equipment in the area.
“The area has two potential uses,” he said. “We can use it for skateboarding and inline skating but we also have the markings down for street hockey.”
The skating area is the one park feature that requires a fee, which will help defray the cost of an attendant. “We want to have an adult supervising the
area at all times,” Mearns said. “First of all, we want to make sure that someone is available in case of injury. But we also want to ensure that no one behaves in a way that will endanger themselves or others. After all, this is not a swing set.”
“There is no difference in price for residents or non-residents,” Mearns said. “After all, this is also a county park. But if you buy a $25 membership, it will cost you $2 each time you come to the park. If you don’t have a membership, it will cost $3.”
The skating area’s rules are posted on the ITID web site at www.indiantrail.com, along
with waiver forms that skaters must sign, absolving the district of responsibility for injuries.
While users 18 and older sign for themselves, younger skaters need the signature of a parent or guardian.
Wojnar said he had been asked to gather information on skateboarding parks several years ago but that the previous board had never selected a location for the area or budgeted the money for it.
Because of requests from many young people in The Acreage, the supervisors last month approved the approximately $52,000 cost of the skate area as part of the cur-
rent year’s park improvement budget. Wojnar and Mearns gave the credit to Operations Director Terry Narrow and his workers.
“They’re the real heroes of all of this,” Wojnar said. “They got going and put this together quickly enough that our kids can use it before school starts.”
Acreage Community Park is located just north of Tangerine Blvd. on 140th Ave. North. The skating area will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, and the grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 8 at 5 p.m.
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE HOSTS PETAPALOOZA ADOPT-A-THON
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in West Palm Beach hosted the Petapalooza Adopt-athon last Saturday. The event included numerous pet craft vendors, pet photo IDs, face-painting, speakers offering dog-training tips, a canine show featuring the Amazing Frisbee Dogs and more. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League is located at 3200 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach. Call (561) 686-3663 or visit www.hspb.org.
PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Cacey Edlund and Addison Culler at one of the craft tables.
Lynn Crow of WPB with her new dog Candy.
Ty, Kiersten and Cassidy Plouffe enjoy some refreshments.
Jessica Ptak shows off her face painting.The canine frisbee show was a popular activity.
Abigail Sacks and her brother Chase look at the cats.
Wellington Antique Show Slated For 2008
The inaugural Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 8-9, 2008.
The event will be a collaborative effort between the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches and Welky! Publications.
The two entities have previously worked together on six Wellington Art Festivals. This new event was created to shine a spotlight on America’s history — both the history of the past and history currently in the making.
“The Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival is being held just prior to Wellington’s March 11 elections,” said Deborah Welky, president of Welky! Publications and owner of Elsie Bell’s Antique Mall. “We hope to attract political hopefuls as sponsors and to provide a platform for them in the best tra-
Toastmasters Hold Speakers Showcase
Wellington Toastmasters invites area residents to join the club on Monday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. for a special Toastmasters “Salute to Professionals Day.”
Two experienced showcase speakers will be featured at the meeting, John Cesta and Alvin Day.
Members of the Wellington Toastmasters Club who will be involved in the meeting include President Myrna Brooks, Vice President of Education Dabney Hedegard, Vice President of Membership Dr. Scott Snyder, Vice President of Public Relations Daria Pustilik, Secretary Susana Pascal, Sergeant at Arms Murph Lavergne, Area Governor Dave Clarke, Tim Morell, Mace Horoff and Paul Gaba.
Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization that gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests.
Wellington Toastmasters meet Monday evenings at the Wellington Community Center, 12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd. For more information contact
dition of small-town America.”
The event will not be all speeches, baby-kissing and hand-shaking. The Cultural Trust is putting together music and talent that will spotlight America onstage at its best.
Over 100 antiques dealers are expected to sell their wares both on tables underneath the event tent and fieldside from trucks.
“Wellington is quickly becoming a cultural Mecca,” said Cultural Trust CEO Manuel Bornia, who was recently honored in New York City as one of the country’s top 25 emerging cultural leaders. “Over the past two seasons, the Cultural Trust has brought fabulous entertainment and the residents have always embraced local events wholeheartedly. The Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival is just one more way of reaching out to the people.”
Brooks at (561) 628-4635 or by e-mail at myrnabrooks @gmail.com, or visit Wellington Toastmasters online at wellington.freetoasthost.com.
WHS
Debate Team Open Workshops
Wellington High School’s Debate and Forensic Team will be hosting two varsity debate workshops in preparation of the 2007-08 debate season.
Both workshops will be held in the Room 110, the WHS Debate Room, and are open to varsity debaters from Wellington, Palm Beach Central, Royal Palm Beach, Seminole Ridge, Suncoast and other area high schools.
On Monday, Aug. 6, Wellington Debate will be hosting an individual events “interpers” workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Andy Bogeajis, one of the top interp coaches in the state, has agreed to come to WHS to work with varsity debate students on individual events basics. Varsity debaters considering doing interpretive events are strongly encouraged to attend.
Participants are asked to bring a donation of $10 or $15 for Bogeajis, as he is traveling from
“The Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival will be held during the height of the winter season,” Welky said. “Through print, radio, TV, direct mail and website publicity, the two-day event offers a tremendous opportunity for our sponsors to gain months of national exposure at reasonable rates.”
Sponsors and antiques dealers wishing to be part of the event should contact Welky at (561) 795-5916. Earliest participation ensures maximum exposure.
The Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival will be held on the Cultural Trust site behind the Hampton Inn and Bucca di Beppo restaurant. Although some construction will be underway as work begins on the Cultural Trust’s amphitheatre, organizers hope to include that as part of the “happening.”
Fort Lauderdale and spending the day with debaters. Participants should bring money for lunch as well.
On Tuesday, Aug. 7, Wellington Debate is hosting a Student Congress workshop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is an opportunity to get a pre-season refresher on Congress procedures, presiding officer duties and judging. Again, participants should bring lunch money. For more information, contact WHS Debate Coach Paul Gaba at (561) 352-0635 or email him at gaba@wellington debate.com.
Grassy Waters Programs
A number of programs are planned at Grassy Waters Preserve on Northlake Blvd. in West Palm Beach. They include Marsh Critters on Saturday, Aug. 4 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. (dip-netting for the whole family) and Wetlands Discovery Canoeing on Sunday, Aug. 5 from 9 a.m. to noon. Programs are for ages six and over. Fees are $15 for adults and $5 for children. Reservations required. Call (561) 804-4985(Nature Center) or (561) 629-6016, or visit www.grassywaterspreserve.com.
Dr. Dolce Allows Patients To Choose Their Own Smiles
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
Like many residents of the western communities, Dr. Vincent Dolce is a transplant. Born and raised in Brooklyn and educated in Boston, Dolce has practiced dentistry here since 1986 after hearing about the area from his uncle, William Fioravanti. Dolce and Fioravanti each are in the business of putting smiles on people’s faces — just in different ways. Based in New York City, William Fioravanti is a custom tailor to the stars, whose clients include Las Vegas development mogul Steve Wynn. Vincent Dolce has been custom tailoring people’s smiles for more than 20 years. “My uncle had a lot of clients on Palm Beach,” Dolce said. “He always talked about Palm Beach, so I followed him. He still fits people down here but he spends a lot of time in Las Vegas.”
Besides his current office in
the Woodbridge Plaza on Forest Hill Blvd., Dolce plans on opening a second office in the Woods Walk Plaza at State Road 7 and Lake Worth Road this fall. Dolce, who attended dental school at Boston University (he also has a master’s degree in nutrition) practices general dentistry but has become known for creating new smiles for patients through his “trial smile” procedure.
“You’re not going to buy a suit without trying it on,” said Dolce, a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the International Association of Orthodontics.
For a trial smile, Dolce uses an impression of a patient’s teeth to create a temporary slip-on mockup of the dental veneers he can apply.
“What we do is give you a chance to try on your smile,” said Dolce, who charges what he calls a “nominal fee” for the temporary model. “I let you go
home and show your spouse the difference. It’s like, ‘wow.’”
Dolce said the actual procedure costs approximately $1,300 per tooth.
“There is value there,” Dolce said. “It’s not the cost but what it does for you. A new smile changes the way you feel.”
Dolce flips through a thick three-ring notebook filled with before-and-after pictures of people who now have new smiles — and in some ways, new lives.
“I actually design my own smiles, I don’t have a lab do that,” Dolce said. “I tell the lab, ‘this is what we want.’ This is custom. I’m like a catalyst. People get their teeth done, they lose weight and they get plastic surgery. My motto is ‘changing lives one smile at a time.’”
Dolce’s office is located at 6633 Forest Hill Blvd. and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more info. or to schedule an appointment, call (561) 969-1001.
Marshall Offers Speech Therapy Children Can Enjoy
By Jenna Fugate Town-Crier Staff Report
Amy Marshall, a licensed pediatric speech and language pathologist, seeks balance within her profession. Understanding youth and the
need for play is countered by the need for discipline, so Marshall strives to make therapy an enjoyable experience for both the children and their parents.
“It has to be natural and fun to succeed,” Marshall said. “If the child sees it as work they sometimes shut down.”
Marshall seeks balance in her personal life as well, dividing her time between work and family. She moved to South Florida from Chicago with her husband and year-old daughter just a few months ago for her husband’s job and to be closer to her family. The three have taken up residence at Marshall’s mother’s house until their own place in Boynton Beach is ready.
When she is not caring for her own child, though, Marshall is devoted to helping those of others.
“Most of the kids I work with are between the ages of 12 months and six years,” Marshall said, “typically kids with language delays and disorders including apraxia, fluency and articulation.”
Marshall employs therapy methods that keep her young
patients engaged. She uses toys to teach and involves the parents in all that she does.
“I am very informal in my therapy approach,” Marshall said of her methods. “I like a play-based floor.”
Going a step further, Marshall prefers to conduct therapy sessions at the patient’s home.
Having her own family, Marshall understands its importance and keeps it the focus of her work. The familiar environment is the best place to learn, Marshall said.
“What I was doing in Chicago is I would travel and I saw kids in their homes,” Marshall said. “That’s what I would eventually want to do here. I like to work in the homes because I also like to work with the families.”
Marshall worked as a speech pathologist assistant for two years before attending Nova
Southeastern University for postgraduate work, which resulted in a master’s degree in speech pathology.
After finishing grad school Marshall worked in private clinics until two years ago when she began working on her own. Marshall has worked with many age groups and a variety of speech impediments.
“At one point I was working at a clinic and I saw 25 kids a week,” Marshall said. Marshall said she prefers to focus on helping individual children rather than groups. “I love the ability to work with kids on a more individualized basis,” she said. “I didn’t want to be a teacher because I like working with them one on one.”
For more information, call Marshall at (312) 545-6210 or e-mail her at amymarshall01 @yahoo.com.
PHOTO BY STEVE PIKE/TOWN-CRIER
PHOTO BY JENNA
Smile Maker — Dr. Vincent Dolce lets his patients “try on” their smiles beforehand.
Amy Marshall
Palms West Hospital Employees Of The Month — A recognition ceremony and ice cream social was held July 30, recognizing the June employees of the month at Palms West Hospital. The nominees included case manager Pat Simon, nurse Marie Previlius, cardiopulmonary supervisor Neil Winthrop, Surgical Services Unit secretary Dawn Burley and engineering mechanic Martha Richards. The winner for June was Bob James, PACS administrator for the imaging department. Shown above are (L-R, back row) Previlius, Winthrop and Palms West CEO Ron Lavater; (front row) Richards, Burley and Simon. (Below) Director of Marketing and Community Relations Lisa Bernardo and Human Resources Coordinator Jane Lewis dish out ice cream.
Start! Heart Walk Returns In September
More than 10,000 area residents will take giant steps for their heart health on Saturday, Sept. 29 in the American Heart Association’s annual Start! Heart Walk.
The event will take place at the Meyer Amphitheatre in downtown West Palm Beach and at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
The reinvigorated Heart Walk is now known as the “Start! Heart Walk.” Start! is a new national movement designed to create a year-round culture of physical activity.
The non-competitive 3.1 mile walk raises funds to support heart disease and stroke research and local educational programs. Activities and entertainment begin at 7:30 a.m. and the walk itself gets underway at 9 a.m.
The day of activities include children’s activities, entertainment and heart-healthy refreshment.
Diseases of the heart are the country’s number-one cause of death; stroke is
number three. These and other cardiovascular diseases kill more than 870,000 Americans each year and cost the nation more than $403 billion in direct and indirect costs.
“Everyone knows someone affected by cardiovascular diseases like heart disease or stroke,” said West Palm Beach Start! Heart Walk Chair Gary Klein. “That’s why it’s so important for all of us to participate in the Start! Heart Walk and do our part to help save lives.”
The Heart Walk, which has raised almost $600 million for research and education since it was launched in 1994, will take place in about 450 cities this year.
For more information about participating in the Start! Heart Walk, call the American Heart Association at (888) 3551060 in West Palm Beach and at (561) 394-0170 in Boca Raton.
To learn moreabout the American Heart Association, call (800) AHA-USA1 or visit www.americanheart.org.
August Is Open Health Insurance Enrollment
August is open enrollment month for self-employed people to get health insurance or switch plans on a guaranteedissue basis.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink is urging self-employed Floridians to remember that insurers and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) must offer coverage without regard to health status. The open enrollment period continues through Aug. 31.
A sole proprietor, independent contractor or self-employed individual can apply for coverage if all of the conditions and criteria established in the law are met, and certain documentation verifying the operation of an active business is provided, including tax forms, license information and business receipts, per Florida Statute 627.6699(3)(u).
A list of insurance companies offering
coverage is posted on the Department of Financial Services’ web site at www.myfloridacfo.com/Consumers/ small_group_market_carriers.htm. To learn more about plan options, visit www.floir.com/lh_fr/is_LHFR_ Small_Emp_Benefit_Plan.htm.
Coverage options for employers also include health savings accounts (HSAs) or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). HSAs, which operate like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), allow people to save their own money in a tax-free account for use on health-related expenses. Money not spent will roll over annually and accumulate until the policyholder is age 65, at which time the money can be used for any purpose. For more information, call the consumer helpline at (800) 342-2762 or visit www.myfloridacfo.com.
‘Coyote To The Captain: I’m Closing In On A Real Bargain’
Next to Christmas, the Gigantic Garage Sale (held at the South Florida Fairgrounds last Saturday) is my favorite holiday. I mark it on my calendar months in advance, start saving up all my singles and make sure the errant tire on my oldlady-cart has been newly reinforced with duct tape. I attack the Gigantic Garage Sale with the plan and precision of a military operation. This year, my long-suffering husband Mark got sucked into the event as well.
“We’ll each cover one of the buildings and use walkie-talkies to communicate,” I explained.
“Why?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “So we can tell each other when we see a really good bargain!”
“If it’s a really good bargain, why can’t we just buy it? Isn’t everything
going to cost about 25 cents?”
“Oh, well, okay.”
He did have a point. By Saturday, I had saved up $603 to spend. I gave Mark his half — $250.
“How come I only get $250?” he complained. “That’s not half.”
“Because I wasn’t able to get enough singles. I have some 20s and a 50 in reserve. If you need them, call me on the walkie-talkie but remember my code name — ‘Coyote.’”
“I’m only getting $250, do I at least get a code name? Can I be the Captain?”
“Okay, okay. You’re the Captain. What time are we going to get up on Saturday, Captain? It opens at 8 a.m.”
“Let’s get up at 8 a.m. That way we won’t have to wait in line.”
“Are you crazy?! The good stuff will be gone by 9:30! We have to set the
alarm for 6:15 to be in line by 6:45. Tickets go on sale at 7 so we’ll be near the head of the line at 8.”
This caused a good deal of grumbling from the Captain but Coyote persevered. On Saturday at 6:45 a.m., we were 49th in line. By noon, we’d each made four trips to the car to unburden ourselves of bargains and then we were out of there. I was jubilant, ecstatic. The Captain wanted a beer.
Over lunch at the nearest bar, I recounted our good fortune item by item — the white Victorian library table ($20), the Shabby Chic floral area rug ($8), the ornate white wicker folding screen ($25) and, of course, the tchatchkes — the chrome cone-shaped teapot ($2), the 1920s sheet music ($1 each), the toile pattern quilted tote ($3), the white tin windmill decoration ($4) and the beaded
floral sprays ($1 per bagful). Mark felt his big score was a 1956 tin Marx steam shovel toy in working condition ($40!) and a batch of old wooden fishing lures ($5 each). Mostly, he said, he was just glad to be sitting down.
Wait until I tell him the good news — that there’s a “Second Chance” garage sale Sept. 29! I’m already saving up singles.
Goodbye Harry: Books Had Clear Ideals, Familiar Theme
The real message of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as earlier books in the series, is that there is a difference between good and evil and an ultimate system of rewards and punishments for those who choose sides.
Ironically, it is a very Christian message and there are some Christians who are convinced that the whole series is evil because it uses the idea of wizardry and magic as an allegory. Yet Rowling makes it clear that she does not accept, as these folk do not accept, the idea of many different shades of gray; that there is not much difference between good and evil. She believes that there can be redemption.
Critics from some mainstream publications (see Salon.com, for example) complain about the lack of “shades of gray.” Why should Voldemort be seen as all evil and Harry as good? Make
Voldie a good guy; maybe he loves puppies or something like that. Remember that Hitler was actually a vegan who liked (perfect eugenically created) children. And no one really wants good people as characters, these critics say. Everyone is flawed.
These people, most of whom would completely the reject the religious theme embedded within the book (which manages to quote both St. Matthew and Corinthians I while not directly citing them), want to emphasize that those who do evil are somehow good, perhaps as worthy as those who are not as evil.
I spoke to someone like that a week ago in a discussion about the war in Iraq. He seemed to be saying that because 19 Americans, all of whom were punished under law, humiliated some Iraqi prisoners, we were no better than those people who set bombs off in
mosques and along roads used by children. When I used the previous sentence as a way of trying to define his meaning, he stormed off muttering that I was somehow unfair. Imagine using logic.
Rowling is very clear in the way she sets up her story. There are good people and bad people, and they choose the course of their own actions. Some critics say that there is no underlying ideology to the bad guys in her books. All the Death Eaters want is power. And that differs from Hitler, Stalin, Castro, and al Qaeda? In the long run, she seems to write, good people often behave very well, without being perfect, and bad people do not.
That does not mean there are no ambiguous characters in Rowling’s works. Chief among them is Severus Snape, the obnoxious professor who kills Dumbledore at the end of Half-
By Leonard Wechsler
Blood Prince . Readers do learn the background of his actions and find what he did logical based on his whole background.
The series is finished. Rowling ensured that by closing with an epilogue that takes place many years in the future. And like many others, I feel a sense of sadness.
The stories have never been perfect. Rowling is not a great stylist, often repeating herself and letting the plot wan-
See WECHSLER, page 46A
S.F. FAIRGROUNDS HOSTS 17TH ANNUAL GIGANTIC GARAGE SALE
The 17th annual Gigantic Garage Sale was held last Saturday at the South Florida Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds. The sale featured a variety of items ranging from jewelry and coins to homemade crafts and home decorations. Presented by the South Florida Fair and United Way of Palm Beach County, the event was a great fundraising opportunity for non-profit organizations; a portion of the admission fee will be donated to the South Florida Fair Scholarship Fund.
Donna Carr of Jupiter buys treats for her dogs from City Dog’s Carol and Colleen Oakland.
Dolly Hughes of RPB with some garage sale finds.
Joyce Levin, owner of Elegant Affordable Jewelry in Wellington.
Debra Berry of Fantastic Fotos shows off her merchandise.
Ruth Nemec Spradley of West Palm Beach. Chris Schand with some of her hand-painted signs.
PHOTOS
Romano Prepares To Lead This Year’s Wolverines Football Team
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
The Chris Romano era officially begins at Wellington High School on Monday, Aug. 6 when the Wolverines open fall practice for their 2007 football season. Romano, who accepted the head coaching position this past spring after Gene Boley resigned following a 2-8 record, will put his new team through twice-a-day drills through Aug. 14, when varsity and junior varsity rosters will be finalized.
Many Wolverines players have been working out in Wellington’s “new” weight room facility — a transformed room
FOOTBALL FOOTBALL
that for the past few years was home to the school’s auto mechanics class. When the class was discontinued after the end of the 2006 school year, the engine parts were replaced by squat machines and benchpress racks.
“It’s really been a positive for the kids,” said Romano, who is also an assistant principal at WHS. “We’re still getting stuff in and every time we do they get a little more excited.”
The Wolverines, who have been working in the weight room since this past June, open their season Aug. 31 against
Seminole Ridge High School.
“They’ve been a good group of kids — pretty loyal,” said Romano, who has been at WHS since 2000. “I think we’ve had around 50 kids here on a regular basis.”
The beginning of fall practice — even the rigorous twice-a-day sessions — always brings a fresh air of anticipation and excitement to players. This fall, however, the excitement is not just limited to the players. Romano himself is antsy to get on the field.
“Football in the fall is kind of hard to beat,” Romano said. “We ended spring practice on a positive note and I’m excited to see that carry over.”
WCFL PLAYERS IGNORED RAIN AT WELLINGTON VILLAGE PARK
The message board at the entrance to Wellington Village Park informed Western Communities Football League players, cheerleaders, coaches and their families that Tuesday evening’s practice was cancelled. Many turned their cars around, but some still found their way back to the far fields. Coaches and parents socialized and talked strategy while football players and their siblings played pickup games of football on the soggy fields. The league’s 14th season begins Saturday, Aug. 25 at Village Park. More than 800 players and 200 cheerleaders are participating.
Sophomore Kyle Wallace executes a deadlift.
WHS head football coach Chris Romano (center) and assistant coach Lee Tanton (right) check players in.
PHOTOS BY STEVE
Freshman Chris Thomas works out with sit-ups.
Freshman Brandon Prince works on his clean-and-jerk form.
Players, parents and coaches braved the rain to make Tuesday’s practice.
Eight-Year-Old Wellington Racer Moves Up To Fastest Division
It would be difficult to find a faster kid than eight-year-old Joey Wildasin Jr. of Wellington. Wildasin recently moved up to the 125 Rotax Minimax division in the World Karting Association.
This is the fastest kart for the nine to 12 age group and, according to Wildasin’s father Joey Sr., the boy received a waiver at his home track, Moroso Motorsports.
“The Minimax will reach speeds of 115 mph on the straights and zero to 60 in three seconds and is the closest Kart to a formula-one racer,” he said. “The Minimax is like a jet. It’s the fastest model you can put a kid on till they’re 14.”
Acreage resident Butch Lander, the largest distributor of Arrow chassis in the United States, has sponsored Joey Jr. with a new Arrow Chassis AX9, one of the first that has been imported to the U.S., Joey Sr. said. “Arrow chassis has had great success, winning several national titles,” he said. “Thanks to Butch, Joey will have the edge going into next year.”
Having turned eight on July 9, Joey weighs only 48 pounds; 78 pounds of lead must be strapped to the frame to reach the legal 265-pound minimum race weight, according to Joey Sr. “The main goal is to eventually run Formula One, Indy Racing League or Nascar,” he said. “With Butch Lander’s high-profile staff of professional race car drivers and crew members, we expect Joey Jr. to compete in the Rotax Nationals next year.”
Joey Jr. will attend third grade
at Equestrian Trails Elementary School, where he finished last year on the honor roll. His mother Mandy said she’s proud that he maintains a balance between scholastics and competition. “I guess that’s where I fall into place keeping things in balance, making sure it’s all for the right reasons,” she said.
Joey Jr. said he enjoys the increased competition in going to a new division, although he does not win quite as often. “My dad says it’s not really about winning but about having fun, but I really like to win. It’s a lot of competition. Moving to a different division, it’s hard to compete with all those kids having more experience... it makes you really want to push harder.”
The competition is not without its dangers, said the father. They were all shook up three months ago when Joey Jr. flipped a Rotax racer. The drivers are supposed to be thrown away from the vehicle and Joey Jr. was pinned under it.
“He was a little shook up,” Joey Sr. said. “We got him right back out there. He had some bruises, but the chassis was destroyed.”
The family will be at Moroso on Sunday for the Jon Smith Subs competition, which begins at 8:30 a.m. The Wildasins own www.kidkartshop.com, a supplier of a variety of racing equipment and services in Wellington. Lander’s web site is located at www.race-sport.net.
Acreage Football League Prepares For Tenth Season
With record-breaking signups in May, Acreage football has more than 750 football players and 120 cheerleaders. It will begin its tenth season of a hugely successful program run by volunteers. Most of these players are from The Acreage, with a few players coming from other areas.
There will be a jamboree on Friday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. The event will celebrate all of the players, coaches and sponsors who participate in Acreage football and cheerleading. There is a flag football division for ages five to 17. Flag football has four divisions: PeeWee, Midget, Junior Varsity and Varsity.
The jamboree will also recognize players in Tackle Foot-
ball, which has three divisions. The three divisions are Prep, Collegiate and Pro, ages nine to 14. This is a league where participants can play with their classmates; there are no weight restrictions. There will be a jamboree scrimmage, 10 regularseason games, plus playoffs and a Super Bowl for each division held at Seminole Ridge High School. There will also be a Battle at the Beach All-Star Tournament presented by Rising Stars Athletics.
The relationship with the Florida Youth Athletic Association has opened many doors for the league. It bought new balls for all 60 teams, supplied new field equipment and paid the insurance for all of the athletes.
This allowed Acreage Football to purchase new Schutt DNA helmets for every tackle football player. In addition, the FLYAA provided Acreage coaches to go to a Cam Cameron’s Coaches Clinic with the Miami Dolphins coaches and the 2007 Rookie class. The Acreage coaches were taught new techniques and drills by the Miami Dolphins coaches. The rookies demonstrated the drills for the AFL coaches to learn and use in their next practices and answered questions one on one.
Coaches had the opportunity for training in CPR and football injury training at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
At the jamboree the Indian Trail Improvement District will
recognize the tenth anniversary of the Acreage Community Park and their Summer of Progress. With the addition of three football fields at County Pines Recreational Complex at Samuel Friedland Park, as well as Acreage Community Park, Acreage Football now has the use of six fields.
On Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5, Wal-Mart and Pepsi are co-sponsoring a fundraiser called “Drop a Buck for a Park” to raise money for the football program. Acreage coaches will further train at Seminole Ridge High School on Wednesday, Aug. 8.
For more information, visit www.flyaa.org or call (561) 795-5908.
Joey Wildasin Jr. on the racetrack.
Third Annual Hanley Center Youth Athletics Health Conference Aug. 13
The third annual conference to promote student athlete health is being sponsored by Hanley Center Prevention Services and the Florida High School Athletic Association, with former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jack Armstrong as this year’s keynote speaker. “Gaining the Competitive Edge: Strengthening Athletes’ Mental and Physical Skills” is free and open to the public, and will be held Monday, Aug. 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Palm Beach County Convention Center (650 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach).
WHS Football Practice Starts This Monday
The Wellington High School football team will begin practicing on Monday, Aug. 6 at 6:30 a.m.
All players need to have their paperwork completed and turned in by the start of practice on Aug. 6. Practice times will be from 6:30 to 9 a.m. and from 6 to 8:15 p.m. Aug. 6-14. Rosters for the JV and varsity squads will be finalized after Aug. 14.
There will be a football parent meeting on campus Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m. The football boosters will meet next on Aug. 22 at 6:45 p.m.
Baseball Registration At Marcello Park
Registration for the Royal Palm Beach fall baseball season is underway at the Bob Marcello Baseball Complex. Registration fees and other information can be found online at www.rpbyb.com.
Registration times and dates are 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 4; 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7; 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 11; 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 18. Registration will be held at the concession stand.
Past conferences have drawn hundreds of coaches, teachers, guidance counselors, nurses, parents and others. The event offers a range of topics by experts including steroid use and abuse.
This year, eating disorders will also be discussed. Half of all female high school students participate in sports, with pressures toward thinness and success in sports, and run a high risk for eating disorders and body-shaping drug use.
Topics covered in the all-day event include effective drug and alcohol prevention methods; how and when to in-
RPB Man Ties In Golf Tourney
Three players tied for first at 33 when rain and lightning interrupted a Minor League Golf Tour event Thursday, July 26 at the Links at Madison Green Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach. While none had completed 18 holes, all 26 starters were on the back nine.
Tied with 33s on the front, each with three birdies, were Matt LeConche of Royal Palm Beach, son of host professional Richard LeConche; Jake Pasch of Fox Point, Wis., and Hector Zapata of Weston. All three birdied the par-five eighth hole. They earned $400 apiece from the $2,343 purse.
For information about the Minor League Tour and entry, go to www.minorleaguegolf.com.
Wellington Cyclist To Represent U.S. In Mexico
Davis Espinoza of Wellington is on the U.S. roster for the 2007 UCI Junior Road and Track World Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Aug. 4 through 12, according to USA Cycling.
Espinoza is on the men’s track squad with Shane Kline, Nike Reinert and Lanell Rockmore, all from Pennsylvania.
tervene; developing a healthy athlete; developing mental strength, and the ATLAS and ATHENA prevention programs. In-service points for school-based employees and nursing CEUs will be provided. The conference fulfills the drug education requirement for a five-year coaching certificate.
The Hanley Center facilitates the effective high school athletes ATLAS and ATHENA prevention programs. ATLAS (for boys) and ATHENA (for girls) are the only prevention programs recommended by the Anabolic Steroid Control
Espinoza is scheduled for the sprint, kilometer time trial and keirin.
Recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Union Cycliste Internationale, USA Cycling promotes American cycling through its 60,000 members and 2,500 annual events.
USA Cycling associations include the BMX Association (BMX), National OffRoad Bicycle Association (mountain bike), U.S. Cycling Federation (road/ track), the National Collegiate Cycling Association and the U.S. Professional Racing Organization (professional men’s road).
For more information, visit www.usacycling.org or call USA Cycling Director of Communications Andy Lee at (719) 866-4867.
PBA Alumni Golf At PGA National
The Alumni Association of Palm Beach Atlantic University has set its 20th annual golf tournament and auction for Saturday, Oct. 6, at the PGA National Resort & Spa. The tournament, which is open to the public, raises money for the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.
This year’s tournament will be hosted by baseball Hall of Famer Gary Carter
Act of 2004, targeting $900 million for education using ATLAS, the first program, as the model.
To register for the free conference, go to the web site at www.hanleycenter. org/edge. For more information, contact Jamie Blosser of Hanley Center Prevention Services at (561) 841-1217.
The Hanley Center (5200 East Ave., West Palm Beach) offers gender-specific and older adult treatment, as well as education and prevention services for alcoholism and substance abuse. For more information call (561) 841-1000.
and feature world famous trick shot exhibitionist Kevin Compare.
The day begins at 7 a.m. with breakfast followed by the trick shot exhibition at 8:15 a.m. and an 8:45 shotgun start on the Champion and Squire courses.
In addition to golf, participants will compete for prizes for the closest to the pin, longest drive and more.
After golf, players will enjoy lunch and an auction.
The cost for the tournament is $250 per player, which includes cart, greens fee, breakfast, lunch and a tournament golf shirt. For more information, call (561) 803-2010.
THE GREAT TRAIN EXPO COMES TO SOUTH FLORIDA FAIRGROUNDS
The Great Train Expo roared into town last Saturday and Sunday at the South Florida Fairgrounds. Model railroad enthusiasts flocked to see what the train dealers were offering, which included books, shirts, videos, paintings and various other trainrelated items. Numerous trains by popular manufacturers such as Lionel, Bachman and American Flyer were available for sale. In addition, there was a train ride for the kids. For more information about the traveling show, visit its web site at www.greattrainexpo.com.
Jared Rosenberg checks out a model train.
Cody Llamas built this display using Lego pieces.
Gabriel Nicholson dressed as a train conductor.
Spencer Kilcoyne with Don Levine of Operation Lifesaver.
The Florida On30 Renegades model train group.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Gus Novotny with some of his G gauge model trains.
Saturday, Aug. 4
• Shark Week will take continue at the South Florida Science Museum (4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach) Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5. From noon to 6 p.m. each day, there will be expert weekend lectures, comparing shark jaws, making your own shark-tooth necklaces and other bitesized activities. Call (561) 832-1988 for more info.
• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will continue the mod musical Shout! through Sunday, Aug. 5. Shout! brings together five groovy girls who celebrate the music of Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield and Lulu, performing new arrangements of hit songs that made England swing in the ’60s. Tickets cost $21 to $50. Call (561) 832-7469 for more info.
• The Maltz Jupiter Theatre (1001 E. Indiantown Road, Jupiter) will continue The Kid From Brooklyn through Sunday, Sept. 9. The smash musical is based on the life of New Yorker Danny Kaye. Tickets are $30 for matinee and $35 for all evening performances. Group tickets are available for 20 or more. Visit www.jupitertheatre.org or call (561) 575-2223 for tickets.
(1951 Royal Fern Drive) will present Clownin’ Around for ages two through five on Monday, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. featuring stories, songs and a special craft. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
• The Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association will offer the program “Butterflies of South Florida” on Monday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Okeeheelee Nature Center (7715 Forest Hill Blvd.). The featured speaker will be Alana Edwards from Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Environmental Studies. Call (561) 2331400 for more info.
• Palms West Presbyterian Church (13689 Okeechobee Blvd., Loxahatchee Groves) will hold its annual Vacation Bible School Aug. 6-10 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $8 per child and $16 per family. For more information, call Candi McLeod at (561) 795-1854.
Tuesday, Aug. 7
• The Acreage/Loxahatchee Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at 7:29 a.m. at Sneaky Pete’s Restaurant in the Grove (Winn-Dixie) Plaza on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. For more information, call President Richard Helton at (561) 792-5379.
• The Life and Family Tour, a new home and lifestyle show for the entire family, will continue Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach. The show features exhibitors and vendors introducing new products and showing families new ways to enhance their health, leisure activities, entertainment and community awareness. The cost is $5 for adults and free for children under 12. Bring two canned food items for the Ronald McDonald House food drive and receive a $2 discount on admission. For more information visit www.emcexpos.com.
• On Saturday, Aug. 4, the Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association will offer a one-hour walk in John Prince Park. Enter the park off Congress Avenue, turn right at the stop sign and left into the first parking lot. The walk begins at 7:30 a.m. For info., call Paul at (561) 963-9906.
• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will present “The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute” on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. in Dreyfoos Hall. For more info., call the box office at (561) 8327469 or visit www.kravis.org.
• Toastmasters will host “How to Speak With Humor, Substance and Style” on Saturday, Aug. 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the South Florida Water Management District office (3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach). The speaker is David Brooks. RSVP to Sheila Zayas at sheila_zayas @yahoo.com or (561) 242-5639.
Sunday, Aug. 5
• The Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association will offer a nine-mile walk in Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Jupiter on Sunday, Aug. 5. Meet at the entrance parking lot at 8 a.m. For more info., call Mary at (561) 391-7942.
Monday, Aug. 6
• To celebrate National Clown Week, the Wellington library
Snacks will be provided. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info. Friday, Aug. 10
• Every Friday at 10 a.m. the Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) invites parents to bounce, sing and move with their babies to nursery rhymes and favorites songs. The program is for babies under one year. Call (561) 790-6070 to preregister.
Saturday, Aug. 11
• The Loxahatchee Groves Landowners' Association will host an Ice Cream Social on Saturday, Aug. 11 at Good Earth Farm (2141 B Road, Loxahatchee Groves). The event will include a refreshing treat from Edy’s ice cream, a tour of the animal rescue facility, music and possibly dancing. Call Sharyn at (561) 793-2193 for more information or to confirm how many people you will bring.
• A Gun Show will be held at the South Florida Fairgrounds (9067 Southern Blvd.) Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 11 and 12. Admission is $7 for adults and free for ages 12 and under free. For more info., call (561) 7930333.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will present “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen” on Tuesdays, Aug. 7 through Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Based on the parenting guidance groups of child psychologist Dr. Haim Ginott, the workshop teaches parents how to communicate more effectively with their children through audio tapes, role playing and exercises. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.
• The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office will host National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, Aug. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Target super store, 10155 Okeechobee Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. The free event will include kids’ activities such as a bounce house and an obstacle course, as well as hot dogs, hamburgers and soda and a visit by PBSO K9 Officer Clue. For more info., call (561) 688-3983.
Wednesday, Aug. 8
• The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host a networking luncheon on Wednesday, Aug. 8 at the Esperante Building (222 Lakeview Ave., West Palm Beach) featuring guest speaker State Sen. Dave Aronberg (D-District 27). Admission is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. For more information, visit www.palmbeachhispanic chamber.com.
• The Northern Palm Beach Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association will meet on Wednesday, Aug. 8 at the PGA Doubletree Hotel (4431 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens). Networking will be from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with dinner and the program to follow at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $30. Guests are welcome. To RSVP, call Helen Lasko at (561) 622-8683.
Thursday, Aug. 9
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will present “Have You Been TAGged Yet?” on Thursday, Aug. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Ages 12 through 18 will meet at the library’s firstever Teen Advisory Group (TAG), which will meet once a month to discuss ideas for teen programs and displays.
• Community of Hope Church will host Redemption Paintball from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug.11 for youth in grades 6 to 12. The cost of $10 covers lunch and unlimited air for paint guns. Equipment rental is available through Mike’s Paintball in Royal Palm Beach for a fee of $20. For more info., call Marc Goldberg at (561) 951-2835 or visit www.communityof hope.org. Community of Hope Church is located at 14101 Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee.
• The Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association will conduct a trail maintenance clip and walk in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 6 a.m. For more info., call Paul at (561) 963-9906.
• The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens’ annual Bon Festival will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11. Admission is $10 for adults 18 and up, $5 for children ages seven to 17. Children six and under and museum members are free. The Morikami is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach. For more info., call (561) 495-0233 or visit www.morikami.org.
• The Wellington Aquatic Center’s final Dive-In Movie Night of the summer will be held on Saturday, Aug. 11, starting at 8 p.m. Enjoy the movie Ferngully while floating in the pool. The Wellington Aquatic Center is located at 12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd. at the Wellington Community Center. Call (561) 753-2484 for more info.
Monday, Aug. 13
• The James Ryan Rivera Muscular Dystrophy Golf for the Cure tournament will take place at the Links of Madison Green on Monday, Aug. 13. Registration starts at 7 a.m. with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The fundraiser will help James Rivera, a five-year-old diagnosed with MD. Call Terri Wescott at (561) 253-4724 or Dawn Dallin at (561) 309-5864 for more info.
• The Palms West Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon will take place on Monday, Aug. 13 starting at 11:45 a.m. at Tequila Cancun, located at 2202 Jog Road, Greenacres. Call (561) 790-6200 to RSVP.
Lighthouse For The Blind, Goodwill Industries Plan Merger
Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches recently announced it will restore and preserve its full range of programs with the assistance of a planned merger with Gulfstream Goodwill Industries Inc.
Established in 1946, Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches provides a range of education and rehabilitation services for persons of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. Gulfstream Goodwill Industries was incorporated in 1966 and provides services to persons with disabilities designed to achieve employment and independent living.
Under the new agreement, Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches will be a separate and distinct division of Gulfstream Goodwill Industries and will maintain its own name. Services will be provided by qualified, certified specialists in keeping with Lighthouse’s standardized practices.
Lighthouse for the Blind President and
CEO Bill Thompson said that the merger, expected to be completed in the fall, is the result of many conversations between the two agencies over the past year. Specifically, Thompson said, “Our discussions have focused on carrying out the fine tradition of Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches and preserving the programs for those who are blind or visually impaired who have depended upon the Lighthouse for years.”
Gulfstream Goodwill Industries provides a variety of employment and independent living programs throughout Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. “Our organization is looking forward to expanding its vast array of programs to include services to individuals who are blind and visually impaired,” President and CEO Marv Tanck said. “Our mission is to assist all persons to overcome barriers to employment and independent living; it’s a perfect fit.”
Dog Days Of Summer Back At Roger Dean
Back by popular demand, the Dog Days of Summer has returned for a sixth season. Join dogs and their owners at a minor league baseball game as the Jupiter Hammerheads play the Palm Beach Cardinals Saturday, Aug. 18 at 6:05 p.m. at Roger Dean Stadium (4751 Main Street, Jupiter). The first 100 dog owners receive a free T-shirt.
Tickets to the Dog Days of Summer baseball game cost $7.99 (plus tax) per dog owner, plus $5 for a dog pass, which allows one dog admission to each Dog Days of Summer 2007 baseball game. Proceeds are donated directly to the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League.
Doggy watering stations and cleanup stations will be located throughout the
dog-friendly areas. The PetMobile will have dogs and cats available to adopt and ready to take home. Each pet has been spayed/neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped. Adoption fees range from $50 to $95. In addition, celebrity dog trainer Babette Haggerty’s four-legged companion Barkley will perform amazing feats such as bringing baseballs out to the umpires, taking a beverage to one lucky fan and racing the team’s mascot from first to third base.
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League is located at 3200 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach. For more information, call (561) 686-3663 or go to www.hspb.org. For ticket and game information, call (561) 775-1818.
Seminole Ridge High School Class Of 2011 Seeks Freshman Officers
Any Seminole Ridge High School students interested in running for a Class of 2011 (freshman class) officer, please stop by the school store, Room 6-101, from Aug. 22 through 27 to pick up an application packet.
Campaigning will begin Wednesday, Aug. 28 with elections held in the cafeteria during lunch Friday, Aug. 31. For more information, e-mail Student Government Association sponsor Mrs. Kelly Dickmann at dickmannk@palmbeach. k12.fl.us.
SRHS Book Covers Available — The Student Services office reports that
PBC Youth Affairs
Resource Fair Aug. 6
The public is invited to attend the 10th Annual Resource Fair hosted by the Palm Beach County Division of Youth Affairs.
The free event will be held Monday, Aug. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Highridge Family Center, 4200 North Australian Ave., West Palm Beach.
This year’s theme is “Stop Violence Before It Stops You: Connect Our Youth to Community Resources.” Participants’ opportunities include on-site family activities and working with others as “Action Plan Designers” to find solutions to youth violence.
Keynote speakers include State Rep. Priscilla Taylor (D-District 84) and State Rep. Maria Sachs (D-District 86).
Groups will design action plans to connect Palm Beach County youth to existing resources in an effort to reduce gang membership, school dropouts and violence.
There will also be many exhibits and displays presented by community organizations and family activities such as face-painting, fingerprinting for children and visits by McGruff the Crime Dog and Sparky the Fire Dog.
SRHS book covers will be available for $2 each at the beginning-of-the-year class orientations.
Cheerleading — The Hawk football cheerleaders returned recently from Embry-Riddle University, where they attended camp with the Universal Cheerleaders Association. Both the varsity and junior varsity squads attended and both returned with trophies.
In the camp championships, the Hawks varsity placed second in the “Cheer” division and first in the “Extreme Routine” division. The extreme routine is set to music and squads incorporate
Breakfast and lunch will be provided. The Palm Beach County Health Department will provide free immunizations for children ages 18 and under from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (561) 625-2534.
Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday
The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) is predicting strong sales during Florida’s eighth back-to-school sales tax holiday from Aug. 4 through Aug. 13, an annual tradition that helps save Florida families millions of dollars a year.
State and local sales tax will not be collected on clothing and related items with a sales price of $50 or less, books with a sales price of $50 or less and school supplies with a sales price of $10 or less.
According to the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), a non-profit organization representing state tax agencies, Florida is one of only 14 states and the District of Columbia that observe a back-to-school sales tax holiday and the only state whose holiday spans two weekends.
“FRF encourages all Floridians to take
jumps, tumbling, dance and stunting. The junior varsity also participated in the championships, placing second in the extreme routine. Several cheerleaders received individual recognition.
Three varsity members — Rachel Sivilli, fellow senior April Goodman and junior Kori McMahon — were selected as All-Stars after trying out by performing a cheer, dance, and jump. As a result, they have been selected by the UCA to perform in the 2008 New Year’s Parade in London.
In addition, Goodman and Sivilli have been invited to apply for a position with
advantage of the savings available during the sales tax holiday. Families looking for a way to make their dollars go further should make the most of this opportunity,” said FRF President and CEO Rick McAllister. “Many retailers also mark down their merchandise, making it a boon to Florida consumers.”
Nationwide, spending on electronics is expected to be one of the fastest growing categories of back-to-school sales. Eight states — including neighbors Georgia and Alabama — currently include computers or software in their sales tax holiday exemptions.
If the Florida Legislature were to expand the tax exemption during the 2008 Legislative Session, Florida would follow eight other states that exempt computers and related supplies during the back-to-school sales tax holiday, according to the FRF.
More data on states with sales tax holidays is available at www.taxadmin.org/ fta/rate/sales_holiday.html.
More information about the school sales tax holiday may be found frf.org/ files/p376.pdf or myflorida.com/dor/ taxes and search for “tax holiday.”
The Florida Retail Federation has more than 11,000 members, representing busi-
UCA as camp instructors for summer 2008 and Goodman was chosen out of more than 100 cheerleaders at the camp as having the best jumps.
Hawk seniors Wendy Aylesworth and Sivilli were announced as varsity captains for the 2007-2008 football season. Girls interested in trying out for SRHS competition cheerleading must e-mail coach Kelly Dickmann at dickmannk @palmbeach.k12.fl.us to receive tryout material and packet.
A tryout will be held Monday, Aug. 6 in the Seminole Ridge gym from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
nesses from the state’s largest to the smallest. For more information, visit www.frf.org.
Poinciana Day School Benefits St. Jude
The Poinciana Day School Student Council recently held a Sprint for Smiles run/walkathon which raised $4,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The hospital helps children with cancer and catastrophic illnesses.
Helping sick children has been a personal cause for the students since they lost a classmate last year to a lifelong battle with cancer.
Students and teachers collected pledges for how many laps they could walk and/or run in a 60-minute period. Eagerly, everyone set out to do their personal best.
The program also helped raise the physical fitness levels of students as they practiced for weeks ahead of the event.
Poinciana Day School is an independent private school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. For more information, call (561) 655-7323 or visit www.poincianadayschool.org.
Earn Your Master of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Wellington Campus
Why leadership education?
As organizations struggle to adapt to rapid changes, they look to leaders who are effective in today’s fastpaced global environment. Whether you head a business, non-profit, religious or governmental agency, or aspire to that role, the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership provides you with the knowledge, disposition
with the and abilities required to succeed.
What will the degree do for me?
• Learn to appreciate your leadership skills and abilities
• Develop an understanding of your organization’s needs
• Accomplish objectives through working with groups
• Become more effective at influencing others and teams
• Learn the importance of embracing change
• Develop skills to build sustainable ethical leadership
How long will it take?
The Master of Science in Organizational Leadership is a 36-credit hour program and can be completed by most
students in six semesters.
How are the classes offered?
“The Organizational Leadership program at PBA is amazing and has allowed me to think critically about decisions I make not only in the workplace but in every situation in life. I strongly recommend the program to anyone who wants to grow in leadership and impact the world around them.”
Republican Party of Palm Beach County
programs are designed for learning to come from your
immediately and will grow in confidence in
Courses are offered one evening a week from 6 - 10 p.m. to accommodate your work schedule. Graduate level programs are designed for learning to come from your fellow students as well as your professors, textbooks and class assignments. You can apply your new skills on the job dence in your leadership abilities as you go through the program each week.
How
much will it cost?
Tuition for the graduate programs is calculated per credit hour. Your total cost and your cost per semester
will depend on several factors:
• Full-time or part-time student status
•Eligibilityforfinancialaid
• Eligibility for financial aid
• Tuition assistance from your employer
• GLADES DAY SCHOOL founded in 1965, offers a balance of academic, athletic and extracurricular programs. Serving students from K-3 through grade 12, Glades Day School 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) 9966769 or visit www.gladesdayschool.com.
• WELLINGTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL is a Christ-centered, Bible-based school that is accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Christian Schools of Florida. Students from early childhood education through high school will experience a rich academic environment taught by certified teachers whose goals are to achieve superior scholastic results. Students will also be enriched with foreign language, music, art, choral band, drama and varsity sports programs. The school is located at 1000 Wellington Trace. For more information and to schedule an appointment to visit our campus please call us at 793-1017.
• SUMMIT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL is an independent non-denominational Christian school that has been educating youth in our community for over 30 years. Serving children from six weeks of age to grade 12, we train students to think critically and biblically and act morally and responsibly — in a learning environment that gives them security and significance. Summit Christian offers a cohesive and systematic collegeprep curriculum, the most unique fine arts programs available and an extensive athletic program that includes varsity football. “Summit Saints” athletic offerings begin in K-5 and continue through high school. Summit Christian School is also home to Summit Productions, our school’s film and television program. Busing, extended care, fine arts after-school programs and summer camps are also available. For more information, call (561) 686-8081 ext. 319 or visit www.summitchristian.com.
• TEMPLE BETH ZION RELIGIOUS AND PRESCHOOL — “My First Jewish Experience” is a fun, Montessori-style experience for children ages 5 and 6 including vocabulary games, art, musical activities, Jewish holidays, prayers and customs. “More Jewish Experiences” (ages 6 and 7) is a continuation of MFJE, learning to read and write in Hebrew. At our preschool, children of all faiths learn and play together. For more information call (561) 798-8888 or go to our web site at www.templebethzion.net. We are located at 129 Sparrow Drive in Royal Palm Beach.
Contents Prepared by the Marketing Department
• PLANET KIDS a family owned and operated child care center for 25 years, offers a safe, fun and educational environment for children from six weeks thru eleven years. Their state-of-the-art facility includes a theatre, computer/library, science/ art, music/gymnastics, multiple intelligence discovery class, Spanish/French, and specialty rooms. Your child will learn foreign languages as well as sign language. The three safe, age-specific playgrounds are the coolest in town. They offer a creative, hands-on curriculum to prepare your child for Kindergarten. The staff is warm, loving, and specifically trained for each age level. Planet Kids has five convenient locations in Palm Beach County.
• DILLON COUNTRY DAY is an accredited non-denominational private independent college preparatory school serving the western communities since 1995, Grades 6 thru 12, providing the “bridge” to high school & college. Individual attention is given with a low student/teacher ratio of 5 to 1. Music, fine arts, marine sciences – scuba & surf, are just a few of the unique and interesting programs we offer. We participate in the McKay Scholarship program. Our motto is “Leadership Through Service and Commitment.” To find out more, call us today at (561) 798-4748.
• UNITY FOR KIDS EARLY INTERVENTION CENTER is a non-profit non-denominational preschool and therapeutic center for children with and without special needs. Our inclusive setting allows children to learn, play and socialize together. Children can realize their full potential and achieve high levels of self-esteem. We are a center where school readiness skills such as phonics, reading, numbers and language skills are stressed. Some of our important activities include Spanish, sign language, computer, music, drama, arts and crafts. We will be a voluntary pre-K program beginning in August, as well as a family central provider. Many special-needs children can receive speech, physical and occupational therapy right at our center. We are accepting sponsors for some children who otherwise would not be able to attend our program. For further information please call Sharon Green at (561) 478-7477 or visit us at the center located at 1063 N. Haverhill in West Palm Beach.
• DANCE ARTS CONSERVATORY is a professional school of performing arts located in the heart of Wellington. We are a family owned business proudly celebrating our 4th year of service to the community. It is our mission to provide a professional, creative environment for our students to flourish in artistically, all the while providing the highest quality of training. We look forward to instructing and inspiring each and every one of our dancers through a dance curriculum which is designed for students ranging from the novice to the professional, from 3 years old to adult. Classes are administered by a knowledgeable staff of dance educators all with broad experiences in stage performance and professional companies; each possessing a great and contagious love for dancing. We are located in the Wellington Marketplace next door to the Wellington Cinema at 13889 Wellington Trace, Suite A-23. For details and information visit us on the web at www.danceartsconservatory.com or call us at 561-296-1880.
SCIENCE MUSEUM CONTINUES SHARK WEEK THROUGH AUG. 5
The South Florida Science Museum in West Palm Beach kicked off Shark Week on July 28. The educational event about all things shark-related will run through Aug 5. The event includes lectures, a comparison of shark jaws, make-your-own shark-tooth necklaces and other activities. For more information about Shark Week and other events at the museum, call (561) 832-1988.
PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Museum educator Meredith Ford hands over a shark-tooth necklace to Josh Green of Wellington.
Gina and Stacy Cohen examine at the shark-tooth necklace they put together that day.
Shark educator Chris Koch with a sawfish bill.
Koch displays shark jaws.
Daniel and Sara Ingram of Wellington at a shark lecture.
Museum educator Meredith Ford at a table of shark teeth.
The Cohens of Hollywood check out some of the shark teeth on display.
PHOTOS BY CAROL
Water Management Airlifting Wetland Plants To STA1-West
During a three-day airlift, the South Florida Water Management District transplanted 23 tons of water-loving plants to revitalize Florida’s stormwater treatment areas (STAs) last week. The constructed treatment wetlands use “green technology” to absorb harmful nutrients and improve the quality of water flowing into the Everglades.
The large-scale transplanting is revitalizing specific areas within the 6,700acre STA 1-West (west of Wellington), the 9,000-acre STA 2 and STA 3/4, which at nearly 17,000 acres is the largest constructed wetland in the world. As part of the $30,000 operation, water managers are harvesting healthy batches of southern naiad, commonly referred to as pondweed, from within the STAs and moving the plants to areas where old plant life has died, or construction and maintenance work was recently finished.
After the pondweed is harvested, it is loaded into a large cargo net and carried by helicopter to a drop spot targeted with global positioning system technology. Hovering at about 500 feet, the helicopter pilot releases the load into very shallow waters. Pondweed grows at or below the water’s surface and quickly reestablishes itself and begins removing phosphorus from water flowing into the treatment areas.
District scientists and engineers maintain the appropriate balance of plant life in the STAs, so the systems can continue removing excess nutrients from water found in stormwater runoff. These nutrients, including phosphorus, flow from farms, lawns, roadways and other developed areas. STAs help remove these nutrients by channeling water through a system of treatment cells filled with wetland vegetation.
As part of its schedule to improve water quality in the Everglades, the state
operates more than 41,000 acres of constructed wetlands. Last year, the STAs combined treated nearly 1.5 million acrefeet of water and prevented 176 metric tons of phosphorus from reaching the Everglades.
Stormwater treatment areas have also become prime locations for native wildlife. Their vast, shallow waters and rich plant life attract a wide variety of birds and fish, as well as alligators, wild hogs and deer. For more information on Everglades restoration, visit www.ever gladesnow.org.
Congregation L’ Dor Va-Dor Holding Friday Services
Welcome the Sabbath on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. with reform congregation L’ Dor Va-Dor, located at 7400 Lake Worth Road in Lake Worth.
Services are led by Rabbi Samuel Silver and Rabbi Barry Silver. The synagogue is one block east of Florida’s Turnpike. Call (561) 968-0688 for more information.
The congregation has duplicate bridge Monday through Friday at 12:45 p.m. A light lunch is served. For more info., call George at (561) 471-6224.
Photographer Wanted To Run RPB Group
The Village of Royal Palm Beach is looking for photographers to run its Photography Group. The group meets on Mondays at the Recreation Center; however, the group leader may arrange a more convenient meeting day.
Candidates should respond before before Aug. 10. For more information, call Program Supervisor Noel Vazquez at (561)-791-7080.
Rinker Foundation To Underwrite History Program For County
The Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Foundation Inc. has announced that it will underwrite a comprehensive web-based history program in conjunction with the Historical Society of Palm Beach County. “Palm Beach County History Online” will become an engaging, interactive resource for county students, especially eighth grade through college, as well as for the community to learn about the area’s rich history.
The web site will feature photographs and volumes of educational content organized by subject matter, including sections on geography; Native Americans; pioneer life; the land boom and bust of the 1920s; Palm Beach County during World War II; and the county’s growth, people and maps. It will also include downloadable teaching resources and lesson plans.
The project is expected to take about 18 months to two years to complete. The Rinker Foundation’s gift will fund the development of the project as well as provide an endowment to permanently manage, maintain and enrich the content on the site.
“This program is a tribute to that history, and to our desire to educate future generations about the area,” said Chair Dr. David Rinker. “We are proud to work with the Historical Society to establish this important program.”
Marshall E. “Doc” Rinker, who founded the foundation, moved from Indiana to Palm
Beach County at the age of 21. In 1926, he started a business hauling sand and rock with a single dump truck, which was subsequently repossessed during the land bust of 1929. Rinker was able to buy back the truck and then went on to found a fleet of trucks serving a network of cement, concrete and other construction material plants throughout Florida.
By the late 1980s, Rinker Materials Corporation had grown into the largest building materials company in the state. Rinker sold the company in 1988 and it continues to be headquartered in Palm Beach County. He established the Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Foundation from part of the sale of his company in order to continue to fund philanthropic activities. The foundation recently provided an additional grant to the Historical Society to underwrite the documentary “Puddle Jumpers of Lantana: The History of the Civil Air Patrol’s Coastal
Patrol Base 3.” The Historical Society is planning to open the new Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum in downtown West Palm Beach in March 2008. They are currently engaged in a $9 million Cornerstone Campaign that will fund the design, construction and ongoing operation of the museum, which will open within the historic 1916 courthouse. The Historical Society has raised more than $5.7 million toward the campaign goal.
Half of these funds have already been allocated to designing the museum and its exhibits, which are currently being created by Maryland-based design firm Gallagher & Associ-
Looting Bill Stiffer Penalties
continued from page 8A then-governor Jeb Bush vetoed it because of concerns that its increased penalties could be applied too broadly. Snyder thanked Aronberg for his hard work on the initial bill.
“Without him, we would not have the bill today,” Snyder said. “The implication of this bill is that when we have the aftermath of a natural disaster, what happens is when the governor declares a state of emergency, law enforcement will have this tool. That will send a clear message to the people who try to cause harm when we’re at our weakest.”
Rinker’s first dump truck, repossessed during the 1929 land bust, which he eventually bought back. ates. The balance will be used as an endowment.
For more information, call Historical Society President
Aronberg praised his partners on the bill as well as Crist, whom he called a “role model for all of us in office” for taking a bipartisan stance. He also said the legislation filled an important gap in Florida’s laws.
“This bill is important,” Aronberg said. “I found out during our hurricane season three years ago we didn’t have a law on the books against looting. We had a law against theft. Theft during a time of emergency is worse than regular theft because people are at their most vulnerable. They don’t have electricity. They don’t have security, and they are desperate. This law only impacts those who steal during a time of emergency stemming from that emergency.”
Loren Mintz at (561) 832-4164, ext. 102 or visit the Historical Society’s web site at www. historicalsocietypbc.org.
Aronberg also thanked law enforcement personnel for their support.
“We could not have done this without law enforcement, and your calls and your input,” he said. “I look forward to a safer day in Florida, and hopefully to a season that is not active. But if it is, our homes and storefronts will be protected when it comes to curfews. Though it has been nearly two years since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on New Orleans, the images of people stealing high-dollar electronics and other expensive non-necessity items are still fresh in our minds. We need to makes sure our Floridians are protected against these kinds of crimes, and this new law will help do that.”
Marshall E. Rinker Sr.
Elephant Eye Theatrical Joins The Kravis Center To Create Musicals
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts recently announced that it has joined Elephant Eye Theatrical in an initiative to create new book musicals for Broadway.
“We’re very pleased to be joining [producers] Stuart Oken, Michael Leavitt and 14 other prominent performing arts organizations and presenters as a strategic member of Elephant Eye,” said Kravis Center senior director of programming Lee Bell. “By doing so, the Kravis Cen-
ter will take a proactive role in the creation of exciting new musicals that will play Broadway and stages around the world, including the Kravis Center.”
Elephant Eye has a current slate of projects including The Addams Family (a new musical based on characters, cartoons and sketches by the legendary cartoonist Charles Addams), Bruce Lee: Journey to the West (a musical that follows the mythic journey of two Chinese legends: martial arts star Bruce Lee and
the beloved Chinese warrior god the Monkey King) and Saved (a new musical based on the acclaimed film, which was set at a Christian high school where students, teachers and parents find faith in unexpected places).
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit performing arts center whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a
diverse schedule of national and international artists and companies of the highest quality; by offering comprehensive arts education programs; by providing a Palm Beach County home in which local and regional arts organizations can showcase their work; and by providing an economic catalyst and community leadership in the revitalization of West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism. For more information, call (561) 833-8300 or visit the center’s web site at www.kravis.org.
‘Guitars Not Guns’ Seeks Assistance To Develop Florida Chapter
Two Lake Worth residents have joined forces to start a Florida chapter of Guitars Not Guns, an organization that provides guitars and lessons to foster kids, at-risk-youth and other deserving children since 2000.
Richard Manganaro and Karine Albano had the pleasure of meeting Guitars Not Guns founder and CEO Ray Nelson at an art car show in downtown Lake Worth earlier this year. Nelson was there with his guitar-motorcycle, which he created to help promote his organization nationwide.
Manganaro and Albano are looking for volunteers, sponsors and donors. Among their needs: individuals who can help teach guitar lessons; space in which lessons may be taught; guitars, strings, picks, tuners, music books, transportation for students to and from lessons, water, and snacks; a web designer and free web hosting for the Florida chapter; a recording studio that would be interested in working with artists involved in fundraisers to produce a CD (that would be sold to benefit Guitars Not Guns Florida); a celebrity spokesperson who would serve as an inspiration to the beginning guitar players; videographers and photographers to help document and promote the cause; and help with the
fundraiser concerts. The first fundraiser concert will take place Sunday, Oct. 21 at South Shores Tavern in downtown Lake Worth, a sponsor that has offered the use of its venue for monthly
fundraisers. Fundraising concerts will require bands and performers who are willing to donate their talents and play for free, stage managers, sound technicians, and other
volunteer services. For more information about Guitars Not Guns, visit their web site at www.guitarnotguns.org or the chapter’s page at www.myspace.com/ guitarsnotgunsflorida.
Velvet Revolver Tickets Go On Sale This Saturday
Tickets go on sale this Saturday for the Velvet Revolver’s Oct. 7 concert at Sound Advice Amphitheatre.
Velvet Revolver is Scott Weiland (lead vocals), Slash (guitars), Dave Kushner (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums). Each member brings a wealth of rock history to the band: Weiland fronted Stone Temple Pilots; Slash, McKagan and Sorum were the heart of Guns N’ Roses. Kushner was in several bands, including Wasted Youth and Infectious Grooves. According to Slash, Velvet Revolver did not start living and breathing as a band until well after their first album Contraband debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and the radio track “Slither” won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.
“When we started, we dove right in,” Slash said. “We did the record pretty quickly and were on the road before it
even came out. There was a lot to learn.”
Their recently released second CD Libertad debuted at number five on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart ushering visceral rock back into the forefront. The first single, “She Builds Quick Machines,” has been dominating the rock charts, hitting the top three in the Active Rock category and top four in Mainstream Rock.
“With the first record we had to establish ourselves as a new band,” McKagan said. “Since then, we’ve actually figured out who we are as a band, so there’s been room for musical growth. These songs have more space; they breathe.” That sort of stylistic freedom of expression is a direct result of the band’s coalescing into a creative whole greater than the sum of its high-profile parts. Continues McKagan: “We had more free-
dom to explore our musical ideas because we were confident in the chemistry. It wasn’t so much knowing where each other’s musical boundaries are; it was finding out where they aren’t.” Weiland confirms: “The songs started out being very personal, but they took on a more universal truth as they were nurtured by the fiveheaded beast that is Velvet Revolver. I want to tell stories about the world I see and how it affects all of us.”
Weiland has one of the defining voices of alternative rock, more nimble than ever in calibrating the emotional nuances of the material and exploring the outer reaches of his range. At times Weiland’s voice recalls the romantic gravitas of Jim Morrison; in other moments he pays homage to Sting or Elvis Costello. Joined by veteran hard rockers Alice in Chains and Sparta, they are now embarking on a new U.S. tour to support the new album.
WRMC Celebrates World Breastfeeding Week Aug. 1-7
Wellington Regional Medical Center is taking part in 2007 World Breastfeeding Week Wednesday, Aug. 1 through Tuesday, Aug. 7. Breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months is the theme chosen by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action this year.
Breastfeeding immediately following delivery and exclusive breastfeeding for the next six months can save more than one million babies annually worldwide, according to the alliance.
The theme highlights the importance of promoting conditions conducive to breastfeeding beginning with the first hour of birth.
“In a world where more than 10 million children die before their first birthday due to preventable causes, and where malnutrition is still rampant and associated with more than half of all childhood deaths, there is simply no time to waste. Let’s start with the first hour,” said World
Health Organization Director General Dr. Margaret Chan.
WRMC will celebrate World Breastfeeding Week with educational exhibits placed throughout the hospital. Special gift bags will be presented to moms delivering this week along with the chance to win a breast pump (one each day).
The Centre for Family Beginnings provides encouragement and support to help new moms reach their breastfeeding goals. The Lactation Center at WRMC is staffed by three International Board Certified Lactation Consultants who visit mothers during their hospital stay.
A monthly meeting group at the hospital, the Lactation Tea and Support Group, provides ongoing support to breastfeeding moms. La Leche League of Palm Beach County also meets there.
For more information, call (561) 7988664 or visit the WRMC web site at www.wellingtonregional.com.
Wellington Regional Announces July’s Employee Of The Month
Rosa Rivera-Duval has been selected as July’s Employee of the Month at Wellington Regional Medical Center.
Rivera-Duval has been an employee of the hospital for almost 10 years. She currently works as a registrar in the admitting office.
Over the years, Rivera-Duval has held positions in various departments at the hospital, including collections, central scheduling, radiology and emergency room registration.
With her calm and caring spirit, Rivera-Duval is always going out of her way to help patients feel comfortable and welcome, and often acts as an interpreter for non-English-speaking visitors, according to supervisors.
“Rosa serves as a great example of our Service Excellence program at work and we are proud to have her on our team,” said Wellington Regional Medical Center CEO Kevin DiLallo.
Rivera-Duval lives in The Acreage with her husband and two daughters.
Alexander Thomas Pentogenis and Michael Victor Pentogenis sons of Lea Elizabeth and Peter Pentogenis of Wellington were born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 23.
Anastasia Kirkpatrick — daughter of Dana and Christopher Kirkpatrick of Loxahatchee was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 23.
Sophia Patricia O’Keefe — daughter of Elena and Sean O’Keefe of Wellington was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 24.
Reeve Andre Hemond — son of
Rachael Thi To and Ronald Joseph Hemond of Wellington was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 24.
Jackson Daniel Eubanks — son of Marie and Greg Eubanks of Wellington was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 25.
Christian Meyer — son of Elisabeth and Glen Meyer of Loxahatchee was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 25.
Meilyna Marie Cordero — daughter of Jennifer and Luis Cordero III of Loxahatchee was born at Wellington Regional Medical Center on June 27.
(L-R) Wellington Regional Hospital lactation consultants Ann Mejur, Pat Rizzo and Gina Johnson.
WRMC CEO Kevin DiLallo with Employee of the Month Rosa Rivera-Duval.
Forum Planning For The Future
continued from page 3A funding for the schools,” Boughner said. “We have incentives and recognition for the kids within our scholarship committee. We have scholarships. On the transcripts, they list the community service. That is what we are looking for. We have a student-of-the-month club in Rotary. Every month we give out a plaque.”
Like Boughner, Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches CEO Manuel Bornia suggested exploring redevelopment of some properties, such as the old polo stadium on South Shore Blvd. and the 12th Fairway neighborhood. Noting that the Cultural Trust is trying to get its facilities
constructed, Bornia said remaining developable properties in Wellington have been priced out of reach.
Mary O’Connor, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, agreed with Bornia. “There needs to be affordable land,” she said. “There is no affordable land.”
Boys & Girls Clubs Board Member Jaene Miranda, a local restaurateur who is also the executive director of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, was one of several forum participants who noted that Wellington is facing an identity crisis.
“We need a moratorium on building until we decide what this community is supposed to look like,” Miranda said. “Who are we and what are we? I can tell you what we started off being. We are nowhere near where we started. It was supposed to be a small equestrian community that was very family-oriented. We’re no different than any other city next to us. That’s not what we were supposed to be. And there’s that little bit of time to regress and say, ‘hold on a minute. We need to identify who we are and who we are supposed to be.’ The thing is, we don’t know who we are anymore.”
Miranda and Bornia suggested the village collect hard data on the equestrian element’s contribution to the local economy.
“We need to understand what the real numbers are so then we can be able to say, ‘we in this community need to cherish these things,’” Bornia said. “The branding would be going on and we could be telling everyone why this community is so special. We want to find out what the real numbers are. Most of the numbers we get are from the bed taxes from the county. We don’t do any independent anything.”
O’Connor also suggested that the various interest groups in the community
A group of seniors holds a roundtable discussion Friday afternoon.
work together. “We need to collaborate with others in the village and with other community organizations in terms of providing quality programs and services,” she said.
The four equestrians who attended their forum last Friday had a lively meeting with village staff and voiced various is-
Schools ‘B’ Grades Stand
continued from page 1A we could find to appeal,” McGee said. “The criteria for appealing is fairly stringent, and you need to be able to cite the [contested] rule while appealing with documentation as support. But the documentation for us just wasn’t there. We couldn’t find any discrepancy by which to challenge the state, unfortunately.”
According to the FDOE, the request for review must explain the reasons for the appeal, specific information on the situations being appealed, and descriptions of the circumstances that caused the need for the appeal.
The documentation must identify the individual student records in question. In addition, the FDOE will not review an appeal alleging omission or miscalculation of data that does not identify the individual student records in question.
School grades are based on student performance on the FCAT using a formula factoring third-, eighth- and tenthgrade student performance and improve-
Letters
continued from page 5A Ridge High School that appeared in the Palm Beach Post on July 11. That article focused on drug and alcohol use, but omitted tobacco use, the primary reason for our “substance abuse” disciplinary referrals.
Disaggregated data reveals that of the 122 drug, alcohol and tobacco use incidents at Seminole Ridge last year, 104 of those incidents — or 85 percent — were tobacco-related and included items such as smokeless and chewing tobacco.
The article that appeared in the Palm Beach Post was statistically misleading, since the disaggregated data was not mentioned. Notwithstanding, our focus regarding substance abuse has been, and will continue to be, to diminish and eliminate all drug use, underage drinking and tobacco use among our student community.
Dr. Lynne McGee, Principal Seminole Ridge High School
Wechsler
continued from page 22A der. But the long lines I saw at the local bookstores clearly demonstrate that she is in a class by herself. Millions of fans followed the work and millions of young readers learned the pleasure of reading real books, long books, through her work. Watching ten-yearolds desert the incredibly shortened, revised, cleaned-up pablum forced on them by a politically correct “we want
sues, but the primary issue on their minds was the village’s equestrian trail system.
“The only thing we are asking the village to spend money on is the trail system,” said Dean Turney of the Wellington Equestrian Alliance. “The equestrian industry contributes a lot. The village should invest in that.”
ments in reading, writing and math. Also, science scores by students in fifth, eighth and 11th grades now count toward school grades for the first time.
Schools can earn a maximum of 100 points in eight different categories. In addition, beginning this year, high schools can earn 10 “bonus” points when at least 50 percent of their juniors and seniors retaking the FCAT in reading and math pass the test.
This is the second time in three years Wellington High School missed an “A” grade by essentially one or two students. In 2004-05, the high school missed the minimum needed to achieve an “A” by a single point.
Seminole Ridge was the only school among six in the district to successfully appeal a grade change last year.
The school initially received a “D” for 2005-06, missing a “B” by one point and slipping an additional letter grade because only 48 percent of its lowest readers showed improvement.
Following a successful appeal, Seminole Ridge was bumped up to a “C” grade.
Traffic Light Needed
When school is in, the traffic really gets bad in Seminole Pratt/60th Street area. We need a traffic light installed. If you’re on 60th Street west and want to go north onto Seminole Pratt, its almost impossible unless you go a good 30 minutes before the school traffic morning rush hour. And I, for one, feel endangered waiting for my chance to turn onto 60th Street heading west when coming from the south on Seminole Pratt. There isn’t a turn lane. You just hope that they all continue to go around you safely and not plow into your vehicle, or hit you and push you into oncoming traffic. Must there be a tragedy in order to get a simple traffic light installed? The M Canal bridge is right there, and it is a school bus stop also. We all got used to the light at Sycamore; now we need one at 60th Street, please
Deborah Behary
The Acreage
to make sure that everyone succeeds so we water everything down” school system, for long, complex books is a joy for all concerned parents and educators.
I salute her and wish her the best. Of course, as the first woman billionaire in Britain she already is way ahead of the game but at least she earned the money by bringing education and pleasure to millions.
Sara Hauser of the Environmental & Engineering Department goes over suggestions for working within budget.
PALMS WEST
Business,
A TOWN-CRIER Publication
Anchor Air Aire Services: Specializing In Centralized Systems eServices:SpecializingInCentralizedSystems
By Paul Gaba Town-Crier Staff Report
Florida: home of tourism, transplanted snowbirds and the continual humming of air-conditioning units.
OK, not exactly the new motto the state might be looking for, but a certain air of truth lingers with the description. Especially the part about air conditioning. Which is where Frank Ginocchio, owner of Anchor Aire, comes into the picture.
Ginocchio, a self-employed air conditioning service and maintenance worker, has more than 30 years of experience in the field. He said the easiest way to prevent wholesale repairs to residential air-conditioning units is to have them cleaned once a year.
“The most common repairs deal with water leaks and dirty coils,” Ginocchio said, adding that some residents are under the impression that just because their air-conditioning units are running, they are operating efficiently. But this is not necessarily the case.
“A lot of people don’t realize how bad it can be,” Ginocchio said. “For example, one customer — his system was 20 years old, and when I took the
evaporator coil out of it, it was disgustingly dirty. It had a clear gel and algae. Simple maintenance would have taken care of it.”
Mold and mildew are additional things that, left unchecked, can cause problems — both to the efficiency of the unit itself and to individual health.
“You should get your air conditioner cleaned at least once a year,” Ginocchio said. “The most important thing is to make sure your filter works properly and that the evaporator coil remains clean. If you have a brand new air conditioner installed and you don’t take care of the filter, or the air bypasses the filter for some reason, you can dirty the coil up in three or four months and just have a terrible air conditioner. When the coil gets dirty, it subcools the air, and then the air conditioner freezes up. This kills the compressor and the whole system. Plus, it can run your electric bill through the roof.”
Central air conditioners are rated according to their seasonal energy efficiency ratio or SEER. The higher the SEER, the more efficient the air conditioner or heat pump. The current national efficiency standard mandated by
the U.S. Department of Energy for air-conditioning and heat pump systems was increased from 10 SEER to 13 SEER in January 2006, an efficiency improvement of 30 percent.
Ginocchio said many people give financial reasons for not doing regular maintenance, or even replacing an air-conditioning unit after 10 to 15 years. “But what they don’t realize is they’ve been paying [Florida Power & Light] for all these years. A 20-year-old unit might be a 6 SEER, and when you upgrade to a 13 SEER, you’ve more than doubled the efficiency, which can knock $200 to $300 a month off of your electric bills.”
Most existing home air-conditioning systems are rated at less than 13 SEER. If an existing air-conditioning system cannot be repaired and must be replaced, the replacement system must be rated at 13 SEER or higher.
Ginocchio has been self-employed for 17 years. He previously worked for various service-contract companies, where he gained much experience doing a variety of house calls. He also repaired various appliances, but now focuses on air-conditioning units.
“I went to a vocational school for four years in Burlington, New Jersey, which taught me basic electricity, plumbing, air conditioning and appliance repair,” Ginocchio said. “I love working with my hands. Some people are college-oriented or blue-collar-oriented; I’m kind of blue-collar-oriented. My father was like, ‘you should get into auto mechanics,’ but I think this is a better line of work.”
He went independent for several reasons, including the peace
of mind of dictating his own work schedule. He said he has no regrets.
“Most of my customers are pretty good,” he said. “I don’t get a lot of repeat business — if I were to, it means I didn’t do it right the first time.”
Ginocchio’s work centers on residential central air systems, in part because “there’s no money in window units.” He recalled a humorous experience on that topic from his conSee ANCHOR, page 3B
PHOTO
An Air Of Experience — Anchor Aire owner Frank Ginocchio brings 30 years of experience to his business.
The Woodmill Offers Handcrafted Products Made On Site
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
Tucked away in a small industrial neighborhood just off Military Trail in West Palm Beach is one of the few places one can find long-lost craftsmanship in Palm Beach County.
For 20 years the Woodmill, Inc. has been designing and handcrafting doors with a flair for style and detail that is difficult to find in today’s world of compression board and outsourcing.
“There’s nothing more warm than wood,” said Woodmill owner Chuck Danvitch, who bought the company eight years ago after working as an employee for 12 years. “We do contemporary and we do traditional. We like traditional more because it better shows off our talents.”
And those talents run deep. Consider that Danvitch, a Texas-born Army brat, has been in the woodworking and construction businesses for more than 30 years.
Danvitch said many of the Woodmill’s employees have been with the company at least 15 years.
“Our cabinet foremen is third-generation,” he said. “Our door foreman has 15 years of experience. We have three brothers who are cabinetmakers who between them probably have 40 years of experience. Our wood carver has 50 years of experience. We have such a variety of talents,
I think that’s why we’ve survived. If we all need to work on doors or all need to work on cabinets, that’s what we’ll do. Some companies just work on cabinets — and when cabinets are slow they don’t have any business.”
Virtually every wood product the Woodmill produces is made by hand on the premises, Danvitch said.
“We try not to miss anything, from cutting a board in half to working on a $400,000 job,” he said. “We try to cover the entire realm of woodworking, from affordable to high end. We have well over a thousand customers. Most of our business has been through word of mouth by customers telling three or four of their friends and them telling others.”
Danvitch said approximately 30 percent of his current business is kitchen work, 15 percent is custom entry doors and interior doors, 10 percent is wall units and the remainder is mouldings.
“Or someone will bring us a piece of wood and we’ll shape it, sand it down or carve it into something,” Danvitch said.
Carving holds a special place in Danvitch’s heart, as attested by the mahogany animals around his office, which he crafted himself.
“I used to keep them all at home but I’ve brought some here,” Danvitch said as he took a giraffe from the shelf behind his desk. “I have about 30 in all. I can carve an animal in
about a month and do something like an egg in about a week. It’s a great stress reliever.”
The Woodmill is located at 4180 Westroads Drive, Suite B in West Palm Beach and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call (561) 863-0673 for more information.
Anchor
continued from page 1B tracted service days.
“When I worked for J.C. Penney, we had a customer who had a plate glass window,” he said. “I don’t know who she got to cut it, but she put a window unit right in the middle of this plate glass window. She want-
ed me to pull it out and clean it. I don’t know how the window didn’t break from the vibrations. It was unbelievable; I never saw that before.”
Anchor Aire is located at 13751 46th Court North in Royal Palm Beach. For more information, call Ginocchio at (561) 629-3413.
Woodsmith — The Woodmill owner Chuck Danvitch stands beside a work in progress.
PHOTO BY STEVE
Pig In Or Pig Out Catering: More Than Just Meat And Potatoes
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
Clewiston grillmeister Tim Reynolds may be just the man if you want to go whole hog catering your next celebration. Reynolds’ Pig In or Pig Out catering service is well equipped to serve up barbecue anywhere in Palm Beach County and beyond.
“We’re the backyard for the western communities and we’ve been coming in to do more events in Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee and The Acreage,” Reynolds said. “People come to our events, and then call to ask us to cater for them. And everyone gets a kick when they see our 35-foot choo-choo grill pull up.”
With their locomotiveshaped cooker in tow, Reynolds’ Pig In or Pig Out cooking team also enters professional barbecue competitions. “We compete at the highest levels and then use that expertise to cater events all over the western communities,” he said.
The distinctive look of Reynolds’ outfit has raised the profile of his business. “We certainly have a distinctive look, so people tend to remember us,” he laughed. “Of course, we do have some other tools we use. We finish off our prime ribs on a grill, for example.”
Reynolds owned Reynolds’ Rib House in Homestead from 1995 to 2000 but decided to move to Wisconsin, where his
wife Shannon grew up. They opened a restaurant and hotel near a recreation area there, but disaster struck. “We took over an old house, more than a hundred years old, but unfortunately it burned down,” he said. “All I managed to save from the site was my kid Dakota and dog Racetrack. Happily, my wife was not there at the time.”
He and his family moved back to Florida in 2002 and settled in Clewiston. There on US Highway 27 Reynolds operates the Garden Café, which serves as Pig In or Pig Out’s base of operations. “We run the catering company out of the café, and we’re ready to come anywhere in South Florida,” he said. “We do a lot of corporate events, retirement parties, weddings, grand openings, anniversaries, customer appreciation days and all sorts of celebrations. We can feed from five people to a thousand. We also rent out tables, chairs and even live plants to set off our events. We’ve even arranged for tents for our events.”
Besides running the café and catering operations, Reynolds also builds custom cookers.
Although Reynolds and his team specialize in pulled pork, their catering repertoire of course also includes baby back ribs, chicken and prime rib, as well as a whole hog roast or “anything else you want,” he said.
Whatever meat is the main event, the team can also serve up baked beans, smashed po-
tatoes, potato salad, coleslaw, green beans, black beans with rice, macaroni and cheese and potato chips to go along with it.
And Pig In’s barbecue sauce is so impressive, Reynolds said, Wisconsin-based sauce manufacturer Silver Spring secured a license to produce and distribute it. “Someone
from that company came in and tried our special recipe, and asked us for the rights to the sauce,” he said. “We’ve been partners for years.”
Reynolds noted that he’s catered a lot of events for people who take their barbecue seriously.
“We do a lot of NASCAR, bike weeks, grand openings
for Harley Davidson events, and a lot of different festivals,” he said. “And everyone should remember that the people who come to those kind of events really like to eat.”
For more information on catering or sauce by Pig In or Pig Out, call Reynolds at (305) 322-2056 or send an e-mail to piginorpigout@yahoo.com.
Grill Masters — Pig In or Pig Out owner Tim Reynolds (right) with Andy Lopez and Shannon Stangret in Homestead last March at the regional competition for the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which is held in Tennessee as part of the Memphis in May Festival. Reynolds’ team took third prize in the Whole Hog division.
Company Offers A New Approach To Tutoring
Ivy League Educational Services — a Wellington-based, in-home tutoring, life coaching and parenting company — is dedicating itself to educating the “whole” person: mentally, physically, emotionally, academically and spiritually.
A new program developed by Ivy League Educational Services owner Vickie Coniglio is designed to address the needs of the whole family.
Parent education and life coaching — coupled with academic tutoring all in the privacy of the home at parents’ convenience — are what make this program standout from other programs in the Broward and Palm Beach areas.
Ivy League Educational Services can help the entire family sort through the multifaceted issues that can be associated with day-to-day family life and meet the growing demands for parent education, personal enlightenment and academic success.
The benefits of such an all-inclusive program can outweigh the cost families may encounter. A one-stop shopping approach is convenient and advantageous when you have one company working with all aspects of the family.
The comprehensive program is about matching qualified tutors with students of any grade or age, working with the classroom teachers and schools, and coaches the parents through the parenting process, as well as supporting them to realize their own dreams can make for an extremely comprehensive program.
For more information about Ivy League Educational Services various in-home programs, visit the company’s offical web site at www.ivyleagueeds. com or contact Coniglio at (561) 3333921.
PBC Tax Collector Launches New Web Site
This week Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon recently launched a new and improved web site. The new web site features more convenient navigation and an increased amount of educational information about doing business with the Tax Collector’s office. New sections were added to the web site, including “Latest News,” “Understanding your Bills & Notices,” a history of the Tax Collector’s office, a glossary of tax terms, a calendar of important tax dates and a payment and inquiry center.
“My goal as the Palm Beach County Tax Collector is to provide fast, accurate and friendly service to the citizens of Palm Beach County and the government agencies we serve,” Gannon said. “Our offices receive and distribute over $3 billion annually. To handle that immense responsibility, we offer geographically convenient offices, highly skilled employees, and 24/7 internet access to information and transactions.”
Responses to the beta test of the new site have been overwhelmingly positive.
The new web site can be viewed at www.taxcollectorpbc.com.
Summertime Tax Tips For Parents
Many working parents must arrange for care of their children under 13 years of age during the school vacation period. A popular solution — with a tax benefit — is a day camp program.
The cost of day camp can count as an expense towards the child and dependent care credit. Expenses for overnight camps do not qualify.
If your childcare provider is a sitter at your home, you’ll get some tax benefit if you qualify for the credit. The
RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY FOR BEEF O’BRADY’S IN RPB
The Palms West Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Beef O’Brady’s Family Sports Pub in Royal Palm Beach. The restaurant, which opened in April, offers a menu that includes wings, burgers and salads in a family-friendly atmosphere. Beef O’Brady’s is located at 1179 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call (561) 795-8500. Pictured above are Beef O’Brady’s coowners Kenny Spindola, Robert Comerlinck Sr. and Robert Comerlinck Jr. with chamber ambassadors.
credit is generally 20 to 35 percent of non-reimbursed expenses; up to $3,000 in expenses for one child and up to $6,000 for two or more children. The actual credit is also based on your income.
You figure the credit on up to $3,000 of expenses for one child, $6,000 for two or more children. The credit rate ranges from 20 to 35 percent of ex-
penses, depending on your income. The 35-percent rate applies if your income is under $15,000; the 20-percent rate, if your income is over $43,000. For more information, check out IRS Publication 503, “Child and Dependent Care Expenses,” available for download at the IRS web site (www.irs.gov) or by calling (800) TAX-FORM (8293676).
It’s resort-style living every day.
Discover a retirement lifestyle that’s just right for you.At Newport Place, you’ll enjoy resort-style amenities while experiencing a renewed social life in a comfortable atmosphere.You can rely on our friendly housekeeping services to keep your apartment home looking beautiful, leaving you plenty of time to take aerobics,play mah-jongg with friends or learn how to paint.
Located in warm and breezy Palm Beach County, Newport Place is close to world-renowned beaches and museums.You’ll be amazed at the wide range of cultural and recreation activities available daily. Whatever it is you’re looking for,you’ll find it at Newport Place
Lovely apartment homes are available,and no large buy-in fees are required.Call Newport Place today at (561) 586-6455.
Pain & Rehabilitation Physicians of Palm Beach Inc. — The Palms West Chamber of Commerce ambassadors recently held a ribbon cutting for Pain & Rehabilitation Physicians of Palm Beach Inc., which opened a new office in Wellington. The philosophy of Pain & Rehabilitation Physicians of Palm Beach is to provide the best non-surgical management for all pain and physical rehabilitation patients. Their warm and caring staff is always ready to help or answer any questions. The new office is located at 1397 Medical Park Blvd., Suite 480, on the campus of Wellington Regional Medical Center. For more information, call (561) 791-1141. Shown here are Fran Kirschenhofer, Dr. Charles Huang, President/Medical Director Tommie Pieri, nurse Cheri Porcello, administrator Elana Savitt and clinical psychologist David Savitt with chamber ambassadors.
Shane’s Rib Shack — Located at 11051 Southern Blvd. in the Southern Palm Crossing shopping center in Royal Palm Beach, Shane’s Rib Shack offers a wide variety of Buffalo wings, chicken tenders, sandwiches, platters and, of course, plenty of ribs. Shane’s is open for lunch and dinner. For more information or to place an order for pick up, call (561) 333-7427. Pictured here are Shane’s employees Joe Dye, Brian Oxenberg, Paul Goncalves, Billy Carroll, Lindsey McVey, Taylor Hipp and Angel Baez with chamber ambassadors.
Small Claims And Mediation Program Sept. 6 In Wellington
The Palm Beach County Bar Association will host a small claims and mediation program on Thursday, Sept. 6 at the Wellington branch of the Palm Beach County Library (1951 Royal Fern Drive).
The purpose of the program is to educate the public on how to file a small claims case and present information to a judge, as well as how mediation can solve
a legal dispute without hiring a lawyer and without going to court. A small claim is any dispute valued at $5,000 or less.
The program will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, though space is limited.
For more information or to RSVP, call the Palm Beach County Bar Association at (561) 687-2800.
Some Tax-Exempt Organizations Must Now File Annual Notice
Beginning in 2008, small tax-exempt organizations that were previously not required to file a return may be required to file an annual electronic notice. The notice is Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-postcard) for Tax Exempt Organizations Not Required to File Form 990 or 990-EZ, and the new filing requirement applies to tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2006.
The electronic notice (or e-postcard) is a provision of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and applies to small taxexempt organizations — organizations not required to file Form 990 or 990-EZ because their gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less.
Not all small tax-exempt organizations will have to file the e-postcard. Some exceptions are organizations included in a group return and private foundations required to file Form 990-PF. Also, the e-postcard requirement does not apply to churches, their integrated auxiliaries and conventions or associations of churches.
The IRS started mailing letters to small tax-exempt organizations in July 2007. The letters notify these organizations of their potential requirement to file the epostcard.
The IRS is developing an electronic filing system for the e-postcard and will publicize filing procedures when the system is completed and ready for use. There will not be a paper Form 990-N.
It’s very important that organizations required to file the e-postcard do so each year or they risk losing their tax-exempt status. The Pension Protection Act requires the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of any organization that does not meet its annual filing requirement for three consecutive years.
More information on the e-postcard, including notification of when the filing system is ready, is available at Exempt Organization’s “EO Update,” an e-mail newsletter that highlights new issues and activities affecting exempt organizations. To subscribe, go to www.irs.gov/eo and click on “EO Newsletter.”
PSC Examines Details For A Renewable Portfolio Standard
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) recently hosted an informational workshop to gain more information about establishing a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). Government, utility and industry representatives also identified some of the likely impacts on Florida’s economy and consumers from implementing an RPS.
A renewable portfolio standard is a public policy approach aimed at encouraging renewable development through the generation of a certain amount of power from renewable sources. Currently Florida uses renewable resources like solar, municipal waste, biomass and landfill gas for two to three percent of its total energy supply.
“Increasing the use of renewable sources will further diversify Florida’s generation mix,” said PSC Chairman Lisa Polak Edgar. “Establishing a renewable portfolio standard will help advance the
development of alternative energy sources in Florida.”
Discussion revolved around defining a renewable portfolio standard and the renewable generation resources that should qualify toward meeting a state RPS. Several speakers also addressed possible impacts on Florida’s economy and consumers from an RPS.
In his recent executive order, Gov. Charlie Crist requested that the PSC initiate rulemaking by Sept. 1 to require utilities to produce at least 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources. The governor’s order placed an emphasis on solar and wind energy.
The Florida Public Service Commission is committed to making sure that Florida’s consumers receive their electric, natural gas, telephone, water and wastewater services in a safe, affordable and reliable manner. For more information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
S.F. FAIRGROUNDS HOSTS 17TH ANNUAL GIGANTIC GARAGE SALE
The 17th annual Gigantic Garage Sale was held last Saturday at the South Florida Expo Center at the South Florida Fairgrounds. The sale featured a variety of items ranging from jewelry and coins to homemade crafts and home decorations. Presented by the South Florida Fair and United Way of Palm Beach County, the event was a great fundraising opportunity for non-profit organizations; a portion of the admission fee will be donated to the South Florida Fair Scholarship Fund.
Donna Carr of Jupiter buys treats for her dogs from City Dog’s Carol and Colleen Oakland.
Dolly Hughes of RPB with some garage sale finds.
Joyce Levin, owner of Elegant Affordable Jewelry in Wellington.
Debra Berry of Fantastic Fotos shows off her merchandise.
Ruth Nemec Spradley of West Palm Beach. Chris Schand with some of her hand-painted signs.
I’ll Be Performing Doggy Day Care On My 35th Anniversary
My number-one son Brian and his family decided to take a two-week trip the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. Of course they asked my wife Sharon if she wanted to go with them (nothing like having a babysitter with you on a trip). And of course my wife, who just got back from Alaska, said yes without hesitation.
I asked a question I already knew the answer to. I asked my son if he was taking his dog EZ along. I thought it would be a good idea because my wife’s brother is a vet and he lives in North Carolina, and of course they were going to see him while they were in the mountains. I thought this would be a good idea because EZ is about 14 years old and is taking more medicine then I am. I thought a good exam by my brother-in-law couldn’t hurt. Of course I really thought this way because I didn’t want to watch the dog for two weeks.
My son had other ideas. He told me he just took the dog to the vet today and the vet said the dog is doing fine for that age. So guess who kept me company for the last two weeks? EZ, my 20-percent dog (because I get him about 20 percent of the time).
Of course along with the arrival of EZ came his medicine. I think when dogs become seniors they
Wondering And Wandering
With Ernie Zimmerman
should start getting Medicare. My son told me how and when to give EZ his medicine.
The first pill I was told about was called cephelexin. I was ordered to give him two capsules a day. I was also given a bottle of phenobarbital. This was his seizure pill; once a day before EZ goes to sleep, I was informed.
I was also given a bottle of povidone/iodine solution along with a bag of cotton balls. I was told to rub it on EZ’s chin once a day. It turns out the dog has an acne problem. Of course he does — he is a teenager. I am now officially a caretaker for a dog. I am thinking of going for my RN.
Every time I put a pill into EZ’s mouth he would spit it out. The solution was to go to Publix, where I bought
a pound of very expensive turkey breast at their deli counter. So now every time I give EZ a pill, I wrap it in a slice of turkey breast. It works every time.
One problem has developed, EZs phenobarbital pills look very similar to my pravasatin pills. I think we both may have taken the wrong pill at least once or twice. Of course I don’t wrap my pills in turkey, but I am thinking of giving it a try.
The next problem I had with EZ was bedtime. Every night I would find EZ in my bed sleeping with his head on my wife’s pillow. Every time I threw him out of the bed, he came back. Finally I let him stay in the bed. I decided it felt nice to have a warm body next to mine. (Who cares if the warm body has four legs and a very long tail?)
Of course, my wife decided to leave me alone on our 35th anniversary. When she called I reminded her of this. She told me not to worry: she had a gift and a card hidden in the house. She told me she would call me on our anniversary and tell me where the gift and the card were hidden.
To tell you the truth, my wife’s calls seemed to be more concerned with the health and well being of EZ than my own. At least now I know where I stand in the pecking order of this family.
Sucking And Chewing Pests Are A Summer Garden Problem
Plant pests can be a real headache during the summer, chiefly because of warm temperatures and the wide availability of food. Plants are growing very rapidly this time of year, and all this tender new foliage and flower buds naturally attracts various types of insects.
The two major types of landscape plant pests this time of year are sucking insects and chewing type insects. Chewing insects are easy to spot because of the damage resulting from their feeding activity. Leaves that are notched or have holes chewed in them, or plants with soft parts totally missing, signify some type of chewing insect has been at work.
Most chewing insects are quite large, like grasshoppers, caterpillars and beetles, but some are very small and are not
easily observed, especially those that feed at night and hide during the day.
Sucking insects can be more difficult to spot because they are often very tiny and tend to hide on the undersides of leaves or among thick foliage. Sucking insects include aphids or plant lice, which are only the size of a pinhead. Whiteflies are also quite common. The gnat-sized adults and juveniles feed on plant sap or either new or older growth. Mealybugs have soft white bodies, and hide and lay their eggs in a white, waxy material they manufacture. You see a lot of white material covering stems or undersides of leaves when they are present.
Scale insects are sucking pests that live under a protective shell fastened to the plant. These can be much more dif-
ficult to control because the shell protects the insect from pesticides. Try to control pest populations when they are small, and inspect your landscape at least weekly. Sometimes natural controls are present in the form of other insects that eat bad ones, and they may provide enough control that you don’t have to apply harmful pesticides. If you do want to spray, make sure you have correctly identified the problem. Sometimes people spray inappropriate chemicals that don’t do the job and the pests continue to be a threat to their landscape.
If you’re not sure what types of pests you’re dealing with, you can get some free advice from the Palm Beach County Extension office. Simply bring a sam-
Gardening With Gene
By
Gene
Joyner
Extension Agent Palm Beach County
ple in a closed plastic bag or bottle to the Palm Beach County Extension office where it can be examined by master gardeners or agents. They can tell you what it is and how best to control it.
If you have a question about pest problems, you can call the Extension Service Monday through Friday during normal business hours at (561) 233-1750.
$18-$25/HR — Teachers/Tutors P/T. All subjects PreK to Adult. Certification/Experience required. Palm Beach County Areas Fax 561-828-8128 or E-mail Tutorking@adelphia.net
HELP WANTED/BOOKKEEPER EXPERIENCED; Familiar with QUICKBOOKS - Full-Time position. Pay commensurate with experience. Fax resume to A. Silver - 561-432-2825
CLEANERS RESIDENTIAL FT — Car required, Pd. Training. North and West Palm Beach Cty. Up to $10/hr Start. 561-756-2282
RECEPTIONIST - For Lawyer and Accounting Office. Some bookkeeping. Fax resume to 561-333-2680.
HELP WANTED
Earn $800 - $3200 Monthly to drive brand new cars with ads placed on them. www.AdCarDrive.com WORK FROM HOME NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED
Let your home computer work for you! Your House. Your Business. Our proven system.Free personal coaching earn up to $500 - $5,000 PT/FT visit our website www.kmm.Theonlinebusiness.com
HELP WANTED IRRIGATION FOREMAN — Great Pay/Full Time. 7 years experience minimum. Residential/Commercial Clean Class D Drivers. Lic. Drug Free (561) 436-3621 OR (772) 260-3691
PINCH PENNY - POOL STORE — Forest Hill & South Shore in Wellington Perm Position - FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE - No nights - M/B avail some weekends.
18 yrs. - Will train - Apply in person.
KENNEL ATTENDANT - Permanent PartTime help needed for local animal hospital. Flexible hours. Fun work environment. Must have reliable transportation and be detailed oriented, dependable and compassionate. 561-798-2900.
CARETAKER NEEDED — for 27 year old mentally handicapped male, needs to be compassionate, motivated. No Felony convictions, needs drivers license & car. Weekdays 6am to 4 pm 561-352-4010
SMALL PRIVATE HIGH SCHOOL IN ROYAL PALM BEACH — Looking for energetic, multi-tasking, strategists experienced in any of the following: Math, Science, English, History, or Spanish. Call 561-795-6886 for more information. Part time or full time positions available.
PART-TIME EXPO ADMINISTRATIVE
ASST. — Mon. – Friday 10-5 Computer & organization skills needed. Filing, phones, ability to handle fast paced environment/good communication skills. Call HR Dept. 561-790-5223
BASIC OFFICE HELP — needed for church related business. Knowledge of computer and telephone skills. Nonsmoker/Non-drinker. 561-753-5998
LOVING MATURE WOMAN - Companion needed for slightly disabled young adult female. Live in or flexible hours. Between 10 am to 12 pm. Friday through Sunday. English speaking, own car, honest, reliable and light housekeeping. 561685-2504.
FT ELECTRICAL SUPERVISOR - Must have Journeymens card & 5 years experience. Microsoft Word a plus. Indoor/ Outdoor electrical duties. Must pass background check & drug test. Contact H.R. Dept. 561-790-5223.
RECEPTIONIST AND CHILD CARE — for busy Wellington Company. Experience a must Flexible Hours and some weekends. To apply Fax 561-795-8807 or email:ultima3@bellsouth.net
DOUBLE NICHE IN ROYAL PALM MEMORIAL GARDENS MAUSOLEUM — Includes 2 openings & closings. Current price $2,800 asking $1,995 OBO. 772219-8153
6 FT. RED OAK 3 ROLLER QUILT FRAME $400 OBO. White gift bags, approx. 250 pieces. $20. 561-493-9896 OAK TWIN CAPTAIN BED — bookcase, headboard, dresser w/mirror, corner unit computer desk with hutch, nightstand, mattress & bedding. $390 OBO. 561-6444098, 561-791-2176
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT: New featherweight motorized wheelchair at no cost to you, if eligible. Medicare & private insurance accepted. ENK MOBILE MEDICAL: Call 1-800-693-8896
ADULT TRICYLE - Red with basket. Like new condition. $100 OBO. 793-1360 $199 SOFA Khaki/Red/Cream - Vintage floral look. Waverly Fabric, approx. 80"x 30" to good home. 722-6444.
GRANDVIEW AT CRESTWOOD - spacious 3/2/1 CG in security gated community. Includes water, cable and all amenities. Located near shopping and schools. No Pets. $1,400/mo. 561-3296078 GREENWAY CIRCLE — 1 BD/1 BA Condo $850/Mo. and THE TRAILS — 2 BD/2BA Condo $1,250/Mo. 561-422-2910
VILLA FOR RENT - Near Polo Grounds 2/2 vaulted ceiling, tile, split bedroom plan, utility room w/washer/dryer. Walk to schools. Fenced courtyard with storage. $985/MO. 561-775-0717 WELLINGTON PLACE TOWNHOUSE — 3/2/1CG, screened patio, walk to New Horizon and High School. Available immediately. Call for details. $1,375/Mo 954-494-3020
SEMINOLE LAKES TOWN HOUSE - Furnished room with private bath, gated community, Female, $600/MO. Includes utilities. No pets. 561-722-5660 2 ROOMS FOR RENT — 1 in Royal Palm Beach and 1 in West Palm Beach. Both with private
This Saturday, August 4th, 8:00 a.m.Furniture & household goods & saddles.15440 76 RD.
and much more. 561-795-4658. 13831 Double Tree Trail (Off of Big Blue from Southern)
MULTI-FAMILY SALE - This Saturday, August 4th, 7:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Something for everyone, 13706 Staimford Dr. (Off of Greenview Shores in Chatsworth Village)
POST OFFICE NOW HIRING — Avg. Pay $20/hour or $57K annually including Federal Benefits and OT. Paid Training, Vacations. PT/FT. 1-866-497-1015 USWA
ABUSED DOG - Desperately seeking safe, loving, forever home. "Bella" young, female, hound mix. Sweet disposition. Good with animals & children. Please open your home and heart. Fully verified. Inquiries. 561-632-6144.
LOWEST PRICES! — Nobody beats our Price! Free Est. Complete A/C units from $1,150. Repair Specialists. Lic./ ins. 561-795-1130 toll free 888-981-9815
JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC. - Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "We are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225. Family Owned & Operated since 1996.
COMPLETE AUTO SHOP LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF LOXAHATCHEE!!Services provided; Brakes, Steering and Suspension, Belts and Hoses, Complete Engine Repair, Oil and Filters, Motor Tune Ups, Custom Exhaust Systems, A/C Repair, And Much More!!! Pick-up/Deliver Mark Hamilton Auto Repair "ASE Certified" Office: 561-793-1010 o Cell: 954-605-8416 MV#62390 Visa/MC/Amex accepted.
The only non-profit petting zoo in the area. - featuring parrots, mini horses, ponies, pony rides, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and Llamas and more and farm club. 561-792-2666
HOUSE CLEANING AVAILABLE — Over 13 yrs. experience. Great references. Very Dependable. Karen. 561-632-2271
MAURILIA - CLEANING SERVICE - 561985-4137 Houses, new & used. Also stalls cleaned. Dependable & Honest.
Lic. & Ins.
D.J. COMPUTER — Home & office, Spyware removal, websites, networks, repairs, upgrades, virus removal, tutoring. Call Jeff 561-333-9433 or Cell 561252-1186 Lic’d- Well. & Palm Beach
MOBILE -TEC ON-SITE COMPUTER SERVICE — The computer experts that come to you! Hardware/Software setup, support & troubleshooting www.mobiletec.net 561-248-2611 $25 Off Labor Home & Office e-Masque InteractiveHas your computer gotten slow? Do you get unwanted Pop-Ups? Does your computer seem to have a mind of its own? Would you like to connect multiple computers to the internet? Spyware & Virus Removal•Repairs •Websites•Networking Upgrades•Programming•Security call: 561-795-0559 we do make house calls www.e-masque.com
ROCKANDRECORD.COM - A professional DJ and Videography Service. Disc Jockey • Music • Entertainment • Professional MC's • Weddings • Bar/Bat Mitzvah • Sweet 16/Birthday Parties • Anniversaries • Private & Corporate Events • Holiday Parties 561-422-4336
RENT ME! - 2007 JOHN DEERE 110 LOADER BACKHOE — Rental includes truck w/100 gal. Diesel Tank for your convenience, Trailer and Tractor. Moves Dirt, backhoe for stump & tree removal and much more. Can be used for small or large jobs. 4 hour min/$40 Per Hr. rate without operator $65 Per Hr. with operator. Pump w/fuel meter for greater ease. Box blade available. 561-7840933. Leave Message. JB Cell 561-3157751
GUARDSMAN FURNITURE PRO — For all your furniture repair needs including finish repairs, structural repairs, upholstery services, chair regluing, antique repairs, kitchen cabinet refurbishing. 753-8689
HOME STANDBY GENERATORS — Complete packages including fueled system - Best Prices & reliable new Generator systems installed from 15 to 200KW “More Practical and much quieter” Maintenance & Service for all types of generators. Factory Authorized Dealer. 561-707-0575 Palm Beach. Tropical Power Systems, Inc.
CAN FIX IT — build it, move it, plant it, and more. Call Bruce, 793-2494. TFN
BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS, INC. — Interior Trim, crown molding, rottenwood repair, door installation, minor drywall, kitchens/cabinets/countertops, remodeling, wood flooring. Bonded/Insured U#19699. 561-791-9900
I’M A HANDYMAN — Rent me hourly/ job. Slightly used craftsman practicing all trades while designing & constructing own home. Any job from hanging a fan to remodeling.Textured walls, painting, flooring, cabinets/vanities etc. Make your repair honey-do-list, free estimates, Greg. 561-531-3141
"I'LL DO IT HANDYMAN SERVICES — All interior/exterior. Repairs and renovations. Painting & Plumbing. Affordable & professional. 561-452-5033.
ANMAR CO. –James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back! Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528
ATLANTIC SHORE HOME IMPROVEMENT — Kitchen & Bathrooms/Remodel, Ceramic & Wood Floors, Carpentry & Handyman Services, Doors & Windows. References upon request. 561-756-0428 Anthony Palermo Lic. #CGC057252 Ins.
MCA CUSTOM WOODWORKING, INC. — “Make your home standout from the rest” Call us for all your home improvement needs. Kitchen & bathroom remodeling, custom wall units, design your home office, cabinetry, tile & drywall repair. Lic. #U-19564. Bonded & Ins. 561-723-5836
Home repair. Quality Work. Free esti-
mates. Fast on time service. "For all your home improvement needs" Lic. & Ins. 561-685-5360 561-308-6677.
COMPLETE IRRIGATION — PVC/PIPE supplies.Citrus ,Vegetables, Power units. Water Wheels, design services, Fairways Polo fields, Pumps/Engines mowing of all types. 1-863-675-6333.
UNIVERSAL IRRIGATION SERVICE & INSTALLATION — New Installations sprinkler repair pumps/Time Clocks. We Service all brands. Monthly Maintenance. Fast Response. Lic. #U-10740 Bonded Insured. 561-795-9735
FRANK’S BUSHHOG SERVICE — Lot mowing, Lawn Maintenance, Landscaping, Lot cleaning and TREE TRIMMING reasonable rates. 722-4403 Lic.& Ins.
Let us take care. Residential & Commercial, Lic. & Ins. Professional landscape design & installation. Reasonable & reliable. Waterfall & Ponds, exotics, landscape & flatstone. Butterfly gardens, tropical and Mediterranean. www.evergreensgardens.net 561-7236166
LAWN MAINTENANCE CARL SAMUELS LAWN CARE — Complete lawn maintenance, mowing, edging, trimming & much more. Free estimates. Quality work at affordable prices! Lic. & Ins. 561-6333687
LET US AD A LITTLE COLOR TO YOUR LIFE — Residential/Commercial. Licensed • Bonded • Insured. Owner/Operator. Ask for Paul 561-309-8290. COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Interior/ Exterior, residential painting, over 20 years exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free estimates - Insured. 561-383-8666. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident. RJA PAINTING & DECORATING — interior, exterior, custom colors, faux artwork, all work guaranteed. Lic. Bonded & Insured. 561-616-2255
561-601-4707 THE DOG NANNY — Wellington and individualized pampering for Wellington & Western Communities. Dogs at their Home & Office surrounding. Dog walks, Doggie Moi Play Sessions & sleepovers. American Red Cross Pet CPR/FIRST Aid Certified.
AT YOUR SERVICE PET CONCIERGE
LITL AUDIO/VIDEO SERVICE — specializing in Home Theatre Installation Satellite Services and communications.
“I will Beat Retailer’s cost & Installation fees”! Call George for immediate service at 954-263-4189 561-784-4858 Office. Res./Comm. Lic. & Ins.
- pet sitting, play dates, sleep overs, arrange pet grooming, vet visits, flea & tick products, Holistic/Natural pet foods. Come home to a well stocked fridge & your plants alive. Upscale services for all your beloved four legged friends. Bonded & insured. 561-791-2086
“You dealt with the rest now deal with the best” maintenance and repairs. Inquire about 1 months FREE service. 561-7915073 ELITE POOL CLEANING
J&B PRESSURE CLEANING — Established in 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.Call Butch 561-309-6975 BD
SIGMA III CORPORATION PRIVATE INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE — Domestic investigation, surveillance, missing persons. Background investigation into that new boyfriend or fiancé, hidden assets located and more. Lic. & Ins. 561-312-4386 Member of Better Business Bureau Lic. #A2300091LRD: 09-14
PRIMROSE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, LLC — Full Service. Residential Home Care for full or part time residents. Weekly inspections, repairs, Monthly reports. Reasonable rates. 561-602-6857 or email: primrosepm123@aol.com
American Reverse Mortgage Corp. — Reverse Mortgage Senior Benefit. No Income or credit requirements, no mortgage payments as long as you live in your home. Does not affect Social Security or Medicare benefits, you retain title to your home. Tax Free Cash, STOP FORECLOSURE. 561-422-2910. 954816-2027 MadelynPage@Bellsouth.net.
MINOR ROOF REPAIRS – Roof painting. Carpentry. License #U9 865. 9675580. BD SHAKE ROOF SPECIALISTS –– New roofs, repairs, preservation. License #CC025465. Shake Masters, Shake Chem. Members of Shake Bureau. 4396668 BD
ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING ––Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded, insured. Lic. #U-11006.790-0763 or 641-4592. BD ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFING ALL TYPES — Pinewood Construction, Inc. Honest and reliable. Serving Palm Beach County for over 20 years. Call Mike 561-309-0134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC023773 RC-0067207 BD
A ROOFING REPAIR SPECIALISTS INC. — All work guaranteed. 40 years exp. Family owned & operated. Radio dispatched 791-8855 BD
JOHN’S SCREEN SERVICE –– Pool & patio rescreening. Stay tight, wrinklefree, guaranteed!Lic.#9001390.7983132.
ROLL DOWN SHUTTERS — Accordion shutters, storm panels and rolling shutters...prices that can’t be beat. All shutters Systems, Inc. 863-0955