Town-Crier Newspaper December 13, 2013

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QUICKEL NAMED TO WEST COUNCIL POST SEE STORY, PAGE 3

VOLUNTEERS HELP OUT BACK TO BASICS SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 5

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TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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INSIDE Residents Provide Input At Workshop On RPB Dog Park

Volume 34, Number 50 December 13 - December 19, 1013

THE 30TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE

A handful of residents attended a workshop Tuesday to discuss plans for a large-scale dog park at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. Royal Palm Beach Village Engineer Chris Marsh led the workshop, which was also attended by village staff and elected officials. Page 3

St. Baldrick’s Day At Palm Beach Central

Palm Beach Central High School held its sixth annual St. Baldrick’s Day Pep Rally on Thursday, Dec. 5 in the school gym. The popular event raised more than $44,000 for pediatric cancer research. Page 5

RPB’s Cypress Trails Pro-Active With Struggling Readers

Cypress Trails Elementary School Principal Tameka Robinson and her instructional support team attended the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board meeting Monday and explained how they coordinate efforts with teachers to help students who are not performing at grade level. Page 7

Palm Beach Hindu Mandir Celebrates Opening Of Temple

Palm Beach Hindu Mandir celebrated the grand opening of its new temple on Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee on Sunday, Dec. 8. The event concluded three days of celebration for Palm Beach County’s Hindu community. Page 9

OPINION Wellington Should Buy Adjacent Office Park

The Wellington Village Council is considering a proposal that could make the Lake Wellington Professional Centre a village-owned property. There is still negotiating to be done, but the purchase is a smart move that will benefit Wellington in the long run. Page 4

The 30th annual Holiday Parade presented by the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce rolled down Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington on Sunday, Dec. 8 with holiday floats and fun for all. The day began with the Holiday Mile Run/Walk, and after the parade, attendees enjoyed a day of fun at the Wellington Amphitheater. Shown here, the Elbridge Gale Elementar y School cheerleaders march in the parade. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Wellington Might Purchase Nearby Office Complex By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington soon could add the Lake Wellington Professional Centre to its municipal complex if Wellington Village Council members decide to purchase the property for $5 million. The council directed village staff Tuesday to set up a special meeting for further discussion on purchasing the 2.5-acre property, which currently houses 22,282 square feet of office space and is home to many local businesses. Though council members were largely in favor of acquiring the property, they wanted to have more discussion about it. “For a number of years, we have been discussing purchasing this property,” Village Manager Paul Schofield told council members. “We identified it as a possible part of our town center concept.” Schofield said the property had

three appraisals in 2011 with an average price of $4.8 million. Under the proposed agreement, Wellington would purchase the property for $5 million and the owner, former County Commissioner Ken Adams, would donate $1 million back to the village. “The donation would have to be a donation to the general fund and used for a public purpose,” Schofield said. “It could also be done with the village purchasing the property for $4 million and providing documentation that the original purchase price was $5 million.” Schofield said Adams was hoping to close on the property by the end of the year. He said the property nets about $830,000 a year with expenses of about $400,000, for a total profit of about $425,000. As part of the contract, three of the employees currently working See PURCHASE, page 18

Lox District Reports Progress RPB FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS With New In-House Equipment By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The long-reach mower purchased recently by the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District is already making significant improvements in the appearance of canal banks, District Administrator Stephen Yohe told the LGWCD Board of Supervisors on Monday. Delivery of a long-reach backhoe is also anticipated, which will enable the district to dig out canals to district specifications. Both mowing and canal dredging had been contracted services because the district did not have proper equipment. Neither has been done for several years since the district lost about $150,000 in annual financing for those services. A hedging demonstration was conducted on a canal along a portion of 161st Terrace North off North A Road on Nov. 21. Supervisor John Ryan, Councilman Ron Jarriel and several staff members were on hand. They watched the mower hedge about 600 feet of dense vegetation in one hour. “Since that time, if you’ve driven around the district, you’ll note an amazing difference just in the past three weeks where we have improved the appearance of the canal banks and maintenance

berms, and the general overall appearance as a result of the tractor,” Yohe said. Yohe added that NorTrac anticipates delivering a long-arm excavator the week of Dec. 16. “It’s in Tampa in about six pieces,” he said. “We anticipate that they will remain on schedule, and we will have the backhoe excavator next week.” The long-arm mower and 40foot-reach backhoe were approved in the 2014 LGWCD budget. When the backhoe arrives, district staff will finish the restoration of the A Road Canal South and around the Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area on E Road and southern North Road. Yohe said engineering and surveying has been done by contractors using $30,000 available from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, but a significant portion of the remaining $180,000 cost will be reimbursed in increments, which will come back to the district because most of the work will be done in-house. “Going forward, we’re going to use our in-house equipment, use the rates for the backhoes that were applied and paid for and accepted by the USDA on theA Canal work for the in-house work that we will conduct with our new back-

hoe. That’s approximately $145 an hour, which they have accepted,” Yohe said, adding that the cost includes operator, fuel and maintenance of the equipment. Yohe said he has talked with county officials about reinforcing the berm encircling the natural area after Tropical Storm Isaac caused water to overflow. “We have been wrestling with the county in regard to spilling into the preserve and affecting their natural vegetation,” Yohe said. “Not having the machine here, we obviously didn’t proceed. I sent a letter to the USDA today asking them for a 60-day extension.” The current agreement with the USDA for A Road and around the natural area expires on Jan. 18, but Yohe said he has received verbal approval from the USDA’s Jacksonville office. “We’re confident we’ll get that extension, and we’re confident that we’ll get it done in-house and restore the flow,” Yohe said, estimating that there’s about 4 feet of dirt in the A Canal. “I was always puzzled why the water wouldn’t go east and south from the A Canal.” In other business, Yohe said the district has retained e-City Services to enhance the LGWCD web site. The changes are expected to See LGWCD, page 18

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB DINNER DANCE The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington held its annual dinner dance Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Wycliffe Golf & Country Club. Guests enjoyed a silent auction and cocktails before dinner, dancing and a live auction. Shown here is Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and his wife Dorothy with Marie and Dr. Carmine Priore. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 12 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 PEOPLE ............................... 13 SCHOOLS .....................14 - 15 COLUMNS .....................16, 23 BUSINESS .................... 24 - 25 CALENDAR .......................... 28 SPORTS ........................ 29 - 31 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 31 - 35 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER

The Village of Royal Palm Beach hosted its annual Festival of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Commons Park. Guests enjoyed activities like ice skating, sledding and crafts, as well as live performances, food and more. The evening was topped off with a visit from Santa Claus and a tree-lighting ceremony. Shown here, Linda and Luna Lopez spend quality time with Santa and Mrs. Claus. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

RPB Places Stricter Rules On Political Campaign Signs By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council gave preliminary approval last week to an ordinance that would more strictly regulate political signs on village and private property. At the Dec. 5 council meeting, Planning & Zoning Director Bradford O’Brien said the ordinance would amend the village’s sign code to allow campaign signs on village-owned property at specific locations approved by the council, rather than anywhere along public rights of way. Except for village-owned property, campaign signs could be displayed in any zoning district not more than 30 days prior to an election. For village-owned property, political campaign signs could be displayed not more than 14 days before an election and only at locations designated by the village.

Under the proposed ordinance, political campaign signs displayed on village-owned property would have been limited to no more than 4 feet wide by 4 feet high for no more than 8 square feet, which the council later changed to one standard yard sign size for public and private property. The display would be limited to two signs per candidate, ballot item or referendum question on each side. The signs may be placed where they are visible to passing traffic but do not create traffic or pedestrian hazards, and stakes may not penetrate the ground more than 12 inches. The locations include Crestwood Blvd. and Folsom Road, Okeechobee Blvd. and Wildcat Way, the northwest corner of State Road 7 and Belvedere Road, the northwest corner of Royal Palm Beach and Southern boulevards, and Okeechobee Blvd. near the See SIGNS, page 18

Wellington To Seek Opinions On Election Legal Fees By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Members of the Wellington Village Council agreed this week to get other legal opinions before deciding whether to repay Mayor Bob Margolis and Councilman John Greene for legal fees accrued during the 2012 election debacle. In a 2-1 vote, council members decided to seek an opinion from the Florida Attorney General’s Office, as well as a private attorney specializing in election law, on whether Wellington can legally reimburse Margolis and Greene. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig cast the dissenting vote, while Marg-

olis and Greene recused themselves from the vote. “At this point, based on everything we’ve talked about, we need those opinions to continue,” Village Manager Paul Schofield said. “I’m not saying they didn’t need [attorneys], I’m just saying that taxpayers shouldn’t be obliged to provide them under these circumstances,” Gerwig countered. The issue stems from the March 2012 election, which saw the wrong voter tallies assigned to the candidates on election night. The votes were certified before an audit of the votes discovered the discrepancy.

After Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said state law would not allow her to perform a hand recount without judicial intervention, lawsuits were filed and several candidates sought legal representation. The hand recount saw Margolis, Greene and Councilman Matt Willhite victorious, but each had to pay fees after hiring legal representation for the matter. Willhite said he was not seeking to have his fees reimbursed, noting that he continued to accept campaign donations as allowed by state law while the election was contested, which covered his legal fees.

Village Attorney Laurie Cohen explained that state law allows, in some cases, for reimbursement of legal fees, but only to public officials acting in their official capacity. “There also must be a public purpose in reimbursing them,” she said. “Although I think you can argue fairly successfully that there is a public purpose, I was not able to find any case law where a candidate was entitled to be able to receive public funds for an election dispute.” Because Greene and Margolis had not taken the oath of office, they may not have been consid-

ered elected officials — even if they had been technically elected by voters. “There are extenuating facts in this case that don’t meet the norm,” Cohen said. “From a moral perspective, you can say that these people were rightfully elected and it’s unfair for them to have to dip into their pockets to have the will of the voters counted. I think we can agree there is an unfairness here. The problem is we have to be able to defend it legally.” She suggested council members seek the opinion of the attorSee LEGAL FEES, page 4


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