LGWCD OKS SALE OF ROAD EQUIPMENT SEE STORY, PAGE 3
WESTERN CHARTER AT RPB ED BOARD SEE STORY, PAGE 7
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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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INSIDE Wellington Council Approves Changes At Village Green Center
Volume 38, Number 47 December 15 - December 21, 2017
Serving Palms West Since 1980
FUN AT WELLINGTON WINTERFEST
The Wellington Village Council approved the first reading of a comprehensive plan amendment for the Village Green Center at the northwest corner of Stribling Way and State Road 7 on Monday, Dec. 11. The shopping center is already mostly built, anchored by a Trader Joe’s grocery store. Page 3
Wellington Ballet Theater Dancers Perform ‘Nutcracker’
Wellington Ballet Theater presented its production of The Nutcracker last weekend in the Wellington High School auditorium. The event was free of charge, as part of the local nonprofit’s mission to provide free cultural events for the community. The production features choreography and staging by Melissa Waters, scenic design by Chris Gay and artistic direction by Rocky Duvall. Page 10
‘Christmas On The Farm’ Brings Locals To Hydroponics Farm
Little girls sporting faux holly crowns and little boys munching on homemade caramel corn scurried around vendor booths Saturday, Dec. 9 as bushels of bundled-up locals braved the cold and flocked to “Christmas on the Farm” at You Farm, a newly created hydroponics farm. Page 11
OPINION Despite Pending Raise, Teacher Salaries Still Lag Other States
While many teachers in the School District of Palm Beach County were hoping for more, the moderate pay raise approved this week will likely please the district’s 12,500 educators, as well as other employees and administrators in the new year. However, while there are some notable improvements over recent contracts, it’s not quite a definitive victory. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 11 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 12 SCHOOLS.............................. 13 COLUMNS.......................14, 21 BUSINESS..................... 22 - 23 SPORTS..........................25 - 27 CALENDAR............................ 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 32 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Village of Wellington, hosted Wellington Winterfest at Wellington Amphitheater on Friday, Dec. 8. Headline performer Vanilla Ice joined local singers, dance performers, exhibitors, vendors, a blizzard beach with snow, zip lining, obstacle courses and more at the holiday-themed event. Shown above, special guest Vanilla Ice performs for the crowd. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY JACK LOWENSTEIN/TOWN-CRIER
Bellissimo: Ruling Big Win For Wellington’s Equestrian Future
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report After almost six years of litigation, Mark Bellissimo and his firm Wellington Equestrian Partners celebrated a major court victory last week, prevailing in a lawsuit that sought to have the Equestrian Village site at the corner of South Shore Blvd. and Pierson Road, home of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, torn down. Brought by members of the Jacobs family, owners of nearby Deeridge Farms, and their company Solar Sportsystems Inc., the plaintiffs argued that the existing project should never have been built. After 10 days of trial, it took a six-person jury less than two hours of deliberations to reach a unanimous verdict in support of defendant Wellington Equestrian Partners and its subsidiary entities, Bellissimo said. “The primary goal of the Ja-
cobses was to actually tear down the venue,” Bellissimo told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “That was their testimony, to… restore it to polo fields. Their approach was not appropriate, but the bottom line is that we won overwhelmingly.” Bellissimo asserted that the plaintiffs’ tactic consisted of mischaracterizations and obstructionism that was largely shot down quickly. “I think it speaks volumes to this sort of approach, which consumed six years of our time and benefit by trying to stop something and be disruptive,” he said. “I am hopeful that we can have mature dialogues about the future of this community, and dressage and polo and jumping are important elements of that.” Bellissimo added that the decision opens great opportunities for Wellington Equestrian Partners and its show production entity, Equestrian Sport Productions, to enhance dressage locally.
“There has been a lot of uncertainty created in the market, so people were not clear on what the future direction would be and whether it would be a ruling that would have created a disconnect for the future, but I’m certain that uncertainty has been removed,” he said. Bellissimo added that the decision would give people more confidence in buying property and make investments that are important to the future success of the equestrian community. “These lawsuits create no value to anyone but the lawyers,” he said. “I think it was very clear that their approach was not accurate. I’m very pleased with the outcome. I believe it was appropriate. I believe it was just a tactic to stall and delay and disrupt. I think the court spoke very loudly that this approach was incorrect.” The verdict, which consisted See BELLISSIMO, page 15
Wellington Rejects Palm Beach Polo, Polo West Changes
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council rejected controversial master plan amendments requested by both Palm Beach Polo & Country Club and Polo West on Monday, Dec. 11. The council considered each request separately, although both properties are under common ownership, at a meeting that lasted nearly eight hours. Among the master plan changes for the Palm Beach Polo property was a request for the creation of Pod 80 (formerly the North Course) and Pod 81 (formerly the East Course), along with proposed entrance points for both; removing reference to the Wellington Clydesdale Facility property with two new entrance points to the old property; identifying two new entrance points off Stribling Way into proposed Pod 81; and
the two former courses and the current 18-hole course within the community would be modified to a designation of “open space recreation/golf course/field sports and equine sports.” When the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board heard the request, it rejected most of the changes, except for the approval of two access points for the Powerline Property (also known as Pod 81) and to change the master plan designation for the Powerline Property alone to “open space recreation/golf course/field sports and equine sports.” Attorney Alec Domb represented Palm Beach Polo owner Glenn Straub at the meeting. At the beginning of his presentation, he said, “Golf is a dying industry.” However, he stressed that the changes do not seek to construct anything new. “We’re not asking See POLO PLANS, page 15
WELLINGTON HOLIDAY PARADE RETURNS
The 34th annual Wellington Holiday Parade, hosted by the Village of Wellington and the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, was held Sunday, Dec. 10. The judged parade was filled with imaginative floats, marching bands, characters, dance troupes and more. Shown above, Kem Kids Dance Studio was honored as best in show. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 7 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
RPB Village Council Approves Wellington Zoners Refuse Paddock The Capstone At Royal Palm Park Horse Appeal
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council gave its final approvals for development of Hunt Midwest’s planned senior housing project, to be called the Capstone at Royal Palm, on Thursday, Dec. 7. The Capstone will be a 114bed facility at 10651 Okeechobee Blvd. dedicated to assisted living and memory care. The facility will house up to 125 residents, as 10 percent of the assisted-living portion will allow for residents to share beds with spouses. The assisted living portion (70 beds) will be two stories, while the memory care part (44 beds) will be all on one story. The senior living facility will offer outdoor recreation, including a dog park and an outdoor kitchen with a barbecue grill. The exterior of the facility is completely walkable with exterior lighting at night.
Indoor recreation will be available, plus multiple dining rooms, along with activity and living areas. The facility is designed to promote social interaction between all residents. The living corridors make up the perimeter, while all the dining and activity areas are central to the building when walking through the main entrance. Residents can expect three meals a day, plus snacks. “Our room sizes are a minimum 400 square feet to 800 square feet for our assisted living; and then our memory care, our smallest unit is 350 for a studio and up to 450 square feet total size,” Hunt Midwest agent Donaldson Hearing said. “The intent is to get people out of their rooms, so that they take advantage of the wonderful interior environment, the open space, the recreation within the facility, the dining areas and the wonderful common areas that are provided.”
Village staff recommended approval of the site plan and requests for architectural approval and a special exception use for the property. Staff added a recommendation for a fee in lieu of land dedication to satisfy the off-site recreation requirements of village code in the amount of approximately $16,000 to be paid prior to the developers’ being issued a building permit. “As you know, the site was recently modified from the land use and the zoning to be consistent with the [residential mixed use] designation of the adjacent PortoSol community,” Hearing said. “And at that time, we made some modifications to the code, the RMU code as well as the senior housing code, to allow for senior living facilities as a special exception within the RMU designation.” Councilwoman Selena Smith See CAPSTONE, page 4
By Craig Campbell Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board denied an administrative appeal Wednesday, Dec. 13 brought by the owner of a residential parcel in the Paddock Park Phase I subdivision regarding whether horses can be kept on the property. At issue was an administrative determination by Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Building Department staff regarding property owned by Kelly Jacobs at 14785 Haymarket Court in the Paddock Park I subdivision. Jacobs sought to keep horses on the property, but village officials ruled that horses are not allowed. Jacobs, represented by former Wellington Village Attorney Jeffrey Kurtz, appealed the ruling.
Kurtz originally wanted a postponement of the agenda item until the January meeting, but the board voted unanimously to deny the postponement request. The board’s rationale was based on the village code, which calls for a written request for postponement to be filed at least five days prior to the meeting. The appeal was based on four items in the staff report prepared by Planning, Zoning & Building Director Bob Basehart. Kurtz argued that Paddock Park I’s plat and covenant agreements allowed horses to be boarded there. He further argued that Palm Beach County permitted horses on Paddock Park properties before the village was incorporated. Kurtz also pointed out that WelSee PZA BOARD, page 15
Wellington Girl Battling Leukemia Gets Holiday Help By Craig Campbell Town-Crier Staff Report The holiday season is a special time of year, but it’s especially magical for children. Some kids, though, need special help. In the past year, 7-year-old Emma LaPaglia has dealt with the separation of her parents, losing her home and being diagnosed with cancer. A number of organizations and individuals have stepped up to ensure that Emma and her two sisters — 4-year-old Piper and 2-year-old Dylan — will have a merry Christmas. Emma was diagnosed with preB acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) last May, and her mother, Ashley LaPaglia, is now on her own caring for her three children. The LaPaglia family live in Wellington, but their future was
looking bleak. “I can’t work because I am caring for Emma and her sisters, so money is tight, but I do have a great support system,” Ashley explained. The Kids Cancer Foundation became aware of Emma’s situation and connected the family with the Admirals Cove Foundation. On Wednesday, Dec. 6, Ashley received a $9,200 check from the Admirals Cove Foundation’s “A Season to Share” program. The money will go toward three months’ rent and a security deposit on an apartment for the single mother and her three children. Admirals Cove also has agreed to pay for their utilities and phones for an entire year. The two foundations have also reached out to the community to help ensure that Emma and her family have a magical holiday sea-
son. “This is great, because I don’t have to worry about Christmas presents this year,” Ashley said. On Saturday, Dec. 9, Emma joined other kids battling cancer at Hoffman’s Chocolates, which hosted an exclusive event for them at its Greenacres factory location. Hoffman’s partnered with Neighbors4Neighbors — a Miami television station’s community outreach program — this holiday season to support the organization’s “Adopt a Family 4 the Holidays” initiative. “Each of the nine Hoffman’s stores and corporate headquarters adopted a family in need,” explained Michelle O’Boyle, founder and executive director of the Kids Cancer Foundation. The company’s Palm Beach stores adopted their families See LAPAGLIA, page 15
Ashley LaPaglia holding 2-year-old Dylan, 4-year-old Piper and 7-year-old cancer patient Emma, as the girls’ grandmother Janis Price joins Santa for a family photo.
PHOTO BY CRAIG CAMPBELL/TOWN-CRIER