LOX GROVES ROAD SUMMIT NOW JAN. 17 SEE STORY, PAGE 3
RPB SENIORS ENJOY A HOLIDAY PARTY SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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St. Peter’s Youth Group Surprises Community With Acts Of Kindness
Volume 37, Number 48 December 16 - December 22, 2016
Serving Palms West Since 1980
33RD ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE
On Sunday, Dec. 11, just after the Wellington Holiday Parade, the St. Peter’s United Methodist Church Youth Group took to the area to offer random acts of kindness. “We went out into the community, into Wellington and into Royal Palm Beach, just spreading a little bit of Christmas cheer, holiday cheer, to the area, doing some random acts of kindness,” Director of Youth Ministries Samantha Scott said. Page 3
Wellington Seniors Club Hosts Annual Installation Dinner
The Wellington Seniors Club held its installation, dinner and dance on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club. There were door prizes, and after dinner there was a raffle of the floral centerpieces. Guests danced the night away. Page 5
Great Train Show At The Fairgrounds
The Great Train Show, the only coast-to-coast model train show in the United States, visited the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11. Train enthusiasts, hobbyists and vendors were on hand for the event. Page 16
OPINION Elections To Personal Data, We Must Do Better At Cybersecurity
One of the many hot buzzwords floating through today’s world is “cybersecurity.” There have been multiple, huge breaches of sensitive data at large tech companies like Yahoo, as well as allegations of computer hacking by foreign powers — specifically Russia — in an effort to influence the outcome of our recent national election. We are living in a world run by computers. What happens when our computers turn on us? Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 10 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 11 SCHOOLS...................... 12 - 13 COLUMNS.......................14, 21 BUSINESS..................... 22 - 23 SPORTS..........................27 - 29 CALENDAR............................ 30 CLASSIFIEDS.................31 - 34 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The 33rd annual Wellington Holiday Parade took place Sunday, Dec. 11 along Forest Hill Blvd. This year’s theme was “Holiday Movie Magic.” There were floats, marching bands, baton twirlers, dance companies and more. Shown above is the Wellington High School Mighty Wolverine Sound, which took first in its category. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Council Gives Initial Nod To Winding Trails
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In a 4-1 decision, the Wellington Village Council gave preliminary approval Tuesday to a comprehensive plan amendment and other changes that will enable the creation of the Winding Trail equestrian development on the former Wanderers Club executive golf course. The council still wants assurances before final approval that the developers will address turn ratios by large horse trailers and not endanger children at school bus stops or riders on a public horse trail that would run beneath the flight path of the Aero Club’s runway. Those issues were raised by residents of the Lakefield South community, which Winding Trails would surround, and the nearby Aero Club neighborhood. In a hearing that lasted almost six hours, more than 100 residents
filled the council chambers. They were divided for and against the Winding Trails project proposed by W&W Equestrian Club LLC, owned by Jim Ward and Patricia Holloway of Ward Real Estate. They have proposed nine equestrian-oriented residential lots of 2.3 to 4.45 acres each, situated on the former nine-hole golf course located in the area of Aero Club Drive and Greenbriar Blvd., with a horse crossing connecting to the showgrounds at Ousley Farms Road and Greenbriar Blvd. In addition to the comp plan amendment, the council also approved the preliminary reading of ordinances extending the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District (EOZD) to the Winding Trails development and rezoning the property from commercial recreation to agricultural residential. The amendment will be transSee COUNCIL, page 4
Promising Revenue Benefits In LOCAL BALLET TROUPE Acreage Incorporation Study STAGES ‘GRINCH’ SHOW
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report If The Acreage were to incorporate, it would draw about $15 million in revenue, with only about $10 million to spend, and no ad valorem tax in its first years. That was the summary of a feasibility study done by a group of Florida Atlantic University professors at the request of Preserve the Lifestyle of The Acreage Now (PLAN), which presented the study to about 50 residents on Monday at the Acreage library. The meeting was part of a series that will include reviews of a proposed charter and other documents required for incorporation. PLAN organizer Brett Taylor said the study and related documents will be submitted to the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation for approval, and then go to legislative committees in
Tallahassee for review before returning for final approval by the county delegation. It will then head back to Tallahassee for approval by both houses of the legislature and signing by the governor. If it gets that it far, it would be put to a referendum by Acreage voters in 2018. To make that happen, the deadline for submission of documents is July 2017. “The feasibility study is the first step toward incorporation,” Taylor said. Scott Barnwell reviewed the feasibility study done by Clifford McCue & Associates. The study states that The Acreage satisfies a significant majority of the requirements for incorporation, including the size, density and boundaries of the area. Further, a proposed five-year plan shows that there is sufficient fiscal capacity to
successfully run the town due to existing and future development. Part of the requirements are that the area be contiguous. Barnwell noted that the creation of the City of Westlake divided The Acreage into two parts, but an easement connecting the two parts makes them technically contiguous. Another requirement is that the area must have a total population of at least 1,500 and less than 75,000. The Acreage had a population of 38,696 in the 2010 Census, and the projected population is 40,378 in 2016. The required population density is 1.5 people per acre. The Acreage, at 34.63 square miles and using the population figure from 2010, gives it a density of 1.746 per acre. Another requirement is that the area have a minimum distance of 2 miles from the boundaries of an See FEASIBILITY, page 15
Lox Groves Officials Celebrate Opening Of Improved B Road
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Town of Loxahatchee Groves held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for the opening of B Road from the Palm Beach State College entrance to Okeechobee Blvd. The road had been closed for several months while it was paved with asphalt. Culverts were placed underneath the road to allow drainage from swales on the side of the road opposite the canal.
The project evolved from the open-graded emulsified mix (OGEM) paving that has been used previously to asphalt with a rock base, on a recommendation from the town’s consultant. The $1.2 million, 1.25-mile paving project came about because the developers at B Road and Southern Blvd. — Palm Beach State College, Atlantic Land Development and Solar Sportsystems — agreed to pitch in money for the town to do the paving.
Town officials gather with other VIPs to open the improved B Road.
The curbs and paving between Southern Blvd. and the college entrance were done by the developers themselves. “Part of our negotiation with both the developments at the corner of B Road and Southern were that they would pay whatever it took to pave B Road from Southern all the way to Okeechobee,” Mayor Dave Browning said. “They paid for the bridge; they did whatever they needed to improve B Road.” Browning said that the town started the road project at about the same time that the Loxahatchee Groves Commons project started, which has been open several months. The B Road paving had a January completion date set. “We were able to get a blacktop road and a thicker road rather than the original OGEM,” Browning said. “We were able to get drainage for the road to transfer the water to the canal… The town got a really good bargain in exchange for that commercial [development].” He said that the council would See B ROAD, page 15
The Wellington Ballet Theatre presented The Grinch Who Stole Christmas as its winter ballet on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Wellington High School theater. Company dancers brought the magical Dr. Seuss story to life. Shown above, Jordan Anderson and Devan Solomon dance in “Cindy Meets the Grinch.” MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 10 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Jan Rodusky Files To Seek Full Term On RPB Council
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach Councilwoman Jan Rodusky has announced plans to run in March for a full term in Seat 4, the council seat she was appointed to earlier this year to fill a vacancy. Rodusky said that she has enjoyed her past eight months on the council. “It has been a really good experience,” she said. “I feel like I have contributed and really want to see some of the things that I’m starting come to fruition.” Rodusky, who works as the chief grants writer for the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, moved to Royal Palm Beach in 1996 with her husband Andy. She served for four years on Royal Palm Beach’s Recreation Advisory Board before taking time off to raise her children. Now that they are 14 and 17, she has returned to public service.
“I did take a break in active involvement in the community,” she said. “However, throughout the years, I paid attention to what was going on, with votes and ordinances that were passed, so it seemed like the right thing to do, to get back involved and make a difference.” Rodusky cited her familiarity with the village’s strategic plan in her application for appointment to the council. She sees value in pursuing its goals. “I believe there is real work to be done in fulfilling the strategic plan,” she said. “I feel like it’s a really good road map. We develop the strategic plan from the council’s past perspective and marry it with the citizens’ summit. It was really enlightening and heartening for me to know that the strategic plan and citizens’ summit are pretty much aligned.” While on hiatus from public See RODUSKY, page 15
Wellington Mourns Former Councilman Paul Adams
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington pioneer Paul Adams, a member of the inaugural Wellington Village Council, died Thursday, Dec. 8 after a long illness. When he was elected in 1996, Adams was the only member of the inaugural council who was not previously a member of the Acme Improvement District Board of Supervisors, Wellington’s preincorporation government. He served one four-year term, including two years as vice mayor. After leaving elected office, Adams continued serving the village in appointed positions, notably on the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board, where he used his ex-
pertise in commercial real estate to help Wellington become more of a self-sustaining community with employment, entertainment and shopping opportunities, instead of simply a bedroom community full of commuters. His several stints on the PZA board continued until earlier this year. Adams served as president of the Wellington Lions Club and was a past president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. He served on the board of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce and on the Wellington Landings Middle School Advisory Board — even co-authoring the school’s mission statement. He supported the Neighborhood Crime Watch pro-
gram and was a youth recreation coach in pre-incorporation days. Those who knew Adams already feel his loss. Former Mayor Tom Wenham considered Adams a friend, often holding long phone conversations as the two caught up on each other’s lives and the happenings of the village. “Paul was a good man, a good family man,” Wenham said. “He really loved this community and wanted to do what’s right. I hated to see him go, especially as a fellow veteran.” Born in 1944, Adams served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a non-commissioned officer. He attended the University of Southern Mississippi.
“One of his main things was to do what’s best for this community,” Wenham said. “He always asked, ‘What was the best for this community?’” Mike Nelson, president of Effective Solutions, knew Adams for more than two decades. “I have worked professionally with Paul for more than 20 years. He was the ultimate professional,” Nelson said. “He was very much trusted and respected in the business community.” Adams was very knowledgeable about how Wellington worked, noted former Mayor Dr. Carmine Priore. “Paul was always a great guy to be around and to understand the See ADAMS, page 15
Paul Adams