50TH STREET PROPOSAL MOVES AHEAD SEE STORY, PAGE 3
PWH NURSE TO JOIN WESTLAKE COUNCIL SEE STORY, PAGE 4
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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PBSC Seeks $25 Million To Fund Dental School On Lox Groves Campus
Volume 42, Number 27 December 17 - December 30, 2021
Serving Palms West Since 1980
HOLIDAY PARADE IN WELLINGTON
Palm Beach State College President Ava Parker recently asked the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation for its help with the start of a dental program building at the school’s Loxahatchee Groves campus. Parker made her presentation during the delegation’s meeting Wednesday, Dec. 8, held at PBSC’s campus in Belle Glade. Page 3
Wellington Garden Club Luncheon Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary
The Wellington Garden Club celebrated 40 years as a member of the National Garden Clubs on Monday, Dec. 6 at the Wanderers Club. Several past presidents of the club were in attendance. Vice Mayor John McGovern served as master of ceremonies for a program that noted the many great things that the club has done for the Wellington community. Page 17
Wellington Winterfest With Vanilla Ice Returns To The Amphitheater
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s popular Winterfest event returned to the Wellington Amphitheater on Friday, Dec. 10 featuring headline performer Vanilla Ice. Page 18
Area Football Players, PBCHS Team Win Post-Season Honors
At this year’s 30th annual Lou Groza Awards program, three of the four local awards were presented to football players and a football team from the western communities. Palm Beach Central High School running back Markel King was named the Palm Beach County Player of the Year, Seminole Ridge High School place kicker Hayden Gray was named the Palm Beach County Placekicker of the Year and Palm Beach Central High School was named as the Palm Beach County Team of the Year. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS..........................21 - 24 PEOPLE................................. 25 SCHOOLS.......................26 - 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
After a year off due to the pandemic, the Wellington Holiday Parade, produced by the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce with support from the Village of Wellington, returned to its traditional route down Forest Hill Blvd. on Sunday, Dec. 12. The parade featured dozens of entries as crowds watched from the sidelines getting into the holiday spirit. Shown above, Santa arrived in Wellington aboard a pink fire truck! (L-R) Keri Armand Chicano, Sky Marchese, Luke Zeller, Mrs. Claus (Maggie Zeller) and Santa Claus (Mark Candreva). MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Acreage Incorporation Bill Dies At Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation Meet
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A negative vote by State Sen. Bobby Powell (D-District 30) put the final nail in the coffin of the controversial Acreage incorporation bill at the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 8 in Belle Glade. State Sen. Tina Polsky (DDistrict 29) and State Sen. Lori Berman (D-District 31) had already cast negative votes on the bill, thereby ending the vote. Legislative Delegation Executive Director Victoria Nowlen explained that according to the rules, local bills must pass with a majority vote of house members present and a majority vote of senators present. “Having not received the vote,
this local bill does not pass,” Nowlen said. That means that the bill will not be considered by the state legislature during the 2022 session and, therefore, will not be voted on by Acreage residents during the 2022 election cycle, as supporters had hoped. “I would encourage the public to bring it back next year,” said Delegation Chair State Rep. Mike Caruso (R-District 89) after the vote. The hearing at the Palm Beach State College campus in Belle Glade, which had been postponed from the delegation’s Oct. 28 meeting in West Palm Beach, still drew about 150 residents who spoke both for and against the bill. State Rep. Rick Roth (R-District
85), who sponsored the bill, said the proposal, if approved in Tallahassee, would allow the residents of unincorporated portions of the Indian Trail Improvement District to vote on a referendum to create the Village of Loxahatchee. Roth was concerned about widespread confusion over the process. “I’ve heard everything across the board from, ‘They’re going to vote today,’ I’ve also heard, ‘If we vote to incorporate, the taxes are going to go up 50 percent,’” Roth said. “There is so much misinformation out there.” He reiterated that the bill would allow the residents of the proposed municipality to hold a referendum on incorporation, and this was the See BILL DIES, page 14
Wellington Meeting Informs Public On New Golf Cart Rules
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Neighborhood Watch program held a communitywide Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 8 to inform the public about the village’s new golf cart ordinance, which goes into effect on March 28, 2022. Neighborhood Watch Liaison Gloria Kelly said the operation of golf carts is currently prohibited in the village outside of golf courses and private property. That will change in March. “A golf cart may be operated on a municipal street or pathway that has been designated for use by golf carts,” Kelly said. “Wellington and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office created this golf cart ordinance.” It was approved by the Wellington Village Council earlier this year.
Kelly noted that the ordinance does not regulate golf cart usage within gated communities or private/semi-private property, including retail parking lots and private roads. Pointing out the difference between golf carts and low-speed vehicles, she said that golf carts are manufactured for operation on a golf course for sporting or recreational uses, while low-speed vehicles are what many refer to as a street vehicle. “The state requires that a lowspeed vehicle must be registered, have a valid license plate, and be insured and titled,” Kelly said. “Low-speed vehicles may be driven on roads with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less, but may not be driven on village designated multimodal pathways.” Beginning on March 28, 2022, the Village of Wellington will
permit the operation of golf carts on designated village roads and designated multimodal pathways. “Signs will be posted throughout Wellington to show where golf carts may be operated,” Kelly said, explaining that a designated village road is a road or a portion of a road where golf carts are allowed to operate. “These roads are located within residential neighborhoods. A designated village road means… it has a speed limit of 25 mph or less. It will be marked with signs indicating it is a designated village road.” A designated multimodal pathway is not a typical 4-foot to 5-foot sidewalk found within residential neighborhoods, but is a minimum of eight feet wide, is paved and marked with village signs indicating it is a multimodal pathway. They are often adjacent See GOLF CARTS, page 7
PBC Commission Will Consider GL Homes Land Swap Proposal
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission heard a presentation Wednesday, Dec. 15 by GL Homes proposing to relocate some of its residential rights at Indian Trails Grove, west of The Acreage, to the Agricultural Reserve west of Delray Beach. In exchange, GL Homes will dedicate 1,600 acres within Indian Trails Grove to Palm Beach County for water resources. The commissioners agreed to discuss the proposal further but did not specifically support the idea. Palm Beach County Planning Director Patricia Behn, who was present at the meeting with about 20 members of her staff, said the concept proposed by GL Homes would require text amendments and future land use amendments to the comprehensive plan, and a series of zoning applications.
“We are gathered, based off of the commissioners’ direction from the Oct. 26 board workshop on the Agricultural Reserve,” Behn said. “The board directed staff to have us meet with the developer, GL Homes, to understand their current proposal to transfer some units from the western communities down south to the Agricultural Reserve in exchange for some 1,600 acres of property.” She explained that the presentation is unprecedented, in that staff does not have a report or an application or other details to provide. The Indian Trails Grove site consists of about 4,871 acres. In 2016, the county adopted a future land use and text amendment to allow for 3,897 residential units and 350,000 square feet of nonresidential uses on the property. The conceptual plan includes a 640-acre water impoundment area, See LAND SWAP, page 4
WINTERFEST IN RPB
Winterfest returned to Royal Palm Beach Commons Park on Saturday, Dec. 4. The event included a lighting ceremony of the village’s 28-foot Christmas tree, accompanied by fireworks and a Santa Claus meet and greet. New this year was a snowslide with real snow. There was also a craft station, hot cocoa and cookies, and musical entertainment. Shown above, Ariana Ryan, who turns seven on Christmas Day, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 16 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
WPB Continues To Oppose State Road 7 Extension
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The City of West Palm Beach is continuing its years-long opposition to the proposed extension of State Road 7 from 60th Street North to Northlake Blvd., on a route which connects to Northlake on the east side of the Ibis Country Club. On Monday, Dec. 13, West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James sent out a post asking anyone who opposed the extension to send a note to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stating their opinion. The Army Corps is accepting public comment regarding the extension by e-mail to Randy.L.Turner@usace.army.mil or by submitting written comments to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
District Engineer, Jacksonville Permits Section, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, FL 32232. Residents of the western communities, especially the Indian Trail Improvement District, have long advocated for the extension to ease local vehicular pressure and to provide alternate routes out of the area. “I continue to support State Road 7 going through to Northlake,” ITID President Betty Argue said. “If it’s not built, then the traffic will continue to cut through our community and put traffic on residential roads with driveways, where it shouldn’t be.” West Palm Beach has opposed the extension route on grounds that it threatens the health and wildlife See SR 7, page 14
Wellington Honors Community Partners For Help With Toy Drive
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council recognized its community partners on Tuesday, Dec.14 for their work on this year’s Hometown Holiday Toy Drive. Wellington Community Services Director Paulette Edwards said that the village would not be able to do what it does without the help of its community partners. “We were here not too long ago to recognize them for their contributions and support and partnership for our Hometown Holiday Food Drive, and we served more than 400 families last month,” Edwards said. “Those families were extremely appreciative of the
support they were able to get, and for so many, that allowed them to take that money that they would have had to put out for food toward other things that they needed to help their household.” Now it is time for the Hometown Holiday Toy Drive, which culminated this week. “The toy distribution is on Thursday [Dec. 16] at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, one of our community partners, and that’s where we’re going to do the distribution,” Edwards said. She recognized everyone else along the way who had supported Wellington’s community partners financially or by collecting toys for the toy drive.
“They are going to be working with us to assemble the toys, put the toys over at St. Peter’s, and they’re also going to be Santa’s helpers or little elves to help the families pick out those toys on Thursday.” Toy drive contributors included the Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Christ Community Church, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Premier Family Health, the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center and the Wellington Community Foundation. Edwards added that 500 children are registered for the toy drive. “We were really in need of this partnership, so thank you
The Wellington Village Council recognizes representatives of community partners that supported the Hometown Holiday Toy Drive. so very much,” she said. Mayor Anne Gerwig said there were some people on the list who were not able to attend that evening’s meeting. “I want everyone to be recognized who helped out with this,”
PHOTO COURTESY THE VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON
Gerwig said. “It really is a herculean effort. But when you see that room full of toys that are all sorted by different age groups and types of toys, it’s a lot of fun for us. You are really great partners in our community.”