LEGISLATORS ADVANCE LOX GROVES BILLS SEE STORY, PAGE 3
RPB ZONERS OK SOUTH UNIVERSITY SIGNS SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE County Commission Puts Off Decision On Sales Tax Question
Volume 34, Number 51 December 20 - December 26, 1013
A JOURNEY BACK TO BETHLEHEM
The Palm Beach County Commission withdrew consideration of a half-cent local government infrastructure sales tax referendum Tuesday after the School District of Palm Beach County backed out of participating. County Administrator Bob Weisman said his staff had revised the item from the previous week to seek direction from the commission after the school board withdrew. Page 3
Vinceremos Holiday Show Celebrates Progress Of Riders
The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center held its annual Holiday Party & Horse Show on Saturday, Dec. 14 at its facility in Loxahatchee Groves. The event allows family members, friends and the community to come watch the progress all the riders have made for the year. Page 7
Bill’s Bikes Memorial Toy Run Collects Gifts For Needy Children
Palm Beach County Motorcyclists Toys for Tots Inc., in cooperation with the U.S. Marine Corps, presented the 31st annual Bill’s Bikes Memorial Toy Run on Sunday, Dec. 15 starting at the South Florida Fairgrounds. Several thousand motorcyclists participated. Page 9
OPINION Things We Would Like To See In 2014
The Community of Hope Church in Loxahatchee Groves presented its annual Back to Bethlehem celebration from Thursday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 15. Back to Bethlehem is an interactive telling of the story of the birth of Jesus. Shepherds gather as guests follow the bright star to Bethlehem, where they witness the baby Jesus in a manger. Guests enjoyed free refreshments and a look at what life was like in Bethlehem at the time’s of the birth of Jesus. Shown here are Sherri Bosley, Louise Connolly, John Sizemore and Donna Sayerman. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
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ITID Taps Jacobs As President, Damone As New Treasurer By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Supervisor Carol Jacobs was elected Wednesday as president of the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors, replacing Supervisor Jennifer Hager. Supervisor Michelle Damone nominated Jacobs, seconded by Supervisor Ralph Bair. Hager and Supervisor Gary Dunkley opposed in the 3-2 vote. Damone then nominated Bair as vice president to replace Jacobs, which also carried 3-2. Damone also nominated herself for treasurer to replace Dunkley and was elected on another 3-2 tally. “It sounds like you guys had a plan,” Hager said. “I have one,” Damone said. “I made this very clear last month.” Damone also made a motion for the district’s attorney, Mary Viator, to remain as secretary, which carried 3-2.
Damone nominated Dunkley as assistant secretary, and that also carried 3-2. “I came up with a plan, and I was lucky enough to have a second. That’s why I motioned them all, including myself; whether you find that arrogant or not, I apologize, it’s not meant to be,” Damone said. Damone said her decision stemmed from Dunkley’s appointment of former ITID Supervisor Penny Riccio, a longtime political foe of Damone, to be his assistant. “I have been very honest and direct about it,” Damone said. “I don’t believe that we need a deputy treasurer. I didn’t like the way it happened, so I came in with a plan to nominate myself, hoping to get a second, and I did.” In a 3-2 decision last month, the board had approved a request by Dunkley for an assistant treasurer to help with a financial newsletter. See ITID, page 18
A CARIDAD CHRISTMAS
Wellington Extends Deadline On P.B. Horse Park Proposal By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Members of the Wellington Village Council last week extended its exclusive contract with the organizers behind the Palm Beach Horse Park, an equestrian development proposed for the villageowned K-Park property on State Road 7. Earlier this year, council members agreed not to discuss other proposals while the Palm Beach Horse Park secured funding and drew up plans for the site. The contract was set to expire Monday, but on Dec. 10, council members agreed unanimously to extend the contract — and the exclusivity provision — until the council’s Jan. 14 meeting. Village Attorney Laurie Cohen requested the extension during her attorney’s report. She said she was still reviewing the paperwork
and wanted to give organizers ample time to respond to her comments. “I think it would be fair to give them the opportunity to review the changes I’ve made,” she said. Vice Mayor Howard Coates wanted to clarify that the project wasn’t a done deal just yet. “It is subject to approval by [the] council, right?” he asked. Cohen said that council approval is still required. Coates asked if the council must extend the exclusivity provision of the contract. “By agreeing to extend this, do we have to extend the exclusivity period where we can’t speak with anyone else?” he asked. Cohen recommended that the council extend the exclusivity period. “We did agree to have an exclusive arrangement until the expira-
tion of the contract,” she said. “They did submit the application to me. I have reviewed it. I just haven’t been able to get it back to them. I think the exclusivity should be extended.” But Coates was not convinced. “Can we extend the time period of the contract but say the exclusivity period is over?” he asked. Cohen said it could be possible. “If they are agreeable, I think you can,” she said. “I think it makes sense to just extend it to the first meeting in January so it’s not an issue. They have expended a fair amount of money to get to where they are right now, and they did it in good faith that we aren’t going to be talking with anyone else.” Councilman Matt Willhite pointed out that talking to other proposers didn’t mean Wellington See HORSE PARK, page 7
WELLINGTON’S WINTER WONDERLAND
With 2013 coming to a close, the promise of a new year is upon us once again, offering a clean slate, a fresh start and new opportunity. Some use the new year as a chance to kick into gear on promises long forgotten. As we at the Town-Crier look forward to 2014, there are several things we hope to see. Page 4 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
Serving Palms West Since 1980
The Village of Wellington hosted its Winter Wonderland spectacular at the Wellington Amphitheater on Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14. The event featured performances from local talent, including the Wellington Ballet Theatre, the Wellington High School Chamber Chorus and more. There were also food trucks serving tasty food and drinks. Shown here, Layla Chalifoux, Allyson Steinberg, Mikaela Wetter, Amanda Campion, Quinn Van Popering and Madison Brown of Wellington Ballet Theatre dance the Christmas waltz. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
The annual Caridad Center Christmas Party was held Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. It was sponsored by the Wellington Equestrian Group. Equestrian Sport Productions donated the venue and Tim Gannon provided lunch from PDQ with help from Cilantro’s Deli. Shown here, Raschel and Yoshandy Fernandez received candy stockings from Santa. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
County OKs 5-Year Plan Without Lyons Through Ranchettes By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission gave final approval to the annual update of its five-year road plan Tuesday, but without plans to pave Lyons Road through Palm Beach Ranchettes. Lyons Road is the county’s designated reliever road for State Road 7 when it is eight lanes and over capacity. However, Lyons Road currently does not go all the way through because a bridge has not been constructed to connect the portions of Lyons Road between Discovery Key Elementary School just north of Lake Worth Road and Stribling Way just south of Wellington’s Olympia neighborhood. The missing stretch is known
as Frontier Avenue in the Palm Beach Ranchettes community. If paved and connected, Lyons Road would bisect the neighborhood. Area residents have been fighting the connection for at least two decades. “You heard this already, but what you have before you today is a recommended change by staff based on a public meeting we had at the Ranchettes community,” County Engineer George Webb told commissioners. Webb said staff had recommended allocating some money in 2016 to pave the shellrock road portion through the Ranchettes. “When we brought that up at the Ranchettes meeting, the residents overwhelmingly said they were See LYONS, page 18
Wellington To Hear Proposals From Lobbying Firms By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council will hear proposals from eight lobbying firms next month as the village seeks to find new representation in Tallahassee. At a meeting Monday, council members discussed what they would like to see from a new lobbying firm and opted to hear proposals from all of the firms before making a decision. “I want to talk about what we want to do,” Gerwig said. “What do we want to put the emphasis on as a council?” Village Manager Paul Schofield said lobbying is needed mostly at the state level. “There is time when we need to have a presence
in Washington, D.C.,” he said. “But the bulk of the time we will need representation in Tallahassee.” Gerwig asked whether council members wanted to “whittle down” the candidates to a smaller list as they had done with the village attorney proposals, or to hear all of them, as they did with the auditor proposals. “The attorney had a lot more applications, and we narrowed it down to five,” she said. Councilman John Greene said he had been hoping to hear presentations that night. “I don’t want to sit here and make a motion to come back,” he said. Gerwig asked if he would be OK with narrowing down a list, and he said he would be.
Vice Mayor Howard Coates said Wellington might need to hire additional lobbyists for representation in Washington. “I think our need for federal lobbying efforts are so remote that when they come up that we should look at a specialized lobbying firm,” he said. “Those issues are so specific, we may need additional help regardless of what our lobbyists do at a state level.” Schofield said the need for lobbying varies, but noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency maps, the Environmental Protection Agency water control guidelines and State Road 7 extension were issues he expected to need representation for. Coates pointed out that many
of the proposals before the council were joint proposals with several lobbying firms. He also noted that there was a great disparity in cost — from $40,000 to around $150,000 a year. “Have we typically had an arrangement, and has it worked, where we have two firms collaborating?” he asked. “It seems like there is a broad range in terms of what these proposals offer.” Gerwig asked how much Wellington paid for lobbying services in the past and how much they were used. Schofield said Wellington paid about $80,000 a year for its previous lobbying firm. “In some years, it was higher than that, typically when we were
in Washington a lot,” he explained. He said it was not uncommon to have a joint contract. “To find one person who can do everything is more the exception than the rule,” Schofield said. Councilman Matt Willhite noted that lobbying firms often work together to have greater influence. “They know different people,” he said. Willhite wanted to see a lobbyist notify the village about grants and other money-generating measures. He suggested finding a legislative affairs person. “They could work with our senators and representatives, as well as our lobbyists,” he said. Schofield said council members See LOBBYIST, page 4