FOUNDATION WRAPS CHRISTMAS GIFTS SEE STORY, PAGE 3
HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE IN ROYAL PALM SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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INSIDE
Royal Palm Teams With Local Businesses For Holiday Cheer
Volume 39, Number 49 December 21 - December 27, 2018
Serving Palms West Since 1980
JINGLE BELL RUN IN WELLINGTON
In a beautifully delicious example of community partnerships, one of the nation’s most accomplished cake decorators and some of the area’s most talented muralists teamed with the Village of Royal Palm Beach to create the village’s first gingerbread-house-building competition, which was held at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park during the recent Winterfest celebration. Page 3
Lox Council Approves Measures Relating To Upcoming Election
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council gave final approval to several items Tuesday, Dec. 18 relating to the upcoming municipal election on Tuesday, March 12. During the election, three council seats will be available, and two referendum questions will be asked of town voters. Page 4
Darkness, fog and the threat of rain did nothing to deter more than 600 people, many wearing jingle bells, from taking part in the seventh annual Wellington Jingle Bell Run on Sunday, Dec. 16. Runners brought in new, unwrapped toys for Wellington’s Hometown Holiday Toy Drive and received T-shirts and medals for completing the 5K race. Shown above is Santa with Angela Donnino and Carly Merkle. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY CALLIE SHARKEY/TOWN-CRIER
McLendon To Seek Second Term On Lox Groves Council
Wellington Seniors Club Holds Holiday Dinner At Mayacoo
The Wellington Seniors Club held its Holiday Dinner Dance on Friday, Dec. 14 at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club. After dinner, the Whitestone Band kept the guests dancing the night away. Page 5
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Loxahatchee Groves Vice Mayor Todd McLendon confirmed this week that he plans to run for re-election to Seat 2 on the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council in March after serving his first threeyear term. McLendon ran unsuccessfully in 2013 against former Councilman Jim Rockett, but he returned three years later to defeat Rockett in 2016. McLendon is proud of several accomplishments since sitting on the board. “The first couple have to do with Okeechobee Blvd., increasing the safety and decreasing the amount of traffic,” McLendon told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “We also changed our comprehensive plan to limit it to two lanes to stop it from dividing our town.
The only way it could be widened moving forward is if the council votes for that to happen. Before, there was no protection in place. It could have been widened to six lanes without any say so from the town.” He believes that the town also improved public safety and reduced traffic on Okeechobee Blvd. by reducing its speed limit from 45 mph to 30 mph. Another public safety accomplishment was adopting the strongest sexual offender ordinance in the state. “Those are probably the biggest things I was able to accomplish,” McLendon said. “There’s actually quite a list.” McLendon said the town went through Hurricane Irma but is still waiting for cleanup reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “All new utilities will be re-
quired to be underground,” he said. “That was something I was able to accomplish after the hurricane. Some of the people went for a week and a half without power. I thought it was important that we do something to prepare for the future.” McLendon wants to continue working to improve town codes that he calls “horrendous.” “I was against [approving] code enforcement soon after I was on the council because I knew there were major issues with our code,” he said. “I was against enforcing a code that the entire council knew had major problems. I lost that fight, and we ended up with code enforcement. So, my next fight was to do whatever we could to fix the codes.” The council subsequently voted to assume the duties of the Land See McLENDON, page 18
Mixed Reviews For Lakeside Public Input Meeting
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington held a public input meeting to gather opinions regarding the potential development of Lake Wellington’s waterfront property on Monday, Dec. 17 at the Wellington Community Center. The meeting was well-attended, but while its unstructured format appealed to some, it left others confused. The long-term capital project has generated both attention and controversy as the council considers the future of the “Town Center” area, which currently includes the Wellington Community Center, the Wellington Municipal Complex, the Wellington Amphitheater and several other village amenities. The intent of the public input meeting was to allow the community to be involved in the early planning stages of the project. Another public input meeting will be held next month. Discussions about the Town Center and the Lake Wellington waterfront are not new and have been on the council’s mind for several years. The public input meeting provided an early step in listening and learning what the residents want to see happen. Attendees were greeted by a large screen projecting a short film sharing the history of Wellington, along with a timeline detailing the development of the Town Center. It summarized what to expect for the remainder of the meeting. “As we look toward Wellington’s future, we are asking the community to envision the next 10 years,” the video stated. “What would improve the uses within Town Center? What would provide value to our community? How can we, the village, improve the Town Center for the next generation.” More than 150 people came to learn more about the project. Former Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham was inspired by the attendance. “This is great. I’m pleased to see
as many people come out to this,” Wenham said. “I’m pleased to see the crowd, and I hope they will keep attending meetings.” The session was loosely structured, with various components of the 10-year plan displayed on boards throughout the space. Residents and attendees were encouraged to look over aerial images and concept plans outlining a variety of options. “There are staff and facilitators at each table, each one discussing a different aspect, a different component, that would make up the discussion of the Town Center,” explained Liz Nunez, the village’s public information officer. “The facilitators are showing pictures and trying to get input from residents, and from that, each staff member is taking detailed notes on the comments that are made. So, this is going to help us structure our next phase of this meeting process.” Each of the six stations had an accompanying display showing various options on different aspects of the project. These included the Waterfront, Green Space, Parking Structure, Water Features, Ken Adams Way and Performing Arts. The opinions circling the room varied greatly with the sampling coming from a variety of residents from those who have lived on Lake Wellington for many years to some who recently moved to the area. One longtime resident, Larry Sweetwood, does not find the project appealing and has some very specific concerns. “As far as the water park and green space, we have a tremendous amount of traffic coming through Forest Hill Blvd. that is increasing every year. This is only going to bring more,” Sweetwood said. “We have the amphitheater over here and all kinds of parks and meeting places. We don’t need something to bring thousands and thousands of more cars converging onto Forest Hill Blvd.” Some attendees found themselves frustrated by the format of See LAKESIDE, page 18
Indian Trail Wants More Traffic KCF SANTA BREAKFAST Calming On Acreage Roads
Wellington Hosts Seminole Ridge In Soccer Double-Header
The Wellington High School soccer program hosted a doubleheader on Friday, Dec. 14 and swept rival Seminole Ridge High School in both girls and boys soccer. To kick off the night, the Wolverine girls team edged the Hawks 2-1, and then the boys team held on to win 5-1. Page 19 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS............................. 17 CALENDAR............................ 18 SPORTS......................... 19 - 20 CLASSIFIEDS................ 21 - 22 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors heard a report and approved traffic calming projects and refurbishing work last week after a spate of accidents recently in The Acreage. At the Dec. 12 meeting, Joe Capra with Captec Engineering said that ITID has been doing traffic calming for several years, and district staff has been directing attention to where more serious accidents have occurred. Capra said he was going to talk about traffic calming and upcoming capital projects, while ITID Manager Rob Robinson was going to speak about maintenance items that are relative to traffic control. “We currently have two things that we are working on,” Capra said. “One is a pilot project that is under construction. The second thing is a [Palm Beach] Transportation Planning Agency grant. In
that grant, we are building other traffic calming items.” Capra’s company is working specifically on Hall and Temple boulevards and 140th Street North. He said there were two items that he was looking for feedback on from the board. “Based on some recent accidents, we met with the Palm Beach County Engineering Department and said that we pretty much need to step up our game on traffic from what seems like endless accidents,” Capra said. “They sent us back saying there were a couple of things they would like us to do. One thing they would like us to look at is stop signs throughout the whole district.” The second thing the county asked for was specifically at the intersection of Hall and Northlake, where several serious accidents have occurred. “First off, we asked if they would consider a signal there,”
Capra said. “We looked at the accidents, and there may be a warrant for that, but they were reluctant to put a signal there. They were willing to think about some other items that would make the intersection more prominent, in the sense that when you came up to the intersection, there would be a bolder sign with more lights on it.” Several traffic calming pilot projects are underway on 140th Avenue North, including a traffic circle at Temple Blvd. “We haven’t installed that yet,” Capra said. “The second thing is radar signs that tell people to slow down and show them what their speed is. Another thing is two speed ‘cushions.’ We call it a pilot project because we put rubberized material on the ground. It’s much cheaper than putting in a traffic calming improvement.” Once the traffic circle is complete, Capra’s company will meaSee TRAFFIC, page 18
The Kids Cancer Foundation hosted its 11th annual Breakfast with Santa for children and families battling childhood cancer on Saturday, Dec. 15 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. There was a breakfast buffet, and each child received several presents. Santa arrived on a fire truck with a stuffed toy for each child. There were bounce houses, cookie decorating, face painting and more. Shown above, Grayson, Rowan, Baran and Aiden Candales decorate cookies. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 4 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Highsmith Balancing Life While Making A Difference
Julie Highsmith with Abigail at a recent Education Advisory Board meeting.
PHOTO BY DENIS EIRIKIS/TOWN-CRIER
By Denis Eirikis Town-Crier Staff Report Julie Highsmith could be called one of those community treasures that late President George H.W. Bush referred to as one of “a thousand points of light.” According to Principal Jennifer Makowski at H.L. Johnson Elementary School, she is one of the best PTO presidents in the school’s history. She owns a thriving business employing about 50 nurses, and she also volunteers as a member of the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board, where board liaison Councilman Jeff Hmara lauds her “fantastic level of balance.” Last, but not least, she is a fully dedicated wife and the mother of three girls under eight years old.
“Our school had its first Fall Festival in many years, thanks primarily to Julie’s hardworking leadership of the PTO,” Makowski said, continuing to praise Highsmith for her commitment, dedication and leadership, as well as for her organizational skills. “She is the type of leader who wants to include everyone. She genuinely cares about the kids and loves to help the community.” Royal Palm Beach Vice Mayor Selena Samios has a daughter who attends H.L. Johnson and volunteers on the PTO, so she has worked alongside Highsmith on several events and fundraisers. “I think Julie is wonderful. She is an exceptional mother, friend and community servant,” Samios said. “She has been extremely helpful
with me navigating a child in elementary school.” Highsmith and a friend started Fidelity Home Nursing Services, based in Wellington, 15 years ago. “My greatest business success was realizing that I could run my business alone,” she recalled. “Moving forward after losing my business partner was nearly impossible, but I did it. Now 11 years later, I’m still doing it, largely because I truly love what I do — but also because just before she passed, she told me I could.” How does being an entrepreneur, PTO president and a community leader compare to raising her daughters? “Mothering three beautiful girls doesn’t compare to anything I have ever done,” she said. “It is
the most challenging, yet most rewarding thing I have ever experienced. Helping these tiny humans become successful adults is an ongoing adventure, and I love it.” Highsmith doesn’t like to take shortcuts, especially at something as important as parenting. As a healthcare professional, she knows that the medical community almost universally recommends breastfeeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics has noted that breastfeeding protects against a variety of diseases and is also a great benefit to the environment and society. Breastfeeding children are sick less often, and the parents miss less work. With a busy schedule like Highsmith’s, missing work is not an See HIGHSMITH, page 18