BECHER LEAVES RPB ZONING BOARD SEE STORY, PAGE 3
NEW GIFT STORE OPEN IN WELLINGTON SEE STORY, PAGE 7
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County Commission Gives Final OK To Conversion Therapy Ban
Volume 38, Number 48 December 22 - December 28, 2017
Serving Palms West Since 1980
KCF HOSTS BREAKFAST WITH SANTA
In a 5-2 vote Tuesday, the Palm Beach County Commission gave final approval to a ban on the practice of conversion therapy on minors by statelicensed practitioners, although it will continue to watch a similar ordinance in Tampa that has received a legal challenge. Page 3
Young Anglers Take Part In Wellington’s Holiday Fishing Classic
The 27th annual Wellington Children’s Holiday Fishing Classic was held on Saturday, Dec. 16 on Lake Wellington, behind the Wellington Community Center. The free fishing tournament was presented by the Village of Wellington, in conjunction with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Page 7
Wellington Seniors Club Celebrates The Season
The Wellington Seniors Club held a holiday luncheon on Friday, Dec. 15 at the Wellington Community Center. Guests enjoyed a box lunch, and members were recognized for their work on various committees throughout the year with gifts such as a poinsettia. Meridith Tuckwood of the Village of Wellington received a letter of appreciation and many good wishes for her upcoming move to North Carolina. Page 9
OPINION Congress Must Restore Funding For CHIP Before It’s Too Late
It has been one of the most popular federal programs over the past two decades, but Congress failed to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) before its authorization ran out Sept. 30. Now it’s unclear whether legislation to extend the program will pass before states, such as Florida, run out of money to keep the crucial program afloat. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 COLUMNS...................... 11, 19 PEOPLE................................. 12 SCHOOLS.............................. 13 BUSINESS..................... 20 - 21 SPORTS......................... 23 - 25 CALENDAR............................ 26 CLASSIFIEDS.................27 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Kids Cancer Foundation held its 10th annual Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. More than 300 local children battling cancer and their families enjoyed arts & crafts, a photo booth, gifts, breakfast and visiting with Santa Claus, who arrived on a fire truck. Shown above is Santa with Valentina, Isabella, Camilla, Daniella and Valeria Parra. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 8 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Sem Pratt/Northlake Work On County Road Plan In 2019
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission approved its five-year road plan on Tuesday, which includes major improvements to the intersection and road widening at Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Northlake Blvd. The county plans to spend a total of $296 million on roadwork from 2018 to 2022. County Engineer David Ricks said there are 26 major projects that will begin in 2018. The fiveyear program is updated each year. Funding for the program comes from various sources, including impact fees, proportionate share, gas taxes and the infrastructure sales tax. In reference to questions raised at the preliminary hearing on the Seminole Pratt/Northlake improvements, county staff said the plan calls for three major projects scheduled for 2019 at a cost of
$16.9 million, including Seminole Pratt Whitney Road from Orange Blvd. to Northlake Blvd., as well as the intersection, and Northlake Blvd. east of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road to Hall Blvd. Seminole Pratt will be widened from two lanes to four at a cost of $3.4 million. Northlake Blvd. from Seminole Pratt to Hall Blvd. will be widened from two lanes to four lanes at a cost of $4.3 million. The intersection improvements will cost about $4 million. The overall plan calls for spending about $69 million in 2018, $95 million in 2019, $53 million in 2020, $44 million in 2021 and $35 million in 2022. Palm Beach County Mayor Melissa McKinlay asked why there was a steep drop-off in funding from 2019 to 2022, and County Administrator Verdenia Baker said that as projects continue to move through the process, and staff recognizes additional sales
tax revenue coming in, they will make adjustments. Other projects in the western communities include the widening of Royal Palm Beach Blvd. to five lanes from north of Persimmon Blvd. to the M Canal and south of the M Canal to Orange Blvd. Commissioner Paulette Burdick said she hoped that the future designs for transportation include more options. She added that she sees diminishing funding in the future from the federal government for infrastructure improvements. “The balance of that is going to be paid by the states, the counties and our cities, and I’m concerned about continuing to expand roadways and trying to move people,” Burdick said, adding that an effort to attract Amazon to the area by the Business Development Board had failed due to deficient transportation. “They are looking for alternatives for transporting See ROAD PLAN, page 14
ITID OKs FDOT To Design Traffic Calming On 140th
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors approved a resolution on Wednesday approving a grant for the Florida Department of Transportation do a traffic calming design and possible construction for 140th Avenue North and Temple Blvd. The design anticipates future development around The Acreage, and 140th Avenue North has come under scrutiny by ITID after the county mandated improvements on the road in conjunction with improvements at nearby Acreage Community Park. The park improvements have seen delays for a number of reasons, including getting permits from the county. The area is also subject to likely future traffic generated by the Westlake and GL Homes developments. Newly elected ITID President Betty Argue said she was concerned that state standards might
be greater, and therefore more costly, than the district’s. “I think it’s great that other money is coming in, but this resolution is for FDOT to design the traffic calming,” Argue said. “We seem to be having excessive attention being spent on 140th, and I understand why, but in March, the board approved a temporary pilot project for traffic calming that still hasn’t happened yet. Then we’ve got this grant here. My biggest concern is that it’s for FDOT to design traffic calming for these two particular roads. If FDOT is designing it, it’s to state and county standards, which is certainly a lot more than what we as Indian Trail would be doing for traffic calming.” Argue said one of the reasons that ITID approved that pilot project was that if it was efficient, then it would be a cheaper option for traffic calming throughout the district. “Getting this money, while it
seems great, by the time we’re said and done, we’re going to end up that the cost of actually doing what they’re doing is three times what we would be doing, so are we really ahead if we actually wind up spending double the amount of money after we receive the money for the grant?” she asked. ITID Engineer Jay Foy said traffic calming has been planned by the district in recent years, including a raised intersection at Temple and 140th, and two midblock islands along 40th Street and three along Hall Blvd., as well as speed tables on Temple. “This resolution says FDOT would design and construct it, but you don’t have to construct it,” Foy said. “Yes, it does do the traffic calming per state standard, so it wouldn’t prohibit any future action if someone else were to have the road.” Foy reiterated that the work is with grant money, explaining See ITID, page 4
Four Candidates Make Wellington Election Ballot
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report When filing closed at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 19, four candidates had qualified for the Tuesday, March 13, 2018 election ballot for two seats on the Wellington Village Council. In the race for Seat 2, incumbent Councilwoman Tanya Siskind will face engineer Frank Ferrano, while incumbent Vice Mayor John McGovern will face community activist Bart Novak in the race for Seat 3. This is the first time Siskind will face an opponent through the election process after being appointed to her seat in 2016. She said she loves her role on the council and wants to continue to work on the projects she has started, both on her own and with the council as a whole. “I’m working on a few things myself with the schools, one of
them involving the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center to do a therapy riding program for some of our students who have special needs,” Siskind said. “As well as a mentoring program with our education committee and senior committee — things like that, that I have been personally working on, as well as the big things that we’ve been working on together regarding the village.” Siskind said the task at hand fits right into her natural willingness to schedule many things into her daily routine. “I am the type of personality who thrives on that. I’m better off having 10 things to do in one day,” Siskind said. “I love it. I go from thing to thing. People always say, ‘I don’t know how you do it. You have three kids and all these other responsibilities.’ I just love it. It’s what I do. I wouldn’t want to have See ELECTION, page 14
BIG CHANUKAH PARTY
The Chabad Jewish Center of Wellington celebrated the first night of Chanukah at the original Wellington Mall on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Congregants and guests gathered to observe the festive holiday. Entertainment included a flamethrower, as well as songs, dances and different craft booths, along with a raffle. Shown above, Sam and Ben Pincus celebrate the holiday. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY JACK LOWENSTEIN/TOWN-CRIER
Overhaul Planned For Wellington Sign Regulations
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Architectural Review Board held a sign regulations workshop with the Planning & Zoning Department on Wednesday, Dec. 20. “There were a few supreme court cases over the past couple of years that have really shaped the way content neutrality has been applied with local governments and signs,” Assistant Village Attorney Aaron Dunlap said. “There has been a movement for municipalities to start changing the code. Several counties in Florida have done it already.” The village cannot disapprove of a sign based on the content, but can regulate the overall use and area in the village it will be used. “What you can regulate is the time, the place and the manner,” Dunlap said. “So, you’re regulat-
ing the type of sign, but you’re not regulating what is on the sign anymore, because what happened in the Reed case… It was a church, and they had services every Sunday, and they had signs out, and they kept getting code enforcement for having their signs out too long, while other signs that were political signs had a different structure under the code. So, political signs were allowed to be up for two weeks before the election, or six weeks before the election to two days after the election, but these signs for the church were only allowed to be up for 48 hours. They were the exact same physical type of sign, but they were being judged differently based on content.” Dunlap said it has become difficult for municipalities to regulate signs based on content, so that See SIGNS, page 4
Baseball Program Serves Players With Special Needs By Craig Campbell Town-Crier Staff Report Playing ball in the sunshine is a part of growing up in South Florida, but for those who have a disability, getting on the diamond can be a challenge. The Sunshine Baseball League is a fun, noncompetitive, adaptive baseball league for individuals with special needs in Royal Palm Beach. “We don’t keep score, standings or anything like that,” said Sheryl Sawyer, a program supervisor with the Royal Palm Beach Parks & Recreation Department. Sawyer, who oversees the initiative, said the program has been around for approximately 20 years. Registration is now open for the season getting underway next
month. The deadline is Jan. 10, and the cost is $25 for Royal Palm Beach residents and $30 for nonresidents. “The fee includes a uniform top,” Sawyer added. The program is available to those five and older, including adults. “We are willing to accommodate any disability,” she said. The league will open for the season on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. at Willows Park, and the games will be played every Friday for seven consecutive weeks. Players are asked to register for the league along with a helper “buddy” at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center, located at 100 Sweet Bay Lane. “We encourage siblings to par-
ticipate because it gives parents a much-needed break,” Sawyer explained. “Parents who are caregivers to special-needs individuals rarely get an opportunity to relax from their responsibilities.” She said that the league has had two teams over the past couple of years, with players coming from as far away as Lake Worth and Palm Beach Gardens. However, most of the participants come from the western communities. “This is one of the few programs like this in the area,” Sawyer said. To generate more participation, Sawyer has reached out to doctors’ offices and schools who have special-needs students in the area to help spread the word to families with a loved one who might want to participate in the league.
Sawyer doesn’t focus on the quantity of participants but, rather, on the quality of the experience that the players, their siblings, parents and volunteers have during the games. “We are here to help the families with a special-needs child or adult,” Sawyer stressed. On Saturday, Dec. 16, the Youth Baseball Association of Royal Palm Beach and the Village of Royal Palm Beach hosted the first “Home Runs Can Help” event at the Bob Marcello Baseball Complex to help raise money and awareness in the community about the Sunshine Baseball League. The Healton family was instrumental in organizing the event that helped raise $650, which will go toward the league, Sawyer said.
Nick Healton, a senior baseball player at Seminole Ridge High School, was diagnosed with osteochrondritis dissecans, a joint disorder, when he was a freshman. He needed multiple surgeries on both of his elbows. Doctors weren’t sure if Healton would be able to play baseball again, but rehabilitation and hard work got him back on the diamond. He recovered so well that he signed a letter of intent to play college baseball for Northwest Missouri State College after high school. This coming season will be the third year that Healton has been a volunteer for the Sunshine Baseball League. Also needed are compassionate See SUNSHINE, page 14