Town-Crier Newspaper February 12, 2016

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ELECTION 2016: RPB SEAT 1 CANDIDATES JEFF HMARA AND LENORE WHITE SEE ELECTION PROFILES, PAGE 7 THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

Volume 37, Number 7 February 12 - February 18, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

RPB Council Agrees To Pay Off Park Debt

INSIDE

Wellington High School Mourns Beloved Coach

Students, alumni, teachers, administrators and friends flooded Wellington High School’s theater Wednesday afternoon for a memorial service in memory of Matt Mounts, who worked in the guidance department and was a coach at the school. Page 3

Vinceremos Buck-Off Competition Heads Toward Final Showdown

The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center held the second of its three buck-off qualifier rounds Thursday, Feb. 4 at the White Horse Fashion Cuisine restaurant. The judges scored each rider after their turn battling wits with Snowball. Page 5

RPB Insurance Agency Bigelow & Larsen Celebrates 35 Years

Where have the years gone? That’s what Cheri Larsen ponders nowadays as the manager of Bigelow & Larsen, an insurance agency in Royal Palm Beach currently celebrating its 35th anniversary. Page 20

Hanley Center Foundation Holds Its Annual Family Picnic

The Hanley Center Foundation held its 21st annual family picnic at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Saturday, Feb. 6. The event supported substance abuse prevention and education programs. Page 22

OPINION Learn To Become Heart Healthy During American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month, and the perfect gift for your loved one this Valentine’s Day is the gift of a healthy heart. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, heart disease — also known as cardiovascular disease — is the leading cause of death for both men and women, across all demographics. Now is the perfect time to commit to a healthy lifestyle, and make small changes that can lead to a lifetime of heart health. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 11 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS....................... 10 PEOPLE................................. 15 SCHOOLS.......................16 - 17 COLUMNS.......................18, 27 BUSINESS..................... 28 - 29 SPORTS......................... 33 - 35 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS.................37 - 40 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

First-place at the seventh annual Great Charity Challenge went to the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Shown here, scholarship fund representatives gather with their riding team and VIPs to collect a big check for $150,000. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Nonprofits The Big Winners At Great Charity Challenge

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Before the clock struck midnight, the fairytale princes and princesses of the Great Charity Challenge had worked their magic with their flying horses. As the characters got ready to join their steeds on Saturday, Feb. 6, the Bellissimo family offered words of thanks to the riders, sponsors and charities. “There are 37 charities represented this year. It’s amazing what you do; you are great leaders in this community,” said Mark Bellissimo, co-founder of the Great Charity Challenge and CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions. “I know last year the theme was superheroes and you truly are the superheroes in this community doing what you do and the passion you extend to this community. We really thank you for everything that you do.

This is our gesture as a community coming together both as the equestrian community and the non-equestrian community to take a moment in time to reflect on how lucky we are.” Bellissimo thanked the sponsors, many of whom who had supported the event for many years. “Without the help of the equestrian community and the riders here, this would not happen,” he said. “To the riders in general, who are dressed up in very silly costumes, I thank you for doing this… You also are using your great horses to compete for money for these great charities.” Despite rainy weather, the seventh annual Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, returned to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center to distribute more than $1.6 million, bringing the seven-year total to $9.2 million.

“It’s a great testament to all of the energy that is around here. I want to thank everyone for doing what you do, thank you for changing the lives of so many people in this community,” Bellissimo said. “I think that we’ve said on a number of occasions, this isn’t about the money raised but the number of lives we’ve touched.” Tens of thousands of lives have been affected by the Great Charity Challenge, he said, pointing out that he doesn’t go anywhere in Palm Beach County without someone coming up to him, thanking him for what the organization does. Paige Bellissimo, who cofounded the Great Charity Challenge with her father, competed as Princess Elsa from Frozen, right down to a light-up blue gown. “I just want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone who dressed up and See GCC, page 20

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council agreed last week to use about $15 million from the sale of its former wastewater treatment plant site to pay off the loan it took for the construction of Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. At the council’s meeting Feb. 4, Finance Director Stanley Hochman said that prior to the sale of the village’s water utility to the county, the village did not have large amounts of money to invest. “When we sold the utility to the county, we generated $70 million,” Hochman said. “We immediately realized that we would need professional help to invest these funds.” The village hired investment adviser Public Financial Management to invest $66 million of the money from the utility sale, and still has about $59 million left from that $66 million. “Ten years later, we’ve been putting roughly $3 million into the general fund to pay the notes and other items, so the rate of return was very good in the early years, and then there was a correction in 2008,” Hochman said. “From that point forward, the portfolio went down. We were generating, at one point, between 5 and 6 percent, and that helped us keep that portfolio as high as it was.” Hochman said that since the village is paying interest on the Commons Park loan, it might be a good time to pay it off. Village Manager Ray Liggins

said that during planning workshops, the council had discussed what to do about the Commons Park debt after it sold the treatment plant property. The sale of the land to Lennar last year generated approximately $28 million. Steven Alexander, managing director of PFM, said that paying off the existing debt on Commons Park, which carries an interest rate of 2.79 percent, is a reasonable idea, in light of investments that carry very little return. “We’ve been through a lot of interest rate scenarios over the last five or six years, and we made it through this economic time period, and we’re at the point that we need to make some economic decisions here with the balance of the land proceeds,” he said. “We believe it makes sense to go ahead and pay off the note on Commons Park.” The payoff will help the village diversify its investment policies, Alexander explained. “What we did the last 10 years is a lot different now compared to what we can do in the future,” he said, explaining that traditional investments such as governmentinsured home loans, government bonds and notes are no longer viable investments. “Banks are sitting flush with cash — they’re not lending — and they’ve been holding a lot of securities, so we feel that the investment policy should be modified to take you to the next five or six years going forward.” Alexander explained that paying See DEBT, page 4

WELLINGTON FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE

ELECTION 2016: MAYOR OF WELLINGTON

Gerwig: Wellington Needs New Leadership On The Dais

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report With six years of experience on the Wellington Village Council, Councilwoman Anne Gerwig has set her sights on a promotion to mayor. Gerwig faces incumbent Mayor Bob Margolis in an election that will take place Tuesday, March 15. She sat down recently with the Town-Crier to discuss her campaign. Gerwig noted that she will be giving up her seat on the council despite having two years left in her term because she feels that Wellington needs better leadership. “I didn’t want to sit there for two more years and not see good leadership in this village,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed my time on the council. The staff has changed a little bit, but generally stayed pretty constant, and I feel like we’re in very good shape as a village.”

However, Gerwig feels that a fresh take on the mayorship is needed, with a different approach. “I treat everyone the same,” she said. “I don’t have a group of people that I serve and that I don’t serve. I work with all of my constituents. I am very, very responsive to residents. I listen to all sides, and I value everyone’s opinion at the table. Even those I don’t agree with, I treat with respect… I think that we lost that level of civility and respect in government.” There are many different approaches to government, and Gerwig said that her approach differs from the current council majority. “I look at government differently,” she said. “One of the reasons there is conflict in my approach to government is that we are here to provide services that our residents want. I don’t look at it like our residents need us to tell them how to live their daily lives.

The Village of Wellington hosted its annual Father Daughter Dance on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Village Park Gymnasium. The theme for the evening was “Wish Upon a Starfish.” The evening included a delicious buffet dinner, a chocolate fountain, a photo booth, dancing and more. Shown here are Maddy Hepstein and Valen Adams on the dance floor. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Anne Gerwig I don’t try to get involved in that. I look at it like, ‘How are we going to provide the best services for our residents at the most effective way that meets their needs?’” Gerwig feels that she is uniquely suited for the role of mayor, and it starts with her professional land surveying background, which See GERWIG, page 6

Margolis Stands On His Record Seeking Re-Election As Mayor

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Incumbent Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis is being challenged in his re-election bid by Councilwoman Anne Gerwig. Previously a council member, Margolis was elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2012. He is now seeking a second term. He recently sat down with the Town-Crier to discuss his first term in office and his plans for the next four years. Margolis noted that this campaign, which will culminate in the March 15 election, will be his last. “Not only due to term limits, but this is my last campaign,” he said. “I’ve given over half my life to the Village of Wellington. I will still continue, but maybe from the sidelines.” Before retiring, Margolis had a career with Proctor & Gamble for 25 years. He moved to Wellington in 1983 and quickly became in-

volved with parks and recreation, first in coaching, then later on the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Margolis was appointed to a vacant council seat in 2003 and elected in 2004. He won a fouryear term in 2006, but left the council in 2009 after a failed bid for Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections. He returned to local politics with his mayoral bid in 2012. “I ran for mayor because there were more things that I wanted to get done,” he said, explaining that he disagreed with then-Mayor Darell Bowen on several issues. “After the 2012 election we focused in a different direction, and the last four years… quite frankly has been a humbling and gratifying experience.” Margolis’ election, along with that of Vice Mayor John Greene and Councilman Matt Willhite

Bob Margolis (who was re-elected), was the most tumultuous in the village’s history. The initial ballot count was found to be faulty due to a tabulation error that initially seated other candidates instead of Greene and Willhite. Although the audit confirmed Margolis as mayor, he was See MARGOLIS, page 9

Wellington Allows Permanent Link From Grand Prix Village To PBIEC By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council approved two separate resolutions Tuesday to permanently connect three lots in Grand Prix Farms to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The lots are currently in use as stabling for the horse shows. “What these applications do is provide cross access between lots 8, 9 and 10 of Grand Prix Village to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center,” Village Manager Paul Schofield explained. “Since they both sit in separate [planned unit developments], both PUD master plans must be amended, and under our code, ingress and egress can only be amended by the council.” Planning & Zoning Director Bob Basehart said the application is to make permanent what have been two temporary connections. The connections have been made via temporary approvals for the past several years. “These connections have been made annually for the last three years and removed at the end of the season, and this request is to make the connections permanent,”

he said, adding that village staff is recommending approval subject to two conditions. The Equestrian Preserve Committee and the Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board also recommended approval. Councilman Matt Willhite noted that a question that has always come up during discussion of the access was another access from PBIEC to Grand Prix Farms Drive. “There was always a gate that limited cross access other than emergency vehicles,” Willhite said. “Is that still going to be in place here, or does this give them unlimited access?” Basehart said that one of the conditions of approval was that access to Grand Prix Farms Drive shall be reserved for emergency vehicles only, and owner representatives that maintain the property. “One of the benefits of making this connection, since all the horses that are stabled on the Grand Prix Village sites are associated with uses at the showgrounds, is by having this connection you eliminate all the traffic that would otherwise have gone up Grand Prix Village Drive, and then onto Pierson Road, See CONNECTION, page 4


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