WRECKERS DEMOLISH PLAYERS CLUB SEE STORY, PAGE 3
ITID BOARD OKS NEW PARK CONTRACTOR SEE STORY, PAGE 7
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RPB Education Board Highlights Crestwood Middle School Programs
Volume 41, Number 7 February 14 - February 20, 2020
Serving Palms West Since 1980
WELLINGTON CHAMBER HOSTS 5K
The Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board meeting on Monday, Feb. 10 featured a standing-room-only crowd of enthusiastic parents, school administrators, students, teachers and citizens coming together to encourage local excellence in education and to hear a presentation on Crestwood Middle School and a short performance by Crestwood’s band. Page 3
Veterans Group Unified Dream Hosts 5K Event At RPB Commons Park
Cool weather gave way to sunny skies on Saturday, Feb. 8 as people walked, jogged, ran or tossed during “The Battle Within,” Unified Dream’s 5K Run & Cornhole Tournament fundraiser at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. A veterans’ service organization, Unified Dream held the event to raise money to send veterans on a service project to Haiti. Page 7
Madison Green Hosts Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Golf Tourney
The eighth annual Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches Golf Tournament was held on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Madison Green Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach. Page 12
Bronco Hoops Cap Senior Night With 64-60 Win Over Hawks
The Palm Beach Central High School basketball team hosted rival Seminole Ridge High School on Thursday, Feb. 6, grabbing a narrow 64-60 win with a late rally in the final period. Page 17 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 15 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 SPORTS..........................17 - 18 BUSINESS............................. 19 SCHOOLS...................... 20 - 21 PEOPLE................................. 22 COLUMNS............................. 27 CALENDAR............................ 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Runners were ready on a chilly morning for the Wellington Chamber’s Community 5K on Saturday, Feb. 8 at Palm Beach Central High School. The event welcomed runners of all ages with music, refreshments, vendors and medals at the finish line. Julian Aramburo of Greenacres took first place, well ahead of the crowd with a time of 21:46. Shown above, younger runners take the lead as the race gets underway. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY CALLIE SHARKEY/TOWN-CRIER
Gauntlet Of Polo Takes Center Stage At IPC In Wellington
By Mike May Town-Crier Staff Report The Gauntlet of Polo, an elite three-tournament series featuring 14 of the world’s best polo teams, is now underway. This is the second year of the Gauntlet of Polo, which started earlier this month at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Games will continue across three high-goal tournaments until the finale on Sunday, April 19. During a West Palm Beach reception on Wednesday, Feb. 12, the details of the Gauntlet of Polo were released to the media. In attendance were polo association executives, top polo players, polo enthusiasts and Palm Beach County tourism officials. The first Gauntlet event is the C.V. Whitney Cup, which runs from Feb. 1 to Feb. 23. The second event is the USPA Gold Cup, which starts on Feb. 22 and concludes on March 22. The third and final event of the Gauntlet series is the prestigious U.S. Open Polo Championship, which begins on March 21 and wraps up on April 19. All three tournaments will be contested at the International Polo Club Palm Beach with key games on U.S. Polo Assn. Field 1.
Shannon Stilson of USPA Global Licensing and Global Polo Entertainment CEO David Cummings flank the Gauntlet of Polo championship trophy. PHOTO BY MIKE MAY/TOWN-CRIER It’s worth noting that one portion of the Gauntlet of Polo will be receiving network television coverage for the second straight year. On Sunday, April 26 at 2 pm., CBS Sports will broadcast the U.S. Open Polo Championship final. The Gauntlet is hosted by IPC and sanctioned by the United States Polo Association (USPA), the sport’s governing body. It is sponsored by USPA Global Licensing (USPAGL), which oversees the U.S. Polo Assn. brand.
The Gauntlet offers $500,000 in prize money via the three tournaments, and if one team is able to win all three Gauntlet of Polo events, it will also receive a $500,000 bonus, for a total purse of $1,000,000. What makes the Gauntlet of Polo so unique and appealing is that it combines these three top tournaments into a high-stakes series. In addition to the three individual titles at stake, any team See GAUNTLET, page 13
New Owner Has Big Plans For Polo West, But Many Remain Skeptical
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Dr. Scott Swerdlin is an affable individual with a sterling reputation in Wellington earned over years of service to the community, and he has a dream. His veterinary practice still thrives, but today, he has a new focus — redeveloping the longclosed 150-acre Polo West golf course property, and that has a bevy of nearby residents teed off and wanting to stay the course. “I want to do something with the last large area of land in Wellington to develop, where 10 to 15 years from now I can look at what we did as a big team and feel proud,” said Swerdlin in an interview with the Town-Crier. Swerdlin sees the land as a defunct a golf course whose time has “come and gone.” Popularity in golf is waning, he said, noting a number of reports that have reached similar conclusions. “It will never be golf again,” said Swerdlin, who envisions residences instead, in a variety of sizes and density, with perhaps even equestrian estates on the property. Polo West is located along the west side of South Shore Blvd. between Big Blue Trace and Greenview Shores Blvd. The last plan to redevelop the land was put forward by former owner Glenn Straub two years ago. It was shot down by the Wellington Village Council after an outcry against the proposal by residents, particularly those in the Polo West Estates community that surrounds the ill-fated course. Swerdlin is the new owner of the property, although several critics still see Straub in control behind the scenes. While many residents are said to be opposed to Swerdlin’s project, few were willing to talk on the record. For example, the Polo West Estates HOA controls the ingress and egress of the road to the golf course property. Skeptical
of previous redevelopment plans, no members of the HOA would speak on the record under advice from their attorney. Eventually, resident Angela Lacy said she would talk about the project and ask a friend or two to speak as well. By the time the meeting occurred the next day, 10 self-selected, concerned residents, including former Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham and his wife Regis, gathered ready to share their vision. Many walked to the immaculate residence along the closed course that is subject to sporadic upkeep. “Look out back. That is what I wanted, that is what I bought,” said Lacy, pointing to a mowed fairway. She said that her property is a great place for kids and dogs with a great view. “I don’t want to be on the water,” Lacy said. The consensus of the group was that they wanted a golf course, and nothing else would make them happy. They plan to organize and fight to keep one of the last large undeveloped pieces of property in central Wellington just that. “We want it back the way it was,” said Pat Evans, who said that the community supported a golf course at nine holes. “They [the previous owners] never gave it a try, never ran it as an 18-hole golf course.” “We can live with it like it is. We have everything we need,” Winston Handwerker added. While Swerdlin has purchased the property, he is said to have a limited time period to use his resources, which includes his reputation, to get something approved for the land. Snazzy mounted renderings are circulating with Swerdlin’s suggested uses at his area meetings touted as 2020 Vision Committees seeking neighbors’ input. “We will have as many meetings as it takes See POLO WEST, page 7
WELLINGTON BREW FEST
ITID Hosts Meeting With Hopes Of Getting SR 7 Back On Track
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District hosted a public meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at Seminole Ridge High School about the recent deletion of State Road 7 from the long-range transportation plan by the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency. The TPA’s next board meeting is on Thursday, Feb. 20 at its new office at 301 Datura Street in West Palm Beach. At that meeting, officials from the western communities hope to get SR 7 back on the map. Tuesday’s meeting was led by ITID President Betty Argue, who introduced an array of speakers
that included Palm Beach County District 6 Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, Palm Beach County Engineer David Ricks, TPA Executive Director Nick Uhren, Florida Department of Transportation Director of Transportation Development Steven Braun and ITID Supervisor Tim Sayre. Argue also introduced many other officials in the audience, which included ITID Vice President Jennifer Hager, ITID Supervisor Michael Johnson, ITID Supervisor Joni Martin, Westlake Mayor Roger Manning, Royal Palm Beach Vice Mayor Jan Rodusky, Wellington Councilman John McGovern, ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson, ITID Engineer
Jay Foy, ITID Traffic Engineer Joe Capra, Kim DeLaney with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council and Loxahatchee Groves Councilwoman Lisa El-Ramey. Argue said the purpose of the meeting was to get input from members of the public to show local support for the extension of SR 7 to Northlake Blvd. About 60 people attended the meeting. Argue explained that the SR 7 extension had been on the longrange thoroughfare map for decades before the TPA board voted to remove it in December. “As a result of that, we need to get it back on the long-range thoroughfare map, and the way See SR 7 MEETING, page 13
Wellington’s Classic Brew Fest returned to Wellington’s Town Center on Saturday, Feb. 8. Attendees, 21 and over only, enjoyed an impressive array of beer and hard ciders from around Florida and beyond, accompanied by an assortment of food trucks and other craft beer-centric games, entertainment and live music. Shown above are American German Club members Jennifer McDaniel, Jay Vollstedt and Ms. Winefest 2019 Christina Vollstedt. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
WHS Band Revels In Prestigious Invitation To London
By Meredith Burow Town-Crier Staff Report A pleasant English accent read an official invitation to an excited crowd at Wellington High School on Tuesday, Feb. 11. “In recognition of a reputation for outstanding performance abilities, the patrons and organizers of London’s New Year’s Day Parade and Festival take great pleasure in extending an invitation to the Wellington High School Mighty Wolverine Sound Marching Band to travel to London and participate in the 35th annual New Year’s Day Parade and Festival.” Thus began an exciting journey for the school’s band students, as London dignitaries Bob Bone, co-founder and executive director
of the London parade, and senior parade patron Steve Summers formally invited the 150-member band to perform at the iconic event. This unique opportunity is offered to a small number of American high schools each year. Wellington was nominated by West Boca Raton High School, which previously performed in the parade, and their invitation was then approved. “We’ve been asked to apply for this for a long time, and to finally think that it might happen is just incredible,” said Mary Oser, Wellington High School’s band director for almost 30 years. Despite previous encouragements to apply for the prestigious
opportunity, obstacles stood in the band’s way up until now. “It was never really the right time,” said Sara Pawelkoski, an auxiliary instructor with the band. “This has been the first time that [Oser has] just been really able to organize it and get everybody on board.” According to Bone, who founded the celebration three decades ago, 9,000 people participated in the 2020 parade, with 750,000 more crowding the London streets to watch. “Why do they come out on New Year’s Day to see the parade? Why do you think?” Bone asked the wide-eyed band members. “It’s the weather! Everybody wants to See WHS BAND, page 4
Wellington High School band students wave British flags.
PHOTO BY MEREDITH BUROW/TOWN-CRIER