Town-Crier Newspaper February 20, 2015

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EXPERT BULLISH ON STATE’S ECONOMY SEE STORY, PAGE 3

YLVISAKER CUP FINAL THIS WEEKEND SEE STORY, PAGE 17

THE

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

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Response Times Concern RPB Council During PBCFR Report

Volume 36, Number 8 February 20 - February 26, 2015

Serving Palms West Since 1980

VINCEREMOS BENEFIT AUCTION

According to Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Arena, more calls were answered last year in Royal Palm Beach than in the previous year, and response time was slightly slower, largely due to increased traffic. Arena gave his annual report to the Royal Palm Beach Village Council on Thursday, Feb. 5. Page 3

Wellington Green Market Supports Big Dog Rescue

The Wellington Green Market held a “Strawberry Social” to benefit Big Dog Ranch Rescue on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the Wellington Municipal Complex. Strawberries from Plant City were combined with donut shortcakes for a sweet Valentine’s Day treat. Page 5

WRMC Hosts Day Of Demonstrations At Wellington Green

Wellington Regional Medical Center hosted “You Gotta Have Heart” at the Mall at Wellington Green on Saturday, Feb. 14. Visitors were treated to free blood pressure and alcohol screenings, and demonstrations of yoga, cooking and cosmetics, among other activities. Page 18

OPINION Keeping Property Crime On The Run Requires Effort From Everyone

In a presentation last week to the Wellington Village Council, Capt. Jay Hart, commander of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 8 substation, stressed a significant drop in property crime in the community over the past year. While it’s great to see the PBSO cracking down on this important qualityof-life issue, it’s also up to us, the residents, to do our part. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 25 BUSINESS..................... 26 - 29 SPORTS..........................33 - 37 CALENDAR............................ 38 CLASSIFIEDS................ 39 - 42 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center held its 28th annual benefit auction at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Friday, Feb. 13. This year’s theme was “Bring Your Dreams and Climb Aboard,” and the evening included dinner, a live auction, a silent auction, and the seventh annual buck off finals and poker championship. Shown here are Event Chair Tuny Page, Celebrity Hostess Tami Hoag, Young Professionals Chair Devon Kane and Vinceremos Executive Director Ruth Menor. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Loxahatchee Groves To Target Unauthorized RVs And Trailers

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report An unusual number of unauthorized temporary dwelling units have popped up in Loxahatchee Groves, believed to be outflow from equestrian activities in Wellington, and the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council authorized its manager Tuesday to do a survey and report back. The council also authorized code enforcement to take immediate action on two properties believed to be in violation of dwelling unit codes. “This is relative to RVs [recreational vehicles] and trailers in the [agricultural residential] zoning district,” Town Manager Bill Underwood said. “I tried to identify the problem, and in these last few months, the town has experienced a significant influx of unauthorized living units.” Underwood said the town’s Uniform Land Development Code

does not appear to address the issue specifically, but added that he thought it could be a health issue and pose an undue burden on residents who pay for solid waste removal. “Part of the issue, then, is that these places are living abodes, and the town residents are paying for the solid waste removal, not only for themselves, but for places that are not paying,” he said. Underwood suggested that code enforcement do a targeted sweep throughout the town to identify those areas and report back to the council. “I don’t know the extent of the problem, but it is a problem,” he said. “We have several code cases filed against people who have multiple trailers and may be running an RV campground. I can tell you, code enforcement is a very slow process. If you find somebody out of compliance, by the time it can be resolved and mitigated, then it’s gone.”

Underwood said the problem could be strictly seasonal or yearround. “We don’t know,” he said. “But we do know that we have seen a significant influx since October. Additional living units are not supporting themselves, at least relative to the solid waste removal.” Vice Mayor Ron Jarriel said he did not agree with doing a sweep of the town but believed that some form of action was needed. “I do feel like we need to do something about this,” he said. “We’ve got one that has been filed… because our utility director had to go out because of a situation.” Jarriel specifically referenced a location on C Road. “He had 35 trailers there — I think two were motor homes and the rest were RVs — all putting their garbage and stuff out, and here we are, the taxpayers of See LOX GROVES, page 19

PBSO: Lower Property Crime Rate In Wellington Last Year

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 8 substation in Wellington adhered to its goals for 2014 to reduce property crime, improve traffic safety, bring streetoperated golf carts into compliance and enforce juveniles on probation, according to Capt. Jay Hart, who gave his annual report to the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday, Feb. 10. As a result, property crime declined by 13.2 percent, traffic stops increased by 9.6 percent, residential burglaries declined by 18.9 percent and vandalism declined by 18.5 percent. It was the fifth-consecutive year that property crime declined in Wellington, said Hart, who commands the village’s PBSO substation. Hart said that 630 property crimes were reported in 2014,

compared with 713 in 2013. He is proud of the effort that the PBSO puts into solving property crimes. “You know TV and the movies have everything solved in 60 minutes, but in real life it just doesn’t work that way,” he said. “Our detectives go all over the county searching for these things. They may end up in pawn shops in Boca Raton or Riviera Beach, so it does take a lot of man-hours to actually hunt these things down.” The district missed its goal to reduce the vehicle crash rate to 2.2 or fewer per 100 village residents. The crash rate actually increased to 2.4 crashes per 100 residents, with an average of 119 crashes per month in Wellington. District 8 conducted 10,923 traffic stops in 2014, which was up by 11 percent, but issued only 6,441 citations, which was a 35 percent decrease from 2013. “What that’s telling you is that

we are partnering with the community. What are traffic stops about? They’re about education,” Hart said. “We’re educating the public of what they’ve done wrong, and hopefully they don’t make that same mistake again.” He said deputies are leaning more toward warnings than writing up violators, because tickets typically run $200 to $400 each. “Were trying to educate our residents and show them the error of their ways without actually getting into their pocket,” Hart said, “but we have gotten into their pocket many times.” In commercial traffic enforcement, the district stopped 205 trucks, inspected 201, took 21 out of service, and issued 10 citations and 81 warnings. District 8 has also attempted to increase protection of public parks. Five incidents at parks resulted in See CRIME, page 4

Three Royal Palm Beach Candidates Face Off At Forum By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The three candidates seeking Seat 2 on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council squared off Tuesday in a televised candidates forum hosted by the Town-Crier. Incumbent Vice Mayor Dave Swift, former Councilwoman Martha Webster and former Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission Member Darrell Lange made their pitches to voters in advance of the Tuesday, March 10 municipal election. Lange, 50, a native of Palm Beach County, has lived in the village for almost 14 years with his wife and three sons. He currently works for the Palm Beach County Capital Projects Department, supervising project managers. “My community service has been working directly with various organizations, staff, volunteers, parents and kids in our community,” he said. “I learned during my six years on Planning & Zoning that public engagement is critical. With all the social media and technology available, residents should be able to voice their concerns and easily make comments and express their ideas. Yes, transparency is needed, but engagement allows the residents to become

more involved in the community and more confident to express new ideas.” While on the commission, Lange said he learned the importance of good planning and enhancing the quality of the village. “I always put in a lot of time and effort to research issues before making up my mind,” he said. “Once I’ve done my homework, including listening to others, I form my opinion and communicate it with passion and commitment.” Lange noted that he participated in youth athletic programs growing up and has given back by coaching teams of various ages for most of the past 10 years, including as a division coordinator. He is also an assistant scoutmaster. Lange said he would offer residents a new option for fresh views in the years to come. Swift, 70, is a 37-year village resident, married with children and grandchildren. He has served almost continuously on the council for more than two decades. Now retired, he worked for the South Florida Water Management District as an environmental scientist for 34 years. “I was involved with the early development of the village starting See FORUM, page 19

Candidates Darrell Lange, Martha Webster and David Swift at Tuesday’s candidates forum sponsored by the Town-Crier.

PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

KIDS LIP SYNC CONTEST

On Sunday, Feb. 15, Danny & Ron’s Rescue held its seventh annual Kids Lip Sync Show benefit. Equestrian children showed off their skills and came decked out for the red carpet for the event held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Shown here, Zoey Burton sang “Let It Go” from Frozen to win first place. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 20 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

RPBHS Seat Belt Program Finalist For National Award

Bob and Karen Cavanagh of Allstate, RPBHS students Chelsea Rodriguez, Kayanah Altidor and Crichanni Watson, and RPBHS SADD advisor Maureen Witkowski. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club learned earlier this week that it is a finalist in the Seat Belts Save Challenge. As part of the national challenge, seat belt checks were conducted at the school in conjunction with an educational element to demonstrate the dangers of driving without a seat belt. Students posted on social media, signed pledges and utilized creative avenues to share their message: Buckle your seat belt. The two-week campaign followed the first unannounced seat belt check, which showed that 24.5 percent of those coming into the school grounds did not have

their seat belts buckled. After a successful seat belt safety fair and two weeks of educational programs throughout the school, a second unannounced seat belt check was conducted. The second time, only 13 percent of those entering the school grounds were not buckled up. Those results, in addition to many other programs and innovations spurred on by the dedication of SADD advisor Maureen Witkowski, have led the school to its place in the national top 10. On Tuesday, the school was notified that in its first attempt at the Seat Belts Save Challenge, it was listed among the top schools, alongside schools in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, South Dakota, Idaho and Vermont. “We’re the only one from

Florida,” Witkowski said. “After we did our video, the woman who was running the contest asked my permission to use our video as a teaching tool, which I loved.” When the students heard the news, they were very excited. “I always tell them, if you do something, you might as well do it to the best of your ability. I always challenge them to go for everything,” Witkowski said. Witkowski assigned students to spearhead each of the individual categories that they were judged on, including the kickoff event, the social media campaign, promotion, community outreach and innovative activities. Now, she said, it is up to the judges to see how Royal Palm Beach High School’s team fared See SADD, page 19


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